Wine Time...

Hubs is travelling once again this week (Asia just can't get enough of that tall, salt and pepper, handsome English man...), so this drawing pretty much sums up my week - post 8pm bedtime of course...

Now, I remember when I was little that saying someone was a 'wino' was a derogatory statement and synonymous with being a bum.  But now, as I am older and wiser, I can honestly say that there is nothing bum-ish about hanging out on the sofa in your tracksuit and fluffy white socks in front of the fire drinking bottles of the stuff...

Hear ye, hear ye - I am a wino.

Wine lovers x 2 (pre-Olivia years...)

Once upon a time, I would scrounge all my change up out of my Lincoln Quad dorm room and head over to the Ghetto Market in good old Terre Haute to buy myself the finest box of wine $3.50 could buy.  These days living in Italy I am spoilt for choice... 

I live in Prosecco (Valdobbiadene as it is now formally known) country - for those of you who do not know what that is have obviously not hung out with me since I have lived here.  

 Definition: Prosecco is an Italian white wine — generally a Dry or Extra Dry sparkling wine, normally made from Glera ("Prosecco") grapes.  DOC prosecco is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, and traditionally mainly in the areas near Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso.

Or to be more exact on the location...

View from my front yard....

At the base of that mountain in the distance is the main Prosecco production region...nothing like waking up every morning to this view.

For those of you who think you need to spend a load on good wine, it is untrue (at least here...).

A great mid-priced bottle of bubbles, which we often drink is Valdo...

About 5 euro a bottle...

Or my #1 favourite cantina (producer)...

I may be a bit biased...this is my student's family cantina ; )

Colesel produces Valdobbiande as well as Cartizze, another sparkling wine - a bit more specialised than Prosecco - SO good.  They also have a Rose that I love...

For you red lovers, there is no shortage of goodies from around here.

The best by far is Amarone...

Def: Amarone della Valpolicella, usually known as Amarone, is a typically rich Italian dry red wine made from the partially dried grapes of the Corvina (40.0% – 70.0%), Rondinella (20.0% – 40.0%) and Molinara (5.0% – 25.0%) varieties.

A good Amarone will set you back a few clams, but it is VERY WORTH IT.  

I am not much of a red wine drinker, but my good friend Chris introduced us to this a few years back and it stole my heart (and my liver?) in a moment...

This would be a tasty little drop...

Chris is our resident Red expert - so much that when Olivia sees a bottle of red enter our house, she immediately says "CHWIS!!"  ; )

Our wine loving "Family" - Mooresy, Chris and the Harts...Thank goodness we recycle bottles...

As far as whites go, we are not too versed, so I would be open to any suggestions from my fellow wine lovers...

So there you have it friends - a very short wine tour from yours truly....if you needed any more reason to save up and come visit the Harts I am sure the wine talk pushed you over the edge.  

And hey, even if you don't I will still be here enjoying my very own personal wine time...

8:15 pm... {hiccup!}...

Aussie version please - not the rubbish US version!!

xoxo sjkh