Putting a Little Age On It

So I've been lucky enough to play tourist the past day and a half! My job at this first winery is winding down, so I got some time off to check out some tasting rooms and explore the Sonoma Coast and parts of Napa. I hit 7 different tasting rooms and wineries- Rosenblum, Portalupi, J, A. Rafanelli, Gustafson, Chateau Montelena, and Medlock Ames. It. Was. A. Blast! I got to see so much of wine country,  and meet some really cool people. My favorite wines so far have come from Gustafson.  Their vineyard is located just down the mountain from where I'm working now, and their tasting room was across the street from my new favorite seafood joint in Healdsburg. They had an incredible late harvest zinfandel that was just pruney, raisiny, and rich.

Seeing Chateau Montelena was pretty amazing, too. Half the reason I tried getting a wine internship is because I am in love with the movie 'Bottleshock', and their wines did not disappoint. I was, however, caught off guard by how much better their reds were than their whites. The cabernets they were showing had this excellent richness of character that's only going to improve with age.

Thanks to my new favorite phrase ("industry discount"), I have accidentally started a wine cellar for myself. The girl who previously could barely keep a 12pack of beer in her fridge is now the proud owner of 16 bottles of wine. I am intending on giving some away, but I am still hanging on to a majority. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I love the idea of having wine on hand, but I'm not going to have time to drink any of it until maaaaaaybe November. And by hen, I'll probably have more collected. It's strange to consider. A mere month ago, I was reticent to spend even $20 on a bottle. Now that I'm in the thick of things, I almost want to take out an insurance policy on what I've accrued thus far- and I wouldn't even call this an impressive start, based on what I saw other guests buying.
Though I ought to cut myself some slack- I may be the youngest adult for 100+ miles. Everyone else I've seen around has at the very least a decade on me, if not a solid 30 years. I've been ok with that,  I usually run with a more mature crowd, but it does make me feel a bit more disconnected from everything. And not having anyone to flirt with? I've never felt more like a nun. Lord. :p

Paint me a Birmingham..

I am in Birmingham, AL, today.

I came with the intention of surprising J today. Thankfully, my big mouth told him about it... On Monday. Which allowed him the opportunity to let me know he was too busy to see me. And left me with bus tickets to and from Alabama, that my drunk ass bought. Funny, no? I was half-expecting it, I have this kind of luck with surprises. So I said fuck it and took the trip anyway.

I gotta say, it has exceeded my expectations! Though I have been drinking most of the day. I got to see a good friend of mine, old coworkers, and chill in a hot tub for a bit! For the record, if you are traveling in the south, stay at Drury Inns and Suites- they have 5:30pm "kickbacks", which entails 3 free alcoholic beverages and free food from 5:30-7. Kicked. Ass.

I did also do a smidge of touristy stuff earlier- I checked out The Vulcan, a Birmingham landmark that is perched on a mountain where you get a magnificent view of the city. It was a cool stop- the statue is massive, and only wears an apron and sandals, so it moons the next town over.

I'm checking out Ona's Music Room now- a jazz club downtown. Live music, and a nice, dark atmosphere. Private, quiet, and just the kind of music to keep my crazy to a minimum. I already recommend it, and the band hasn't even started yet! Cheers, lovelies!

Ona's- http://www.onasmusicroom.com