gettin' the itch to travel...

if i had unlimited funds, i would travel the world.  fiji, thailand, the caribbean, ireland, dominican republic, belize, brazil, sweden, canada, alaska.  and the list goes on.  i am fortunate enough to have already done a great bit of traveling.  ive been to 17-18 countries in europe, australia, new zealand, mexico, and many beautiful places right here in the united states.  unlimited funds would be amazing and afford me the luxury to travel in style, with great ease, and of course for extended periods of time.  but, you dont need a ton of money to have a rewarding and unforgettable traveling experience.  the best part about traveling is experiencing something new and learning about the people and culture of the region (eating and drinking - ha!).  and of course, this can be done with little or no money.  however, back to my original thought, unlimited funds would be nice because then when i get home from traveling, i wouldnt have to worry about my bills or my mortgage and car payments.  

tavarua - fiji

a friend of mine just got back from spending a few weeks in australia and a few other people around me have been talking about planning trips.  trips of a lifetime.  to europe.  to the dominican.  how i wish i could pick up and leave, but things are different now.  i have a family.  my son, 9 months old, cant just travel with us anywhere.  well, i suppose he could, but spending time in a foreign country with a child under the age of one doesnt sound like my cup of tea.  and i can only imagine how hard it would be to spend any extended length of time away from him.  i would worry, constantly (and im not even a worrier).  and if my husband and i are traveling and something happened to either one of us... well, lets just say, we arent prepared for that (legally, financially).  however, when kai gets older (5-6) i want to take him everywhere.  he is going to be a well-traveled child. i believe the experience is so beneficial and if we can make it happen, i would be so grateful.  

so for now, we are limited to mini-vacations.  we are taking our first family road trip to arizona this weekend to go see the angels at spring training.  kai has never been for a car ride longer than an hour, so this will be interesting.  drive time is about 5-6 hours on average and can be done even quicker.  but i am afraid that we are going to have to make numerous stops (diaper changes, feeding, cranky baby).  we are hoping for the best.  kai is a great kid, so it shouldnt be too bad.  we'll see how it goes....

we also have a wine tasting getaway planned for my (gasp!) 25th birthday.  good lord.  25.  this will be brian and i's first weekend away from the baby.  3 days 2 nights.  sleeping in?  wooowww!  sleeping in. we are looking forward to it.  oh and of course, the wine tasting.  good times & great friends. 

plan a trip.  today!

so-vee-yohng blawnk

recently, (well not so recently, mostly at any given time) my husband and i have been in search of the best, affordably priced new zealand sauvignon blanc.  yah, its winter and most people prefer to drink sauvignon blancs during the summer.  well, the heck with them, i like to enjoy it year-round.  why sauvignon blanc, and why new zealand in particular?  new zealand is the producer of the most dry, crisp and clean tasting sauvignon blancs.  in fact, sauvignon blanc is what put new zealand on the winemaking map.  california sauvignon blancs just don't do it for me.  sorry.  why not chardonnay? (considering i do live in california, and the californians make some of the best chardonnays around the world AND chardonnay is THE MOST popular wine in the US) personally, i don't like the buttery, creamy, and oaky flavors that most chardonnays have. 

first up, kim crawford.  if i had to choose a sauvignon blanc to drink every day, this would be it.  very well balanced, crisp and citrusy.  my husband would even say "grassy" or "herbaceous"  but my palate is not as well-trained at his.  passionfruit. melon. great with light fare, salads, fish and even better alone.  so why don't we drink this everyday?  well we did, for about a month or so.  found a great deal ($10.49) at costco and bought a case (maybe it was two).  but, after a while, even my favorite wine got, dare i say it, boring.  and costco no longer had it on sale, and we are not about to spend the regular $14.99 -$17.99 everyday.  that would put us around $150 a week just for this wine.  pass.  so that's why we have been on this search.  to switch it up a bit and save a little money.

note: current vintage is 2010.  we enjoyed it, but preferred the 2009 and i think you can snatch a few up while they are still around.

next, cloudy bay.  why am i even mentioning this?  (retails between $25.99 and $32.99, definitely not in the afordably priced everyday wine category)  i felt like mentioning this because when my husband and i were in new zealand, this is what we drank.  and yes, you can get it here, but the fact that while in new zealand, this is the sauvignon blanc that most restaurants and wine shops recommend, is interesting.  maybe because it is very popular and well-liked.  again, very well balanced.  reviews of the current vintage (2010) boast flavors of gooseberries (what the heck is a gooseberry?  i will have to ask my husband when he gets home), guava, mango, ripe lime and sweet herbs.  i haven't had the current vintage, so maybe a splurge is in order.

 

king shag - $7.99 from trader joe's.  love the name, and its actually named after a new zealand seabird and not an austin powers impersonator.  this is a bargain priced wine, but has flavors that rival its more pricey competitors.  first off, it smells great. or as the winey snobs would say "it has a gorgeous nose."  my husband says he can smell star fruit and kiwi fruit.  again, i don't have as well-trained of a sniffer, and i just smell crisp deliciousness.  light bodied, but nicely acidic and citrusy.  i have grown to love the acidity of a good new zealand sauvignon blanc.  this has become our go-to  white wine.

pebble bay - $5.99 from fresh & easy.  i have been asking my husband to pick up a bottle of this for quite some time.  the other night, he finally did and was shocked by how good it was.  we have a fresh & easy right by our house and have been reluctant to try their wines.  but for $5.99, even if was terrible, you can't go wrong.  surprisingly impressive.  because i couldn't find a great professional shot of this wine, i took a quick one on my cell phone (my boss would be very disappointed in the quality, haha, oh well).  the nose has a zing of lemon and the flavor tart like a granny smith apple.  i noticed that it was a little less crisp than i prefer, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.  this may become our newest go-to white wine, and fresh & easy is MUCH closer to the house.  

and finally, one hope - $18.99 one hope wine.  i have yet to try this, but i want to give it a shot.  pictured is the 2008 vintage, but they also offer 2009.  when you purchase this wine, $3.00 is donated to saving the planet, and $1.90 goes to charity of your choosing (from their selected charities).  so, for the price, even if the wine isn't great, you don't feel like you've thrown all of your money away.  this sauvignon blanc is from california (i know, i know...) and described as having aromas of fresh honeydew and cirtus fruits.  it's a medium-bodied crisp wine with a smooth finish.  the reviews seem to be pretty good, so i am going to pick up a bottle and i will let you know what i think.  

note:  i have also seen it at vons, and bevmo and i believe they sell it for around $14.99.  enjoy!