Wine- love it

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People, I feel that a lot of worldly ill-will, anger, bad vibes in general, could be ameliorated with a glass (or bottle) of good wine. Please note the emphasis on good. Crappy wine is crappy and makes you feel crappy and generally even smells crappily. Of course, what constitutes good wine varies according to individual preferences, taste, what you’re eating and so forth but I think you get my drift.

I would like to share with you some of my favorites, both generally speaking and at a bottle-specific level:

In general, I feel you really can’t go wrong with:

French whites (especially those from the Loire [think Sancerre] and Burgundy [Chablis]) and rose’s

South African whites- you may be less familiar with these but overall, S. African whites are a) very good and b) a very good value. The climate and terroir there makes for clean, crisp Chards, Chenin Blancs, Viogniers and blends of those that are not(!) flaccid or syrupy. Amen to that! I am having trouble finding it, but the Glen Carlou Chard from Paarl is lovely. (Stainless steel aging friends!)

Rather obscure Italian whites- have you had Fiano? Looove it. Sicilian/Southern Italian varietal that is just sooo nice. Interestingly, it goes well not only with Italian fare but also middle eastern. I discovered it at an Israeli restaurant in Philly (Zahav; incredible). What about Arneis? Try Pio Cesare Arneis. Lovely.

Oregonian Pinot Gris- they do it right! Ponzi is one of my favorite OR vineyards- not only were they at the forefront of sustainable wine grape farming and certification, they are also excellent winemakers. The Pinot Gris is fabulous as is their Pinot Noir.

Do you like big Shiraz and/or Cab/Shiraz blends? I reallly like Molly Dooker (Aussie for a left hander), and their labels are fun too. Look for The Boxer, Two Left Feet, I’m wanting to try The Maitre D. Bonus points for fun because the MD owners are Sarah and Sparky Marquis.

Also notable are Syrahs (Shiraz, peeps) from Qupe’. I came to know Qupe’ through my pal, KatieFru, who introduced me to their Rousanne/Marsanne blend (fabulous, hard to find, order from them for best efficiency) and my dear friends, D and D Vos, with whom I had a Qupe’ chard one delightful evening. Delish! I think it might have been a Chard/Viognier blend, but anywho. Although I just mentioned 2 white wines, Qupe’ makes huge, wonderful Syrahs (had one the other night with the steaks, you might recall). Pax makes a terrific Syrah too, and we just had a nice one from J.C. Cellars…

Ok, this train of thought is making me both hungry and thirsty, so for now, I bid you adieu. Remember, life is too short to drink bad wine. That one’s for you, Mikey B.

Snarky, coriander seeds found

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Friends, I am feeling rather snarky today. When I’m like this, T calls me No-Nonsense Dawg (seriously, I do not remember where the suffix/nickname, Dawg, came from but it has stuck; if you ever get tired of em-i-lis, perhaps I can rename the blog, Em-Dawg’s Blawg). Anyway, I am going to share a brief list of things that peeve me:

-excessively large cars; if you need a springboard to get into your car and specialized mirrors to see around and behind you, your vehicle is absurd.

-when you are SURE you have something in your pantry or fridge/freezer but a) you don’t, b) it has gone bad (the freaking parsley in the middle of the bunch is slimed out but there are three pretty leaves around it), or c) someone has eaten/drunk it but 1]not let you know and/or 2] left the empty carton or box on the freaking shelf. REALLY?! This didn’t happen today, I’m just reflecting on the irritating times it has.

-bad drivers who become even worse drivers in -gasp- rain. Just don’t drive, people.

-people who make dumb jokes knowing they are dumb but who nonetheless repeat these jokes and pressure you to laugh at them. I find this is often associated with in-laws.

-squirrels that look cute but then ravage your yard.

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On a more positive note, coriander seeds have been my grail for about 6 days. Where are they? Why so hard to locate? No, I do not want ground coriander, I want the seeds so I can grind them myself. As I was asking the Whole Foods people what was up with the missing coriander, some good soul in line behind me said, “go try the Yes Organic Market in Cleveland Park. They have a great selection of seeds.” This is definitely my kind of person, and the kids and I had success this morning, albeit for $8.50 and not as much as you might assume that would get you.

What this means for you, dear readers, is that tonight I might pull the trigger and make the kinda labor-intensive but soooooo delicious coriander and cilantro flatbreads I’ve been describing since Em-i-lis began. Whee!