Fresh & Easy Wine Tasting: Party, People, Pinot Noir

A while back I was invited to a party introducing several new varieties of California wines from Fresh & Easy. I'm a big fan of their wines, and even though my local store doesn't carry alcohol I'll often drive to another location in another city just to stock up on my favorites. ('Stock up' makes me sound like some sort of wino who needs sixty bottles of liquor lined up in her pantry at all times, but it's not like that at all. There's only forty, and they're not in my pantry they're in my office.)

I've grown to love F&E's wine, and the last time I was there someone working in the wine aisle actually knew a lot about their different varieties and helped me pick out a few bottles. Imagine that - an employee who knows something about the product they're selling! So different from when I was at another market recently, and someone working there told me they had never seen chicken thighs sold separate from the rest of the chicken. (True story.)

The party was held at a space called the Smog Shoppe, an event space in L.A. that used to be – you guessed it - a smog-check shop. It's a beautifully designed green space built with recycled and sustainable materials – an outdoor setting that lent itself perfectly to an evening spent sipping great wine and eating great food. I wish they'd turn all smog-check shops into something as cool as this:

(Disclaimer and credit: These photos were all taken by a F&E photographer. Usually I like to take my own photos, but I was having so much fun [wine] on this night I kept forgetting to take any. Actually, I did but they all look like this:

See? Wouldn't you rather look at their nice photos rather than those taken by a slightly inebriated person wielding an iPhone? I thought so.)

They had these beautiful tables set up for us for the tasting. I was sitting with Amy Anderson, Bernadette Batts and Janine Hayes, all comediennes. As you can imagine the witty repartee was flowing as fast as the wine. It took me three glasses of chardonnay just to be half as funny as them.

But on to the wine.

We tried four varieties that evening:

Open Field Pinot Gris - Open Field wines are from Santa Barbara and are crafted exclusively for Fresh & Easy. I'm not a big fan of Pinot Gris so I'm not the best person to judge this, but personally I prefer a good Chardonnay. 

The Open Field Pinot Noir, however, was hands down my favorite wine of the night. I went out and bought a few bottles for a dinner party, and they were a big hit. At $9.99 to $19.99 the Open Field wines were considered the pricey wines of the night compared to the other selections, but a really great value given the quality.

(Plus, the Open Field wines have the best label designs. That's usually how I pick wines, by how much I like the label illustration and the typeface. Almost as bad as picking a doctor because you like his shoes.)

Cloud Valley Chardonnay - I love a good Chardonnay so I drank this right up, but I have to say it was immediately overshadowed by the Open Field Pinot Noir that was up next. But I was intrigued enough to want to give other Cloud Valley wines a try, and they're a steal at $7.99 to $8.99 a bottle.

Barrel Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon – This was my second favorite wine of the night, but that's an easy one because I'm just a big sucker for cabs. Still an impressive wine for the money - all Barrel Ranch varieties are priced at $10.99 to $15.99.

And the food they served was equally memorable. I'm a big F&E shopper so I was already familiar with many of the items on the pre-tasting table: Their excellent hummus, charcuterie and cheese spread and bowls of luscious olives.

But what came out afterward during the tasting was even more exciting: beef and veggie skewers, crostini with brie, raviolis, and my favorite - an amazing cevice served in martini glasses. These were all prepared on site by F&E chefs. Here I am attacking one of the servers for her platter of meat.

It was a great night, and I'm an even bigger fan of the F&E wine aisle now. Check it out for yourself – they've got 27 new varieties of California wines, and lots of other ones too (one of my faves is the The Vine Yard Late Harvest Riesling.) Cheers, and remember to drink responsibly and take pictures.

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Don't make me drink alone

Hey winos! I mean wine connoisseurs! I'll be participating in a Fresh & Easy Wine Tasting on Twitter tonight at 7pm pst. Fresh & Easy has provided me with three holiday wines to sample, and I'll be talking about them in real time on TasteLive.

You're probably thinking, "Who would want your opinion on wine? It's like asking a cat's opinion on seafood." Well, maybe so, but would a cat be able to say things like, "This is tasty and I'm going to hide a bottle in my church purse." Well, okay then.

If you'd like to participate, head on over to Fresh & Easy, pick up some wine, and join the conversation. You can find instructions on how to join by clicking here.

Here are the bottles we'll be tasting, with a short description from the wine expert at Fresh & Easy:

• La Gioiosa Prosecco – From the Veneto region of Italy, this crisp sparkling wine is perfect for toasting your friends and family with this holiday season.

• Hilltown Chardonnay - Offering a true taste of the magic of California's Monterey Country, this award-winning wine pairs well with that juicy holiday turkey.

• Castillo Rioja – From the Rioja Alavesa region of Spain, this full-bodied red is elegant and packed with fruit flavors. For those red-meat lovers, this wine will complement your holiday roast.

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Summertime And The Livin' Is (Fresh &) Easy

Last weekend was a momentous occasion, one of great beginnings and the promise of hope. One that lifted my spirits and helped me look to the future with a renewed sense of well being.

No, I'm not referring to my 14-year-old graduating from middle school, I'm talking about the start of grilling season!

Not that it wasn't great seeing my beautiful daughter walk across that stage and into the next phase of her life. I'm just saying this 'next phase' might be just a little bit better with juicy steaks, ribs and burgers grilled to perfection and served on the patio.

And to get me started, Fresh & Easy sent over a box of grilling and cookout essentials. As you know I'm a F&E devotee so a package from them is always an exciting day. Okay I admit, not quite as exciting as my daughter graduating from middle school.

But check out what I got!

• The Vine Yard Pinot Gris This citrus-y wine goes perfectly with chicken and fish and is a bargain at $6.99. I'm becoming a huge fan of The Vine Yard label -- I just recently had their Riesling, and it's become one of my favorite wines. (Fresh & Easy has a huge selection of wines for under $10. Go see for yourself. And bring me a bottle.) 
• Condiments Fresh & Easy has their own line of Organic Ketchup, Mustard and Barbecue sauce and they're all under $3. This leaves more money to pick up several bags of...
• Fresh & Easy Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt Kettle Chips Trust me, you'll need more than one bag. Moments after the photo above was taken that bag was mercilessly ripped to shreds and the contents ingested in mere minutes. And no I didn't share but I did let the kids have the entire bottle of mustard.
• Fresh & Easy Gourmet Wheat Hamburger Buns These are baked daily by Il Fornaio. These taste great, but my only complaint is that they're a little big for the average sized hamburger patty. Or maybe I need to start making my burgers bigger?
• Fresh & Easy Soft Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Like the chips, these were gone pretty quickly. I set the bowl down a few feet from where my girls and their friends were sitting on the couch so they had to get up to reach them. It's the most I've seen them move all summer.

If you're planning on grilling this 4th of July weekend, Check out Fresh & Easy's famous Mixed Grill Pack, a variety of beef, sausages and chicken. And if I sound freakishly excited about that it's because I am.

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tags: fresh and easy supermarket | fresh and easy mixed grill pack | 4th of july barbecue 

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Montage Laguna, You Complete Me

Last Saturday I was invited by Kimberly Clayton Blaine (TheGoToMom) along with six other bloggers to be guests of the Montage Laguna Beach for a little pre-Mother's Day pampering. I can barely type that without crying because it was such an amazing day I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it's over. It's like the lover that you leave behind and then end up begging for them to take you back and then when they don't you have to stalk them and kidnap their cat.

Montage Laguna, we had a beautiful thing.

Don't worry -- I won't really be kidnapping anyone's pet. But I am absolutely smitten with the Montage Laguna and all of its beauty and serenity. Our day started in the main lobby, where we were served Mimosas and champagne off of a silver platter and drank them on the balcony while looking out onto an amazing ocean view. If that doesn't sound like a love connection I don't know what does.



After that we were taken on a tour of the resort and numerous amenities. One of the main things they're showcasing is Paintbox, their club and babysitting service for kids that provides activities and supervision while parents can enjoy some romantic alone time. That's Montage Laguna, bringing sexy back.



And I was happy to hear they're debuting a program for teens over Memorial Day weekend called M-Teens. With activities like Dinner & Movie night and kayak excursions, I know my daughters would much rather join in on that action than watch my husband and I sip martinis seaside. Although I have to admit we do look rather stunning.

After that it was on to the Spa Montage, and this is where the real love affair begins. One look at the jacuzzi, saunas, lounge and all the amenities and I was ready to move in, change my last name and have its baby. And can you blame me?



Before our scheduled treatment of choice (massage or facial), we were treated to lunch poolside. I had what is probably one of the best cheeseburgers ever made, and a delicious decadent drink that I can't remember the name of. I do remember that I had two of them. Or was it three?


After that it was on to my hour-long massage, and it was sublime. I do have to confess, though, that I kept falling asleep and I'd suddenly wake myself up because I realized I was breathing really weird. My apologies to my masseuse if she thought I was dying.

And wait -- the day didn't end there. After a little more time to relax in the spa, we met in The Loft restaurant for a wine and cheese tasting led by their knowledgeable sommelier, Casey. I'm not much of a wine snob (I've mentioned before that I often choose wine by their nicely designed labels -- oh look, a nice font!) but this was the first time I found a sommelier interesting and accessible. All the wines were by women winemakers, and Casey told us the history behind all of the wineries, including her personal stories of meeting some of the vintners. Next to the massage, this was probably my favorite part of the day -- surprising for someone who usually doesn't care if her wine comes out of a box.

(See the yellow stuff next to the strawberry? Honeycomb! And it was delicious.)



It truly was a fantastic day, and I'm already planning and scheming a way to get back to the resort for a day or a weekend stay. Lookout Montage Laguna -- in the words of Frankie Valli, I'm working my way back to you, babe. And don't try to play hard to get or your cat might just disappear.

Here are the other bloggers that were part of the Montage love fest:

The Go To Mom
SoCal Mom
Los Angelista
Techmama
Peace Love and Momminess
Momfluential
La Jolla Mom

Check out their sites for more coverage and photos!

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tags: montage laguna | spa montage | la bloggers | the loft

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Fresh & Easy Market: Be My Valentine

I've written here before about my deep, abiding love of Fresh & Easy Market, so when I received a big box of Valentine's gifts from them a couple of weeks ago it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like getting that special Valentine from the boy I had a crush on in 7th grade. Well, actually he didn't know I existed so instead of a Valentine I think I may have gotten a blank stare and a request to stop blocking his locker. So this was way, way better.

Here are the things I got in my special Valentine box, some awesome treats that you might want to get for your Valentine, or maybe just for yourself. I say give yourself a nice card, some expensive flowers and make a spread of Fresh & Easy delicacies, because then you don't have to share them with some stupid 7th grader that had zits and ended up in jail three times. Not that I hold a grudge.

Imported Gourmet Swiss Truffles



I'm not sure what's in these but I'm sure it's part of an evil plot to enlarge my butt. These little balls of nirvana were delicious and my daughters and I couldn't get enough. Yes, that box is empty and the only reason there was one left was because I had the last truffle in my desk, out of sight of my 13-year-old. You know something's good when you resort to hiding it from your kids. I usually only do that with my expensive vodka.

The coolest thing about these truffles is that as soon as you take a bite they split perfectly in half and it's like looking at a cross section of the earth. That creamy chocolate filling would be the molten core. See -- delicious and educational. These Fresh & Easy people are geniuses. By the way, that truffle in the photo is my last one and if this picture had sound you would hear me sobbing.




Fresh & Easy Snickerdoodles

Yes, this is just a stock photo off of the internet of a Snickerdoodle, because my husband and kids ATE ALL THE COOKIES before I could take a picture. I couldn't even find the package and I'm thinking they might have eaten that, too.

Obviously, they were very tasty.

Fresh & Easy Belgian Milk Chocolate With Pecans and Fruit



I'd never had a chocolate bar with fruit in it, but now I can add another thing to my list of things that I call out for in the middle of the night. Luckily they sent me a big bar -- 14 ounces! -- which should last me at least until the end of the week. I like to reward myself with a little square of this chocolaty goodness whenever I accomplish something big, like answering the phone on the second ring or getting out of bed.

Two Very Nice Wines (Under $10!): Montcadi Cava Rose and McGuigan Hand Made Barossa Shiraz



Who doesn't like wine? We do, and so do our friends so we shared the Montcadi sparkling rose the other night with our dinner guests -- it's a perfect party wine. In fact, it was so good it had us thinking, "Gee, we kind of wish we had kept that bottle all to ourselves," but hey -- that's what friends are for. We haven't gotten around to trying the McGuigan shiraz yet -- we're saving it for Valentine's Day. I regularly buy wine at Fresh & Easy and they have a large selection of varieties, most under $10. That leaves you more money to spend on other things, like granola and hummus (see my Fresh & Easy staples list here.)

So if you're having a Valentine dinner or just curling up on your couch with your Snuggie and the remote, you might want to think about picking up some of these treats to sweeten it up. Thanks to Fresh & Easy for being my Valentine!

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tags: fresh and easy supermarket | valentines day gifts | fresh & easy wine

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