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Saturday, August 9, 2008

Back Home Again

We had a wonderful week in Solana Beach.  The day we left Phoenix it was 114, and we arrived 6 hours later in beautiful 75 degree weather with an ocean breeze.  HEAVEN! 

Not to mention, that our friends, Renee and John, that were spending the weekend there with us, beat us to the beach house and had some wine chilling.  By 3 in the afternoon, we were sitting out on the patio relaxing with some wine and munchies.  Look at the fabulous spread Renee and I put out for "happy hour." IMG_1575

Thanks to Renee and John for bringing some lovely Buena Vista wines from their recent trip to Sonoma.  We had the Pinot Gris and the Syrah with our appetizers.  Both were delicious.   The syrah shown was really delightful with lots of ripe fruit and a velvet like finish. 

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Wine was in abundance all weekend.  I think we went through at least 7 bottles, not counting what we had in restaurants (and what Scott and I drank the rest of the week after our friends' departure.) 

PS-  Can you tell the wine glasses are plastic?  A beach friendly find that I got at Crate and Barrel.

Wining and dining would not have been as much fun without friends that also shared in the love of great food and wine.  Renee and I had daily foodie adventures at the local Farmer's Markets.  We hit the one in Del Mar on Saturday and one is Solana Beach on Sunday.   I am jealous of all you Californians that have access to these markets all the time!  Look at some of the lovely squash...  Can you see the one that is exactly half yellow and half green?IMG_1590

After a morning of gawking at all the gorgeous produce and flowers, we came back and made a light lunch with some of the goodies we picked up.  Grilled Peach and Arugula Salads with Goat Cheese.  I posted this recipe here.

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To compliment our lunch we had the McManis Viognier.  Simply. Amazing. Combination.  This was a great viognier that had lots of floral character and little to no oak.  (The way I like my viogniers.)  The peaches brought out a hint of sweetness, but overall it was dry with a nice hint of acidity. 

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Phew, that just about gets us through the first 24 hours.  Stay tuned for more San Diego Food and Wine Madness...

7 comments:

Sarah said...

I hope you're enjoying yourself in San Diego. That happy hour spread looks amazing!

We are headed to Napa tomorrow for a day of tasting with my in-laws, I hope to bring back some great finds!

LucyinStLou said...

It looks like you had a fabulous time! Your picnic spread looks delicious. By the way, love your wine glasses. You are right. They don't look plastic at all. Good find!

Anonymous said...

Wow, it all looks amazing. That is one of my favorite Viognier's! Anyway, it all looks amazing, it doesn't get much better when food, friends and wine are involved!

Claire Uncorked said...

Yay, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!

I love Buena Vista's wines! I have 2 signed bottles at home right now, a Merlot & a Syrah. Awesome stuff.

Sharon said...

Glad you enjoyed yourself! I need to run out and find some McManis Viognier. Looking forward to more stories & pics.

Aggie said...

Those glasses are plastic? I have to get me some of those! Beautiful photos of your veggies!!

Anonymous said...

Hey! We are going to San Diego too! Not until November, though. We're staying in a condo on Mission Bay.