Rosé Wines for Spring

I think rosé wines are absolutely perfect for spring-- especially when you now live in a town where April resembles February where you're from. Rosé is the perfect in-between: the longer, (slightly) warmer, (sometimes) sunnier days are dragged down by too dark and heavy a red, yet are not quite sweaty and grill-smokey and bright enough for summer whites.

I used to say I hated rosé wines. That's because the only rosé wines restaurants ever serve are White Zinfandels, which, to me, taste like Arbor Mist. They're the cheapest wines on the menu because they should be.

But a few months ago when my mom was in town, we went to a nice, brightly lit restaurant inside the Art Institute of Chicago, and she ordered a rosé called "Whispering Angel." It was a revelation. It was dry, light, and crisp-- not sweet and syrupy. We both loved it. So I ordered us each a bottle when we got home. Ever since then, I've been investigating dry rosés, and here are my top 3:

1. Whispering Angel, 2010 Cotes de Provence, by Chateau d'Esclans, $15.99- jjbuckley.com

Wine Spectator says, "Robust, with dried red fruit flavors accented by herbal, minerally overtones. The firm, juicy finish is powered by hints of licorice. Drink now."

I know Wine Spectator knows more about wine than I do, but I disagree with the "robust," and especially with the "licorice." I think the wine is quite light, not robust, and I despise licorice, so if I sensed it (and I would have!), I would not like this wine. But minerally, dried red fruit flavors is pretty spot-on.

I ordered mine online here.

2. Gris de Gris, 2010 Vin des Sables, by Domaine de Figueirasse, $7.99- Whole Foods Market

Not as impressive as the Angels Whispering and all, this Gris de Gris is still quite crisp and nice. Here's what the people over at Artisan Wine Depot have to say about it: "Made for summer and fresh seafood. A pale pink sunrise in the glass, this rosé reminds of framboise, ripe blood peaches, fresh buttery pie crust and cherry juice in its aromas. Very expressive! The mouth is a wave of fresh flowers and pink fruits, with suggestions of rose water and white pepper. Figueirasse makes its home near the Camargue delta along the southern French coast, and its terroir is almost exclusively sand. These unique soils give the wine both a bit of texture in the mouth as well as a sea-kissed, mineral freshness. Orange zest and more white pepper offer a lively kick to the finish. A very unique blend of 30% Cincault, 20% Grenache Gris, 40% Grenache Noir and 10% Grenache Blanc."

Considering that my ideal preferred "terroir" is "almost exclusively sand," this wine is AWESOME, especially for the price. I got mine at Whole Foods for $7.99! Call your nearest location, or, if you don't have one near you, it's available online, too.

3. 2010 Cotes de Provence, by Quinson Fils, $5.99- Trader Joe's 

Another Côtes de Provence, this lovely rosé is a Trader Joe's exclusive. I found it on the bottom shelf of an obscure (read: NOT Charles Shaw) aisle of ol' TJs. It's quite nice, and a bit like its Côtes de Provence rosé cousin, "Whispering Angel," though not quite as elegant. For $5.99 though, it's pretty darn good!

Over at cellartracker.com, on 11/17/2011, Jason Rzutkiewicz tasted this wine and rated it 83 points: (12.5%) Nice pale salmon pink color (not dyed). Medium bodied, pleasant Grenache like strawberry and watermelon fruit. Spiced minerality. Dry, crisp and pleasing. Perhaps a bit faint or simple on the back of the palate but no flaws here. Still delivers for the price point despite the strange bottle. If you are looking for a rosé this is as good as it is going to get for $5.

Exactly, Jason. But, hey, buddy, I like the strange bottle. 

Hopefully soon I will be able to deliver reviews such as this one, or even USE the word "minerality" (at all, somewhere), but for now, all I can tell you is they taste good. And they are not White Zinfandels. Which is good, unless you like White Zinfandel. In which case, enjoy ordering the cheapest wines on the menu, gosh darnit.

Probiotics!

Garden of Life Probiotics

This is a subject very dear to my heart. When I was a teenager, I was given 8 straight months of a strong dosage of tetracycline for teenage acne. What I, and (I was to find out later) many doctors, did not realize was that while antibiotics kill bad bacteria in the body, they can also wipe out the literal host of good organisms that keep our immune systems strong, help our digestive systems function, fight off infectious microbes, and even manufacture vitamins and enzymes for us.

Needless to say, I became very ill for years. I lost a ton of weight, and doctors didn't know what to do. They told me it was psychological, food allergies, everything. It wasn't until my family doctor came back with a sample showing an inordinate amount of yeast in my body that I started finding out about the balance of microbes in the system, and started to seek out doctors who knew about these "probiotics" I seemed to need.

Fortunately, I found an osteopath who prescribed me probiotics from Garden of Life. I have been taking them ever since (though sometimes less frequently than others). I also have frequent bouts of bladder infections, which I recently found out could be related to all of this, so I've been taking probiotics to target this as well.

Jarrow Formulas Fem-Dophilus

All this might sound like crazy hippie talk to most people. But the other night I was listening to NPR, and I heard a scientist who is on the "cutting edge" (funny because some doctors have been talking about this for 20+ years!) of friendly-microbe research.

Listen to the article here:


It's amazing. I want to read some of his books now. It's always so affirming to hear mainstream science broach this subject, since most of the time it's relegated to health food stores and "alternative" health. Actually, it's not alternative at all. It makes perfect sense!

I try to eat a healthy diet with as little refined sugar as possible, I try to eat fermented foods with natural probiotics in them (like Greek yogurt and kefir), and I try to remember to take my probiotics every day. The next one I want to try is a new one by Nature's Way:

After listening to Carl Zimmer's interview, I'm interested in the fact that this product is from human digestive strains only. I'll let you know! Good flora to you!

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence

Being the English major that I am, I always find it hard to write a cute little blurb on a book, as I'm used to writing 10-15 page papers exploring the hegemonic and Marxist readings of New York society in the 1870s blah blah blah. But I will do my best here.

I love this book. I know I'm going to be inflammatory and divisive, but this is what Jane Austen would be if she were as great as everyone thinks she is. This, too, is a novel of manners, but in a more interesting way.

First, it's refreshing to see such a novel in an American setting. I had never before read anything like this that was not set in England. There is much debate about whether or not Wharton is criticizing New York upper class society or vindicating it. An article on "The Millions" recently advocated Wharton's stance on morals.

I respectfully disagree. Writing from a Realist perspective, Wharton exposes us to this society, with both its criticisms and its vindications. More importantly, she lets the characters struggle with this duality, without much narrative interruption. 

Wharton's characters, especially her female characters, contain a level of complexity that is often lacking in novels such as this. For example, Madame Olenska, the Europeanized cousin of the society ladies, is not really a rebel. She wants to fit in, to please her family, but she just can't quite figure it out. She also can't quite squash her needs, her inspirations, her self in order to please everyone. But she is a vibrant, strong character with both a conscience and a heart.

Much of the novel deals with a society that is a relic from the past. But the book also asks us to explore the ever-relevant question of how humans navigate our societal and familial obligations, which often grate against our innermost needs and emotions.

If the book were written today, it would have ended differently. But that would have been an endorsement of a certain morality and mentality, which I think Wharton wanted us to figure out for ourselves. I love writers who know their readers are intelligent.

I highly recommend this book. It's FREE on Project Gutenberg, which you can also get FREE through iBooks on the iPad. Or there's always the more traditional routes. It's a fast read, and it makes you think, while also exemplifying a beautifully composed novel with dazzling detail. 

Happy reading!

Madame Olenska Changed Me

Almost every Saturday I come on here and whine about turning 29. That's because I'm totally freaked out about it. I show my poor boyfriend pictures of my favorite engagement rings on Etsy, and he puts his fingers in his ears and runs away, screaming "I HAVE TO FINISH MY NOVEL FIRST!" I know I need to calm down about this a little.

I look around on Pinterest, on Facebook, and it seems like everyone is married and even having children at this point. Sometimes I feel so behind, and I wonder what went "wrong." My mother and father tell me I'm doing the right thing, I'm being smart, I'm going to school and establishing a life and a career first (if you can call it that!).

And the truth is that I know this was my own choice. Sure, I could have stayed in Cincinnati and found some nice hometown boy just like everyone else. But I wanted to go places, to see things. I wanted to read poetry and novels and be an English major-- whatever that means-- and hang out with writers and artists. I fell in love with one of the most anxious, particular ones of that breed.

 I look for answers about just exactly what freaks me out so much about this. Is it my own goals and desires to be a mother? Is it the proverbial biological clock ticking? Is it the not-so-good reproductive history on my mother's side? Is it society? I think it has to be a little of all of those things. But the truth is that the problem comes in judging myself more harshly than any of those entities possibly could.

Recently, for class, I read Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence (more on that for Monday's post). I was enamored with the character of Madame Olenska, the "Bohemian" cousin of the perfect society ladies. Not necessarily a rebel, Olenska wants to "play by the rules," but finds sometimes that she simply cannot. She is not willing to sacrifice her love of the arts, of thinking people's company, of her own freedom, and of her own idea of her own life. Olenska is not an artist herself, but simply a woman who finds meaning in living in that world.

Unlike so many of "these types of female characters," Olenska has a brain, a heart, and a conscience. She does the right thing when it needs to be done, whether that thing goes with or against society. She has her own style-- as much as she tries to fit in, she cannot smother the self inside of her.

Madame Olenska drew me in more than any other character in the novel. Just as the protagonist worshipped her, so did I. She was far and away the most interesting, vibrant, sensual character in the story.

And I began to think, wouldn't I rather be the Madame Olenska?

Best "Ice Cream" Ever!

We are ADDICTED. Recently, Vu saw a scary report on 60 Minutes that chronicled the way that refined sugars react in your brain like COCAINE. And he divulged this to me just as I was reaching for the Ben and Jerry's at the grocery store. Needless to say, I did not go home with Cherry Garcia that day.

We're pretty good about our diets and sugar anyway, but ice cream is certainly our weak spot when either one of us has a sweet tooth. So, working off of a raw foods recipe, I came up with this little gem:

Banana-Blueberry Dark Chocolate "Ice Cream"

1 banana, cut into slices

1/4 - 1/3 c blueberries

1/4 of a bar of Ghirardelli 70% Dark Baking Chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey

- You can either throw all of these ingredients fresh in the food processor and then freeze afterwards, or you can put the frozen ingredients in and eat it right away. We tend to do the latter, since I prefer the Whole Foods 365 Brand Frozen Organic Wild Blueberries. We freeze the bananas first and let them defrost just a bit so they go through the processor more easily. The product is a bit more smoothie-like and creamy than frozen, but Vu prefers it this way :)

We've been making this almost every night since I figured it out. It TOTALLY fulfills my ice cream cravings, but it's SO much healthier and hopefully is not turning our brains to mush.