Wine Muse Goes On Vacation

How does a Wine Muse celebrate her first day, or night, in this case, of vacation? DUH! By opening a bottle of bubbles. What kind of bubbles? The best kind! The kind that tastes delicious, provides a nice buzz, and has sufficient bubbles to tickle the nose and the palate. And the BEST part is this bottle of bubbles that I'm currently enjoying is...wait for it...only $6.99! That's right. Fizzy low-alcohol (only 11.5% by volume) deliciousness that doesn't break the bank. What is it that's so good and such an excellent bargain? It's Cava from Spain! Double DUH. Wine & Spirits Magazine has voted Cristalino Cava, extra dry, a value brand of the year for three consecutive years. Such a no-brainer. I rest my case.

Where does a Wine Muse go on vacation? Wine country, of course!! In a previous post, I alerted all of you wine fans that the annual Walla Walla Hot Air Balloon Stampede is happening on May 8, 9, and 10. So I'm leaving tomorrow morning to begin my vacation where the most wineries in one place in Washington state are located. Walla Walla, the place that's so nice they named it twice. The Wine Muse agrees!! Walla Walla is jam packed full of some of Washington State's best wineries. There are several tasting rooms in the downtown area, but the best bang for the buck is where the wineries are outside of downtown. The vineyards go on for miles and miles and then suddenly, you come across a winery where you can stop in a taste the fruits of their labor (see what I did there?) and discuss wine and grapes and the wine industry and the weather and what it's like to live in the big city versus the eastside of the state until your heart's content.

This trip is very much a pilgrimage for a Wine Muse like myself. This trip is a Wine Muse's Nirvana. It's necessary and exciting and to share all of this impending fun with all of you readers, my favorite wine fans, I'll be taking lots of notes while I'm there. I'm even planning to watch the hot air balloon launch on Saturday evening, weather permitting, and if I can tear myself away from wine tasting.

I will report back on the wines, the food, the conversations, and anything else worthy of writing about just as soon as I've gotten over my hangover.