But back to the tasting – It was my friend Em’s idea to tap into her pop’s social circle and bring some Jessup to local Minneapolians.  It was an intriguing idea… I did want to expand beyond my own network but also wanted a captive audience and good company.  The 411 on Mark Poindexter {aka Em’s pops} :: wine appreciator + well-connected to many different types of people + loves to throw a party.  My kinda guy.  I couldn’t wait to meet him.

We had our unofficial meet + greet | slash | planning dinner a few weeks back at Broder’s Pasta Bar {a Twin Cities gem with drool-worth handmade pasta} where of course, Mark knew the manager and got us some VIP treatment from the sommelier {cha-chung!  1 point}.  Over our spread of bruschetta, roasted garlic bulbs {best stuff ever}, and pasta, I learned that Mark was a grazer {cha-chung!  I am all about grazing… points for liking a li’l of this and a li’l of that}, actually had some common connections with me {cha-chung!  points for making me feel like I have a legitimate Minneapolis network}, and knew a Jessup wine club member {cha-chung!  yesss…. Love discovering local Jessup lovers!}.  He didn’t need to do much to convince me that he + his wife Terri would be able to host one heck of a tasting.

We settled on a date and started working on our wine + pairing list.  Being the grazers that we are, we nixed a coursed dinner in favor for something more casual, free-spirited, and conducive to nibbling.  The idea was to just get a smattering of perfect pairings laid out so people could drink, mingle, taste, and chillax.

Mark had an idea of who he’d be inviting and knew we’d have a variety of palettes – we decided to start with white, pick a few reds to linger over, and finish with Port.  I knew that the Poindexters weren’t big on Chards and had already loved the Jessup Sauv Blanc, but I wanted to be risky and bring the Chardonnay anyway.  I’m not going to lie, part of it was a selfish pull b/c I really just wanted to taste some Jessup Chard – it had been a long time and that thing is delicious.  Let’s face it – it’s the anti-Chard Chard.  And you know what?  It was a hit.  Its atypical tropical fruit notes and characteristic smooth, full body were complimented with ricotta + honey crostini, pears + brie, fresh oysters, and fruit + nut salad.  I’m seriously drooling right now reminiscing this…

On the road to Port, we tasted our way through the Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Table For Four.  There wasn’t much talk on the Petite Sirah, but it was definitely my favorite pour {more like pourssss b/c this was a big repeat for me} of the night.  I forgot how jammy and big that wine is – it almost made the Cab seem a little timid… switching back and forth between the two was interesting b/c each time the Petite Sirah just got BIGGER.  Something about it was large + in charge and I loved it.  Especially with the olives, tapenade, funky cheese, and stuffed mushrooms that Mark + Terri prepared.

The big debate of the night though was between TF4 and the Cab.  Most of the guests had heard of Table for Four prior to the tasting and was eager to try it – the response was unanimously in favor of the Bordeaux blend, but people were just as enthused about the Cab.  Those two were the big hits of the night and helped round out the rest of the grazing assortment ::  mini quiches, pork tenderloin, sharp cheeses, soft cheeses, charcuterie, baguettes, crackers, chocolates.  Perfection.

Only the true party animals made it through the night to the Port – but it was worth the wait and ended the night on a sweet note.  Salted caramels + bittersweet chocolate ganache mini cupcakes {made especially for this tasting by this talented baker} was the perfect ending for the delicious evening.

I’m not gonna lie… The Poindexters know how to throw a party.  Thank you Mark + Terri for opening up your beautiful home {with the coolest basement ever!} and sharing your friends + family + neighbors with me.  I hope you and your guests enjoyed our Jessup rendezvous ~ I know I did!

*Xo ::

Jess

*Sigh*  I swore I’d be better about blogging… but then, I missed  my week and frankly, was embarrassed that I’ve become such a bad multi-tasker.  I mean, really… how hard is it to whip up a few words about my vino adventures on a bi-weekly basis?  Especially for someone like ME… who is an incessant chatterbox by nature… you’d think that tapping away at a keyboard in a stream of consciousness would be easy therapy…

Regardless, I lagged again.  And again, I do my Joey Tribbiani finger quotes, “I’m saaawwwrreeee”.  Sad face. {if you need on refresher on Joey… click here}

Well, I only have a few posts left – it’s all coming to an end… I’m going to miss this outlet of blogging… Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll share my Pinterest boards with you and you can follow my vino adventures in the form of pictures vs words.

This weekend {as in, this upcoming weekend… which some people might consider “next weekend”… but I feel like it’s correct to say “this coming weekend”…} will be my FINAL Jessup tasting. *Gasp*  SAD DAY.  It really is all coming to an end!

I wanted to do something a little different – my bschool friends and Tar-jay chums all know me well enough now to :: 1) know that quality time with me = quality time with vino… and 2) know how delicious and drool-worthy Jessup wine is.  It’s time to expand my horizons and reach into the pockets of my social network to introduce new people to the wonderful world of Jessup!

Turns out, my friend’s father is quite the vino lover and has a solid collection of all sorts of great bottles – young + old, near + far… and lo and behold, there was a bottle of Jessup Sauvignon Blanc chillin’ in his house.  And turns out, his next-door neighbor is a Jessup wine club member and keeps close tabs on the Napa community.  So this weekend, I’ll be bringing Jessup to Casa de Poindexter to do my final tasting in the company of my MN bestie Kaitlyn, my chum Emilie, her awesome parents, and their awesome friends.

The menu is in the works, but during our planning dinner I noticed one thing that Mark {aka Em’s pops} + I have in common :: we love to graze.  Small bites of everything + tasty vino = best. meal. ever.  So we’re forgoing a fancy pants coursed dinner and just going with really delicious, perfect pairings.  A little of this, a little of that.  Mmmmm-hmmm.

I’ll leave the rest of the deets for my recap but here’s all you need to know b/t now + then ::

• This Saturday, 7pm-ish … it’s on like Donkey Kong…
• Casa de Poindexter w/ the Poindexter entourage
• Chard | Petite Sirah | Cab Sauv | Table for Four | Zin Port –> amazing line-up, I know….
• There will be truffle involved.

Til then… I’ll leave you with my current obsessions ::

• Comique Revolution Blanc :: Cut the fluff, yo.  Or, at least that’s what the bottle says.  At under five bones a pop, this stuff is legit.  A little lighter in body than I prefer… but tasty none the less.  Peach | Honey | Apple… it’s like a Viognier w/ a Pinot Grigio body.  I like it as dessert…
• www.tastingtable.com :: not that I even need any more blogs or daily email updates to follow, but I really do love this recent find.  Food culture daily, indeed.  Now, if only they can get an Minne version going… our restaurant scene is poppin’ enough to get some national blog attention.  Sheesh.
• Vincent’s :: Speaking of Minneapolis eats, Vincent’s is a fave.  It’s across from my office and on the way towards my car, so it’s location is dangerous enough.  But then you tack on their $4 vino HH {and we’re not talking Ecco Domani Pinot… they serve legit French delights by the glass} + the best fresh baked bread on Nicollet Ave {perfect for soaking up olive juice!} + friendly bar staff and you have something called a bad habit that is just so so good.

Um… bt-dubs, I’m not proof-reading this one.  Don’t tell me about any typos, I’ll die of embarrassment.  Ignorance is bliss.  Just write me comments on how much you’ll miss my posts when I retire my bloggerdom.

Xo.

Jess

My lovely friend Elizabeth hosted her first Minneapolis cookie exchange :: an afternoon fete of homemade cookies + apple cider + warm, perfectly spiced mulled vino.  Mulled vino?  I realized that I had an idea of what mulled wine would taste like, but I actually have never had any.

Her recipe was simple + delicious :: spices steeped in warm red wine with a dash of sugar.  I totally digged it.  {Dug it?  Why does that sound so weird…}  Turns out, she once spent a very cold winter in Eastern Europe and in lieu of street carts of chestnuts… they have street carts of mulled wine.  In an effort to stay warm, she stayed warm + tipsy sipping on hot vino totties.  On a 20 degree Minneapolis day… her homemade vino creation hit the spot.

I felt inspired from Elizabeth’s craftiness and nerded out a bit on mulled wine facts.  I heart Google.  Did you know…

• The word “mulled” simply means heated and spiced.  Hence… other liquids can be mulled… like AJ.
• The main ingredients are vino + cinnamon… but you can get fancy and add things like vanilla, honey, almonds, cloves, nutmeg, and even chocolate shavings {yes please}.
• Simmer down yo.  You need to keep the temperature at a nice even 160 degrees… anything over 167 will burn off the alcohol… which may or may not be a good thing for certain folks.
• Apparently you can brew a big batch and keep it on hand for awhile.  The spices act as a preservative and will keep your vino spicy + fresh.
• While it’s totes acceptable to walk around Europe with your mulled vino, you might want to be more discreet with your mulled wine roadie here in the States.

Enough mulling about mulled wine.  Here’s a fancy pants recipe from Williams-Sonoma you can share at your own Holiday Cookie Exchange.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 12 whole cloves
• 2 nutmegs, cracked into pieces with a hammer
• 2 bottles (each 750ml) dry red wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Stripped zest from 2 oranges and 2 lemons, plus more zest for garnish
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

Tie the cloves and nutmeg pieces in a small square of cheesecloth {bt-dubs… any recipe that requires a cheesecloth instantly seems to complicated for me…}, or put them in a large metal tea ball.

In a large nonaluminum pot, combine the wine, sugar, orange and lemon zests, orange and lemon juices, and cinnamon sticks. Add the clove-and-nutmeg bundle. Heat over medium-low heat until steam begins to rise from the pot and the mixture is hot, about 10 minutes; do not let it boil. Remove the clove-and-nutmeg bundle. Keep the wine warm over very low heat until ready to serve.

Ladle the wine into cups or heatproof glasses, garnish with the citrus zest and serve warm. Serves 8 to 10.

*nom*nom*nom*… don’t be jealous that I have cookies to munch on all holiday season long   at least you can partake in my current obsession {that’s right… I only have one this week… I’m obsessing less and less nowadays…}

STACY’S SIMPLY COCOA PITA CHIPS :: soOOooOo… these things are total game-changers.  You have no idea what to expect when you see them, and then you pop one in your mouth and it’s a total flavor explosion like no other.  I discovered them during one of my Whole Foods grazing rounds and I’m totally hooked.  But get this… during another Google-nerd-out session, I discovered that Stacy’s also has GINGERBREAD pita chips.  wwwwwhhhaaaa?????  AMAZING.  How do I get these things???  Will my Amazon Prime membership get them to my door in two days???  must. find. gingerbread. pita. chips. now.

*Xo ::

Jess

Sorry Jessup lovers.  I totes left you hanging over the past month.  Blogging + unemployment was easy breezy.  Blogging + employment on the other hand, I’ve learned is no small fry task.  And I have zero excuses because Alan, Morgan, and Scott have managed just fine.  I clearly have some multi-tasking chops to develop.  As Joey Tribiani says… “I’mmmmm saaaawwwrrreeeee” {with finger quotes}.  I promise to be a better blogger.  One that actually blogs.

Alright, so moving on, we have a lot of catching up to do.  Here’s the long-story-short of everything Jess + Jessup since October.

First off, the TASTING! {it’s been awhile, you can catch-up on the pre-deets here}  It was great – a perfect mid-week reunion for all of us workin’ folk.  People were actually coming from work so I kept the set up simple.  We had four Jessups to enjoy and each wine was propped with pairings to help explain the tasting profile.

• 2010 Sauvignon Blanc :: dried mangoes | Izze sparkling green apple soda
• 2009 Pinot Noir :: Strawberry jam thumbprints | black pepper Pop Chips
• 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon :: dark chocolate covered cherries | cinnamon dusted almonds
• 2008 Table For Four :: blueberry vanilla goat cheese | dried dark fruits

As I talked through each wine, people tasted the wine with each of the pairings.  Once we got through all four, everyone poured a glass of their favorite and sipped + munched + mingled the night away.  The intent was to  balance Jessup edumacation with the warmth of old chums gathering together.  There were tasting notes left by each bottle so people could remember what they liked about each one and keep exploring + discovering on their own. Oh, and fun fact :: it’s obvi that our business school days are over.  We pooped out after a couple of hours and had A LOT of wine leftover.

Jessup’s Minneapolis debut had a part duex the following weekend at an unofficially official Ladies Get To Know You dinner.  There are twenty-ish of us gals who all started work on the same day for the same company in the same job.  I love these girls – our first attempt at a GTKY night was so good that we have another one lined up for the holidays.  Angela was our hostess with the mostess for the night and the rest of us all brought something to share… which of course means that I brought some Jessup to share.  There were a lot of hits that night, but I’d like to think that Jessup had a good piece of the spotlight.  It was shared though by one of my current obsessions {scroll down}:: Pistachio Chocolate Marble Cake with a side of Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake. ‘Nuff said.

While I was bringing Jessup to Minne, more Minneapolites made their way to Jessup!  Favourite Co-Worker Andy brought a party posse of vino lovers to Napa and made a stop to see Bob & Co. at Jessup’s tasting room.  Some of Andy’s friends were already Jessup Wine Club members and after their tasting room experience, Andy joined too.  Yessss…. More Jessup bottles shipping to the Midwest!  Don’t be surprised when I start showing up on your doorstep Twice Yearly Andy!

While Andy headed west, I headed east to visit friends in NYC.  Never mind that it SNOOOOOWED crazy ice pellets while I was there… the best part of the weekend was that I finally got to meet Morgan Steele Connacher in the flesh!  Morgan + her husband {who’s also from So Cal – holla!} met up for some vino in Chelsea.  It was great to have some blogger bonding time.  I think a Jessup Blogger Summit in Napa is in order now.  Maybe if Jessup puts me on blogger probation for my MIA-ness then we can all go to Napa after I prove I can blog on time???

The weekend after NYC, we had a girl’s weekend in Minne.  It was Minneapolis PHat Camp  fo’ sho :: good eats + day-time vino + night-time vino + brunch for lunch + boutique-ing + girl-talking.  It doesn’t get any better than that… except when you include Jessup in the mix.  It was a good reason to open a bottle of Table For Four {even though we were a table for six}.  We sipped on TF4 and Jessup Pinot Noir while munching on Raincoast crisps + Trader Joe’s pumpkin cream cheese.  Jessup is great on its own with the right meal, but it’s sooooo good when it’s surrounded by a table full of gabbers.  Miss you ladies, thanks for visiting!

The week after that, I had a work dinner with some folks from a company I can’t mention for the job that I try hard not to mention.  However, it came up that I blog for Jessup so I pinky-swore to said company that I’d mentioned their wine picks.  I was the only left-coaster at the table and it was to my delight that our night was filled with solidly good California reds.  A 2005 Cabernet from Jordan Winery and a 2007 Cabernet from Frog’s Leap.  Definitely not the same as my beloved Jessup Cabernet {which is seriously my favorite cold-weather red… it’s like Christmas in a glass}, but both paired nicely with what ended up being a GInormous meal {a seafood tower skyscraper, massive cuts of meat, and piece of chocolate cake bigger than my face}.

And speaking of cold-weather vino, in the most recent weeks, the change in weather has had me indoors a lot more.  Happy hours seem to be less frequent, my restaurant exploration has tapered a bit… but don’t worry, I’m always on the lookout.  My new fav spot to stay *toasty* with vino is Toast Wine Bar & Café – I heart this spot, except for the fact that I have no off-switch when it comes to their crostinis + vino.  Oh well, there’s never too much of a good thing.  Everything in moderation except for things you don’t want to moderate.

Until next time {which I swear won’t be six weeks from now..}, I’ll leave you with my current obsessions… just two this week…

Nutmeg’s Bakery :: Full disclosure, I know the cake master behind this gem of a bakery.  Regardless of my plug, her flour power speaks for itself.  If you were smart, you’d try to convince her to send her cakes across state lines and into your homes bellies.   If you were smarter, you’d fly to Minneapolis, drink some Jessup with me, and then visit Megan and try her cakes at the Bloomington Indoor Farmers Market.  Meg’s favorite?  Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Layer Cake.   Dizzzaaamn.

Real Ryder Bikes :: Holy freaking cow.  This bike is crazy pants.  Think spin bike meets mechanical bull.  Crazy.  And amazing.  So yeah, it’s true… I’ve only ridden a bicycle outside twice in the past 10 years.  Whatevs.  I own spin shoes.  I’m strong.  I can hang with crazy intense spin workouts.  Real Ryder on the other hand…. You use your core and thigh power to balance on the buckin’ bronco while spinning furiously in a heated room.  My legs are jell-o today.  I’m hooked.

*Xo.

Jess

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a surprise but it still put a smile on my face to see a case of Jessup in Minneapolis.  That’s right folks.  It’s time for Tasting Numero Dos.  MPLS style – hoOOooolllaaaa… Can you handle it???

So I’m not going to lie {*sigh* the Ambassador Truth Code strikes again}… this tasting serves two purposes.  In my typical type-A-let’s-be-efficient fashion, I’m killing two birds with one stone.

Remember that business school past life of mine?  Well, I’ve been blessed with the task duty honor of serving as co-president of Kellogg School of Management’s Minneapolis Third Year Student Association (TYSA).  Was that not enough words to explain what that means?  It’s essentially a peer-run alumni group specific for grads in their first year out of business school.  Or their third year IN business school, hence the name “Third Year Student Association” {cue drums :: ba-dum-dum-chhhh…} Yes, it seems superfluous, but it’s actually a nice way to acclimate to a new city and the new {but old} life of working again.

Our Minne chapter is indeed mini… there are 13 of us, which is small fries compared to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.  But a smaller group means cooler events. And when the co-president blogs for America’s best winery it just seems like a no-brainer to create {cue cheesy business school buzz word…} SYNERGY between the two.  Hence, this Thursday will not only be TYSA’s fall social event – it’ll be Jessup’s Midwest debut.

To avoid spoiler alerts for the attendees, I’ll wait to share any planning details.  Just know that I’ve worked in chocolate covered potato chips into the mix.  And there may or may not be some Table for Four involved.  Can’t.  Wait.  Who needs hard-to-find wine bars + no-bueno wineries when we have Jessup?  Oh, and the word is spreading… a handful of my co-workers have made their way to Napa and experienced the joy of Jessup first hand. Thanks Sunipa for including Jessup in your girls’ weekend and thanks Tracy for making her trip so memorable!

Stay tuned for full deets of this week’s tasting… until then, feel free to enjoy my current obsessions ::

Siri ::  I really can’t recap her as well as my perpetual obsession, WSJ, did in the Weekend Journal.  Best article ever.   I hail from a family of nerds and I totally remember interacting with ELIZA on my cousin’s computer.  Siri isn’t nearly as creepy and ten times more entertaining.  Although, she apparently doesn’t understand me nor reads my blog.  Damnit.

Ohdier.com :: online shop run by a super-cute design-obsessed husband + wifey team from St. Paul, MN.  I have no idea who they are, but I feel like we have a lot of things in common.  Maybe they’ll adopt me as a new couple friend sans the couple.  Which sign should I buy??  I appreciate the left coast shout-outs and artistic rendition of my PG rant {shut the front door.}, but I kinda like this one…

Dyson DC-41 :: Holy cow.  Worth every penny.  I had no idea the bliss one could experience from sucking up dust from surfaces.  In fact, I found it pretty blissful to slap on some Swiffers on my feet and dance it out across my hard flooring.  But no.  Nothing compares to Dyson’s latest creation… the creme de la creme of vacuums.  The DC-41 is the Audi R8 of my vacuum consideration set.  Adios.  I’m about to go vacuum…

*Xo.

Jess

And maybe that’s why there isn’t really an overt wine culture here in MPLS.  That’s fine, it doesn’t make me like the city any less… it just means that I’m up for the challenge.  You heard me.  I think there are, oh, maybe five wine bars in this ‘hood???  Or fine, thirteen according to Yelp {which bt-dubs includes bakeries that categorize themselves as wine bars.  ??. *shrug*}, and I intend on visiting all of them.

Instead of wine bars, Mpls has well, bars.  And a HUGE Happy Hour culture.  It’s awesome – it means super cheap bar tabs, just the right amount of vino to hold you over til dinner while leaving enough productivity in your system to actually do things when you get home, and quality hang-out time with friends + co-workers.  The downside is that Minneapolis hot spots tend to have the same wine options menu after menu.  Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc, Sterling Merlot, Canyon Road Cab, and let’s not forget… Sutter Home White Zin.  I’m not complaining – there’s always a decent choice for 4 bucks a pop {and in a town where 2 Buck Chuck is really 3 Buck Chuck… that’s a steal!}… it just gets boring after awhile to see the same bottles across different restaurants.

Hence, my wine bar challenge.

First stop :: Spill The Wine.  I’m not going to lie… I went here first because I had a Groupon I needed to use.  Despite the ho-hum online reviews, I had high hopes for this place.  It’s in a great neighborhood, the menu looked promising, and hell – it’s a wine bar.  That already adds some points to my books.  Sadly though, there’s nothing to rave about here.  It’s the classic marriage of a great business concept + high potential, weighed down by meh poor execution.  Sorry for being tough, but staffing happy employees is just Business 101.  Our cranky pants server couldn’t give two poops if we were ever going to come back.  Luckily I had great company which made for a great day of vino tasting.  And the wine list was better than our Happy Hour haunts – you have the fancy pants Rombauers, the typical Pine Ridge, and a few fun surprises like Sokol Blosser Evolution.  We tried the featured flights, all of which highlighted three wines from different vineyards – Luna, Middle Sister, and Wine by Joe.  All left coast wineries, which I appreciated… but it just made me wish I was sipping a Jessup flight.

Until my next wine bar stop, I’ll amuse you with my current obsessions ::

Keurig Coffee :: After brewing thousands of cups of coffee both professionally and leisurely, I never ever in a million years thought I would care for a Keurig Coffee maker.  I like the art of brewing damn good coffee.  But alas, we have a Keurig in my office with an endless amount of K-Cups at our disposal, and I’m totally hooked.  I actually look forward to my morning rendezvous with this machine.  Incredible.

Nike Women’s Dri-Fit :: Weird but true – until this week I have never run in a long sleeve shirt.  Granted, I never ran in climates that needed long sleeve shirts… but this weekend it was 45 degrees before sunrise and I decided that a long-sleeve shirt might be a good idea.  I busted this Nike top out for the first time ever and I swear it made me run harder, faster, longer.  Best. Top. Ever.  It was a personal heater and cooling system all at the same time.  Who knew that Dri-Fit is really a legit technology?  Amazing.

Kid Cudi | Man on the Moon :: What the what – how did I totally miss this album???  I’m two years late to the party, but holy crap this is one work of art.  It fills my guilty pleasure of rap, pop, and new wave electronica.  Me likey.

Only 15 days til my next Jessup tasting… stay tuned

*Xo.

Jess

Last weekend was pretty chilly {….stop… I know 50 degrees is “warm” for Minneapolis… leave me alone, I’m weak sauce…} and girls night in was the perfect occasion to bust out my secret stash of Manny’s.  Our agenda was simple ::  low-key + eats + good company.  We ordered from our local pizzeria {oh, Pizza Luce, I heart you…} and hostess Adeela laid out a perfect spread for us :: nuts | dried fruit | cheese | salumi | crackers | hummus | guac-hummus {that’s right.  I said “guac hummus”.  It’s Trader Joe’s latest split personality… part hummus, part guac, and ALLLLL deliciousness…}.

Fortunately, my new friends didn’t mind that I capitalized on our GNI for blog fare.  After all, I’m new in town and most people I come across don’t yet know about my love affair with Jessup.  So when I showed up with Manny’s, I laid out my conditions.

Somewhere in between our gossip, and definitely before our rounds of Celebrity, we uncorked Manny’s Blend and to my delight, it was a crowd-pleaser.  I personally think of Manny’s as my autumn sweater – something that keeps me toasty without weighing me down… and the group had similar thoughts ::

well-balanced | smooth | spicy yet fresh | no after-taste! | drinkable! | fruity | juicy

 Our smorgasbord of hors d’oeuvres left a lot of perfect pairings up to our imagination::

something spicy | Italian food! | s-t-e-a-k | cheeeese | anything salty + cold | beeeeef

The 2008 is Manny’s second release and a follow-up to its oddly popular 2007 debut… The 75% Zin/25% Petite Sirah blend has developed somewhat of a cult following… which isn’t all surprising considering its versatility.  Manny’s has this wonderful ability to carry masculine complexity :: i.e., being complicated without the drama.  It’s layered, multi-faceted, and can offer something for everyone without turning off the people who wants what everyone can’t have.  Confused?  No worries.  You don’t have to take my word for it… Take Bob’s :: watch?v=SKRI0Xx2yQs&feature=share

But before you go… Feel free to indulge in my current obsessions ::

Trader Joes’ Guacamole Hummus :: so, I need you all to go try this and tell me what you think… I said it was amazing, but to be honest – I might just be swayed by the words :: guac + hummus.  Maybe two great things don’t make a right?  I’m still trying to figure out what it is… is it guac?  Or hummus?  It’s so 50/50 that I need it to be slightly more dominant on one end…  ORRRRRR… I’m totes just overcomplicating dip in a plastic tub.  Um, yeah.  Moving on….

Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo :: Love this jam.  Yo La Tengo powered me through many long nights of statistics studying and microeconomics homework.  This song + Manny’s = the perfect night cap.

Roku 2 :: Good-bye cable.  Hello Roku.  I’m a fan so far… except that I may or may not start to go through Bravo withdrawals…

Xo.

Jess

This wasn’t a spontaneous trip ~ I had RSVP’d “hell yes” to Sara’s wedding months ago ~ I just wasn’t able to give it much thought until I was back in the western hemisphere.  It wasn’t until I was sitting in the middle of my Minneapolis moving boxes {next to a suitcase of unlaundered clothes} when I really started to get excited about heading to Napa to reunite with b-school chums, catch-up with Bay Area friends, see my sister and brother-in-law, aaaaand visit my favorite peeps at Jessup.

Reeeeunited *<3

Beautiful bride + groom!

There were actually a bunch of unemployed-grad-school-graduate halos floating around The Valley that weekend ~ turns out that Sara was one of two Kellogg alums getting hitched in Napa and in true Kellogg camaraderie, I was getting a lot of Jessup Ambassador love + support.  Friends in town for the nuptials were making surprise stops in Jessup’s tasting room and by the good graces of Facebook and text messaging, I was kept in the 411.  I told you :: Kellogg loves vino → vino loves Jess → Jess loves Jessup :: you can flip it and reverse it… the love square still works.

I made it to Jessup at the end of the weekend, bringing my own troop of Kelloggians, family, and friends.  It was an awesome experience for me as an Ambassador to experience the tasting room with them… I mean, my friends + family are great – they support me in everything I pursue.  You like Jessup?  Oh okay, I like Jessup too.  Jessup wine is magically delicious?  Oh okay, Jessup wine is magically delicious.  You’re going to blog about wine?  Oh okay, I’ll click on that link and pretend to read your blog about wine.  See?  Unconditional love + support.   But that’s why it was so special to go through the Jessup tasting with them.   The looks on their faces, the outbursts of magical deliciousness discovery, the laughter | dialogue | attention that filled our table… that had nothing to do with love + support for me, and had everything to do with tasting and exploring REALLY damn good wine.

Feel free to send over that bottle as a housewarming gift...

Jess + Friends w/ Bob @ Jessup

When I returned to Minneapolis, I collected everyone’s thoughts + memories about their Jessup experience.  There were at least 4 separate groups of friends that popped in over the weekend, many with previous Napa tasting room experiences, and some with none.  Table For Four was a clear standout, but so was the Merlot, Cab, Sauv Blanc, Manny’s Blend, and Zin… uh, wait… that’s almost the whole tasting line-up.  The clearer standout was actually Bob ~ everyone loved Bob!

“Down-to-earth, informative, entertaining” | “Great host, so knowledgeable about the chemistry of wine” | “Knowledgeable and approachable”

These are just a few of the comments I heard about Bob Clark, Jessup’s sommelier.  I couldn’t agree more!  His energy, passion, and insane aptitude at all things vino set the tone for the Jessup tasting room.  I mean, this man calls swirling :: “volatizing your esters”… c’mon, Bob is a vino virtuoso.  Not part of the Bob Clark fan club yet?  Schedule a visit to Jessup stat, and in the meantime you can watch him here on YouTube.

Be warned though… after listening to Bob talk about Jessup vino, you WILL want to purchase a bottle {or two, or three}.  We all left Napa with heavier bags, and my old roomie and her fiancé joined the Twice Yearly Club.  The joy of Jessup Cellars all year long??  Now there’s a good reason to retire our halos and get back to work…  definitely money well worth spent!

Next time you hear from me, I’ll be all growns up… wearing suits, collecting my morning paper before it turns yellow from prolonged oxidation, actually going to bed at a decent hour… and until then, I’ll leave you with my current obsessions ::

Ideapaint :: I love the idea of this stuff. In fact, I have a can of it in my house right now.  I just can’t figure out where I want to use it.  I want a small discrete patch somewhere… and then I need to control myself from marking up my wall like a 5-year old….

Mohu Leaf Antenna :: I’m trying to outwit the monster devil cable conglomerates by using other devices to stream content.  So far, I’m not winning this battle {streaming rights are very annoying}. But I did discover an AMAZING paper thin antenna that brings me 26 crystal-clear digital HD channels.  Read about them.  The folks at Mohu are brainiacs using their powers for good.

El Bulli : Cooking in Progress :: I haven’t seen it yet, but I just found out that it’s playing in Minneapolis at the end of September.  Can. Not. Wait.  Now the big question is… what the heck am I going to eat before the show???

Xo

jess

Yup.  That’s the state I left my apartment in before leaving the country for almost a month.  Trust me, I’m not proud of it… Mama Chung would have a heart attack {don’t tell her}… but hey, I only had a few days to unpack and then re-pack 50 pounds of clothes + shoes into my suitcase.

Anyways, last time I blogged we were in Switzerland living it up amongst fancy ex-pats.  From there, we did a weekend getaway in romantical Cinque Terre, Italy {living not-so-fancy pants, but enjoying the most beautiful scenery I have ever laid eyes on} before moving on to Deutschland to explore Berlin | Heidelberg | Munich.  We had no shortage of great, reasonably-priced, locally sourced vino in every city… even in the land of bier and brats, I tasted some versatile, not-sweet German Rieslings that paired perfectly with my bretzels + wursts.  Here’s the low down of our final leg of Old World vino adventures ::

First, Cinque Terre.  If you haven’t been here yet, you need to go.  And you need to take me with you.  This place has been on my list for awhile, and my visit was everything I had hoped for and more.  Sun + Riviera coast + ridiculously fresh seafood +  squid ink pasta galore + long scenic hikes + shorelines to get yo’ tan on + super long sunsets = my kind of town.  And there’s five of them here {hence the name – Cinque Terre}.  Each village has its own wine specific to that particular “terre”, and it’s encouraged to try a glass in each town.   Since we were getting our fitness on by hiking all five towns, we decided that vino at 10am might be a little aggressive.  However, by the time we stopped for lunch, we had clocked in a few hours of steep hills and hundreds of cobblestone steps, which in our minds earned us Happy Hour USA.  Or in this case :: a full bottle of wine.  Let’s just say that the final hike {which is also the hardest, we later learned} wasn’t exactly our finest athletic feat… but our vino was cheap and delicious.  Dry with a nice bouquet and crisp, clean finish – perfectly hydrating and perfect with our seafood pizza.

I <3 Happy Hour USA

From Italy, we headed to Berlin, where we thought we’d face social pressure to switch to beer.  Turns out that Berlin is actually the most un-German German city in terms of eats + drinks… there really is something for everyone and everything is on the ch-ch-cheap.  We answered all our ethnic food cravings in Berlin and found affordable + delicious German whites at every meal {and happy hour…}.

In Heidelberg, we had our first home-cooked meal since leaving Switzerland – paired perfectly with a 2008 Friedrich Becker Laisser Faire Riesling.  This is probably when I started to realize how much I love Rieslings with food… my naïve palate has been convinced this whole time that Rieslings were syrupy, too sweet, and frankly no bueno with dinner.  Clearly I was just drinking the wrong Rieslings!  Let me know what recos you have for Rieslings that I can find in the States for a reasonable price… I’ve been spoiled during my time in Europe! {And shout-out to Johannes + Juliana, my friends from b-school, for hosting us in Heidelberg and amazing me with their immersion-blender-soup-making skillzzz.  You can read more about the vino they poured on this blog – interesting deets on the Becker family in Germany}

I really wanted to continue my Riesling trend into Munich, but after getting stink-eye from the locals for ordering vino {more like friendly drunk heckling…  but I wasn’t about to mess with the Germans}, I knew it was time for some bier.  Let’s just say that I had my fill of Augustiner + wursts that night… And once I checked off the bier box, no one seemed to give me crap for wanting my vino.  Even in the most touristy beer garden – Chinese Tower in the English Garden – no one cared that I had my bretzel with some weißwein.  The bretzel + vino combo might be my favorite Happy Hour USA.

I <3 Germany

*Sigh* … and now it’s back to reality.  But my reality is pretty exciting – I just moved to a new city, I’ll be starting a new job in just a few weeks, and I’m actually headed to Napa this weekend to see friends {Sara + Patrick are getting hitched, woot woot!!!}, as well as my sister and new brother-in-law {holy cow, I have a brother!}, aaaand the friendly folks at Jessup’s tasting room.  So yeah… those moving boxes might not be getting unpacked anytime soon after all…

In the meantime, I’ll be reminiscing my Euro adventures with these current obsessions ::

• Moka pots :: my cousin made me the best espresso with this stovetop gadget, and I totally forgot how much I love the taste | flavor | roast of coffee when the grinds and water brew together sans filter.  Delicious. And a new ambition to my morning routine.
• Boutique-ing in Mitte  :: loved, LOVED the style in Berlin.  I was inspired to spend all my Euros on clothes I can’t wear to work.  And then I realized that all my Euros could probably buy me lip balm and a pair of socks.  Now I’m obsessed with flat boots, harem pants, and mid-calf skirts.
• Happy Hour USA :: okay, okay… I need to leave this current obsession behind.  I agree.  It’s not that healthy or productive… but damn, it makes for a GREAT vacay.

Xo.

jess

It’s temporary | You never know what day it is | I can leave the country for three weeks and chill in Switzerland with my favorite aunt + uncle.

Things I love about Switzerland ::

Everything is perfect here | I can drink vino all day long  | Everything is perfect here.

Did I mention everything is perfect here?  Here’s proof.  Here’s the view from where I’m blogging ::

The view from my aunt + uncle's patio...

I’m travelling through Switzerland with a beloved chum from business school and a long-time friend from my San Diego days {who, I oddly enough, met at step aerobics.  And yes, people born after 1970 still do old school cardio aerobics.  Don’t judge}.  We just celebrated Swiss National Day… or aka, the Swiss version of Independence Day… and they do it pretty much the same here as we do in the States :: alfresco dining | grillin’ | fireworks | a hooky day from work | and lots of beer + vino.

I’ll keep this entry short + sweet simply b/c I’d much rather be partaking in Swiss-esque things such as …private boat rides | chocolate-eating | walking in my MBTs… than blogging away on my keyboard.  Plus, I talked your ear off last time {hi-five to people who hung in there and read the whole thing.  It’s good karma, I swear}.  Just know this :: as a Jessup Ambassador, I’m both spreading the good word of Jessup {and Napa wines in general} aaaaand partaking in the self-education of global vino discovery.  In the beginning of our trip, I was trying to stick to Swiss wines, but now that we’re in Lugano, I’m loving all the Italian wines we have to choose from here.

We had an amazing Barolo the other night… Barolo Bricco Francesco – a wine that my uncle stumbled upon at a Kellogg alumni wine tasting in Italy {this is good news… it means my stint as a Kellogg wine club leader can live on over time and across international borders}.  Word on the street is that my uncle smuggled quite a few bottles across the Swiss/Italian border… so I’m hoping we get a few more glasses before we move onto our next set of adventures.

Other interesting wines we’ve met on this journey include a Swiss white merlot from a local wine shop {which was pleasantly fruity without being too sweet}, a white wine from Ticino that was the perfect accompaniment to the lox, pate, cheese spread we had going on, and a Sicilian cab that made our 4th of July …er, Swiss National Day… hamburgers shine.

We’re off to Lake Como today to find George Clooney – uh, I mean, more great wine… and then we’re off to Cinque Terre, Milan, Berlin, Heidelberg, and Munich.  My vino palate might get muted with all the beer we’ll be drinking in Germany, but I have a feeling it’ll be hard to resist all the great German whites we’ll have at our disposal.

Until then… I’ll leave you with my current {and very Euro} obsessions ::

MBTs – Don’t even get me started on these shoes… They’re a Swiss brand, but I bought my pair from Amazon and I never want to take them off.  Granted, they look ridiculous… but they feel damn good.  Luckily, in Switzerland, I’m one of many who are rocking these kicks.  In America, I get weird stares.

Squid Ink Pasta – I just can’t get enough.  And I can’t wait until we’re in Cinque Terre, where they are supposedly known for having the best squid ink pasta.  *drool, drool, drool*

Photogging – I’m becoming one of those. Those tourists who can’t resist stopping in front of large crowds to selfishly get a photo, or those tourists who take photos of every meal.  I’ve unleashed the Asian tourist in me and I just. can’t. stop.

Xo ::

Jess