In 2023, whiskey is popular all over the globe – even down under in Australia! Not only is whiskey in demand, the Australian whiskey distilling industry, like many other New World country whiskey distilling, is booming.
Distilling Australian whiskey picked up in the 1990s. In 2020, Australia recognized over 293 distilleries, with about 50 of them designated as Australian whiskey distilleries…
Read my whole article at WhiskeyLover.org!
From the attuned perspective of a mother, Naming the Ghost by Emily Hockaday catalogs the continuous appearance of a single ghost throughout a house and its inhabitants. The full-length collection is a ghost story of the quietest kind…
Read the full review at Harbor Review!
https://www.harbor-review.com/naming-the-ghost
Happy dia de los muertos, all! There’s still time to enter my giveaway, winner picked tomorrow evening.
visit my instagram post & good luck!
Ambiance: Farmhouse winery. This unassuming spot and warehouse are surrounded by vineyards and gorgeous views outside of Mt. Garfield and the bookcliffs. There’s a huge space inside for tastings, too.
Tasting: choose from a flight of red, white, port, avant-garde wines, and more! I did the avant-garde tasting (3wines) and the port tasting (4 wines).
Tasting style: served on a board with labels of what each glass is. Fantastic for someone like me who is quick to forget (after a few sips!) the avant-garde flight was:
1. Bourbon barrel merlot. Sweet but tasty.
2. Rye barrel aged Cab franc, sweet and dry.
3. Whiskey barrel aged Freestone peach bubbly – but a little shrub-like (vinegary).
Summary: There’s something for everyone! With whites, reds, blends, ports, and hard ciders of all flavors to try, you can’t go wrong trying with a group.
Dog friendly: Yes, on the patio outdoor space (no dogs on the inside)
Food availability: Yes. Snacks available for munching!
Grandpa is on the porch with his pipe, again.
I’m old enough to know this only happens
when he’s thinking of the deepest part of the lake
or if rain is coming
I can’t remember which,
but it doesn’t smell of petrichor
or barrels soaked in bourbon and wine.
Watching smoke rise makes the air look heavy,
it makes my body feel heavier, too,
thick with a hand pressing me down
to deepest part of river mouth,
open and wanting.
Like grandpa, I learn silence while staring
into forests or higher, out beyond the Mesa.
It’s easier to be silent
when every cardinal
is a different rock formation, sandy rippled
bookcliffs to the north, dead red canyons
sit across the west with left palm open,
right hand gripping a chalice of avant-garde wine.
Ambiance: Farmhouse winery. This unassuming spot and warehouse are surrounded by vineyards and gorgeous mountains. There’s a space inside for tastings, but the backyard has a stage for fine live music, and the upstairs space is a slice of winery valley heaven.
Tasting: ($15 tasting for 5 wines)
Tasting style: 5 wines, 1 glass at a time, encouraged to be at the bar inside.
1. Sauv blanc, fruity scent, like apple juice.
2. Blan.co, close to Chardonnay, acidic light, sour
3. Rosé, fruity and bright, minerally.
4. Syrah, smells like wet cherries. winter spices, warm. Fruit forward.
5. Malbec, dry and tannic.
What I brought home: Reserve Sauv. Blanc
Summary: Carboy’s wines range in all kinds of styles. Most of the grapes are grown here in Palisade, and being surrounded by what you’re drinking is really special.
Dog friendly: Yes, on the yard (no dogs on the upstairs balcony – so visit twice!)
Food availability: Yes. Carboy offers a variety of boards, panini, bagged snacks, and pop cans for the whole family to enjoy a picnic on the lawn.
This is joy
This is not a quiet one,
It’s tripping in a muddy
swamp, water cold
on the arms, now in your hair.
You’re not the only one
rolled
into the marshland,
more shoes lost
to this mud
than –
who would steal
5 odd boots?
the nearby river –
more mouths, too.
It feels like magic pulls
with both hands
to keep our things,
The chant under
moon magic
the cotton candy skies song
they sing
each late summer
night magic
the first sip of a crisp
effervescent rosé
magic.
You don’t need to only visit Palisade to enjoy great Grand Valley wine!
Here are 5 spots in Grand Junction where you can try and buy great wine:
Ambiance: Industrial farmhouse. The winery sits nestled surrounded by vines and peach trees growing on the hill above downtown with undisturbed views of the Grand Mesa and Mt. Garfield and the bookcliffs. Inside, the building is like a big open warehouse. Outside is a huge covered patio and a huge grassy yard to enjoy all the views.
Tasting (by my rank):
1. Sparkling rosé, Dry and like a tart apple cider on the nose.
2. Barbera, Dry oaky. Low tannins which I prefer.
3. Merlot, Smooth and buttery. Jammy on the nose.
4. Alboriño, Crisp and dry, not too sweet. Great on a hot day.
What I brought home: the sparkling rosé
Summary: Restoration’s wines are dry and tart. There were 4 wines included in the tasting, all of which I enjoyed! All of the grapes are grown right on Restoration’s property, so if you want an ultra-local glass of wine, come to Restoration.
Tasting style: 1 glass, 4 wines.
For the flight tasting, I was given one glass and one wine at a time. In order to get the next wine to taste, I waited for the server to walk out to the spot I was sitting outside, which was really appreciated.
Dog friendly: Very dog friendly, huge grass area with poop bags and trash can.
Food availability: No. Sometimes has food trucks, check their website for schedule. Bring your own snacks!
Because we make wines
that taste like the land,
I take my corked bottles
to the lake by the Colorado river
and sip quietly
where there are dozens
of plastic lures
colored like a carnival
tangled up in the cottonwood
like prizes to be won over the water.
Because I drink wines
that remind me too much
of reed-tinged mud,
I’ve spent so much
of my childhood cradled
by soft emerald grass,
that I do crave cups full
of riverbed, and for whatever reason
I often forget to walk barefoot
or just sit in my own pillowy
earth grass too often,
I take my time
taste the glacier-cold river,
sifted mineral and tart.
Kristiane Writes 