Would you rather
1) Working ~70 hours/week at a job with a lot of growth potential but also a lot of stress and responsibility. Leave little time for social life.
or
2) Working ~40 hours/week at a job that treat you well but not much growth potential and limited stress and responsibility. Have time for social life.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara
Ever since watching Sideway on my birthday two years ago, I been wanting to go up to Santa Barbara for wine tasting. However, due to various reasons, I finally visited Santa Barbara today.
Everyone met up at the organizer's place at 9AM, his roommate made egg and toasts for the group before we left for wine tasting. All nine participants were in jolly spirits and the day just flew by. We hitted five vineyards and finally left SB around 5:30pm.
Summary:
First stop: Sunstone. $10 for tasting. Tasting list consists of 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 Viognier, 2006 Syrah Rose, Rapsodie du Soleil, 2003 Fred's Red (steak wine), 2004 Estate Syrah, and 2004 EROS (blend of merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). Most of their wines are pretty good. If you like red, this is a good place.
Second stop: Rideau vineyard. $15 for tasting. Tasting list consists of 2006 Siempre Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 IC Estate Viognier, 2005 Estate Syrah Rose, 2004 Sangiovese, 2004 Chateau Duplantier, 2004 IC Petite Sirah, and 2006 Riesling. This is the best winery of the whole trip!
Third stop: I couldn't remember the name since I skipped out on this tasting and napped on the lawn instead. I would have to ask others for their opinion regarding this vineyard.
Fourth stop: Firestone. $10 for tasting. Free wine tour. Tasting list was similar to that of sunstone. All the wines had really strong oak/wood flavor. I didn't like any of the wines. At first, I tried to drink each of the 1 oz sample but it was so bad that by the time I got to the 3rd, I gave up and tossed the wine after first sip.
Fifth stop: Curtis. Free for tasting since it's part of Firestone. Tasting list was similar to that of Firestone but more syrah. Curtis wines were much better than Firestone wines, however, none really stand out.
Conclusion: If you love wine with fruit flavor, you'll love Rideau vineyard (all the bolded wines are the ones that I like and plan to buy for future consumption). Rideau vineyard kept amazed me more and more with each sample. The 2006 Riesling was orgasmic. The only Rieslings I like are those from Germany, after so many disappointments from American Rieslings, I was happily surprise to finally find an American Riesling that I love. I love the 2006 Riesling so much that I begged them for a second.
Another reason to love Rideau vineyard, their Sundried Tomato Dip/Spread. Put a bit of this on a bread and you've instant gourmet appetizer. They also have other flavor dips that my friends love (e.g. feta cheese dip, olive and basil, etc).
-----------------------
Update: Email from my friend
The third winery that we visited is called "Lincourt", and we tasted 5 different wines there: '05 Sauvignon Blanc, '04 Chardonnay, '05 Pinot Noir, '05 Syrah, and '03 Cabernet Sauvignon. None of the reds were particularly good, although the whites were decent.
Everyone met up at the organizer's place at 9AM, his roommate made egg and toasts for the group before we left for wine tasting. All nine participants were in jolly spirits and the day just flew by. We hitted five vineyards and finally left SB around 5:30pm.
Summary:
First stop: Sunstone. $10 for tasting. Tasting list consists of 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 Viognier, 2006 Syrah Rose, Rapsodie du Soleil, 2003 Fred's Red (steak wine), 2004 Estate Syrah, and 2004 EROS (blend of merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). Most of their wines are pretty good. If you like red, this is a good place.
Second stop: Rideau vineyard. $15 for tasting. Tasting list consists of 2006 Siempre Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 IC Estate Viognier, 2005 Estate Syrah Rose, 2004 Sangiovese, 2004 Chateau Duplantier, 2004 IC Petite Sirah, and 2006 Riesling. This is the best winery of the whole trip!
Third stop: I couldn't remember the name since I skipped out on this tasting and napped on the lawn instead. I would have to ask others for their opinion regarding this vineyard.
Fourth stop: Firestone. $10 for tasting. Free wine tour. Tasting list was similar to that of sunstone. All the wines had really strong oak/wood flavor. I didn't like any of the wines. At first, I tried to drink each of the 1 oz sample but it was so bad that by the time I got to the 3rd, I gave up and tossed the wine after first sip.
Fifth stop: Curtis. Free for tasting since it's part of Firestone. Tasting list was similar to that of Firestone but more syrah. Curtis wines were much better than Firestone wines, however, none really stand out.
Conclusion: If you love wine with fruit flavor, you'll love Rideau vineyard (all the bolded wines are the ones that I like and plan to buy for future consumption). Rideau vineyard kept amazed me more and more with each sample. The 2006 Riesling was orgasmic. The only Rieslings I like are those from Germany, after so many disappointments from American Rieslings, I was happily surprise to finally find an American Riesling that I love. I love the 2006 Riesling so much that I begged them for a second.
Another reason to love Rideau vineyard, their Sundried Tomato Dip/Spread. Put a bit of this on a bread and you've instant gourmet appetizer. They also have other flavor dips that my friends love (e.g. feta cheese dip, olive and basil, etc).
-----------------------
Update: Email from my friend
The third winery that we visited is called "Lincourt", and we tasted 5 different wines there: '05 Sauvignon Blanc, '04 Chardonnay, '05 Pinot Noir, '05 Syrah, and '03 Cabernet Sauvignon. None of the reds were particularly good, although the whites were decent.
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