SO excited about 2008 Zinfandel!

On a recent trip to Napa, I tasted and brought home some lovely zins. Okay, not ALL of them made it home. ;)

One tasting room server was completely incredulous when I mentioned I hail from the home of the "Best Zinfandel in the World": Troon Vineyard. (The 2002 zin won this award at the Jerry D. Mead New World International Wine Competition.) I encouraged all of them to visit our picturesque spot in the Applegate Valley... maybe I also asked them to come up in the fall when the 2008 Reserve Zinfandel is first released - no agenda there. Upon returning home from my Napacation, I opened a precious bottle of 2006 Troon Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel and oh, my, goodness. It completely blew everything I had tasted on my trip absolutely out of the glass! Beauty, balance and complexity just can't be much more wonderful.

2002 Troon Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel: Best New World Zinfandel - Jerry D. Mead New World International Wine Competition. Gold Medal, Best of Class, Best of Varietal, Best of Show - Jerry D. Mead New World International Wine Competition. Gold Medal, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition. Gold Medal, Northwest Wine Summit. Silver Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2004 Troon Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel: Silver Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2006 Troon Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel: Gold Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Gold Medal, Northwest Wine Summit. Gold Medal, Jerry D. Mead International Wine Competition. "Outstanding" Oregon Wine Awards.

Breaking News!

2008 Kubli Zinfandel: Gold Medal, Oregon Wine Awards.

2008 Reserve Zinfandel: Double Gold, Oregon Wine Awards.

What NOT to Name Your Dog

Before adopting your next puppy or dog at a shelter, you may want to take a moment to review a few handles that should be avoided. Over the course of his or her life, you'll end up using your dog's name over 35,000 times. The list can usually be applied to naming children or other pets as well.

1. Lucky. Come on, that's just tempting fate.

2. Zeus. You can be certain that your dog will never take orders from you, a mere human.

3. Beau. Or anything else that rhymes with "no", "sit", "stay" etc.

4. Sarah. If your aunt's name is also Sarah.

5. Tip. If your other dog's name is Flip. Dogs respond to the vowel sound in their name.

6. Foofers. Or any other name you don't want to yell out the back door 10,000 times.

7. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Dogs prefer a simple one or two-syllable name.

8. Shark. Unless you want to create widespread panic at the beach as you call your dog to you.

9. ****. Because the grandparents will be offended, you'll be embarrassed, and the kids will get in trouble if they mention the dog at school.

10. Stinky. No one will want to pet him!

McCafe Morning

So, early this morning I was efficiently at the bank drive through and on my way to the vineyard. Suddenly I realized I did NOT want to wait 45 minutes to make it to the winery restroom on Kubli Road in the Applegate Valley. A quick assessment of surroundings revealed the local McDonald's across the street. Although I pride myself in avoiding fast food establishments, (I view myself as a veggie-pescatarian-locavore-granola when possible) it seemed to be my best option, so I zoomed across traffic and pulled into the first parking spot. McDonald's is obviously the senior hangout on Monday mornings, so I made my way past a large crowd of elderly McMuffin loving patrons. I didn't need anything, but feeling like I should pay for the use of water, soap and a paper towel, I made my way up to the counter. As usual I was cash-less and a dollar menu coffee didn't seem like the right amount to put on a credit card. Less than a minute later I was walking out the door with a full meal deal, including something that looked and tasted like a giant tater-tot. And I ate the whole thing! Including the ham, which is not on the "Corey eats" list. I had to truly admire McDonald's for freaky-fast tastiness and of course the anti-Starbucks McLatte is nothing short of brilliant. I even made it to work on time!

Stealing Pens

"It's too petty to ask for a pen back, but this was a brand new, special pen, that I wanted to keep." He loaned it to a "friend" of his (for just a moment), who "didn't remember" to give the pen back. To be viewed as so cheap that you would ask for just a pen to be returned!