Say CHEESE!

Reading has branched out to be a great social activity. Just join a book club.

The Glam Girls Book Club meets monthly to compare reactions and ruminations over the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris ~ Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) .

The latest gathering was hosted at Cheese Louise in Richland. Whatever your reason, Cheese Louise is a warm and open venue for nibbling cheeses and topas style munchies while sipping wine (bring your own for $5 corking fee or select from the house menu), water, or sparkling juice. You can even order goodies for get-togethers at your home or office! The platters are spectacular.

Nibble, bite, suck ... flow with the current in Tri Cities.

Catch the CRUSH!

Catch the Crush. What a wonderful opportunity to share the treats of Tri Cities with family & friends. And to catch up with some new wines.

We visited the Anelare tasting facility in Southridge ... My hubby likes Nona Viola while my fave is the Ciel du Cheval Syrah. Of course, membership has its priveleges ... so we signed up to indulge ourselves. This private, limited edition winery is sure to please; joining the "club" means never missing out on a "tasty" opportunity.

Catch the Crush that is currently running through Tri Cities!

Hanging up a handbag at Picazo

Kim's birthday. Another life event to celebrate ~ and enjoy!

For this occasion, we headed to a haunt called Picazo 7Seventeen in nearby Prosser. The setting entices with rich color, a display of art, and a variety of wines. We started the evening with cocktails at the bar while admiring the glass display ~ especially the stunning chandelier which came from Owen Adam.

The menu provided ample opportunity for flavor sensations. We started with clams & mussels, crab cakes, and shrimp stuffed with chorizo & wrapped with ham. Then the table was topped with Lamb, Chicken, Pasta, and Halibut dishes that were sure to satisfy.

After tasting a Daven Lore Red Tail at the bar (one of the featured wines of the month), the food was accompanied by Meritage and Syrah wines from Cañon de Sol, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Gamache. A toast to friendship and good times!

We presented Kim with a birthday gift from Heaven Sent Jewelry ~ a purse holder to host any one of her famous bags! Before dessert, Picazo Chef Frank Magaña stopped by to visit, and to say Happy Birthday to the celebrant.

The road home was a wonderful route through rolling hills and a starry sky, currently carrying traffic through Tri Cities.

Cañon de Sol Winery Celebrated 10

After ten years in the sunshine of Washington state and the Columbia Valley, Cañon de Sol Winery celebrates with a weekend of events.

Friday, the 28th of August, the winery hosted an Anniversary dinner featuring a multi-course meal especially prepared by Castle Catering to pair with Cañon de Sol wines. Appetizing shrimp were paired with Viognier while guests gathered. The first course was a Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Fried Green Tomato. Merlot was paired with Salmon Nicoise and Duck Breast with fruit salsa. Meritage accompanied Chorizo with Fig and Chicken Apple Sausage. Finally, Syrah was paired with Shredded Lamb Tamales. The group moved to the barrel room to taste Library Wines and enjoy a variety of desserts.

Victor Cruz was presented with a champagne Saber to commemorate his achievement. As his wife, Kim, cheered him on, Cruz quickly learned the art and demonstrated his new talent - practicing on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot before adeptly opening a bottle of Dom Perignon. The evening was accompanied by the music of Dean Backholm. "It is an honor to be part of the joy and success that Victor is sharing in this celebration," Backholm says. The dinner, limited to 75 guests, sold out early.

In a touching presentation by the Cruz children, Ciara and Nicholas, many an eye teared. The evening blossomed with games and cherished wine giveaways. Trivial Pursuit enveloped Victor's pursuit of Cañon de Sol excellence. His first bottle of Syrah sold for $30 (not $28), and he has zero acres of grapes (for he hand selects his fruit for each vintage).

On Saturday, the 29th of August, the winery hosted a party for 300 guests. Food was catered via the much loved Taqueria Los Toritos taco wagon; and the music of Curtis Nettles stirred the crowd. Many were moved to dancing the night away.

Embracing a tradition passed to America from Mexico, the evening featured a piñata filled with corks. This gave attendees a blow at the ever-popular party game - and when the corks fell, many guests found discounts on Cañon de Sol wines.

"It was a treat to taste the Cañon de Sol library wines!" says Melissa McAloon, Member Services Director for Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce. A special opportunity to sample limited availability Cañon de Sol library wines was offered to tasters at the event.

To commemorate this milestone, Cañon de Sol Winery offers limited edition etched magnums of Cañon de Sol Syrah and Cañon de Sol Meritage. Only 250 of each were made available, signed and numbered by winemaker Victor Cruz. Magnums are priced at $375 each, and special requests are being accepted for select numbers in the sequence (requests honored as available when received).

Victor Cruz has a passion for making good wine. As he says, "Good wine should be for everybody."

What's next? Cañon de Sol will open a tasting room in Woodinville to better serve a growing clientele. For more information, call the winery at 509.588.6311, eMail wine@canondesol.com, or visit the website http://www.canondesol.com/.

PHOTO: Rich Breshears ~ Breshears Professional Photography

Bella ... Bueno

It was a Wine Bar Wednesday evening at Bella an Italian Deli. Wine Bar Wednesday gave us a chance to try various Red Mountain wines by the glass and splurge on tasty appetizers before select dinner choices. We had a lightly chilled Kiona Sangiovese with a spice-steamed artichoke dipped in aioli butter. Salad with warm steak. Chicken ziti. Must return for dessert.

This charming eatery provides the most personal touch to deliver a delightful dining experience. The limited menu enchants with a constant stir of new dishes to savor. Multi-course private party dinners are especially engaging! For lunch, dinner, or on the go, there is always an opportunity to indulge your palate at Bella an Italian Deli - consider Bistro Night on Saturdays, boxed meals or picnic baskets perfectly packed for your wine tasting outing, linger at lunch!

Get on the eMail list for all the possibilities. Valerie Brown & Tracy Tudor host your visit to Bella an Italian deli. Call for information 509-588-3354 or show up for a visit at 502 Ninth St. Benton City, WA 99320

Enjoy the weather & the local events currently coursing through Tri Cities.

Roll with the GGGGGood Times ...

Thanks to the fine planning of girl friends, I enjoyed a celebration of another year gone by (too quickly, I must admit). We started off our gathering in the new tasting room at Goose Ridge Winery. At the bar, we sniffed and sipped through the Merlot, Syrah, Q3 Red Wine, Vireo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sol Duc! Then we purchased a bottle (just try to guess which one - yes, it was red) to savor while lounging in overstuffed chairs near the fireplace.

Here I was presented gifts from some of the most fun places including a French style bonnet with netting that I immediately placed upon my noggin to help keep my thoughts from flying all over the place!

Having worked up an appetite, we headed for Katya's Bistro and Wine Bar. Saving room for desserts (chocolate decadence and lemon cake), we each ordered a Strawberry & Asparagus Salad, then we shared crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms and Chicken Marsala.

T'was an evening of gulping, gabbing, giggling, and gracious gobbling among great girlfriends. GGGGGood Time had by all.

Currently going with the flow in Tri Cities!

A Divine Date with the Dust Devils

We traveled in light traffic and found a reasonably close-to-the-arena parking spot. Arriving through the not-so-pearly gates at Gesa Stadium, we received a bamboo back scratcher, courtesy of Back to Basics Chiropractic (remind me to get adjusted sometime soon).

The air was alive with the scent of various Lamb Weston French Fries - and, of course, we indulged. Our first batch were Fajita Fries - with a south of the border sass that went well with beer (lite or root). Next, we enjoyed the seasoned Tasty QQQ's spiral fries... after which, we were enticed by the fresh Kettle Corn.

The Dust Devils played a losing game, but still we rocked the stadium in hope and cheer. And, the children were invited to run across the outfield during the 7th inning stretch - something I never experienced at a Dodgers, Twins, A's or Mariners game!

In the end, there was a short fireworks show ... and we were given a game ball and a game bat - a Louisville Slugger, none the less! Went to the game, had a ball, got a bat ...

What's current ... catch it in Tri Cities!