If you like wine, you will like today. Merlot is one of the more popular wines on anyone’s wine list. Most Merlots come from France where 60% of the vines grown are Merlot grapes. They are a mainstay of the product coming out of Bordeaux, France where the word Merlot roughly means “Blackbird”. As I understand it, most Merlot are red wines, though some can be rose’.
How to celebrate – Have a Merlot. Visit southern France. Through a wine tasting party.
June 12th Ros`e Day
The Swedish Ros`e House Bodvar` created this day, probably after whining about it for a while! Get it, whine! It celebrates red wine and white wine, the summer wine, sort of mixed together. I’m not sure I got this right but, I think it is white wine blended with different types of fruit. I understand how strawberries and cherries can add thew reddish color but I’m not convinced that it. Anyway, if you enjoy wine I’ll bet you’ve at least had a Ros`e wine before.
How to celebrate – Have some wine. Learn how to make your own wine. Try making a new type of wine with things like, vegetables.
Today, of course, is for adults only. Wine has been around forever. It was probably discovered when men, and women, still lived in caves. For years wine was the only safe drink for people because the process of making it removed impurities that the water may have carried. And there is always that relaxing quality, right before you probably have had too much. Wine is actually good for you though. I have never been much of a wine drinker. A lot of it is bitter to me but I know I am not in the norm. I guess I do not have a sophisticated palate.
How to celebrate – Have a glass of wine today. Have a wine tasting party. Learn how to make your own wine.
I remember as a child sneaking into my grandmothers drawing room, while she and her friends played bridge, and sneaking a handful of the candy left on the corner of the table. It was always chocolate covered raisins and nuts. They even call it, Bridge Mix. Back then, since I only saw the chocolate covered raisins when they played cards I didn’t think it was available unless it was a card day. The sweet chocolate and sweet raisins was a perfect combination and of most candies, probably the best one for you.
How to celebrate – Learn how to play Bridge. Go to the movie theater and buy some chocolate covered raisins. (Might as well see a movie while you are there.) Make your chocolate covered raisins.
May 25th National Wine Day
Do you prefer red or white? Do the best wines in your opinion come from France, Italy or California? There are wines you serve before dinner, during dinner and after dinner. There are pink wines, sweet wines, bitter wines but they all come from grapes. So the better harvest of grapes available, the better wine selections that are available. Some are very expensive, some are cheap and some are just glorified vinegar.
How to celebrate – Have a wine tasting party. Visit a vineyard. Learn how to make your own wine.
I remember sitting at the table as my Grandmother played bridge with her friend and munching on the chocolate covered raisins she sat out for her guests to munch on. I always thought I was doing them a favor from getting all that chocolate on their cards. I loved bridge day.
Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean discovered by Christopher Columbus when he came to the Americas. (Of course the Native American knew about it long before Columbus got there.) Believe it or not the cocoa bean is considered a vegetable. So if you want to really stretch it, you can tell people you are eating your vegetables while chomping down on that chocolate. (I suggest you don’t really believe that you are though.)
And then there’s the raisin. It is a fruit, it is a grape. I can only imagine that there was a time when someone found some grapes they had left out for say, a couple of years, and decided to eat it any way. By itself, the raisin does not have that visual appeal of something you want to put in your mouth but it does taste good and is at least sort of good for you.
Remember going to the movies and chopping down on chocolate covered raisins while being entertained? Today, no one can afford those tiny morsels anymore but there was a time when they were cheap, fun and easy to eat. (Add to that you are eating fruits and vegetables it so rewarding.)
And if you want to try something truly an overload, fix yourself a chocolate covered raisin cake!
How to celebrate – Find some Raisinets and enjoy the memories. Discover your own way to use chocolate covered raisins. Include some chocolate covered raisins in your kids lunch today and create a smile.
Unboxing the Bizarre™ 