My new favorite overpriced summer hotspot: Coney Island
Okay, so it’s starting to get a bit chilly in the big apple - I wore a sweater today! And I'm actually looking forward to the autumn weather; it is the best season for New York. It isn't too hot or too cold, the trees begin to change and the colors are GORGEOUS, especially in Central Park. There, you can actually get lost in the color and the crisp, smoky smell, and forget that you live in a "concrete paradise." Not to mention there are autumn festivals all over the city. The pumpkin festival is one of my favorites - okay its second to Halloween, which, between the crazy parade downtown and the sheer fun of dressing up and acting a fool, must take first place.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
I haven't given up on the warm weather yet. There are plenty of gorgeous sunny days left before the crispy fall sets in (I think that's my word of the day: crispy). In fact, last Sunday I spent a fantastic day at Coney Island with a few of my girlfriends. I've been there before, but when I went it was off-season so I didn't really get the full effect.
This time, however, was awesome. I got the full effect of the place. We sat on the beach - now free of hypodermic needles (for those of you who know the beach by reputation, it has been all cleaned up for at least a decade) - and looked out on the water. We watched sailboats from the pier and ate very overpriced fried food... Lots of overpriced fried food: fried clams, fried mozzarella, french fries, fried dough (aka funnel cake), etc. In fact, I think the only kind of food you can even get on the Coney Island boardwalk is fried food. Ooh, and we also drank lots of overpriced beer. And couldn't help ourselves to overpay for tickets for the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone.
So I came home at the end of the day very tired, very full, slightly buzzed, and much closer to bankruptcy than I was when I left the house just hours before. I was also overwhelmingly satisfied. I hope I get a chance to go back before the chilly weather really kicks in.
Where is your favorite overpriced summer spot? Come on people, I wanna hear from you, wherever you are!
Have a Middle Sister Wine Tasting Party in 4 Easty Steps!
Step 1: Make A Guest List
Invite all kinds of people: From novices to wine geeks. As long as everyone likes wine, you'll totally have a hoot. I recommend parties of 6 to 10 people. Plan for about 2 to 3 hours for the tasting.
Step 2: Shopping
Wine
You will need at least 4-6 bottles of Middle Sister wines. I recommend:
Middle Sister Forever Cool Merlot
Middle Sister Rebel Red Red Blend
Middle Sister Mischief Maker Cabernet Sauvignon
Middle Sister Drama Queen Pinot Grigio
Middle Sister Smarty Pants Chardonnay
And have a couple of bottles of Middle Sister Wicked White “starter” wines to offer guests as they straggle in.
Party Goods Wine glasses: One to four glasses/person.
Dump buckets: You can use a flower vase, pitcher or champagne bucket. This is to dump unused wines from your glasses.
Water pitcher and glasses: To clean the palate between sips (la-di-dah).
Spit cups: Yes – it sounds gross; but keeps your mouth fresh and yourself sober.
Napkins
Food
Keep it simple or be more creative:
A) Simple: Shop for cheeses, breads, crackers, deli meats, paté, veggies, nuts and dried fruits.
OR…
B) Match foods with the flavors and aromas found in the wines. Cut bite size pieces of different foods and place in glasses or ramekins on the tasting table. As guests smell and taste each wine, ask them to smell and/or taste the flavor and aroma food samples next to each wine. For example:
Middle Sister Wicked White White Blend:melon, pear, tangerine, rose petals, lemon zest.
Middle Sister Drama Queen Pinot Grigio: apple and pear, lemon zest
“Blind” the wines (winespeak for “cover the labels”). Download and print out this PDF for snarky Middle Sister Bottle Wrappers! I recommend placing the bottles in the order below, from lightest bodied to heaviest bodied.
Helpful Hint: Open red wines about one hour before guests arrive.
Set Out…
Wine Glasses: One glass per person is enough, but four for each person is even better.
Tasting Mats: to take notes and keep track of each wine and your thoughts about each one. Download here.
Aroma Card: to help you and your guests learn to describe wine in ways that are meaningful and memorable to you. It's a good reminder to pay attention to everything you taste. Download here.
Spit Cups: to spit the mouthful of wine you’ve just tasted.
Dump bucket(s): to dump unused wine from your glass after tasting.
Water glasses: to keep your palate refreshed between tastings.
Napkins: we all know what napkins are for!
Pencils: to fill out the Tasting Mats.
Foods and/or snacks.
You can set up your wine tasting around a dining table, a large kitchen island or just a coffee table in your livingroom…whatever is the most comfortable depending on the size of your party and the food you’re serving. Just make sure there’s enough room for each person to have an entire place setting.
Step 4: Party Time
As guests arrive:
Remember those “starter wines” we talked about earlier – Middle Sister Wicked White - now’s the time to pull them from the refrigerator.
Forgot to chill them? No worries – just pop them in an ice bucket filled with ice, water and a tablespoon of Kosher salt for about 5 or 10 minutes.
Pour small amounts of the starter wine (about 1 ounce). If people get inebriated, they’ll miss out on all the fun of tasting several wines. Later when everyone has tasted all of the wines, they can enjoy a full glass or two of their favorite.
Once everyone has arrived, let the tasting begin.
Explain the uses for the dump bucket and spit cups.
Pour a small amount (about 2 oz.) of the first wine into each guest’s glass.
Start a discussion about each tasting from the list below:
Conversation Starters:
• Which fruit does each wine remind you of?
• Which has the best nose (aroma)?
• Which has the most tannins (that tea-like puckery taste of the wine)?
• Which has the fullest body (the mouth-feel or heaviness of the wine)?
• Which has the longest finish (that lingering sensation after you’re done drinking the wine)?
• Talk with your guests about which foods they’d like to pair with the wines (note: there are no correct answers here, only opinions.)
Use the Tasting Mats to write notes about each wine.
After everyone has tasted all of the wines and talked about each one, you can now strip off the wrappers and reveal the sisters!
I hope this was useful. Leave me comments and let me know how your party was.
Hi, I’m Erin. I am the Middle Sister. THE Middle Sister. Not to sound overly important, but I am the inspiration for Middle Sister wines. I am the sister sandwiched between my older sister, Natalie and my younger brother, Ryan. The one in the middle. Not the boss and not the baby. Somehow I needed to forge my own way.
I admit, sometimes I did it in a way that other people considered rather “memorable.” You know the kind of memorable where everybody’s sitting down for Thanksgiving, grateful for all your blessings, and you’re all having a beautiful moment and then somebody goes, remember the time that Erin DOT DOT DOT. And you have to kind of laugh and go along with it but it’s actually pretty embarrassing. I’m that sister.
Anyway, my mom’s best friend and my older sister started the wine company that makes Middle Sister wines, and they thought that it would be hysterical to make a wine dedicated to Middle Sisters. Yes, I am an official muse.
For some reason, I have always been the fascinating character in the family. I’m not sure when it started. Maybe it was in day care, when I masterminded the toddler break out. Me, my older sister, and my future ex-finance (that’s a whole other blog) decided we wanted to go out for Chinese food. So I said, follow me. It was like an episode of Rug Rats. Eventually, we were recaptured and day care security procedures were COMPLETELY revised.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors? Well, I was Erin and Her Hair of Many Colors. I am creative and like to try new things. One condition of employment for my first job as an intern in the public relations department of a winery was that I had to reduce the number of colors in my hair to three. What a dumb rule.
I could go on and on, but then I would be out of things to say for my next blog. For example, I have perfected the perfect application of lipstick. It only takes forty steps and forty minutes.
I hope you will tune in from time to time and see what’s up with me, the Middle Sister of Middle Sister wines.
Over the next few weeks I will be packing the suitcase and traveling to Chicago and Atlanta to pour at some amazing events. And if you live close by, you better come see me!
Chicago Gourmet is a world-class celebration of food, wine and the city's rich culinary heritage. Guests will enjoy celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, a fabulous seminar series, plenty of premium wine tastings, gourmet food samplings and more.
Wine, Women & Shoes - A Stylish Event for Well-heeled Women
Middle Sister wines, along with 14 other wineries, will spend a weekend in Atlanta pouring wine to help raise money for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. So slip on your stilettos and join us for the inaugural Wine, Women & Shoes event.
Meet the Vintners Behind the Scenes: Merlot and Manolo, Peep Toe and Pinot
Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 7:00pm
Villa Christina
4000 Summit Blvd, Atlanta
Learn about the fine art of wine and shoe pairing, meet the vintners and enjoy some nibbles!
Cost: $50
Signature Event for Well-heeled Women
Friday, October 2, 2009 - 7:00pm
The Retreat of Dunwoody
1001 Summit Blvd., Atlanta
"Sip and Shop" your way through a stylish marketplace featuring premier and boutique wineries, food tastings, and a unique live auction. "Shoemmeliers" will help you pair the perfect wine with your favorite stiletto or ballet flat.
Cost: $125
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My new favorite overpriced summer hotspot: Coney Island
