I spent the holidays this year with my sister and parents in Minnesota. My sister has moved her family there recently and they have bought a beautiful house in Minnetonka. It was snowy and gorgeous – even though its not the same as Seattle, I felt at home in the icy cold.
In preparation for my trip, I tried out Last Call Wines for the first time to purchase some luxurious wines for greatly discounted prices. I found a Chateau Tanunda Shiraz and a Chilean Carmenere – both were big, bold and IN-YOUR-FACE. I was pleasantly surprised by the Carmenere in particular – which was more balanced and smooth than the Shiraz (too heavy on the oak and the alcohol was quite pronounced). Unfortunately or fortunately – I completely zoned out and never took a picture of the Carmenere but I do have a photo of the wines that we enjoyed on Christmas day (includes a photo of the Shiraz). The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the picture were purchased by my sister and her husband while they were wine tasting near San Diego. Both were lovely and true to character.
And to tell the rest of the story of the holidays, I’ve included a few pictures – which describe the experience better than words. Winter walks, cookie making and my nephews playing around.
My 71 year old dad and I went sledding one day after it has snowed a bit the night before. It was icy and pretty rough but my dad handled it like a champ. I however ended up with a ton of bruises and after a spectacular slip while walking on the ice, a really sore head!
Christmas morning my parents and I loaded up the car and made our way over to my sister’s place for the festivities! Did I mention this was at 6:30 in the morning??
I hope you and yours had a lovely holiday season. Now on to 2013…
mumura 