Grape Juice Mom, Author at Grape Juice Mom

52 Weeks of Wine – Week 35: Verdicchio (June 22nd – 28th 2019)

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Grape Juice Mom

I hate to pat myself on the back, but we are really on a winning streak with these white varietals! I’ve previously mentioned that I don’t do research on the varietals prior to the official tasting, and since I’m in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program alongside my trainees, I’m learning along the way. So, these past few white wine varietals have been really great and refreshing summer wines! Verdicchio was no exception!

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How I Keep My Finan¢ial $h*t Together

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Grape Juice Mom

Screenshot Budget Silly Cropped — I’m trying to convince my husband that this is a better investment of our money but he’s still not sold. But in all seriousness, I share our method for budgeting, saving and spending in this article!

Whether you’re single income, dual income, military, or civilian, budget and money are typically very personal and private topics. When I’ve attempted to Google financial ideas, perspectives and insights, the results are often from financial advisors, church counselors or corporate professionals. If you want the true, down-and-dirty reality of how real people budget, spend, and save their money, your best results are often obtained by talking to friends and family in similar financial situations as yourself.

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52 Weeks of Wine – Week 34: Merlot (June 15th – 21st 2019)

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by Grape Juice Mom

Merlot

I would not consider myself a Merlot drinker nor is it a varietal that I would typically order off of a menu. However, I couldn’t have told you why that is the case. Merlot is typically medium-bodied, forward with its flavors of cherry, plum and other dark berries and often has subtleties of earthier traits like tobacco and spices. If you described it to me with those specifications, I’d say that it’s right up my alley. But by it’s actual varietal, “Merlot”, I’d pass. For these reasons, I thought Merlot would be an interesting addition to the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program.

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52 Weeks of Wine – Week 33: Aligoté (June 8th-14th 2019)

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Grape Juice Mom

Copy of Blaufrankisch.png

When your wine standards are minimal and your exposure to varietals is limited, wine palate growth is unavoidable with each new wine that you taste. I think this has truly been the case specifically for white wines for me. My palate was fairly well refined regarding red wines but I lacked an opinion about most white wines (as long as they weren’t sweet). With each week that we taste a new white wine varietal, I find myself adding it to the list of wines that I enjoy and this week, Aligoté was no exception!

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52 Weeks of Wine – Week 32: Blaufrankisch (June 1st-7th 2019)

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Grape Juice Mom

I can say with confidence that before this week, I would have never ordered a glass of Blaufränkisch from a menu. My reasoning: (1) I couldn’t have told you whether that was a red or a white wine and (2) the spelling of that wine suggests an Eastern European origin and if it’s anything like Gewurztraminer, I’m out! These are the sorts of natural biases we have towards unknown wines and why we typically find ourselves ordering and purchasing wines within our comfort zone.

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