The other day I co-hosted a small group of friends for a class that taught us to arrange flowers — (which by the way, I HIGHLY recommend — super fun), and one of the guests gave us the most genius present — a wine cooler sleeve! I have not even heard of it but am so in love with it that I am now going to give it as a present for wherever I go!
Before I share photos of the wine sleeve, here are some of the photos of the flower class. Look at the blush selection of colors of the flowers. LOVE.
My hometown of Eugene, Oregon is in the center of the Willamette Valley — the new hot spot for wineries and breweries (less of a hot spot for aperol spritzes, sadly). I enjoy going to the wineries on bikes (which I do at least once every summer — it is super fun and also a hard workout) as well as discovering new wines. So when I was in the my favorite grocery store (thank you, Oregon, for selling wine in the grocery store!), I discovered a single serving of sparkling rose wine from the area — it was like discovering a treasure under a rainbow — everything I like in one bottle — single serving! pink! Sparkling! and from the Willamette Valley!
This little bottle of sunshine is Captol Fizz by Illahe.
My love of Oregon runs deep; as I am a sucker for anything that comes from Oregon or looks like it is FROM Oregon. So I am giddy that Union Wine (an Oregon company) is now sold all over the country. Union Wine (Underwood) has been selling wine in a can for quite some time and has always been my go-to-dinner-party-gift, but now they sell SPARKLING WINE and RIESLING in a can, and I can’t control my happiness. Last week when visiting my sister in Portland, I visited a grocery store (truly, my favorite hobby) and I came across these new cans and I am sold. Pretty! And you can order them online, here.
I think these are the prettiest cans I have ever seen. SO SO pretty and feminine and fun.
With a blink of an eye, school is almost finished, summer is here, and we are 1/3 done with 2017. So here is what I am currently loving for May 2017!
1. Brunch / Lunch at Russ and Daughters at the Jewish Museum
Salad! Yes please! Delicious. And maybe I like it because it looks like a colorful rainbow.
Truth be told, I am not a big drinker (I am constantly in a state of my own drunkenness) and when I *do* drink, I am a super cheap date lightweight (aka fall asleep before double digits)…nonetheless, I am so excited by this Oregon Wine Company, hallelujah-ohmygoodness-bless-the-lord-maybe-ill-start-guzzling-now! WHAT IS HIPPER THAN DRINKING WINE OUT OF A CAN? Big kudos to Union Wine Company … (Flashback to drinking champagne out of a can…)
UnderWOOD!
Eugene is located in the Willamette Valley in Oregon and has recently become the new Napa of the West Coast. People from all over travel to the Valley (um, like, totally) not just to go to the Olympic Trials for Track and Field or to check out Nike’s birthplace, but also to sip on Pinots (Pinot Noir, mainly) and to eat local and organic food (sounds heavenly right?). Due to the rainfall, climate, and soil, Eugene is a perfect location to grow pinot grapes. One of the most famous wineries of the area is King Estate, a premier wine company that distributes nationally.
Willamette Valley is the green section -- Northwest part of the state of Oregon.
Founded in 1991 by the King family, King Estate produces wines using organic & sustainable farming methods. It is located on 1,033 certified organic acres — including 460 acres of organic vineyards and 30 acres of fruits and vegetables produced for the vineyard restaurant. The rolling hills, open sky, and fresh air make King Estate an ideal location to spend an afternoon. It truly is heavenly. A dream day would be to ride my parent’s tandem bicycle (one of their three tandems) with my love (no trailer behind us with the kiddos), bike the 20 miles to King Estate, have a leisurely and filling meal, then bike back to Eugene. PERFECT day.
The Willamette Valley is a lush green due to the 10 months of rainfall. Although it is on the west coast just like Napa and Sonoma, it has a very different feel to it. Much more relaxed, and less occupied and traversed.
