Jeff's Jewelry and Wine Pairings: Sancerre

Summer is for Sancerre

Sancerre is my all-time favorite summer wine. You can certainly drink it any time, but a summer afternoon by the lake is just about perfect if accompanied by a chilled (not too cold) glass of nice Sancerre and some interesting cheese.

Sancerre comes from the Loire Valley in France. The French like to say that wine is a reflection of its terrior, its soil and location. Sancerre is a product of “white” soil, which is rich in limestone. The soil and the location give the best Sancerre a taste of the soil that is unmistakable. It is pleasant, light, and earthy.

Sancerre is more interesting than the Australian and New Zeeland Sauvignon Blanc in taste, although they both come from the same grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc. It is also more expensive (sometimes a lot more expensive) than the New World Sauvignon Blanc, but what the hey. How much can you drink?

What brings me to a light-hearted discussion of Sancerre is that this weekend is my birthday (no gifts, but checks made out to cash will be accepted).

When asked what I wanted to do for my birthday by Ashley of Ashley’s Big Secret fame, I told her I wanted to have a picnic by the lake, play Bocce and drink, you guessed it, Sancerre and sparkling water and sample interesting cheeses, salamis, and crusty French baguettes from Panera Bread.

Life is good.

This is an important birthday for me. I am exactly halfway through my intended lifespan. Counting on good genes and no particular effort on my part, I am planning to live to 116 at which point I will decide if I want to live longer. Of course, as long as I have a good supply of Sancerre, sparkling water and interesting cheeses, I may decide that life should go on even further. I will keep you posted.

As far as jewelry to wear with a light, but interesting white wine, Ashley suggests that you look at our Fauxture Charm Necklace Set and our Gold Essential Charm Bracelet. Ashley says they are perfect for a rich summer picnic- sophisticated and fun.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Wine Tips for Cheapskates!

Please indulge me, dear reader, as my wine suggestion today involves three parts.

Part I – Apropos of nothing, my lovely wife started hocking me about serving too much nice wine to our guests at dinner. I cannot imagine what prompted her outburst as it was 8:00 in the morning and we hadn’t had dinner guests for several weeks. Perhaps, I had been on good behavior for awhile and complaining about wine at dinner was the worst thing she could think of at the time.

Anyway, she seemed adamant that I understood the wastefulness of giving too much expensive wine to tipsy guests.

Part II – When we lived in Kansas City, we used to go to a Greek restaurant called Tasso’s and run by a Greek guy named, you guessed it, Tasso. We used to order Roditys wine that came in a somewhat used looking bottle for about $15. It was OK and who knows what Greek wine is supposed to taste like, anyway.

One night I was going to the Men’s room and went left into the kitchen, instead of right to the Men’s room. Two wrong steps and I was in the middle of the kitchen watching Tasso pour wine from what must have been a five gallon jug, like the huge water bottle that sits upside down on an office water cooler of old. Tasso had the huge bottle under his arm and was pouring it, through a large funnel into one of the somewhat used looking bottles of Roditys. Next to the bottle was a box filled with used corks which he put in the bottle, once it had been refilled.

Part III – After thinking about Parts I and II, above, I have come to a revelation. At our next dinner party, I will start the evening with two bottles of, say, Heitz Cellars Trailside Vineyard 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon, my last two bottles. When the two bottles are gone, I intend to stealthily return the bottles to the kitchen where I will refill them from the box of Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon in the refrigerator.

Next, I will proudly return the bottles to the table and, without a word, refill everyone’s empty glass. The fun will be to see if anyone notices. My guess is that my guests will either be too tipsy or too polite to say anything, or both.

I will let you know what happens and if you are invited to my house for dinner, please do not give up the punch line as I may, or may not, refill the bottles from the refrigerator. As I think more about it, I may just drink the last of the Heitz Cellars and refill the empty bottles tonight, so that they will be ready for our next dinner party.

Too bad for me- all the women in my family already know about Ashley's Big Secret, so I can't apply the same principal to giving jewelry as a gift. Otherwise, I could save a whole lot of money by giving them, say, a gigantic ring knowing they, like my tipsy guests, wouldn be unable to tell the difference.

In wine we trust, Jeff

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.