With a new and fresh season ahead of us, catching the most magical sunsets, pour yourself a well-deserved glass of wine, peacefully loving life.
Cheers to the weekend, finally! As much as I enjoy weekdays, it’s usually those weekends I really look forward to. Celebrating with the girls, friends and/or family. TGIF, time for a nine to wine. My proverbial “half full” glass tastes delicious as I relax, just taking it all in.
Pairing wine with good food, experimenting with new flavours; experiencing and appreciating both elements as they join to excite the senses. It is indeed the complete process from wine to dine that’s such a winner. Trying out different bars and restaurants where you see, feel, smell and taste.
Wineries are becoming more and more popular. The best gift I received recently from a close friend, was a wine tasting day. I can’t wait to plan our outing on a beautiful Dutch summer's day. I have alway been curious to understand the process from grape to bottle. And why one or a mix of grapes can turn into so many flavours and colours? Aside from the content, collecting those beautifully designed wine bottles when visiting different countries allows me to take a unique memory. To offer me a taste of things to come, the same friend gave me a box from Sandeman Porto Portugal with five different bottles of Port wine. My favourite is the Fine Ruby Porto which has a fruity and robust flavour.
This said, I cannot avoid mentioning the importance of sustainability. My focus has shifted somewhat over the years and the environment and respect for nature are important to me. Luckily there are also wine producers looking for ways to offer more environmentally friendly alternatives. I came across Avaline, a modern company founded by the incredible and inspiring Cameron Diaz & Katherine Power. Their pure vegan wines are produced from organic grapes. Avaline has a warm heart for the planet and choices with respect to land, plants, harvest and people are weighted with sustainability as the main pillar. Organically grown vineyards are based in, for example, France and Spain. It’s in their footprint to produce naturally. And it is not only the wine itself, recyclable packaging and sustainable transportation methods also play an important role in their philosophy.
Each type of Avaline wine has a different kind of grape. It’s all in the detail and about the essentials. For their White wine they mostly use the grapes Xarel-lo, Red Grenache & Syrah. For their Rosé, Avaline use five different grapes to make it just perfect, wow!
Visit www.drinkavaline.com For more information about these Vegan wines and check out ALL the great recipes they recommend, this will make you ready for SPRINGTIME!