Wine-o: The Usual Suspect Cabernet Sauvignon

The Usual Suspect (Big House Wine) Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Ripon, CA
Alcohol: 13.0%

If you're going to need a lot of wine, this is what you want!  This Three Liter boxed-wine was served at the Downtown Bentonville, Inc. First Friday Greenroom in March and it was great!  Not only was it packaged in a playful manner, the price was right, AND the flavor was right.  It's a great Cabernet Sauvignon, not overly juicy but bright with fruit flavors and a quick finish.

What is this Greenroom you ask?  As a thank you for supporting the Downtown Bentonville mission, DBI members (at $150 and above) receive a membership card that gets them into the First Fridays Greenroom.  Themed, food, wine, beer, Hostess snack cakes, and other specialties (such as clean real bathrooms!) are available!  April's event will be themed International Festival, so look for some fun stuff!

The box:

Psst wise guy! Don't let the name fool you, this ain't your typical yappin-his-mouth Cab.  It's saucy with a beezer of black currants and mocha that lead to dark berries and fresh plums, a true bomba de fruta.  It would be a crime to mistake this wine for its Bordelaise kin; he is much more volatile, which is shy he's so good with food.  Eh, he's especially fond of burgers or ribs.

Better yet, the wine was still decent tasting 10 days after the event when refrigerated!

Freya's Score: 7 A fun tasty wine, fun artistry, and fun size!

Cost: ~ $17 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.  

Wine-o: Sebeka Shiraz Pinotage

Sebeka Shiraz Pinotage South Africa

13.5% Alcohol

Living in a dry county, it is more than customary to bring a bottle of wine with oneself when going to another's for dinner (That or some beer at least).  We had some friends over who brought with them the Sebeka Shiraz Pinotage to try.

This blended wine was lovely for the diverse group.  Fruity in flavor but not overly sweet or dry, it was definitely a crowd pleaser.  The bottle barely made it to dinner...

Freya's Score: 7 A very economical price and a great bottle!  (The cork is cheetah print...)

Cost:  $6.42 from the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store! 

Bark Park Etiquette

While many dog owners greatly enjoy taking their furry friends to the Bentonville Bark Park, I have met some that are wary of the experience.  This is often because they have not gone before or are nervous of how their dog will act.

Dogs are pack animals, they love to socialize and play, and a dog park is a great way to socialize and exercise your dog.  A couple pieces of advice.

1.  Watch your dog at all times.  Be aware of the other dogs s/he is interacting with.  Most dogs just want to play, but sometimes a couple of "alpha" type dogs won't back down to each other.  Note if you see any interactions like that and watch your pet carefully when with those dogs.

Kora the Blue Heeler

2.  Encourage your dog to "check-in".  Freya is wonderfully social and submissive to other dogs, and so I don't worry about her scampering to the other end of the yard.  However I will call her every couple of minutes back to me.  This is a great training moment as I am able to teach her to obey the "COME" with great distraction all around.  (Because Freya is part Australian Shepherd, she also does this instinctively with me as she is aware that I am her "ward or herd", it may be harder to train other breeds to do this.)
3.  Chat with other owners!  This is a social exercise for you too!  People love to talk about their dogs and it's easy to strike up a conversation with strangers in a safe environment.
4.  Note when your dog is tiring.  Tell tale signs: lying down, overly barking, getting testy with other dogs, sitting by you.  These things all mean it is time to go home.

One of Freya's special friends, Kora does not get on well with other dogs.  She is a Blue Heeler and is very attached to her owner, thinking she must defend her at all costs!  My friend is trying to work with Kora on this and has taken her to the dog park to help socialize her.  Kora is kept on the leash at all times and is praised when she lets other dogs and people sniff or pet her.  With time, we hope that she will get friendlier with other dogs and eventually be allowed off the leash in a controlled setting.

Don't miss another exciting opportunity to socialize your dog in downtown Bentonville with upcoming First Fridays and Farmers Markets!  Special "Dog Days of Summer" Farmers Market on May 19, 2012.

Wine-o: Cupcake Petite Sirah

Cupcake Petite Sirah, 2009 Central Coast, CA

13.5% Alcohol

This wine was recommended to me by a friend and since I love the Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc, I thought I would give it a try.  It is a simple wine, with dark berry flavors, smooth with almost no body.  The flavor was good.  It seems to me that my taste recently is leaning towards the big, spicy Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignons, which this is no where near.

From the vineyard's beautiful website:

We harvested these tiny berries in the early morning and transported the grapes over to the crush pad. A dense, full-bodied red wine, crafted from the coolest Central Coast areas, this Petite Sirah is anything but petite in flavor. Bursting with dark cherry, blackberry and bittersweet espresso notes, it has a creamy mouthfeel derived by aging a portion of the wine in small oak barrels. This wine is reminiscent of a dark chocolate cupcake with a vanilla berry coulis. 

The BF, was very skeptical, asking multiple times if it was a sweet wine.  It's not!  He tried it, loved it, finished the bottle for me!

Freya's Score: 7 A great flavor, if not exactly to my preferences

Cost:  $8.97 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.  

Freya the Office Dog

Freya is a working dog, as in she goes to the office with me every day.  This has helped her grow out of a lot of her shelter dog fears by subjecting her to the friendly pats and affection of many visitors (people in Bentonville, AR LOVE dogs).  While still protective of me, Freya and I have worked through a lot of her fear/aggression to the point that she will stop barking at a visitor when I greet them (90% of the time).

Freya's time at the office has been beneficial in many ways though.  Not only is she a greeter and entertainer for those waiting for meetings, her impact on the staff has been huge.  Her playfulness and wagging docked tail has brought pauses from work that I find personally beneficial.  If I am in the midst of a difficult or stressful project I'll take a moment to run through her tricks with her, reminding myself that the world is much bigger than me, this project, the office, etc.  She reminds me to be happy in the moment, and makes tasks seem easier.

As I prepare for my next career move, there has been a sense of trepidation for the impending change in the office.  While I believe my coworkers will miss my everyday presence as I will theirs, the loss most voiced is that of Freya.  (To the point of business acquaintances asking what will happen at meetings without her.)  I wonder how the office will shift without her encouraging and ever cheerful and energetic presence.

For those who read this and are in a position of office power, I encourage you to allow an office dog.  Not only will an employee be grateful to get to bring their best friend with them to work, but the influence on the office workers can be very positive with a well behaved dog.

Wine-o: Lucky Star Chardonnay 2009

Lucky Star Chardonnay 2009, Graton, CA

13.5% Alcohol

The back label states:

"Star light, star bright, your Chardonnay wishes have been granted.  With golden apple aromas and flavors, hints of citrus and a rich, crisp finish, our wine is heavenly matches with light appetizers, seafood, and frilled salmon or chicken.  May our wine shine brightly at your table and bring good fortune to you and those who share it."

What a lovely introduction to this sweeter Chardonnay.  I love the buttery flavoring to it.  It bursts in your mouth with an array of fruitiness that I find very pleasing.  A very decent price, lovely label, and great (sweet) taste!

Freya's Score: 8 I love the buttery and full flavor of this Chardonnay!

Cost: ~ $10 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.  

Freya the Bacteria Ball

Despite Freya's "hyrbid vigor" there has been one health problem that has cropped up as of late.  I have had to take her to the vet multiple times because of digestive problems that have led to me having to let her out some nights every 90 minutes.  The vet has informed me that this is due to the fact she loves to eat what she finds outside, namely the leavings of others, be it cow, horse, bird, squirrel, you name it.
The vet put her on a strict diet, antibiotics, and a Purina brand probiotic.  She cleared up after a week (and a $200 bill). Not to mention the fact that she refused to eat the healthy stomach cleansing i.d. food, leading me to have to mix it with peanut butter to get her to eat at all...

The probiotics I was given were enough for 30 days.  And I noticed that after I stopped the same problem started up again.  I was advised by a friend to feed her plain yogurt with rice and boiled chicken.  Not only does she LOVE Walmart yogurt now, but the issue seems to be mostly resolved.  I went on to purchase the Purina Pro Plan dog food.  The Chicken & Rice formula is corn and beef free, which apparently are the two most common allergies dogs have.

Wine-o: Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon

Sterling Vintner's Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Central coast Sonoma, CA

13.5% Alcohol

This wine has made me question what a "typical" California Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like.  I enjoyed the bold and full flavors.  It has a lingering finish of spicy flavors.  I would say that this wine is a bit more spicy than I anticipated, and also drier than I prefer.  In many ways it reminds me of a Zinfandel, more spicy than the round full flavor I was expecting.  I found that the more it aerated, the less I enjoyed it.  It was very good just after opening to a day after.

I would very much like to visit Sterling Vineyards at some point.  When I asked my grandmother which vineyards in the area she enjoyed the most on her tours of Napa, Sterling was one of the first.  To reach the winery, one can take a gondola and enjoy a one of a kind view of the valley.  I find the Napa landscape breathtaking and think this would be a very fun outing.

Freya's Score: 6 This wine paired well with venison chili.  I wonder how it would go with a barbecue pulled pork...

Cost: ~ $10 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.