Buffalo Grove - Cabernet Sauvignon @@ (2 corks)

Retails: $8.99 ($12.99 1.5 L)

I'm in a funk.

I'm not sure if it's the workplace, a case of the dulldrums, a looming birthdate, babyfever, lack of friends, lack of funds, missing people, lack of creativity, or a simple case of the blahs...or a combination of all of the above (shit).

...and like a good blogger, I reached for a bottle that ALSO turned out to be shit. Great! To make matters worse, I started on this ranting blog and my computer completely rebooted without warning further leading me to believe that I've stumbled on some seriously bad mojo...or something.

Either way, unlike the red zinfandel from this same label, this Cab is awful. It's drinkable but that may be entirely based on my desperation.

So, what's a gal to do when in an unexplained funk? Well, for me, it involves my husband politely leaving me to my mood while I watch old episodes of Sex and the City snuggled up with my dog, Roxy, who celebrates her fifth birthday tomorrow.

Yes, friends, I'm one of those crazy dog ladies. Fully committed and unapologetic, my dog is amazing and yes, she is the namesake from which this blog derives its name. You see, Roxy Cape was the fake name I gave out at bars in college (along with a fake number that led fools to my alma matter's automated daily menu, the "to eat" line...yes, I'm that kind of clever.)

Roxy seemed like a wonderfully ironic name for my puppy who I truly believe chose me--I've never had a dog before, my family's more feline-oriented.

I was on my way to a haircut and happened upon a puppy shop (clearly puppy mill puppies but, you know, fuzzy!) I had been in the market but not super motivated to look. I came upon a pen of adorable puppies when a little black, furry puppy who studied me curiously with an air of, "have we met?"

Needless to say, after my hair appointment, I hurriedly ran back to the shop and snatched her up before the shop closed. I thank my puppy for getting me out of the worst relationship of my life and eventually guiding me to meet my husband --- no, really, we met at the dog park it doesn't get any more blatant than that.

As I turned on the television to begin my Sex and the City marathon this evening, she snuggled up on my lap giving me the look of -- "this again? What's wrong now? Pour yourself a cocktail--it's necessary sometimes, lady-- forget this wine, scratch your dog behind the ears, you'll be fine in an hour." Sometimes my dog really is my best friend (or my unorthodox therapist?)

Either way, Roxy my dear, Happy 5th birthday. You are my little furry soulmate.

Fish Eye - Cabernet Sauvignon @@@ (3 Corks)

Retails: $9.33 (Per 1.5 L, Total Wine)


Another inexpensive Australian brand, Fish Eye's Cabernet Sauvignon doesn't deliver as fully as some of its other Aussie competitors. However, for the price, this would be a well-received wine to serve for a large group gathering --- especially since the 1.5L are STILL under $10 themselves.

The flavors are pretty overpowering, plenty of oak and tannins, not much complexity in flavor. However, where other "bulk" wines of similar price points provide a flat, flavorless glass, this one definitely packs a punch. It bursts into your mouth with a demanding presence, "I am RED WINE, (bitches)."

For those of us who do enjoy a robust red, this is certainly preferable to the generic, watered-down, bargain variety red. I wouldn't pair this with a delicate meal, it requires equally commanding foods to hold up against its rich flavors. Wine and cheese, totally fine, garden salad, not so much.

Cupcake Vineyards - Red Velvet @@@@ (4 corks)

Retails: $8.99 (Total Wine)

Life has a *charming* way of throwing gas on the fire just when the flame has smoldered to coals, doesn't it?

Luckily, we have wine.

As rich as a mouthful of caramel centered milk chocolates, Cupcake Vineyard's "Red Velvet" wine delivers on decadence. I do find it a bit too overpowering for everyday drinking or when accompanying a meal, but it is delicious all on its own.

For people (like me) who are not particularly keen on sweet dessert wine, this is a welcome substitute. It holds up well on its own, with rich berry and cherry flavors and very little dryness. I would consider pairing it with a dessert or with light appetizers. I could absolutely see this being served at a wine bar to welcoming palates.

The last six months have proven that you can never be certain what's around the bend. I'm a tried and true over-analyzer and no matter how hard I try and predict the outcome of different situations, I'm always pretty surprised. I'm an "organizer" by career and mentality, and it drives me crazy when things don't go according to plan. It's not that I'm uptight per se, but I do enjoy a certain amount of predictability in the assorted variables that can transpire from day to day. In my moments of shear frustration, my husband will quip, "Well, isn't this life?"

Nothing has prepared me for what life has thrown my way as of late -- kids, marriage, new career, custody battles, merging career, additional work, financial woes, a move, a new pet, significant weight loss, unexpected blessings, a million weddings and babies to celebrate...

To provide each individual variable with the appropriate amount of attention and response has proved mind numbing. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not accustomed to change all at one time. I'm someone who almost requires a waiting period between significant events, but, as life has shown, that isn't always an option or possibility.

It also doesn't help that when I get my mind wrapped around a particular endeavor I can't help but try and accomplish it immediately (see: moving), thankfully my husband is exactly the same way. We may not have the majority of things in common, but we can absolutely agree on accomplishing a common goal as soon as is humanly possible. (re: neurosis).

After all of this, all I can say is, THANK GOD for wine!

Yellowtail - Shiraz-Cabernet @@@ (3 corks)

Retails: $6.99 (Wal-Mart)

I'm apologizing in advance for the severe lack of posts over the past 4 MONTHS. Holy crap, where did the time go ?

Thankfully, this week, my HUSBAND and I (yes, it's still fun to say 4 months later), have been awarded a kid-free week, thereby affording me some free time with which to reconnect with my beloved wine blog. You see, in this period of adjustment between having the kids full-time, getting married, going on a honeymoon, moving, the holidays, work shenanigans and, um, LIFE in general, there has been little time for the blog. Sorry, blog, won't happen again.

To the wine!

Yellowtail is one of the inexpensive Australian brands that I have woefully neglected in the past couple of years. It's not because I don't have a love for the Yellowtail, I think I just equated it with, if there is such a thing, a wine cliche. You see, back when I first began drinking wine (legally) during senior year of college, every Thursday evening after classes, the members of my "house" at Smith College would get together, drink wine and eat cheese. Yes, I realize that living in a dormitory called a "house" at a women's college and drinking wine and eating cheese are all rather elitist cliches in and of themselves. But, please, allow me to continue the story...

So, every Thursday, a different set of girls would be responsible for the wine and cheese. Given that all of us were fully enrolled in college and um, broke, Yellowtail was a frequent guest at our Thursday evening soirees. Perhaps, you could say, I had been a little tired of Yellowtail and avoided it in order to regain an appreciation for it. Yellowtail is predictably affordable and predictably good. Definitely a solid staple-wine to have around for the unexpected visitors or after work relax-o-glass (yes, I'm coining that term).

Full-bodied, definitely requires ample time to breathe to achieve its full potential. The Shiraz-Cabernet blend exhibits characteristics of both grapes, fruit flavors from the Shiraz, hearty oak and tannins from the Cabernet. Plenty of flavor and a nice dry finish make this Yellowtail blend a solid red wine.

So, friends, my apologies again for the lack of updates and wine critiques, but I've been a tad busy you could say what with the kids moving in, court battles, moving into a house, the holidays, the crazy production schedule at work and well, the um...

Casella Mallee Point - Chardonnay 2009 @@@@ (4 Corks)

Retails: $7.99 (Total Wine)

Chardonnay has become a new favorite. It has managed to diminish my cynicism towards white wines with its crisp yet buttery, fruitful flavors. This Australian white is no exception, beautifully composed with nuanced flavors that shift from buttery, honey, to apple-tart and very light acidity. It's the perfect compliment to this evenings' existential musings.

To set the scene:

I'm home with the kids after a hell-acious week, that, aside from being strenuous on the work-front, has been intensifying on the home-front due to an escalating custody battle brewing---I'll spare you the details, but in essence, it can be boiled down to a lack of cooperation on the opposing party's side to the extent that we had to hire legal council to remedy the situation. Yes, three weeks before my wedding, this is the kind of egregious battle I'm still having to fight. But, we press on. My fiance is enjoying his bachelor party out with his sister (best man, yes we're not traditional), and I'm home, drinking a bottle of Chardonnay while the kids drift into what will hopefully be a restful slumber and I work on some last-minute wedding details, which led me to the following...

My parents sent me a disc of old photographs of my relatives -- many of whom passed away ages ago. I teared up over the people I didn't have enough time with, or had no time with at all. The photographs of my grandmother who passed away from breast cancer when I was a small child; my great grandparents whom I never had the chance to meet; my mother's father who exists as a mix of small clips and snaps in my memory due to the illness that kept him distant; my three Great Aunts, the last of whom just recently passed in body, but whose mind had long been taken by Alzheimer's. (the photo includes, from left to right, my Grandfather, aforementioned Grandmother and Aunt, and Uncle during WWII)

I have always lived far away from my family. I realize it's not abnormal for people to have grown up far away from their families' roots -- to be displaced from the people who have handed down legacy, heirlooms, traditions, secrets. My folks come from absolute opposite ends of North America -- my mother, a native to Quebec, Canada with a giant, true-blooded, Catholic French-Canadian family. My father, a son of the Deep South (Gainesville, Georgia).

We had our tiny, bi-lingual family nestled in the suburb of Cape Elizabeth, Maine--the compromise after my parents married -- moving my mother into the USA but close enough to drive home.

Every vacation, we made the trek to either end of the continent to visit family. It wasn't that we didn't make the effort to maintain family ties, but the distance, the distance made me feel completely alien to either halves. I was the only New England-er. For the most part, I hardly gave it a second thought, this was just expected for being so far away.

There are coping mechanisms, of course, when your family is so far away, your friends really do become your family and for that, I am truly fortunate.

The whole notion of Family. Legacy. Heritage. Tradition. have really hit me now, at the three week mark before my wedding.

I've been completely blown away by how many relatives I haven't seen in years have written, I mean hand written, me messages of wishes and hope in addition to making the journey to me, here in Florida for my wedding. Perhaps I've been unnecessarily withdrawn from either side, either way I'm so moved by the response.

As I was "thumbing" through the photographs on my computer, I just became overwhelmed by the legacy, the tradition that I am apart of, but never felt apart of...but I'm really starting to.

Bogle - Cabernet Sauvignon @@@@@ (5 corks)

Retails: $9.97 (Wal-Mart)

Whenever times are tough, my adoring fiance know just what to do to try and calm my nerves. He reaches for a bottle of Bogle. I know he delights in the way my face contorts into a squee of delight when I find it sitting, ever at the ready, on the kitchen counter. No hallmark cards here, kids, my fiance knows true romance. It's an exceptionally rich, velvety wine that fills the palate moving you into a space of true wine nirvana...or something.

Bogle is a brand that is considered "out of my price range" as it typically retails for over $10 (Walmart). It's not that I'm cheap, I just try to be a loyal consumer of good, inexpensive bottles rather than promoting, what I believe, is wine elitism---the belief that bottles should be expensive to be good and therefore making consumption on a regular basis by people of average incomes, like myself, near impossible. It's a big reason why many people never bother with wine in the first place.

So what brought on the occasion? We're a month away from the wedding and it seems the custody battle that we thought we won, is now gearing up to be ten times messier than originally anticipated. And sometimes, sometimes...you just need a solid glass of wine to fill you with perspective. I think wine, more so than any other beverage, opens the mind's arena for thoughtful contemplation. I'm forcing myself to exhibit some (ok, a LOT) of restraint over the periods' events, during what is supposed to be "our" engagement, "our" era of wedding planning and inevitably, "our" day. I do feel like I'm getting robbed. As much as I painstakingly try and fit into the other party's shoes, I just can't seem to discover the empathy to find these actions justified. Warranted. Above all, necessary.

Truth be told, peoples' shear lack of regard for others is both frustrating and disheartening --- as a human race, are we truly becoming that selfish? I sure hope not. For now, there's wine.

Beringer - Cabernet Sauvignon @@@ (3 corks)

Retails: $7.99 ($11.99/1.5 Litre -- Publix)

Beringer's Cabernet Sauvignon has an earthy, seductive quality. The flavors drift from your palate up unto your nostrils inducing a gorgeous, tranquil haze. As each second passes, the aromas shift from earth to tart cherries to leather and back to earth---quite the metaphor for the month of August, I'd call it the perfect glass for the season.

I wake up early every morning to walk the dog, stealing a luxurious ten minutes to myself while my fiance and the kids bang out the usual morning routine, get-up-get-dressed-eat-brush-teeth-make-beds-tie-shoes. There's a scent in the air this time of year that even the dog can smell. It's hidden behind cloaks of warm, humid weather, but still present---a delicate strand of crisp, cool air, indicative that fall is near. Those who claim that Florida is a season-less state fail to notice the beautiful subtleties of our changing seasons.

August has always held a certain air of melancholy. Summers of my childhood were spent squeezing every last drop of summertime we could in Maine's too short season. No meal was spent inside unless weather forbade, days were spent by the pool or beach. Nights were spent avoiding mosquito bites, taking long drives down winding roads with the windows down, and the smell of the sea wafting in. You see, a Maine summer is always a summer lover --- there for a season and gone as soon as August rolled around. Our seasons end abruptly, and winter is unforgiving and especially long by comparison.

August always carried with it a certain amount of tragedy. This past August was no different, but to appreciate the eclipse from one season to the next, paying attention to the subtle cues around you help bring perspective to the time that lies ahead. For me, it's (step)motherhood, for you it's...

(a decent glass of wine?)