The Journey Of LIL Miss Estella: Winesday Wednesday!

Hello to all the baby blog readers (I'm assuming most of you are women). This is Bryan- Emily's husband or as I like to go by- her baby's daddy. First off I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has found an interest in reading Emily's blog and following the story of our beautiful Estella. Emily has enjoyed posting her pregnancy and pictures of everything and I think it's great how everyone enjoys reading about other people's journeys with their babys/new families, and about most if not all about people they have never met. She loves following all of your blogs as well and it has been fun seeing her take such interest in it.

So why am I on here? Well, Emily wanted to do something fun to mix things up on her blog and thought it would be fun for me to do a weekly "Winesday Wednesday." I work for a Wine & Spirits distributor here in MN as a Wine Sales Rep. I love my job and feel lucky I get to do what I do and work in the industry I am in, and even more importantly, I love to drink wine! My plan is to feature a different wine every week that is part of the portfolio I represent, talk about it's flavor profile, what to pair it with, etc, etc. Hopefully it is something fun and different for those of you that read Emily's blog, and who knows, maybe you can find these wines and enjoy them too! Cheers!

What we're drinking tonight:
Francis Coppola Diamond Label Claret

Region:
California (Sonoma)

Blend:
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petite Verdot,
5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc

Aromas:
Berries, plum, and allspice

Flavors:
Cherries, currants, cassis and vanilla

Pairs Well With:
Steak, Grilled meat (burgers for me), Pizza, Spicy Cheeses

SRP:
$18.99

I have a soft spot for Francis Ford Coppola wines, especially their signature Diamond Collection. Coppola was one of the first wine brands I represented when I started my job, and I still rep them today. The quality of the wines seem to get better every vintage, and the Diamond collection wines are all fantastic. I am mostly a red wine drinker myself, especially bigger, heavier wines, so the first time I had Coppola Claret, I was hooked. To this day, it is still one of my favorite wines. Claret is a French term to describe a red Bordeaux style wine, mostly for varietals authentic to the region (cabernet being the main). It is used a little more loosely here in American wines (surprise, surprise). If you see a wine that is labeled 'Claret', expect it to be a dry, red blend. The package on this wine gives it a classic, yet stylish look. The gold netting makes it look even better and I have seen dozens of people buy it as a gift for that reason! I have found myself going through a bottle of this no problem because it drinks so well and tastes so good. Now that I think about it, it's never much of a problem for me to blow through a bottle of wine..... My red wine drinker friends love this as well, and hopefully I can get Emily hooked too! (I'm working on getting her more into red wines, as she likes lighter sweeter wines right now)

The Coppola Diamond collection offers many other types of wines- Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pavilion (sister white blend to Claret), Syrah/shiraz, Petite Syrah, Malbec, Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, and Pinot Noir. I am serious when I say this, every single one of these wines are amazing and I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed! Next time you go to a friends house/party and are bringing a bottle of wine, bring Coppola Claret and look like a rockstar.

A few months ago I was lucky enough to get to travel out to California wine country and tour the Coppola Estate with some co-workers. We drank wine, checked out to vineyards, drank wine, had a big dinner on the property, drank wine, and then drank some more wine. Here's a few pictures I took while there...