Wine in January

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being in the company of thirteen amazing and dynamic women (and one gorgeously tacky purse named Pursey Galore) who gathered with me for a day of wine tasting and lunching in the Napa Valley.

We began our day at the gorgeous Whitehall Lane Vineyards, where we were treated with a lovely tour and tasting. We were scheduled to sample four delicious wines, but before our tour was over, we were surprised with a fabulous fifth wine to taste.

Though we had some beautiful white wines, if I’m completely honest, I only have eyes for reds.

Just like back in school…the ones in the front were paying attention, while the kids in the back were goofing off (okay, fine, they were tweeting about the event).

We were guided through the first part of our tour by our knowledgeable host, Douglas, who made us all smile with his dry wit.

As our tour was wrapping up, Doug came by to check on us and charmed us with his knowledge of the family’s history and the gorgeous glass corks that Whitehall uses for a couple of their wines.

I kept trying to figure out how I could sneak one of these into my trunk…or swim in it. Either would have been acceptable.

After our amazing experience at Whitehall Lane, we moved on to Brix Restaurant and Gardens where we were escorted to the private Cottage Room.

Pursey Galore was the first one in and she liked what she saw.

The lovely Lori, of In Pursuit of Martha Points, dreamed up and spearheaded Project Purse and Boots. She kicked off our luncheon with a bit of information about what we’re trying to accomplish and then sang for her supper. Okay, not really, but she did delight us all with her lively rendition of Hey Big Spender as we passed the purse around for donations. (Thank you so very much, Lori! )

The lovely Cheryl (L), from Mommy Pants, was our guest of honor for the day. Look at that beautiful smile!

To my left, you see that the gorgeously pregnant Amy (far R), from Diary of a Madwoman, is either napping or seriously considering stealing my bread.

We were thrilled to have Courtney (L) from Cupcakes and Wine and Kristy from She Just Walks Around With It, Promtacular, and partner at Clever Girls Collective, who really isn’t playing charades, even though it looks as though she is signaling for a touchdown.

What more could we have asked for but to be greeted with more wine?

Brix didn’t miss a detail…notice the customized menus.

Though my first inclination was to grab a spoon to eat this butter, I resisted the urge.

Grilled salmon with creamed spinach and green lentil vinaigrette.

Chicken breast with creamy farro and chanterelle mushrooms.

The most amazing, little details.

Irene (L) from Creative Ways and Playful Days and Stephanie (R) from Mommy vs. Madness.

Courtney, with a happy, wine-induced smile.

Amy, the spokeswoman for beautiful pregnancies.

Kristy (L) and Helen Jane (R), from her blog of the same name.

Eileen (R), from Bringing up Bronwyn, with Amy (L) (and flat Amy from Baby Baby Lemon).

Tara (L) from Bite the Bedbugs and Melissa (R) from Confessions of a Dr. Mom.

Cheryl, Lori, and me.

From left to right, me, Amy, Paige, from Slightly Off-Balance, and Jennifer, from Today According to Me.

And since a girls’ get together wouldn’t be complete with a discussion about shoes, I give you…

…pregnant (!) Amy’s red smokin’ hot boots…

…my bejewelled shoes…

…and Courtney’s super cute, Pursey Galore-inspired flats.

If I thought I could have gotten away with it, I would have never parted with Pursey. She was so happy with me. We had something special. But alas, I had to send her on because she has a far busier social calendar than I ever will.

Project Purse and Boots is dear to my heart, as Craig’s mother passed away this past summer from a series of small strokes. Please, if you have a moment, pop over and see the amazing and selfless work that Lori is doing for the American Stroke Association.

I would also like to send a huge thank you to Doug, from Whitehall Lane Vineyards, and Matt, from Brix, who were truly lovely to work with on this project. I couldn’t have pulled this whole event together without their guidance and partnership.

All photo credit goes to Eileen and Lori.