it gets away from you

The holidays and that much anticipated time away from work. Where did it all go?

I look over my shoulder and the last two weeks seem a bit of a blur. I know there was a house full of friends and a little singing along to disco in the dark of the night. There was holding my nephew in my arms while he ogled and touched all the flashy bits hanging off the tree, his eyes big with glee. Oh, that I could have that moment over and over again.

There was food and drink. Of course.

There was a memorable Pinot Noir from Germany that was more about the berry fruit than it was about the earthiness that is usually associated with Pinot Noir, and it was more about the juicy acidity than it was about the silky tannins. A round, fullness on the palate and a ripe finish made it a good sipping wine.

This bottle is from The Rheingau, which might be the oldest wine-making region in Germany, where the gentle, south facing slopes give the grapes the ability to ripen well. Most Pinot Noir in Germany is grown in the southern areas of the region.

What there wasn't was much reading of emails, blogs, or basically anything that had anything to do with flipping open a laptop and hitting an 'on' button including any writing here, but maybe that's what snowy, dark January is for?

Word: In Germany, Pinot Noir is also known as Spätburgunder.