Today was exactly what I wanted it to be - relaxing. I awoke quite early and did some knitting before taking another nap. By then it was time to hit the market. I cannot say it enough times - I love market shopping! The last couple of weeks I've been a bit lazy and not getting up early enough to go before work. Today just gave me the push I needed to make sure I'm there every weekend rain or shine. The supermarket can never compare :-)
I was excited to see all the Autumn produce has arrived. Feijoas are getting cheaper every week. Next week I'll grab a whole lot to make jelly. Nashis, tamarillos, passionfruit and persimmons are now out too. It's that perfect in between time when summer vegetables like tomatoes are still affordable but winter veges are dirt cheap too. Buquebus is going to enjoy a ginormous cabbage I bought for only $1.
After the market I met my flatmate for lunch at Simply Paris. It's tough deciding what to order at that cafe. In the end I had salmon and caper crepes with a pot of vanilla/rose tea. Yum!
Back home to put the vegetables away and do a quick bit of cleaning. I cleaned out the oven actually. It so needed it.
Later in the afternoon I walked out to the Warehouse by the airport via the beach. It was a gorgeous evening with both the hills and the waves full of surfers lit up pink as the sun went down.
The walk back along the beach in the dark was equally lovely with the lights reflecting on the water as planes came in to land and ferries sailed past. I've not mastered capturing scenes like that in the dark on camera yet though.
I found something I've been looking for, for ages - the BBC Pride and Prejudice on DVD. I'm watching it right now. Mr Darcy is as handsome as ever.
Of course I had to stop in at the supermarket on the way back to choose a bottle of wine fit to match my DVD choice. It takes me forever to pick just one bottle. There are so many options. To make my decision easier I do have a rough guide in my head of what I'm willing to spend on an every day wine (as opposed to a special occasion wine).
Mumsie's guide to wine buying
- Try something different unless a wine is so damn good you can't go past buying it again.
- When drinking at a pub/restaurant, pick something a little pricier that you wouldn't want to spend over $20 a bottle on without trying first.
- Keep in mind a price bracket that will give you a decent drop for a decent price.
- Choose something that is in your price bracket because it is on special, rather than a wine the same price, at full price.
- I don't tend to buy sav because I'm quite bored of it...there's so many other lovely white varieties out there - pinot gris, viognier, torrontes, gewurtz etc etc.
Here's what I'm willing to spend on 'every day' wines (I have to stress there that I don't actually drink wine every day).
- Cab Sav - up to $12
- Malbec blends- up to $15
- Pinot noir - $14-$18
- Sav - up to $12
- Riesling/pinot gris/viognier - up to $15
- Gewurtztraminer - up to $21 (because my fav, Lawson's is $21 not on special!)
- Rose - up to $12
- Other reds - up to $14
I tend to buy mostly Kiwi wines because they're what I know but I am trying to push myself to try some other varieties. I spotted an Australian tempranillo tonight and I've promised myself to try a Chianti sometime soon. It's a very mixed blessing living in a country that produces so much great wine. On the one hand you can find something local that is delicious at a good price, but on the other we don't import as much wine so we're more limited in our selection.
I ended up with the Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2010. It's a Hawke's Bay wine and I have to say, it is very very drinkable. Very smooth and perfect for this cooler weather. The best thing is that it was on sale for $15 and normally retails at over $20. Score! Very nice teamed with spaghetti bolognaise. I highly recommend it.
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| How many grated types of veges can you squeeze into one pan of bolognaise? |
How is your weekend going? Are you as much of a sucker for wine as I am?
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