Author: SAHMmelier

Being a stay- at-home mom can leave one thirsting for a taste of the outside world, a world in which sentences are composed of more than three words. Being an educator means one is always seeking an opportunity to explore and learn. Being a woman with a need to connect can be a challenge when adult conversations are rare. In wine, I find the marriage of art and science, agriculture and storytelling provides limitless areas to explore. But it is the people that keep me engaged. The tenacity needed to keep the family dream alive, the risk to start anew, the trials and principles. I love the history of the vine, the impact of a season, the sentiment in the bottle. That is why I write. I write to tell their stories, to share a piece of mine. I write to learn as I teach others. I write to connect with new friends, to disconnect from the world. I write to celebrate what makes each of us unique, and that which ties us together.

It’s Peach Season-Peach and Oat Scones

June 6, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

It is peach season here in central Texas. Fredericksburg is famous for its orchards so expect to see several stands on the side of the road if you’re wine touring. But we won’t be stopping. Our tree is so heavy with fruit we had to support one of the limbs this month. It is a […]

Side Projects-CrossBarn Winery by Paul Hobbs

June 3, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Photo used with permission from CrossBarn Winery

{These wines were provided as media samples, no other compensation. Thoughts are my own.} This is a second installment in a series about side projects by established winemakers. I hadn’t been home for quite a while, not in winter in nearly a decade. It was late January and darkness had fallen long before I arrived, […]

Side Projects-Six Ridges Series by Kenwood

May 14, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

{Media Samples provided for review. No other compensation. Thoughts, opinions are my own.} Can someone explain how we are already at the end of the school year? I’ve been lax on posting as of late, and not because I’ve been relaxing but because life seems to have been on fast-forward. My focus has been on […]

What’s Coming in #TXwine?-Part 3-Texas Tuesday

April 23, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

I previously shared about our first stop on the “en primeur” media tasting of barrel tastings in the Texas Hill Country at Wedding Oak Winery. I continued with a stop at Fall Creek in Tow. This week, we continue Texas Tuesday with Spicewood Vineyards in Spicewood, Texas. Our final stop on the 2019 Roll Out […]

I Survived…The Great Renovation of 2019

April 8, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Surely I wasn’t the only one. When the kids were younger, it would be just to get out of the house. We’d hit the dollar section and spend a good 45 minutes debating between treasures The bedazzled tiara with a Disney character or the sticky wall crawling spider or the ball that lights up when […]

A Charming Appellation-Gigondas

April 5, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

{Wines were provided as media samples, no other compensation. Thoughts are my own.} When I began enjoying wine, I’d extend my trips to the store by perusing the wine aisles. Perhaps I’d enjoyed a specific wine and wanted to find out more about the producer. Sometimes it was a new grape. I’d find the section […]

What’s Coming in #TXwine?-Part 2-Texas Tuesday

March 26, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

I previously shared about our first stop on the “en primeur” media tasting of barrel tastings in the Texas Hill Country at Wedding Oak Winery. This week, we continue with Texas Tuesday in Tow, Texas. For our next stop on the Roll Out the Barrel Tour, we went back to the root of the Hill […]

What’s Coming in #TXwine?-Part 1-Texas Tuesday

March 12, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Last Monday I had the privilege of participating in the 4th annual Roll Out the Barrel Tour which provided an en primeur tasting at three wineries in Texas Hill Country. This was my second year to participate and while the format was the same, there were some new experiences to go with the new wines. […]

Discovering Michigan Wine-#Winestudio

February 27, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

During the month of February, #Winestudio’s guests were members of the Michigan Wine Collaborative. The member-run organization includes growers, producers, suppliers, educators and more. Together, they provided an insider’s view of the industry and samples for participants. The non-profit’s mission is clear: To enhance the sustainability and profitability of the Michigan wine industry by supporting […]