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.

Salad Days

May 16, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

The heat and humidity are picking up here in central Texas, so sometimes I need to keep it really simple in the kitchen. I scratch plans for anything that requires turning on the oven and improvise. Last Wednesday was one of those nights. I was in the mood for a rose so I opened a sample […]

Calling my Name- Bodegas Protos

April 26, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

Wait, did you hear that? Oh, there it is again! It happens every time I’ve opened a bottle from Ribera del Duero. It is Spain calling my name. It’s been happening more lately. Maybe the voice is getting louder and more persistent, but the voice is balanced and never too much. They are lively little wines. Zesty, […]

Solid as a…(Thoughts on Marriage and Winebelly)

April 10, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

I do some of my best “writing” in the middle of the night. In those quiet moments, my mind stirs while others sleep. Maybe it is the quiet. Maybe it is the half-conscious mind, free to roam. Tumbling around, thoughts and ideas seem both foggy and clear, vague and precise. I find an angle, a […]

Virginia is for (Wine) Lovers

March 31, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

We all know what you’re supposed to do when life hands you lemons. And when life hands you a 40 year old vineyard, you make wine. When Scott and Martha Stinson were looking for a place to retire, they came upon the property which boasts an eighteenth century farmhouse and 12 acres of vines. Scott’s background […]

SXSW Tragedy-#austincares

March 13, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

Excuse the break from wine, but this takes precedence. Last night at SXSW, as a result of unfathomable selfish, awful choices, two people lost their lives and several more visitors were injured, some critically. This is a tragedy magnified by the fact that those people were likely visiting our town and are without a support […]

In a Sentimental Mood-Monday Wines

March 3, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

Last Tuesday I cooked my final dinner in the former version of my kitchen. Since I moved in nearly nine years ago, actually since my then-boyfriend moved in ten years ago, I have wanted to make some major changes. The original tile and cabinets, the laminate countertops, the horrid pantry all had to go. I did the […]

The Results are in! #MWWC7

February 25, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

This month’s topic elicited several interesting responses, as I hoped it would. What I found most interesting was how the word “devotion” caused so many of you angst. Even more interesting to me was how the response was almost unanimously divided by male/female response. Many men felt uncomfortable with the word. Whether because of the […]

Storytellers-Sequoia Grove

February 22, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

This past summer, my family and I flew into San Francisco, pieced together equipment from my brother and father-in-law, and headed north. I had seen them before. I was probably eight. At that age, everything seems a bit taller than it does now. You tilt your head back, way back and gaze up, up, up […]

One Devoted Group #MWWC7

February 18, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

The entries are in and we had a great turn out. I have had time to read…one. But I will change that this week as the voting has begun. Here is what I have. If you didn’t email it to me or comment, I may not have found it so let me know if you […]