Welcome to Second Ferment! Wine pairs well with life ... and food, travel, people, work and play. Grab a glass and join me as I explore the wine scene in Ottawa, Canada, and beyond. Love hearing from my readers, so please leave a comment. Cheers! - Bethany

Sunday, April 17, 2011

A tipple between tormented teeth and playdate success

We're going through a little bit of a rough spot with the Smurf right now. Teething. If it was a grown-up having to deal with that kind of pain, there would be copious amounts of alcohol involved, I'm sure. But for a little 10-month-old, it's a cycle of teething rings, drool cloths, chew toys and an eye-dropper's worth of Tempra. Poor little thing.

And poor us, too. Hubby's taking the brunt of it, being at home all day. I barely remember the Doodle teething, but I do remember what that haggard expression at the end of the day means. Time for a drink. Or two. Or twelve.

On the flip side, the Doodle couldn't be better. Loving school, having a blast at daycare, getting invited to all sorts of playdates and birthday parties and outings. Yesterday we met up with old chums at Cosmic; us grown-ups sat around and chatted while the girls ran themselves ragged all over the place. (All we needed was some wine. Think I can convince the establishment to set up a bar in their "Cone of Silence"?)

Today, we hosted one of her little friends from school. I'll admit to being a tad anxious leading up to this, wondering what the etiquette was, how it would play out, what I would do with TWO five-year-olds for three hours without having to turn on the TV. Turns out it's a piece of cake. Crayons and paper, dress-up clothes and crowns, Doodle's colour-me playhouse in which to have tea, get scared by bears and draw all over the walls are the ingredients to a never-fail recipe. I was actually shocked when the girl's parents rang at 5 pm - where did the afternoon go?

So, on the one hand, we're having a glass to settle our nerves after a long stretch of baby screams, during which the empathy wears thin around the same time as the patience. On the other, we're raising a glass to friendship, to spring and to every one of the Disney princesses. This has been a great weekend.

Tasting notes: Lakebreeze 2009 VQA Gewurztraminer (Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC) - Spring is in the air with lovely aromas of orange zest and blossom, lemon and a bit of flint. On the palate, a light-to-medium body with high acid and a tangy sweetness of gooseberry and lemon. The minerality follows through on the finish. Not nearly as overpowering as many gewurz I've tried before; this one has a bright edge to it along with the residual sugar. Went great with a dinner of stir-fried shrimp and veggies in a Korean BBQ sauce ... and a Rice Krispie square made by the girls.

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