Not having kids, summer really just means those months where it’s warm and the days are long. It also means lighter traffic for my husband’s commute which is good but I miss the summers I had when I was younger.
Summer meant freedom. Freedom to read the books I wanted to versus assigned books (which also came with book reports or term papers), freedom to leave the house in the morning and not come home until the street lights came on, spending the entire day in the pool or playing in my room or outside. Hours and hours of just playing. Oh how I miss those days. Yes, I can read the books I want to and I can come and go as much as I please but there’s this one little thing that I have to do every day, even in the summer…work!
Office work, house work, work, work, work. What I look forward to the most now is when my husband comes home and if it’s not too hot we head to the front porch with a bottle of wine. If it is too hot or cold, depending on the season, we turn off the TV, turn on music and get this, we talk. Yes, we actually enjoy each other’s company. Of course maybe the wine helps. Er, just kidding honey.
Anyway, let’s get to the wine part. Last week I was delighted when I checked my wine mailbox and found 15 wines had arrived for me to sample. If the rest are like the first three, you and I are in for a real treat. Since I’m still trying to get through Storm of Swords, the 3rd book in A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) I felt Girl and Dragon was a good start.
Girl and Dragon Malbec

Rustic and earthy aromas, think old world wine style. Black cherry and black berry flavors with soft and supple tannins. Soft leather finish. Wow, this was an amazing wine. I’m going to check to see if it’s available in my area this week.
VINTAGE: 2014
Region: Mendoza, Argentina – 10,000 foot elevation
OAK AGING: 12 Months in small French oak barrels
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
SRP: $13

Girl and Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark fruit aromas. Big, bold black plum, dark berry flavors. Bold tannins and a long berry finish. Delicious and I want more.

VINTAGE: 2013
Region: North Coast, CA
OAK AGING: Aged 18 months in French Oak barrels
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
SRP: $13

Girl and Dragon Pinot Grigio
Aromas of grapefruit and peach. Fresh and vibrant white stone fruit flavors. Bright acidity and clean finish. Crap, where have these wines been all my life? Ok, all my wine drinking life.

VINTAGE: 2014
Region: Veneto, Italy (IGT)
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
SRP: $13

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I find myself thinking a lot about those summer’s as a kid. My mom was a teacher and stayed home with me in the summer. I’d wake up, grab some cereal and plop myself in front of the TV. Usually watching Monkees re-runs or some old Ultraman shows. Anyone remember this show? I wasn’t much of a fan but still watched. At 10:00 my mom would make me break away from the TV and go play outside or in my room, read or I could go play in the pool. I used to spend so much time in our pool, at some point in the summer I’d end up with a case of Swimmer’s Ear and the tips of my fingers and toes would be so raw and red from the pool sides I’d have to sit out for a few days. Those days were long and torturous to me but being an only child it didn’t matter that my friends weren’t around to play, I could play for hours on my own.
In high school, my summer days were spent slathering baby oil and iodine on my tan body either in our back yard or at the beach. There were also days of going to the mall, the movies, spending time with friends and even a few weeks of voluntary summer school to get some classes out of the way. Not my favorite way to spend my summer by the way but a necessary one.
Sigh, now I spend my summers working, sweating and swatting at mosquitos while I water our “sun challenged” gardens and wishing we had a pool. Why is it once we become adults we miss out on all that summer fun? It’s just not fair! Well there’s one thing I can do now I couldn’t do then, drink wine. Yep, that seems like a good plan. Cheers.

Just a thought, do you think Khaleesi drinks Girl and Dragon wine? I bet she does.