Don’t forget –TONIGHT is the worlds largest virtual Riesling Tasting, to celebrate the release of the 2013 Riesling vintage of the Finger Lakes! Finger Lakes Riesling Hour is officially from 7-9pm on social media. Don’t miss out–all the instructions on how to join in below! See you there
All posts by Head BoozyWife In Charge
Boozy Life FOREVER
My husband, tattooer Lefty Molina, is known for his fancy custom lettering tattoos. For years, I’ve only had a small amount of his lettering on me. Today, we’re changing all of that!
FLX Wines invade Brooklyn this Wednesday–Barry Wine Cellars at Vine Wine BKLN
ATTENTION NYC area BoozyLife readers! Have you been hearing all the hype about the upstate NY wine scene? We’re in the NY Times (and every other publication) for having some not to miss out on wines made in our neck of the woods, the glorious Finger Lakes region of New York State. We’re about five hours north of NYC, but it feels like a different world, full of waterfalls, vineyards, and nature. I understand that it’s an undertaking to leave the city and get up here….and sometimes, we come to you!
Vine Wine Brooklyn is having a tasting this Wednesday the 17th from (6-9pm) as a part of their Vine Wine’s Drink Local September Tasting Series. They’re located at 616 Lorimer St, Brooklyn. Ian Barry of Barry Wine Cellars will be pouring three of his wines – the Dry Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. I love the Dry Riesling, as well as the Rosé which is now sold out, which means I was asleep at the wheel and should have grabbed a CASE when I had the opportunity. Don’t miss out, and tell him the BoozyWife sent ya’!
Repost from Democrat&Chronicle – ‘A lesson in Rieslings — and the power of food pairings’
Yet again, our friends at Boundary Breaks were highlighted in the press-this time at the annual Wine Symposium of the Finger Lakes. Writer Thomas Pellechia of Rochester Magazine attended the event, and was happily surprised by the food and wine pairing element of the symposium. He goes on to describe his Boundary Breaks Riesling experience —
“The true highlight of the event was the wine and food-pairing seminar. First was Boundary Breaks 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling (Single Clone #239; $20) paired with poached shrimp with Vietnamese dressing, peanuts and mint. Tasted alone, a fruit sugar sweetness came through from the Riesling, and the slight sweetness of the shrimp was a perfect foil for the light nuttiness and mint freshness. Tasted together, the balance between nuttiness and freshness, finished off with snappy Riesling acidity, relegated any sweetness to a backseat — a complex delight.”
Wine and food are MEANT to be presented together. Riesling is a great wine to serve with ‘difficult to pair’ meals- spicy Thai food, German Brats, even Thanksgiving. Dry and off dry Rieslings usually has a lovely acidity in addition to seafood, and a sweetness that will pair with appetizers and lighter munchies. I have a pretty stocked white wine fridge, holding many bottles of my favorite Rieslings to serve to out of town guests at a moments notice. I can drop names and tell you the legend Boog Star LOVED Finger Lakes Rieslings, especially when served with fresh, local (and husband caught) fish!
Montreal Tattoo Art Show 2014 ~ Smoked Meat & Graffiti With a Style All Of It’s Own
Ah, Montreal. I really love this city. It holds vague memories from my college days, partying across the border, and all night revelry in drag bars. I know a slightly different Montreal these days, full of amazing artists, galleries, tattoo shops, and most of all a sense of community and hospitality. Pierre Chapelan and Val Eamond of Studio Tattoo Mania Montreal took over running and hosting the entire show themselves this year, and it was a fantastic weekend with inspiring artists–and the addition of a full service espresso bar was a very appreciated amenity by myself as well as MANY others during the super busy weekend.
The location for the show is the Gare Windsor which is a beautiful location full of natural light for the artists. No detail was too small to be overlooked, and the crew (as well as Val and Pierre) made the show one of the most efficiently run I have ever been to. If you needed ANYTHING, no matter how small, they had you covered and quickly. Lines of tattoo fans stood outside in line to get in to see the artists buzzing, and stroll the rows of artwork and booths full of inspiration.
I definitely spent a bit less time at the show this year, but I spent much more time walking around the city. Her is one of me cheesing in the booth, though.
After a very successful show, Monday was the day for Lefty and I to hit the town together, which meant smoked meat, poutine, and a Frankenstein combination of the two from Schwartz’s Deli. We stop here every time we are in Montreal, and if you’re a pastrami fan, don’t miss it! We always grab a sandwich and sit at one of the community tables, then head next door to the take out side for stuff to take home (the poutine is only available on this side–DO IT.)
Montreal also has a graffiti scene that has a style and flavor–everywhere you look, there is amazing artwork. Stroll the alleys, search it out. Keep your eyes peeled or you might miss something extraordinary! The street painting is everywhere, and these guys are straight painting with their cans. I took several shots of some of my favorites, but photos really do them no justice, and they might be gone with the blink of an eye.
After a day of running around exploring the city, we headed back to Studio Tattoo Mania to say our thank you’s and goodbyes. There was quite a group of artists there, exchanging ideas and working on new tattoos. The energy was everything that tattoo artists and tattoo lovers enjoy–the free exchange of ideas and love for the craft. Thank you to Pierre and Val for hosting a wonderful show yet again–we will see you next year or even earlier!
Art Tattoo Show Montreal 2014
BoozyLife is in Montreal this weekend for the 2014 Montreal Tattoo Art Show! Check in after the event for my wrap up, or follow along on my Instagram at @missusmolina – Always a fantastic show put on by Pierre and Val of Tattoo Mania Studio, in the fabulous city of Montreal ☺️
FLX Winery (and Wienery) guide in Edible Manhattan
Our hearts go out to all in the Napa area that suffered damage last night. Winemakers have a tight bond with Mother Nature, even at her most cruel.
Edible Manhattan listed Ten Wineries to visit and drink at in the Finger Lakes (and also included our favorite Wienery as well!) what do you think of the places they chose? Who did they miss? And have you tried out FLX Wienery yet?!? If not, get your carnivorous ass OUT THERE! It seriously rocks…and they now have beer & wine to go with their gourmet in house made dogs, brats, and burgers…did I mention poutine? Yeah, they got it like that.
The reality of farming in the Finger Lakes- an insider’s look from Forge Cellars
Wine grower Rick Rainey of Forge Cellars posted an entry about the recent hail storm that they endured on Seneca Lake. The job of vineyard manager is sometimes a heartbreaking one, and he relays the joys and sorrows of living and farming in this climate. Check out his post here: A real connection with Burgundy-of not a good sort. Mother Nature can be heartless as much as beautiful, and the journey of growing here shows the love for the craft these men have.
One of the BEST RIESLING REVIEWS EVER-and it’s for a Finger Lakes GEM
Epicurious just released an article Best Rieslings Under $20 (follow the link for the entire link), highlighting stand out Rieslings from around the world. The selection from the Finger LakesArea is from our friends at Boundary Breaks Vineyard— and we are so happy to see them recognized for their accomplishments!
Article author Paul Grieco, General Manager of Hearth Restaurant NYC said of the 2012 Boundary Breaks Riesling Geisenheim No. 239, Finger Lakes, New York ($20) “Long and lean in frame but with colors bursting from the canvas…think David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days.”
Are you kidding me? Comparing that wine to Bowie? PERFECT-they’re a group of young, hardcore Riesling rock stars over there! Not to mention a few of the vineyard crew are rocking tattoos by my husband-vineyard Manager Kees Staple is working on a custom Riesling sleeve that will be awesome when complete, adding to the rocker status. 😉 Congrats guys–now go grab a bottle of this gem, kids…it’s BoozyWife approved! 🙂
Moms With Tattoos –A Photography Exhibit in Toronto by Cory Vanderploeg
I have been so busy with prepping for all of Eddie’s travels, I haven’t posted about our trip to NIX 2014 in Toronto! We went up just to see friends and socialize, no tattooing (yeah, right!), and it was a lovely weekend of friends and artwork, plus a lot of walking laps. I ran into another tattoo wife extraordinaire, Mrs. Sara Winterbottom, on her way to a gallery show she was featured in! Exciting to see a strong tattoo wife getting some attention too 😉
Sara is the CEO of Citrus City Tattoo and runs the tattoo shop along with her hubby and tattooer Keith Winterbottom. She and her man were on their way to an art gallery show featuring tattooed moms with their children–what a great idea! Sara and her lovely little girl River Jean sat for portraits, and the images are absolutely gorgeous. I’m including a few shots of Sara with her pics hanging in the gallery in Toronto. The love in their eyes is the focal point, and the tattoo work becomes secondary and softened. Tattooed women are fierce, independent, and sometimes loving moms as well. Beautiful, and I hope more photographers take note! Cory Vanderploeg is a photographer based in Toronto, and you can check out his website here: Cory Vanderploeg Photography.
images by Cory Vanderploeg