All posts by Head BoozyWife In Charge

Tattoo wife, student of wine and distilled spirits, lover of artistry, viticulture, travel, and the finer things in life.

Tattooed Oncologist Bikes Across Canada For KIDS

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Touring the world as a tattoo artist’s wife has allowed me to meet some incredible people. I am lucky enough that our clients are often inspirational in their own daily lives. Our good friend, client, and pediatric Oncologist Dr. Bruce Crooks (who is also one of the most incredible, amazing, and inspiring people on the planet) was on TV this morning! He is a bike rider in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride (Home Page | Sears National Kids Cancer Ride | Destination: Beyond Cancer!.), a Vancouver, BC, to Halifax, NS cross Canada bike ride to raise funds for children and their families battling cancer. Have a look at his interview, and please donate to his amazing ride! GO, BRUCE, GO!!!

Watch his interview HERE: Sears National Kids Cancer Ride | Watch GlobalNews Videos.

Repost: Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog | Demetra Molina: Berlin 2013 and Riesling

I’ve started a guest blogger series on Needles & Sins Tattoo Blog, give it a read! Coming soon to a convention near you…BoozyLife…..Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog | Demetra Molina: Berlin 2013 and Riesling.

The Winery in SoHa NYC knows where the Finger Lakes are!

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Recently, hubby and I took a quick weekend jaunt to the big city to take care of family obligations. It was HOT. New York City, garbage smell hot. Upper nineties, where the little squiggle lines come of of the pavement and your mandatory iced coffee is losing ice rapidly, condensation water dripping to your elbow. Many former New Yorkers are reading this, and starting to feel that homesick twinge. We all must be insane to love the place!

Headed to visit friends, we made our way to the newly revitalized area now referred to as SoHa (South Harlem, or as husband kept repeatedly, and loudly, announcing over his friend, FORMERLY SPANISH HARLEM! Lifetime New Yorkers also do not enjoy change of neighborhood names). The area is enjoying quite a renaissance at the moment, and there has been so much development! Coffee shops, sushi restaurants with outdoor cafe tables, and boutiques line the sidewalk. We felt quite melty walking down 116th St…and then, I saw it, through the heat squiggles….The Winery. (Follow the link here: The Winery : We sell the wines that we like to drink..)

The Winery is a small, boutique wine store, with a focus on artisanal producers and vineyards. Their staff is very knowledgable about the wines and spirits they carry, and my questions were met with a very friendly and informed attitude. We were welcomed, asked if we needed any direction, and it was brought to my attention that there would be a free tasting later that evening (every Friday, from 6-8). The interior was simple, elegant, and air conditioned. Bottles were easily displayed, and my first hunt was for Finger Lakes wines on shelves. Riesling, Riesling, Riesling…?!? Dr. Frank was represented….by the 2010 Rkatsiteli? WOW! Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Vignoles? Reeeaaaally!! Ravines 2012 Pinot Rose, excitably AVAILABLE!! Owner Nobu Otsu is a certified member of the American Sommelier Society, as well as belongs to the WSET. (Learn more about his journey here: Q&A with Nobu Otsu, Owner of The Winery | MORNINGSIDER.) His knowledge has created an oasis in Harlem, and the shop is a beautiful representation of hand crafted, lower to moderately priced, every day drinking wines. Beautiful shop, friendly staff, and a fantastic selection of local wines. Finger Lakes producers, take note…this Harlem wine shop should carry your best products! Check out the shop when in the area, or peruse their extensive website…visit SoHa!

Re-Post:Dry rosé becoming fashionable, thanks to Finger Lakes wineries | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com

An article snagged from Democrat & Chronicle, about one of my favorite summer subjects….Give them a try, especially if you are a recovering red wine snob, like I was…change is good…Dry rosé becoming fashionable, thanks to Finger Lakes wineries | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com.

Vivino IPhone Wine App…I seem to have lost three hours…

So, I have a new app on my IPhone, and it’s called Vivino. I CAN’T STOP PLAYING WITH IT!!! Think of Instagram-shoot a photo of the bottle label, and wait. The photo is analyzed, input into the database, and *PooF* wine ratings, prices, and even notes appear like magic!! Add wines to your favorites list, link to other friends with the app, network through wines….brilliant! Be prepared to lose time in your local wine shop….I sure did…wormhole alert…have fun!!

Check out the link HERE: Vivino Wine App – Never forget another wine

BoozyWife recommended reading-“Fruity With A Hint Of Bologna: A Slackers Guide To Wine Tasting : The Salt : NPR”

A fun look at the science behind wine tasting, without all of the snobbery….do you want to SOUND like you know what you’re talking about? Master these few tips from the article below from NPR, and you’ll have a quick rundown on winespeak, without all of the bullshit….that comes later on 🙂

Fruity With A Hint Of Bologna: A Slackers Guide To Wine Tasting : The Salt : NPR.

It’s not the grape, it’s the climate that you like!

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Grapes love warm weather and sunshine, ripening them to a high sugar fruit with rich, deep colors from amber to purple. A few grape varieties are considered ‘hearty’ in a cooler climate, including Riesling, Seyval Blanc, and Gewürztraminer. While our Finger Lakes provide temperate zones around the lakes for growing some spectacular whites, red grapes are more difficult to ripen and have to be planted more diligently in temperate areas. Moreover, the reds have different characteristics when growing here than in ‘big red zones’ such as California. Comparing grapes and wines from the two climates is easy, right? Heavy reds are good, light are bad. Right? Sort of…but not really.

Depending on what you personally enjoy, you might have a preference where your vino comes from. There’s a REASON certain wines come from certain areas. In many European regions, wine making is steeped in old tradition, and there are rules maintained to continue and preserve the old ways. The particular variety of grape has grown well throughout the ages, and the artistry has been passed down from grower to grower. The soil content has what the vines need, the climate is perfect for ripening on schedule. Each season is different, but the benchmark has essentially been reached. There are expectations, guidelines, and very structured rules.

Comparatively, our Finger Lakes are the wild, wild West of winemaking! Viticulture (study of grape growing) is relatively new to our area. Cornell has had a huge hand in our latest grape developments (pun intended-tip of the hat to Cory Ferguson, tattooist and pun maker extraordinaire), from creating a new hybrid named Cayuga White, to helping to educate growers on battling pests and mold. Red grapes have a much shorter growing season here, which completely changes the style of red wines produced. Finger Lakes Pinot Noir is completely different than Pinot from Washington State. Our Pinot grapes often ripen with lighter colors, less sugar, and make a much softer red wine. Lighter does NOT MEAN BAD, just different. Taste, let your palate decide for you! WINE TASTING IS LIKE LIFE ITSELF, and if you get too stuck on rules, you will miss out on crazy, adventurous, and often wonderful shit.

Wine rules in the end are just that, and rules were meant to be broken. Vintners in our area have structure, form, and education…but they also have adventurous spirit, a love for the land, and the balls (women included) to work outside of the comfort zone. New blends! New hybrids! Bold new wines!

My Support, My Love…And Now, My SPONSOR!!

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Exciting announcement!! I’m just one month into training for Women Swimmin’, a community swim across Cayuga Lake to raise money for Hospice in our town. It’s a fantastic cause, and now I have even MORE inspiration! At the suggestion of my loving husband, our tattoo shop The Hand of Fate Tattoo Parlor will be sponsoring my swim as well! From today, June 11, until August 1st, 2013, five dollars from EVERY SINGLE TATTOO, no matter how big or small, will go towards my fundraising goal!! Hubby has also signed up to kayak the course with me, so that we can be together for the swim. He was there for us when my mom was diagnosed stage 4 renal cancer, so we felt it only appropriate. His strength and love kept me afloat then, and it will continue to!

If you would like to make a donation, stop by my site here: Demetra’s fundraising page, or stop in for a bit of ink!! Thank you to everyone that took the time to read this…wish me luck!