Wine and wellness. These words seem like an oxymoron. It’s really my life. As a wine professional I had to find the balance between my job, my wine studies, and being healthy. I have a job of decadence. There are days when I go from one wine event to another. It can be taxing on the body and the spirit. It took quite a bit of juggling to understand what worked for me.
Read MoreThe Crater of Diamonds Park is located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. A small town with a big heart. Over the past few years, I have been wanting to travel more in the United States. Yes, I love international travel, but there is something about road tripping. I did it as a kid a lot with my family but as an adult not-so-much.
Read MoreWine country. What is your first thought? California. Napa. Sonoma. Right? Yes, I can feel the head nods now. California has great wine destinations other than the two mentioned. Don’t get me wrong. They are great. They helped pioneer the way we buy wine in America. But, they paved the way to other great California discoveries. One of my favorites is Paso Robles. Paso is located on California’s Central Coast. It’s an easy drive from Los Angeles to its wine areas.
Read MoreA few years ago I traveled to Provence for a yoga retreat and tasted amazing rosés with depth, refined elegance, and range. They were brands not readily available in the U.S. and the memory of those wines with fellow yogis, sitting outside, surrounding by lush green gardens are some of my fondest memories.
Read MoreLodi, California. A great wine area for big and bold red wines. Although spring has arrived, my palette is still craving red wines. It’s hot in Louisiana and I find myself sitting on the porch at dusk, sipping my wine, reading a book, and Gary Clark, Jr.’s live album on repeat. It’s become my end of the day ritual. It’s how I transition from the workday until evening. Rituals. Wine to me is such.
Read More"Julia, where do you buy your wine?" This is a question I'm often asked. I rely heavily on my wine friends and writers who never steer me wrong. I am bookmarking wine from people I follow on Instagram too. I find like most people I can get in a rut with my wine buying. I know some wine snobs don't believe in buying wine at the grocery store, but I think if you do your due diligence you can find some winners outside of the big name brands.
Read MoreNapa Valley. Those two words make wine people very happy. Vineyards, trellis, food, grapes, hills, and don’t forget the wine. Downtown Napa is going through a revival and it is great to witness. The Napa River Inn located at the historic Napa Mill is a quaint and intimate hotel with is in walking distance of shops, restaurants, and the famous Oxbow Public Market.
Read MoreRosé. The word can add joy to your lips or make you roll your eyes. It’s almost the time of year where rosé will be everywhere. Here’s looking at you spring and summer. I know you are there. It certainly is spring in Louisiana right now.I enjoy a good rose, crisp, and has depth. It has to pair well with lighter summer foods, but doesn’t need to be so weak and lacking that it tastes like pink-colored water. I am not a rosé just to drink rosé drinker. If there is no structure or complexity you can keep it. Yeah, I’m a wine snob like that and I can admit it.
Read Morepixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse. If you are a skincare junkie and not following Caroline Hirons on Instagram, do you beauty self a favor and go follow her now. She is so funny, smart, and has that lovely British accent that has me swooning over all the skincare products she writes about. I follow very few beauty blogs these days since I’m not an exclusive beauty blogger anymore, but I love everything she writes about. Although, I’m not going crazy like I used to I am still a beauty girl at art.
Read MoreI decided to showcase this month's reading list at the first of the month instead of the end. I realized I needed to put my book reading on a schedule this month. This may not work moving forward, but I will let you know. If you use the library to check out e-books you know the dilemma. You put your name on the hold list and then all of a sudden all your books come in at the same time which means you can’t turn the wi-fi on your Kindle because you still haven’t finished the other 3 you downloaded.
So here is what I plan on reading for February. I’m sure I will throw a few extra in the mix.
Read MoreChile, one of the great wine regions of the new world produces beautiful and delicious wines. My team was recently invited to meet with Valdivieso winemaker Brett Jackson and to learn more about their wines. Jai gives a beautiful story on the wines. Enjoy.
"Walking into Iron Gate takes your breath away as wrought iron, dark wood, and soft lighting greets diners as they arrive. Yet on this particular day, a select group met with Valdivieso winemaker Brett Jackson.
Read MoreThe one thing about Instagram I love is finding all the beauty girls. I fell hard for Sarah James of Whoorl years ago. My friend Erika put me on to her. She was then living in California, but now in Oklahoma City so in my mind she’s so close to Texas which makes her a Southern girl to me. Over the past few years, Whoorl has been focusing on greening her beauty routine. She posted a quick video on Instagram regarding her love of Bite Beauty and their Matte Lip Crayons.
Read MoreI get asked one question a lot. Do you enjoy all the wines you taste? The truth is no. Yes, there are bad wines. But, the wines I tend to buy to cellar and drink have been good. I like to think there are some I could drink for the rest of my life. The ones that if I had all the money in the world I would cellar as many as I possibly could. In order to taste better, you have to taste a lot. There are wines I come back to over and over again. It’s like I can’t get enough. Troon Wines are wines I often recommend and if you can get your hands on their Malbec you will be shocked it’s made in Oregon and not Argentina.
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