As I’m in the midst of Hollywood Bowl season, picnics and beach parties with friends, and waterski trips, I’m often making food and drink decisions based on convenience and I’m sure you’re in a similar situation. As such, I thought I’d bring up the topic of screw cap wine bottles.

Poo poo’d for many years, screw caps are making a resurgence. The practice of corking, with either natural or synthetic corks, has become much more expensive through the years, as have most things. As a result, wineries around the world have begun using more economical screw caps instead for wines that are considered more readily drinkable. Some wineries have eliminated corks altogether, including many in Australia and New Zealand.

In the past, corks have been known to taint wines, as well. And for those who store their wines flat without turning them, corks can begin to disintegrate and leak  into the wine, ruining the chemical composition. The pourousness of corks can also lead to sporadic oxidation and if not controlled, will alter the flavor of the yummy wine you’ve just purchased!

Screw caps are typically guaranteed for longer than synthetic corks, too…and they’re much easier to open. I once used my industrial opener on a synthetic cork and it took two of us to yank that sucker out!

They also are more resistant to temperature, do not require being kept at a certain degree, or even need to be stored on their side…which is nice for those of us without a cellar!

So, when you see a screw capped wine, it’s not “cheap” wine, but rather something more economical and in many cases, doesn’t require aging to bring out the best tastes. Quite often, it will be a wine that is ready to go and perfect for a quick summer outing!

This weekend, my small group/wine club did something really unusual and fun! A while back, one of our girls turned 30 and we surprised her with a horseback riding and wine tasting trip to Temecula. On Saturday morning, we met at the crack of dawn, grabbed our Starbucks, then headed on our way. We’d all been on a horse at one point in our lives, but it had been a while. As a result, we weren’t sure what to expect or how we’d do. We just knew we were up for an adventure!

It was chilly on Saturday morning in Temecula, but the sun started to appear as soon as we were assigned our new four-legged friends. We all wanted to know our mounts’ names and naturally, we all giggled when I was given Randy (isn’t that just a fun word to say?!).

Our horses were unleashed and we were on our way. I had horses as a kid, but was still somewhat nervous, however, I remembered the basics and confidently held the rains with one hand the whole time. Randy wasn’t gonna get the best of me! We headed up a hill and rode to a winery. The terrain was hilly and beautiful!

We all agreed that the ride wasn’t nearly long enough when it was over, but my rear did hurt a little that night. : )

After the ride, we headed to a couple of wineries and then were served a yummy steak lunch. What a blast we had! Afterwards, I took them to my wine club winery and we had a great time…and then we headed to the random place that serves the garlic sourdough bread bowl filled with baked brie. We mowed. It wasn’t pretty.

Horses and wine…who would have predicted it would be one pretty awesome combination?!?!

The Whine Club

The Birthday Girl!

Amy wore the helmet and rode her horse like it was an easy chair. She made me laugh all morning.

Of course the winery has a "drive through" window for tastings outside!!!

Someday, in my dream home, I will have an amazing wine cellar. It will be large enough to store yummy wines in temperature controlled zones, will have amazing accents like wine barrels in the corners, and will have a place for my friends and I to taste new and exciting vintages while sharing cheese, nuts, and honey. And someday, I hope that wine cellar has a table and chairs like this:

I’m not typically a french-style afficianado, but I came across this room in the latest Home Decorators catalog and it just spoke to me. How delicious!