weekend wine: 2009 feudi di san gregorio

i am a wine fan.  i started out loving white wine - mostly chards and sauvignon blancs - thanks to my mom.  she is always on the hunt for that ellusive bottle that has all the right elements - great on the palate, great price and, yes, great label.  (come on, you know you pick them by the label, too!)

since those early days of wine exploration, i've tried to expand my palate a bit more.  trying dry rosés and eventually making my way into reds.  still, despite my passion and eagerness to learn about it, i'm a wine novice.  so, obviously i was excited when gary vaynerchuk, straight-talking wine guru, offered some bloggers the opportunity to share some select bottles from his exclusive newsletter, the daily grape.  very cool.  (his name sound familiar?  he is also the author of crush it! which gives fantastic insight into how to create a successful brand using social media.)

meet gary. 

so, mavens, here is gary's selection.  and don't worry, he actually knows what he's talking about.  he doesn't just go by the label : )

2009 feudi di san gregorio

in gary's words: "stop drinking the same old pinot grigio! there are so many other tremendous white wines coming out of italy, and the quality has never been better than it is today. what italy excels with most are its indigenous grapes, and this is a primetime example. fiano di avellino, from campania along the front 'ankle' of italy's boot, brings some sick (in a good way) aromatics and a juicy flavor profile. downright beautiful... we're talking mila kunis beautiful. this is a prime starting point for expanding your palate outside of your everyday santa margherita pinot grigio."

gary's tasting note from the daily grape: "beautiful and elegant orange-driven citrus fruits on the nose. wow, this is really orangey! there's also little hints of white peach. and boy, this explodes on the mouth. makes me wish that i was at a seafood or sushi restaurant right now. i really enjoy the lemongrass-meets-lime flavor up front, with an explosion of passion fruit on the mid-palate, finishing extremely smooth. this is very interesting, really solid white wine. i like it a lot!"

gary's score:  90 points
price: ~$17 msrp
grape: 100% fiano

(cailen's comments:  i don't know about you, but i think i might need a bottle of this tonight...or now.  now would work, too.)

happy weekend to all!.

brand building & giveaway

[before i forget...be sure to pop over to makeunder my life to check out my diy design your life post]

do any of you watch bethenny ever after (previously: bethenny getting married?) on bravo?  well, i almost hate to admit it, but i am strangely obsessed with that show.  a former "real housewife of nyc", bethenny frankel is a successful entrepreneur - she's written several books, has a "skinny girl" margarita line of products and also has the reality tv show.  busy lady.  (blatant teaser: keep reading...there's a giveaway : )

skinnygirl margarita

i think what has me utterly fascinated is how successfully bethenny (yes, we're on a first-name basis) has built her brand.  (and, let's face it, that's pretty much what the blogosphere is all about - building a brand, a persona, a voice.)  the cool thing about being your own brand is that it's completely self-defined.  you decide what you stand for, what you talk about and what you endorse.  you become a revered expert just by discussing/trying/doing things that you love or are interested in learning more about.  pretty cool.

credit {here}

as i've said before, that is what i'm working on here at lifestyle maven.  one step at a time.  i know it will take a while.  kim kardashian, martha stewart and bethenny frankel didn't become "brands" overnight.  it took time.  it took effort.  but, they also prove, it can be done. 

i read a great book called crush it! by gary vaynerchuk.  and it talks all about the steps involved in building a brand.  it's an awesome read, and i would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make blogging (i.e. their brand) their full-time job (eventually).  his step-by-step guidance really gets your wheels turning, and his advice is completely applicable and gets you totally motivated : )

this could be yours!

i would like to send one lucky reader a copy of crush it!  trust me, if you love your blog and blogging, you will not be able to put this book down.  it tells you exactly how to turn your passion into a business/brand via social media. so cool!

so...are you ready to win?  here's how to bolster your odds : )
1 point - be a follower of lifestyle maven
1 point - follow lifestyle maven on twitter
1 point - like lifestyle maven on facebook
1 point - tweet about this giveaway
2 points - add the lifestyle maven button to your blog
please leave a separate comment for each entry.  (if you grab a button, please leave two comments.)

the winner will be chosen at random next friday, march 18th : )

Lifestyle Maven


 
 .