How much do you know about wine? My expertise consists of recognizing a white or red wine or a rose Zimpfandel. Yes, I know my colors. 
Two weeks ago we visited Napa Valley and I listened with fascination as wine experts explained the properties of their wines and allowed us to taste samples.
I usually don’t drink. One can of beer or a glass of wine greatly improves my mood. More would make me tipsy. 
Imagine, by 11:00 am I already drank three glasses, by 1:00 pm I added four more, and by 4:00 pm I totaled ten glasses of delicious wines. Yes, I was giggling, kissing my husband and loving every bit of the beautiful Napa Valley. In spite of the daze shrouding my brain, I learned a few things about vines, grapes and wines: The smaller the grape, the more concentrated the flavor. 
Skin color and thickness give wine (red and rose) its color and its aromatic qualities. 
Acid and sugar level in the fruit determine the wine’s sweetness and percentage of alcohol. An average temperature of 57-59o F is ideal and good vineyards need very well drained soils. Slopes which have concentrated sunlight and better drainage are more suited to vines than flat lands. 
PRESCRIPTION IN RUSSIAN available in print at the Wild Rose Press.
Excerpt: Fyodor handed Jillian her shot glass and raised his. “Welcome to Belarus. I’m sure we will have a great working relationship.”
Jillian considered her shot glass without touching it. A deep scowl furrowed between her eyes.
“What’s wrong? Is there a bug floating in it?”
“You expect me to drink this, straight? No ice, no water, no orange juice?”
“Why would you spoil the taste of vodka? We always drink it straight. Try it.” He clicked his glass against hers. “
Nazhtrovia.”
She sighed, stared at the clear liquid in her glass, and slowly raised her drink.
“It’s not a medicine. Believe me, you will like it.
Nazhtrovia.”
“Cheers. I mean
Nazhtrovia.” At first, she sipped it slowly, then took a good swallow, choked, coughed, and cleared her throat. “Not too bad.”
Fyodor laughed. “You will get used to it.” With time, she would get used to their vodka and hopefully to their food and traditions. Maybe she could get used to him and his children.
Bozha moy, Good God, what was he thinking?
Cursing himself, Fyodor grabbed his shot glass and emptied it. She’d just arrived in his country and had acted as the conscientious delegate, dedicated doctor, and perfect guest, but otherwise she’d been assertive, poised, reserved, and somewhat aloof.
Da, but she had lovely eyes and fabulous assets. And he was hard-put t
o deny his attraction.
Blurb:
An American Pediatrician
A Russian Surgeon
A woman who lost a son and frantically avoids marriage and family
A man with four adorable sons who badly need a mother
Can attraction and love overcome guilt, duty, and a clash of cultures?
“Mona Risk writes heroes with heart, heroines with spunk in stories and settings that are simply unforgettable!" -- Roxanne St. Claire, Killer Curves, National Bestseller.
o deny his attraction. 
Hey, lovely post! I prefer the sissy pink stuff/blush wines. Our winery north of Atlanta isn't nearly as large as the one you visited.
Our critique group of four goes there for our plotting get-away most years.
Mona, sounds like you had a great time, and I hope you can remember most of it - lol.
I like Mary M's idea of using the Napa as a plotting get away. Works for me.
Mary, I wish we had a winery around Fort Lauderdale. Great place to meet. critique and enjoy it.
Patrice, I am not going to fool you. After ine glasses of wine, I didn't remember much, but I had pictures and notes.
Patrice, our little winery is in Georgia, but a visit to the Napa valley sounds good!
Mona you look as if you are having a very happy time! I can't imagine you standing up after all that wine.
You remember it well considering...
:0)
Beautiful post, Mona, and wonderful pics. Sounds fabulous.
LOL, Mona. You're trip to Napa sounds like my visit to the Finger Lakes in NY last summer. I had such a great time and would love to go back there again.
Thanks for sharing your pictures and bringing back a happy memory.
I don't know anything about wine, but your trip sounds like such fun! We saw many vineyards in southern British Columbia a few years ago, on sloping well-drained land just as you described.
Mary R, I was not only standing but taking notes and snapping pictures. See, we can develop amazing resilience when needed. LOL
Beth, I am glad you enjoyed the post.
Hi Autumn, Fingers Lake in NY? I better keep that in mind. My husband had a blast with wine tasting.
Barbara, if you have a chance to visit Napa Valley don't miss it.
Mona, I love learning about wines and wine and food pairings. I drink red wine almost exclusively and my favorite is a good pinot noir, which was reasonable until that movie came out! (Sideways)
Hi Mona - isn't Napa Valley just fun! Tried the wine-tasting tour myself one year and got pretty happy.
Mona, you look very relaxed and happy. I'm glad you had a good time!
Great photos, Mona! I'm like you with wine. I enjoy a very little bit at a time. ;-)
MONA--I see you had a grand time. We've been to Napa Valley..it's gorgeous. We've also been to a very old winery in France, and the wooden casks were underground in a grotto. Very spooky, but our guide stopped us in a round with a big round table in the middle. There were wine glasses lined up. A lovely girl from the winery, with her lovely French accent said, as the looked around the group of tourist--"I need the help of a very handsome man, and I choose you." Her choice was my husband--probably because he stoo taller than everyone else, oh, and of course, he is handsome. Oh, he got the big head over that--everyone teased him all day. Me? Man, could that girl flirt.
Texas has many wineries, now--weird, I know, but parts of the state has perfect weather and conditions for wineries.
Vodka--I've only tasted it once--in Poland--a Polish Vodka. A very small glass and you drink it all at once. It was nice--
You have such intriguing international stories...I do admire you. Good luck with sales! Celia
Judy, wow you are a real expert, knowing a pinot noir by name!
Hi PL, so you know exactly what I am talking about. I bet you had as much fun as I had...and stayed very sober.
Liana, try wine tasting if you have the opportunity. It really helps with life balance and seeing the bright side.LOL.
Yes Loaraine, very very little from every wine makes things look nice and helps forget stress.
Hi Celia-- Wait till I tell my husband about the French wineries and the pretty guide. I bet he'll schedule a trip for next summer. I've tried Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakhstany [?} vodkas but not polish. To be honest they all taste the same to me. Alcohol and fire poured in my stomach.
I love Napa Valley. My ideal day job would be marketing communications for a vineyard.
Oh, and there's a saying one of my Napa-vineyard working, wine enthusiastic friends shared with me: "Friends don't let friends drink pink Zinfindel."
Why not Keena? I love pink Zindindel.
Mona, you do go to the most fun places! This is yet another trip I would love to have taken with you.
Anytime, Linda. I'd love to take you.
Napa Valley is a beautiful trip. Thanks for telling us about yours.
Mona, what an amazing trip. I've always wanted to visit the Napa Valley. It sounds like you had a jolly good time. The information on the wines and vines will turn up in a book, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing. The pictures are great.
My critique group usually has a plotting weekend at least annually. We often go to Chateau Elan. It's a winery in Georgia. Our first stop is usually the wine tasting event. I'm not much of a wine drinker, I prefer harder spirits like whiskey or scotch, but I always find something I love. Dry white wine is my choice. Red is usually much too sweet for my taste. And Napa valley sounds heavenly whether I'm a wine drinker or not!
Don't let Pam fool you, she can drink us under the table.
What fun, Mona! I hope you don't have a headache today. I like a glass of wine occassionally myself, but, like you, moderation is the key for me.
I enjoyed your excerpt very much.
Thanks for sharing a view of the wine industry with me!
Maggie
Debra, thank you for stopping by. Glad you enjoy this post.
Scarlet, you double-guessed me. The wine information is already in a book, my current wip, that I just finished polishing. It takes place in France and there is a lovely scene about pretty girls pressing the grapes.
No kidding Pam, you taste wine and then critique? What a fun critique session.
Maggie-- thanks for stopping by. In Napa, I discovered that a glass of wine, or two or three, takes care of all headaches.
Mona,
Such fun! My knowledge of wines equals yours. I subscribed to the magazine, Wine Spectator, for free of course. It's a great magazine and I've learned a lot.