Here we are with part two of the big wine tasting of two weeks ago - I'll reveal up front that there are only 5 more wines to go, as I got a bit tired at the end and maxed out at a total of 10; even when you're a wine enthusiast, sometimes you cannot fathom drinking any more.  Fortunately (and surprisingly), I did not even get a hint of a buzz, despite not having any water to drink and only a few cubes of gouda.  They had a nice spread of various cheeses, oysters, and bread, and boy did it get destroyed!

A couple of weeks ago I was at loose ends after work and decided to head to a rose tasting at Club Cafe sponsored by Boston Wine Tasters . It was free, there were twenty wines to choose from, and I love rose, so it was an easy decision.

A couple of weeks ago I was at loose ends after work and decided to head to a rose tasting at Club Cafe sponsored by Boston Wine Tasters. It was free, there were twenty wines to choose from, and I love rose, so it was an easy decision. I took the approach that I have just christened "strategic snobbery"; I aimed to try the more expensive wines so I would know whether or not to purchase them in the future. As for the less expensive ones, I'm willing to take a gamble and just grab a bottle in the store without having tried it before. I also avoided the few names that I recognized and knew I could easily find in most any wine shop. And thus, my epic tasting began.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy.

Well, not so easy. It's been a busy beginning of the summer over here at Vinilicious, one which has already featured broken furniture and seven stitches in my head. But not to worry, my loyal winos, we are back.

I've always had trouble drinking red wines during the summer. Red wine in the summer tends to make me feel lethargic and lifeless in hot weather, unless I'm drinking it with a freshly grilled steak. But for burgers and dogs with a group of friends, I'm more likely to reach for the Pinot Grigio than I am the Pinot Noir.

It is for this reason why I am grateful that dry rosé is coming back into fashion.

This bottle was probably corked- yum yum vinegar essence - so technically I should buy it again and try it for real. But there are so many wines out there (so many tasty roses that are ideal for summer) , I am not that eager. Now that I ponder it, I think it was a screw top...

This was a South African rose: Goats du Roam Rose 2006. Price was roughly $8. Let me add that I have thoroughly enjoyed some of their other wines in the past. But let us move on, forge ahead, and delve into more wines. One of these days, we will have a gem.

I am very fond of birthdays and am a great believer in celebrating properly. And when the birthday is a 30th, well, you must amp it up a bit. This calls for Champagne. Particularly when it is for a friend since you have known since age three. So as soon as I found out the details of the celebration, a certain pink Champagne came to mind. When I first mentioned to Bryan what I intended to serve, he said, "Isn't it a little cold for Champagne?" Ha! Do not make me laugh, sir! It is never too cold for Champagne.