It’s all about Portuguese wine for me this year, with the odd bottle of Barefoot Merlot from California — because we (wannabe) California Girls are never far from our roots, yes?

As I wrote in an earlier post, I got turned on to a wine from Portugal called LAB around Christmastime, and decided to check out other Portuguese offerings. I’ve tried four, and like three of them so far: the aforementioned LAB, Quinta de Bons-Ventos (2014), and Marques de Marialva’s Bairrada (2013).

I researched them on the SAQ site in Quebec, looking specifically at sugar content and the area in which the grapes are grown — using LAB as a benchmark for perfection. The Quinta wine comes from the same area, and has a rich, sweetish but not-too-sweetish flavour. It’s not quite full-bodied, but is certainly not a lite wine. On the other hand, the Bairrada is a full-bodied wine with a distinct flavour. I’ve learned that I do not like dry wines, so I am avoiding them.

How about you? Which wines are on your table these days?

Meanwhile, as regular readers know, I am exploring the world of lesfic, with a particular focus on mystery, romance and adventure. And, in the case of Mabel Maney, parodies. There is so much good literature by female writers out there.

Authors on my reading list now: Sarah Ettridge, Mabel Maney, Nene Adams, Liz Bradbury — with a few more books by other authors sitting in my Google Books sample box. In all, eight books to read after I have finished Sarah’s Threaded Through Time.

How about you? What fiction is on your reading list these days?

I’ve also rediscovered Sheryl Crow, in the form of a greatest hits CD. I am so rocking to her groove these days, and she has just put out a new album. Which, no doubt, my g/f will be buying. So, it’s all about Sheryl . . .

“All I wanna do/ is have some fun/ until the sun comes up/ over Santa Monica Blvd. . . . . “I gotta feeling/ I’m not the only one.”

How about you? What music are you grooving to these days?

— Jillian

Photo: Cookaa, Wikimedia Commons.