A weekend of wine :-)

Howdy folks! We're just back from our weekend in Monterey and had a fantastic time! We weren't sure if we were going to make it or not as Hubby is having a very busy time at work just now, but luckily he managed to get away!

The hotel, The Anton Inn, was certainly not one of the nicest places i have stayed, but it was cheap and clean and the beds were comfy so I wasn't going to complain!



We arrived around 8.30, and our partners in crime Eric and Rose had already checked in and were out collecting some pizza to have in their room along with a couple of bottles of wine - yum! This was the first pizza I had had since the first cholesterol test and dear God, it was amazing!!




We had a nice chilled evening catching up while Hubby did a little work, and were tucked up in bed by midnight :-)

We had a leisurely morning on Saturday and hooked up around 11.30 to head downtown. We had a lovely wander along the seafront and ended up at the Taste of Monterey wine tasting rooms where we got to try some delicious wines.




Now, I'm a bit of a peasant when it comes to wine tasting. I know what I like, but I have never really bought in to all the flowery descriptions of what the experts can taste in the wine, and I am definitely calling bullshit on the description for one of the wines we tried!! "Blackness followed by a barrage of tar, wet sand, leather, river stones, plums and smoked meat" Really? Really?!?!?! Luckily, it didn't taste as disgusting as it sounded!

After a quick peruse around their gift shop we set off for our next destination - another tasting room! :-) This one was Wine from the Heart, and if you ever find yourself in downtown Monterey please promise me you will go in and check it out!! It's a really cute little boutique wine shop, and we were thoroughly entertained by our new friend Vergudo! He took the time to go through the ins and outs of how to taste the wine properly and introduced us to the aroma wheel which provided much entertainment! Wet sand did not make an appearance, but we were amused to see things like cabbage, skunk, kerosene and many more on the wheel. I have to say, I think you're doing something wrong if you can smell any of those in your wine!

Sadly we had to get back to the car before our meter ran out, otherwise I think we would have spent most of the afternoon with Vergudo! By now it was after 2pm and we were feeling a bit tipsy so decided it was definitely time for lunch!! We went to the restaurant at the golf course near our hotel and had some yummy fish and chips - oh yeah, and more wine!



We were back at the hotel for the wine and appetisers hour, which turned out to be a huge disappointment. After all the delicious wines we had been trying all day, the cheapo crap they were serving did not go down well at all - even if it was free! - and I was expecting a little more than cubes of cheddar and grapes for the appetisers!

Not to worry - Eric and Rose had come prepared with a gigantic bottle of prosecco which more than helped erase the taste of grotty Merlot from our mouths!






We were very surprised when we polished off the prosecco so easily (No really! We were!!) and by now it was about 8.30 and we were getting hungry again so we headed over to An Choi, the Chinese across the road. This is another place you really should check out if you are in the area!! Hubby and I shared a shrimp and chicken chow mein and it was delicious, and Eric and Rose enjoyed their meals too. Plus, when Rose realised that she had left her purse there, the lovely man came over to our hotel and delivered it straight to her room - now that's what I call service!!

We polished off the last of our wine back in Eric and Rose's room, and not surprisingly, found ourselves to be shit faced so Hubby and I staggered back to our room and put ourselves to bed. A poor night's sleep meant that I was shattered this morning so sadly I missed out on the walk to the beach, but I enjoyed a quiet hour to myself reading my new book before we checked out and came home.

Once again, a HUGE thank you to Eric and Rose for an awesome weekend away!! :-)

Poor Hubby is back in the office already, and I suppose I have enough time to unpack before joining the ladies in the pub for the football in an hour. Better go and get some more coffee on too ......!!

Laters :-)