The wine drinking at my house came to an abrupt end for about 6 months last year, but has been on a slow return recently. This has resulted in the itch to replenish., ie., wine shop. This is something that hasn’t really been happening here in over a year here.

Oh happy day! Shopping for wine is not a chore for me. I love it. Whether I am hunting for a specific bottle, or on a journey to see what ends up in my crosshairs, I am always up for wine shopping.

It doesn’t end once the wines are in my possession. There is the logging it into inventory, the purchase notes, the admiring of each one for the unique and temporary thing that it is. The label, the region, the varietal, each bottle gives me something to explore. My husband calls this “playing wine,” a reference to “playing Barbies” that was the common childhood response to the question of “what are you doing?” I do like to play wine lol.

But, I digress. I have had so much fun adding a few bottles to the cellar recently, I thought I would share!

First up, my silent auction score from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s (Atlanta Chapter) annual fundraising event, the Wine & Roses Gala.

The hubs and I were unable to attend this year, but I did have the great fun and honor of helping to group the wines, name the lots, etc. I also helped set up the wine and spirits tables the morning of the event. This is an absolute pleasure for me, and to be able to volunteer for such a worthy cause just made my heart happy.

I was thrilled to learn I could bid remotely, and I placed a minimum bid on two lots. And guess what? No one outbid me! The first one, Lot 124, Bubbles and a Book (fiction version), was the 2012 La Grande Dame Rose and a copy of The Champagne Letters book. The second wine was Lot 125, A Grande Dame Time!, which was a bottle of the 2015 La Grande Dame Rose. I scored both bottles, and a book, for a total of $308! I had donated the book, so kind of funny I won that back!

All of the wine and spirits are donated for this event, so I didn’t even have to feel too bad about this deal of a lifetime. The Atlanta Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raised over $1.3M at this year’s event. Cheers to that!

You know I did have to check and see if the wines were available near me and what they might cost. Are you ready for this? The same exact wines at Total Wine cost $752.58!!

Still on a high from this event, I attended a Chateau de Saint Cosme wine tasting at Brooklyn Cafe.

I have been a long time fan of Chateau de Saint Cosme, and recently discovered a fantastic Finger Lakes producer, Forge Cellars, with a connection to Saint Cosme.

That connection is Louis Barruol. The 13th generation at the helm of Chateau Saint Cosme, also co-owns Forge Cellars. Monsieur Barruol was in attendance and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet him. Even if it did mean getting across town in Atlanta rush hour on Monday night.

He was an absolute pleasure to talk with, and was kind enough to take a picture with me. I think he was really tickled that I had been to, and loved, Forge Cellars. How often do you get to meet someone that represents such legacy and such vision?

Next up was a local “sip & shop” at the 1885 Events space in downtown Acworth. A lovely evening where 3 distributors were in attendance, along with a few local shops.

I bought nothing but bubbles at ridiculously bargain prices. These are just fun bottles for upcoming holiday festivities.

I did not care for the Unshackled Brut, but really enjoyed the rosé. I guess I am in my rosé bubbles era – six of my last 14 bottles have been sparkling rose lol!

The Do Epic Sh*t I could not pass up because how perfect is this great label for a congratulatory gift or celebration? It also was really delicious. I was so surprised to see that it is made by a favorite Washington State producer, Browne Family Vineyards, in New Mexico! I think there about as many people that know wine is made in New Mexico as there are who know that wine is made in Georgia. In other words, not many. As strange as it might seem, New Mexico has long been on the map for sparkling wine with well known producer, Gruet. This was a fun find.

Not only did I stock up on everyday holiday bubbles, I also grabbed a few treasures from the local shops in attendance!

The great news is I added 14 bottles to the inventory and while they were all a great deal, the La Grande Dame bottles might be the deal of a lifetime! Have you ever scored a great wine deal, auction or otherwise? I would LOVE to hear about it.