Her name was Gnocchi
Cataloging wine & loving dogs
HOT – Cold plunges. Girls boxing. Cleaning the shower. Still into Dame. Wearing the same thing every day. Gin Gins. Big pants. A room with a view.
NOT – The smell of a candle after being blown out. The cost of a “Roomba.” The sound of plastic bottles being crunched. Being jealous of an influencer. A limited amount of space when more is needed. The feeling of trying to hang something straight. Stains. When someone uses slang you don’t know, and you can’t ask what it means.
I recently moved and photographed all the empty wine bottles I kept. There was no set process for deciding whether to keep or recycle other than liking the taste and wanting to remember and look into the winemaker. I don’t usually hold onto empty bottles of alcohol; some were eventually thrown out, but these are the ones that made it to move time.
I primarily drink chilled red wine, and I like wines that are light, bright, rumbly, and juicy. If that aligns with your taste, then def check these out.
Amplify Wines, Mixtape
Mixtape is so good! Tasty, weirdo. When it is unavailable, Everything Is Everything hits!
Broc Cellars, Love Red
Based in Berkeley, California! Bay Area boys, get a glass. This was one of the first chilled reds I ever had. Look at me now!
Emme Wines, Tell Your Sister I Say Hi
This one was actually an orange wine! Surprise. I haven’t had many Emme Wines, but I will. The 2024 labels are very pretty. Plus, one of my closest friends goes by Emmy, and I used to spell it, Emme. So! Fate!
Good Boy Wine, Warm Breeze
Tastes like you are sitting in the sun next to a river. This one is either no longer available or out of stock. Good Boy is always tasty, though.
Jumbo Time Wines, Date Night
Okay, this one is also sold out. Jumbo Time is very cute! They also make Lil’ Jumbos, which are great for a park day.
Stolpman Vineyards, Love You Bunches
A classic good guy! Reliable and yummy. Special shoutout to Crunchy Roastie.
Super Real Wines, Unfiltered Natural Carbonic Red Wine
Sparkly little number. It says what it does! They also sell canned wines with the same tasty stuff.
May 4th is Jolene’s adoption anniversary.
When my partner, Z, and I first got Jolene, her name was Gnocchi. She was very tiny and thin. We got her from Berkeley Humane, where they claimed she was two years old. She had gotten two teeth removed, but we removed another two because her mouth was so small. She had eye and skin issues, which we worked on. We didn’t know anything else about her. Now, I feel like I know her. However, I still wish I could have a conversation with her to learn more and communicate my gratitude—Happy fourth adoption anniversary to Jolene Corndog Newman King.