One never know when or where inspiration will appear.

During a recent conversation with a health care professional and after the professional “stuff” was past us, we turned to some personal stories. I like to know with whom I am interacting.

I told my new found friend a bit about me and then asked who she was — I became enthralled by her story. At one point, she mentioned living in the state of Washington, and because that state has some very delicious wines, I asked if she enjoyed any wines while living there.

She laughed. It seems she was only 2 years old while living in Washington and the only things she could remember about the place was red boots and rain.

We shared a chuckle or two about that statement and continued with our relationship building conversation. It seems she’s also known as the goat lady. That piqued my interest — goats? Well, that’s grist for another day but, after leaving her, inspiration hit me.

Red boots and rain suddenly equated to red wine. It might have had something to do with the bottle of wine I was holding at the moment — a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo wine called Radio Boka.

I enjoy a good Tempranillo that’s filled with cherry and strawberry tastes. Radio Boka didn’t disappoint me. Wonderful black cherries filled my taste buds and they were supported by a nice firm cassis taste and ended with a comforting dryness. Build a relationship with this wine — you’ll be happy you did!

Continuing with the “red” theme, I, of course, had to taste a bottle of Redwood Creek (California) Pinot Noir. I hadn’t tasted it for a long time and welcomed back an old friend to my senses. It’s a beautiful light red color — very pleasing to see — and tends to the sweet side of the tasting spectrum but not heavily so. I especially like the light black cherry taste that is surrounded by some nice brown sugar and ends with a bit of spiciness. It’s a nice reasonably priced wine that’s worth a visit.

Let’s stay with Redwood Creek and taste their Chardonnay. No, it’s not red but, come on, all wines are … welcome here! It’s aroma is very citrusy — almost reminds one of mangoes — but the flavor is very much ripe apples. Again, the semi-sweet wine is buttressed with a nice soft brown sugar and a soft finish. So far, Redwood Creek is fine with me and I’ll continue having a relationship with it.

I have to give a shout out for a box wine — Franzia Pinot Grigio Columbard. It’s been awhile since I had a box wine and I’m glad I got this one. But first, a bit of a back story.

Until a few years ago, box wines had a bad reputation because the packaging was not conducive to storing wine. The wine lost its flavor very soon after packaging because many of the early boxes were not air tight. Fortunately, that has changed.

With improved material and packaging, a wine stays fresh and tasty for a long time — even after you’ve opened the box. But there’s another benefit to a box wine — cost. A typical bottle of wine holds about 5-6 glasses of wine — the box I got contains 34 glasses of wine. Using cost analysis, one can buy this 34 glass box of wine for the same price as 2 bottles (10-12 glasses total) of it. If you’re having a party, it’s a no brainer.

But what about the taste of this wine? Delicious! It’s nicely dry, has nice pear tastes and is extremely refreshing. Buying a box of this wine will develop a long lasting relationship with you.

I’m going to finish with a nice Italian blended wine — Luna Di Luna Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio. At first, I drank it at room temperature and the Chardonnay was very noticeable which is understandable since the majority of the wine is Chardonnay. I got the creaminess of Chardonnay and the finish was the tarter Pinot Grigio.

Then I cooled it for a period of time. Not surprisingly, the citursy Pinot Grigio came first to the taste buds and the finish was the soft Chardonnay. An amazingly east wine to drink and enjoy.

I keep thinking back to my health care professional. Besides doing a very essential duty for our community, she’s interesting to talk with, is a hard worker and I’ve got to go see her hundreds (yes, hundreds!!) of goats one day. Maybe inspiration will again hit me if I don’t slip on something!

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!