The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi all,

Have any of you ever sat on your decks over the summer reading a book and sipping a glass of wine?  I have.  It is a wonderful way to spend the early evening hours of a summer night.  It is also a great way to get some fresh air.  Over the summer I read books with the word beach, ocean, lake, summer, sea, trip, sand, island and vacation in the title.  I like white wine.  What types of wines do the rest of you like?

Australian Shiraz or Grenache from the Mclaren Vale region of South Australia are some of the biggest bountiful juicy reds you could possibly imagine, especially from '07-'10 (dry seasons + bottle age).  Great for sipping indoors in winter or under the shade of a large tree in the afternoon of a breezy summer day.  A real pleasure.

For whites, dry Reislings or Sauv Blancs.

There is a favourite books thread around here somwhere - recently finished Wyoming Stories by E. Annie Proulx

Drinking--especially, but not exclusively, wine--and reading are two of my favorite pastimes.

For the wine, I like barberas, chiantis, dolcettos, and pinot noirs, though I'm certainly not picky enough to be snobbish. Most any even remotely decent red will do.

For the books, I'd say check out the "what are you reading?" (or whatever it's called) thread. And yes, sitting outside in summer (especially in a place like here, where our opportunities are limited) is a great time for both reading and drinking. I've got nothing good to read at the moment--I suspect my mind is just restless and impatient, as happens sometimes--but I look forward to my next great find so I can get slightly, then significantly, tipsy while I get lost in it.

Here's the link to the whatcha reading thread - http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,10277.0.html (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,10277.0.html) - enjoy

...and don't forget Mary's own "Reading" (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,16689.0.html) thread. Although it started talking specifically about the BBs books, further it got broader on genres.

Hi all,

I like all types of white wines.  I do drink a lot of chardonnay.  I have been known to have reisling when that was all that was available.  I do have a pino g when that is al that is offered.  If there is no white wine I have a diet soda.   

Wine? This is my favourite, preferably white although red is fine. Nicely priced, and the off-license is just round the corner:

(https://thewineliquidationcentre.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/o/domaine_la_grave_mis_en_bouteille_au_domaine_2011.jpg)

Books? In the days when I read novels my favourite authors were J.P. Donleavy (particularly the first four) and Thomas Pynchon (particularly Gravity's Rainbow). Another favourite was The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart----an amazing read. These days I read books about pop musicians.

I have yet to try a wine that doesn`t taste like vinegar to me. Having grown up around people who prefer cheap beer and hard liquor may have helped me to develop an unsophisticated palate where alcohol is involved.