Finding wine in Los Angeles

I have not enjoyed a glass of wine in a month. Yes I have drank a glass or two here and there on several occasions, but not really enjoyed one. I hadn't realized how much I missed it until tonight. That moment when you pop the cork (or in this case, twist the top) off the bottle, pour a substantial amount into your glass, and inhale the fine or not so fine bouquet; that moment was so welcoming. Now for the wine; was it a beautiful bottle of something amazing that I was saving for that one special meal? No. For a matter of fact, it was the worst choice I could have made. But yet, it was absolutely perfect. So what did I pour in such a celebratory manner to pair with my freshly prepared jambalaya? Well I choose a very inexpensive bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Yes... A perfectly inexpensive bottle of wonderful stone-fruit-and-pineapple-on-the-nose, crisp, off dry, Sauvignon Blanc to accompany my hearty onion and tomato based shrimp and sausauge, Louisiana inspired jambalaya. I'm pretty sure the Kyle from six months ago is crying in a corner. But, like I said, it was perfect. It was everything I needed in that moment.

Since moving back to Los Angeles, I've felt that I have in a way lost the person I became in Northern California. In Davis, I found my passion, found life long friends, and really came into my own. I drank great wine and ate amazing food, with the most amazing people. Tried cheeses that I will never try ever again (because they taste like butt), or tasted pairings that inspired me for weeks. It was my own pleasant-ville. I found myself baking and cooking almost every night. My large kitchen enabled me to experiment to my hearts desire. I not only fell in love with wine at work, but I also realized my love for cooking. Lots of my previous posts were inspired by the newest bottle I was able to bring home, and the meal I made for it. I was constantly learning, experimenting, and tasting new things almost everyday. So now, in Los Angeles, not only am I missing my friends back in Davis, the seasons, the city, but I miss how colorful and full of flavor and taste my life was as well. And that's why tonight is so special. I feel that same spark. When I took a sip of my Mohua Sauv blanc, and inhaled the garlic cauliflower rice that was on the stove; I was taken back.

So as for the title of this post. No, I  have not found wine in Los Angeles, at least not yet. But I am finding that the person I was in Davis again, slowly; and in a studio apartment, with the smallest kitchen imaginable. But I have a wine rack, and my books. So it's a start.  

xoxo