Woop Woop!

And this is how I (CJ) remember it….

A day like any other, and then a random text from T: “We should start a wine blog!”. I instantly loved the idea! I like to write, and since traveling to California a lot over the past 18 months for work and play, I have developed a certain fondness for drinking (and evaluating) wine…so really, how could this go wrong? (Not that anyone needs to answer that yet!)

Teresa and I are, as she stated, not experts in any way, but we, along with her husband Phil, have enjoyed many bottles together on restaurant patios of the beautiful Queen City. I started thinking about how it might be fun to write a blog from a different perspective…one of people who know very little, but are willing to simply drink and describe…taste and tell …in terms everyone can relate to.

So yes, the first wine was a 2007 Shiraz from Australia called “Woop Woop”. We liked the name. And since T and I were traveling unarmed into the blogosphere for the first time, we liked the idea that the term actually meant “out there”…it just felt appropriate.

As for the wine itself…T’s description of “peppery” was a good one. It’s a simple red wine with a kick on first taste. If a wine that tastes fruity when it first hits your tongue would be described as “fruit forward”, then I suppose a person who describes wines for a living might call this “pepper forward”? That is, if that person agreed with such un-versed vinogals like us….

How it got started…

I got hooked on healthy food blogs that a coworker pointed out to me. Over the course of a month or so, I learned TONS about nutrition, portion size, exercise, whole/natural foods, etc. Most of them are way more disciplined than me and typically blog about their every bite; including recipes, measurements and photos. But, I also became hooked on daily updates of the blogger's personalities. In between nibbles and meals, they eat let readers have a glimpse into their lives. I definitely like that part the best of their blogs. I'm not sure how they stay to their regimented schedules…some never seem to slip up in their eating, exercise or drinking habits. They must be machines. I, however, am not.

One day while having lunch with my husband at Blynk Organic Cafe (see, the health food craze caught me), he had the idea that I start a blog based in a little more every day reality. I know I can't stick to a daily food blog…that would be way too many pictures and entries for me. But, if I had the help of a good friend, I might be able to blog about something else I love. WINE!

I texted CJ and we made plans to have dinner at Pie Town to discuss. I'm not sure she had a choice but she was sold on our blog. We brainstormed about the blog name and entry ideas. We talked about past trips we've taken (Charlottesville, VA, Scotland, Portugal, California) and decided the blog would be perfect to write about those experiences. We also thought it would be great (and fun) to showcase local Charlotte restaurants and restaurant specials.

Cheers to our new adventure!

Why did we choose "Woop Woop" wine? Because the Jeff Gordon bottle was sold out! We wanted to start our blog adventure off with a tribute to our city. NASCAR was born here, NASCAR belongs here. Woop Woop Shiraz from Australia won 2nd place because of the cool name. CJ looked it up and found the name refers to the middle of nowhere in the Outback. We agreed this wine was flavorful and I detect the pepper in the beginning of the sip. We would recommend, especially on Saturday nights when Pie Town has half priced bottles of wine. Let me hear a Woop Woop for that!

Oh, did I mention that CJ and I are no experts? Just 2 regular gals enjoying good company and learning about good wine.