Frugal Fall Fun With My Favorite Hobby - Wine!

You know what’s really scary? There’s only 87 days left until Christmas. I don’t know about y’all but this is the exact time of year where I get SUPER excited for all of the fun social events coming up - wine festivals, apple picking, winery visits, Thanksgiving…did I mention wineries? But at the same exact time, I can literally feel my wallet running for cover.

During this time of year this is what I’m hoping my bank account looks like:

Here’s the reality of the situation:

There is good news here though! You can still maintain your social life and all that is wonderful about Fall without spending a fortune.

My first piece of advice – start tracking your expenses. We do this in my household and it really helps you see exactly where your money goes. There are awesome, free tools out there you can use like this one from Personal Capital. I know it’s hard to adult sometimes – but just do it.

One of my absolute favorite things to do is throw wine parties with my neighborhood friends. And you know what? You can totally do this on a budget! The first tip is to share the expense between everyone who shows up. Have each person (or couple) bring one bottle of wine and some sort of food to share. You’ll end up with an awesome spread and a ton of wine – without all the cost.

Since we are really focused on being frugal here though, put a rule in place that each bottle of wine must cost less than $10. I’m imagining many of you saying “TEN DOLLARS!? You must be crazy!” Trust me, when it comes to wine, I never lie. I spend many hours wandering up and down the aisles of wine at various stores and trust me – there are plenty of bottles of wine out there for under ten bucks.

First of all, I feel like this goes without saying but I’m going to put it out there. PLEASE do not bring any sort of Arbor Mist or Franzia to this party. Unless you are a legit, broke ass college student, this wine is unacceptable. You can do better. Here’s how:

Garnacha de Fuego

Rex Goliath Zinfandel

The Naked Grape Pinot Grigio

La Promenade Provence Rosé

Now that you’ve got the wine, here are a few ideas of delicious fall inspired recipes that won’t break the bank. You should easily be able to snag a bottle of vino plus food to share for less than $20 total!

Apple nachos

Pumpkin pie cheesecake dip

Pumpkin Pecan Baked Brie

Book Rewind and Review

The other day, I went through my stacks of books and started sorting into the “Read it. Need to review it” pile and the “Need to read it” pile. It was then that I realized how many books I’ve read this year that I haven’t done reviews on yet. I won’t lie – it overwhelmed me.

So, I decided that I needed to do a quick little rewind and review on some of the books that I’ve read that don’t necessarily need their own entire post. Enjoy and go find a new book to read!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Books 1 & 2) – Ransom Riggs    

                   

This series had been on my to read list for a while but when I saw that my niece was reading it, I knew I needed to catch up! Riggs sets forth an interesting concept in which there are peculiar children (with interesting characteristics such as invisibility, weightlessness, creating fire, etc.) live in a type of time portal from the outside world. This world is threatened by Hallowgasts and Jacob joins the crew of peculiars to save their way of life. Paired with real-life photographs the author found on his journies, this is a magical, fantastical tale that will transport you right into Miss Peregrine’s peculiar world. Technically a YA novel but will keep you entertained start to finish! I still have yet to read the third novel so stay tuned.

Rating: 

Wine Pairing: Gnarly Head Authentic Red

Stella Bain – Anita Shreve

I’ve mentioned before how much I love the bargain table at B&N and I found this book there. It must have really intrigued me because I actually ended up buying it twice by accident! Oops. This novel is historical fiction that takes place in London during WWI. An American Nurse (Stella) suffers from shell shock and is taken in by a surgeon and his wife. The surgeon’s interest in Stella develops and he becomes determined to cure her from her suffering. Stella also has amnesia and can’t remember anything prior to her being wounded in an attack in France. The story bounces back and forth between America and London on Stella’s journey to regain her sense of identity. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. It was a quick read but full of emotion that left you attached to the characters involved.

Rating: 

Wine Pairing: Contadino Pinot Grigio

The Beautiful American – Jeanne Mackin

Lately, I seem to be on this historical fiction kick and most of the ones I’ve found have not disappointed me. This novel takes place in London and France during the aftermath of WWII. American Nora Tours travels to London in search of her sixteen year old daughter who went missing. She runs into an old acquaintance there, Lee Miller, a famous model and photographer. Most of the novel is a flashback to their days in 1920’s Paris where everyone enjoyed the freewheeling days and nights of that time. The two women in this novel are completely unconventional as is their relationship and it’s a wonderful story about time, healing and desire.

Rating: 

Wine Pairing: Barefoot Pink Moscato Sparkling

The Rebel Pirate – Donna Thorland

Keeping with my historical fiction theme and let’s face it, my love of pirates, made this one practically jump into my hands. This novel takes you all the way back to the American Revolution and follows James Sparhawk who is a Commander in the British Navy. He is taken hostage by a young, female Rebel privateer, Sarah Ward. After a series of events that tarnished her reputation and threatened her family’s future, she finds herself in the middle of a war. She will do whatever it takes to protect her family even if it means giving up Sparhawk who is the one man who was ever able to tame her. Another surprising good read filled with action and plot twists that I never saw coming. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat and romanticizing the life of a pirate in no time.

Rating: 

Wine Pairing: Middle Sister Rebel Red

The Other Story – Tatiana de Rosnay

This was another bargain table find which caught my attention because of the cover. I’m a sucker for anything that’s about books or authors or books writing about authors. This novel follows the tale of Nicolas Duhamel, an author who gained tremendous success with his debut novel, somewhat unexpectedly. Now constantly in the spotlight, Nicolas thinks he has his whole life figured out but quickly realizes that the past has a way of catching up with you. This is an interesting journey in self reflection and how decisions made many years ago can shape your future.

Rating: 

Wine Pairing: Alamos Red Blend

Winery Wednesday - First Colony

When I stop to think about it, I feel like I’ve visited my fair share of wineries around Virginia. But the truth is, I’ve barely scratched the surface! There are over 250 wineries in Virginia and (if I can remember them all correctly) I’ve visited (or tasted wines from) about 57 different wineries. Crazy!

My Winery Wednesday feature today is one of my favorites that never disappoints – First Colony Winery.

First of all, this place is beautiful. It’s nestled away in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and is an unexpected little oasis. They remodeled in 2013 and the new building, complete with thatched roof is perfectly European. The tasting room is small, unassuming and perfectly cozy.

So, enough about the design right? What about their wines!? Well, those are delicious! From their whites to rosé to reds, I haven’t come across one that wasn’t on point taste wise.

My absolute favorite wine from First Colony is their Claret. It’s a lighter bodied red wine a bit on the sweeter side. I love this wine because it is so versatile and an easy crowd pleaser. It tastes good chilled or room temperature making it the perfect year-round wine.

I also love their rosé. It’s the perfect summer picnic wine that pairs perfectly with a plate of cheese and charcuterie. It’s light but not too sweet and bursting with yummy citrus flavors.

Since summer is sadly drawing to a close and I’ll begin pulling out my drier, fuller bodied red wines, I will also mention their Meritage. It’s dry without being to biting on the tongue and has a slight spiciness to it that I just love. It’s just right to hold up to some of your heartier fall meals.

Speaking of fall – this is the perfect time to head out to the mountains of Virginia to check them out in person. Once the leaves start changing, it’s a magical place to be!