So, the blog has been neglected lately.

I hate that. Especially since you all are relying on me for gift-giving ideas.

And cooking hints and tips.

JUST KIDDING! Now the cooking stuff is really over the top, if you know me at all.

I have missed you guys too.

Back on the Christmas Wish List side of things….

My friend Jean Almand Kitchin let me know about this fabulous and inexpensive wine her stores are carrying (Almand’s Drugs). She gets it from Inez Ribustello, who owns On the Square in Tarboro. Inez is a wine EXPERT, people. She’s won awards and is world-renowned for her wine-knowhow. If she says it’s good, it’s good.

Well, I know Inez and called her about getting some at a reduced rate to donate to the Bel-Air Artisan Center Christmas Bash, which I helped with, which was a wonderful success last week.

Anyway, to get to the point …the wine is awesome. Inez sells the wine in her restaurant for $7 a bottle. It’s a California wine, from Coastal Vines winery and comes in a cabernet, chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot grigio. I’ve had all of them, (not all at once) and they’re all very tasty.

If you’re in Rocky Mount and need a nice bottle of wine to take home or to a party, you should check out the wine selection at Almand’s Drugs. It’s a selection made with love by their resident wine expert, Missy. Jean carries the Coastal Vines wines in her stores.

And if you’re in Tarboro, when you go to get the wine, you MUST eat at On the Square. It’s probably one of the nicest restaurants in the Twin Counties and Inez’s husband, Steve, is a super chef and they always put out a fine table of food and drink.

It’s so nice, it would seem like a special occasion restaurant, but price-wise, it’s very reasonable. You should go for dinner tonight. Here is their complete wine list. VERY impressive.

While you’re there, you can do some Christmas shopping for your wino friends, as the wine inventory is unmatched around here, and the staff and Inez are very knowledgable and helpful.