To start the day we all met at a central meeting place, which was Stacey's house for Blueberry muffins and juice. After breakfast I told everyone to put all their stuff in one vehicle because we are heading out for the day/night! Once in the car I gave my mom an envelope titled "Clue #1", she opened it, and it read (something of the sort, I don't have the cards anymore) "Hint #1: walking, shopping, antiques, drinks and food!" So I gave my mom directions to the secret location and the girls were really excited to see where it was.
Place #1:
I took the girls to the Grapevine Market. It's antique shopping, food, wine, and much much more! We walked around, shopped, and laughed. We even stopped at our first winery and had a glass. While here we did our "Mother's Day Gifts" shopping.
This is us at Su Vino Winery!
Stacey and I being silly with an Indian we found outside a store.
After lunch at a great Italian restaurant we got back in the car and I gave Stacey Clue #2. It read "Hint #2: Grapes, Wine, and Fun!"
Place #2:
I wanted to take the girls to a place where it was more than just drinking wine, so I brought them to Delaney Vineyards so we could go on a tour.
We took a few pictures outside next to a HUGE wine barrel.
Unfortunately, with last year's drought some of the grapes had to be taken down and the vineyard has to start over. They still have plenty of grapes though! (About 10 acres)
A close-up picture of the Cynthiana grapes. They use this grape for 2 reasons. #1: It thrives in the hard, clay soil. #2: It responds well to the high humidity and hot summers.
The doors to the vineyard were just to die for! So pretty!!
Some fun tips about wine:
1: Winemaking is also known as "vinification"
2: Most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material.
3: "Mead" is a wine that is made with HONEY being the primary ingredient after water!
4: Winemaking is divided into 2 categories: still wine and sparkling wine.
5: The science of wine and winemaking is known as "oenology".
6: A winemaker is also known as a "vintner".
Inside the vineyard are these huge tanks.
Here is a little bit on what goes on.....
Red wine is made from the pulp of red or black grapes that undergo fermentation together with the grape skins.
White wine is made by fermenting juice which is made by pressing crushed grapes to extract a juice; the skins are removed and play no further role. Although, white wine can be made from red grapes; this is done by extracting their juice with minimal contact with the grapes' skins.
Rose wines are either made from red grapes where the juice is allowed to stay in contact with the dark skins long enough to pick up a pinkish color or by blending red wine and white wine.
What's going on in the 1st tank?!
Yeast may be added to the pulp for red wine or may occur naturally as ambient yeast on the grapes or in the air. Yeast may be added to the juice for white wine. During this fermentation, which often takes between one and two weeks, the yeast converts most of the SUGARS in the grape juice into ETHANOL (ALCOHOL) and CARBON DIOXIDE. The carbon dioxide is lost in the air.
Whats going on in the 2nd tank?!
After the primary fermentation of red grapes the free run wine is pumped off into tanks and the skins are pressed to extract the remaining juice and wine. The press wine if blended with the free run wine at the winemaker's discretion. The wine is kept warm and the remaining sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Whats going on in the 3rd tank?!
The last process in the making of red wine is secondary fermentation. This is a bacterial fermentation which converts malic acid to lactic acid. This process decreases the acid in the wine and softens the taste of the wine. Red wine is sometimes transferred to oak barrels to mature for a period of weeks or months; this practice imparts oak aromas to the wine. The wine must be settled or clarified and adjustments made prior to filtration and bottling.
This room is where bottles get filled, labeled and corked. Once corked the bottles are set upside down so the cork can swell.
The time from harvest to drinking can vary from a few months to over twenty years.
INTERESTING FACT OF THE DAY: Only about 10% of all red and 5% of all white wine will taste better after five years than it will after just one year!
Champagne- an additional fermentation takes place inside the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide and creating the characteristic bubbles.
Sweet wines- are made by ensuring that some residual sugar remains after fermentation is completed. This can be done by harvesting late, freezing the grapes to concentrate the sugar, or adding a substance to kill the remaining yeast before fermentation is complete.
That was your Wine 101, hope you enjoyed! :)
Inside the tasting room/reception room are a lot of wine barrels for looks. They host many different events here such as tea parties, wedding receptions, birthday parties, and more. This particular day they were preparing for a wedding reception.
At our wine tasting we tried 5 different wines all made by Delaney Vineyards. They were very good!
In AUGUST of every year Delaney Vineyards allows families to come and stomp grapes. They don't use the grapes of course, it's just a fun event for everyone!
After our tour and tasting at Delaney we got in the car and I gave Mandy Clue #3:
It said, "Hint #3: Hotel, dinner, and spa!"
I directed my mom towards the Gaylord Hotel and the girls were so excited!
When we first arrived we checked in and got our room keys. Stacey and I took all the bags up to the room and got it set up. Pictures are below. Then we met my mom and Mandy down in the center of the Gaylord for a few drinks before dinner.
If you have never been to the Gaylord you must go, it is just spectacular!
The girls out by the pool before dinner
Before dinner I allowed everyone in the room to check it out. Stacey was kind of in on the secret but only because I needed her help.
Here are everyone's gifts. Everything was purchased at the Grapevine Market. I can't really remember exactly who got what. But it was something like....my mom received a wine cork of a lady (pictured below) and a cutting board that says "GiGi's Kitchen". All of us (including me- it was a "thank you/host" gift) received a wine cork of a lady, and napkins (pictured below). I also received a high heel (pictured below), I think Mandy received wine charms, and I can't remember what else Stace got.
Love my Louboutin!!
Stacey and I being silly! We thought if you took a pic zoomed in it might look like girls dancing in our room, haha! But these are our wine corks. From left to right= Me, Mandy, Mom and Stacey.
A picture my mom posted on Facebook before dinner of us girls in the room having a glass of vino!
For dinner we decided on Steak so we went to Saltgrass Steak House, one of my faves!
After dinner and very full bellies we went back to the room for the spa part of the night.
Stacey and I had put together a basket full of goodies. We started with facials. I brought everyone exfoliating gloves to wash their face (forgot the face wash, whoops), face mask mud, face moisturizer and even brought a cucumber!
Funny story about the cucumber. So I went to Target to get the cucumber and was looking through the pile to find a good straight and thick one that would be good for our eyes. A lady walks up to me and starts looking at cucumbers as well. I make small talk (bc lets face it, I could talk to a wall) and say, "Is there a certain way to pick out cucumbers?" and she says, "I don't think it really matters if you are just going to be cutting them up" and my response is, "Oh no, I'm not eating them!" It was about 3 seconds later and the look on her face when I realized what I had just implied and didn't have time to explain before she swiftly walked away from me. So I continue digging to find the perfect cucumber and the display starts to fall and cucumbers are falling all over the ground, some breaking in half. I'm starting to freak out and that's when the thunder comes and it starts to mist and all the mother's day cards I'm holding are getting all wet and I just had to walk away...but not before grabbing a random cucumber....that ended up being perfect!
I brought stuff for mani/pedi's as well, but Stacey wouldn't know anything about that since she fell asleep after the facials. At one point she woke up to see my mom propped back on a pillow, me giving her a pedicure and Mandy feeding my mom a strawberry, all while my mom is probably thinking, "Now this is the life!" :)
I had even brought a small DVD player and had connected it earlier to the TV in the room. I had brought "Because I Said So" which is one of our faves because of the actresses but also because it's about a mother with three girls, so I thought it was perfect for the weekend! Mandy had never seen it, so it made it even better. And the saying "Because I said so" was our theme for the weekend. If you wanted to do something, you didn't need a reason, you just had to say "Because I said so!"
I put the mask on my mom first, then Stacey, then Mandy, then myself. I laid there for about 10 minutes which mean's my mom was there about 20 minutes. My mom asked when we wash it off and I looked over and noticed their's was dry and starting to crack, I said "Hmm...I'm not sure, I guess right now!" So we did and while my mom was washing her face I read the back of the facial tube. It says, "Apply to face, allow TWO minutes to set, and then wash off." My mom looks up and has a rash on her cheek from having the facial cream on too long. Oopsie, sorry mom! Next time I promise to read the label. By the morning time the rash was gone though.
Shortly before losing Stacey...or maybe she is already asleep here. Who knows...
After the Mani/Pedi we needed a mid-night snack so we ate some cake balls we had purchased earlier in the day at the Grapevine Market. They were delish!
The next morning we toasted with mimosas to a fabulous Mother's Day Get-Away!
We met the family in Uptown at Breadwinners Bakery off McKinney Ave.
Ethan and Kyler just love Jax
Family Photo: Ronnie, Mom, Me, Ethan, Kyler, Nate, Mandy, Stace, Jax, Jason, Dad
Stacey and I :)
Mom and Dad's three daughters :)
Mom with her girls
Stace and Jax
We take our eyes off Ethan for two seconds and he is at the bar trying to order a drink!
Mandy and Dad
Mom with her children and children's children
Stacey (middle daughter, with 11 month old son Jaxon)
Mandy (first daughter, with almost 8 year old Kyler and almost 5 year old Ethan)
Me (youngest daughter) and Nathan (only boy and baby)
Me and my amazing and wonderful mother!
Dad, Mandy, Stacey, Me, Nathan, and Mom
I have the most incredible family in the world! I am truly blessed and love & appreciate each and every single one of you. You girls deserve the world and are amazing mother's so I hope ya'll enjoyed this little weekend I planned for you guys. I love ya'll so much and I'm looking forward to next year's Mother's Day. I'm thinking of another weekend getaway.
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