Where there are Roller Skates + Gals, there are Bubbles!
Thursday night, days after my birthday, I got together with girl friends to celebrate my ‘wonder years of the 80’s’ in real rockin’ style. Ever wonder how a sommelier spends her birthday? Some years it’s spent drinking those crazy spendy bottles from the cellar that are only allowed to be touched just a couple times a year, some years it’s baseball games as my bday always falls on someone’s home opener, some years it’s kickin’ it in the backyard with friends and family, some years it’s a must that I ski out west due to those awesome mountain spring snow storms and some years, it’s eating jelly beans because the day falls on Easter. But this year, I went so far as to celebrate twice! Once on the day of my birthday, with a fabulous Argentinian wine tasting (www.famigliameschini.com) with friends and family and once with a group of my favorite gals – Roller Skating!
Roller Garden, ever been? It’s a nice little spot over in St Louis Park that celebrates roller skating with only the best. They have a variety of nites to skate to that range from Disco to R&B. Thursday nites are R&B and, I can now say from experience, that is one of THE best nites to skate. The roller kids that come to play, after 8:30pm for 25 + over (yikes, that was us!), are pretty darn serious. The rhythm, the motion, the skating…awesome! And, the music along with some of the rink’s characters – untouchable. Only the best come to skate and show their moves. Unfortunately, the birthday girl had little to no skill. I guess my days of acting as ‘roller queen’ (when I was 12) are only memories that I can live with.
Because Roller Garden prohibits alcohol, and thank God they do, the Roller Girl group that I went with decided to ‘quench our thirsts’ with a little pre-game app and bubbly hour. Now my gal pals, they like ALL kinds of wine. They don’t always go for one color over another. They seem to, for the most part take a sip of everything from the cellar when the wine flows at my house. But there is one type of wine that is never passed up when the girls come to play…bubbles. Bubbles are a favorite of mine and well, has to be some what of a prerequisite as a fav if you’re friends with me. I thought I’d share a few that we had pre-roller skating that helped to loosen the clan up, not to mention were ALL fabulous for a beautiful spring nite!
Schramsberg Brut Rosé: One of my absolute favs. And, really can’t be touched (in my opinion) when you’re talking California Sparkling. L-O-V-E. That should say enough. Soft, supple with a slight hint of freshly ripened strawberries. Yum. And, on the shelf for under $40, I love it.
Argyle Brut: This was my ‘house wine’ on Sundays when I lived in Oregon. And, it’s still a favorite American Sparkling for me. Crisp, clean, appley and very reminiscent of Oregon varietals. Lite, clean and refreshing. Perfect for any occasion. One of the best American sparklers for under $30.
Bollinger Special Cuvée: While the Frenchies are hardly every affordable any more, this one is good for a special occasion and won’t necessarily break the bank. Bollinger. That should say enough, right? Creamy, yeasty, full bodied with hints of toasted brioche and more. It’s like sippin’ the stars, oh wait! that’s Dom Perignon…but still, delish. The Bollinger, on the shelf for roughly $60. A very nice wine for the price and one of my favorite true Champagne houses.
