March Madness Wine & Food Pairings!

Did you know that WINE and BASKETBALL go together very clever! In fact, drinking wine during your favorite team's playoff game will help your score more points! (Results may vary ... hehhehe). But hey... if it helps - why wouldn't you try it! Here are some of my favorite wines with awesome March Madness food pairings!

Pepper Jelly (believe it or not) is the newest trending appetizer! Grab a brick of cream cheese and some pepper jelly with a side of crackers and crack open a bottle of Pinot Grigio! Pictured is Traveling Vineyard's Bright Eyed Bird, Pinot Grigio. Order your fabulous bottle here!

Pig in a blanket, bacon wrapped shrimp, or German sausage - WHATEVER your weakness is, we have a wine for that! If you are a white wine lover, try a Pinot Grigio, or if red is your style, go with a Malbec! Pictured is Bright Eye Bird and Bailando from Traveling Vineyard.

Chips and salsa more your style? Grab a bottle of Monastrell such as our Oja! I bet you can't have just one glass of this wine!

Cocktail wieners in sauce! Heaven in a little package! You are going to want a nice bold red blend to master these little puppies! Highly suggest our Tanglerose Backyard Red Blend to help you find that good spot!

Take out more your style? I've got you covered there too! Chinese is exceptional with our Pinotage Burl. Oh yum! Just drooling looking at this pic!

Pizza your weakness? Well that's ok too! This Italian favor pairs amazing with our Italian Montepulciano! Whether it is plain cheese or loaded with veggies or meats -OJA will NOT let you down!

More of the dip type? Ahhhhh yes! Pair Smirk or Bright Eye Bird with any dairy based dip for amazing happiness on your taste buds! Artichoke, spinach, or buffalo wing dip.... they are there for you! Bring Smirk or Bright Eye Bird to your next party!

What about that pan of homemade mac & cheese? That cheddar blasted and baked with yummy goodness always pairs well with our Tria Syrah. You will NOT be having any leftovers for sure!

More of the chocolate type? Why yes yes - our most divine chocolate and wine paring currently is our Tria Pinot Noir. You WILL HAVE TO try this to believe it!

Any of these fine wines can always be purchased at Traveling Vineyard and shipped directly to your doorstep!

Never heard of Traveling Vineyard?? We do Wine Tastings in YOUR home! We come to YOU with 5 free wines! All YOU need to do is set a date, invite some friends, and find some fabulous foods to go with the wines! (Don't worry... we will help you with that part!) Contact me to set up your in home wine tasting or to find a guide in your area! Click HERE.

Looking for a fun way to make some extra money? Become a Wine Guide like me and get paid to do at home wine tastings! Let's chat! Click HERE!

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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CHEERS!

Why use an aerator?

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that
deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

Make sure to follow me on instagram as WinWithWine

Like me on Facebook www.facebook.com/ttvnicole

Friend me on Facebook www.facebook.com/nicole.travelingvineyard

CHEERS!

Best Junk Food Wine Pairings

Ok - So we all know that full bodied reds go well with steaks and light bodied whites goes with seafood. Great! So I know what to pair when I go out to a nice dinner!?!  But what about the rest of the time!?

The real question is: What goes with potato chips, chocolate, pizza, and all the other junk food we consume on our average Friday night with our friends! 

Well fear no more! Here is the Best Junk Food Wine Parings List that will leave you craving your late night guilty pleasure!


Oreos: Tannant

Sweet Potato Fries: Pinot Grigio

 Brownies: Cabernet Sauvignon

Bacon: Pinotage

Crab Ragoon:  Riesling

Spicy Wings: Gewurztraminer

Chocolate Cake: Malbec

Sandwiches: Sauvignon Blanc

Buffalo Chicken Dip: Torrontes

Cheeseburger: Merlo

Pumpkin anything: Viognier 

Pizza: Sangiovese

Potato Chips: Chardonnay 

  ChocolateCovered Strawberries: Pinot Noir 

Drop a line in the comments to tell me your favorite junk food wine pairing!
 
All these varietals (types of wines) can be purchased directly from my webpage! So skip running out to the store and have them delivered directly to you! To shop my wine cellar click  Here!

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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3 Things YOU Need to Successfully Start a Direct Sales Adventure

Now, you will hear many, many, many different things on what you need to be successful. I have seen advice from all over and from many experts. Some advice is very specific - "Do this, and ABC, followed by XYZ and then you will have success." While some of those blue prints work for some, it also leaves some confused and in the dark with what to do.

While I am not expert myself, just an enthusiast, I do happen to be one of the top recruiters for my company in just the short 2.5 years I have been with them. When I started - right away I was one of the top. And guess what? 
I had NEVER been involved with direct sales before,
I had NEVER read an article or book on direct sales,
I have NEVER worked in the sales industry,
and I live in a very rural AND poor area.

Say What? How can it be that someone like me emerges and within 3 months becomes recognized by my CEO as a stellar rock star?! Well I will share with you HOW. And it is just 3 simple tips. Three simple things you just have to naturally have or strive for. They can't be taught nor can they be bought. 

So have I peaked your curiosity yet? Are you ready? Here they are:

#1 Attitude
#2 Hard Work
#3 Luck

Now let's talk about these a little more and define them. Some of you might think: "Well I already have all of these and I am not successful." Well, that is clearly because you are wrong. 

"If you want to be successful the first step is to get out of your own way."    

(Hmmmm think about that one....)

#1 - Attitude. We all have it. Born with in. But can it be changed? No. But it can be nurtured and refocused. You have to be positive, adaptable, and reflective. You have to look at the world with the glass half full. You have to know when to let go and move onward & upward. And you have to be able to analyze, evaluate, and reflect upon your actions. I am not going to elaborate on this one piece because this has to come from within and it has to be present 100 percent of the time. You can either do it or you can't. And if you can't - you actually can with a lot of training - train your brain. This takes time, routine, and devotion. So let's hope you are born with this skill! If so, proceed to the next two tips.

#2 - Hard Work. When you start a business, you have to work it like a business. You get out what you put in and your result will not be instant. Expect what you do today to yield results in about 3-6 months. Building a business takes time. Think about it like this: If a new pizza shop opened in town, right next to your favorite pizza shop, are you going to run right over and try it out the day it opens? No! You might eventually try it on your own but in reality - you are not going to try it until you hear feedback/ recommendations from others  that say to try it! Direct sales is the same way! You need to set aside time to work on your business. How much time? Well that depends on how successful you want to be in 3 to 6 months. This step I do recommend that you reach out to uplines, watch company training, and follow a gurus on social media. (Personally, I highly suggest Ray Higdon or any of his prodigies.) Be a sponge! Soak up ever piece of info you can and apply it! (This is part of analyze, evaluate, and reflect that I mentioned in step number 1.)

#3 - Luck. It is what it is. Some of us have it, and others do not. Well this is simply not true. You create your luck. Only you can put yourself in circumstances that will advance you. I truly believe luck is based on the people & environment you surround yourself with. I was once told: "You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with." (Reflect upon that statement, analyze, and evaluate.) Is that a powerful statement or what? It is so true. So if you find yourself in the business with "no luck," think about who you are surrounding yourself with because you can control that.

Well, there you have it. The 3 things you need to successfully start a direct sales adventure.

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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How to tell Crap Wine from Good Wine!

Awww! A very important question! How do YOU tell crap wine from gooooood wine!?! It is actually fairly easy - but before we get to the exact science, lets talk a little about wine.

Not all wines are created equal. I am sorry - but they just are not! Many manufacturers of wine take short cuts in order to produce more wine faster! (They produce wine for profit, not for passion.) Now does that mean they are not tasty? Nope - they can be tasty! THAT is part of the problem! Chances are if you have indulged in large production wines, you enjoy them but had no idea what the difference was between that $6 bottle of Shiraz versus that $20 bottle. You were purchasing based on price rather than value. Let me share a little bit about big production wineries. Take that $6 bottle of Shiraz. It tastes like it has been aged in oak. It is simple and gets the job done, but with what consequences? Red wine headache? Maybe a rash? Horrible hang over? You probably always assumed these are the results of just drinking wine. WRONG.... this is the result of poor quality wine! Large wine producers only care about profit. Instead of aging the bottle of Shiraz to the proper time in an oak barrow, they instead added a powder to it that makes it taste like it has been aged in oak! WHAT? Yup! And if they did that to create a faux flavor profile, what else have they added to that wine too? YUCK!

Quality wine producers allow their wines the time and natural processes they need. Why? Because they are producing wine for the art of it, not the profit of it.

So how can you tell if your wine is of quality? Price? (Nope - not always an indicator but it is a step in the right direction.) Ready?  It is the length of the aftertaste.  The quality in all wines is based upon the length of the aftertaste. Huh? Really? What does this mean?

Grab a glass of wine and let's experiment! (Yay! A science experiment for adults!) Hold a sip of wine in your mouth for several seconds. ( I know this will be hard for some of you- bear with me!) Once the wine is in your mouth for several seconds you will experience 3 waves of flavors:
Attack - In the foretaste the wine is announcing itself to you. Here you will experience the fruity and sweet flavors that the wine might have.
Evolution - Next acidity amplifies the flavors in the attack.
Finish - Finally the flavors begin to fade away. The length of the finish will determine the quality in the wine. The longer the aftertaste, the better the wine!

Your Homework: So I want you to go to the store, buy 1 mass produced bottle of wine of a certain varietal and then buy 1 bottle of wine that is made by a small winery or estate that is the same varietal. Go home and pour out 2 glasses of wine. Take a sip of the mass produced wine and hold it in your mouth and see if you can determine the 3 waves of flavors. Count how many seconds it takes for the aftertaste to finally fade away. Now do the same with the other wine. What did you notice? Since they are the same varietal you should taste similar tones but you will notice that the quality wine lasted much longer AND the flavor intensity is more pronounced!

Now like I said before: In no way, shape or form am I saying mass produced wines are horrible. That is simply not true and should be considered an opinion and not a fact. Consider them as the "McDonald's" of wines. While we all love a good McDonald's burger from time to time, we just simply know not to have high expectations for that burger. We know quality and time was not put into that burger when it was made - no matter how much you are 'just lovin in'. Now think about when you go to a fine steak house. You know that steak you ordered has been delicately prepared by a chef and personally cooked and prepared for you. Time and quality was put into that steak. You can consider smaller production wine companies and estates to be the "steakhouse."  Now when you look at wines with this analogy, you will have a better understanding of quality of wines!

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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Four Reasons Why Prospects Tell Us No When We Offer Our Opportunities

 Four Reasons Why Prospects Tell Us No When We Offer Our Opportunities

In an ideal world, we want to offer our opportunity to everyone and have them join our team. There is no bigger pleasure then signing on a new team mate! We get pumped up, we call another teammate and boast a little, we feel like we are at the top of the world, and we even become a little smug. 

But in reality we often hear our prospects say:

“I have to think it over."

" I am really busy right now, I just do not have the time."

 "Let me talk about it with my spouse." 

Or this one kills me - " I do not have the money right now."

 (I could go on a serious rant about this one but I will spare you all... )

Question: What's next? How do you turn those “not nows” into “right nows” ??

Answer:  PROPER FOLLOW UP

Following up simply means we have great conversations with our prospects and they look forward to chatting with us again.

It is said that average decision take 7 follow up! 7! Ekkkkkk! And, well… that’s only the average. We will all aim to do it in much less with the right tools! But first we need to understand WHY people say no!

 

Why people say "No" to our opportunity.  

#1 Bad Timing

•                Loss of job
•                Working too many hours
•                Moving
•                Family Issues
•                Relationship difficulties

 #2 Distractions - Humans by nature are easily distracted. That's why sticky notes were invented.

#3 Bad Sales Presentation - We have all witnessed this before - usually in form of TV commercials but a bad pitch can be just as horrible. It is never a good thing when your prospector can not wait for the conversation to be over!

#4 Bad Skills

Prospects smell incompetency – They want to join the biz with someone who has the skills to get them there! Does this mean YOU have to be successful? NO? Your success in the business has VERY LITTLE to do with your ability to be HUMAN and offer help!

So we cannot control #1 or #2 but we can at least control #3 & #4

Here is a follow up secret that will make the difference:

Prospects do not understand everything about our business AND THEY DON’T NEED TO until they are IN the business. Don’t get caught up with those details!

THIS is what prospects ONLY care about : HOW the business will change their life! What they are looking for is a trusted path and a trusted guide for their future success.

They want to know if:

               #1 – You know WHERE you are going

               #2- You know HOW to get there

               #3- YOU have the SKILLS to teach them how to get there

We also need to know what our prospects want out of this opportunity. If we do not know what our prospects are looking - then how can we serve them? If you know what is important to them – then you won’t waste you time presenting material that is of no use to them. How do we find this out? By listening to what they are saying. BE A LISTENER! (Stay tuned for future blogs on this topic.)

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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CHEERS!

4 Uncommon Varietals That Picky Wine Drinkers Will Adore

Four Uncommon Varietals That Picky Wine Drinkers Will Adore

Throughout my journey as a Wine Guide, I have had the pleasure of trying many different types of varietals. A varietal means a certain type of wine / grape. Everyone has heard of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Moscato, but rarely do people venture off the trail of popular wines. Why? Because we tend to drink what has been recommended to us or what we see others drinking. 

Well fear not! I am here to recommend 4 fine Varietals to try! 

Please note - For your convenience, I am going to picture current bottles that Traveling Vineyard sells as references because I have personally experienced each once of these wines. Plus, these bottles are exceptional buys! Any of the following pictured wines can be purchased directly from www.shop.winwithwine.biz

1 - Sangiovese (san-jo-vay-zay)

From: Typically found in Italy (it is actually Italy's top wine that is produced.) It was first introduced to the US in the 1980s. 

Description: Normally high acidity red, packed well with tannin. Traditional styles are famous for herbaceous flavors such as tomato leaf, dried flowers, thyme, and black pepper. Cool climate wines will produce a more dominate red currant to roast tomato tone while warmer climate's will produce a blackberry to raspberry tone.

Price Range: $15-$20

Pairs well with: Rich meats and tomato based dishes such as lasagna, mom's spaghetti and meatballs, and even pizza! (When in doubt - pair with Italian!)

Recommended if you enjoy: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo,

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Santoreggia -2014 Sangiovese

2 - Pinotage (pee-no-taj)

From: Most widely planted in South Africa. (Ohhhh exciting right!) It is actualy the most planted red grape in all of South Africa. It was created by a scientist who wanted to find a hardier strand of Pinot Noir to grow (since Pinot Noir's are so finicky.) However, do note that it tastes nothing like Pinot Noir. (Fire that scientist!)

Description: Normally high in body and alcohol. (YIPPEE) This wine also packs plenty of bold flavors. Cool climate wines will produce more red cherry and black cherry notes while warm climate wines will produce a fig or blackberry tone.

Price Range: Avoid cheap variations because they will be no good! Shoot for $15-$20.

Pairs well with: roast duck, lamb, Tex-Mex, mushrooms, black beans, arugula, and Cajun dishes

Recommended if you enjoy: Australian Shiraz, Petite Sirah, high priced Cabernet Sauvignons

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Burl - 2014 Pinotage

3 - Gerwurztraminer (geh-vurz-traminer)

From: Planted in France, Germany, Ukraine, and the USA.

Description: High in alcohol and fruit tones but low in acidity. Ranges from dry to medium sweet. Cool climates wine will produce a tangerine to rose tones while warm climate wines will have guava to lychee- nut tone. 

Price Range: $10- $15

Pairs well with: Anything spicy, crab, lobster, chicken, roasted veggies, and pork. Great Super Bowl Wine!

Recommended if you enjoy: Beer - many beer drinkers enjoy the hops like tones. 

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Screaming Goat - 2014 Gerwurztraminer

4 - Moscatel (mos-ka-tell)

From: Most often grown in South Africa and often is confused with Moscoto.

Description: Highly perfumy, with a juicy mouth feel, and well balanced with acidity. Tends to have a distinct "grapiness" and can also display tones of citrus or peach.

Price Range: $10 - $15

Pairs well with: Mangoes, peaches, pumpkin pie, blue cheeses, or pears. Personally enjoy this one by the beach or from my back deck.

Recommended if you enjoy: Pinot Gris, or Semi Sweet Rieslings

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Smirk - 2015 Moscatel

Well there are your 4 picks for picky wine drinkers to try! Trust me, I am a picky eater and drinker - so if I enjoyed them - I ensure you, you might as well too!

As always, I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

Make sure to follow me on instagram as WinWithWine

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CHEERS!