July 6, 2011
The End Is The Beginning Is The End…
:: WARNING :: Shameless selfish shout-out ensuing in 3… 2… 1…
I’m an MBA! I graduated! WAHOO! Sorry, totally unnecessary I know, but after two years of nerding out, forgoing a salary, and succumbing to Midwestern winters, I feel as though I have blogger’s prerogative to give myself a pat on the back. Aaaannd, my graduation is totally relevant to my latest Jessup chapter. Seriously.
See, with 500+ Kellogg grads all moving onto bigger and better things, there’s been a whole lotta *cheersing*, final hurrahs, and sad good-byes. With that also came a whole lotta purging {of the crappy Ikea furniture we’re hoping to one day move beyond}, packing, and all sorts of relocation logistics that makes moving to a new city a true pain. Most of the fancy pants employers that my friends will be working for shelled out the bucks to pay and arrange for professional pack + moves {yay!}, but then had weird rules and restrictions to keep track of {hmm…} such as no nail polish, cleaning supplies, aaaand wine {ohhhhh….}.
I know I’ve low-browed my own personal collection of vino, but my friends actually had quite a few great bottles that we simply, well, had to drink. It was a tall order to drink through all those bottles {I’m being facetious, obvi…}, and I decided to add to the challenge by sharing some of my Jessup bottles with my Kellogg loved ones. I couldn’t bring myself to open everything in my fun mystery case that Jessup sent my way, but I did uncork a few for the right place + time ::
Alfresco Grilling Done Right :: Colleen, Me + Jessup, & Evy
The Jessup Chard made its Midwest debut at an alfresco BBQ amongst a crowd of red-lovers. There was a slight hesitation when I offered the first blonde-colored pour, but one sip was all it took for people to understand that this wasn’t your ordinary Chard. Needless to say, the bottle was empty before I went back for my second taste … it was the true perfect pairing for the outdoor grill fete.
Chicago has an awesome BYOB dining scene, and our last Kellogg Cork + Screw Wine Club exec dinner was at Tango Sur … a wonderfully simple Argentine
The Last Cork + Screw Supper
steakhouse that is too busy crafting the best damn food you’ll ever drool over to have a normal website, yet has managed to collect 900+ Yelp reviews {a pretty big feat for a city that’s just so-so with its inventory of Yelp anecdotes}. I brought the Jessup Cabernet Sauvignon to compliment our meat-astic ordering. If I knew we were ordering one of every dessert at the end, I would have carried along the Jessup Ports too!
And speaking of those ports… My palate may have turned the corner on appreciating port wine. The Jessup Cabernet Sauvignon Port, Zinfandel Port, and Pinot Noir were all shared + enjoyed on a regular occurrence that I like to call :: Staying Up Way Too Late In The Apartment With Friends and Roommate Talking About Random Things Until The Bottle Is Empty. We had many of those nights during our two years in business school, but the last few with the Jessup bottles were even more special. Quality warm-fuzzy moments of sharing and bonding that will stay with me for years to come. Aww poo, I’m getting sad just blogging about this…
Okay, enough with the warm fuzzies. I have a busy summer of unemployment ahead of me :: my sister’s wedding, a move to Minneapolis, three weeks of wandering the roads of Switzerland | Germany | Italy, and of course – hosting my Jessup tastings! The first one will happen shortly and until I give you the deets + low down of how it goes… I’ll leave you with my current obsessions ::
Mackintosh Braun – I know nothing about this group except that I just can’t get enough. In the car, at the gym, on my power walks, with my morning paper + coffee… chances are, if you see white headphones dangling from my face, then there is some Mackintosh Braun buzzing in my ears.
Copy Cat Chic :: I decided to leave my pre-business school furniture in California and make my move from IL → MN easier by starting from scratch. I’m not sure how much wine I must have drunken when that decision was made because there is nothing easy about buying furniture with no paycheck. Good thing I have Reichel Broussard and her fabu blog. Everyday she features one amazing piece of furniture/décor and then shows were you can buy a me-too look-a-like for a fraction of the price. Genius. Pure genius.
Cedar’s Foods Hummus :: yes, I realize that hummus is pretty mainstream and there’s nothing particularly exotic or exciting about it… but I really can’t stop with the Cedar’s right now. It’s the perfect consistency and has an intensity suitable for garlic-fiends like myself. There have been many eye-witness accounts of the GInormous shovels of Cedar’s that I can fit onto one tiny little pita chip. Now if they would only come out with a sriracha flavor…
Anyways, like I said… my first tasting is just a few days away! Until then, stuff your face with some hummus + download a some Mackintosh Braun jammy jams. They both go great with your favorite Jessup bottle of choice. Your tastebuds + earbuds will thank you.
Xo
Jess
