Prosecco vs. Champagne

It appears my favorite is winning! 

I've been a fan of Prosecco over Champagne now for a few years

thanks to some friends who won us over with their favorite bubbly. 

Prosecco sold 3 million more bottles than Champagne last year

for the first time ever. 

And with that, the French Champagne region 

is beginning to take notice. 

I like it because it has fewer bubbles.

The public also likes it because it is less expensive than Champagne

and apparently takes less time to produce. 

Prosecco is made from the Glera grape,

also once called Prosecco, in the Veneto region of Italy,

probably another reason I like it! 

It is also used in Venice's famous Bellini Cocktail,

invented by Harry's Bar founder, Giuseppe Cipriani, sometime in the 1930's or '40's. 

In the early 1500's, 

Prosecco was considered the heir to the Pucinian wine,

a favorite of Pliny the Elder.

It can be sparkling or still,

dry or sweet,

but most often dry and sparkling. 

Next time you celebrate with bubbly,

give ancient Italy a try! 

(Photo from Henly Literary Festival 2011)

(Info from Wiki and Total Wine's Guide to Prosecco)

What Matters Most~ Buddhist Thought for the day

"Each morning we are born again.

What we do today is what matters most." 

~Buddha

Have been on a little end-of-summer hiatus. Please excuse my absence.

I was looking for a Buddhist quote about time and found this. 

It is such a gift to remember that today

---and the present moment---

are what really matter most. 

Eckhart Tolle calls the present moment

the main portal into spiritual awakening.

Every morning that I awake,

I try to make connecting with the divine

the first thing I do. 

My morning meditation is often about maintaining that connection,

staying in the present

and then setting my intentions. 

But it can often become filled with the minutiae of my day.

That movement of gently bringing thoughts back to the present 

is what I need to fill my day with.

I mean really, if the minutiae insists on being part of my meditation,

then my meditation should insist on horning in on the minutiae. 

Let's just try that for awhile. 

What they call mindfulness. 

May your day be filled with peace 

and presence. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen

Taken in Sonoma, CA.)