“If sack and sugar be a fault, God help the wicked!”

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Aliye M.

Wine in its many forms has been gracing tables, parties, flasks and more for hundreds of years. With technological advances and better production some things have changed, some things have stayed the same and some things have been forgotten. But in celebration of the Bard himself, Shakespeare Santa Cruz and the spirit of exploration Sones Cellars has created their very own Sack. Oxidized, fortified and sweetened – Sack was once what passed for white table wine in Elizabethan England. White wine was imported from Italy or Spain. But given the limitation of the times upon arrival in England the wine would have spoiled and been oxidized. To return it to a drinkable state it would have been fortified with either brandy or sherry and then sweetened. After doing the research the Sones’ created their own – awesome – version. Served warm, cold or mixed in a cocktail it is a fun taste of history.

Last night I joined the Sones family and the Sones Cellars Family – for a picnic and a wonderful – and Sones Cellars sponsored – performance of Henry V in the UC Santa Cruz Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen. (Shakespeare is always better when it’s performed outside, don’t you think?)

The past two seasons, Shakespeare Santa Cruz has put on performances of Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2 – the inspiration for the research, creation and bottling of the Sones Cellars’ Sack. Of course, much of the historical record about Sack comes from Falstaff’s famous drunken soliloquy in Henry IV Part 2. It follows then that this year the festival added Henry V to the line up. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area I highly encourage you to make the trip to Santa Cruz visit the Sones Cellars tasting room to try some Sack and enjoy a performance of either Henry V or Taming of the Shrew. I can say that Henry V was magical and I can’t wait to see Taming of the Shrew.

Click here to visit the Sones Cellars website.

Click here to learn more about Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

Visa Visa Visa

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Aliye M.

Whew! It’s done! And despite a meltdown, a mostly sleepless night (two to be perfectly honest), a bit of scrambling and a lot of stress – I got approved for my student visa. Yay! Happy dance!

I have to return to the consulate in San Francisco in about 10 days to pick up my passport and my shiny new visa. But otherwise I feel like the biggest departure hurdle has been cleared. Of course I still have a lot to do – booking a plane ticket from Paris to Bordeaux, paying tuition (yikes!), packing (double yikes!) – but I finally feel like things are winding down toward departure. Now I can turn my attention towards getting on the plane on September 10^th.

I do need to say a big thank you to those of you who helped with last minute official documents, peeling me off the ceiling as I had a meltdown and those who kept me sane in general. You know who you are! And I wouldn’t have pulled this off without you to keep me going.

Ta for now!

Welcome!

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Aliye M.

Bienvenue! Welcome to Cuvee Appeal! This blog will be the chronicle of my adventures as I move to France to get a Masters in Wine Business Administration.

This adventure began with a whirlwind 5 weeks in early spring. I downloaded the application to prepare to speak with a wine maker who received her degree from Davis. After I downloaded the application I learned that I had to complete the application within two weeks! A late night interview, a sleepless night, and a few short weeks later I had been accepted to the INSEEC Bordeaux International Wine Institute.

It’s now the end of July and things are moving quickly. I have booked a plane ticket, tentatively leased an apartment – sight unseen, eep! – revamped my wardrobe (always important), bought a suit case, and completed the first stage of my visa application.

Now the waiting games begin…. I am waiting for approval to book an appointment at the French consulate in San Francisco and complete the visa process. Of course in typical bureaucratic fashion the process hasn’t been seamless and I am starting to worry. But fingers crossed all will work out in the end.

Then the real fun begins – the packing!!! Having previously moved across the continent and across the Atlantic I can testify that packing your entire life into two 50 pound bags and two carry-on’s isn’t fun. For me or – as she will testify – for my mother who is always the one who helps. Thanks in advance.

I’m looking forward to sharing the rest of the adventure with you! Sit back, sip that perfect glass of Pinot, and stay tuned!

A plus tard!