VILLAGE OF ELGIN WINERY - BEST WINERY IN SOUTHERN AZ...HANDS DOWN!

  As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of wines in the Southern Arizona region (over 14 years of first-hand experience and going strong), I have to say, hands down, that the best wines come from The Village of Elgin Winery in Elgin, Arizona (Click here to visit their website).  Today I made my tri-annual trek to the Sonoita wine belt to restock my cellar and this is always my first stop.  I know exactly what I want when I arrive  and if there are any new arrivals on the scene, I’m ready to sample. 

Three labels can be found in the charming tasting room:  The World Famous Tombstone Family of Wines®, The Four Monkey Wines®,

and The Village of Elgin Wines™.  

Of the “Monkey” variety, my favorite flavor is that of the Naughty Monkey, “A Moscato with great body and a honey and cream texture”.  See, even the name suits me (insert chuckle here).  Of the “Tombstone” variety, I quite prefer the Tombstone Madame which boasts, “…a blush wine with intense fruit and superb balance.”  Of the “Village” variety, I love most of them, my top favorites being

Karina, “…German-styled wine, Riesling and colombard. Full fruit and juicy texture,” Bisbee Copper, “…Great balance and super long finish. Great fruit flavors and pairs perfectly with spicy foods.” Alesecia, “A sweet Ros’e of Cabernet with candied cherry and pineapple flavours,” and last but definitely not least, Maria, “Floral and ripe fruit notes.  Finishes long.  Formally the G, ask if you dare.”  The Maria is a wonderful dessert wine and the tease in its description certainly lead me to “dare,” so I asked.  It seems this wine once was dubbed as “The G Spot” by some of the women who worked at the winery.  After sampling this fruity tease, I bought some on the “spot,” (pun intended).  

All of the wines are very reasonably priced, and this comes to you from a girl on a shoestring budget!

This day I had the pleasure of meeting Gary Reeves, one of the owners of this fine, family-owned wine palace.  He was friendly, accommodating and very knowledgeable, answering all of my 120 questions with ease and a smile.  

If you should find yourself in the area, or even if you don't, it is well worth the trip to this beautiful part of Arizona to add any and all of these five-star, award winning wines to your private reserve. 

 

AGE DISCRIMINATION

I’m not sure when it happened exactly, but lately whenever I put in applications for jobs of various types, I seem to lose out to the younger, less qualified age group.  This is bullshit.  I am lucid and able-bodied and I don’t understand why I always have to try harder and fight longer for a job that I can do in my sleep.

Okay I don’t want to get started on all of the things that are fucking screwed up in this country, but how crappy is it that you work hard all your life (I’ve been working since I was very young) and then you get kicked in the teeth and tossed aside because you are viewed as being a bit long in the tooth.  Puh-leeeez.  I’m even willing to settle for less pay if I have to just to get the job but I get passed over time and time again. 

I also don’t understand why it happens internally.  You would think that a reliable, responsible person who has been with the company for years and grown and learned all of the corporate ways and policies, would be first choice for hiring within and promoting forward and upward.  I have worked at companies where I was passed over for years and then, just when I get ready to find another job, I’m suddenly a viable candidate. 

It saddens me that we still have age discrimination, hell it saddens me that we are a very discriminatory country in general and in all aspects, but the fact that we barely take care of the people who worked so hard to make and keep this country alive while paying taxes and working their asses off, is really sad, not to mention bad Karma.  What if it is this bad Karma that has come around threefold and put the country into the place we are now?  Great going government.  Way to take care of your own.

A NEW BEGINNING

Beginnings come from many things in life, physical birth, new jobs, new families, new love, etc.  My favorite new beginning however, is that of a new attitude. 

My current, new beginning comes from letting go of a poisonous relationship and moving forward with knowing and really liking myself.  I have tackled so many issues lately and I am thankful for the new self-esteem I've built and a way to move deeper into faith by being Christian/Wiccan (Yes, it is possible).  I will never preach or talk to people about my religious beliefs, but for purposes of the topic of this blog I mention it as part of my new beginning.  I have my altar set up exactly how I want it and I'm so excited by how I feel now when I meditate and quit letting the OCD in my head talk in crazy circles 24/7. 

It it my wish for all of you that if and when you find yourself not enjoying your life as it is and feeling stagnant and/or sad and frustrated, that you will find a way to make yourself a new beginning by just adjusting your attitude and changing whatever you need to to bring yourself to that happy, exciting and/or contented place in which you wish to be, even if that means letting go of the reins for a spell.  Control is not really ours to manipulate and it can be very tiring believing that it is and worrying all the time about things turning out the way you wish they would.  The one thing we can control is the way we view things.