Busy September

Hello Folks,

Everything has been bustling and fun over here at the tasting room. In fact, the whole town of Arcata has exploded with activity since the students are back at Humboldt State. I’ve had a great time taking with anxious parents dropping off their freshman. So far a glass of wine has been the perfect antidote for empty nest jitters.

We have had our own flurry of activity here. The restaurant and bar are really starting to take shape and it’s going to be gorgeous! I have it on good authority that they will be open in March.

Also, in the very near future we have plenty of events happening. Salsa dancing will be in full swing this Wednesday. The very next day we have our fantastic musicians for Irish Music Night.  Then, on Sunday we have Cynthia Brando playing at 6pm. Hope to see you at one of these great events!

Tango: the men's dance?

It’s a muggy day here in Arcata and if you are anything like the rest of the people in the tasting room you could use a glass of sangria.

Tango night was great fun last night. There were experienced tangeros giving their best tango face and raw beginners working out the basics.  I even bumbled my way through one song. I would never have thought to attempt the dance that inspires images of men with greased back hair chomping a rose while leading their smoldering partner in a purposeful march. Since the tango class landed in my lap I thought I would try it out. 

After crushing his toes my partner was still willing to talk with me about how intimidating tango can be. To my complete amazement he confessed that he finds salsa, the other dance night we have here, to be more intimidating. I’m barely proficient at salsa dancing but the beat feels so natural I never find it hard to fake it. In my unofficial survey, which consists of going dancing at clubs, women tend to shake their booties more readily than men. Another tangero chimed in his agreement, explaining that he has a hard time allowing his body to flow in the rhythmic way that salsa requires and tango does not. When he started taking classes he was immediately comfortable in the structure of the tango while still enjoying the sensuality of it. Both of these tangeros conceded that neither are easy dances to master for either one of the genders but the tango can be more accessible to some men. So, for all you guys out there who have been avoiding your lady’s invitation to take that romantic dance class come and check out our tango classes; you just might love it. 

Welcome!

Thanks for coming over to check out our new blog. My name is Mahayla. If you have stopped into the tasting room before odds are I was the girl chatting you up behind the bar. I spend a decent chunk of my life at the tasting room and I love it! We have a beautiful space, I am surrounded by gorgeous wines and, best of all, great people are stopping in all the time.
Here are some things I am going to be giving you folks the inside scoop on:

• new releases
• wines hitting their peak
• the progress of the restaurant and bar 
• upcoming musical and dancing events
• some of the interesting topics that come up in wine bar conversation daily

So swing on over to the tasting room for a glass the '08 Pinot Noir, my current favorite, or check back in here for some more cellar rumors.