Semillon My Way

Hunter Valley. Semillon. Not knowing much about either I jumped at the opportunity to taste a small lineup of Hunter Valley wines; not only Semillon, although it was the star. Little did I know that as part of the experience I would be taking down Semillon Oyster Shooters with the winemaker!

Big thank you’s for organizing and hosting the event go out to Iain Riggs (winemaker & co-owner) and the team at Brokenwood Wines, Joyce Hulm and the fine folks at Old Bridge Cellars, the staff at Towne Stove& Spirits and the leadership of the Boston Sommelier Society. We were very well taken care of!

Not knowing anything about the Hunter Region (best known as Hunter Valley), except that it is located in Australia, I asked Iain Riggs to explain a little bit about the region. The Hunter Valley is located north and west of Sydney and is considered warm and sub-tropical. I did some research after the event, finding that the Hunter Region is considered one of Australia’s warmest and wettest regions. Temperatures range from the mid 70’s (F) at the height of the growing season to just below 40 (F) in the winter. The region’s proximity to the coast is a key influence, allowing for the cooler air and moisture to be drawn in from the ocean. One of the region’s challenges is rainfall (the average at Brokenwood is 29 inches annually) which can come heavy in that sub-tropical way some of us might imagine. And most of it comes during harvest months, creating significant hazard. The relatively higher humidity of the region also creates disease stress, something Riggs noted as a particular challenge for the 2012 harvest.

( The Hunter Valley extends Northwest of Newcastle on the coast. 

Approved use by WikiMedia Commons)

In 2012 Riggs completed his 42^nd harvest as a winemaker and his 30^th with Brokenwood Wines. When I quipped, “that’s a lot of us experience” his response was “yeah, it definitely is.” I asked how things had changed in 42 years working in the Australian wine industry and his response was less specific, yet no less telling. Riggs said, “wine works in cycles and I’ve seen quite a few of them.”  I didn’t get a chance to ask what the current cycle looked like, but we were gearing up to taste the first wine so a topic switch was reasonable.

Joyce Hulm from Old Bridge Cellars had set us up in the upstairs bar at Towne and proceeded to get the 2010 Semillon poured for everyone. I’ve had a couple Semillon’s from Australia before, but this was early on before I kept good track of what I was drinking so I have no useful recollection. I immediately pulled lots of lemon from the nose. The minerality and steeliness of the wine was also accessible in the nose. On the palate the wine married a bit of melon with the lemon and I found savory herbs hiding in the finish. There is some body here, but just a little bit to consider. In conversation with TJ & Scott comparisons to both Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc arose. The three of us kicked around the similarities and differences and considered the seafood pairing scenarios of each. Both are close but neither is a layup for me. Pinot Blanc is the closest, especially those that project a bit of creamy texture from neutral wood. Sauvignon Blanc is too grassy, green and the acidity is far too razor sharp for me to make the link. The finish of this wine is short (not to a fault) and all together the wine does not present as complex, rather very straightforward and VERY drinkable. The acidity is healthy, but not racing mad, and works very well as a palate cleansing function. This is a slam dunk for an aperitif or cocktail party wine. This and the other two Semillons we tasted next range in alcohol between 11 and 12 percent.

( Broken Wood Hunter Valley Semillon 2010. )

The next wine we tasted was the 2006 Oaky CreekSemillon. The reserve Semillon’s from Brokenwood are now released with six years of age. I anecdotally knew that good Semillon was age-worthy, but this was my first real test of that idea. The wine is creamy and herbal with restrained citrus and minerality compared to the first wine. The body is noticeably bigger and softer. Hints of lanolin made me think of Chenin Blanc. The mellowed acidity further enhanced the perception of body, but this is no flabby wine. This wine is also drinkable, but is a much different wine requiring different position than the first. Paired with seafood, lightly prepared white meats, some salads and steamed vegetables is where I would place it on the table.

(Iain Riggs tasting and discussing the nights' wines. )

Right about then the food arrived. Lobster pizza. A few moments later Riggs wandered over to where I was sitting and pulled up a chair. My immediate question was “how do you see your Semillons best paired with food.” Having already noted that I would expect seafood pairings to work, I was eyeing the lobster pizza. Riggs echoed this and as he was talking the raw bar consisting of oysters, prawns and lobster tails arrived. The flavors of the lobster on the pizza popped with the wine. The corn, honey, ricotta cheese layered on the thin crust all came together nicely.

( Lobster Pizza at Towne Stove. So good! )

Next up was the 2006 ILR (think winemaker's initials) Reserve Semillon. This specific wine was made from a single block in Oaky Creek vineyard, but the grape selection for this wine varies from year to year. The nose on this wine was the lightest of the three with more of a toasty, creamy shift. The wine tasted of lemon candy and lime curd, the texture and body helping to bring these flavors out, with only some of the minerality and herbal notes I found in the other wines. 

( Raw Bar at Towne Stove. If I have to! )

I’m not much for oysters on the half shell, but Riggs suggested a shooter whereby the Semillon was poured over the oyster while in the shell and that it be shot like that. With that encouragement I walked the walk. Pretty good. I don’t mind the brininess of oysters, but I did find that the 2006 ILR with its restrained acidity was slower to clean up the trail of the oyster than I am used to. I shot a second one with the 2010 Semillon and got the affect I was familiar with. That would be my recommended pairing from these wines for folks who like a quick and clean exit from oysters. The 2006 ILR Reserve wine was delightful with lobster tail and prawns. The flavors in both meats were readily accessible and were gently cradled by the creamy notes in the wine. Almost like having a little butter where there was in fact none.

Back to the age-worthiness. While we were talking Riggs said I should consider coming back to this very wine in five and then another ten years. He said they would still be lively and equally enjoyable the same way they were tonight. I asked him what an unusual pairing for an aged Semillon might be and he suggested lemon meringue pie. Both being acidic, he feels that the wine can stand up to the sweetness in the pie so long as it is tart and not overly sweet. I think that the creaminess in the wine and the texture and flavors in the crust would be worthy matches as well. Exceptional!

I then asked what he looks for in the reserve wines in order to the select them. Overall they are selected for their purity, balance and acidity, a primary indicator of the ability to take age. The desired results when the wines are aged is that stay balanced, the nest can offer up lime juice and talc. In describing the acidity he used what he said was a specific Aussie winemaking phrase, “line in length”. Clarifying the phrase, he said this is the “acid drive” in a wine. A young wine that has a line of acid right through it that is also in balance from beginning to end is said to have “line in length”. Such young wines are great young and have the potential to go on to be great aged wines as well.

( Brokenwood Shiraz. )

We finished the tasting with a migration to Shiraz. First up was the 2009 Hunter Valley Shiraz. I really liked this wine. It is dry and doesn’t all try to be juicy or meaty like some Aussir Shiraz is known for. Bountiful red and purple fruits play in the dry tannins and moderate acidity. There are vectors of spice and smoke, but not jarring or out of balance and the alcohol clocks in at 14%. The moderate finish contains some savory herbal or leafy note.

The final wine was the Graveyard 2007 Shiraz. This wine is made from grapes harvested from an mid-20^th century vineyard now producing Brokenwood’s flagship red. As Hulm was pouring the wine she explained that in Australia the Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz is considered the third best Australian wine only two steps down from Penfolds Grange. Wow, that is esteemed company! That said, this wine isn’t quite as expensive as Grange, but not by much. I don’t punish wine on price, but it does mean I will not have many future occasions to savor those higher price point wines that I enjoy at tastings.

The nose on the 2007 Graveyard is earthy with lots of red fruits. Just from the nose you know this is a bigger wine. And it definitely is, but I still feel is shows some restraint in the pantheon of Aussie Shiraz. Bold and spicy this wine definitely makes you stop and consider it. There is no doubt this is a wooded and aged wine, but again it is balanced and not at all hot. At 13.5% ABV is is bold, juicy, but not hot. The wine is not bone dry and has plenty of tannins to hold the structure of it together.

( Short rib pizza at Towne Stove. )

With the BBQ short rib pizza I preferred the 2009 Hunter Valley Shiraz. It is friendlier to food in my opinion, its austerity and restrained weight being more versatile, and I feel these attributes also  mean it can span a broader range of palates with or without food.

So what did I learn? Semillon is really great with seafood, but it presents much more opportunity than that. The right white wines, good Semillon in this case, can in fact be aged for several years before release and not miss a beat in the glass. When a winemaker says “you going to do an oyster shooter?”, unless you are allergic, you follow their lead and do it. Warm growing regions can produce wines with reasonable levels of alcohol that are still balanced overall. I had forgotten how much I enjoy well-made wines from Australia.

The title of this post could have also been “show me the way” and afterwards I could have happily asked "do you feel like we do?" Big thanks to Peter Frampton and Frampton Comes Alive for being the soundtrack to my late summer 

Cheers!

Jason

A Rhone By Any Other Name

I am participating in Wine Blogging Wednesday for the first time this month, and having recently returned from a trip to the Southern Rhone valley, the topic for installment #71 of the event is fitting. “Rhones Not From The Rhône” is this month’s topic, offering a pretty broad space to work in. Wines made from any Rhone varietal, or several, but not made in France ‘s Rhone valley was the charge. The wine could be white, red, pink, a varietal bottling or a blend.

What’s the big deal with Rhône wines you say? If you don’t know the wines at all it might be hard for me to explain it in a meaningful way, but I’ll try. If you are hardcore Cabernet lover, don’t sway from your beloved Chardonnay or are currently on a Pinot kick you might likely be missing something. Nothing is wrong with those wines, I drink all of them, but wines from the Rhone Valley (and those made from the same grapes and in similar styles elsewhere in the world) offer different experiences. The wines from the Rhone I most enjoyed on my recent trip were the red blends. Their complexity and breadth of aromas and flavors was captivating. I found violets up next to licorice and powerful combinations of smoke, leather and pepper that were definitely unique for me. Some of the grapes used in the Rhone are minor players, or are unused, elsewhere in the world. But from the Rhone you can experience them at their finest. These truths are known in other wine producing countries, like Spain and Australia, but are still emerging in the United States, where varietal usages of grapes like Syrah and Viognier are the norm.

I have actually made blends in this style at home three times in the last few years. They have added a nice diversity to my collection and have been strong crowd pleasers. The first two I made were from a Southern Rhone style winemaking kit that was primarily Syrah with Mourvedre. The most recent occasion was a different kit with Syrah, Mourvedre and influence from Grenache and other grapes typically found in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends. While the last one wasn’t as good as the first two, it has been a solid drinker and is almost gone! Suffice it to say that I am quite fond of wines made from these grapes.

For my wine review for #WBW71 I planned to taste and share a domestic Rhone style red blend. Finding one in a pinch turned out to be harder than I had expected, but that reality is notable as I will describe below. I searched for a selection from California in several stores with no luck. Unfortunately, I didn’t give myself enough time to source one that would require shipping so I had to alter my search. I had recently enjoyed a taste of the Penfolds Bin 138 GMS (Grenach/Mourvedre/Shiraz) and after a quick search found it at a nearby store. I certainly could have picked a varietal like Viognier or Petit Sirah and had several domestic offerings to choose from, but picking a blend gave me the opportunity to think back to the Rhone wines I recently tasted and see how one made elsewhere stacks up.

Penfolds Bin 138 GMS 2007

66% Grenache, 21% Mourvedre, 13% Shiraz
Garnet colored with some variation from rim to center. Pink/orange on the rim to garnet in the center.
Powerful aromas of blackberry, licorice, wildflowers and earth.
Spicy & juicy red fruits with some mushrooms and almost meaty flavors.
Sleek, with velvety tannins and a moderate finish.
The total package is assertive, but not abusive.

I could have sat and smelled this wine forever. I did want to taste it so I had to switch gears eventually. The structure of the wine is really notable. It is very sleek and focused, but not weak. The moderate acidity plays the role it should in the balance of the wine and demonstrates the beauty of the blend. This is definitely a different wine from those we tasted in Provence. It is juicier and fruitier than all but the youngest Rhone wines we tasted. The trade-off is more fruit for less earth, between the Aussie and French styles, but that isn’t surprising.

Interest in wine is exploding in the US so it might not seem like any one wine or style of wine would need cheerleaders, but Rhone style wines have them. Enter the Rhone Rangers, a non-profit organization that promotes American Rhone varietal wines. Qualifying Rhone Ranger wines do have to contain 75% or more of one or more Rhone varietals, which opens up many possibilities. The group sponsors tastings and educational events with member wineries all over the country. The membership is diverse with producers in California and Washington as you would expect, but also producers from the Central and Eastern US. Members include producers, growers, distributors, wine shops and fans. I recently joined as a Sidekick (consumer) member and will definitely be looking to visit member wineries when I am in VA and OR later in the year!
I suspect my difficulty in finding the type of blend I was looking for can be explained pretty simply. When it comes to domestic wines we are very varietally focused. Even with awareness of Bordeaux, Burgundy and wines from the Rhone I am betting that the knowledge of domestic Rhone style blends is less on the East Coast, where they aren’t produced, and shops don’t carry them or stock them heavily as a result. Writing about them and requesting them from the area shops will certainly go a long way to changing that.

I can’t wait to take a stroll through the other posts from #WBW71 and discover some new wines to try.

Cheers!

Jason

Kicking it with the #RWTastingCrew

I finally made it to my first Red White Tasting Crew wine tasting last night. With the good weather starting to filter in I hope to get to them on a regular basis.

Last night’s event was at Whole Foods on River Street in Cambridge. We don’t have Whole Foods in NH (yet) and I can’t recall if I have ever been in one before. I bet I have, but just don’t remember it. This particular location has a community room that is open to book events in. David from Whole Food explained that the room was open for booking by the public and for legitimate events there was no booking fee. Pretty cool!

( Dan & Cathy talking wine. )

Cathy from Red White Boston was particularly excited about this month’s event for a couple of reasons. First, Panther Distributing is a new wine distributor to the state of MA was on hand to showcase wines from Oregon and Australia that are just becoming available in the state. Secondly, she was hoping to continue to the conversation and research into using a badging system for identifying wines of note shared by Red White Boston through their smartphone app and other communications. I was definitely interested in seeing what came of this as well. I had been pretty vocal about not really seeing where badges fit during a vibrant Twitter conversation on the topic.

The first person I met was Melanie who tweets with the handle @kissmyglasswine. We have interacted a bit on Twitter before and of course recognized each other by our handles. We tasted the first couple of wines seated next to each other and I definitely enjoyed swapping tasting notes as we went. Her freewheeling, fun filled approach to wine tasting is a refreshing. I am definitely going to be looking for another chance to talk with Melanie.

We started off with the Brookman Wines Chenin Blanc 2008. This wine comes from the McLaren Vale Region in South Australia. The Mediterranean climate, thin soils and limited water during the growing season typically translates in considerable ripeness in the wines. Chenin Blanc is a minor grape, in acreage planted, for Australia and is typically used in blending. The nose isn’t huge on this wine, but it did present some pear and floral notes. I picked up flavors of melon, citrus and experienced the classic oily texture found in Chenin Blanc based wines.

Next up was the Vista Hills Oregon Pinot Gris 2009. I first had Pinot Gris from Oregon last May and my benchmark is the bottle of King Estate Signature Pinot Gris 2008 we enjoyed in a simple wine & cheese tasting in our hotel room in Seattle. I haven’t found anything yet that lives up to it. I found the Vista Hills to have subtle aromas and very light flavors. It was enjoyable, but not a stunner. It would work well with food, but only because it wouldn’t offer much to conflict for the food. This isn’t the type of pairings I am typically after.

From there we moved on to the Conte Estate Primrose Lane Chardonnay from Australia. This was the least exciting of the wines for me. When Cathy asked the crew for thoughts, I responded that I thought “it was hiding in the corner.” There was almost no aroma and while there were flavors of toast, smoke and a little peach the wine exited so fast you could easily miss them. I was surprised at this because Chardonnay from Australia has generally been much more lively in my experience.

I ran into Maureen the Boston Marketing Manager for Second Glass who sponsor the Wine Riots. I thanked her group for reprinting our two posts on their web site from the Boston Wine Riot last Fall. I understand things are going gangbusters for Second Glass as they expand the Wine Riots into more cities. This year’s in Boston is in April and I was sad to realize I would likely be missing it. Oh, always next time!

The next wine was the Linda Domas Shotbull Shiraz Rosé 2008 also from Australia. I have only had a few Shiraz Rosés in my life and each time has been a pleasure just because Rosé made from this grape is distinct. Bold with spicy notes true to the grape were right there for you to experience. I ended up finding that when paired with blue cheese the sweetness in the wine bumped up just a little, and I felt I enjoyed it more. Dan from Panther offered up some lore about this wine with the rumor that Linda (the winemaker) has been known to skinny dip in vats of the wine during its early life. Interesting, weird and a great way to sell wine!

While I filtered around and networked with other tasters I met Meesh from the Just Add Cheese blog. Another first meeting via Twitter handle recognition! We caught up a bit later as Cathy and I were talking about the Rosé. I mentioned my interest in thinking about where the berry flavors in the wine came from and what it might have tasted like prior to and during fermentation. As a winemaker I think of these things. Meesh was obviously curious about such a specific consideration and mentioned she was working to get better at recognizing flavors in wine. No small challenge and noble pursuit for sure. I recommended using foods that express those flavors to help create an imprint. My specific example was to get fresh berries, cut them up and simply sit with them for while. Take in the aromas, let them sit on your tongue for a time. Mush some up in your fingers and really get into it!

Our first red was the La Bete Selection du Cave Pinot Noir from Oregon. This wine is definitely in the Burgundian style which is not typical for American Pinots outside the Willamette Valley. I have enjoyed a few from this area before but have big plans on taking quite a few more down on our upcoming trip out there in September. This had a lighter aroma that I expected, but the earthiness and restraint in the flavors and body were there. I picked up red berries, mushrooms and a little bitter chocolate. I would drink this again, but I suspect in its very best years it would be better still.

The second red was the Brookman Wines “Cool Sands” Cab/Merlot 2009 from Australia. The aromas coming from this glass of wine stopped me dead. So potent and complex. Berries, plums, leafy greens, tobacco. All harmoniously jumping in and out of the glass. When you’ve got it, you’ve got it! The wine was balanced superbly with acid, alcohol and tannins all finely tuned to enjoy. I went back to this one later to enjoy it for just a little longer. This was my absolute favorite of the night and will be something I will be sourcing to have at home.

( The business of wine tasting looks hard! )

I didn’t catch the results from the badge voting, but Cathy promised to have it up in a blog post soon. I did share my additional considerations on badges with her and I can see where some of her target audience should embrace it in their wine pursuits. For me, and I suspect others as well, I may already be too specific in what I looking after for a badge to matter. Not really a problem, clearly an opportunity.

In the middle of tasting the reds I was introduced to Ray & Rachel from French Oak TV. We have been Twitter buddies for a while, but hadn’t had a chance to meet yet. Rachel is new to the team (she was impressed that I had read the blog from 2 days prior announcing her a new team member) and excitedly talked about the whiskey tasting she went to on Sunday at Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA. I am pretty jealous of that. I would have loved to take a shot at 200 whiskeys. There might have been consequences though! Her story prompted me to share my experience with the Vieux Marc from Barville the week before when in Provence. I capped that off, as I did in the post, with a reflection on sitting outside in Provence smoking a Cuban cigar drinking a tall glass of it. Man that was good!

The last wine of the evening was the Conte Estate The Gondola Grenache/Shiraz 2006. This wine was definitely richer than the “Cool Sands” but with just a little less aroma. I picked up blackberry in the nose and again in the flavors. Additional flavors of black pepper and licorice were finished with smooth, soft tannins. I definitely enjoyed this, and so did the group based on the voting, but I still gave me nod to the “Cool Sands”. Something about first impressions.

I made a quick exit from the event primarily because I had a train trip and a ride to get home and I was getting tired. Hopefully next time I can stick around for some more networking or an after party! I can’t wait to hang with this crew again!


Cheers!

Jason

The BostonBrunchers Land a KO with KO Catering & Pies

I was one of the lucky winners of 7 spots for brunch at KO Catering & Pies this past Saturday. There were several exciting aspects to this occasion for me including meeting new-to-me Boston food bloggers and getting to eat food from KO again.

KO has a small space designed for take-out on A street in South Boston. The kitchen space also functions as their base for catering and a truck that will be opening in 2011.

Our host Kara greeted us all as we arrived. KO had prepared a table for us to enjoy our brunch at with favors (Tim Tams!) for each of us to take home. We are invited to order anything off of the “Brekky” menu, which was complimentary for our event, with several special treats planned as well. We’ll get back to the food in a moment.

( these plastic Oragami-looking birds above our head was a nice decorating element )

This week I met my first Boston-area food bloggers. Only being in the city three days a week for work affords fewer opportunities than I would like. Connecting with a community of folks dedicating their time to food and beverage topics like I do is a key step in broadening my experiences, sharing my own and keeping the blog rolling. At this event I met Katie, Athena, Daisy, Rachel, Elizabeth, Kimmy, and our BostonBrunchers host Renee.

You can’t go wrong with a gang like this! The conversation ranged from what Vegemite is to whether you would trade a dishwasher for a washer & dryer in a typically small Boston apartment to dogs snoring at night to where to get a great burger in town. That’s a lot of ground to cover. Thank you to Renee for organizing and it was so exciting to meet everyone, something that seemed to be shared by all.

Kara indicated that our first special treat would be Vegemite on sourdough toast. I knew of Vegemite, a yeast extract spread, but had never had it. Some research ahead of time yielded the knowledge that Vegemite was originally made from spent brewer’s yeast and blended with spices to produce what has become a staple of Australians. I was prepared that it would be very salty and that stereotypically Americans don’t like it. Interesting.

( looks can be deceiving, but not this time. )

( I forgot to buy some, but I'll be heading back! )

The most straigtforward way I can describe it is that it tastes like very salty beef gravy. With some butter on sourdough toast it is excellent, and I can’t really see where any dislike would come from; except maybe the saltiness.

Elizabeth ordered the granola and passed it around to share. Kara indicated that they make it on site. It was very sweet and crunchy with what looked like dried cranberries, apples and bananas in it. I could see eating this for breakfast with some vanilla yogurt.

( you can almost taste it... )

I was last to order and at that point the menu had been covered pretty well, except for the Croque Monsieur. Feeling like we shouldn’t leave a man behind I ordered it. Smoked ham and provolone on sourdough bread grilled to a golden brown. The ham was very flavorful and the cheese was melted all over the place ensuring everything in one bite. As some of my readers well know I have a weakness for cheese and bread so getting some more of the sourdough bread was alright by me!!

( looks great doesn't it? )

I took some pics of a few other dishes as they came around. The cold food after photo shoot food blogger joke created some good laughs.

( sweet corn fritter with bacon & avocado )

The final special treat was the sausage rolls. When Margot and I had the KO pies at the Wine Riot in October I don’t recall seeing the sausage rolls on the menu. When I first took a look at the shop menu in anticipation of the brunch I knew I had to try some one way or another. First the photo.

( that will keep you coming back! )

Kara explained that they source the sausage from a local polish butcher and add their own secret blend of herbs and spices wrapping it all in their flaky crust. I hadn’t yet heard anything that would change my mind. The texture of the sausage was wonderful, so soft and yielding. The spice blend was balanced nicely and the finish with the crust surely made me happy.

A final act of sampling was set in motion with the order (Elizabeth again who has a self-professed sweet tooth) of one serving of the Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream. I had one small bit of this and it was amazing. I might come back for just this sometime! It had lots of flavors going on and was warm and sweet. A great way to finish a fantastic meal.

( it looks so good and it follows through! )

Australians definitely have a sense of humor. As evidence I offer the caption below the clock showing the local time hanging on the wall. Pie time!!

There was a flurry of activity at the register before we all headed off to our respective next destinations. I ordered four pies and two sausage rolls to bring home for future enjoyment. I felt like I need a security guard to keep my treasures safe!

I took a few shots of treats waiting in the warmer. If this doesn’t make you hungry you might want to check your pulse.

I am looking forward to future opportunities to go out with the Boston Brunchers. Monthly events are being planned and the mix of faces at each event will likely change so there should be something new for everyone in the coming months. You can follow the group on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with what is going on and when the next chance to win a spot will be.

A huge thank you is must for KO Catering & Pies. Both Kara and Sam took great care of us on Saturday morning. Much thanks also goes out to Renee for organizing the event. She was talking about logos and the web site for the group during brunch. Hardcore!

( the BostonBrunchers at KO. photo thanks to Kimmy. )

You see lots of smiles and from the wrap-up above I am confident this should be no surprise. I enjoyed my time with the Boston Brunchers and hope some of my readers will check out KO Catering & Pies when they have the chance.

Cheers!

--Jason


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”