Hi everyone!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have started my maternity leave.

Before going on leave, I was attempting to get as much material done as possible so I wouldn’t feel “behind” on writing my newsletter, but have since realized that was an unrealistic expectation, especially since I’m so close to my due date (which is…

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This past month, the world felt like it has slowed down. Then on Saturday, July 13th, I think we all felt a shift.

The news Saturday was overwhelming. I feel overwhelmed and frankly exhausted that more fuel was potentially added to the fire.

I’m already nervous about the future and what it might look like for my son. …

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Before we continue to the main text, some new items:

Announcements:

1. Introducing: woof winery adventure!

   Woof Winery Adventure is a new section that I will be occasionally posting to highlight wineries and other dog-friendly locations that I have visited with Katara. Since it’s a natural combination of wines and dogs, it will be the alternati…

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Summer is officially here!

In the past weeks, San Francisco has been serving us hot, sunny weather or cool, foggy breezes.

Also, due to the upcoming move, I’ve been trying to spend as much time on the beach with Katara as possible. She loves to run the beach, splash in the water, and chase the seagulls. Whenever she realizes…

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May was exciting and full of new milestones. Here are the highlights.

1. I finished my draft of Maenad with the Stowe Story Labs Feature Campus Program. Coming in at 118 pages, this is my first feature film draft. Finishing Maenad, especially in the environment I wrote it in, was wonderful and fulfilling. Now I have editing…

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Wines & Woofs took an unexpected, but not surprising, short break and is now back! And just in time for Saturday’s National Wine Day.

I hope this weekend you find a great glass or bottle of wine and share it with your friends outdoors amongst the flowers and trees.

Or if you’re my sister and are currently dealing with some late-season snow flur…

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I bet you haven’t even considered that Japan has a small, but growing wine industry.

If you read a previous post, you might be aware that I’m currently pregnant with my first child and I was going on vacation to Japan after my WSET Level 3 exam was completed. Obviously, I’m only tasting and not drinki…

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I’m currently buried under all my WSET Level 3 study materials as my exam is next week!

My brain is a bit fried at the moment trying to remember how different fortified wines are produced, as well as what every single French word means (you guys… French is NOT my language), so I have an older post for you. This post was originally written …

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As I cram for my upcoming WSET Level 3 wine exam, I’m trying to remember to “enjoy the little things”. After all, that is one of the core values of this newsletter.

But honestly, I’m so sick of studying.

If you really look at it, I’ve been in a classroom setting since graduating college ten years ago— business classes at City College of…

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Happy March 1st!

Recently, my husband and I went to a small, cozy pizzeria. The local establishment tucked away on a side street in San Francisco was extremely charming, warm, and homey, which felt needed on a rainy day. The pizza and pear tart were excellent, while our wine was served in French tumblers. Even though …

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I used to like it when it rained.

Where I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, not only did it rain often, but there seemed to be perpetual gray clouds looming over the region for seventy-five percent of the year. But since this was the time of my life where I was “growing up”, and therefore had no actual responsibilities of my own besides getting that week…

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Except, I’m not going to try to demystify wine for you. There are plenty of (good) wine professionals and enthusiasts out there already doing an amazing job at that— I’m even following a few of their Substacks. What I’m going to do is invite you along with me (virtually) and just enjoy drinking the rotten grape juice. We will discuss art, literature, adventures, places, dogs! Especially dogs.

Your family and best friend might be tired of listening to you chat endlessly about how adorable your fuzzy best friend is, but I’m not. I’m totally here for it. Dogs are amazing. I want photos, videos, and to hear about that funny thing they did last Thursday. Besides, the best thing in life is drinking a glass of wine outside with your dog. That is three things that produce dopamine in one experience. Name something better.

This is really what Wines & Woofs is about. It’s about slowing ourselves down and being present. It’s about the experience. It’s about love. And just like a couple of #besties4ever that charter a van to go wine touring in Napa (or wherever), wine can be both the catalyst, instigator, and/ or facilitator to discovering a bit more about ourselves (and those besties).

So, as we move forward, here is what you need to know about me (the writer of Wines & Woofs).

• First and foremost, I’m a multi-disciplinary artist. “What does that mean?”, you might ask (or didn't)— I’m going to tell you. It means I’m very passionate about a lot of things (and I’m pretty good at these things, too). I’ll share my art and passions with you as things come up and develop.

• I am also a certified sommelier (CMS level 2), with a speciality in Pacific Northwest wines. Even though I might have only been to the PNW three times in my life, I find the wines to be pretty tasty (and there seems to be a lot of sommeliers who know all about French and Italian wines— dare to be different?). There will be plenty of wine articles on here, especially if you ask questions in the comments.

• When I pair wine, I pair with dogs to pet. That’s my thing and I’ve been doing it since 2020. You want a food pairing? Google it. You want me to pair a wine to your nine-year-old one-eye pitbull? I got you. (Okay, I miiightt talk about food occasionally… I do like to eat).

• I originally launched Wines & Woofs in Spring of 2023 via a Squarespace blog. I didn’t know what I was doing, was also trying to“demystify wine” and didn’t understand my voice (and how I wanted to present that). I’m clearer on that now. So, *SuperMash Bro announcer voice* ROUND 2.

So there you have it.

When you subscribe to Wines & Woofs, you’re subscribing to an adventure filled with wine, art, and exploration. Bring your dog. I will be publishing every other Friday.

~Kir

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Wines & Woofs

Kirsten Spalding