Time To Decorate For Fall

My daughter has been busily pinning ideas to her Pinterest Halloween board lately, so naturally I thought of her this morning when I saw this display at Windy Acres Antique's Holiday Jubilee. Now that Autumn is officially here, it is time for mums, colored leaves, gourds, corn shocks and pumpkins.

My husband helped with interior fall decorating when he brought me these gorgeous roses yesterday.

I really don't decorate much for any season or holiday, but I certainly like this Autumnal vignette courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law. They brought me the beautiful mum plant and the wine when they were here last weekend. The mums go with my patio set perfectly, don't you think?

Both wines are new to me, which I appreciate because I love wine tastings. The one on the left is J.M. Fonseca's Twin Vines Vinho Verde (green wine). Not to be confused with Washington State's Columbia Crest Twin Vines, this winery is located in Portugal. The green wine reference is to its 'youthful character'. It is a crisp white wine with a slight sparkle.

Twenty days ago I wrote about the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs being my favourites, specifically Starborough. The wine on the right is Kono Wine of New Zealand, my brother's new favorite Sauvignon Blanc - mine too, now. The label says "Quality is the hallmark of KONO - created, owned and operated by our indigenous community." In Maori, Kono means food basket. This would be an excellent choice of wine to pack in a picnic basket.

I always love the label descriptions of a wine: "Our Kono Sauvignon Blanc showcases great aromatics of citrus, gooseberries and passionfruit within a typically powerful and flavor filled palate. Packed with juicy, ripe fruits, this wine has focus and purity with fresh natural acidity and a long, crisp and dry finish." Both Starborough and Kono wineries are located in the Marlborough region (northeast area) of New Zealand's South Island.

The slight effervescence of the Vinho Verde reminded me of a new Rose' I tried. It was one I bought when we 'toured' the big new Hy-Vee store in Urbandale - the one where I said their wine selection was disappointing. When I asked if they had any Rose' wines, the young lady said "We have this Spanish one." When I looked at the label, I saw that it is a Portuguese wine. Really? Spain. Portugal. Whatever. They're both on the Iberian Peninsula. Right?

The Gazela wine also had a slight sparkle. It reminded me of the Mateus and Lancer Roses' as the Vinho Verde made me think of the Lancer White. Much as I like the design on the Gazela bottle, I don't think I'll be going back to those wines of my younger days.

To my way of thinking, Mother Nature does the best job of decorating for fall. Here she has created a rainbow from the pond fountain, set against a backdrop of ripening crops. I toast her and celebrate the Autumnal Equinox with a glass of Kono vino.