For all you grasshoppers wine enthusiasts out there, this Kung Fu Girl Riesling by Charles Smith Wines is sure to pack the punch and put a small ding on your wallet.  By all means I am no wine connoisseur, but I have to admit this is one of the better tasting Rieslings I have had to date.  With a price tag of roughly $10 to $15, you can’t go wrong with this bottle.  Whether it is for those “just because” parties (maybe party of 1) or a nice gift for a friend, this Riesling is sure to leave a lasting impression!  Another great suggestion from West Lakeview Liquors (Chicago), my local neighborhood beverage store!

“Kung Fu Girl is filled with lush aromatics and tons of flavor.  On the nose, Kung Fu Girl is bursting with Asian pear, white peach and spring flowers. Apricot, pear, lime, and a pleasant minerality keep this off-dry wine at the perfect level of subtle sweetness.”

While visiting Palm Springs this past week - we spent a lot of time looking at real estate and architecture, a sort of evil passion.  Architecture has always inspired me, and what designers and architects do with materials never ceases to amaze me (unless it’s really tacky).  Because my passion is unusual living spaces, I tend to gravitate towards loft living with an industrial and contemporary feel.  While driving down the main drag in downtown Palm Springs, I hurried to a loft development of only 12 units, all for sale.  Depending on your preference—one side of the property looks over a bustling pedestrian friendly shopping corridor (conveniently housing most of the modern furniture stores) or the base of the serene mountainside.  Ranging from the Mid $500s to the Upper $700’s, it’s a relative bargain for a brand new property in a vacation hot spot.  For about $570,000, you get a completely outfitted 1400+/- sq foot, two story loft with high end finishes like Wolf, SubZero, Glass Mosaic Tile, etc.  Until recently, comparable properties would be selling for the upper 700’s without question.  For better or worse, the economic climate has made this property a great find.

Location :  803 N. Palm Canyon - Palm Springs, CA. 

Contact:  Windermere Real Estate (Michael Weitzel) 760-340-9253 [ see website ]