Wine Adventures with Stacy Lynn

Wine Adventures with Stacy Lynn Just a WSET Level 1 gal wanting to share my adventures as I continue learning through my wine journey

This Refucilo Malbec Rosé Sparkling wine feels like it is living in two seasons at once ✨I brought this bottle with me w...
08/09/2026

This Refucilo Malbec Rosé Sparkling wine feels like it is living in two seasons at once ✨

I brought this bottle with me when visiting my daughter on a hot August day, but her house was already decorated for fall 🍂 Pumpkin spice candles, warm tones, and all the cozy vibes. Somehow, this wine felt perfect for both.

This is that time of year, that in-between moment where it is still very much summer, but you can sense fall is right around the corner. It is hot and humid, but you can start to feel the shift. The cicadas are loud, the sun sits a little lower in the sky, and the light feels different.

This wine fit right into that feeling.

🍷 Refucilo Malbec Rosé Sparkling – Mendoza, Argentina
☀️ Perfect chilled for summer
🍁 Equally at home with candles, sweaters, and cozy vibes

Are you still in summer mode, or are you already thinking about fall?

Some days I select wine to be paired with dinner. Other days, I select dinner to be paired with wine. Yesterday was a “...
07/26/2026

Some days I select wine to be paired with dinner. Other days, I select dinner to be paired with wine. Yesterday was a “dinner to be paired with wine” kind of day.

The wine: Refucilo Reserve Dos Rayos 2020 Torrontés (Valle de UCO, Mendoza, Argentina) available here in Pittsburgh from our friends at Refucilo Wine. This is one of my favorite hot summer day white wines!

This wine is fascinating. The first thing you notice is the aroma—a very intense floral bouquet that might make you think you’re about to sip something sweet. But when you taste it, it is completely different: dry, refreshing, and filled with bright citrus and tropical fruit characteristics.

Now for the food adventure…

Homemade empanadas!

This was a true adventure because I have never, ever had an empanada before. So, I have no idea if what I made was authentic or not. What I do know is that making them was much harder than I expected! 😂

I started with the dough because it needed time to rest in the refrigerator. Then I used that time to prepare the ground beef filling.

The recipe called for a chopped hard-boiled egg. Unfortunately, one of my pups decided her long legs were the perfect tool to reach the egg sitting on the counter and help herself while I wasn’t looking. 🐾 So, I had to make another one!

The dough was unlike anything I had worked with before. It was very sticky, so I used flour on my cutting board and rolling pin to help manage it. Then I discovered another challenge: I would roll the dough out, and it would immediately try to shrink back.

When I filled the dough and used my Pampered Chef tool to fold it into a traditional half-moon shape, the filling kept pushing the dough right back open. After several attempts, I decided the dough had won that round and made them into little whole pies instead.

Yes… it was a battle of wits! 😂

Eventually, I finished assembling the empanadas and baked them on my stoneware pan. For my very first attempt, I think they turned out pretty well!

Would I make these again? Absolutely.

My husband and son both tasted them and loved them—and my son actually finished all of the leftover empanadas the next morning! That is probably the best review a homemade meal can get. 😂

Of course, I would do a few things differently next time. That’s the fun of cooking adventures—you learn something every time.

For one thing, I used a paper towel to remove the grease from the ground beef—but I removed all of it. Next time, I’ll leave a little behind because that extra fat adds flavor and gives the herbs and seasonings something to cling to.

The original recipe also called for chopped green olives. I didn’t have any, so I left them out. I’m still curious how much that changes the final flavor and may try them next time.

And most importantly: keep food put away on the counter when I’m not looking so my sneaky little helper doesn’t try to taste it! 🐶

That’s the fun of cooking adventures—the first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is learning, experimenting, and enjoying the process. Every time you try something new, you discover something that makes the next attempt even better.

And paired with a beautiful Argentine Torrontés? That made the adventure even better. 🍷





07/25/2026

First time making and eating empanadas and I paired it with a Torrontes from Refucilo Wine.

The sky is hazy in Pittsburgh tonight from the smoke that has traveled down from the Canadian wildfires, so we’re spendi...
07/17/2026

The sky is hazy in Pittsburgh tonight from the smoke that has traveled down from the Canadian wildfires, so we’re spending the evening indoors instead of on the porch.

There was no Taekwondo class this week because of a tournament, so I tried Pilates instead. Let’s just say Pilates won. 😂

I was still feeling a little beat up from Pilates today, so I ended my work week with a hot shower, comfy pajamas, and a bottle of Louis Roederer Collection 246.

Friday evening vibes 🌩️Last night a coworker and I were texting each other, both with a glass of wine in hand, celebrati...
07/11/2026

Friday evening vibes 🌩️

Last night a coworker and I were texting each other, both with a glass of wine in hand, celebrating getting through the week.

I had planned on sitting out on the porch, but a thunderstorm rolled through, so instead I stayed in the living room with the lights low, listening to music, and opened a bottle of Champagne Paul Bara Bouzy Réserve Brut Grand Cru.

One of my pups was shaking from the thunder, so I wrapped her up in a blanket and kept her next to me while I pet her. My other pup was completely unfazed and just relaxed beside me like nothing was happening.

I’ve been working on making more from scratch lately — bread, pasta, even butter — just trying to cut back on the ultra ...
07/08/2026

I’ve been working on making more from scratch lately — bread, pasta, even butter — just trying to cut back on the ultra processed stuff and cook more with fresh ingredients.

Earlier this summer, I started making homemade pasta. This was actually my second attempt. My first attempt was a complete disaster. Mixing, rolling, cutting everything by hand… not fun. My arms hurt, the pasta looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, and it was tough to chew. It was really bad! My poor husband was trying so hard to convince me he liked it, but I could tell he was struggling.

My husband ended up buying me a KitchenAid mixer, and I picked up the pasta attachment, so this was my first time doing it with the right tools. And wow — what a difference! The process was so much easier and the pasta turned out perfect. Forget jewelry… give me a kitchen gadget that helps me make homemade pasta any day.

I made fresh fettuccine with semolina flour and mixed it with a simple sauce I made using fresh, ripe tomatoes and ground beef. I topped it with freshly grated Parmesan, baked a quick honey wheat bread, and made a salad to go with it.

And of course, no meal is complete in my home without wine. I opened a bottle of Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016 (Sangiovese, Tuscany). It paired perfectly — earthy and structured, with enough brightness to balance the richness of the meat and tomatoes. While everything was cooking, the kitchen smelled incredible: ripe tomatoes simmering, warm bread in the oven, sunlight coming through the windows. It had that laid back summer vibe that brought me back simpler times.

After dinner, I was ready to relax, so I took my wine out to the back porch. It was that in between time of day — not really afternoon anymore, but not quite evening — when the sun sits lower in the western sky. The heat from earlier had finally eased up, leaving the air warm but comfortable. Long shadows stretched across the yard, with little pockets of golden sunlight still shining through the trees. I sat there sipping my wine, watching my feral pups run around the yard, and I just enjoyed the quiet.





My other pup found a seat as well. Cheers!
07/05/2026

My other pup found a seat as well. Cheers!

Summer afternoon vibes…
07/05/2026

Summer afternoon vibes…

My husband signed me up for a wine club membership at Refucilo Wine, one of my favorite wine spots right here in Pittsbu...
07/05/2026

My husband signed me up for a wine club membership at Refucilo Wine, one of my favorite wine spots right here in Pittsburgh. We went to pick up my first quarterly wine selection and, of course, stayed for a tasting. The place always has such a cozy, friendly vibe and delicious wine.

As usual, I took my wine notes—aromas, tasting impressions, all the nerdy wine talk I adore. My husband, who doesn’t drink at all, sipped his water and decided he would participate in his own way and wrote water notes.

A highlight from his “tasting”:
“2020 Allegheny Reserve, filtered through lead pipes into septic system.”

If you know Pittsburgh, you know.

So, while my notes were full of Malbecs, tannins, and Uco Valley sunshine… his turned into a deep dive on municipal hydration. But hey, I guess even water deserves to be represented.





Slumber party with my mummy 🤍✨We originally planned to celebrate on the porch, but the heat and humidity sent us inside ...
07/03/2026

Slumber party with my mummy 🤍✨

We originally planned to celebrate on the porch, but the heat and humidity sent us inside instead.

We’re making the best of it with low lights, cool air, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole in the background, fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, and perfectly chilled Champagne on ice.

H. Billiot Fils Champagne 🥂
Crisp, elegant, and exactly what this night calls for.

The best part about being a grown-up is being able to sit with my Mummy and enjoy French bubbles on a random summer night.

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