Did you know that May 21 is Chardonnay Day? If you read this blog regularly, you probably do; here’s last year’s post where Helen and I traveled to various wineries in Ventura County.

Did you know that May is National Pet Month? And do you have any idea how many pets are waiting at shelters for HOMES?

Our rescue kitty, Ginger, with a number of bottles of Chardonnay May 2014.

I do! Since I was in second grade, I have been rescuing catsstarting with my first all black kitty who I named “Lick N Purr Lucky Black Magic” who I found up a tree. When I was 19, I found and rescued a ginger kitty up a tree at the camp in Colorado where I was teaching mountaineering. In my 30s, I rescued a litter of kittens what were going feral: two of them I found homes for, but the other two… well, they lived their lives out with me.

When those two were gone and I had a pre-schooler begging for a pet, I volunteered to take home a mama kitty and her two kittens: my mom adopted the mama, and friends adopted the kittens.

Two years ago, we took in a ginger tabby who my son named “Ginger” and my husband called “Rusty” until he gave in and calls him “Gingie.”

Obviously, he is intrigued with wine tasting! He just likes to sniff and not taste, he’s lousy at taking notes, and he never brings anything to share! He does make a wonderful prop –when he’s in the mood!

Honestly, every day I am grateful to have this kitty in my life; recently he was very sick and almost died. After three long weeks of tests and antibiotics, he is on the road to recovery–and ready to stick his nose in my glass again!

Last summer we fostered two kittens, a calico pictured above and a super sweet flame point; we found homes for both of them.

Clearly, I have a soft spot for rescuing and fostering pets as well as wine, so when Baron Cooper Wine approached me with their story and offered to send me samples for review, I said sure!

The Habashi Family, owners of Novato’s Pacific Wine Group, gave Baron Cooper a forever home after finding the poor abused pup at the Novato Humane Society. Fostering Cooper made Ehab and Linda Habashi find a way to help other rescue dogs, and Baron Cooper Wine was born.

2012 Baron Cooper Chardonnay $16

A very pale yellow, yet almost a straw color, the 2012 Chardonnay has a summery, tropical nose with notes of pineapple and more tropical fruit plus green apple and citrus on the palate. Easy drinking, pleasant, accessible, this $16 Chardonnay is great to bring to a party because it will get along with everything and everyone without breaking the bank. 12.8% alcohol, plastic cork. I received this wine as a sample.

So this May give a toast to our furry friends! Cheers!