Elevate the Holidays with Hess Collection Wines

December 15, 2015 by 5 Comments

Disclosure: I received this wine from a PR firm on behalf of Hess Collection Wines to provide a review. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.

I was thrilled to receive a whole collection of wine from Hess Collection Wines to celebrate the holidays! They didn’t just send me one bottle, but six! I decided to use them for a special occasion and serve them with our Thanksgiving dinner.

Hess Collection 1

I thought this would elevate our meal and give everyone an opportunity to taste the different varieties and decide which one they liked. I decided it would be fun to talk about my favorite holiday wine and menu pairings for this post.

Classic Veggie Tray

This might have been my favorite wine of the night, it went perfectly with my veggie tray and appetizers before dinner.

Grandmas Stuffing Recipe

This was the first time we hosted Thanksgiving and the first time we made my grandmother’s stuffing recipe. It was delicious and the Chardonnay paired perfectly with the dish. I am usually not a fan of Chardonnays because I don’t like the buttery flavor, but this one was different. It was a lot lighter than your traditional Chardonnay.

Garlic mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a staple of any holiday meal, but I love that John pre-roasts the garlic in the turkey before with whip them up. The Cabernet Sauvignon pairs perfectly with this recipe.

Last but not least, the Treo. This wine, paired perfectly with the turkey. As this was my husband’s job, I don’t have the details of his recipe, but he did thaw and brine the turkey in our refrigerator 24 hours before we cooked it. The Treo is an easy drinking wine with a touch of sweetness from the ripe, dark fruit, accented by a decidedly big impression of bing cherries and ripe plums.

Hess Treo

Hess Select Wines elevated our first Thanksgiving in the new home and made it something special. I can’t wait to celebrate many more holidays in this house over a glass of wine.

What are your favorite wine pairings for the holidays?

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Wine of the Week: Witches Brew

October 21, 2015 by 14 Comments

This week’s wine is Leelanau Cellar’s Witches Brew. Leelanau is a Michigan winery started in 1974 in Northern Michigan by the Jacobson family. Leelanau (Lee-La-Naw) is an Indian word meaning “Delight of Life.” They also have a tasting room outside of Traverse City which I’ve previously visited.

Witches Brew is the perfect fall wine. It’s a red blend enhanced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and other natural spices.

witches brew

Witches Brew is what you would call a mulled wine. A red wine that has been warmed and spiced. You heat it up on your stove and serve it warm. You can also add fun things like cloves, cinnamon sticks or orange zest. Really anything goes. Mulled wine dates back to 1420 in Germany where they call it Gluhwein (roughly translated to “glow wine.” There have even been documented mulled wines as far back as ancient Rome.

witches brew

Have you tried Witches Brew yet? It’s perfect for a tailgate or any outdoor event. I would love to hear what you think about it.

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Wine of the Week: Apothic Dark

September 30, 2015 by 7 Comments

John and I are huge fans of the Apothic blend so last year, when a friend introduced me to Apothic Dark I knew it would be good. I was saving this review since this is sort of the perfect spooky wine for October.

Apothic Dark

Apothic is under the E.&J. Gallo brand and was named for the mysterious place, Apotheca, where vintners stored their most coveted concoctions in 13th century Europe. Most of the grapes in Apothic Dark are from Lodi, which has been touted as the next Napa. The grapes were fermented at a maximum of 90 degrees which pulls out the fruit notes in the grapes.

apothic dark1

This blend of Petite Syrah, Teroldego and Cabernet combines flavors of blueberry and blackberry with enticing notes of coffee and dark chocolate for a smooth taste.

Apothic is only available for a limited time, so make sure you stock up if you like it!

Have you tried Apothic Dark yet? I would love to hear what you think about it.

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Wine of the Week: Belle Glos Pinot Noir

September 9, 2015 by 2 Comments

I have been saving this Wine of the Week for a while. This is hands down one of my favorite wines, but it’s a bit of a splurge so we only get it every once in a while. What really drew my eye to it in the beginning is how the bottle is dipped in red wax, sort of like Maker’s Mark. Come to find out that it is made by the Wagner family who also makes another one of our favorites, Meiomi Pinot Noir. This week’s favorite is Belle Glos Pinot Noir.

Belle Glos 2

Belle Glos Pinot Noir was created by Joseph Wagner to honor his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner. There are four different types of Belle Glos from each of the four vineyards the grapes come from; Dairyman, Clark & Telephone, Las Alturas and Taylor Lane. You can see the layout of the vineyards in this map:

Belle_Glos_Vnyds.200x471

I love the taste of this wine. Wagner describes it “like a taste of Christmas, all year long.” It has a rich berry flavor with a hint of caramel. When I want to get a nice bottle of wine this is my go to, it’s wonderfully decadent and the bottle presentation definitely makes it something special.

Have you tried Belle Glos Pinot Noir yet? I would love to hear what you think about it.

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New Buffalo Wine Tour Recap

June 15, 2015 by 11 Comments

Disclosure: I was invited to participate in the SWMI Sip & Stroll wine tour and received comped wine tastings. All opinions are my own.

I had an amazing time on the #SWMISipStroll recap and wanted to share all of my awesome new wine discoveries with you. You can read more about our trip here and about our awesome hotel here. We visited four wineries on our trip and I stocked up on some amazing choices!

Our first stop was Domaine Berrien Cellars, the only winery I was familiar with on this tour. I sort of love that this winery was started as a retirement hobby…there’s hope for me yet! I enjoyed the 2012 Viognier and the Cabernet Franc in particular.

Domaine Berrien Collage

Our next stop was Lemon Creek Winery where we learned about mixing wines. Our host told us that mixing wines is the future and encouraged us to to try his Lighthouse Red and Pinot Noir mixture which I loved. I brought these two home to try again.

Lemon Creek Collage

Our first stop on the second day was Hickory Creek Winery. I had the most fun at this winery and they laid out a nice spread for us. We got to try all of the wines along with some great cheese and chocolate. We loved this winery so much that I joined the wine club! They even have a quaint little cabin that you can rent out with your girlfriends for a fun wine tasting weekend.

Hickory Creek Collage

On our way back home we stopped at The Chocolate Garden which I have always seen signs for, but never stopped at…if only I knew! This place is amazing! They hand make decadent chocolate truffles in almost any flavor you can think of. What sets these truffles apart is that there is no hard outer shell to bite through. Each truffle is rolled in coarse chocolate to create a creamy truffle. In case you are interested, you can order these online for a unique gift.   I tried Vanilla Rose, Salt & Pepper Caramel and Sticky Bun:

Chocolate Garden

Our final stop was Contessa Wine Cellars. They had a beautiful terrace with an amazing view of the vineyard. I could not get enough of the Cabernet Franc. It had an awesome peppery finish and I knew that it would taste amazing with steak. John made some for me the next day and I was right! So delicious!!! I am saving the last bottle for a special occasion.

Contessa

This was a great little wine tour and I would love to go back with my husband sometime soon!

Where are your favorite Michigan wineries?



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Wine Wednesday: Southwest Michigan Sip & Stroll Weekend

April 8, 2015 by 9 Comments

Disclosure: I was invited to participate in this hosted tour and will be provided with complimentary lodging. All opinions are my own.

Since it is #WineWednesday, I thought there was no better time to share with you that I’ve been invited to the Southwest Michigan Sip & Stroll wine tour this weekend! I had a big event at work and just started teaching again for the semester, so this couldn’t have come at a better time.

This is the first year for the Southwest Michigan Sip & Stroll weekend being hosted by Deb at Just Short of Crazy and Renee at What Mama Wants and I’m thrilled to help kick it off. Because it starts on Friday, I was able to take the day off of work and recruit one of my besties, Jen, to come along for the ride.

Wine Tour

Our tour is kicking off on Friday, where we check into The Harbor Grand, a full-service boutique hotel in New Buffalo, MI.

Harbor Grand

We’ll be touring four wineries and The Chocolate Garden on Friday and Saturday before heading home. I can’t wait to try the Sticky Bun and Vanilla Rose truffles, which I hear pair perfectly with my favorite, Pinot Noir.

sticky_bun_200

I am familiar with Domaine Berrien Cellars as their wine is featured at Michigan by the Bottle, a favorite hangout of mine, but I am excited to learn more about the others including Lemon Creek Winery, Hickory Creek Winery and Contessa Wine Cellars. I will hopefully have a few new Wine of the Week selections to share with you after this trip. A few fun facts to note:

  • Domaine Berrien Cellars was the first winery in Michigan to release a commercially grown and vinified Syrah.
  • Lemon Creek Winery is home to the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the State of Michigan.
  • Hickory Creek is known for crafting wine in the Old World style.
  • Contessa Cellar’s tasting room looks like an Italian villa overlooking their beautiful orchards.

SWMISipStroll-Banner

After doing a quick search on our hotel, I am definitely excited to check out The Four Winds Casino (about a 10 minute shuttle ride away) and recently featured in USA Today’s Leaving Las Vegas: The best casinos outside Sin City. We will also have to make a stop at Oinks Ice Cream Garden, which is a treasure trove of pig paraphernalia! For those of you that don’t know, I love pigs and collect piggy banks.

You can follow our trip throughout the weekend on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #SWMISipStroll.

Have you been to New Buffalo before? What are your favorite places to visit? If you’ve been to any of these wineries I would love to get your recommendations!



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Wine of the Week: Fantini Montepulciano 2012

November 26, 2014 by 2 Comments

Over Halloween, I attended a black wine night and discovered an amazing wine that I had to share with you. What is a black wine night you ask? It was set up as a veiled wine tasting with a five course meal. Eight wines were presented in black Reidel O glasses. We had no idea what kind of wine we were drinking and we were in the dark so you couldn’t even tell if you were drinking a red or white wine. We had a list of all of the wines and we tried to guess what we were drinking throughout the evening.

You can get your own black Riedel tasting glass for $40.99 here.

Reidel

Around the fourth course, I was amazed with the wine pairing and couldn’t wait until the end of the dinner when it was revealed to us. This delicious wine was the Fantini, Montepulciano, Abruzzo, Italy 2012.

Fantini Wine of the Week

This red wine hails to us from the Farnese Winery in Italy. In the sixteenth century, Princess Margaret of Austria and Prince Ottavio Farnese planted vineyards in the Abruzzo district in Italy, putting this area on the map for winemaking.

abruzzo

The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a specific type of wine created in 1968. This wine is a blend of about 85% Montepulciano with up to 15% of Sangiovese allowed in the mix. You can read more about this on Wikipedia, here. I found this fascinating as I love to know the story behind my wine. I also thought it was interesting that for every Farnese vintage, they have six well-known winemakers living in symbiosis with the grapes arriving in the cellar until they are transformed into wine. I would love to learn more about this process.

I loved this wine! It was easy to drink and had a lush, fruity taste. There were hints of cherry and plum and a smidge of vanilla. Plus I just like saying Montepulciano in my faux Italian voice.

I liked this wine so much, I am thinking of buying a case.

Have you ever tried Fantini Montepulciano before? I would love to know what you think.

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Wine of the Week: Banrock Station Moscato

September 10, 2014 by 13 Comments

Disclosure: I received this wine from a PR firm on behalf of Banrock Station to provide an honest review. 

I was thrilled to receive a bottle of Banrock Station Moscato to review for Wine of the Week. I hadn’t had a moscato in a while and this was the perfect thing to test while watching Bachelor in Paradise with my friend Tracy.

banrockstationfinal

Banrock Station is an environmentally responsible Australian winemaker. Every glass of Banrock Station wine purchased helps to support environmental projects such as restoring natural assets in Europe, saving salmon in Canada and preserving waterways and wetlands in Australia. I love the premise of this because wine is such a natural drink – grapes from the earth coming together to form a beautiful wine and by drinking it you are giving back to the earth. Sort of symbiotic.

Raise a glass of Banrock Station Moscato and raise funds for conservation

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I had a lot of fun drinking this wine, because it wasn’t too sweet. It was light and fruity with a natural sweetness that was refreshing. I would have loved to continue drinking this, it was a fantastic bottle to share with friends and the perfect summer wine! It would be great with cheese platters or desserts.

Have you tried Banrock Station Moscato? What did you think?

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Wine of the Week: Protocolo Tinto

August 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

I received this week’s wine from my friend Jessica, as a hostess gift for my recent wine party. She mentioned that it was one of her and her husband’s favorite wines. I decided to test it out on Bachelor in Paradise Monday; turns out I really liked it.

protocolofinal

The Protocolo Tinto is a Spanish Tempranillo wine, that is aged for three months in a seasoned oak barrel. You will mostly find Tempranillo wines in Spain because that is where the black grapes are grown. This had a fresh blackberry taste and I actually thought I could taste some spices, but after further thought I think that was mostly the oak I was tasting.

If you wanted to add some fruit to this it would make a great Sangria. It will run you about $6-8 depending on where you find it.

Let me know if you’ve tried this wine and if you have any wines I should try in the future.

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Traverse City Wedding Recap – Days 1 & 2

August 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

I know it was about a month ago, but I wanted to recap my fourth and final wedding of the season. It was a great way to kick off the summer and we had a blast. I’ve mentioned my friend Tracy on the blog before and I was so honored to be part of her special day. If you’ve never been to Traverse City before, hopefully this will convince you to take the trip.

On Thursday, Tracy and her fiance (now husband) treated the bridal party and their dates to a wine tour around Traverse City. We went to some of our favorites and a few places I hadn’t been before. Traverse City is special because the wineries fall on the 45th parallel, which is the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole.

John and I started our trip with breakfast and a mimosa (because there’s always time for a mimosa).

mimosa

We started our tour at Blackstar Farms, which has its own inn and winery. If you like sweet wines, this is the place for you. I didn’t find a ton of wines that I liked, because I usually prefer wines that aren’t so sweet anymore. I ended up settling on the 2011 Isidor’s Choice Pinot Noir. If you’ve been following my wines you will probably laugh because I am a sucker for a good Pinot Noir. As I was reading the tasting notes I noticed that this wine will age well for 5-10 years, so I will have to get this in the wine fridge.

blackstar

Our next stop was 45 North, where I am a wine club member. We set it up to pick up our wine shipment while we were there and I couldn’t help but get more of the Unwooded Chardonnay. They don’t even have this one on the website, so I wonder if it is already sold out. It was definitely my favorite and I would share a picture, but I already drank both bottles.

Our third stop was at Blustone Vineyards, which was a new one for me. The tasting room was beautiful and very open with lots of glass walls. I chose the Pinot Noir Rose, which our host told me they nicknamed the “porch pounder.” I also got some of the 2012 Naked Chardonnay. I am a huge fan of these unoaked and unwooded chardonnays that are popular right now. This is a picture of us outside of the tasting room:

blustone

Our next stop was at L. Mawby, which I’ve featured before here. Their tasting room is a ton of fun and the presentation is great! You get to pick what wines you want to try and they give you a tasting plate. I tried the Jadore and Domaine and got them both – so good!

lmawby

Our last stop was at Chateau de Leelanau, where I settled on the 2012 Peach Fizz. It’s like a Bellini in a bottle!

peach fizz

We had a great time on the wine tour and it was such a lovely gift from the bride and groom!

On Friday, we recovered from the wine tour and went to the rehearsal dinner, which was a bonfire on the beach!

bonfire

John and I got a great picture and we were photobombed by the family of geese that were hanging around all weekend:

beach

Stay tuned for the wedding recap!

Have you been to Traverse City before? What are your favorite places to visit?


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