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: Castle Rock Pinot Noir

December 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

Today’s Wine of the Week is Castle Rock Winery’s Pinot Noir.

Wine of the Week CR

My husband and I originally discovered this wine on our honeymoon. We took a Mediterranean cruise and they served this during our dinners on the ship. Well my husband loved it so much that I made a note of it and we have been enjoying it ever since. If you’ve learned anything about me yet, it’s that I love the challenge of hunting something down.

In the picture, we most recently had the 2009 Monterey County version, but after reviewing Castle Rock’s website it seems that they have a lot of different varieties, and a Cuvee, which my friend Tracy will love.

castle rock

These wines are very affordable and you can find them at most stores, I’ve seen them at wine retailers, Target and Costco to name a few. This makes me want to try all of the different Pinot Noir varieties – might be a good project over the holiday…

This Pinot is elegant and smooth. It has aromas of cherry, tea and herbal spices and tastes like black cherry, plum and spice. It is really versatile and great for most foods.

Castle Rock has a number of different Pinots including:

  • Mendocino County Pinot Noir
  • Sonoma County Pinot Noir
  • Monterey County Pinot Noir
  • Central Coast Pinot Noir
  • California Cuvee Pinot Noir
  • Carneros Pinot Noir
  • Columbia Valley Pinot Noir
  • Williamette Valley Pinot Noir

I can only speak to the Monterey County Pinot Noir, but would love to hear from you if you’ve tried the other ones.

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir

July 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My husband and I tried this week’s wine on a recent visit to Olive Garden. We were looking for a good Pinot Noir to go with our dinner and this was a brand new wine they were promoting. We really enjoyed it and would definitely drink it again. It is widely available at the main grocery stores and pretty easy to find.

Introducing, Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir as the Wine of the Week:

Noble Vines 667

Noble Vines 667

Noble Vines 667 is a bittersweet, rich Pinot Noir. The nose reveals a black cherry and vanilla aroma. You can taste a hint of chocolate and the wine has a smooth finish. This is a great table wine that most people would enjoy. This wine would be great with a beef stew, salmon, lamb or soft cheeses. It is a great price at $14.99 a bottle.

noble 667

Noble Vines is part of the Delicato Family Vineyards in California. Noble Vines specializes in taking cuttings from original vines and “cloning” them. Basically taking vines that are known for specific characteristics and cultivating them in an environment that will bring out the best qualities of the grape.

Not all Vines are created equal

Not all Vines are created equal

Have you tried any Noble Vines wine? What did you think of it?

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Whitehall Lane Perfect Union

July 17, 2013 by 2 Comments

I am a little late with this post. I meant to post it last week but I was on a fabulous vacation in New York City (more to come on that later). I saved this wine for a whole year to drink it on July 4th. When we visited Napa last year, we took a tour of Whitehall Lane Winery and purchased their limited edition 2009 Perfect Union wine.

Perfect Union

Perfect Union

This red wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Blends are usually my favorite types of red wines, they taste great with a little bit of everything.

Perfect Union has a berry flavor with hints of chocolate blended together. It is easy to drink and a great choice for 4th of July, Election Day, Inauguration, Flag Day, etc.

I thought this was a great wine and fun for the holiday. Unfortunately, I contacted Whitehall Lane and the Perfect Union wine is no longer available for purchase. They did tell me that they have a new wine called Tre Leoni, which is almost the same thing, maybe even better.

Tre Leoni

Tre Leoni

Did you try any fabulous wines on the 4th? Have you tried the Tre Leoni wine yet?

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Hob Nob Pinot Noir

June 27, 2013 by 3 Comments

This week’s wine is one of my favorites. Hob Nob Pinot Noir is a great wine at a great price ($9.99).

Hob Nob Pinot Noir

Hob Nob Pinot Noir

HobNob is a fairly new wine brand launched in 2007. The wine is targeted to young adults with a hip design. Pinot Noir is my favorite type of red wine. For this type of wine I recommend chilling it first for the best taste.

hob nob2

This is an easy wine to drink, very smooth. In my opinion, it tastes great with everything. It has great berry flavors, possibly raspberry or cherry with a chocolate finish.

hob nob 3

You can get this wine anywhere and they always have it at the liquor store by my house. It is a great grab in a pinch and everyone always loves it. I especially like to bring this for people that are new to red wine.

Hob Nob recently came out with a Wicked Red wine that I can’t wait to try soon.

What are your favorite go-to wines?

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week – Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc

June 13, 2013 by 3 Comments

This week’s wine comes to you courtesy of my friend Chandra. She stopped at Nino Salvaggio’s and picked it up for our Bachelorette viewing party earlier this week.

It is the 120 Sauvignon Blanc from a Chilean Winery called Santa Rita and was $7.99 for the bottle.

Sauvignon Blanc 120

Sauvignon Blanc 120

The 120 series of wine is named after the 120 patriots who fought for Chile’s independence and found refuge in the same winery cellars that house the Santa Rita wines today (read the legend here).

120 front

120 back

We noticed hints of peach, apple and vanilla undertones in the wine. It was soft and refreshing on a warm day, this would make a great summer wine. The price is great and according the the winemaker this particular wine can age for 2-3 years. They recommend paring it with shellfish and salads.

You can check out the Palm Bay distributor site and search for this one specifically. There are a number of stores in Michigan that carry it. This is a great summer wine and I love that fact that I could buy it and not worry about it going bad.

Let me know if you try this out at any celebrations this summer.

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Casa Nuestra Chenin Blanc

June 5, 2013 by 4 Comments

This week’s wine is one I have been saving since our trip to Napa Valley last year.

We went on a number of wine tours while we were there and stopped at Casa Nuestra. “Casa Nuestra” is a Spanish name that means “Our House.” My husband and I fondly refer to this winery as the hippie winery.

Casa Nuestra Winery

Casa Nuestra Winery

There was a big psychedelic painting on the barn when we arrived and the overall vibe was very laid back. This is one of the only wineries that we got to do a barrel tasting at, which was really cool. My friend almost had us in on buying the barrel and splitting it with the group, but I opted to get a few bottles of their Chenin Blanc instead.

Chenin Blanc Cork

Chenin Blanc Cork

What first intrigued me about the Chenin Blanc, was a poster on the wall from the White House. In 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan requested 15 cases of the Chenin Blanc for the annual White House picnic. You can read Casa Nuestra’s newsletter article from 1987 here.

2011 Casa Nuestra Chenin Blanc

2011 Casa Nuestra Chenin Blanc

Since then I have seen a few other posters like this at other wineries. When your wine is served at the White House you receive a commemorative letter. At one point I wanted to find a list of all of the wines ever served at the White House and try them, but I will have to save that for my next blog.

casa front

I brought this wine over to try with my friend Tracy and here are our tasting notes:

  • The Chenin Blanc had a mild flavor with a bit of a tang to it.
  • It gets better as you drink it, you need to have about a half a glass before you start experiencing the full flavor. Make sure to serve it chilled.
  • Overall, this is an all-purpose wine that you could use for any occasion.

I will definitely be ordering more since that was my last bottle. You can order the 2011 Dry Chenin Blanc here for $30/bottle in increments of 3, 6 or 12 bottles.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Nashville Day 2 Recap – Arrington Vineyards

May 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My husband and I traveled to Nashville for Memorial Day weekend to visit our close friends Eric and Stephanie. The highlight of Day 2 was our trip to Arrington Vineyards.

The vineyards

The vineyards

Saturday was actually National Wine Day, which worked out perfectly for our trip to the vineyard and my Wine of the Week post.

Entering the winery

Entering the winery

Arrington Vineyards is owned by Kix Brooks (part of Brooks & Dunn), winemaker Kip Summers, and entrepreneur John Russell. Brooks was inspired to open the vineyard by Faith Hill and her husband Tim McGraw. They used to give Brooks and his wife two bottles of wine from different countries each month which led to his love of wine.

Arrington Vineyards

Arrington Vineyards

One interesting thing that we learned on this trip was that Tennessee used to be a leading wine-producing region in the US, but this was cut short because of prohibition. Tennessee is usually known for its whiskey and moonshine, but wine has been making a comeback since the 1980’s. Tennessee now has more than 40 wineries and 150 vineyards (for more info visit the Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Association). Visiting one of the wine trails would make a great activity for our next trip!

Lots of areas to picnic

Lots of areas to picnic

We arrived at the Vineyard planning to do a wine tasting, but it was packed! We put our name on the list and then proceeded to get a table on the deck. While we were waiting we bought some wine, cheese and crackers to hang out and pass the time. The winery had a great ambiance and it reminded me of our time in Napa. While we were waiting we tried a few of the different wines, including:

Stags White 2011 – $17.99

This was a great blend, perfect for a hot day.

Stag's White 2011

Stag’s White 2011

Chardonnay 2012 – $21.99

We had to try this, because I was out of Chardonnay at home. It worked really well with the pepper crackers and cheese that we had.

Chardonnay 2012

Chardonnay 2012

I also tried some of Stephanie’s Raspberry Dessert Wine ($14.99) with truffles and it was delicious! We decided that it would taste awesome over ice cream.

Stephanie and Eric

Stephanie and Eric

We finally got called for our tasting and were escorted to a private room under the winery. I decided to join Kix’s Wine Club and this allowed us to taste five wines instead of four.

I tried the Viognier 2011 ($18.99), Firefly Rose 2010 ($17.99), Red Fox Red 2010 ($21.99), Petite Noir 2011 ($23.99) and the KB 409 ($49.99). I liked everything I tried. Which prompted us to take some wine home with us:

The wine we bought

The wine we bought

Now I can’t wait for our first shipment of wine! It will remind us of our trip every time we drink it.  Have you visited any Nashville wineries? Let us know where we should go next.

For more on our trip to Nashville, click here.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Bennett Lane 2010 Maximus

May 20, 2013 by 2 Comments

My love affair with wine first started with Riesling in my mid-twenties. Since then it has expanded to all different kinds of wine. My husband and I toured vineyards and wineries in Italy, Sicily and Crete during our honeymoon and really fell in love with great wine. For my 30th birthday last year we went to Napa Valley which made me love wine even more.

Since I love trying new wines, I thought I would share my favorites with you each week and hopefully you will share your favorites with me.

During our Napa trip last year, we toured the winery at Bennett Lane and had lunch there. I liked everything so much that we decided to join their wine club. Our most recent shipment just arrived and we are loving the 2010 Maximus Red Feasting Wine.

Maximus Red Feasting Wine

Maximus Red Feasting Wine

The description on the back of the bottle reads:

“Every year at Bennett Lane our winemaker creates a proprietary blend from select 100% Napa Valley fruit. Dubbed “Maxiumus” in homage to the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus, a notorious winelover and gourmand, we adorned the face label with an ancient diobol coin issued in 385 AD during his reign. In true Roman tradition, this feasting wine was made to be enjoyed with good food and great friends.”

It is the perfect wine to go with anything. It’s not too sweet and not too dry. This wine runs around $35 a bottle depending on what year you get. In Michigan you can find Bennett Lane wines at Arbor Beverage in Ann Arbor.


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