Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wine: 2018 Merlot (Lodi, CA)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Jarlsberg Day 16’s wine is American Vintner’s 2018 Merlot. This deep, purple wine has a nice nose. Aromas of plum, dark cherry and spice (clove) titillate the senses, with the clove providing a nice undertone promising a bit of weight. Many Merlots are soft-bodied and easy drinking. ThisContinue reading “Advent – Day 16”

(Last Night)Wine: 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett (Mosel, Germany)Winery: Studert-Pruem Maximinhof (I don’t know why I can’t type umlauts on this thing, such a pain) Ain’t this a beauty? The missus was in the mood for jambalaya yesterday, it’s one of our favorite dishes even though Carleen hates shrimp. If you’re wondering, I cook theContinue reading “Last Night’s Dinner – Oh, and Advent Day 15”

Wine: Sweet Riesling (California)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Applewood Day 14’s wine is a change of pace from American Vintner’s usually dry offerings, the simply named “Sweet Riesling”. This intrigued me, as my state of Michigan has gained a lot of worldwide attention for its Rieslings in recent years, with Black Star Farms’ 2017 Arcturos Dry RieslingContinue reading “Advent – Day 14”

Wine: 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)Winery: OberonCheese: Cheddar Today was an oopsie day. Day 13’s wine was the Pinot Noir, a wine that I thought was a repeat. So I enjoyed it without making notes or reviewing, only to find out that it was new. Oops! Ah well. The good news is that it willContinue reading “Advent – Day 13”

Wine: Rose’ (California)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Wensleydale with Cranberries Halfway through the Advent Calendar is a surprise. After days of red and white, Day 12’s wine in the Holiday Sweater collection is a rose’. The tasting notes say that this rose’ wine is made through the maceration process, where the crushed remnants of the red grapesContinue reading “Advent – Day 12”

Wine: Chardonnay (Central Coast, California)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Ilchester Cheddar So for Day 11 we have yet another repeat. I’m thinking for the next thirteen days if I get a repeat from the Advent Calendar I will find a wine in my cellar or wine cooler that I haven’t tried yet and feature it here. ThatContinue reading “Advent – Day 11”

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Red Blend (California)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Jarlsberg Another double repeat today… But still tasty! Jarlsberg didn’t pair with the wine at all, so I had the cheese for dessert instead while I finished off the rest of the leftover minestrone for lunch. That did pair well.

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Red Blend (Lodi, CA)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Red Leicester Day 9’s wine is another Red Blend, this time combining the Cabernet Sauvignon with its erstwhile sidekick, Merlot. Many winemakers like blending the two, especially in making Bordeaux. The Merlot gives a rich fruitiness to the wine, while the Cabernet Sauvignon provides excellent structureContinue reading “Advent – Day 9”

Start of the next week of Advent and we already get a repeat on both the wine and cheese fronts. Le sigh. If you read about the Sauvignon Blanc, check Day 6, and if you want to read a little about the Applewood cheese, check Day 2. The plus side is at least both ofContinue reading “Advent – Day 8”

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah Red blend (California)Winery: American VintnersCheese: Ilchester Cheddar With first week of Advent under our belt, let’s look at Day 7’s wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah Red Blend. If I was to describe this particular wine in one word, it would be “dark”. Everything about this wine is dark toContinue reading “Advent – Day 7”