I’m a sucker for the holidays. I love everything about it….OK maybe not the crowds when Christmas shopping. I have several Christmas trees with different themes. A few years ago, I started collecting wine ornaments so someday I hope to have a wine themed tree. Here are a few pictures of my ornaments. I’m wondering if I can make ornaments out of all the labels I’ve saved?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m having to make an unexpected trip tomorrow so I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll get to do between now and the new year. I might be on hiatus for a few weeks, but look for me to catch back up in 2010!

My favorite wine region is Bordeaux. If you read my blog, you know I have an unhealthy relationship with their wines. A few weeks ago, I saw a mention from the Enjoy Bordeauxwebsite for a free Bordeaux matcher. Basically, in one window you find what wine you like such as Sonoma Cabernet or California Sauvigon Blanc and the other window matches a similar Bordeaux region. I understand Bordeaux is trying to promote itself and make it a little easier for most Americans to understand Old World wines by matching things they are used to drinking. However, I’m interested in the opposite. For example, we love wines from the Medoc. The matcher tells me to try Napa Cabernet blends. And for St-Emilion, the matcher suggests Russian River Merlot.

 

The Enjoy Bordeaux website does a nice job of educating the public about Bordeaux and the various appellations, with a monthly feature on a different appellation. It provides a food and wine matcher and reviews for Bordeaux wines. Check it out for a Bordeaux reference.

Winery: Labouré-Roi
Wine: Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
Location: Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $11.99

 

For me, nothing says Thanksgiving like Beaujolais Noveau. While it’s certainly not the best wine available, sipping a little Beaujolais Noveau makes the holiday. Jonathan and I went to a Beaujolais Noveau tasting the Thursday before and selected our bottle for Thanksgiving. Labouré-Roi was this year’s winner.

 

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Marsanne is not as popular as other white varieties in the United States because it’s largely unknown. I was first introduced to Marsanne a few years ago on a trip through Sonoma. The girl pouring described it as “the red drinker’s white.” Jonathan and I enjoyed it so much that it was the only white wine we purchased on our trip. Since then, we pick up a Marsanne whenever we find them, but often our best chance of finding a Marsanne is within a white Rhône.

 

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Winery: Drew Family Cellars
Wine: Pinot Noir 2007
Location: Anderson Valley, California
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $35.99

 

Leading up to Thanksgiving, everyone and their dog offers suggestions for holiday wines. And many claim to know the perfect pairing for all those Thanksgiving flavors, but after turkey, stuffing and that last piece of pumpkin pie, how did those wines really do? As I mentioned in a post last week, we enjoyed several wines on Thanksgiving, sampling them all before except for the Drew Pinot Noir. I recently read about the winery in Wine & Spirits magazine and was intrigued by their Pinot. After some discussion, Jonathan and I decided the 2007 Anderson Valley Drew Pinot Noir would be the wine to enjoy with our Thanksgiving meal.

 

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