“ABC” ….

Anything But Chardonnay!

Just the other day somebody made that comment “ABC”. I haven’t heard that expression in quite a while. If you haven’t heard of before it stands for “anything but Chardonnay”. Traditionally I am one of those people who don’t really enjoy Chardonnay, but I absolutely adore our 2015 Amber Chardonnay. This is a white wine made for red wine drinkers. I am a red wine drinker. I enjoy red by far more than whites even though I do love having a glass of cold white wine on a hot day or even when I am enjoying something very spicy and want that bit of sweetness.

This estate Chardonnay is perfect for any holiday party. It’s Pairs so well with cheeses, olives and pickles. Last night, I was at a social gathering with friends and I enjoyed an amazing glass of Amber and of course I couldn’t stop eating the olives all night long. This is a unique wine was created in similar fashion to the Georgian wines called “Orange or Amber Wines”. Those wines are normally fermented and aged in clay vessels called qvevri. After fermenting in the skins, just like red wines, we aged this estate Chardonnay in French oak barrels for 15 months, which contributed to the amber color and unique flavor. Aromas of blood orange, gala apples, orange blossom and honeysuckle tantalize your senses. This estate grown Amber wine is smooth and silky with medium tannins, and has notes of blood orange, grapefruit, kumquat and aromatic spices.

For my dad‘s birthday tomorrow, I am surprising him with a Reuben casserole. It has all the elements of a classic Reuben sandwich like the sauerkraut, thousand Island dressing, the corned beef brisket and Swiss cheese except it’s not going to have any Ryebread. I am making it like a shepherd’s pie with mashed potatoes on top and I’m topping it with caraway seed.