December 1, 2010 -- Wednesday Wine Tasting

We're pretty sure our December tasting will be one of the most eclectic wine tasting you've ever attended. We're serving blueberry wine slushees (frappes), sparkling wine with 24 karat gold leafs (I call it Sparkling Snow Globe wine), mulled wine with spices, ice wine, ChocoRaspberry, and Mouton Cadet Red Bordeaux.
For the last 5 years or so, our December wine tasting has been reserved for our Sparkling wines. We don't want to "burst your bubbles" but this December we're thinking outside the box (or bottle, if you will), and doing something a tad bit different. We're going to serve a variety of both traditional seasonal and holiday-type wines and non-traditional drinks. It'll be fun and unique.
--A Blueberry Wine Slushee -- Officially known as Frappe Vino, this is like a wine margarita! You take a bottle of your favorite wine, a bottle of water, and a bag of Frappe Vino mix, combine and freeze for a couple of hours. You'll get a frozen, slush delight!
--Chocovine Raspberry -- Last year around this time, the brand new Chocovine Chocolate wine was all the rage. This year, the same company has created a Chocolate Raspberry heaven in a bottle. Delicious chocolate, with a raspberry zing. Hint...this would make an incredible frappe.
--Augsburger Christkindlmarkt Gluhwein -- Popular around the world, mulled wine is wine (usually red) served warmed and spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves. At home, you can add a little brandy or vodka to "spice" it up even more.
--Schmitt Sohne Ice Wine Eiswein -- Ice wine is a type of dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other solids don't freeze, but the water in the grape does. The end product is a more concentrated, very sweet wine. It's a labor intensive and risky production process, so icewines are typically quite expensive.
--Peter Brum Goldsparkler -- Personally, this is the coolest thing I've seen in awhile. It's a sparkling, drinkable snow globe! No, not really, but it is a sparkling wine with real 24 karat gold leafs -- the goldslager of wines. Your instinct is to pick up the bottle and shake it like a snow globe -- something you really shouldn't do with a bottle of sparkling wine.
--Mouton Cadet Red Bordeaux -- To bring some normalcy and refinement to the tasting, we will also be pouring a solid red wine that will pair well with your upcoming holiday meals.
Tasting will be held from 6-7:30 pm. Cost is $15 and includes drinks, appetizers, printed tasting notes, and lots of fun!