I love wine! After spending a semester studying abroad in Rome, I developed a healthy interest in Wine! It apparently runs in my family (on my mom’s side) and last year we started a new tradition: Wine down to Christmas!  The rules are fairly simple!

1. There are 8 of us this year, so every person gets 3 nights.
2. On your night, you must share a wine of your choice on Facebook
3. You cannot repeat any wine previously shared

Since these are the only “real” rules, there is a lot of variety in which everyone shares what they liked, what it tastes like, what it pairs well with, what it costs, and the backdrop for sharing the image. This is a really fun way to share our wine choices, try something new, set up a time to drink some wine with friends, or simply have an excuse to buy a bottle of wine. Our family loves to do this, so here are a few of the selections from this year so far!

1. Carnelian: Pinot Noir $12/bottle according to the author, hints of cherries and raspberries
2. Marietta Cellars: Old Vine Red $13/bottle, was fantastic
3. Root 1: Cabernet Sauvignon $10/bottle, was very acidic and the author does not like cherries so she gave it a thumbs down
4. French Bordeaux Reserve Special Domaines Barons De Rothschild 13.99/bottle. Went great with tenderloin
5. Sensi Collezione, bought in FL price unknown, bold and fruit forward
6. Handcraft: Petite Sirah, $10/bottle, thumbs up from the author
7. Bully Hill: Baco Noir – this was mine. I recently moved to Rochester NY, so I’ve been all over the Finger Lakes Breweries.  As a red wine fan, I’ve been a little disappointed that the whites are better then the reds here.  However, this spicy red was great! $8.99 It’s totally affordable!
8. Steven Kent Winery: Cabernet Sauvignon $12/bottle
9. Apothic White $10.99/bottle. Smooth and fruity but this author likes the red better and said it was not her favorite
10. Vigneti Del Salento: Muri Primitivo Puglia, was given as a gift, said to be a nice red wine and research shows roughly $15/bottle
11. Michael Pozzan: Annabella, this author had this wine out at dinner and said it was excellent
12. Santa Margherita: Pino Grigio (no notes)
13. Apothic Red: California $10/bottle. This is a great everyday red
14. Ritchie Vineyards: Red Car, this was accompanied by a very funny story about spelling her name wrong for years!
15. Casa Larga: Vidal Blanc – Another Finger Lakes Wine share from me, and I love this white! I could drink the whole bottle myself, it’s a great everyday wine. I promise, I shared with my husband! Really this is just a great way to connect with family – we all live in different areas and can’t get together to share a bottle of wine. If you were doing this with your friends who live close by I would definitely plan a few nights to share the wine together!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Cheers! xoxo ~ Em