Syrah - St Ambrose Cellars

Six Holiday Wines

by stambrose | Dec 14, 2016 | Wine

You may have heard about the new discount in the tasting room. If you haven’t, get ready: you get 10% off (and a free travel wine key) if you buy six bottles of our wine! Armed with that info, it’s time to prepare for the holiday season. You’ve got parties to attend, gifts to give, and then more parties to attend. You need to bring something, or give something, for all these events. We all know wine is the best gift – and this six pack of wine is going to cover all your bases. Let’s dive in on another #WineWednesday …

Christmas Parties

You’re heading to a Christmas party, and you know someone is making dinner. The menu at these things can be all over the place, and you want to bring a bottle of wine. How to prepare? Take one red, and one white, of our best food-pairing bottles. These two wines will hold their own against all the sumptuous flavors you encounter this holiday season.

Syrah – which we talked about last week – is a bold red that works well with the hearty meals we often eat during the winter months.

Our Vin Gris is one of our most popular white wines, and it’s exceptional for pairing with food. You can’t go wrong with each other choice, and they’ll both be welcome at any table you head to this winter.

Gift Giving

Tell someone you love how special they are with a nice bottle of wine. Simple, classic, and elegant, wine is a great gift idea. Really, it’s great anytime.

The two bottles we’ve selected here are excellent gifting bottles. Our Late Harvest Riesling is a sweet, unique taste of Northern Michigan that will make a stellar addition to anyone’s cellar. On the red side, our classic Cottage Red is a table red wine that is at home in any setting.

Ring in the New Year

You’ll be the life of the party if you show up with our New Year wines. First, we’ve got our 2013 Pinot Noir – a traditional red wine that’ll be great for getting the festivities warmed up. For the later evening, we’ve got our exquisite Royal Reserve. This dessert mead has a rich, sweet flavor that pairs well with a New Year’s cigar, or some delectable chocolates.

Our 2012 Syrah :: Wine Wednesday

by stambrose | Dec 7, 2016 | Wine

Winter is a time for hearty meals. Comfort foods take center stage at family gatherings and keep us nice and cozy on snowy, cold nights. When you’ve got a big and beefy dinner in the oven, which bottle of wine do you reach for? Well, you might consider our 2012 Syrah. A staff favorite, Syrah has a bold taste that’s strong enough to stand up to the heartiest of dinners without overpowering your food. Famously good with lamb, sausages, and other meats, Syrah is a red wine that can fit in with almost any menu you’ll encounter this holiday season.

What is Syrah?

Syrah is a dark, dry red wine – one of the darkest you’ll find – with a big, full-bodied taste. New World Syrah, such as those grown here in the US, have a more fruit-forward taste and spice than their Old World counterparts.

Our Syrah features a bold blackberry taste, with hints of black pepper and eucalyptus characteristics. The excellent acid balance in our 2012 Syrah makes it a great food pairing wine.

Made from Lake Michigan Shore grapes, our Syrah has had a successful run on the competition circuit. That includes a 2014 Silver Medal in the Taster’s Guild competition, a Silver Medal in the 2014 Michigan Wine Competition, and a Silver in the 2015 and 2016 Finger Lakes competition.

Syrah Pairings

Syrah is bold, and it likes bold company. We’ve selected a few recipes here that will keep you warm this winter and go great with a bottle of Syrah:

Beef Bourguignon

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

We hope you enjoyed this short intro to Syrah. All you need to do is take one look at our Employee Bottle sheet to know that it’s a good one – it heads home with folks every single month. Come down to the tasting room to give it a try in person!