by stambrose | Jan 9, 2017 | News, Tasting Room
A note from our tasting room manager, Cindy …
The secret of St Ambrose Cellars is starting to spread! I had never heard of this Winery/Meadery and I pride myself on knowing and going to as many of the Tasting Rooms in the region as I can get to. The charm and yet the, I’ll call it … “Kirky-ness” of this place won me over nearly instantly.
I will admit, I did undercover work before I became the Tasting Room Manager. I pulled in the parking lot not sure what to expect and ended up with a great tasting experience, glasses of wine and mead, and a cheese and meat platter. There was a band playing in the barn and even a bake sale!
The entire drive back to Traverse my mom, good friend Becky, and I just could not stop talking about that bake sale, we still talk about it! We had such a wonderful time and even now when I hear Becky talk about where I work she gets this twinkle in her eye, after working here for a few months I see it in nearly every customer when they leave.
The welcoming feeling and just love that everyone has for St Ambrose Cellars is infectious. St Ambrose truly is as sweet as tupelo honey, and I look forward to getting to know the loyal customers and introducing more people to this amazing spot that has been a secret to me until now.
This Month at St. Ambrose
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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.
by stambrose | Dec 12, 2016 | Mead, Tasting Room
New Meads
December has been a month of experimentation here at St. Ambrose. Our guys in the meadery have been working hard on coming up with some new beverages for you to enjoy this frosty month – and we’ve got the scoop on all three right here. These are limited edition drafts, available only in the tasting room for now. But who knows what the future holds …
Santa’s Helper
Our first new mead of the season is quite appropriate for this time of year. Our Christmas-themed mead is called “Santa’s Helper”. Mulled wine has been a hot drink lately, and this is our take on a mulled mead.
Featuring black currant, cherry, strawberry, orange peel, and a bouquet of spices – allspice, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. On top of all that, this mead has been steeped in cabernet franc and merlot grape skins to give it another boost of flavor.
You can drink it chilled, or you can take it home and heat it up for another take. It’s been a big seller since we went on tap a few weeks ago so make sure to stop by and grab some before it’s gone!
Rhythm and Blues
This new draft mead is a bit simpler than Santa’s Helper. This rock and roller is a mix of black currant and grains of paradise. The warm flavor of the grains of paradise blends with the fresh and floral taste of black currant and our honey base to make a simple, refreshing mead that you can drink all night.
Sgt. Pepper’s Chipotle Cyser
This mead is definitely hot. And it’s been a hot seller thus far. For this, we took one of our most popular drinks – X.R. Cyser – and gave it a spicy taste. We added chipotle pepper to it and now it’s an apple pie with a definite kick. There’s no better way to warm up on a cold winter’s eve than with this blast of flavor. We have a very limited run available – so you’ll need to get down to the tasting room quickly to try this one out.
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!
by stambrose | Dec 5, 2016 | Tasting Room
This Month at St. Ambrose
It’s December! With the snow slowly coming around and the holidays fast approaching, we know that you’re in need of some fun, some relaxation, and some warmth. This month at St. Ambrose Cellars, we’ve got a jam packed schedule of events in the tasting room. Here’s your handy one-stop look at everything that we’ve got coming up in the next few weeks. Stop out after your shopping, or spend a snowy evening with some wine and mead, and come say hi!
Women’s Wellness
Our popular women’s wellness events continue this month, with two special Wednesday night events.
Crafts/Show – Dec. 7th
The Queen Bee herself Sharon Jones brings her beeswax candle-making supplies to the tasting room on Wednesday for a workshop. Reserve your spot before Wednesday! It’s just $25 and all you need to bring is your good attitude and good spirits.
That same night, for free, we’ll be holding an artisan trunk show and LuLa Roe clothing popup shop. The trunk show features three of our very favorite people – the Soul Sisters Intuitive HeART collective of Jenn Ryan, Randi Stoltz, and Christina Ryan-Stoltz. It’s going to be a great time!
Wine Cork Crafts – Dec. 14th
Crystal hosts a workshop where you’ll learn how to make some awesome wine cork crafts. You can see more in the link. For $25, you’ll get materials, instruction, and take home your crafts. Make some ornaments or stocking stuffers for the big day!
Music
We have another awesome lineup of bands this month. Barefoot, featuring some of our Sleeping Bear Farms friends, will rock the house on December 9th. The Feral Cats bring their foot stomping tunes in on Saturday, December 10th. Alfredo – always a great time – returns for Friday the 16th.
That Saturday, the 17th, Jen Sygit will regale you with a magical holiday soiree sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Then, on the 23rd and 24th, DeDe Alder will bring her holiday tunes to the tasting room for some sing-a-longs and general good vibes. Her Friday show will be at the normal 6PM time, but the Christmas Eve show will be a special afternoon start time, with DeDe taking the stage at 2PM.
Barefoot – December 9th
Feral Cats – December 10th
Alfredo – December 16th
Jen Sygit – December 17th
DeDe – December 23 and December 24th
Gaje Turja – December 30th
Thirsty Thursday/Open Mic
Open Mic is back for the winter! Come join us, sing some tunes, and share some laughs on Thursday nights this winter. This month, we’ll have open mic on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. The open mic starts around 6PM, but Thirsty Thursday runs all day!
New Tasting Room Discounts
Just in time for the holidays, we’ve got new discounts on your wine purchases in the tasting room. As always, you’ll get 20% off when you purchase a case (12) of our products. But now, you’ll also get 10% off when you purchase a half case (6).
