Holiday wine & cheese party aftermath

The week before Christmas, we decided to have a wine & cheese party for some of our friends. We did this not only because we like wine, not only because it was a good excuse to get together with people, but because M got these as early Christmas presents:

Yes, that is a winemaker nutcracker, and yes, that is a magnum of Riesling. (Or, as E likes to call it, a "big-ass bottle.")

2008 Riesling
Johann Falkenburg
Mosel, Germany
A run-of-the-mill Riesling, a little on the sweet side. A very safe bet for a party with a lot of novice wine drinkers. It was very sweet and fruity up front, but no finish. 2.5 out of 5 stars.



2007 Shiraz
Marquis Philips
SE Australia
One of E's early favorites, a peppery shiraz that has a very bold presence up front. Unfortunately, a friend at the party mentioned that it has little finish, which made E reconsider this as her favorite shiraz. Still, this is a good wine with good flavor, especially for the price. 3.5 out of 5 stars.





Pomegranate Wine
Sycamore Winery
Sycamore, Illinois
We bought this wine nearly a year ago, and we've heard that the winery has since closed. Good nose, the scent of pomegranate is very apparent. Like many fruit wines, it smelled better than it tasted. The taste was of a semi-sweet red, with little to no pomegranate taste whatsoever, all hints of fruit came from the smell. 2.5 out of 5.




State Red (dry red wine)
Prairie State Winery
Genoa, Illinois
A strong, dry red table wine, it had a nice woodiness to it. Good color, and unlike some of the other wines at the party, this had a nice finish. The taste held for up to half a minute after each sip was drunk. 3 out of 5 stars.






Almond Infusion
August Hill Winery
Utica, Illinois
(Side note: We've tried this several times, taken it to a few parties, and for some reason we can't find our previous reviews. Strange.)
We love this stuff. Plain and simple, this is the best almond infusion we've tried. Despite other Illinois wineries boasting that they have the best in the state, the August Hill vintage is hands-down the best tasting of them all. It has a nice, full almond scent and flavor. It is a semi-sweet sparkling wine that goes well with anything with which it is paired. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Raspberry Infusion
August Hill Winery
Utica, Illinois
Much like the AH Almond Infusion, this was extremely well-liked by our guests. It was crisp, light, and refreshing. The taste and smell of the raspberries were readily apparent, the bubbles were small and tight like many good champagnes. 4 out of 5 stars.





2004 Periquita
Jose Maria da Fonseca Vinhos, SA
Azeitao, Portugal
Another good find in the Sam's Wine bargain bin. (Note to Binny's, if you ever read this: you may have taken over Sam's, but until you bring back the bargain bin, you're not better.) A very dry red wine, it is very oaky up front but with a smooth finish at the end. The taste of this wine will linger in your mouth long after you're done with it. Not for the casual wine drinker. Only a few of the guests at the party liked this one. 3 out of 5 stars.


Cranberry Wine
Lynfred Winery
Roselle, Illinois
Another awesome fruit wine from Lynfred. We have had this many times in the past and will keep coming back for more. This is a very good wine for the holidays. A full-bodied cranberry wine with a very tart bite at the end. You can really taste the fruit in this wine. A rare 4.25 out of 5.





Cabernet Sauvignon
The Little Penguin
Nuriootpa, SA Australia
We bought this as an all-around table wine for the party. Despite some bad experiences with mass-market wines in the past (Yellow Tail, we're looking at you), this wasn't that bad. It didn't have the punch and pizazz that you find from "non-supermarket" wines, but this was pleasant enough. After letting it breathe in a carafe for a while, we found it was a nice, dry red which had a good up-front taste, but not much follow through. We could taste only a little amount of wood, but it had a pleasant bite at the end. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Vin Glogg
Glunz Family Winery & Cellars
Grayslake, Illinois
We bought this while visiting their store in Long Grove a few months ago. E fell in love with this spiced wine, which we have only drunk warm. It is a spicy, sweet red that, when warmed, almost evaporates on your tongue. When you think of traditional Christmas wine, this is what you think of. Most people at the party loved this. 3.5 out of 5 stars.