We had a very busy morning on Christmas, not only did we open our presents and she sneaks a couple that I didn’t know about; she also lectors at her church, and then she did a Christmas Mass and delivered communion as a Eucharistic Minister at a senior citizen home.  We then drove to the other side of the world, or at least it seems, to have a Christmas brunch at the home of another sister.  At first, because of my Bride’s volunteer work, it didn’t seem if we would have time to get there, as they had somewhere to go, later that day, but it was later, than originally thought. 

My sister-in-law has a husband that enjoys being in the kitchen, and he also can bake up a storm.  So, when we got there, now you have to understand that the greater Detroit area is huge and it can take an hour or so, to get from one community to another using the highways.  One group of relatives had already dined and there was plenty still waiting for us, as there was a fresh Quiche Lorraine just coming out of the oven, along with bacon, pancakes, and French Toast.  And we were having Mimosas.  I gave our one nephew a lesson in the fine art of making a Mimosa.  Fill the glass with your choice of sparkling wine and then add a tincture of orange juice.  They were using La Marca Prosecco DOC NV. The company was founded in 1968 as a cooperative of wine growers in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.  Since its beginning it has now grown and comprises nine cooperative wineries predominately in the Prosecco DOC region. These wine growers comprise some nine-thousand hectares of vineyards of mainly Prosecco (or Glera when the grape is not from the DOC district) as well as a few other grape varietals for some of the other wines that they produce. La Marca uses the Charmat Method and they do a great job with it.  In 2007, Wine Spectator magazine listed La Marca as being one of the “Top 100 Wines of the Year.” The wine is an easy crowd pleaser and never disappoints.

When we got there, another bottle was opened and it was Mawby Vineyards and Winery now known as Mawby Sparkling Us Brut Michigan NV. You can find Mawby out near Suttons Bay and whether you know it as L. Mawby Vineyards or M. Lawrence, one thing is for sure you will have a fun time visiting the winery and tasting/drinking the wines.  I have probably written about Mawby the most of all the wineries in Michigan and part of that is because my Bride has fallen in love with their products.   In 1973 Larry Mawby founded Mawby Vineyards with a small parcel of land.  He had a passion to make wine and that passion led him to now only making sparkling wines from the Nineties on to date.  In 2009, he began a partnership with the Laing Family; but I have often heard with respect from the other wineries that Larry Mawby is considered the “Godfather” or the “Dean” on winemaking in the region.  The Us NV was a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Chambourcin aged in Stainless Steel.  The grapes are hand-harvested, and whole-cluster pressed, using only the initial pressed juice and the three juices are blended before Initial Fermentation.  The wines then are produced in the Charmat Method then later blended with some reserve wine, aged and with an added dosage to maintain a certain finish and bottled.  A soft golden color that offered notes of red fruit, and on the palate the notes of ripe fruit was apparent.   I would recommend this wine to anyone that likes a nice traditional tasting sparkler with some fruit in the finish, but dry and crisp.

We eventually got home and it was just the two of us to rest and enjoy the evening.  My Bride wanted to make one of our favorite dishes when we go out, and though she will admit that it isn’t as fine as from the restaurant, it was still delicious and hit the spot.  She made for the two of us her interpretation of Coquilles St. Jacques al crème de Xeres, or Sea Scallops sautéed with mushrooms and garlic, pan-sauced with Sherry and cream with rice.  I had also selected a wine the day before to make sure it was chilled Le G de Chateau Guiraud Bordeaux Blanc Sec 2018.  Chateau Guiraud is classified as a Premier Cru in the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac.  It was originally known as the Noble House of Bayle, but it was bought by Pierre Guiraud in 1766 and passed through many generations of the family until it was bought by a group of French winemakers in 2006.  The Chateau has two-hundred-ten-acres, of which the majority of the land is planted with Semillon and the balance is Sauvignon Blanc. While most Bordeaux Blanc Sec wines are predominately Sauvignon Blanc, Le G de Chateau Guiraud is fifty/fifty.   The fruit is manually harvested using small baskets and fermentation is for about three weeks.  Eighty percent of the wine is aged in the barrels from the last vintage of Chateau Guiraud and twenty percent is done in Stainless Steel. The average aging in the barrels is seven months with regular stirring of the lees.  This is a very lush and full-bodied white wine with a delicate gold tinge, a very refreshing wine that leaves one chewing the wine to appreciate the suppleness of the fruit and the terroir that lingers and beckons for another taste.  The perfect way to end our Christmas Day.