Golden toasting by a cracklin' fire!

Here are the promised photos of the new room. Rory especially loves the warmth of the fire. This is pure dog contentment!

It was an exceptionally busy holiday season this year. Between births, birthdays, a graduation and Christmas, it has been quite a December!

Our family seems to have a tradition of having birthdays as close to Christmas as possible! On December 23rd my nephew George turned 8 this year. December 24th another nephew, Adam, turned 26. On January 3rd, Adam's daughter Noel will be 7. And we have a new Christmas blessing -Adam's newest daughter, Mia Rose, was born on December 18th! What a tiny, sweet delight she is. She slept peacefully through the presents, the food and all the hoopla! Her parents report that she sleeps pretty well through the night also. How lucky is that?

We have so much to celebrate this New Year. A friend who has just completed radiation treatments for cancer, a child whose college applications are all mailed, a new room for wine tastings in the new year, many dear friends with whom to celebrate throughout the year, and lots of great wines from the 2007 growing season to taste! Our New Year's resolutions will center around New York State wines. Jim and I hope to take a course in February offered at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua that will give us an internationally recognized certification from the Wine and Education Trust of London, England. We will also keep up our tradition of wine tasting parties throughout the year as well as excursions to the wineries to bring the best wines back to you.

In the mean time, we'll sit back with a glass of Standing Stone's Cab Franc and enjoy the room, the warmth of the fire and the company of our goldens.

So, raise your glass for a toast to 2008. May it be a fabulous, memorable year!

Chateau Lafayette Reneau

The snow is falling as we sit by a warm fire enjoying a glass of Seyval Chardonnay from Chateau Lafayette Reneau. Yes, the "Porch Room" is done and the fireplace installed. What better way to enjoy the winter than to look out from a toasty-warm room with a glass of wine! I'll post photos soon, I promise. (It could be a good wine-tasting room.....)

Chateau Lafayette Reneau (established in 1985) is located on the East shore of Seneca Lake in Hector, NY and produces a wide variety of premium wines. This delightful Seyval (51%) Chardonnay (49%) blend is light, fruity, yet has a subtle oak/chardonnay flavor, too. A unique twist on a chardonnay that goes down easy and is easy on the wallet ($9.49 at the winery)!

When we were at Chateau Lafayette Reneau this summer we sampled 15 wines for $4.00 and met Jenny the winery cat! We enjoyed the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($17.99) which had a smooth cherry and smokey flavor that should age well. We also liked the 2006 Dry Riesling (surprise!), the Seyval Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir Blanc (referred to as "a giant step above White Zinfandel" and a real deal at $9.49).

The setting was gorgeous (especially so now with snow on the ground) and the staff was fun. I don't know how the wine server remembered all the details about each of the wines while serving them all to various small groups in random order around the bar. She was amazing.

Chateau Lafayette Reneau will be among the wineries on Seneca Lake celebrating the Bargain Bash - Saturday through Sunday, January 13th - 21st, 2007, 10:00am-6:00 pm. This Seneca Lake Wine Trail Event is open to the public and a good way to stock up on the wines you like to help you through the rest of the snowy, cold winter!