Wine-o: Wilson Creek Winery Almond Champagne

Wilson Creek Winery Almond Champagne, Temecula, California

11% Alcohol

To celebrate the holiday season, Macadoodle's featured several specialty wine tastings to help customers plan for their Christmas meal.  I was lucky to find my friend Dan at the Wine bar and knew I was in for a treat.  I was surprised to see that the first wine was the Wilson's Creek Almond Champagne.

Now, I love Wilson Creek.  Mainly because this is my father's favorite vineyard in Temecula.  My father is lucky enough to live within an hour of Wilson's and is a proud member of the Wilson Creek Wine Club.  I asked Dan: "You mean start out the evening with champagne?"

"Well yeah, invite people into your home with a little bubbly!  Loosen things up a bit!" was his response.

Freya's Score: 8 -If you like almonds, and you like champagne, you will like this.  It is bubbly, the almond welcomes you with a friendly aroma and continues with a lovely slightly sweet flavor.  If you are looking for your bottle buddy for December 31st, this is a great alternative to a dry or overly sweet champagne.  Available in several Liquor Stores, including the Macadoodle's Pineville location.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

May your holiday be filled with good cheer, friends and family, and all you hold dear!

Stay tuned for updates and more wine reviews in the new year!  And look for our New Years Eve review: Wilson Creek Winery Almond Champagne

Wine-o: Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon

Cycles Gladiator  Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Soledad, CA

Alcohol: 14.5%

This is a wonderful wine.  I would describe it as darker and very round and full.  I tasted mocha and dark fruits.  I have greatly enjoyed this wine.  The best flavor was about an hour after opening to a day later, the taste seems to have gone slightly downhill around day 3 of the wine being opened.

Described on Snooth.com:

Our Cycles-Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon has lovely aromas of raspberry, mint, and mocha. Flavors of dark fruits layered on more dark fruits wrapped in a cloak of dusty tannins. Lush and mouthfilling from start to finish, there is enough acid to support the whole structure but doesnt finish sharp. The wine drops off at just the right place. I am declaring this the Official Wine of Filet Mignon. It will also go great with BBQ short ribs, and with bigger, spicy, tomato-based pasta and meat dishes. 

Freya's Score: 8 This wine was delicious with venison roast as well as turkey and egg noodle soup!

Cost: ~ $7.23 on Macadoodle's E-Commerce site, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  They have a discount section that provides cases of wine perfect for any party, event, or just a personal favorite that must always be handy.

Recipe: Opa's Spritz Cookies

My family is very proud of our Dutch heritage.  After WWII my Oma & Ope (grandparents) moved to the U.S. to start a new life and a family.  My Opa left the family bakery he was to inherit and baked cookies in the U.S. until he had his feet under him and could start a carpentry business building houses.  He worked hard and honestly and many would say achieved the "American Dream".  My mother was able to gather a couple of the old recipes from him.

Spritz Cookies

5 part sugar
7 1/2 part butter
10 part flour
1/2 cup water or milk (more flavor)
couple drops vanilla extract (or almond)

Cream butter
Add sugar
Add water or milk
Mix all ingredients together 1 at a time
Add vanilla extract (or almond)
Fold flour in (don't mix or overwork)

Put in pastry bag and pipe onto cookie sheet (cookies will flatten out and expand)

Bake at 250 or 300 until cookies are a little brown on edge (sugar burns easily)


Freya's Score: 8  - easy to make and delicious subtle flavors, nice contrast to brownies and other chocolate cookies in flavor and appearance

I've only seen my Opa make Spritz cookies once.  He made them when we visited for Christmas one year and they are delicious.  I was surprised to notice that while all American recipes call for an egg, his does not.  I was faithful to this recipe (although I did substitute almond extract for vanilla) and the result was deliciously thin butter colored cookies.  They are far superior to the traditional sugar cookies in my opinion.

Wine-o: Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel

Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel, 2009 Lodi, CA
Alcohol: 14.9%


This was my favorite wine from the Thanksgiving week of wine tastings.  The wine is a beautiful ruby red and had moderate flavors of plum and pepper.  It was a drier wine which paired wonderfully with venison, vegetables, and pate.  A great simple wine.  


I am so glad that Dan from Macadoodle's recommended this wine to me.  My mother was horrified by the name and label and declared she could never serve it at a party or give it as a gift.  After we had sampled a couple wines over the Holiday we were both won over with the Plungerhead.  I have bought it again since and look forward to opening it at my next pizza night.


Described on Wine Spectator with a rating of 83:

Ripe and smoky, showing baked cherry, fresh sage and cedar notes and dry flavors. Drink now. 36,000 cases made. –TF

Freya's Score: 8 Zesty and flavorful, it went great with venison tacos and pate hors d'oeuvres.  


Cost: ~ $12 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  They have a discount section that provides cases of wine perfect for any party, event, or just a personal favorite that must always be handy.

The Holiday Party with Glogg

The foundation of our holiday party every year is Glogg.  This Scandinavian holiday mulled wine is delicious and is spiced with cloves, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, and more.  I was thrilled to run by Macadoodle's to pick up a jug of Carlo Rossi red wine, port, and brandy to make this recipe.  To keep our guests bellies happy and keep the cooking pressure low I served a variety of hors d'oeuvres and holiday treats.

To spruce up the house I used these fun (and free) printables created by Chickabug.  It added some festivity with a banner on the mantle piece and bright holiday cards interspersed with the food display to create a more dynamic tablescape.

The Menu

Glogg - Warms you inside and out!  Maybe arrange for a taxi or designated driver...

Grapes - fresh fruits and vegetables offer a healthy option and provide color for your food display

Baked Brie with Handmade Plum Jam

Wasabi Peas - I did not make these, they are from Trader Joe's and are amazing

Dutch Spritz butter cookies - my Opa's recipe does not call for eggs and replaces water with milk, they turned out great!
Icebox Cookies - these cookies can be made in advance and kept in the freezer.  All you have to do the day of is slice and bake!

Note: due to an unfortunate incident involving the glass port bottle colliding with the cement driveway Noilly Rouge vermouth was substituted with wonderful results.

Looking for a Glogg alternative?  Try one of these holiday cocktails.

Wine-o: Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon

Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Sonoma County, California

Alcohol: 13.8%

This is a delicious wine.  It was recommended to me by Dan, one of the wine specialists at Macadoodle's Wine Tasting Bar as one of his top 5 red wines to have on hand at all times.

It is a full and round taste.  With definite flavors of dark fruits.  Powerful in aroma and dark in color.  This wine pairs very well with my usual diet of venison based dinners.  It was described by the BF as a nice "sipping wine."  I take that to mean he very much enjoyed it and wanted to savor it.  The flavor also lingers on the tongue, letting one savor it for a time.

Described on Snooth.com by Westchester Wine Warehouse: 

The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness during September and October, then de-stemmed but not crushed upon arrival at the winery, leaving 20% - 30% whole berries in the fermenter. This process retains the grape's varietal character and minimizes bitter tannin extraction in the wine. Extended skin contact occurred for an average of 6 to 8 days for maximum extraction of color and flavor. The must was fermented in a mix of rotary, punch down, and static fermentors at an average of 85 to 88 degrees for about 5 to 7 days. A variety of yeast strains were used to ensure the development of desired flavor and aroma characteristics and 100% of the wine completed malolactic fermentation. (90 Points - Wine Director) 

Freya's Score: 8 A great California Cabernet Sauvignon, I admit I am partial to these since my trip to Napa this past June.

Cost: ~ $13- bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  They have a discount section that provides cases of wine perfect for any party, event, or just a personal favorite that must always be handy.

Freya's Journey: New Dog Behavior

Choosing Your New Dog, Behavior


There are many things to consider when choosing a dog to adopt or purchase.  The personality and behavior of each individual dog is highly important as you consider making them a part of your home.


When choosing your new dog it is important to consider your lifestyle and an individual dog's behavior.  The BF and I are both active and I knew I wanted a dog that could keep up on a hike for an hour or so.  The BF is also an avid hunter with a love of retrievers, so I wanted to try to look for a dog with some retrieving instincts.  


The Centerton Animal Shelter allowed me to take Freya out on a leash on the lawn outside the facility.  I was able to see she was rambunctious outside.  She also responded when I called her and while a bit timid, sat nicely for pets and looked at my eyes when I spoke to her.  I also noted that when I threw a small woodchip she pounced after it.


Tips from Dr. Wolfenkoehler at All Pets Animal Clinic 

Evaluate behavior:  Reluctance to approach may indicate fearfulness, which can manifest as aggression in stressful situations.  The obvious signs of aggression are bared teeth, staring, growling, etc.; but fear-aggression can look like more like shyness:  tucked tail, laid-back ears, head down.  Try to spend enough time with the dog to properly evaluate behavioral tendencies. 

Note:  In increasing numbers, veterinarians are seeing pets presented for euthanasia due to behavioral issues – ranging from lack of house-training to biting.  Many of these issues can be handled with proper and consistent training. Aggression issues are more difficult.  Only owners with the resources to address these potentially heartbreaking and/or dangerous situations should adopt a dog with a tendency to be aggressive. Families with children should not take such a risk at all.

·         All newly adopted dogs, of any age, should be evaluated by a veterinarian.  All Pets generally recommends: 

• a fecal examination (checking for internal parasites)
• a heartworm test (checking for evidence of heartworm infection
• age and lifestyle-appropriate vaccinations (we would consider exposure to other dogs and exposure to ticks as part of our vaccination evaluation)
• heartworm preventive and flea/tick preventive

All Pets performs a head-to-tail examination of the 10 major body systems (gastrointestinal, nervous system, urogenital, respiratory, skeletal, skin, heart, eyes, ears, mouth). They also discuss preventive dental care, exercise and nutrition, grooming, behavioral and social skills, as well as microchipping.


In addition to being a great office, All Pets Animal Clinic is very involved in the community.  You can visit with them March through November at the Downtown Bentonville, Inc. produced First Friday events.  This is a great way to meet the staff and ask pet health or behavioral questions you may be pondering on.

Wine-o: Les Jamelles Pinot Noir & St. Nick

Les Jamelles Pinot Noir Aude, 2010 L'Aude Region, FRANCE

Alcohol: 12.5%


Coming from a Dutch immigrant family, the tradition of St. Nick is still celebrated in my mother's house on December 6th.  One must leave their shoes by the door on St. Nick's Eve and if you've been good then you may find a treat in your shoes in the morning!  Freya decided to try to soften up St. Nick a day early with the last of our Pinot Noir.  (She's lost all her balls and is in desperate need of new toys to chew.)

This is a very light red wine.  It is very fruity with lovely flavors of plum and blackberry.  The flavors almost have a "jam" tendency to them.  Light in aroma, and moderately flavorful.  I anticipate those that are transitioning from white wine to red wine will enjoy this as it is quite light and not robust like many Malbecs and Merlots.

I was also sold on this wine by its' label.  It has a vintage French feel to it.  Simple and classic.

Described on WineVariety.com:

A developed style, with spiced cherry, plum and currant flavors that are organisation and fresh-tasting. Shows hints of dim chocolate on a finish. Drink now. 40,000 cases imported.

Freya's Score: 8 Nicely paired with bread and medium aromatic cheese.

Cost: ~ $13- bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  They have a discount section that provides cases of wine perfect for any party, event, or just a personal favorite that must always be handy.

Wine-o: Beaujolais Nouveau 2011

Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, 2011 FRANCE

Alcohol: 12.5%

The Beaujolais Nouveau wine is a vintage that has been developed in the past 20 years.  Dan from the Pineville Macadoodle's wine tasting bar was happy enough to explain to me some of the unique qualities of this wine.  

This is the first grape to be picked in the spring.  It is made without using any oak and is released every year just before Thanksgiving.  The Georges DuBoeuf Beajolais Nouveau is the most popular and the one most people serve traditionally during the holiday season.

I had a very difficult time trying to taste this wine.  The aromas were moderate and very simple, grape smelling.  It was off dry and a light wine with a moderate flavor.  It definitely requires aeration, and even then I was less than impressed. 

We served this wine with Thanksgiving dinner and it went well, although I preferred the Lindemans Bin 99 Pinot Noir.  It also went well with hors d'oeuvres of pate and a dill feta bread from the local bakery Stone Mill Bread & Co.

In the past 20 years this wine has received scores ranging from 86 to 87 and has an average price of 11-14 dollars according to Wine Spectator.

Freya's Score: 5  This wine was very fun to try since so many people talk about it this time of year.  It is important to drink it when you buy it and let it aerate for an hour.

Cost: ~ $10.44 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  10% off all bottles of wine not already on sale!