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5 Cold Weather Wines To Cuddle With 

Author Gina Birch

We are not used to cold weather in Southwest Florida and this week temperatures were 20 degrees below average in most areas. Before those temps start to climb again, here are 5 cold weather wines to cuddle with for Wine Wednesday.

It’s not just the fact that these wines are big, bold and have warm qualities to their smell and taste. It’s also because of the food that compliments them. When it gets cold, many people cook comfort foods that have lots of flavor and structure. Bigger wines tend to match those foods well.

Let’s pop some corks on reds from around the world but remember that the wine itself should not be warm. A slight chill allows you taste more of the subtleties, not just alcohol.

Enjoy These 5 Cold Weather Wines To Cuddle With This Week.

There is no way I can do a piece on wines to cuddle with and not include a Napa cabernet. I recently opened a 2021 Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and it was ripe and ready to drink.

Bottle of Frank Family Cabernet with pizza in the background
Gina Birch
Frank Family Cabernet is a great example of a well-made Napa cab. On one hand it is like a plush blanket. On the other it is robust handshake. Put the two hands together and you have a well-balanced wine that can age or be consumed right away.

Cold Weather Wines From Argentina

Icon Rock Cabernet Sauvignon is a new brand from Uco Valley in Argentina. The winery actually has three tiers of wines and they only recently arrived in the United States.

Bottle Icon Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
Icon Rock
Icon Rock Cabernet Sauvignon has those nice herbal elements you might expect from cabernet grapes grown in this area of Argentina. It has lots of cherry and is a wine that needs time to open to fully express itself. Decant it before your meal if possible. $23

Cold Weather Wines From Italy

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo is a great food wine from Italy. It’s packaging looks as inviting as the wine itself tastes.

Bottle of Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo with food prep in background
Gina Birch
I recently had a bottle of Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo with friends who were turning out a variety of homemade pizzas from their wood burning oven. The wine’s structure, fruit and acid were a great compliment to red sauce, creamy mozzarella, spicy meats and garlic. Under $20

Cold Weather Wines From France

Last week I went to Miami to meet winemaker Dominique Arangoits from Cos d’Estournel. We tasted through four of his wines from Bordeaux, France. G was one of my favorites. No, not because it is the first letter of my name, therefore MY wine. But that didn’t hurt either.

Man's hands holding a bottle of G D'Estournel
Gina Birch
G D’Estournel is a Bordeaux blend consisting of mostly merlot followed by cabernet sauvignon and 1% cabernet franc. The aromatics are beautiful. It’s full of dark fruit and dark berries with a touch of violets and spice. $40 range

One More Cold Weather Wines

Finally, 2018 Mettler Petite Sirah comes from Lodi, California. First of all, there is nothing “petite” about the wine, just the grapes. Mettler is not one of those mass produced wines and I’ve always enjoyed what they do.

Bottle of Mettle Petite Sirah against a brushed metal refreigerator
Gina Birch
Mettler Petite Sirah is rich and delicious. It has notes of aromatic pipe tobacco,
dark chocolate covered dried cherries, and dark fruit. It fits the definition of cold weather wines to cuddle with. $25

Side note. Mettler’s current vintage of petite sirah is 2020. The new vintage is still in the cold weather wines category. Here are the tasting notes from the winery:

“This is a big wine with dark inky color and big tannin finish. Black licorice notes on the nose and black pepper spice on the palate. The dark fruit rounds out the spice and the finish is very dry. This wine is complex and would benefit from some age as it will continue to evolve.” 

Prices may vary from those listed.

Drink responsibly.

Gina Birch brings the sunshine to Sunny 106.3 every weekday morning from 6-10. She has worked in radio, television and print in Southwest Florida for nearly 30 years. During that time, she has become an advocate for numerous charities including those that support animals, children, women and wellness. In addition, she has written for numerous local, regional and national publications about food, wine and travel. Those are her longtime passions...along with shoes.

5 Impressive DIY Christmas Decorations To Try

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s prime time for putting up Christmas and other holiday decor. Sure you can buy pre-made items from just about any store. However, it can be fun and less expensive to make your own. Here are 5 impressive DIY Christmas decorations to try for the season and TikTok Tuesday.

Unfortunately, many Southwest Floridians are starting over when it comes to holiday decorations. I know people who lost all of them to hurricane damage from back-to-back storms this season. The good news about some of these ideas is that they don’t cost a fortune. They just take a little time and effort.

My social media feeds have started exploding with people showing off their creativity and decorating skills. Some I’ve seen before, however, I’m always trying to track down something different. Hopefully some of these ideas will at least inspire you to try some DIY Christmas decorations this year,

More Impressive DIY Christmas Decorations

Hands cutting a red and white cloth for DIY Christmas decorations
Getty Images
Making Christmas decorations is a great way to bond with friends and family while stocking the flames of creativity.

If the kids are home and need an activity to keep them out of trouble, put them to work on some of these. Better yet, do them as a family project. Time together is the best gift of all during the holiday season. Then together, you can appreciate the team effort to make your home look extra special and festive this year.

If you don’t have a TikTok account, don’t worry. I’ve made it easy by taking these links from mine. Simply scroll down and watch from this post. Some of the details are in the captions so you might have to click to see them in full. Turn up the volume as well for good advice and instructions.

Finally, share these videos with friends who also enjoy decorating and might be looking for something new to try.

Enjoy These 5 Impressive DIY Christmas Decorations

  • An Ornamental Ceiling

    Every year I find something that I’ve never seen before. This time it’s ceiling decor. I’ve never even thought about this but it looks fun for the right space.

    @jeannaloveschristmas

    Create a Christmas Ornament ceiling with me❤️#christmasdecor #christmasdecoratingideas #christmasinspo

    ♬ Christmas Is Coming - DM Production

  • Lawn Lights On Steroids

    If you REALLY want to turn heads in your neighborhood this year, you have to try this one. It is a little work but the finished product is indeed impressive.

    @livinwithmb

    DIY giant set of string lights! Looking for an outdoor Christmas display that will make a huge impact? These oversized Christmas lights are it!!!!! 🤩🎄 I wouldn’t call this the cheapest DIY I’ve ever shared 😅 but here are the materials used if you decide to recreate! (I’ve also linked everything in my ltk in my bio) The original DIY comes from @hallmarkchannel Materials used: 8 6 ft adhesive foam piping Outdoor LED string lights (ONLY USE LED. THEY WILL NOT PRODUCE HARMFUL HEAT!) Small trash bin to make giant plug 1 piece of birch wood to make the base of plug 2 pieces of birch wood for the prongs Gold and black acrylic paint for the birch wood prongs (you can also cut circle holes in prongs, I just painted mine black) 12 empty 2 liter bottles to make the bulbs 12 6 oz deli cups to make the base of bulbs Heavy duty duct tape to attach pipes Spray paints for the string, plug and bulbs. I used Hunter green for the trash bin, pipes and deli cups. I used meadow green, red, blue, yellow and orange for the 2 liter bottles. Liquid nails to attach birch wood to trash bin. Glue gun to attach 2 liter bottles to deli cups Hot knife to cut holes in deli cups and 2 liter bottles (optional, you can also use an xacto knife)

    ♬ It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Instrumental Christmas Music

  • "Cool" Wall Art

    This is a great idea to make your home feel like a winter wonderland, even if it is 80 or 90 degrees this season. You may even have some old picture frames to repurpose for the project.

    @villaglow

    🎄DIY Christmas Wall Decor 🏠 #dollartree . 🎥 by lou_flores IG . Tag a friend. Save this trick and try it later. . 👉🏼Follow me, Villa Glow. I will share more contents from different talented creators! . No intention of copyright infringement ❌©️ . DM for credit or removal request✍🏼 All rights and credits reserved to respective owner(s). . #homedecor #homedesign #dormroom #apartmentinspo #apartmentideas #roomideas #roominspo #roomdeco #kidsartsandcrafts #kidsactivities #ChristmasCountdown

    ♬ original sound - Villa Glow

  • Life-Sized Christmas Mug

    I’ve seen lots of different versions of this one and love every one. This would look great if you have space on front porch or even around the pool.

    @shellydoesdiy

    Easy DIY Christmas decor 2024 #easycrafts #Christmas2024 #diychristmasdecor #diychristmascrafts Inspo: @Grace.of.Spades

    ♬ оригінальний звук - VIKI Studio DIY

  • Colorful Tablescape

    This one requires several steps and lots of time for drying. But the finished product is impressive. You can also add your own touches in there.

    @the_gooch

    Budget friendly DIY holiday tree 🎄PART 1 #christmas #christmasdecor #diy #christmasdiy #decor #craft #homedecor #homeideas

    ♬ original sound - The Gooch

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