Friday was a one of those crazy days where I hit the ground running and didn’t stop all day.  Part of the rush was work-related and part was because there was so much uncertainty about when Snowmaggedon 2010 was going to hit the DC region.  I started off the morning realizing that I didn’t submit mandatory paperwork for a recent work-related trip to Philadelphia.  It had to be submitted on Friday, and with federal offices closing at noon, it was a mad dash to the office so that I could complete the forms, get them signed by my boss, and get them submitted.  In truth, I had to do all of that by 9:30am because I needed to be at the Newseum for conference where I was speaking on a panel.  I arrived in time to listen to the panel before mine, which was nice, as I learned a lot from the speakers.  All of that finished around noon, and since my office was closing at noon because of the impending snow, I went home, grabbed the car, and braved the grocery store. Hubby and I tried to go on Thursday night, but the line of cars to get into the grocery store was 1/2 a mile long and no parking spots were to be found, so that left me going after work.  I made it home from the store with time to spare, as the snow didn’t begin until 3:30ish.  By 8:30pm, we had a solid 6 inches and this is what it looked like outside our condo building.

Cold, wintry weather like Snowmaggedon 2010 is exactly the type of weather that makes me think of mulled wine, although I admit that until Friday, I’ve never actually had any.  Thanks to a loyal reader and wine friend, I actually had a bottle of Virginia-made mulled wine in my possession and being snowed in our condo for several days seemed like the perfect opportunity to open it.  So, after spending the morning working and preparing for the storm, I braved the cold to take a few pictures of what it looked like after about 5 hours of snow and then heated up some wine to warm myself up and relax for the duration of Snowmaggedon.

The Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Autumn Red Table Wine (winery) was a deep, dark purple with ruby flecks.  The wine smelled like a cup of Christmas potpourri.  There were nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, gingerbread, blackberry, pinecone, pine needle, tobacco, and menthol aromas.  In the mouth, there was cinnamon, ginger, and fennel, followed by blackberries and ripe black plums.  On the finish, there was the slightest hint of pine needles and menthol.  The wine felt velvety smooth in my mouth, with low acid and tannins.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one!  What are you waiting for? Since this was a present, I don’t know how much the bottle of wine cost, but as most of Swedenburg’s wines sell for between $15-$25, I assume that it is somewhere in that price range.  At $20, the hard work of mixing in the right combination of mulling spices is done and all that is left is to warm it up in a microwave of crock-pot.  So, if you’re looking for a good mulled wine to serve at a holiday party or to warm up with after the Dupont Circle Snowball fight, Swedenburg’s Autumn Red is definitely a wine worth considering.  As for me and Snowmaggedon 2010, the only thing that kept my evening from being one of those perfect, snowed-in nights is that my condo doesn’t have a fireplace.  Otherwise, Hubby and I hunkered down for a cozy night, each with a good book and me with some delicious, warm mulled wine.  Thanks for making my first mulled wine experience such a great one, Doug!

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Hope all of you in the mid-Atlantic were warm, safe, and had a chance to drink some fun wines during Snowmaggedon 2010.