Avid fans of my home renovation Insta @wiz_manor have already seen this, but great news: the custom fireplace doors I ordered at the end of September were installed last week!

I’m so thrilled with them. I’ve spent the better part of the week setting stuff on fire. After striving to get a really good roaring blaze, I followed the directions in this blog post, and I will never ever ever build a fire any other way.

I’m still shopping for stone to wrap around the existing fireplace and extend up the wall to make a faux chimney situation (my mom’s idea, she’ll have you know. And it’s a very good one, Mom). But before this becomes an episode of This Old House, by God we must celebrate the doors appropriately.

We’re back in New Jersey with Auburn Road, another great winery in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA. (Did you know we have four AVA’s in the state? We sure do!) It’s just about a 20 minute drive south of our pals at William Heritage and most emphatically worth a visit if you’re down that way. I love their White Bottle chardonnay, and I’ve enjoyed every red I’ve had from them.

Classico is a blend of sangiovese, cab sauv, merlot, and petit verdot. It’s a bit woodsy on the nose. The sangiovese gives a lovely brightness and black cherry fruitiness, even after five years in the bottle. Alcohol is 13.4% but very well balanced.

Since we’re on the run-up to Thanksgiving, Will It Pair? It sure will! Excellent acidity and virtually no tannin. The fruitiness will satisfy those who only drink wine with dinner a couple times a year.

I’m super pleased with this wine, and I’m enjoying it very much while on the couch by my nice hot fire. Hope you have a cozy spot to curl up with a tasty libation. Let me know what you’re sipping by the fire on these chilly nights!