Every so often I’ve purchased a bottle of something out of Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle. NOT just because of the name. I remember liking whatever I bought, but since it was pre-blog, I didn’t take notes :). I’ve always felt that if I had to pick a bottle for a hostess gift, I probably wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring something from Chateau Ste Michelle. And the wines generally get good reviews from people who know more about wine than me.

Their wines are typically priced above my self-imposed ceiling of $10, so when I saw a bottle of Riesling on sale at Giant for less than that, I grabbed a bottle (I think I paid $8.99). It was a really nice little weekday wine. I’d characterize it as off-dry — a hint of residual sugar but not cloyingly so. A medium body — this has more oomph than a pinot grigio — but not overly heavy. It’s a nice before-dinner wine — would probably pair well with fairly assertive cheeses. I think it would make a nice sangria as well — cut back on the sugar a little.

This is also my first post since my little bathtub accident. I’m on the mend, but I walk like a pirate. People are really nice to you when you are on crutches — drivers even encourage you to jaywalk. I just need a better story than “I fell into the bathtub.”

Standard caveat: This is a personal recommendation. Chateau Ste. Michelle does not know I exist and has provided neither product nor compensation for this endorsement. In fact, they’ll probably sue me if this ever gets in a search engine.