CHATEAU BIANCA NORTHWEST COMFORT GLUHWEIN

The theme of this month’s box is spice, and that extends to the wine you’ll find inside. Northwest Comfort comes from the Oregon-based Chateau Bianca, which has been producing wines in the Mid-Willamette Valley since 1990. But the company’s heritage goes back four generations and one continent, to Germany, where current winemaker Andreas Wetzel’s great-grandfather started growing grapes and producing wine. Today, the family-owned winery produces beautiful wines using completely sustainable techniques, to ensure their legacy can be passed down for generations to come. 

The Wetzels’ German roots shine through in Northwest Comfort, originally known and still produced under the name “Glühwein,” or mulled wine. Using a blend of red wines and mulling spices, it has a fruity flavor, accentuated with cinnamon and cloves. In the ski resorts of the Alps, it’s traditionally drunk at holiday time and throughout the winter, served warm with a cinnamon stick and a slice of dried orange. But you don’t have to wait for the holiday to enjoy it — Northwest Comfort is an ideal libation on any chilly night. In warm weather, it can be consumed chilled or on the rocks. It’s nothing if not versatile, so you can pair it with food as well — give it a try served warm with savory stews or served cold over fresh fruit.