A Midwestern Life

I had Groupon/Living Social in Spain, but I never used it. It always seemed to be for laser hair removal or 500 condoms. Every week. So imagine my delight when I moved back to the Midwest and almost immediately found a Living Social deal I could get on board with. It was a wine tasting for two at Chateau St. Croix, a French-inspired chateau near St. Croix, Wisconsin. The Groupon included a tasting for two (five wines), cheese and chocolate, two complimentary wine glasses, and a cutting board, all for just $20.

It was a beautiful fall day, and the 45-minute drive was scenic as the leaves were just beginning to change. When the boyfriend and I pulled up to the winery, we were surprised that the chateau did, in fact, resemble a French winery. The inside was decorated with mounted deer heads, which reminded me of some of the chateaux we saw on our tour of the Loire Valley.

We tried seven different wines. There were two wines that stood out to me. The first was the Thoroughbred Red, a hearty red which had hints vanilla and berry. The second, a bit more whimsical, was the Cheesehead White, complete with a mini cheesehead. It was sweet, light, and refreshing. The staff were polite and provided thorough explanations of every wine we tasted.

After the wine tasting, we headed out to explore the grounds, which included the vineyards, horse pastures, and several walking paths.

At the end of our visit, we tried a pizza from A Wandering Fire, a traveling wood-fired pizza oven. We tried the Sand Creek, which may have been the most delicious pizza I have ever eaten in my life. It was comprised of, “garlic infused olive oil, maple roasted sweet potato, pancetta, bleu and asiago cheeses with a maple syrup drizzle”.

Living Social definitely got this one right.