It had been quite a while since Sonja and I had visited the Black Hills of South Dakota, a place we love on levels that range from nostalgic to spiritual. After celebrating Christmas with my family in Nebraska, we struck out for a brief holiday of just our own, leaving our son and even his “doggie” in the care of my parents. 

The Black Hills are beautiful, covered in snow, and our first stop was the Belle Joli sparkling house, just outside of Sturgis. We tasted through 7-8 wines, but of course this rare sparkling offering stood out to me.  Laced in excited bubbles and crafted from Riesling grapes sourced from Washington, I was told, this wine was slightly tart, crisp, with notes of green apple and star fruit, melon and stone fruits. The only sparkling producer in South Dakota that I’m aware of, they have produced one of the better sparkling wines from the Midwest that I have encountered. I enjoyed the visit, and I’ll post a review of the entire experience sometime when I’m not on holiday and trying to type on my phone. 

We got to our hotel, housed in a casino in Deadwood, and I was clearly in a champagne state of mind. “How much to upgrade to a suite?” I inquired. We spent the rest of the evening playing cards and taking full advantage of the hot tub in our room. 

Cheers,

Mark