Historians note the fact that several traditions related to the season of joy & happiness initiated around the Civil war era. A simple reason cited for this is that people wanted their spirits lifted and at such a time of doubt and uncertainty, Americans got a valid reason to celebrate in the form of Christmas. A number of our customs like festive foods, Christmas cards, Christmas trees and caroling date back to earlier 1850s. Its from this period only that we got many of the songs we sing on Christmas at present like "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Deck the Halls," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing and "Jingle Bells".
It was during the Civil War that families set a vacant place at the dinner table for their family members who could not attend the Christmas dinner. Nowadays, same tradition is followed in military families to honor their family members who are away for the cause of serving the nation. From the bottom of our heart, we would like to salute these brave men & women who have sacrificed a lot to protect our freedom. In the year 1862, a Christmas dinner was hosted by Stonewall Jackson celebrating his last Christmas at his winter quarters. Robert E. Lee was one of the attendees at this Christmas dinner.
Later, Lee sent a letter to his beloved life following the Battle of Fredericksburg. In this letter, Lee describes war as a cruel thing that separates & destroys friends & families and takes away joy & happiness. He also prays to God on Christmas to fill better thoughts in the hearts of their nation's enemies so that they turn towards peace rather than taking the path of devastation. It was also during the 1800s that drinking mulled wine became popular as a tradition. Charles Dickens has the credit of making this drink popular as he mentioned about it in his creation "A Christmas Carol".
When you visit TWABR, you will get to relish our version of Mulled wine. Most recipes of mulled wine include use of a red wine along with brandy or port, citrus fruits and spices like ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Honey or sugar is added normally to increase the sweet taste. For our version of Mulled wine, we use Merlot. We hope that you will visit us this Christmas to relish our tasty mulled wine. Our Virginia winery will serve as the perfect place to offer you the ideal refreshment and joy with your family & friends.
