12 Days of Christmas: Villa Milagro

Villa Milagro in Phillipsburg.

Tonight, Thursday night, is date night. That usually means splitting a bottle of wine with my best friend (hi, Nancy).

Tonight was no exception, and the destination was a favorite Mexican restaurant, Riviera Maya in Bogota.

Why Mexican?

Because it's December 16th, the first night of Las Posadas (Spanish for "The Inns"). This nine-day religious festival commemorates the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Why Riviera Maya?

Because the staff is friendly, and the food is terrific. It's festively decorated for holidays, including a Christmas tree lovingly constructed by the owner from all the left-behind BYOB wine corks, some of them undoubtedly mine.

Tonight's wine was from Villa Milagro (Spanish for "House of Miracles") in New Jersey (aka "The Land of Advent Wine Calendars"). Atop this page is an image from a visit there about a year ago.

It's at least a 150-mile roundtrip drive between the vineyard and winery in Phillipsburg in Warren County and the small Mexican restaurant in Bogota in Bergen County. Most of it would offer a scenic view of the New Jersey countryside.

You could always split the driving with your best friend.

The cork tree at Riviera Maya in Bogota.