Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Nothing says “I love you” like a little romantic atmosphere. A bottle of wine. Some chocolates. Candlelight. Wine gift sets can make for excellent gifts for this Valentine’s Day. Smart buying can reveal some amazing choices that will leave your partner absolutely delighted. Even better, it’s the kind of gift that the two of you can share together.

Wine gift sets meant for Valentine’s Day often have that Valentine’s Day feel to them. Companies that craft these gift sets and gift baskets will wrap them up in pink and red boxes with foil for shine, heart accents for love, and more. They can contain anywhere from a single bottle of wine and some chocolates to being a full wine gift set with cheese, crackers, and multiple bottles of wine.

Just as some people claim that Swiss chocolate is the best you can get, others might argue that French cheese is the only way to go when enjoying a bottle of wine. But is there really a difference between French cheeses and other international cheeses? And does it matter which cheese you eat when drinking wine?

There is nothing that really makes the statements about French cheese true. Everyone will have their favorites and nothing is going to make them change their minds. Likewise, getting many cheeses straight from France can be difficult depending upon how old the cheese is, what it’s made with, and so forth. For example, cheeses made with raw milk and not allowed to ferment a certain number of days cannot be sent to the United States.

Eat what you want with your wine. In fact, you don’t even have to eat cheese with wine. Some connoisseurs believe that strong cheeses can actually overpower the flavors within many wines, which doesn’t lend well to overall enjoyment.

Not every location in the United States is allowed to sell wine. Aside from places needing a liquor license, some states actually have laws in place that prevent locations, such as grocery stores, from selling wine and other alcoholic drinks. There are only specific buildings that are allowed to sell them, which means people looking to host a wine tasting event may have to travel very far just to obtain a few bottles. 35 out of 50 states allow wine to be sold in stores – all the others mean people have to make two trips for everything they want.

Tennessee is one of those places. But the Red, White, and Food campaign is looking to change that. To change the law, they need people to support them and vote to do so. The more people signing up, the more likely it is that lawmakers will eventually bend and allow stores to carry wine. This coming fall, depending upon how lobbyists push lawmakers and how much democracy will prevail, the possibility of change may appear on ballots. It may be that in 2012 Tennessee will finally be able to have wine where it wants.

Whether you’re looking for a new cookbook that can teach you ways to cook with wine, or just want a great wine gift to give someone, there are some handy new titles out there that may be exactly what you’re looking for. Check out the following books and give them some thought.

Pairing Wine and Food by Linda Johnson-Bell. It’s exactly what it sounds like! Instead of trying to piece together information here and there online, now you can look right inside this book for excellent ideas on what to drink the next time you have dinner.

Winemaking with Concentrates: How to Make Delicious Wines at Home with Easy-to-Use Fruit Concentrates by Peter Duncan. You may not have a vineyard, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own wine! Peter Duncan has some interesting ideas on how to make mouth-watering wines without the need for acres of land.

The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine by Karen Page. Sometimes it’s the other way around. You love food first, wine is secondary. So how should you go about treating the two? Karen Page looks at the world of wine from the eyes of a food fan first.

Many people have their preferences in music just as they have their preferences in wine. When you get home after a long day at work, you may want to kick back with a glass of wine and put on some tunes. But can music help enhance the taste of your wine?

Interestingly enough, a study by Heriot Watt University in Britain found that people believe there is a difference in taste when certain music is played. In fact, 60% of people believed the taste changed when music came into the picture.

The sounds in the music somehow seemed to echo the flavors and tastes in the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon was most affected by “powerful and heavy” music whereas a bottle of Chardonnay tasted better with music that was “zingy and refreshing.”

Wondering what to try (music-wise) the next time you sit down with a glass of wine? How about “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings with Cabernet Sauvignon, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner for Chardonnay, “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding with some Merlot, or “Orinoco Flow” by Enya with Syrah.

So the next time you see a bottle of wine, don’t be too surprised to see the label include a few musical recommendations as well!

Looking for ways to keep track of the bottles you’ve enjoyed? A wine journal is exactly what you need in order to remember which vineyard made the best merlot and which chardonnay simply did not work with your swordfish dinner. There are several ways you can keep a wine journal. You could buy a blank journal and create your own format as you try different bottles, or you can purchase a journal made specifically for wine lovers.

Moleskine makes Passions journals tailored to the loves that people have. Their wine journal is an excellent way to keep track of your wine, allowing for places where you can record all sorts of notes, include pictures, and customize it in various different ways.

Kevin Zraly is all about wine. It’s a larger book with more room for larger pictures and space for writing. Great to keep at home, but because of it’s size and hardcover design, it’s not really made for traveling.

If you want something even smaller than the Moleskine, the Little Black Journal of Wine is a good choice. The elastic band keeps it shut and you have plenty of different note areas you can write in. Because of its smaller size, you may have to write smaller to get all your thoughts in!

Love wine and love to recommend it along with various foods? You could be on the brink of a brand new career. A sommelier is someone who works at a restaurant doing exactly that. You’re much more than a waiter. You inform guests of the wine choices, make recommendations based upon their food choices, or suggest wines paired with certain dishes. A sommelier also gets to choose which wines the restaurant should stock.

However, you can’t simply walk into a restaurant and apply for the position. To be truly qualified as a sommelier, you need to go back to school. That’s right. A sommelier should go to the Court of Master Sommeliers in order to obtain an amazing knowledge of wine and more to become a certified sommelier. From tasting all the subtleties of wine to smelling the various aromas, there is a lot to learn through the courses offered. You can get certified if that’s all you want, or you can continue to take courses in order to become a true Master Sommelier.

Need a good reason to get people together? It’s time to have good friends over for a fine time. Parties don’t just need to be centered around alcohol. Find ways to get people to have a good time instead of just standing around chatting.

Wine tasting is always fun – make it different by challenging everyone to bring a different bottle. Or make it into a guessing game. Will your friends be able to tell one red from another?

Host a game night. There are some hilarious and fun games on today’s game shelves. Enjoy drinks on the side or buy a game that makes them part of the fun. Just make sure not to drink while laughing.

Movie night is always entertaining. Whether you host a B movie night and make fun of the lame lines and hokey effects, or watch something fresh off the reels, popcorn and drinks can match up well.

A book club gives you literature, discussion, and, of course, books go nicely with fine wine. Kick back with friends and talk about the latest work of fiction while enjoying a delicious glass from your favorite bottle.

Looking for some ideas on what to drink in this New Year? The answer is simple – some New Start Martinis! There are so many different drink options out there, why not start with martinis that you’ve never had before? They don’t have to be anything special to qualify as a New Start Martini – just something you’ve never tasted. It’s easy to find recipes for good martinis. You can look around online for something that sounds tasty, or you can pick up a little book about martinis at the bookstore.

There are New Year’s related martinis like Midnight Martinis, Resolution Martinis, Elite Midnight Martinis, go a little retro-active with a Twentieth Century Cocktail, a Midori Melon Ball Drop, or just straight-up Good Times Martini.

If martinis aren’t your style, don’t worry. Make a resolution to try something different within you favorite drink area. If you enjoy beer, look for micro-brewed goods. If mixed drinks are your style, there are thousands to choose from. You can even be adventurous with wine!

No doubt you already have some of the great bar essentials, like shakers and cocktail glasses. But now that there’s a New Year, it’s time to take stock of what you might have been missing during the festivities. That means you get to do a little shopping early on in the year so that next time you host a party, you aren’t without the tools you need.

A long bar spoon is a tool that can be just what you need for multiple functions. You may also want to get more than one. A long bar spoon allows you to mix drinks, serve drinks, or even fish them out of the blender or a shaker. Handy for picking fruit pieces out of drinks, too.

A double jigger it excellent because it’s two tools in one. One side is big enough for an ounce while the other is a quarter ounce, making measuring fast and super easy.

Had friends wanting a Mojito or Mint Julep but couldn’t deliver? A muddler gives you the power to give them those fresh drinks. Like a mortar and pestle, the muddler is a wooden stick that crushes herbs and fruits at the bottom of a glass. Better than a fork or hands!

A cork retriever keeps cork out of wine – something no one ever wants. Sometimes opening up a bottle means risking a piece of cork going in. A retriever makes it easier to snatch those random bits out again.