Sunday, December 16, 2007
Perfect Christmas Gift!
Wine Gifts – The Perfect Present This Christmas by: Louise Truswell
Not sure what to buy your friends or relatives this Christmas? Well, why not opt for a wine gift? It’s a definite crowd pleaser, looks classy and can be bought from the comfort of your armchair, so you simply can’t go wrong with it. Buying wine gifts is easy. Just follow a few handy tips below and you’ll have your Christmas shopping sorted in no time. The simplest piece of advice to remember is that sparkles always go down well. Whether you are buying for your Great Aunt or best mate, for a 50th wedding anniversary or 21st birthday, champagne is always well received. It looks elegant and tastes great. If you are buying for a range of people and are not sure what to buy for who, you can generally expect that people over the age of 50 will prefer Old World wine, whilst people under the age of 50 are more likely to opt for New World wines. When buying for your partner or loved one, the best option is to choose something that you are both going to enjoy. Go for a bottle you know you both will love or a mixed case of both of your favourites and you are bound to impress. If you are looking to make an impact with your wine, why not go for a pre-packaged wine gift? Many wine retailers usually have a range of wine gifts available, which have been carefully prepared for that special occasion. And if you want to go the extra mile, always opt for a wooden gift box. They are a great way of making a bottle of wine look even more perfect, for relatively little extra cost. Always remember to personalise your gifts with a message. Whether you’ve opted for a case of wine or something from the gift selection, a short message will make it meaningful for the lucky recipient. For comfort and stress-free shopping, make sure you buy online. Buying from an online wine retailer will mean that you can complete your gift shopping in the cosy surroundings of your own home without the hustle and bustle of supermarket trolleys, Christmas Shoppers and pushy sales assistants. What’s more, unlike traditional retailers, online retailers aren’t restricted by space and don’t have so many hefty overheads, so it means that they can offer a wider range of products at lower prices. Finally, make sure your buy early, particularly if you are ordering online. Whilst online retailers will often promise to order within a few days, there’s nothing worse than a present arriving late. Make sure you don’t disappoint and place your order with a couple of extra days notice, particularly at Christmas, which is always a busy time.
About The Author
Louise Truswell has been working in and writing about the wine industry for a number of years. So now you’ve got the tips, all that is left is to select the gift. To choose from Virgin Wines’ extensive range of wine gifts, visit http://www.virginwines.com/buywinegifts
Monday, December 10, 2007
French Wine Anyone?
I Love French Wine and Food - A 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau by: Levi Reiss
Beaujolais Nouveau, the French red wine that arrives just in time for Thanksgiving, is a major marketing success. This wine is released for sale at one minute past midnight on the third Thursday in November. In the next 24 hours over one million cases will be sold. During the coming year, consumers all over the world will buy over 65 million bottles. Approximately 4 million bottles are exported to the United States, and 7 million to Japan and to Germany. On the downside millions of bottles of last year's production was destroyed prior to the release of the 2007 crop. New wines are usually colored bright red or violet. They tend to be fruity, tasting of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, banana, and freshly squeezed grapes, depending on the grape variety used, the production method, and the area in which the grapes are grown. Detractors talk about bubble gum, lollipops, nail polish, and jello. Many feel that new wine tastes of grape juice with alcohol. One thing is certain; if you don't like a given new wine, don't store it away to try it again in two years. It won't improve with time. Let me present a few tidbits of information before reviewing one of the best Beaujolais Nouveau wines. This wine comes from Beaujolais region of southeastern France and is made from the Gamay grape, which was kicked out of the world-famous, neighboring Burgundy region in 1395. By law, all grapes must be picked by hand in the Beaujolais region. Champagne is the only other region of France that forbids mechanical harvesting. While Beaujolais Nouveau was first regulated in 1938, it dates back to ancient times when a somewhat similar wine was produced for slaves. History does not record their reaction. Let's take a look at mine. Before reviewing the Beaujolais Nouveau wine and imported cheeses that we purchased at a local wine store and a local imported food store, here a few suggestions of what to eat with such wine: Start with Salade Frisee aux Lardons (Curly Lettuce and Bacon Salad). For your second course savor Pot au Feu (Short Ribs with Bone Marrow). And as dessert indulge yourself with Poires pochees au Miel (Pears poached in Honey). OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 12% about $13.50 I bought this bottle a few days after the release of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau (November 15, 2007) along with a more expensive French offering and an Italian Vino Novello, (new wine) a quite similar Italian rendition. In what I hope is not a policy change my supplier did not include any marketing materials. Here are another supplier's comments: Crisp and enjoyable ' bright cherry and berry flavors, with enough tannins to stand up to richer foods. And now for my reactions. My first pairing of this wine involved prepackaged eggplant parmigiana to which I added a lot of grated Parmesan cheese. The first thing that hit me was the taste of bubble gum, more or less dominating everything else. The wine was pleasant but not much else. I can't help but think about 1970s parties where people were younger and the wine was almost inconsequential. The next meal consisted of slow cooked beef stew with potatoes. Now the wine had some black cherry and apple flavors but the bubble gum was still present, although not dominant. This Beaujolais Nouveau was moderately acidic and of medium length. Then I tried this wine with breaded fried chicken breast slices, potato patties, and Turkish salad. The wine seemed a bit rounder than before. My paucity of comments is due, at least in part, to the wine's paucity of presence. Like it almost wasn't there. The first cheese was a German Emmenthaler (Swiss-type) that is starting to age. The wine was fairly thin, but some fruit managed to poke itself out and guess what, there was no bubble gum at all. The change may have happened when the wine aged in the bottle for a few days. One could do a semi-scientific experiment to test this hypothesis with another bottle of this wine. Not a chance. Then I continued with a French goat cheese that has become older than necessary. The cheese rendered the wine almost tasteless. The wine was overwhelmed. I was underwhelmed. Final verdict. Can you guess? Once again I was had. For this price one should be able to get something halfway decent. And yet as long as both yours truly and the Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon are around I'll be tasting such wines.
About The Author
Levi Reiss has authored alone or with a co-author ten books on computers and the Internet but he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what he wants, in moderation. He teaches various computer classes in an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website http://www.wineinyourdiet.com/ links to his other sites.
Beaujolais Nouveau, the French red wine that arrives just in time for Thanksgiving, is a major marketing success. This wine is released for sale at one minute past midnight on the third Thursday in November. In the next 24 hours over one million cases will be sold. During the coming year, consumers all over the world will buy over 65 million bottles. Approximately 4 million bottles are exported to the United States, and 7 million to Japan and to Germany. On the downside millions of bottles of last year's production was destroyed prior to the release of the 2007 crop. New wines are usually colored bright red or violet. They tend to be fruity, tasting of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, banana, and freshly squeezed grapes, depending on the grape variety used, the production method, and the area in which the grapes are grown. Detractors talk about bubble gum, lollipops, nail polish, and jello. Many feel that new wine tastes of grape juice with alcohol. One thing is certain; if you don't like a given new wine, don't store it away to try it again in two years. It won't improve with time. Let me present a few tidbits of information before reviewing one of the best Beaujolais Nouveau wines. This wine comes from Beaujolais region of southeastern France and is made from the Gamay grape, which was kicked out of the world-famous, neighboring Burgundy region in 1395. By law, all grapes must be picked by hand in the Beaujolais region. Champagne is the only other region of France that forbids mechanical harvesting. While Beaujolais Nouveau was first regulated in 1938, it dates back to ancient times when a somewhat similar wine was produced for slaves. History does not record their reaction. Let's take a look at mine. Before reviewing the Beaujolais Nouveau wine and imported cheeses that we purchased at a local wine store and a local imported food store, here a few suggestions of what to eat with such wine: Start with Salade Frisee aux Lardons (Curly Lettuce and Bacon Salad). For your second course savor Pot au Feu (Short Ribs with Bone Marrow). And as dessert indulge yourself with Poires pochees au Miel (Pears poached in Honey). OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 12% about $13.50 I bought this bottle a few days after the release of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau (November 15, 2007) along with a more expensive French offering and an Italian Vino Novello, (new wine) a quite similar Italian rendition. In what I hope is not a policy change my supplier did not include any marketing materials. Here are another supplier's comments: Crisp and enjoyable ' bright cherry and berry flavors, with enough tannins to stand up to richer foods. And now for my reactions. My first pairing of this wine involved prepackaged eggplant parmigiana to which I added a lot of grated Parmesan cheese. The first thing that hit me was the taste of bubble gum, more or less dominating everything else. The wine was pleasant but not much else. I can't help but think about 1970s parties where people were younger and the wine was almost inconsequential. The next meal consisted of slow cooked beef stew with potatoes. Now the wine had some black cherry and apple flavors but the bubble gum was still present, although not dominant. This Beaujolais Nouveau was moderately acidic and of medium length. Then I tried this wine with breaded fried chicken breast slices, potato patties, and Turkish salad. The wine seemed a bit rounder than before. My paucity of comments is due, at least in part, to the wine's paucity of presence. Like it almost wasn't there. The first cheese was a German Emmenthaler (Swiss-type) that is starting to age. The wine was fairly thin, but some fruit managed to poke itself out and guess what, there was no bubble gum at all. The change may have happened when the wine aged in the bottle for a few days. One could do a semi-scientific experiment to test this hypothesis with another bottle of this wine. Not a chance. Then I continued with a French goat cheese that has become older than necessary. The cheese rendered the wine almost tasteless. The wine was overwhelmed. I was underwhelmed. Final verdict. Can you guess? Once again I was had. For this price one should be able to get something halfway decent. And yet as long as both yours truly and the Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon are around I'll be tasting such wines.
About The Author
Levi Reiss has authored alone or with a co-author ten books on computers and the Internet but he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what he wants, in moderation. He teaches various computer classes in an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website http://www.wineinyourdiet.com/ links to his other sites.
