Holiday wine recommendations for value-driven gifts and wine aficionados
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For each wrapping style above, you can add a decorative accent such as greenery or a bow to the bottleneck along with one of these four holiday tags. This sophisticated version combines the see-what-you’re-shaking theatricality of a glass Boston shaker with a classic strainer-shaker’s ease of use. The crystal has a pleasing weight, and it doesn’t get icy like a metal shaker, so it’s easy on the hands. Though Waterford says it’s designed for rum cocktails, I’ve never known a shaker to discriminate.
If your hosts are kind enough to let you stay over, you can double down on the gift by making everyone some scrambled eggs for breakfast. There is video proof of me deftly completing a puzzle at a mere 18 months old. Of course, not everyone is a puzzle enthusiast, but those who are can vouch for the fact that if you gift them one, it will not end up in the closet unsolved.
Cheers & New Year’s: A Holiday Wine Quiz
While growing up in his family’s wine business, California vintner Pete Seghesio’s favorite annual occasion was sausage-making day. When the winery was sold in 2011, Seghesio and his wife, Cathy, turned their attention to becoming excellent salumi producers. They also sell a wooden guillotine slicer to achieve paper-thin slices of their Journeyman salumi.
They would actually be pretty funny gag gifts, except I know they were sincere efforts, having gone to the wineries themselves and picked out what they thought was good. The typical explanation is "I don't know anything about wine, but the gal-pals I was with really liked this, so I bought a bottle for you." Doesn't matter if you gave me wine as your last 10 gifts; I'll still be happy. I hope you all have a chance to relax, enjoy friends and family and a good bottle of wine over the holidays.
Gifts and New Products
She also brought me a 1995 Latour as a wedding gift, so I've found a winner. Bright and forward, the 2016 Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay is 100 percent estate-grown from the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. A vanilla and brioche bouquet accentuates the palate, flourishing with flavors of bose pear, pineapple, and melon, leading to a soft, clean finish with mineral and hard spice notes. This new legend of Sleepy Hollow shines brightly day or night with prosperous, concentrated flavors and intense character from this illustrious vineyard.
I knew he loved it though and I called back later and had a half case shipped to him for his birthday. We gift wine to each other often and then share them at get-togethers down the road. I love to give and receive - birth years, house warming, holidays, dinner, birthdays, anniversaries... I just had a wedding anniversary and my wife gave me a bottle of 2010 Pontet Canet (Parker 100, for what it's worth). I'm going to have her sign and date it, which is a fun practice I've taken to with giving and receiving.
Gift Guide: Editors’ Favorite Wine Accessories
The 2016 Bear Flag Zinfandel embodies the rugged independent spirit of early California settlers who rebelled against tyranny and fought for independence in 1846 and inspired the Golden State’s motto, “Eureka! ” Bear Flag celebrates forward thinking individuals prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams. Sourced primarily from Sonoma County’s distinguished Dry Creek Valley, the wine is complex with a pinch of spice, vanilla, and dark fruit elegance. Full-bodied yet supple, Bear Flag stands tall as its namesake and is well-structured with an All-American backbone.
The coffee in this subscription is so smooth and complex, even latte lovers will like it black. Fans of the retro style will like the Vivianna cheese board and knife from Scandinavia-inspired cookware designer Dansk. A replica of Swedish jeweler Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe's elegant 1988 design, this version is beautiful and well-priced, with a steel blade. As I have been recently finding out, there are some spectacular wines under 100 bucks. No matter how much wine this guy has or what his wine budget is, he will be the first to tell you that price is not always indicative of quality.
I like this one, which is stylish yet sturdy enough for heavy use. Designed with smaller citrus in mind, it’s perfect for squeezing a big batch of Key limes, and the shallower bowl makes it difficult to oversqueeze—a bartending sin that can result in bitter juice. I was on assignment when a vintner turned me on to Dick Taylor Chocolate, and since then the brown butter nibs and sea salt bar has become the epitome of chocolate nirvana to me. It started with discovering the Burlap & Barrel Wild Mountain Cumin, which I can only describe as life-changing, in that it dramatically upped my cooking repertoire. Since then, I’ve replaced nearly all of my spices with Burlap & Barrel versions, and joined and gifted its spice club. Membership includes pre-releases of new spices, new harvests of best-sellers, special food products, recipes and more.
Suggested bottle-wrapping techniques to complement the style and personality of each wine. Text CHEERS to and be the first to know about special offers, new products and more. Some home bartenders skimp on freshly squeezed citrus juice, which can elevate a marginal Margarita into a small mixological miracle.
These nonalcoholic sets are especially fun for comparing flavors, and you’ll definitely get bonus points if your host has kids. Le Creuset’s stoneware carafe adds a flash of rustic chic to any kitchen. We like the red cerise version best, but it’s available in tones like Marseille blue, hibiscus pink and Creuset's signature eye-catching flame orange. Man, I sure wish that WS would come out with a list of good wine gifts... Wine Spectator's team of editors taste over 35,000 wines a year. Working within their regional specializations, each taster assesses the wines in controlled blind tastings.
This bold wine has blueberry and blackberry flavors and is balanced with a toasty oak aroma and satisfying level of acidity. Bear Flag Zinfandel’s rich bouquet and finish is sure to please the palates and warm the hearts of all who partake. For a simple yet polished style that complements any bottle, select the wrapping paper design of your choice to create a band that allows your recipients to be delighted when they unwrap to reveal the label. Try this with the understated 2016 Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay.
The removable waterproof liner makes it ideal for gathering mushrooms, apples, wildflowers, pine boughs and other outdoor treasures. This unique alternative to the traditional cheese platter presentation makes a stunning party centerpiece, and it's also an ideal gift for those who love to entertain. There are smaller options, but I like the Better Than Cake Tower, which was created after popular demand from betrothed couples who wanted cheese in place of cake at their weddings. This 4.5-pound megatower is built with four diverse cheeses ranging in origin, style, texture and color, from the pimentón-coated Alisios from the Canary Islands to the maple leaf-wrapped smoked chèvre from Oregon’s Rivers Edge.
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