Holiday Gifts

Whether it’s an exquisite antique or super limited-production bottle of wine, a rare thing is a glamorous thing, without a doubt. In terms of rare wines, there are few more hard-to-find (or afford) than top Bordeaux from the superb 1961 vintage. Few mere mortals will ever have the opportunity to sample the wildly rare 100-point-scoring 1961 Château Latour Pauillac, a brooding Cabernet Sauvignon-based beauty that prompted Wine Spectator to rhapsodize, “Got to love this…Will it age forever?”

For a wine lover, a wine gift will always so very welcome. Choosing a wine gift is so easy today, there is such a variety available. Not just the wine, the accessories. The range of accessories for wine today is quite something.

Wine glasses are available in varying qualities and prices but the more expensive may not be the best to use for wine. Often times a middle of the road price so to speak could be the better wine glasses as the perfect gift. Find an outlet where they have a very good range, there are so many styles and shapes and all have their own use. There are wine glasses for red wine, white wine, champagnes, sherrys, port wines and the glass they have been made with will determine the price.

I love this one, I have made my share of posts or emails after a few glasses of wine and learned my lesson! They have lots of cute figurines available to check out. You can click on the picture to see them.

Exclaim has partnered with Healdsburg Wine Company to bring us personalized photo wine gifts through www.dotPhoto.com this holiday season.

Schmitt Sohne is the brand of wine I picked up Friday night on my way home from work. It was an impulse purchase made because the display shouted $6.15 and because I’m a little fond of rieslings. Ahhh, German wine! I’m no wine expert but I believe what they say must be true — the wine must “breathe”.

2005 wines are hit and miss. Most are overpriced because of bad 2003 and 2004 winters lowering volumes. Not many are worth the price. We’re coming back with a few select ones that were outstanding, and the rest are NV bottlings, mostly off-dry blends or blends of native american grapes. Tasted some good reds this year which is promising in an area known only for its whites. Tasted alot of wines that showed signs of late season rains (watered down taste, no particular flavors, everything seems muted), and alot of wines with a chemical aftertaste.

i thought caryn should do something fun that she’s never before done on her birthday, so i suggested going wine tasting in Napa. we gathered a group of 7 people and hired a limo to take us around. it was so damn fun. the limo picked us up in SF and we spent the day driving around, drinking champagne in the limo, eating bread/cheese, and having a good time. man, limos are so fun!! we ended up going to 4 wineries: Madonna Estate, Robert Mondavi, Peju, and Mumm. at Mondavi we got a tour of the winery where they explained how grapes are grown, how wine is made and stored, etc. i thought it was pretty interesting. tasting wine at all the different places was a lot of fun. i dont really know much about wine, so it was cool to try such a wide variety of different kinds.

Frascati Wine celebrates its 40th birthday as a DOC wine (DOC: Denominazione Origine Controllata), among the orchids, in Monte Porzio Catone, surroundings of Rome, from April 21 through 25.

Peter Stone, the Chinese teacher who stayed at my home in november, gave me a gift for my parents: Chinese “wine”. I think something got mixed up in translation though, because last time I checked, wine isn’t 106 proof. And also the last time I checked, my parents didn’t drink 106 proof alcohol- or any for that matter.

These are some very good wines, probably some of Australia’s best when it comes to Rhone Valley blends. It is just a shame that they are out of price reach for anything other than very special occasions for most people. “The Struie” is probably the best “value” in the lineup, but other Shiraz wines at $55 can be much better.

Thank you for visiting Wine Camp. The Wine Camp Blog is partnered with The Wine Camp Blog Forum to promote the discussion of terroir driven wines in a points free environment. I believe the current addiction to the 100 point scale pulls many consumers away from wines with grace, complexity and a true sense of place. It is my hope to bring together a group of alternative voices and to promote knowledge of winemakers dedicated to a vision not driven by points in some wine guide. In that regard, I hope to feature the ever growing community of wine bloggers, many of which are devoted to publicizing such wines. The goal of the Forum is to be a kind of public square for the blogging community. I appreciate your visits to this blog and sincerely hope you will join in the discussion on The Wine Camp Blog Forum._

I passed my Real Estate class. Now I can take the test to get my license. Well, I have to wait a month, but then I can take it and hopefully pass it to get my license. I feel like going out and doing something yet at the same time I don’t want to go out and spend money and at the same time I feel tired and lazy and want to sleep while yet at the same time I’d rather sit out on the balcony with my ipod. I need to get some wine and then rock the iPod. That’s a good idea. I like that.

Well, I just had to make a post, my dear hubby has created a beautiful new blog that’s all about wine gifts. I know it has nothing to do with selling our house but hey, he did a good job and I thought I’d give him some kudos. Way to go sweetie!

Oh, James and Tracy gave me a lovely basket filled with Tracy’s soaps and a bottle of wine wearing a kimona. The wine WAS good and I love the message soap for my dry skin. Thanks ya guys.

I need some help. I don’t drink wine… never liked it much. It’s been a long time since I’ve even had any… but last time I had it, I didn’t like it. However, I seek your opinion. What’s good? Red, White, Sparkling? Help - please. I’m thinkin’ of gettin’ a bottle (w/ a personalized label) for Mr. PM for our upcoming anniversary. If I do, I don’t want it to taste crappy. Any recommendations? I have no clue, help a girl out.

Fed-ex stopped by to drop off four bottles of wine at my office today. Extremely nice of them. All I can say is that the delivery guy is my very best friend. (hic)

Also from SplashData, this is a shopping list and general list program. Jot down all the groceries, gifts, books, wine, gear and other stuff you wish to purchase. It also allows you to keep such lists as travel checklists and can be customized to your liking. Comes with a companion desktop application and can be purchased in a bundle (SplashWallet).

Today, as we enter our 27th year, we remain committed to making distinctive wines of the highest quality. We are proud that world leaders such as Presidents Reagan and Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand chose our wines to serve at state dinners, but we are just as proud that every single day discriminating wine drinkers count on Grgich Hills to turn their own dinners into special occasions.

Picchetti is a small winery nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains, an area that boasts a treasure trove of micro-wineries undiscovered by anyone but Silicon Valley locals. Picchetti makes a lot of award-winning Cabernet and a bunch of other Zinfandel wines which veer away from our palate, but we got this wine as part of a 4x per year wine shipment wedding gift (thanks to our Savory and Sweet pals Leanne & Vince!) and really enjoyed it -- well-balanced and fruit forward, without being overbearing.

Almond Champagne--The "OH MY GOSH" champagne, because that is typically people's first reaction. Naturally fermented, with a hint of pure almond added. A unique champagne for special occasions. Great with desserts, cuddling, hot tubs, picnics, fireplaces, brunches, and parties. Very popular at all the weddings here.

Wine.com - Great Wines, Vast Selection, Online Convenience, Gift Baskets. Visit Wine.com for clubs, accessories, gifts, reviews, ratings, and more - Shop for wine online! An Amazon.com trusted partner …

A Bordeaux style with an Argentine twist blend of Malbec with equal amounts of Cab and Merlot. Grown on 50 to 80 year old estate vines this is a huge wine full of concentrated fruit, lovely velvet mouthfeel, and unbelievably well integrated tannins for a wine in the under $20 category. I will definitely be putting a few cases of this away in the cellar... this beauty is has the structure and depth of character to be enjoyed over the next 10 years.

Recently I had the chance to taste a few of Perry Creeks wines. The estate winery is up in the Sierra foothills south of a town called Placerville, (Hang Town–Old Dry Diggins), in El Dorado County–down in the iron clay and garnet soils of the Cosumnes River drainage.

It’s a long twisty ride out to the winery from Sacramento, CA, but this time of year the country side is all green and the wild flowers are out in force–lots of manzanita and digger pines to look at–live oaks, too.

After AJ I went to go see Sideways on Wednesday, I decided that I needed to rekindle my affinity to wine. I used to really want to be a connoisseur, but somehow that dream faded (and only fades dimmer and dimmer when I realize that Don doesn't drink alcohol anymore). The movie rekindled the same feelings in AJ, so today we went on a shopping spree with one thing in mind.

Too bad for me that I've only read fifteen pages of my wine collector's manual. I do know one thing, though: Champagne. I didn't buy all these today (I had the gift bottle of VCP left over after I snagged it on sale at Whole Foods after the holidays), but I thought I would take a picture of my fledgling wine (Champagne?) collection.

Wine is a great holiday gift. It's also great anytime you're invited to a meal. Here's some practical advice on finding the right wine to give.

I never go to a party empty handed, not because I feel obligated but because I love sharing wine with my friends. Wine is a great gift, whether for a small, intimate dinner party or a large holiday open house celebration.

But what wine should you take?

Wine shops can be intimidating for anyone, with so many wines and so many options. Even if you know wine fairly well, buying wine for other people that know and ...