Wine, Beer and Food

I have to purchase a wine gift basket from my company to someone that is very into wine so I need some suggestions on brands.

I have to order it from Wine Country.

any help would be greatly appreciated!
How about this one???

http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/gift-baskets/gift_basket_detail.asp?WINE=CONCANNON_VINEYARDS_QUARTET&item_no=10+42+23+762&edp=7407&SKW=CORP

Concannon is in Livermore and I am very familiar with their wines. Livermore wines are not to get excited about, and they are not in the same league as Napa and Sonoma. If they are real wine drinkers, then save your money, and buy fewer bottles and get better quality.

The best reds come from Napa, and not many do it any better than Phelps (they are some, but you will probably not find them) http://www.jpvwines.com/. Forget the basket; one bottle of Insignia would make anybody happy. Our Costco carries it for a lot less money. The Cabernet and Merlot are good.

If you are thinking about Pinot Noir, then one from Archery Summit will make them dance for joy http://www.archerysummit.com/

Need to go down in price, try a zinfandel from Elyse http://www.elysewinery.com/
Or Mauritson http://www.mauritsonwines.com/. These are small producers and you will need to order directly.

There is a winery in Whiting, Indiana…. 119th & Calumet Avenue, Whiting, Indiana

emotional) Not to mention the time, they have spent helping with the little details…
My fiance and I are not well off, so we can’t afford to give them lavish things, so what would be a nice gift…I was thinking for my dad and stepmom, a nice wine gift basket…But I am not sure..any ideas?

We gave my dad a really nice bottle of wine. He’s really into French wines and never would have spent $100 on a bottle fir himself. For my mom, we got a really nice Arts and Crafts vase from a famous, local artist.
You don’t have to spend a lot, but make it from the heart. Don’t forget to include a nice thoughtful note.

I’m going to Santa Barbara for one day only, this Saturday. I was thinking that we drive from LA and then get a limo there for wineries hopping. would it be expensive to get a limo? there’s total 5 of us. where else should we go except the wine tasting? which winery has the best view for picnic? any suggestioni? thank you for ur time.

Most of the wineries in the Santa Barbara area are actually closer to Solvang. In fact, there are quite a few with wine tasting rooms located in Solvang.

My favorite restaurant in Solvang is Cafe Angelica. This is a small bistro styled restaurant. Every item I’ve tried has been delicious.

Learn more about the wineries at this site: http://www.cheers2wine.com/santa-barbara-wineries.html

You could easily drive from winery to winery if one of you will drink lightly. Many wineries are just short distances from each other. There are way too many wineries to visit in a day….pick and choose or just sample a few wines at each stop. You can always plan a return visit!

I am attending a wedding this weekend. The couple registered for a couple of Longaberger baskets, I sell them so I got a basket for them at a discount. I want to put something in the basket but I am at a loss for what to put in it. The problem is, they are not the normal couple. They are a bit..odd..different than most. I am not sure if a "Honeymoon" basket with wine and candles, things like that would be right for them. Any suggesstions on what I can put in this basket?

What are they into? For instance: If they’re into movies, then put some movie rental gift certificates and gourmet snacks. Or. If they’re in to wine, then include a nice bottle and some wine wafers.
If you don’t know, then go with something usable like rolled up kitchen towels or fancy guest towels for the bathroom.
I hope this helps…

We will be spending 3 days in Bordeaux at the beginning of July and would like to do some wine-tasting. Ideally we don’t want to rent a car (none of us can drive a stick and the automatics are way too expensive) - are there easy to reach vineyards/chateaux that we can visit? Also, I know there are a number of famous ones like Chateau Mouton Rothschild - are those open to public? Advice/recommendations are much appreciated!

There’s a website talking about doing travelling in Bordeaux region, but it seems to be not cheap. (180 € the car with driver for one half-day, 320 € for the whole day).
http://www.bordeaux-wine-travel.com/francais/index.html
http://www.bordeaux-wine-travel.com/index.html (in english)

Some other websites (in english) :

http://www.foodwinetours.com/index.php?&cnv_idioma=1&idioma_seleccionat=2

http://www.prestige-wine-tours.com/index-en.htm
Tour of the Médoc vineyards (4 hours), with visits to one to two châteaux including wine-tasting sessions:
- a half-day wine tour for 1 to 4 people: 180 euros for the group,
- a half-day wine tour for 5 to 6 people: 200 euros for the group,
- a half-day wine tour for 7 to 8 people: 230 euros for the group.
A full-day wine tour (8 hours, 250 km max.), with visits to three châteaux including wine-tasting sessions:
- a full-day wine tour for 1 to 4 people: 320 euros for the group,
- a full-day wine tour for 5 to 6 people: 350 euros for the group,
- a full-day wine tour for 7 to 8 people: 400 euros for the group.

The best thing to do is to contact directly :
- the "office de tourisme" of Bordeaux
Email : otb@bordeaux-tourisme.com
- the "office de tourisme" of St Emilion :
Tél. : 33 (0)5 57 55 28 28 - Fax : 33 (0)5 57 55 28 29
Email : st-emilion.tourisme@wanadoo.fr
- the "office de tourisme" of Pauillac :
Email : mtvp@wanadoo.fr
Site internet : www.pauillac-medoc.com

or to ask directly to the wine producers :
http://www.bpdr.com/gb/default.asp
-> Contacts -> to contact us by email

Bon Voyage

Cheers

I am looking to order online a custom made gift basket. I have searched many internet site and could not find a website that lets you custom make a gift basket with wine, cheese, choclate, and cookies. If anyone has ordered a custom gift basket and liked the results when it arrived please let me know. Thanks

Ordering something like this over the internet is a little bit lazy if you ask me, but that is just my opinion. the best way to get exactly what you want, look through the phone book, and you will find it, call them up, and that way, you know you are getting what you are asking for. Hope this helps, and good luck.

I am having a wine tasting party at my house for my birthday. What are good suggestions of cheese types that I should definitely serve? Any cracker type suggestions, too? Thanks.

Try to provide a good variety of cheeses – at least three;

one hard eg aged or smoked cheddar, aged Emmental, pecorino, good Parmesan

one soft, eg, brie or camembert, very young, fresh curd cheese, almost like thick cream

one strong, eg blue, washed rind (those really stinky, strong orange rind ones)

Also try to mix up your types of cheese, eg one cow’s milk, one sheep’s milk, one goat’s milk.

Offer a few diffferent cracker types - water crackers, oatmeal biscuits, toasted walnut bread, rye crackers like Ryvita, crusty bread.

Add a few dried and fresh fruits to the plate - sliced apple or pear, muscatels on the stem, dates, dried or fresh figs etc.

Ideally, try to purchase your cheese from a deli, and taste before you buy. If you are buying supermarket cheeses, buy them a week or two in advance and leave them wrapped in the fridge. Cheeses are often sold under-ripe and this will bring them to the point where their flavour is ideal. Otherwise buy ‘reduced’ cheeses that are nearing their use-by dates.

Ensure cheeses are always served at room temperature. Leave them out for at least 2 hours before serving.

Don’t just think that heavy red wine matches cheese, some of the best cheeses marry really well with light, slightly sweet white wines such as Riesling.

You will be the most popular host in town!

I want to make my mil a gift basket for christmas. She loves wine so I though I would make it centered around wine. How do I make everything stay put in the basket and what are some ideas to put in it besides wine?

All the other people have the right idea on things to go with the wine. Just wanted to let you know. If received gift baskets with a glue dot on the bottom of some items to hold them down.

We always go to Napa, but want to try SC Mountains this weekend. Any recommendations for wineries and/or knowledge around prices for wine tasting? If you could give us an itinerary, that’d be great.

Here’s a recommended tour for mountain wineries; or you can design your own:
http://www.scmwa.com/Winetastingtours.htm