It is almost New Years Eve, a holiday made for Champagne. What else are you going to toast the New Year with?

Champagne and Sparkling wines are best served chilled in a tall,
tapered champagne flute. Back in the day a wide rounded, almost bowl
like glass was the appropriate glass for severing bubbly. However,
this glass also helped the champagne go flat quickly. Enter the
champagne flute, the narrow opening keeps the bubbles in, while it’s
tall, slender shape highlights their accent to the top.

Champagne / Sparkling Wine Terms

Dry – refers to the sweetness of the Champagne or Sparkling Wine

Brut – a fully dry sparkling wine

Extra Brut - A style of Brut that is even drier

Extra Dry – Actually sweeter than Brut

Beads – The chains of bubbles as they rise to the top of a glass.
The size and shape are used to determine quality if the product.

Champagne Cocktails
Our New Years Sparkling Wine Picks

Think it’s hard to find a quality, original gift for under $20? Go all out without spending a fortune! This simple sake set paired with a bottle of Momokawa Ruby Tokubetsu Junmai sake is sure to please. And I can guarantee it won’t be a duplicate gift. While being highly rated and well-made, the medium-bodied and slightly sweet sake appeals to sake drinkers of all experience levels.

The holidays are time for gatherings and warmth … and a little booze. This spiced punch can be served hot or cold. It’s a tasty way to welcome guests and stay warm.

Spiced Tea Holiday Punch

3 cups water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs. vanilla extract
10 whole cloves
10 cardamom seeds
2 tbs. ginger
2 tea bags (black tea)
1 bottle red wine
1/4 cup dark rum
Boil water, honey, sugar, spices and vanilla in a large saucepan, stirring frequently until honey and sugar are dissolved.

Remove from heat and add tea bag, steeping for five minutes. Strain it into a bowl and add wine and rum.

Can be served hot or cold. If serving it hot, simmer mixture until warm again. If serving cold, chill mixture in refrigerator then serve over ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

more Holiday Drinks & Punches

During the holiday season, money’s tight. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have the good stuff … or give the good stuff.

Rosso & Bianco has some solid offerings for $12 a bottle (I got mine at the tasting room, and it was $11 there).

You can feel comfortable bringing this wine as a host or holiday gift or serving it at your holiday gathering.

The 2006 Pinot Grigio is a light and fruity white, perfect on its own or with a turkey dinner.  The 2006 Shiraz is spicy without being overpowering like some lower-priced wines in this variety.

These two standouts taste like $25 wines for less than half the price.

Rosso & Bianco is one of Francis Ford Coppola’s wineries. (His movie memorabilia and a couple Oscars grace the tasting room) And, in general, it’s hard to go wrong when buying from one of his brands. They are usually good wines at a good price.

What are these people doing? Giving carnal pleasure to a robot?

No! They are making their own wine at home. And computers are involved!

WinePod is a home winemaking system that “presses, ferments and manages wine” in one unit.

You can connect it to your computer and get instructions, advice from wine pros and online support. It even has its own social network.

And all for only $4,499 (or $6,349 if you include grapes, accessories and such)!

WinePod

Jason has been busy reviewing beers over at Dethroner.

Here’s the latest.

Spaten Oktoberfest
Sierra Nevada Southern Harvest Fresh Hop Ale
Coopers Vintage Ale 2008

more Liquor Reviews

Students at Rice University are working on a beer that helps fight cancer and heart disease.

We’ve all heard that “red wine is good for you.” Well, the Rice students wondered if they could make a beer that had the same health benefits.

BioBeer – a more consumer-friendly name than the original Frankenbeer moniker – will be brewed using yeast genetically modified to produce resveratrol.

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring compound found in red wine and a few other foods, has been shown to have cancer-fighting and cardiovascular benefits, at least in mice.

From Dallas Morning News