This month wine pro David Borzo brings you his holiday picks including his all-time-favorite bubbly.. see the review>

New Wine Clubs Open Doors
International Wine Cellars, an online wine club is among several new offerings opening their doors or expanding membership. Using their buying power (membership has grown 10-fold in the last 90 days) they're bringing quite a broad selection to market, and feature a set of bonus gifts for signing up.

Additonal Clubs include:
The Wine Messenger, the leading artisanal wine website, offering customers unique and exclusive wines from small grower vineyards around the world.

My Wines Direct,where you can enjoy ease, convenience and savings with specially-selected assortments based upon your mood or favorites.

Queer Eye for Holiday Wines
When it comes to Thanksgiving, Ted Allen says don't mess with the food, but do play with your wine...
 
Not long ago, I was having lunch with my four loudmouthed co-stars from Queer Eye and a cable TV executive, and the subject of Thanksgiving dinner came up. And everybody had stories, some of which did not involve Cher.
The executive, for example, told of her most recent homage to American bounty — or rugged individualism or Big-Gulp excess or something. She was not content merely to serve a gobbler or a ham, or anything that normal people would prepare for a holiday dinner. She was not even content to impress her family with that curiously American celebration of roasted lunacy, the turducken — a turkey stuffed with a duck that is stuffed, in turn, with a chicken. Instead, this pop-cultural leader insisted upon a substitution for the duck: a pheasant. (Resulting in what — a turcheasant? A turphicken?)

Now, I'm all for experimentation. But for my money, if you're talking about Thanksgiving without some honest-to-Pete version of a turkey, well, no thanks. We all have our variations: grilling the bird to smoky perfection on the barbecue; brining him in saltwater and honey; soaking him in buttermilk; even deep-frying him Cajun/Creole style (delicious, yes, but a bit too much of an OSHA problem).

Whatever — there must be a tom on the table. And for me, a buttery herb stuffing with sage. Not oysters. Not sausage. Just sage. Given this Thanksgiving obstinacy, where are we to express our culinary curiosity? Where do we explore our gustatory wanderlust if most of the menu must be reserved for the tried-and-true celebration of "Home Sweet Home"? Well, there's nothing wrong with an overabundance of side dishes from around the world.

And then, of course, there's the wine... more>

Holiday Wine Selection December 2005 It's the Holiday Season - for Wine Lovers too you know, and it's like Christmas every day with all the great choices out there.

Unfortunately, being only human, (some say not) I am unable to taste ALL of the fantastic wines that are available out there. But I have done my homework and tasted several dozen great offerings in the last few weeks of tastings around the city.

Here are a few really stellar selections, based on quality and relative price and availability. Serve some of these wines at your holiday gatherings this year, and you won't be getting coal in your stocking again this year!

Jingle Bells Reds Great find of the season: Infinitus, 2003. A blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This full bodied wine from Central Spain provides a very appealing blend of Cherry, Vanilla and Blackberry, finishing tight with a spice that lingers well on the palette. Very tasty, and very drinkable now with its soft tannins, this exceptional wine really is a steal at around $10 a bottle. I wouldn’t hold this wine long, it’s so “ready” to drink now, that I would not be surprised to find it in decline in less than 2 years. I bought a case, but not to worry, it won’t last through 2006. Now that I think of it, I need to pick up another case before they (or I) run out.

Stalwart Player: Hess Collection, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Hess is a well respected Outfit that makes some higher end blends as well as excellent everyday drinking wines. Their Napa Cab falls right in the middle with a $20 price tag, but well worth it. Lots of big fruit, solid tannins suggesting good age ability, and a long finish. Very pleasing, and this was the star of at least one tasting that I have attended ­ very well received.

Plan Ahead for Christmas 2006; Cline 2003 Los Carneros Syrah For a BIG, tight, mouth-puckering assault of ripe fruit and tangy tannins, try this Cline Syrah . With an explosion of bold fruit and spice, this wine shows excellent aging potential, before it settles into a great fully realized syrah. But if you like your syrah big and jammy, with enough backbone to hold up to Chocolate Truffles or Roast Duck do try it now. It’s worth the experience, and at around $17 a bottle, it’s a good value.

Winter Wonderland Whites Always works for me: Chateau St. Jean, Alexander Valley Robert Young Chardonnay. This is an excellent Wine, and with wide release and reasonably priced around $21, you can’t go wrong with a quality Chard. Ripe Apple and Pear, and enough oak to give it a nice depth, not over power it. Don’t over-oak my Chardonnay! This is a wine that will work for a tangy salad and hold up beautifully with the main Chicken or fish entrée.

Champagne -- Let’s get right to it: tis’ the season for planning for that special holiday dinner and celebrating the New Year and Champagne is the wine that makes it all work. Let’s talk about it ­ Champagne always seems to fit the bill, and you know there are a lot of good Champagnes out there, and a wide range of quality and price. BUT…here’s my dirty little secret ­ please don’t tell anyone - I have always found that with Champagne, you get what you pay for. That’s it - sorry, but I have just suffered through enough $9.99 and $12.99 bottles of Champagne or Sparkling Wine .

We all know that you can find a great bottle of red wine for under $10, and even have it rival the quality of much more expensive and well regarded bottles, but I have not had that pleasure with Champagne. Of course there are exceptions, but pay for the quality, and you will generally get it. SO if you are looking for a good Non-Vintage bottle (NV) - and are willing to pay in the $33 to $39 range, there are a number of NV options that are always available, and are of high quality and consistency year after year... here are three favorites -
•Moet & Chandon White Star
•Mumm Cordon Rouge
• Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, (The number one imported Champaign for the American Market)

But here we are - I have a great option for you for another $8 or $10 a bottle (depending where you buy it) - Check out my favorite NV Champagne ­ it’s Charles Heidsieck NV Brut. An exceptional wine that is well worth the $45 price tag, Charles Heidsieck NV is always bursting with berry and hazelnut, and provides a long, long, lonnnnng finish. It is far superior to the typical and more readily available imports, and it certainly supports my contention about getting what you pay for.

This wine rivals many Vintage offerings from the great houses of Champagne. But remember, at less than 5,000 cases a year on average, (As compared to over 100,000 cases for the other listed Champagnes), you need to seek out Charles Heidsieck, and grab it when you can.

Happy Holidays to Saucy Joe,
and to all you wine lovers!
db
Saucy Joes Wine Pro  

WIne X Magazine
This magazine is geared to the younger wine buyers and connoisseur wannabees. They have numerous events, tastings, ratings and a lot of refreshing attitude -- not the oh-so-stuffy snobbery normally found in wine-dom.

The Private-Preserve System
If you could preserve each bottle you opened -- but didn't finish -- and have the vino taste just as good as the first sip, what would you pay? Surprisingly little, and with so little effort, this system is how the pros keep unfinished bottles fresh, and it's our favorite.

The Winery Web Site Report
Note: This is a top-notch wine industry guide, but it also has a comprehensive listing of winery websites. Mike Duffy is one smart cookie, and he's helping numerous wineries be better marketeers.

Wine Spectator Online
Well, what can we say. This has long been regarded as one of the best in the wine industry... lots of helpful info, but it comes with a price, i.e. subscription required and pretentions abound.

SeaBear Smokehouse
OH MY GAWD, is this good stuff. Sea Bear offers such a rich array of smoked and prepared seafood -- try their chowders and thank us later.

100 wines rated 90 pts plus. 
All under $20 
Good selections, very conveinent and fun to shop, the folks at Wine.com get it. We do not always find what we're looking for, but that's no different than our local shops. If you are not close to a good wine shop, save some time and click to get what you crave.

50 States of Cheese 
Wisconsin has nothing on the fine folks at iGourmet. We always order when we visit and we always want more. Good selections, great service and shipping. Go there, now. Come on, you know you want to, go ahead. Go.

Grand Gifts for the Entire Year...
We've been surfing and shopping again and found some truly fun items for the wine or cooking enthusiast in your life (perhaps you?)

The Deluxe Wine Backpack Designed to cart enough for serving four people, the Deluxe Picnic Backpack is a hot item at Amazon and in wine specialty shops. You can order it in two colors and look smart schlepping food and drink around the trails for your favorite folks...Contents: *4 Melamine Plates *4 Acrylic Wine Glasses *4 each Stainless Steel Knives, Forks & Spoons *Corkscrew/Bottle Opener *Cutting Board *Cheese Knife *Salt & Pepper Shakers *4 Cloth Napkins (in Plaid, Wine bottles or Gingham) *Thermal Shield *Insulated Food Compartment *Detachable Insulated Wine Pouch Dimensions: 16'' x 15'' x 7 1/2''. Napkins: , Bag Colors: Navy Blue or Forest Green . For a two-person version click here

Weber Poultry Roaster The surest sign that a backyard cooking fad has gained legitimacy is when a major manufacturer makes the original fad seem woefully inconvenient. The cooking craze is beer can chicken, in which a backyard barbecuer roasts a chicken perched atop a beer can, resulting in a crackly, crisp, succulent-flavored bird. Weber's poultry roaster does the process one-step better (and easier) by offering an aluminum tray with a cone-shaped infuser in the middle. Place the bird on the cone (rather than the can), fill the tray with beer, wine, fruit juice, or another flavoring agent, and place it on the grill. The bird will fill with aromatic steam as it cooks to juicy perfection in less time than ordinary roasting.

Plus, the bird removes easily when you're finished. For additional flavor, add a variety of spices to the reservoir. Now you no longer have to fret over balancing the bird-covered beer on the grill, nor figure out how to remove the beer can afterward. Who knew it could be so easy?

Wine Spectator's Ultimate Wine Tasting Kit The editors at Wine Spectator reveal the secrets to tasting wine like the experts do, utilizing the magazine's well-established 100-point system. This ULTIMATE WINE TASTING KIT contains everything necessary to conduct more than 25 different tastings, in addition to fundamental information about buying, storing, and serving wine. The comprehensive book-plus kit, designed for holding at-home blind tastings of wine for up to six participants, contains Harvey Steiman's Essentials of Wine, Wine Spectator's Pocket Guide to Wine and Quick Guide to Wine Tasting, bottle bags, tasting checklists, stemware tags, and bottle tags.

Cellar ! Software for Managing Your Wine Cellar Since 1995, Cellar! has been used by thousands of wine lovers worldwide to capture their wine experiences. With Cellar! you can keep tasting notes about the wines you enjoy or manage a cellar of unlimited size. Take a moment to read the detailed description section to see why users have chosen Cellar! to track over three quarters of a million bottles of wine. Anthony Dias Blue, the Wine writer and contributor to Wine and Food Magazine, wrote in the Robb Report that "One of the most sophisticated [wine software programs] is Cellar!, which as been continually updated since 1995." Whether you wish to keep a lifetime's worth of tasting notes or manage a cellar of unlimited size, Cellar!'s features truly make it the leading wine enthusiast software.

 

Jordan Winery
One of the finest winery sites we've ever viewed belongs to Jordan Winery in Sonoma. We were compelled to visit online after recently touring (by appointment, thanks to David Borzo) the Jordan Estate -- kudos to PR maven Luba Rusyn, our guide. We figured if the site was half as impressive as the architecture, views and hospitality of its real-world counterpart we'd be tickled.

It is, and we were.

From the Flash-generated opening scenes to the meticulous details shown in recipes, historical information, estate tour, wine and food descriptions, as well as their events calendar, we found this to be a shining example of how to communicate online.

And, thanks to recent changes in the states allowing shipments of wine into their revered turf, you may now also shop online in their store. Note: Their Jordan 2003 Chardonnay is available online elsewhere too.

The Jordans employ the fabulous Chef Udo Nechutnys, whose work delights the palates of visitors and estate guests daily,as well as the workers during the crush.Recipes for many of the home-grown dishes are found here too, although we suspect there's a secret something held back from us mere mortals.

We will be featuring several of the Jordan recipes in the coming months, as well as reviews of their 2003 Russian Valley Charonnay and 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. Stay tuned and visit the site meanwhile.