The holidays have a way of bringing change: people become cheerier, houses become more illuminated, and turkeys start carrying around Rosary beads, fervently hoping that no one notices them. From the family get-togethers to the meetings with old friends, the holidays are a time for love, joy, and kinship. Yet, before Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men can really begin to solidify, one thing needs to be finished: holiday shopping.

Holiday shopping can bring stress upon just about anyone. If the packed department stores don’t unnerve you, a rabid shopping cart to the back of your heel surely will: there’s nothing that increases blood pressure quite like a Wal-Mart in December.

However, there are certain gifts that allow for avoidance of long lines, screaming children, and the Sold Out signs sure to plague the Tickle Me Elmo section of local department stores. One of these is the gift of wine, a gift that represents friendship, celebration, and so much health that it runs a close second to giving a kidney. Because there are a variety of ways wine can be given, it is simply one of the easiest gifts to give and an even easier one to receive. When giving wine, there’s no need to keep the receipt.

Wine Clubs

Enrolling a friend, a spouse, or a relative in a Wine Club is one of the most unique gifts you can give the wine lover. For the wine novice, a Wine Club provides education on and exposure to the different types of wine, all the while teaching the drinker that wine does not necessarily come in a box. For the connoisseur, a Wine Club allows the drinker to keep their cellar full as bottles show up on their front porch with the regularity of a full moon. A Wine Club also indulges members with inside information, special deals, wine secrets and exposure to rare vintages.

What’s more, Wine Clubs are an extremely easy gift to give. The Internet is swimming with a variety of Wine Clubs, clubs that provide quick and easy enrollment. However, when giving the gift of a Wine Club, keep in mind that some are only allowed to ship to certain states. Thus, be sure that you find one able to deliver to the state where the gift recipient resides.

Personalized Wine Labels

Personalized wine labels are one of those rare gifts that combine emotion and practicability: the bottle’s label allows for the conveyance of a personal touch while the bottle’s contents allow for enjoyment of a different sense. A personalized wine label is something that can be held onto: long after the bottle is emptied, it can be kept the way cards, letters, and photographs are stored, all retained with the purpose of sentiment. From giving newlyweds a wine bottle that reads, First Christmas to giving your parents one that reads, Thirtieth Christmas, a personalized wine label invites a plethora of possibilities.

A personalized wine label is particularly great when coupled with wine that evokes even more sentiment. Giving someone wine from a year that is of particular importance or from a region that they hold as special can make a personalized wine label, and the wine inside, that much more cherished.

Wine Openers and Accessories

Wine is a product that has several accessories: it is the teenage girl of the alcohol industry. Because of this, many wine lovers can always use wine devices to supplement their collection. From something as small as a wine opener to something as large as a wine rack, anything to do with wine makes a great gift for both the accomplished wine connoisseur and the aspiring wine connoisseur.

For those who already have everything from a wine charm to a set of Riedel wine glasses, from a wine journal to a wine partridge in a wine pear tree, bottles of a favorite wine make great gifts. Because people who love wine – people who replaced their ice box with a wine refrigerator, people who wash their wine glasses with silk cloths, people who named their first born son Corky – can never have too much, just giving a nice vintage is always suitable.

Miscellaneous Tips

Giving wine as a gift does possess some risks. Not only do you run the risk of purchasing a bottle and accidentally drinking it before you can give it to the recipient, but there is also a slight chance that you will get someone a bottle of wine they don’t find particularly appealing. In order to minimize this risk, be sure to buy the recipient the type of wine they like, not the type you like. If you are buying for someone who loves white wine, try to stay away from purchasing red, no matter how cute the Merlot looks sitting on its shelf.

For instances where you are unsure of what wine a person may like, try giving them a wine basket with a variety of wines or a gift certificate to a wine store.

Port, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are increasingly becoming the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the modern day, establishing themselves as gifts of the wise. Because the holidays bring about so much stress – preparing for the arrival of in-laws, cooking a turkey dinner, watching for poop as reindeer fly over head – wine can help the giver give something easy and the receiver drink something soothing. As a gift, it’s a win-win situation: when it comes to wine, one size fits all.

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

The wine regions of Austria are divided into 4 areas, called Lower Austria, Styria, Burgenland, and Vienna. Each of these regions is then further divided, for a total of 19 designated wine growing areas. To roughly get your bearings, Lower Austria encompasses the wine growing areas north and west of Vienna, with Burgenland south and east of Vienna and Styria south and west of Burgenland.

Lower Austria, called ?Niederosterriech?, is divided into 8 sub-regions: Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal, Danubelands, Traisental, Carnuntum, Weinvertel, and Thermenregion. Calling this region ?Lower Austria? may be a bit confusing. As mentioned above, the four main wine regions of Austria are all in proximity to Vienna, and so are all in the eastern half of the country. Of the four, Lower Austria is the northernmost. Geographically, one might think of the area to the North as being ?upper?, not ?lower.? In this case, it is called ?lower? due to its lower altitude, not latitude. Burgenland, however, claims the lowest altitudes of the four regions, but nonetheless, it is this higher, more northern region that is called Lower Austria.

The Wachau, while not the largest region (that claim to fame belongs to Weinvertel) is perhaps the best known of the 8 sub-regions. There are 3500 acres of vines, mostly Gr?ner Veltliner and Riesling, planted on the steeply terraced vineyards above the Danube River. The area also grows Sauvignon Blanc, M?ller-Thurgau, Neuburger, Gelber Muskateller, and Chardonnay (which they used to call ?Feinburgunder?). There is a regional association called the ?Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus? that labels the wines under three classifications: Steinfeder (light, young and racy), Federspiel (elegant and medium-bodied), and Smaragd (complex, ripe and powerful). Some of the most famous wineries of this association include Alzinger, Donabaum (Johann), Gritsch Mauritiushof, H?gl, Knoll, Pichler and Prager.

Kremstal and Kamptal produce some wines that are equal in quality to those of the Wachau, which isn?t surprising since the western part of Kremstal is geologically identical to its better-known neighbor. Then in the Kamptal region there is this enormous crag called the Hell Rock, around which the old-vine Rieslings yield beautiful wines. The best-known wines from these two regions come from the wineries of Nigl, Schloss Gobelsburg, Brundylmayer, Jurtschitsch and Marion Ebner?s Melusine.

Weinviertel means ?wine quarter?, and is named so because it is the largest wine producing area in all of Austria (45,000 acres.) The wine quarter encompasses the Danubelands, Traisental, and Carnuntum. It has a varying terroir as you move across from where it borders the Pannonian southeast European climate (thick layers of loess as well as lime, silicates, and clay) to the northern border with the Czech Republic (where they grow red wines), west to it?s southern edge of the Danubelands (a relatively ?new? wine growing area) and east to Carnuntum (more thick loess, but gravel deposits from the Danube and small areas of loam.) Gr?ner Veltliner is a specialty here, where its aroma is distinct from those made in the Wachau, Kremstal or Kamptal regions.

Thermenregion means ?thermal region,? named for the volcanic fault line that runs through and the many public spas it has. The conditions here are comparable to those of the Cote d?Or, with a climate that is mild, and heavy, rocky soils of limestone and clay that produce intense white wines and full-bodied reds. They have had the right to sell wine since the 13th century here, and the main varietals are Neuburger and Pinot Blanc, with the best known coming from the winemakers of Gumpoldskirchen.

For regional maps and more on the other wine regions of Austria, visit Winemonger.com.

Emily Schindler is a wine importer based in Los Angeles. To read more about the wine regions of Austria, or to find great wines imported from there, visit http://www.winemonger.com

The last time you had a glass of wine did you take the time to taste it, savor the aroma, and even look at the color. Maybe not, but if you learn to taste wine properly you may find that you had never really experienced a glass of wine before.

When you are given a glass of wine, the first thing you should do is look. The color of the wine can tell you a few secrets. In red wines the color lightens as it ages therefore the lighter color the better the taste. For white wines, the color will darken with age and the older the white wine gets the fewer flavors remains.

After you have looked and examined the color the next step is to swirl the wine. Swirling is why wine testers pour only a couple of ounces in a glass. You gently swirl the wine around in the glass. The point of this is to aerate the wine, or let oxygen into the wine. The flavors and aroma will become stronger when you do this.

The next step is to put your nose as close to the wine as possible and sniff. The first sniff is to smell for anything bad, or if the wine is past its prime. If you detect any sour or vinegar smell it is bad and then returns it for a fresh bottle. After you have found the first sniff okay swirl the wine slightly and take a long deep smell. You can now close your eyes and try to decipher the smells. Do you smell berry, oak, rose? With a little practice you will be able to soon decipher the smells and tell what kind of wine you have.

The next step is to sip. This may sound easy but be sure to take your time. Take a slow sip but don’t swallow yet! Slowly swish the wine around your mouth so all four taste buds on you tongue get a taste. Is it sweet, bitter, fruity? As you swallow part your lips and take a small breath in through your mouth. This allows you to taste what you smell! Is it dry or wet, sweet? As you swallow wait for the aftertaste. The longer the aftertaste the better the wine, is the aftertaste smooth and long lasting?

At last stop and savor! Think about the flavor, was it fruity, woodsy, or sweet. Did the flavor linger or go away quickly? Was the smelly smooth or dry? Was the wine worth the money you paid for it?

Now that you can taste wine properly there is only one more thing to know. Wine taste is about a matter of opinion. How do you know if the wine was good or bad?

If you liked it then its good, if you didn’t it’s bad! Enjoy you’re new talent!

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Stemware and Dinnerware at http://www.dinnerwareandstemware.com

Actually, there is no such thing as a perfect choice when it comes to choosing wine to go with your meal. Taste is too subjective, and what is perfect for one person could spell a disaster for someone else.

However, there are some rules that do need to be taken into consideration, such as red wines going with beef, and white wines going with fish, chicken, and seafood. Just make sure you choose the best wine you can afford, mainly because they are usually higher quality and provide much more variety when it comes to aroma and flavor.

If you’re planning on a main course featuring beef, it is important to weigh the strength of its flavor against the strength of the wine’s bouquet. If you’re looking for a wine to go with your rather flavorful meal, choose a wine that is equal in its intensity. On the other hand, you could always choose a lighter wine to go with this type of meal, if you’re looking for a contrast. It all depends on what you’re trying to feature, the wine or the food.

One popular pairing is a Grenache, with its rich black pepper bouquet, and Steak au Poivre (steak with pepper). If you happen to find a Grenache from the Gigondas region of the Rhone Valley in France, you’re in luck. A more subtle dish, such as Steak Tartar, goes best with a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, as these wines are less intense in flavor and bouquet.

When it comes to white wines, there’s a reason why they go best with seafood, chicken, turkey, etc. These are usually lighter meals, and as such are complemented well by the more subtle flavors of white wines. It is usually the sauces these meals are prepared in which help determine the wine to be enjoyed. The Alsace region has a great Pinot Blanc, which has a spicy taste to it, and thus it goes well with a turkey dish flavored with paprika. One should not count out a Burgundy, though, as it has its place among spicier poultry dishes.

There are some forms of poultry which are richer than others, and duck is a good example. Dishes like this are best served with an acidic wine, such as those from the Sangiovese area of Tuscany. If you’re going for a grilled chicken or turkey dish, though, you should probably choose a German Riesling or Chardonnay.

Sometimes, people focus too much on what meats to serve with wine. Cheese and fruit are often forgotten, but these foods can bring out a wine’s flavor in different ways than meats can. There is an old tradition followed by many Portuguese involving serving a high quality Port with fruity desserts. A touch of a fine Gew?rztraminer can often bring out the best in some of the stronger cheeses on the market.

Perhaps you’re looking for something to complement your bisque, or cream based soup. You can’t go wrong with a Chardonnay, with its hint of apple or pear flavor. But, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc would be more to your liking, as it has vegetable undertones and would emphasize the flavors of your soup.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as wine gift baskets at http://www.gourmetgiftbasketsplus.com.

Wine is commonly produced all over the world on properties we refer to as wineries. In addition to wine production, in order to finish the production processes, larger wineries may also include areas such as: warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, expansion tanks, tank farms.

The grapes which are used in wine production at these wineries can come from vineyards owned by the wineries themselves, or it can be made from grapes that are bought and imported from other vineyards around the world. As wineries are becoming popular attractions for tourists, many different types of wine tours are now offered by many wineries around the world.

Wine touring often includes experiencing the actual production of wine, however, they are often revolved around tasting the wine, as well. To allow everyone to participate in this aspect of touring, many different types of wine tours are being made available. These types of tours most generally include personal guides for the tours, as well as vary with their modes of transportation. Some of the various tours with different modes of transportation include:

• hot air balloon tours
• limousine balloon tours
• bike wine tours
• hiking tours
• bus tours
• train wine tours

With wineries becoming such popular tourist attractions, just about any type of wine touring is now available.

Custom touring plans are often offered by wineries. These type of tours are where a personal guide will go over various touring options with you, and help you to determine which type of tour would best fit the needs of your individual group. These guides will often suggest an itinerary, and revise it any way you may want it to be revised.

Touring options are nearly endless! Your winery tour can include a picnic to gourmet meals, and are great for company picnics! Whether you have a small group of two, medium sized groups of less than 15, or a large group of 15 plus, a wine tour could be the perfect experience. From romantic balloon tours to luxurious limousine touring, a wine tour can be an unforgettable experience for all!

About the author:
Fabien Ponson invites you to read some more articles about wine tours and regions on the website Wine Region Tour.

It can be embarrassing if you are out on a date at a fancy restaurant and you don?t know the right wine to order, it?s even worse if you are out with another couple. Even though ordering a bottle of wine while dining out isn?t all that different than buying from a winery you do have people watching you and that can make the situation a little uncomfortable if you don?t have at least some kind of knowledge of basic wines.

The thing to remember is that not even the so-called wine masters that go to all the wine tasting events know every wine. What is important to you as a novice is to just study up a little if you have a big date coming up and you have an idea where you are going and what kind of food and wines are likely to be there. You should also try to get an idea of what the cost will be ahead of time so you aren?t surprised by that as well.

The majority of dining establishments these days offer a wine list but that list can vary even more than the meal selection of various restaurants. Usually the wine list will be printed on a menu just like the food selection and the different types of wines will be listed by the color and type of wine as well as by region plus the smarter restaurateurs will have the list numbered which keeps you from having to try to pronounce that fancy French or Italian wine properly.

What type of meal you will be eating is of superior importance when considering what wine to order. This is when it pays to have done your homework or at least be familiar with the wines that the particular restaurant you are dining at offers. If you are in a higher class restaurant they will usually have a wine steward you can ask for advice as well.

Now that we have some of the preliminaries out of the way, let?s look at some more specific advice. One thing you should avoid in most cases is ordering the house wine, it is there out of convenience and like most things in life that are convenient they come with a price. House wines generally are marked up in price more than others; you may get a much better wine for only a few dollars more.

To help you avoid overpaying look over the wine list and note the average price, if you keep around that figure you should be safe. Thirdly, you should order a wine that is from the same region as the food you are ordering if at all possible. If you are dining at a restaurant known for exquisite Spanish meals then Spanish wines should be made available. You can also ask your waiter for some suggestions and if they have any specials that he recommends. Keep in mind when you are ordering that if you plan on having a few glasses of wine it is always less expensive to order a bottle.

Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Find out about personalized wine bottles at http://www.winebottlespersonalized.com

The last time you had a glass of wine did you take the time to taste it, savor the aroma, and even look at the color. Maybe not, but if you learn to taste wine properly you may find that you had never really experienced a glass of wine before.

When you are given a glass of wine, the first thing you should do is look. The color of the wine can tell you a few secrets. In red wines the color lightens as it ages therefore the lighter color the better the taste. For white wines, the color will darken with age and the older the white wine gets the fewer flavors remains.

After you have looked and examined the color the next step is to swirl the wine. Swirling is why wine testers pour only a couple of ounces in a glass. You gently swirl the wine around in the glass. The point of this is to aerate the wine, or let oxygen into the wine. The flavors and aroma will become stronger when you do this.

The next step is to put your nose as close to the wine as possible and sniff. The first sniff is to smell for anything bad, or if the wine is past its prime. If you detect any sour or vinegar smell it is bad and then returns it for a fresh bottle. After you have found the first sniff okay swirl the wine slightly and take a long deep smell. You can now close your eyes and try to decipher the smells. Do you smell berry, oak, rose? With a little practice you will be able to soon decipher the smells and tell what kind of wine you have.

The next step is to sip. This may sound easy but be sure to take your time. Take a slow sip but don’t swallow yet! Slowly swish the wine around your mouth so all four taste buds on you tongue get a taste. Is it sweet, bitter, fruity? As you swallow part your lips and take a small breath in through your mouth. This allows you to taste what you smell! Is it dry or wet, sweet? As you swallow wait for the aftertaste. The longer the aftertaste the better the wine, is the aftertaste smooth and long lasting?

At last stop and savor! Think about the flavor, was it fruity, woodsy, or sweet. Did the flavor linger or go away quickly? Was the smelly smooth or dry? Was the wine worth the money you paid for it?

Now that you can taste wine properly there is only one more thing to know. Wine taste is about a matter of opinion. How do you know if the wine was good or bad?

If you liked it then its good, if you didn’t it’s bad! Enjoy you’re new talent!

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Stemware and Dinnerware at http://www.dinnerwareandstemware.com

Sauvignon Blanc wine is crisp, high in acidity and light- to medium-bodied, and Sauvignon Blanc wine is recognizable for its grassy, herbaceous flavor and aroma. When grown in warmer climates the flavors are more fruity, melon-like. The grape is important in California, New Zealand and Northeastern Italy, but it really shines in France’s Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions.

There it is used prodigiously as a blending grape and is responsible for the stand-alone varietals Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. Though not as rich and complex as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc is a versatile grape, one that grows well in a number of places, responds well to oak or a lack thereof, and can be drunk young or aged several years. As well, Sauvignon Blanc can make for some fabulous late-harvest offerings.

The most salient characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc wine is its distinctive, penetrating aroma, which can evoke scents of grapefruit, lime, green melon, gooseberry, passion fruit, freshly mown grass, and bell pepper. Grown in cooler climates and in fertile soils promoting excessive vine growth, herbaceous smells and flavors can dominate the character of Sauvignon Blanc wine, while in warmer regions, the melon, citrus and passion fruit aromas and flavors emerge.

Sauvignon Blanc Wine Tip:

Sauvignon Blanc wine’s acidic taste works in your favor, with oily-based dishes such as salads, and is perfect with lobster, oysters, scallops or in fact any type of fish. Sauvignon Blanc wine is also known as Fume Blanc.

Wine Ratings – Wine ratings, wine and winery related information for the enjoyment of fine wines.

In the Rioja region of Spain Temranillo is known as the exclusive red wine from the grape of that area. Now across the ocean from Spain this delicious red wine is now on the verge of dethroning Sangiovese as the top red varietal wine in the land of Oz, not that Oz, Australia!

The win growers in Australia are now harvesting plantings of the Tempranillo from over the last few years and the new grape on the Australian wine scene is becoming more popular than any other wine as far as a percentage basis is concerned.

So what is it that is so special about this particular grape? Some of the characteristics that are making it so popular are that the wines that come from it have a great color and delicate fruit flavor as well as being very low in acid and tannins which make for an effortless drinking style.

The Temranillo variety also has a short growing season in the vineyard which makes it suitable even for cooler areas which expands upon the regions of the country in which it can be grown.

The Temranillo variety is the main wine in the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions of Spain where it is sometimes blended with Graciano or even sauvignon. In Portugal Temranillo is utilized as a minor part in port, and in some red table wines. In other areas of the world the major vineyards are found in Argentina and California. In California it is called Valdepenas and is generally thought of as unsuitable for making fine wine.

The popularity of the Tempranillo variety has increased in Australia just in the past few years. The renowned Brown Brothers have long been a pioneer of the variety, but now there are over 50 other producers of the variety in about half of Australia’s sixty wine regions and even though McLaren Vale has the highest number of producers the Tempranillo variety is widely planted throughout the mainland Australian wine regions.

The highest rated Tempranillo wine according to James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2005 is that which hails from Manton’s Creek Vineyard in the Mornington Peninsula. Casella Wines, the makers of the hugely successful [yellowtail range are also actively involved in the variety.

The fate of Tempranillo as far as Australia is concerned lies with the winemakers and the growers many of which are just beginning to experiment and learn how to use the variety. Some enthusiastic fans of Tempranillo claim that it will be the premium red wine in Austraila while some of the traditionalists stick by the Italian Sangiovese. One thing is certain, only time will tell but in the meantime I will continue to enjoy the competition.

Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Find out about personalized wine bottles at http://www.winebottlespersonalized.com

Wine has become a popular beverage with many Americans, and is sold almost everywhere. This is because it is studied consistently for its wide variety in taste, depending on where it’s produced, and it can be an important part of a meal, since it is known to enhance the taste of certain foods. Thus, residential wine cellars allow a homeowner the space to store their favorite wines and/or build an impressive collection of vintages. Residential wine cellars are also very affordable and don’t take up that much space.

Residential wine cellars allow a wine connoisseur to store wines for a long period of time, or age the wine. Aging a wine contributes to its taste and sophistication. Since a wine also records its environment in its taste, temperature, humidity, light, and vibration will also impact the taste of the wine in residential wine cellars. Generally, 55?F is the average temperature that wines should be kept at. 50? to 60?F is usually acceptable, but some white wines like to be as low at 45?F.

Sudden fluctuations in the temperature can adversely affect the wine’s taste. Humidity of your cellar should stay between 60% and 80%. Exposing your cellar to light should be avoided, because light disrupts the aging process. Excessive vibration of your wine can disturb the sediments found in the bottle.

Residential wine cellars don’t have to cost a lot of money. In fact, you can probably build residential wine cellars yourself with your extra basement space or use an alternative area in your house or apartment. A dark interior closet or pantry will work nicely, although don’t store the wine near strong-smelling foods. Keep your wine away from stoves and heat sources, as they would allow the temperature to fluctuate too much. Cool, damp basements are good as well.

Find wine, bar and alcohol accessories online at WineandBarAccessories.net: whether you’re hosting a dinner party or a wine tasting event, there are a variety of wine and bar accessories any good host should have on hand. From wine racks to cabinets and glasses and corkscrews, a variety of items exist for the wine lovers and hard liquor drinkers in your life. For more on information on fine wines of the world visit Killerwines.com