Days 23 & 24 Gifts – Wine! Sokol Blosser, Kosta Browne, Sean Minor & Benziger

Days 23 and 24 are all about wine…whether as a hostess gift or something to serve at your holiday dinner, you will be in great shape if you pick up a few bottles from any of these companies:

Alex Sokol Blosser of Oregon’s Sokol Blosser was my guest on Episode 28.  Find out more at www.sokolblosser.com.

Michael Browne of California’s Kosta Browne Winery was my guest on Episode 29 –  www.kostabrowne.com

Sean Minor of California’s Sean Minor Wines was also a guest on Episode 29  –  www.4bearswinery.com

Chris Benziger of California’s Benziger Family Winery was a guest on yesterday’s show, Episode 30 –  www.benziger.com

Cheers and very Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Catherine

Day 21 Gifts – Cocktail Time with Eastern Standard Kitchen and St-Germain

The gift ideas for Day 21 take us to one of my favorite places in Boston, Eastern Standard Kitchen in Kenmore Square. Just steps away from Fenway Park, it’s a great place to go before or after the game (or anytime, really!) Jackson Cannon, Bar Manager & Mixologist extraordinnaire, was my guest on Episode 28, and was so interesting & fun to speak with. A great gift would be a gift card to Eastern Standard Kitchen or their new sister restaurant, Island Creek Oyster Bar, which is right next door. The menu pays tribute to classic European and New England favorites, such as Veal Schnitzel, Beef Wellington and Mussels & Frites as well as a fantastic raw bar. Jackson has a great cocktail program going on in both places, as well as a fabulous reserve beer program at ICOB.

You can check them out at 

www.easternstandardboston.com

www.islandcreekoysterbar.com

I discovered St-Germain about two years ago, and still love it every time I taste it…especially the St-Germain Cocktail and Sangria Flora. I was so exited to have Founder & President of The Cooper Spirits Company, Rob Cooper, as my guest on Episode 30. The cocktail enthusaist in your life would love a bottle of St-Germain, or if you can find it, a St-Germain Carafe Set.

St-Germain is a beautifully crafted, French elderflower liqueur made from 100% fresh elderflowers from the foothills of the Alps. Only available in limited quantities, each bottle of St-Germain is numbered and marked with the vintage year reflecting the year in which the flowers were harvested. It can be enjoyed straight over ice but is ideal in cocktails as well as mixed with white or sparkling wine. The limited edition sets include a bottle of St-Germain, a Glass Carafe and Stirrer and a Cocktail Recipe Book.

Find out more at  www.stgermain.fr

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 20 Gifts – L’Espalier & Jordan Vineyard

Day 20 takes us to one of my favorite Boston restaurants, L’Espalier…I was so happy to have Sommelier Kate Moore (a fellow BC grad) as a guest on Episode 24. L’Espalier is in the heart of the Back Bay, adjacent to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Under Chef, Proprietor, Author and now Farmer Frank McClelland’s stewardship, L’Espalier has consistently been rated at the top of national and local best restaurant lists (Zagat, Boston Magazine, Frommer’s Travel Guide, Wine Spectator, among them), serving sophisticated and modern New England-French cuisine, with an emphasis on artisanal and New England ingredients.

A great gift would be a gift card to L’Espalier (prices vary), so that the giftee can go to lunch, dinner or to one of Kate’s “Top Shelf” Cocktail classes…add to that a copy of Chef  McClelland’s “Wine Mondays”, which features 130 recipes organized into four-course pairing menus by season, with accompanying wine notes and suggestions. All of the recipes come from the popular Wine Mondays program at L’Espalier—a weekly event created to make food and wine pairing accessible, fun, and affordable. ($24.95)

www.lespalier.com

To that, add a gift set of wine from Jordan Vineyards. I’ve long been a Jordan fan, and was thrilled to have CEO John Jordan as my guest on Episode 26. Since their inaugural 1976 vintage, Jordan wines have been renowned for their consistency and elegance. Tucked into the hills in Alexander Valley, just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, they are dedicated to winemaking, hospitality and the joys of the table.

A beautiful wooden box set of the 2008 Jordan Chardonnay & 2006 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon would delight any wine lover on your list ($90). Include a beautiful Riedel Vinum Engraved Chardonnay ($24) or Bordeaux ($29) wine glass, so they can enjoy their gift in style.

Find out more at www.jordanwinery.com

Cheers,

Catherine

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Day 17 Gift Idea – Simply Ming & Blue Ginger

I have long been a fan of Chef Ming Tsai and his fabulous restaurant Blue Ginger, so I was thrilled when he was my guest on Episode 21 in October. A great gift idea for the home chef in your life is a copy of Ming’s latest book “Simply Ming One-Pot Meals“. As someone who loves to cook, but not clean up, this is ideal! The book has 80 one-pot recipes that can be created quickly and healthfully, with relatively inexpensive ingredients….many recipes can serve 4 people for under $20.  Ming focuses on seven cooking methods: braise, wok, sauté, roast, high temp–which includes steaming and flash frying–soup, and toss. He offers preparation tips and drink suggestions, and each recipe is accompanied by a full-color photo.

List price is $29.95 ($19.77 on Amazon).

To this, add a gift card to Blue Ginger, his beautiful restaurant in Wellesley MA. Ming and his team create award-winning cuisine that harmoniously blends ingredients and techniques from the East and the West. The menu offers signature items including the Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish (my favorite) and the Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster as well as seasonal dishes. All breads, crackers, ice creams and desserts are made in-house by the pastry department. Blue Ginger also has a beverage menu that really complements their East-West cuisine. Signature cocktails include the Blue Ginger Gimlet and the Golden Goose, a ginger-infused vodka martini, and they have an extensive wine cellar.

You can buy online at www.ming.com

Cheers!

Catherine

Day 16 Gift – Back Lane Wineries & Ceja Vineyards

Day 16 takes us back to Tilar Mazzeo (Episode 12) who was noted as part of a Day 1 gift (Veuve Clicquot)….we’re mentioning her again because she also wrote two fabulous books called “Back Lane Wineries of Napa” and “Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma”, which would be perfect gifts for someone planning a trip to wine country in 2011.

It’s easy to Google ‘Napa wineries’ and end up with plenty of big name wineries with daily tours and souvenir shops. But what of those off the beaten path? Back Lane Wineries of Napa and its sister book for Sonoma are guides to small wineries making quality, hard-to-find handcrafted wines. These books take the reader off the highway to friendly, down-to-earth establishments where the wines are made by on-site proprietors. More than 70 wineries are profiled in each volume, as well as  Wine Tasting Essentials, Wine Shipping Services, an overview of the area, ideas about how to plan an itinerary, the etiquette of tasting, general prices, and much more practical information, all packaged into a perfectly sized volume.

List price for each is $19.95, but only $13.57 on Amazon.com.

Add to these a few bottles of delicious Ceja Vineyards wine, made by Amelia Ceja, President of Ceja Vineyards, who was my guest on Episode 20, and was featured in “Back Lane Wineries of Napa” (p. 253). Ceja Vineyards is a family owned winery which makes 10,000 cases per year of award winning wine, and Amelia is the first Mexican American woman president of a wine production company as well as host of the video series “Salud Napa Valley”.

They have a Holiday Trio which consists of Ceja 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Ceja 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah and a Ceja 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which normally retail for $134, but are only $75 for the holidays.

Two great ladies, two great gifts.

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 15 – Fabulous Wine Festivals by Chef Daniel Bruce

A fun and fabulous gift idea for that person on your list who has everything would be tickets to an amazing wine dinner or tasting, no matter which part of the country they’re in. Chef Daniel Bruce, who was our guest on Episode 26 has lots of options for you to choose from.

As the founder of the internationally renowned Boston Wine Festival, the nation’s longest running food and wine pairing series, Chef Bruce lines up dozens of the top winemakers and producers over a four month time span. Due to the success of the BWF, he has also launched similar festivals in the French Quarter, Washington DC and Berkeley CA.

Some of the many events to choose from (prices vary) are Baron Phillipe de Rothschild, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Plump Jack & Cade Winery, Meritage Madness and Super Tuscans…you can find out more at

www.bostonwinefestival.net

www.frenchquarterwinefestival.com

www.capitalwinefestival.com

www.berkeleywinefestival.com

You could also give a gift card to Chef Bruce’s award winning restuarant, Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel, where he pairs more than 200 dishes each year with outstanding wines from around the world. Large and small plates are offered for each item on the menu, and matched with complementary wine flavors. Meritage has a 12,000-plus bottle wine collection which boasts over 850 different varieties.

www.meritagetherestaurant.com

Why not buy tickets for yourself while you’re at it…you’ve been good!

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 14 of Our Holiday Gift Ideas – Wente Vineyards

Wente Vineyards is California’s oldest family owned and continuously operated winery. Founded in 1883, the winery is now managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. I was privileged to have 3 family members on Cocktails for Everyone this year. Carolyn Wente, CEO and a fourth generation winegrower, was a guest on Episode 1 at the Nantucket Wine Festival. Christine Wente, Senior VP of Hospitality and Karl Wente, Winemaker – both fifth generation winegrowers –  were my guests on Episode 10.

A lovely holiday gift would be a few bottles of Wente Vineyards’ 08 Riva Ranch Chardonnay Arroyo Seco…it’s a medium- bodied Chardonnay which has a rich, golden color and aromas and flavors of honey, graham, cinnamon and light floral notes. ($19.99). Add to this some of their Wente Vineyards Small Lot Pinot Noir Rose which has a brilliant watermelon color, and flavors of raspberry, melon, orange peel, mineral and honeysuckle. ($21.99).

 

To top it off, include a Gift Card which can be used at The Estate Winery and Vineyard Tasting Rooms, The Course at Wente Vineyards, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, The Grill and The Concerts at Wente Vineyards (denominations vary).

You can find out more info at www.wentevineyards.com

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 13 of our 25 Days of Holiday Gifts – The Art of the Bar & Square One

Our Day 13 Gift Idea takes us to San Francisco, one of the cities that has been at the forefront of the resurgence of well-made, classic cocktails. Jeff Hollinger & Rob Schwartz, my guests on Episode 5, were part of that movement when they ran the bar at Absinthe. Their book “The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics” is loaded with beautiful photos and great drink recipes. It’s $16.47 on Amazon (list price $25).

www.theartofthebar.com

To that, add a bottle of Square One Organic Vodka. Founder & CEO Allison Evanow, who is based in San Francisco, was my guest on Episode 11. Square One is a  limited-production single grain vodka which uses certified organic American rye. It retails for approximately $35. You can find out more at

www.squareoneorganicspirits.com

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 7 of Our “25 Days of Holiday Gift Ideas” – ‘Gansett Beer

Day 7 is for the beer lover in your life…

My guest on Episode 2 was Mark Hellendrung, CEO of Narragansett Beer. Narragansett is an iconic New England beer that had disappeared until Mark resurrected it back in ’05. Brewed since 1890, ‘Gansett has played a prominent role in New England for over 100 years – during its glory days, the Rhode Island brewery produced almost two million barrels of beer per year and the company employed roughly 850 people. A great gift would be one of their metal buckets ($12), a pint glass ($5.50), a hat ($16) and a 6 pack of ‘Gansett beer.

You can find more info at www.narragansettbeer.com

If you’re feeling festive, add a copy of George Wendt’s book “Drinking With George” ($10 paperback on Amazon)….he and beer have shared a lot over the years: good times, great stories, useless trivia, and a successful show business career. In Drinking with George, Wendt invites readers to crack open a cold one and pull up a seat at the bar as he celebrates the intoxicating beverage, telling hilarious and frank tales of his own imbibing adventures—from taking a first sip of his grandfather’s Bud as a child to a beer-fueled impromptu performance with Woody Harrelson and the U.S. Women’s Synchronized Swimming Team… no, he wasn’t a guest, but I tried!

Cheers,

Catherine

Day 6 of our “25 Days of Holiday Gift Ideas” – Food Network

Day 6 is devoted to my Food Network guests – as my listeners & friends know, I am addicted to FN and was so excited to have 2 Food Network VIP’s on my show…

It was an honor and a thrill to have Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Boitano, host of Food Network’s “What Would Brian Boitano Make?” on Episode 16.  Brian has some really fun “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” merchandise on his website – t-shirts, hats, mousepads, etc. More importantly, all proceeds from sales within this store go to charities such as Brian’s Youth Skate Program. Prices vary.

You can order at www.brianboitano.com

To that, how about adding a copy of “The South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook” by our guest on Episode 17, Lee Schrager. Lee is the creator of both the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (which has raised more than $10 million for the Florida International University School of Hospitality) and the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (which benefits the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength). If you really want to be a hero, add a few tickets to the 2011 FN South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which takes place February 24th-27th.

The cookbook is available for $23.10 on Amazon (list price $35) – check it out at www.amazon.com or tickets on www.sobefest.com (prices vary).

Cheers,

Catherine