Feeling down? Let these cheerful wines turn that frown upside down. (Just in from my column at WineCountry.com!)
This time of year - and this year in particular (sheesh) - there's a laundry list of things that could be getting you down. Lost jobs, money worries and holiday stress are just a few of the icky items that could very well be a drag on your otherwise sunny mood. Happily, we're here with a list of wines known for their mood-boosting powers, all packaged into a convenient list. So, should you need them, we offer not just a few but 10 reasons to stay cheerful this wintry season.
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JIT for the wintry (can you say FREEZING, anyone?) weather, I am super pleased to present my list of top holiday films, all matched up tastily with wines, natch. So you can get Scrooged while drinking some Pet, or laugh along with Clark Griswold and crew while sipping some seriously flamboyant Zin. Cheers and happy holidays from Hip Tastes! Courtney ;)
It's unavoidable: every year I'm asked to write a holiday gift guide on wine items, the thought of which makes my eyes roll back into my head and my thoughts scream "oh no, not AGAIN!" Because really, how many gift guides do we need to see each year? Howsoever, I'm proud to say that I actually enjoyed the list I penned this year, because I decided to go with what items I would only buy - nay, make that COVET - myself. And so here it is, in unashamed detail. You can read a summary of my selections below, then click the link at the bottom or here to read the whole thing at WineCountry.com. I think you'll like it, and may even find something you want for yourself (which is SO the way it goes with shopping for others, right?). Cheers :) - CC
In a curious twist of linguistic fate, some decidedly frightening-sounding statements have been lately transformed into vehicles of praise. Mostly refashioned, as far as I can tell, by loquacious members of the surfer/skater culture prevalent in California, the phrases run the gamut of topics and references, but given the time of year I've singled out two that undoubtedly invoke Halloween.
Let's face it: the recession taught us many of things, perhaps the most important: you've got to appreciate the small things in life. And with 2009 drawing to a close, we can all look forward a renewed perspective (not to mention uptrending economic indicators, whew!) in the new year. To go along with this reinvigorated view of things, we offer the following ten wines that are destined to be hot in 2010. Because if another thing is altogether clear as we head out of this strange era: Wine is and always will be a hallmark of the good times. And, it's time for each and every one of us to start living the good life again.
We've all been there before: The wine you've ordered arrives at your table at the chichi restaurant and smells...wrong. You're not sure what's behind the malodorous scent, but you're quite sure it smacks of your Aunt Edna's moldy attic. You're desperate to send it back, but nervous the "dirty attic" excuse will come off as uninformed, inadequate and pathetically incorrect all at once. But take heart, worrisome wino: there is a method to the madness of decoding wine faults (as usual, we've got you covered).
So many fabulous things come INSIDE of other things. Take, for example, presents - perhaps the ultimate expression of the excitement-from-within phenomenon. There are also engagement rings, chocolates...the list goes on. And now, just in time for Halloween, we can all feast our eyes on this VERY COOL new skull-inside-a-decanter creation from Esque Studio in NYC. Called the "Morte" decanter (how's THAT for an apropos name?), this extremely limited item requires a glassblower to first craft the skull, then make the decanter around it. Two out of three break before they're even done. Available @ Clo Wines. $995 Props to Food & Wine for the heads up on this one.
Aaaaand, for another (slightly less pricey) fabulously Halloween-ready decanter, check out Ralph Lauren's 
PS and click 
"Wine hasn't been big in Oregon's bucolic Willamette Valley for long - in fact, it was only in the 60s that the first plantings were made in what is now considered by many to be some of the most hallowed ground for wine production in the world. With a cool, moist climate that favors Pinot Noir in particular, the region just an hour's drive from Portland has fast turned into one of the most exciting places to swirl, sip and savor your way through wine country. Read on for my top ten wines tasted on a recent visit."
"As with so many things in life, trends in food and wine come and go. One season, chefs scramble to pair Riesling with faddish new foam sauces, the next they're matching up Cabernet with the likes of PB&J. But a handful of tried-and-true pairings consistently rise above these of-the-moment fads, delivering the unsurpassed pleasure that can only result from an absolutely perfect marriage of food and wine. Read on for our favorites, and bon appetit."
Wine and fashion - both being art forms - are never too far apart. Witness Moet's sparkling support of affairs surrounding New York Fashion Week - like the uber-anticipated bubbly soirees in and around Bryant Park, for example. And sometimes, the twains meet far closer still, like with this fabulously fashion-forward bottle of bubbly designed by no other than Jean-Paul Gaultier for the house of Piper Heidsieck (yes, corsets are still clearly HOT! And see other pic for inspiration). Like so many sparklers designed by the fashion demi-gods for sparkling houses, the Gaultier bubbly is extremely limited (not to mention pricey - it clocks in at $395 for a magnum), but oh-so-lovely that we can't help but consider the splurge. Read on to feast your peepers on still more stunning bottles and accessories, the rest by the likes of 
Karl Lagerfeld (for Dom Perignon), Viktor & Rolf (also for Piper-Heidsieck) and YOU - as in personalized Swarovski crystal-embossed bottles made on demand by that most uber-fashion-oriented house, Moet. Cheers.]]>
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