Gourmet Reviewer

Have loved ones far away? Send the joy of sharing this holiday season. Give a gourmet gift basket. With so many delicious choices, it makes giving easier. Christmas gift baskets are the perfect idea for everyone. From classic baskets to wine and craft beer baskets. Beer in a basket? Who would have thought. Let your loved ones know you were thinking just of them with these beautiful baskets.  CLICK HERE http://bit.ly/gourmet-wines-chocolates for your basket.

I wish I could say that I am sitting on a balcony in front of the ocean enjoying the  tropical  breeze while having a  Cubancigar  and a cup of  espresso . In the  PNW  (Pacific Northwest) it is rainy and cold. Our  rain  is not rain, it is like a slow drizzly kind of misty rain that makes you want to curl up in front of a fire and  read  a  book  or watch your old favorite  movie .

I have lived abroad for many years, and returning to the US, I realized that most service here is basically like you get at a taco stand in Mexico, which means, your drinks arrive, then your food, and there you go. God forbid you should want or need anything else. Now this is not, obviously, at every restaurant in the U.S. just at most. When we go to a restaurant, we are paying for someone to take care of us. This seems to be lost on servers in the U.S. We are paying you to bring us our drinks (plural), our meal (the way we order it), and to come back and make sure everything is good, to see if we would like anything else. When we order a bottle of wine, you should pour it, and correctly. A bottle costs about $60 (on average for a decent wine), and you probably expect at least a 20% tip. Let's say you make $8.00 and hour, and our meal takes about an hour (for ease of calculation), and let's say there are three of us. Let's also say the average appetizer plate is $10.0...

The California wine industry lost two of it's iconic founders this last week. Raymond Duncan,  co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars, helping to raise the California Cabernet Saubignon to the status it holds today. He also opened another cellar with his sons, Twomey Cellers. Twomey produces Merlot using the "soutirage traditionne" from the Bordeaux region, they also have several varieties of Pinot Nior and Sauvignon Blancs. via - Wine Spectator  The Schug Winery lost their father and founder this past weekend, and California lost the Pinot Nior champion, pushing it before it was popular and always believing in it, having been raised on a Pinot vineyard in Germany’s Rhine River Valley. One of the pioneers of the wildly popular Meritage, blend wines. One of the first to recognizing the potential in the Carneros region. via -  The Press Democrat Our hearts go out to these two families as they mourn the loss of their patriarchs.

The Oregon and Washington wine‬ industry has shown an astounding growth in recent years. With Pinot Noir being the staple wine of the Pacific Northwest's and it's most famous varietal. The area now seems to produce nearly as much Cabernet Sauvignon  as Pinot Noir, and it is on our watch list for the stronger heavier varieties as well. Washington and Oregon are now producing grape varietals such as the light Sangiovese (used to make Chianti), one of my favorites is the very versatile Zinfandel, and of course Barbera. If you are looking to do some wine tasting this weekend, make sure to check the link below for an Oregon or Washington winery near you with a tasting room. http://www.oregonwines.com/