Today's Wine Enthusiast Article

Wine Baskets


White, red, dessert or sparkling wines, port, mead, ros? or champagne?man?s courtship with this intensely sensory yet cerebral indulgence has stood the long test of time. A symbol of refinement and culture, wine was initially an upper-class predilection until its liquid charms enticed the masses.



A mystical joy uplifts the true oenophile as he sips that rare wine. It refuses to stay quiet. It solicits company. The color, aroma, texture, layer and allure of wine must be analyzed and debated for a total experience. Initiating a greenhorn to its ethereal pleasures is a wine enthusiast?s dream task. Inviting connoisseurs over for an evening of wine can be as sacred a ritual as royal rites of passage.



Modern winemaking techniques have drastically altered wine prices and made it a much more affordable beverage. Choices for wine baskets can be decided by budget, personal preferences or the temperament of the person to whom you are giving it to, or what food you would like the wine to be paired with. Specialty wine boutiques and select liquor stores offer enough guidance and popular combinations for an ideal handpicked wine hamper.



Wines are produced in France, Italy, USA (primarily California, Washington State and Oregon), South America (Argentina, Chile) and regions of Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal and South Africa. Oxygen can rapidly remove fragrances, flavor and character from wine. Commercial wine usually has a two-year shelf life and must be consumed quickly once opened. Longevity-wise, dry white wines wither quickly, red wines pall in two days and port, Bordeaux or other fortified or sweet wines tend to last more than a week after opening.



Most wineries, retailers or distributors will take a case order and ensure delivery. Orders can be placed online too, especially if you have a wine club membership (usually available at no extra cost). Payment is by credit card. An order is usually dispatched discreetly to offices, because an adult must sign the delivery receipt.



Wine complements food like no other drink. Travel and entertainment has widened awareness of global wine trends. However, many states/countries have regulations on import of foreign wines. Know the hidden costs for tax, packaging and delivery before getting extravagant with that purple passion!



Winemaking is an art that takes the best of creativity and experimentation. A product of the land, wine intimately connects man to nature. The variety of grapes, soil, region, climate, temperature, blending options and storage containers can radically alter wine engineering. Delicate, crisp, refreshing, full-bodied, fruity, oaky or zesty, only wine simultaneously rejuvenates body, mind and soul.





Wine Baskets provides detailed information on wine baskets, wine gift baskets, wine picnic baskets, wine and cheese baskets and more. Wine Baskets is affliated with Bakery Management.

Another short Wine Enthusiast review

Wine Baskets


White, red, dessert or sparkling wines, port, mead, ros? or champagne?man?s courtship with this intensely sensory yet cerebral indulgence has stood th...


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Headlines on Wine Enthusiast

Wine: Cahors blimey! (Independent)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:18:00 PDT
Was it only yesterday I was on holiday in Cahors in south-west France's Lot Valley? So it seems, but it was actually 10 years ago that I took myself there with a case of Châteauneuf-du-Pape just to be on the safe side. The local plonk might be OK for washing down everyday fare, but what if my friends and I fancied something decent to drink? Earlier this summer, I returned to the scene of my ...

Patio Party: Guide to the Best Outdoor Bar Hangouts (The Oregonian)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:53:22 PDT
On a hot summer night there's nothing more refreshing than a chilly cocktail or a frosty pint of lager -- unless it's sipping that beverage outside under starlight.

Sherry is still one of the great wines of the world (Times Online)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:07:03 PDT
One way of making you feel that it’s summer, even if it’s raining, is to pull the Andalusian skies over your neighbourhood with a good manzanilla or fino. Unloved, unsung and undervalued, sherry continues to be one of the great wines of the world.

Council approves alcoholic beverages at city-sponsored events (Coppell Gazette)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:41:14 PDT
The Coppell City Council approved an ordinance for alcohol to be sold and distributed at designated city-sponsored events during Tuesday’s meeting.

The Latest Home Improvement Trend -- Making What's Old New Again (Richfield Reaper)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:54:55 PDT
(ARA) - At a time when costs for just about everything seem to be going up -- gas, food, building materials, etc. -- a lot of attention is focused on the concept of reduce, reuse, recycle. This is particularly evident in the home improvement sector.

Early grape harvest under way (The Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:45:42 PDT
In one of the earliest starts in recent memory, the 2008 grape harvest began this morning in Sonoma's Valley of the Moon as workers began picking prized pinot noir grapes in the pre-dawn darkness.

City of Ambition - Ferit Kuyas and other shows

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:13:26 PDT
City of Ambition - Ferit Kuyas and other shows August 1st, 2008 Yesterday I had a day of looking at pictures rather than taking them, though I couldn’t resist a few snaps later on - after too many glasses of red wine - as you can see here. Between a couple of meetings I fitted in visits to the Michael Hoppen Gallery in Chelsea and the Photographers’ Gallery near Leicester Square in an afternoon involving far too much sitting in hot buses in slow moving traffic and sweltering in the undergroun


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A Featured Wine Barrel Article

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Lombardy Region

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Lombardy region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Mountainous Lombardy is located in the north central zone of Italy on the Swiss border. It is one of the few regions of Italy without a seacoast. On the other hand Lombardy is known for its beautiful lakes. Lombardy owes its name to the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled it and neighboring regions for two hundred years well over a thousand years ago. Other rulers included the Celts, the Romans, and the Franks. Its population is 9.4 million, the largest in Italy. In fact, about one of six Italian residents lives in Lombardy.

Lombardy is second to Emilia-Romagna in agricultural production. Among its many agricultural products are rice, wheat, corn, fruits, olives, cattle, pigs, and sheep. Natives still eat more risotto (a rice dish) and polenta (corn bread) than pasta.

The capital of Lombardy's is Milan, Italy's financial, fashion, and media center. With a population of 1.3 million, Milan is larger than seven regions of Italy.

Lombardy devotes about 66 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 11th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 44 million gallons, also giving it an 11th place. About 62% of the wine production is red or ros?, leaving 38% for white. The region produces 15 DOC wines and 3 DOCG wines, Franciacorta, a sparkling wine made in the traditional (Champagne) manner, and 2 red wines; Valtellina Superiore, reviewed below, and Sforzato di Valtellina. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Over 47% of Lombardy's wine carries the DOC or the DOCG designation. Lombardy is home to about four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, approximately three fifths red and two fifths white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Pinot Bianco, known as Pinot Blanc outside of Italy, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, and Malvasia. The best known Italian white varieties are Gargena, an Italian variety of Riesling, Renano Italico, and an Italian variety of Trebbiano, Trebbiano di Lugana.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Pinot Noir. The best known strictly Italian red varieties are Barbera, Bonarda, Lambrusco, and a local Nebbiolo called Chiavennasca.

Before we reviewing the Lombardy wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Pizzoccheri della Valtellina, Buckwheat Flour Ribbons with Wilted Cabbage, Potatoes, and Mountain Cheese.
For a second course try Ossobuco all Milanese, Braised Veal Shanks with Grenolata (Parsley, Garlic, and Lemon).
And for dessert, indulge in Budino di Pannetone, Pannetone Bread Pudding

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Triaccio 'Sassela' Valtellina Superiore 2002 13% alcohol about $16.50 DOCG

In his work Codice Atlantico, Leonardo da Vinci described Valtellina, the source of this wine as "A valley surrounded by tall and terrible mountains, it makes really powerful wines." This area has made wine since the days of the Etruscans and the Ligurians, prior to the ancient Romans. It is the northernmost area for growing the Nebbiolo grape. The wine itself is one of the three DOCG wines in Lombardy.

The marketing materials stated that its nose is quite outspoken, with aromas including mushroom, dried cranberry, and paraffin. It is dry with good fruit, surrounded by supple tannins. This medium-bodied wine is recommended with hard cheeses or grilled game birds.

This wine was aged 18 months in large wooden casks and a further 6 months in steel tanks. The producer says it can be cellared for 8-10 years and suggests drinking it with pasta of all sorts, air-dried beef, and cheese.

I first tasted this wine with beef ribs. It was round but a bit intimidated by the spicy cumin and curry sauce. Paired with a slow cooked beef and potato stew it handled itself better. It was quite fruity and cut the meal's grease. It almost tasted like a Beaujolais.

I tried it with two cheeses. Grana Padano is a classic Parmesan-type cheese made for a millennium in northern Italy including the Lombardy region. It is a cylindrical, cooked, semi-fat cheese which matures slowly. It has a grainy consistency and may be sliced or grated. The cheese's taste is fragrant and delicate. The wine brought out the nutty aspect of the cheese, while intensifying its fruit. It paired well with Pecorino Toscana from Tuscany, two regions south of Lombardy.

Final verdict. I was a bit disappointed with this wine, DOCG is supposed to mean top of the line, and it was not.

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is www.theworldwidewine.com . You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.

Wine Barrel and More

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Lombardy Region


If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Lombardy region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Wine Barrel Items

Vintage Chart Coasters (Set of 4)


A Gift That’s Wine Smart and SensibleOur new Vintage Chart Coasters are arrayed with wine region vintage ratings from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Bordeaux California Germany Italy and more are depicted on this set of four absorbent stoneware coasters. Each one is cork backed for complete protection from table rings. Set of 4. Gift boxed. 4'D.


Price: 24.95 USD



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