- Wine corks
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- Scissors
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2. Slide one or more decorative beads over the loop of the tassle.
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5. Slip one or more decorative beads over the ribbon then knot the ribbon several inches up leaving a loop to hang from
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So there you have it- hopefully you have enough time to get making them!
“Our first one is
juice, 2 parts lemonade, and 2 parts Port!
You'll have to forgive us for taking our time in getting a new blog up- we've been pretty busy this year... But rest assured we are well on our way to getting our Blogs up in time for Christmas!So it is time to start thinking about what to do for the 
to get the
So that’s the
We're edging ever closer to the big day now and i don't know about you but its definatly starting to feel a lot like Christmas! So i Hope you all have your Christmas Presents bought and are realxing for the big day. If you aren't one of the lucky few, however, who have gotten everything ready then don't fear there's still plenty of time- but you should probably start getting things ready soon... 
full-bodied. Malbec- the perfect grape for the winter thats in it. And lucky for ye we have a special offer of
15ml
35ml Pomegranate
35ml Cranberry
5ml
All Spice
Pour all ingredients into a high-ball with cubed ice and garnish with mixed berries
So in a couple of weeks the big man is goin to be puttin on the big red suit and gearin up the 
reindeer for their big journey around the globe. But the question is what to leave out for the big man when he comes to drop off his presents. But first of all we would like to point out that if Santa was drivin the sleigh (which he's not, the reindeer are...) it would have to be a non- alcholoic drink- for obvious reasons! But luckily enough he is going to be chauffeured around the place by his reindeer, so the big man can enjoy a glass or two on his big night (its not all about work you see)- a line of thought even Jackie Healy-Rae could get behind.... wait a minute... big red face... slightly overgrown around the waist... you don't think??? could he be??? Well you have to admit the similarities are striking.... 
Reschke "vitulus" Caberent Sauvignon- €19.95
So here we are... its Christmas time and for your enjoyment we have decided to do 12 blogs of christmas this year. Because after all Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without wine! So over the coming weeks we will be bringing you a host of different things to do with wine and Christmas. It will vary from the practical- such as mulled wine, and what wine to serve best with Christmas dinner- to the not so practical- like how to make christmas decorations out of unwanted wine corks. So before we dive right into this season where we all strive relentlessly to make it the perfect time of year, we would like to wish ye all a Merry Christmas- and good luck!
So our first in our little series of Blogs will be on mulled wine. Mulled wine started as a way of making wine that had gone bad drinkable again by adding spices and honey. But its much better if you use wine that hasn't gone bad- having said that if feel free to use bad wine, but I think your guests this Christmas might prefer good wine! The main ingredients used are Cinnamon, Cloves, and Nutmegs (which we all sell in store in handy little packets for €4.45). But you cam also add 2 clementines, peel of lemon and lime, and 250g caster sugar. (I'm stealing Jamie Olivers recipie for this so here's the link). But the most important aspect of Mulled Wine is the.... Wine!! Now a lot of people say it doesn't matter what one you pick- but others disagree. I don't see why you wouldn't pick a wine you like. Me personally I think i would go forn the Canidido Primitivo because it alreeady has that bit of spicyness to it anyways, or maybe the Yalumba Bush-Vine Grenache! But like anything else to do with wine its down to personal preference- just don't pick a white!!
What a wonderful Christmas image Grapes covered in Snow, during the production of Ice Wine a variety of Sweet wine. Sweet wine or Desert wine as it is sometimes called is a type of wine produced in small amounts. There is no definate defination for sweet wine as many would consider wines such as sherry and Fortified Ports and Madeiras sweet wines yet they are general catergorised by themshelves. the first thing you will notice about sweet wines is they normal come in distinct bottles and are usually 375ml (half bottle) or 500ml in size. This is becuase it is customary to serve less sweet wine than you would normal wine. How is Sweet wine made?
grow grapes so that they naturally have sugar to spare for both sweetness and alcohol.
1) Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Chardonnay €24.95
A rich luscious Chardonnay from Australia's up and coming Mornington Peninsula. Fairly lean and focused stone fruit, lemon and peach, the feel is fresh and infused with appealing chalky minerality, fresh lemon acids, and delectable creamy French oak that compliments the delicacy of the fruit. Lovely honeyed vanilla nuances on a long lingering finish.
The cool confines of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County provide a near perfect climate for the development of delicate Pinot Noir aromatics and flavors.Soft suggestions of violets and rose petals couple with notes of wild cherries and cola. Subtle cocoa and toasty oak notes closely follow the lasting fruit flavors, creating an earthy finish of both structure and finesse.
3) Hazana Rioja Reserva Especial 2003 €24.95
Made From hand selected grapes this wine is then aged for 36 months in New French oak casks. This wine recently was recently awarded 2nd place of all Spanish wines available in Ireland over €15 in a tasting run by the Spanish Embassy. The wine itself is developing beautifully at present and displays dark fruits, tobacco, smoke on the nose. The wine is smooth yet powerful on the palate. This wine will continue to evolve over the next 10 years.
An extraordinary wine born from the inspiration of Diego Cottini, chief wine maker at Monte Zovo. The grapes are selected and left on the vines to fully mature until the first signs of winter when the morning mists hang over the normally sunny Veronese hills. This method allows the grapes to be not just fully ripened but also slightly dried. They are then harvested and left in plateaux to dry for a further 20-25 days in well aired storage rooms. These conditions help to create a wine with rich, full body, rare smoothness and charming aromas.
5) Domaine des Valanges Macon-Fuisse €16.95
Rioja Wines have never been more popular than now. But by the same token... Spain has never been so popular. It seems every second person who comes into the store goes straight for the Spanish section. But why wouldn't they?? They are, after all, producing some of the best full-bodied reds in the world at the moment. But what is so special about Rioja?? Cause i don't know about you... but i never heard of the place until i started drinking wine... And it seems that there are some reds from Toro, or Ribera del Duera that could easily challenge for the crown. Well like other wine producing regions in Spain, their grape of choice is- Tempranillo. Now Tempranillo may go by other names like Tinta Fino in Ribera Del Duero, or Tinta de Toro in the Toro region- but at their heart they're all still Tempranillo! So the same grape... the same country... what's the point? Well like anything with wine- it comes down to the little things. And region affects the Grapes in so so so many ways.
Hazana Reserva- Rioja- €17.95
We all remember being draged to mass as children every sunday!! And no matter what excuse you would try and come up with every week it didn't work- you were still going to end up sitting on that bench for half an hour (usually much much longer) before you were free to play for the rest of the day!! We all knew every part of the mass when we were younger- and not out of any religious reason, but instead there were certain things the priest did which served as road marks for how long was left! For instance once the priest entered- we all knew what was coming next!! An hour (maybe less... probably not though...) or so of our lives that we couldn't escape! Then came the handshakes- and the aim of the game was to get as many as you possibly could!! Which was followed by the collection plate which entailed seeing what was the biggest amount put in! And then we came to the bit with the bells- which we later found out to be known as the Eucarist! And always the priest would take a big gulp of Christs blood from a gold cup... wait- what? Why was he drinking Christ's blood from a cup? Obviously as the years past I finally realised that it was wine... ahhhhh that explainds the genorous gulp!!
But what was so special about this wine that gave it such a huge part in our sunday ritual?? Well first off there are certain rules when it comes to Altar wine, but at the same time its not Gospel... (at this point I feel I should warn ye... I've spent most of the day trying to get information about what grapes they use... but I failed so if anyone knows please feel free to share this with me in the comments!!) But what I did find out is that it can be white or red, (in fact white is slightly preffered because it doesn't make quite as big a mess if spilt on the priests robes) but the grape must be pure!!! And as such it should be grown by somebody who wishes to keep the grape "pure"... now believe it or not I've spent hours reading the rules about the grapes that go into Altar Wine, and all "pure" seems to mean to me anyways, is that it is organic (again I might be wrong... but feel free to call me on it!!) 
g
First off! Its been far too long since we've done one of these give it a go blogs... but i feel one grape variety that has certainly warrented a blog is Gruner-Veltliner (you couldn't imagine how hard its goin to be to avoid making the joke "its gru-vee" is going to be in this blog!!!) But this grape variety has come to the forefront in the past year or so! The grape itself is Austrian! And accounts for roughly 36% of Austria's wine production, and they are pretty proud of this fact!! As with any wine the standard is dependant on the region! The best examples can be found in the lower Austrian regions of Kamptal, Kremstal, and lastly but not leastly for true lovers of gruner-veltliner- Wachau! As you can see from the photo above, the steep terraced vineyards, and warm climate provide the perfect "terroir" for fantastic dry white wines!! Infact the Wines from this region are given such a pleasing minerality that they would give even the best Chablis a run for their money! 
An almost clear light straw yellow in colour. Yellow apple and pear fruit on the nose with faint nuances of lentils, asparagus, and tobacco. Grapefruit and white pepper spice intermingle perfectly on the light-mediem bodied frame- which is given extra life by its great accidity!!
to last long journeys! Now i'm not suggesting you load up a ship with Eternum Viti and head of to try and discover a new country, but it is a great wine! And whats truly amazing about this wine is that it still has a lot more to give!! If you drink this now you will need to give it some time to breathe, becasue it is big and powerful- but also becasue it is still realtively young!! So young in fact that it should keep drinking very well until 2020! I've tried this wine twice, and both times i couldn't have been more pleasantly suprised! And it is definatly one to enjoy over the coming years!!
Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Califonria 2005
Thomas Woodberrys is delighted to welcome Louisa Rose, Chief winemaker with Yalumba. Louisa will be stopping off in the shop tomorrow night, Friday 30th of October for an informal tasting at 7.30 pm. All are welcome for what is sure to be an interesting and informative evening with one of Australia's top wine makers.
In 1992 while studying winemaking at Rosewood, Louisa worked a vintage in the Yalumba Cellars in the
How many of us assume it tastes like grannys favourite 'Harvey's Bristol Cream' and would leave us turning our face like grandma above. But there is more to Sherry than we think it's not only a drink for grannies, or indeed for adding to that delicous home made deserts like sherry trifle. Sherry is as sophisticated and as complex as all other wines. And like other wines the it is in the making that decides the type of Sherry we get, thats right sherry can be divided into diffrent styles, such as Fino, Oloroso, and Manzanilla.
In the manufacture of sherries, the slightly porous oak barrels are deliberately filled only about five-sixths full with the young wine, leaving "the space of two fists" empty to allow the flor yeast to take form and the bung is not completely sealed.
Its no secret- we all like the taste of different things!! But it appears its not just down to personal preferences... its down to the amount of taste buds we have! Now there are several tests you can do to see whether you fall into the Sensitive, Hypersensitive, or Tolerant catergory! But the easier option is to take this quiz! Can you imagine it? A world where knowledge of "terroir", ampelography, or even varietal is needed! There's definatly no disputing that things would be a lot easier in this world- but is it really that simple?
Hypersensitive people (otherwise known as supertasters!!) have the most tastebuds, and therefore experience a whole host of things at once! Which is isn't as good as you might think... instead they have a heightened sensitivity to bitterness and other bold flavours! In fact super- tasters will generally not like cucumber because it actually has a bitter taste thats only detectable to hypersensitive people! So if you find cucumber bitter then chances are you'd like wines with finnesse and balance such as pinot noirs or german wines or alsace rieslings!
suggest! In the whites there's Chardonnays and Viogniers! Which I love! And in the reds there's Shiraz, Rhone style blends, and Zinfandels!! All spot on!! And last but not least then we come to the tolerant tasters! the people with the fewest tastebuds! But all this means is they need bigger bolder flavours!! The type that doesn't even care for whites all that much! And who loves their Bordeaux's, Barolo's, and their Rioja's. BUUUUUTTTT!!! I also like my Bordeauxs, Barolo's and my Rioja's.... and i also like my lighter Pinot Noirs and Rieslings! Its true I love an Australian Shiraz more often than not- but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a Wine for what it is in a given moment! Take the quiz definatly cause it is interesting- but never let it deter you from trying something different- because you could miss out on something great!
The fabulous queen (not the band above) of grapes has had a though time of late what with that upstart Pinot Grigio stealing the spotlight and the love of the people. But not one to be dissuaded she is making her come back this time as a sophisticated Italian, if it is good enough for the pretender then it is certainly good enough for the Queen. Many of you will be familiar with Antonutti's fabulous Pinot Grigio currently on 2 for €25 but what many of you will not be familiar with is Antonutti's 'Vis Terrae' Chardonnay, one of the surprise wines of the festival with many customers coming back saying the had forgotten that chardonnay wasn't all buttery oak. Over the years the vast oceans of cheap chardonnay served up to us has led many to believe that all chardonnay is acidic and intensley buttery not true, this wonderful grape can adapt to many different styles from crisp Chablis to buttery Aussie Chardonnays to pineapple and melon flavours found in unoaked new world Chardonnay. Now is the time to look up an old friend she may not be the most popular at present but she is still the queen. If you don't believe me then try one of the following. 
