A small token for your guests places such a positive impression on your party. As they walk or drive home anticipation regarding the contents increases. Pleasant memories from your event remain with your guests as they savor their gift
Welcome your guests with a flute of sparkling wine. Sparkling wine is a wonderful way to begin your holiday celebration. The bubbles are not just for New Year’s Eve!
A traditional holiday meal includes
roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet
potatoes, cranberries, corn, rolls and
pumpkin pie. For those of you who enjoy
red wine, Pinot Noir generally works well
with this varied, complex menu. For
those guests who prefer white, a Kabinett
style German Riesling or a Gewurztraminer will do quite well.
A typical Hanukah Festival of Oil and Light meal often includes Brisket, Latkes, Matzo ball soup, Rugulach and jelly donuts. May we recommend the 2006 Norman “No Nonsense Red “ Meritage Blend from Paso Robles ($18.95) and/or the 2010 Fess Parker Riesling from Santa Barbara County ($13.95) to compliment this traditional meal.
An unexpected mix case of wine with 1/2 bottles. This is great for when one drinks red and the other white. It encourages wine experimentation. No one feels compelled to finish the whole full bottle.
For the Bacchus on your list select a medley of hand-crafted cheese paired with a special bottle! It is sure to be a hit!
Pizza with Mozzarella
& Sautéed Onions
Ingredients:
1 large partially-baked pizza crust, such as Boboli
1 tablespoon oil from Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar + 1 tablespoon water
1/2 pound shredded fresh mozzarella cheese, blotted dry on paper towels
6 tablespoons freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
17 sun-dried Tomatoes, blotted on paper towels
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 450. Position rack as close to heat (not broiler) as possible.
-Place crust on a baking sheet. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. -When hot add onion and sauté until lightly colored, 3 to 4 minutes.
-Add Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam, balsamic vinegar and water, stirring to melt sugar and evaporate vinegar, about 1 minute. Set aside.
-Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over pizza crust. Sprinkle on about 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Add onions, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, remaining Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
-Place baking sheet in oven and bake until
cheese is hot and bubbling, 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove and let stand at least 5 minutes
before cutting into 8 slices and serving.
Ehlers Estate
A winery that gives TO THE HEART- “Ehlers Estate is unique in that the winery actually belongs to a not-for-profit foundation. When founder Jean Leducq passed away in 2002, he left it in trust the foundation that he and his wife, Sylviane, had started in 1996. As a result, 100% of the proceeds from Ehlers Estate wine sales go to cardiovascular research. The winery also uses organic and biodynamic growing practices in growing Bordeaux grape varieties.”
Hahn Winery (Huntington Wines)
A global perspective… “Huntington Wines are the reflection of the worldly and generous nature of the Hahn Family. Nicolaus “Nicky” and Gaby Hahn reside part-time in Northern Kenya, Africa where they own Mugie Ranch, home to a school, farm and wildlife preserve. Sales of Huntington wine benefit the Mugie Ranch Scholarship Fund for higher education of Kenyan children. Every bottle of Huntington wine bears an artist-series label featuring one of Gaby Hahn’s paintings.” Cited from www.huntingtonwine.com
Van Duzer
Van Duzer Vineyards has gone to great lengths to ensure their vineyards and their farming and production methods are Earth-friendly. They are certified by LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), the Oregon organization which evaluates vineyards and wineries against a rigorous set of international standards, as well as Salmon Safe and IOBC. They also use absolutely no GMO (genetically modified organisms).