Tip Top Tip for Today, Monday, July 19

[Kim Loves Snow]

Love this tip!

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Today's tip is from Pixiestick

Pixiestick writes:

Starting in late summer I try and pick up an extra bottle of wine I like when it is on sale and I buy it for me. Bottles of wine make excellent hostess gifts, last minute gifts and just in case someone stops by with a gift for you gift. Buying it over a couple of months when it is on sale is easier on the budget.

I watch the dollar store for wine bottle gift bags in colors like gold, silver, red and green.

I print off something from the wine makers website about dishes the wine goes well with and reprint it on little tag cards to attach to the bottles.

If I am super organized I might try and find a recipe that matches the dish suggestion I printed off.

I make up a few off them at a time to have all ready.

Since it is wine I like, if I don't gift them during the holiday season I just drink it myself after the holidays! No wasting or having to store anything!

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Thanks, Pixiestick! This is such a good suggestion. I love the extras that you do with printing tags and recipes, etc. Nice touch! Your name has been added to my magic hat for the drawing at the end of the month. Good luck!

 

[luludou]

That's a great tip. I too try to buy a few wine bottles during the year to give but I never thought about putting a recipe with it! that's cool!

Thanks!

 

[girlsinmo]

For you ladies who drink wine what brand would you recommend? I hardly ever drink but I've been thinking I might like a glass of wine. However, I think I'd like a wine that wasn't too strong(sour tasting). Maybe I should stick to grape juice lol.

 

[Pam Spaur]

Tricia, I like Riunite which can be purchased at most large groceries or Walmart. Also, Aldi's has a good Reisling (white) and a Merlot (red). Any of these are around $5 or $6 at most. I finally figured out that red goes with red meat, spaghetti, 'red' foods, and white goes with chicken, pork. 'white' foods. But if you like it, go for what you like.

I occasionally will have a bottle with Sweetie when we have dinner. It doesn't have to be a special occasion. I don't drink it often. In fact, I've had a bottle chilling in the fridge for two months. lol But I do enjoy a nice glass of wine.

Too bad, I don't have any friends that enjoy it as much as I do. This is a great tip, tho!

 

[Colleen in PA]

I love this idea! Especially with the extra tags with suggestions &/or recipes! It gives it that "special touch"!

 

[Flower Girl]

Asti Spumanti!

My husband do this with Asti Spumanti....we prefer Martini & Rossi; it doesn't often go on sale, but we pick up several bottles when it does. Also, it hits Costco around the Holidays, and we pick up extra there, as well, at better prcing than one gets anywhere else. It's so nice to have bottles on hand for last minute giving, and as was mentioned in the original post, it's even nicer when you have a few left over to enjoy later in the year!

It's a sweet, bubbly wine; I am not a drinker at all, but I do enjoy a few glasses of this around the holidays, and I especially enjoy making Mimosas (mix with OJ), Poinsettias (mix with Cranberry juice) or what I call Kringle Royale (mix with cassis; blackcurrant liqueur) from it on Christmas morning!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I like to have a few "last minute" gifts under the tree for just in case. This is a great idea, and I could always use the wine not given away, at our BBQ's throughout the summer.

 

[girlsinmo]

Pam & JangleBelle thanks for the responses...Pam is the Riunite sweet? I think JangleBelle described the taste I'm looking for-sweet, bubbly...and if I can get it for $5-$6 all the better

 

[AuntJamelle]

Love this tip! Will tuck this one away for sure!

If you like a sweeter wine, you usually can't go wrong with Reisling (I pronounce it reese-ling). The more expensive the bottle - from the same vineyard - the longer they waited to pick the grapes. Thus the sweeter the wine becomes. Less grapes are left that long on the vine - risk of killing frost, etc. - so the bottles cost more.

I started wine by drinking only Reisling then branched out to rose and even sweeter reds.

If you have access to it, South Western MI wineries are fantastic! Tabor Hill, Round Barn and Lemon Creek are among my favorites!

And the Oliver winery in Bloomington, Indiana makes really good wines too. Very reasonable cost. They all are very sweet wines. Basic red, rose and white but then they have fun flavors like Watermelon, Mango, Strawberry, and so on...

 

[Flower Girl]

Oh yes, on the Rieslings! My husband always looks for Late Harvest Riesling!

The cheaper Atsi's can be had for about 5 dollars a bottle..they aren't bad at all. We prefer the Martini and Rossi, but it's closer to ten dollars a bottle. I'd say try one of the cheaper ones first; you should be able to find them at any grocery store that carries wine, probably with the Champagnes.

There is a sparkly red one,too, no? I may look for some for Sunday! Be kind of refreshing to have something light and bubbly to celebrate Christmas in July!

Or maybe a cranberry margarita???

 

[girlsinmo]

Thank you ladies, you have been most helpful. One more question after a bottle is open how long will it be good? I can't see myself drinking a whole bottle at one time.

 

[Flower Girl]

The bubbles in the sparkling wines won't last long, but the wine itself will keep for awhile! I am not really sure how long, but I have drank from a bottle at least a week! (I keep it in the fridge.)

If nothing else, use it for cooking! I add a couple of splashes of wine to anything I am sauteing. (If I have any on hand, that is) Also pasta sauces ( excellent in spaghetti sauce!) or almost anything you'd use chicken broth for, really.

 

[girlsinmo]

Boy the server is hit & miss this afternoon Thank you JangleBelles. I appreciate the information.

 

[luludou]

When we have leftover wine I freeze it in ice cubes & use it later on for recipes! (like beef burgundy, etc...)

 

[girlsinmo]

Thanks Lucie. I tried a couple of wines last night. One from I believe it was St James Winery, their description said it had a sweet velveety taste like the grapes were just picked from the vine. My description says YUCK!!! it taste like cough syrup. The other was Mascotty or something like that too tart for me...Martini & Roussi was $13 a bottle...I'm not sure when I'll take this adventure again