holiday - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

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HOLIDAY GIFTS GIFT-GIVING 101 Our editors sound off on the perfect presents to give to your host, or gift to your guests this holiday season. 1. WINE STRAWS ($2.99 for four; $7.99 for 12, winestraws.com) The brainchild of a red-wine lover who hated to see her teeth change color after drinking, these handy straws prevent dental stains and lipstick marks on your glass. —VIRGINIE BOONE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 2. SILENT 28-BOTTLE TOUCHSCREEN WINE RE- FRIGERATOR ($299.95, wineenthusiast.com) While you watch college bowl games and plot your custom wine cellar, keep a bottle per game cool in this handy 28-bottle wine fridge. Its touchscreen features make it a perfect gift for the tech-savvy wino. —ROGER VOSS, EUROPEAN EDITOR 3. WINE WARS! A TRIVIA GAME FOR WINE GEEKS AND WANNABES ($13.50, uncommon goods.com) I once received this as a gift, and it’s a blast to break out at parties stocked with good drinks, tasty food and great people. Just be ready to play with your lucky recipient! —LAUREN BUZZEO, TAST- ING DIRECTOR 4. THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF WINE: THE BEST STORIES ON WINE (Sterling Epicure, 2012) ($24.95, nytstore.com) This collection brings readers on a remarkable historical and cultural journey. It helps to be a wine lover to appreciate it, but it’s not a requirement. —JOE CZERWINSKI, MANAGING EDITOR 5. FUSION CLASSIC PINOT NOIR GLASSES ($49.95, wineenthusiast.com) You won’t get your money back if you break them intentionally, but with a 10-year limited warranty against breakage, drunk wine lovers will still enjoy dropping these from ever- increasing heights to test their true durability. —JOE CZERWINSKI, MANAGING EDITOR 6. DOGFISH HEAD NOBLE ROT ($15/750 ml, dogfish.com) My favorite beverage gift is a craft beer that will really amaze, particularly for women that claim they don’t drink beer (which I’m more than happy to prove wrong). —LAUREN BUZZEO, TASTING DIRECTOR 7. COCKTAIL KINGDOM MIXING SET: ($69.95, wineenthusiast.com) As a libation lover, I covet this Yarai-style cocktail mixing set. The vintage quality of the mixing glass, the easy-to-grip stainless steel bar spoon and the light weight strainer make it my set of choice during the holiday season—and it’s a great gift. —MARINA VATAJ, WEB EDITOR/PRODUCER HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING 2012 TOP 15 BEST BUYS UNDER $15 What’s a great bottle of wine for $15 or under? It’s a constant conundrum of the wine lover—how do you get the most bang for your buck? Wonder no more. Here’s a list of Wine Enthusiast’s top Best Buys to pour at the dinner table this holiday season: 93 93 93 91 91 91 91 91 Quinta do Portal 2009 Colheita (Douro). M Imports, LLC. —R.V. abv: 13.5% Price: $15 The Eyrie Vineyards 2010 Estate Pinot Gris (Dundee Hills). —P.G. abv: 12.5% Price: $15 Uvaggio 2010 Vermentino (Lodi). —V.B. abv: 12% Price: $14 Caves Velhas 2008 Catedral Reserva (Dão). Prestige Wine Group. —R.V abv: 13% Price: $10 Chateau Ste. Michelle 2010 Dry Riesling (Columbia Valley). —P.G. abv: 13% Price: $9 Fattoria Kappa 2009 Kappa (Toscana). The Wine Collective. —M.L. abv: 14% Price: $12 Kaiken 2009 Corte Malbec-Bonarda-Petit Verdot (Mendoza). T.G.I.C. Importers. —M.S. . abv: 14.5% Price: $14 Oak Knoll 2009 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley). —P.G. abv: 13.5% Price: $14 91 90 90 90 90 89 89 Pacific Rim 2011 Dry Riesling (Columbia Valley). —P.G. abv: 12.8% Price: $11 Château Saint-Sernin 2009 Cahors. Bird Rock Imports. —R.V. abv: 13.5% Price: $11 DFJ Vinhos 2009 Vega (Douro). Dionysos Imports Inc. —R.V. abv: 13.5% Price: $9 Liberty School 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles). —S.H. abv: 13.5% Price: $12 Loosen Bros. 2010 Dr. L Riesling (Mosel). Loosen Bros. USA. —J.C. abv: 8.5% Price: $12 Bourgeois Family 2009 Elicio Grenache-Merlot (Vin de Pays de la Méditerranée). Bourgeois Family Selections. —J.C. abv: 13.5% Price: $10 Wrongo Dongo 2010 Monastrell (Jumilla). Fine Estates From Spain. —M.S. abv: 14.5% Price: $9 12
JAPANESE NEW YEAR Recipe adapted with permission from Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions (Ten Speed Press, 2010) by Elizabeth Andoh 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup dried kuromamé (sweet black soybeans, available at most Asian or Japanese markets), rinsed 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons soy sauce In a deep bowl, mix the baking soda with 3 cups of water, stirring to dissolve the baking soda. Add the beans and let them soak, completely submerged, at room temperature for at least 8 hours or preferably 10–12 hours. To make sure they remain moist throughout the soaking, dampen a cheesecloth and place directly on the soaking beans. Transfer the swollen beans and what remains of the water to a deep 3-quart pot. Place the pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Skim away any aku (froth, scum, or film) with a fine-mesh skimmer, and add water as needed to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady, not-too-vigorous simmer. Place the cheesecloth on top of the simmering beans. HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING 2012 JAPANESE NEW YEAR Oshogatsu—New Year’s season in Japan—emphasizes spending time at home with family, enjoying felicitous food. Near midnight on December 31, multigenerational families sit side-by-side “slurping year-crossing soba noodles that are long in hopes of not cutting short the possibilities in the new year,” says Elizabeth Andoh, author of Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions (Ten Speed Press, 2010). Serve this delicious sweet black beans side dish, created by Andoh, for good luck. —LILLY KUWASHIMA SWEET BLACK BEANS JAPANESE WHISKY Hibiki Aged 12 Years Whisky (Japan; 92 Suntory International Corp., New York, NY). With a little water, this golden blended whisky opens up with delicate, nuanced honey and flower aromas and flavors. Finishes smoky, dry and brisk. —K.N. Cook the beans for 2 hours until tender, checking the intensity of the heat and the water level every 15–20 minutes. Add water as needed to keep the beans barely submerged. Meanwhile, make the syrup by combining the sugar and 1½ cups of water in a deep, heavy 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer the beans to a heavy pot. Add the syrup, replace the cheesecloth, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the beans are barely covered with the syrup. Remove from the heat, and allow the beans to cool in the syrup. Peel back the cheesecloth, add the soy sauce to the cooled syrup, and stir well. Replace the cheesecloth and place the pot over low heat. Bring the syrup slowly to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Set the beans aside to cool completely, then transfer to a clean glass jar. Seal with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate for up to 10 days. Yields 3–3½ cups. The Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky (Ja- 91 pan; Suntory International Corp., New York, NY). Apple and pear aromas, and delicate floral and fruity flavors mark this Japanese whisky, which finishes smoky, elegant and restrained. —K.N. SAKÉ RECOMMENDATION The Tengumai (Dancing Goblin) Junmai Daiginjo 50 from Shata Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Ishikawa, Japan). This shows Tengumai’s characteristically robust, earthy style with fresh, herbal tones and the crisp, easydrinking feel of an ultrapremium junmai daiginjo. —A.I. 13 PHOTO BY KATE SEARS
Page 1 and 2: HOLIDAY ULTIMATE ENTERTAINING GUIDE
Page 3 and 4: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING 2
Page 5 and 6: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING 2
Page 7 and 8: HANUKKAH Recipe courtesy Bruce and
Page 9 and 10: CHRISTMAS Recipe courtesy the Fresc
Page 11: CHRISTMAS COQUITO (PUERTO RICAN EGG
Page 15 and 16: NEW YEAR’S EVE BELLA RUFFINA Brac

holiday - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

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