A new issue of our (free) wine newsletter is out: issue 77 of the BKWine Brief. Christmas wines, champagne recommendations, new videos, “so wine producers get better ratings if they advertise in the mag?”, wine filled chocolate, the Côtes gets married, and more! Get it here: http://www.bkwine.com/bkwine_brief/bkwine_brief.htm Per BKWine A new issue of our (free) wine newsletter is out: issue 77 of the BKWine Brief. Christmas wines, champagne recommendations, new videos, “so wine producers get better ratings if they advertise in the mag?”, wine filled chocolate, the Côtes gets married, and more! Get it here: http://www.bkwine.com/bkwine_brief/bkwine_brief.htm Per BKWine

Opt-in to receive our ezine … Opt-in to receive our ezine New Report Debunks Myth of the California Family Winery? The Marin Institute (wikipedia) has issued a "report" calling family wineries are a myth! They state that the California wine industry promotes a false image of small mom and pop vintners in picturesque, rolling hills and valleys of Napa, Sonoma, and around the state. Their claim is that "California wine is synonymous with Big Alcohol." Self proclaimed anti-alcohol superheros, they are out to save us - from ourselves. Their goal? "Marin Institute fights to protect the public from the impact of the alcohol industry’s negative practices. We monitor and expose the alcohol industry’s harmful actions related to products, promotions and social influence, and support communities in their efforts to reject these damaging activities." Basically, they are prohibitionists. I don't know about you, but I don't feel that I need saving... Perhaps all you "non-existent" family wineries should let them now you are out there! Email the Marin Institute at info@marininstitute.org and/or email the author of the report, Sarah Mart at sarah@marininstitute.org or call them at 415-456-5692. Maybe you even want to send them a lovely bottle of wine - I think they could use a glass or two! Download and read the complete report. What do you think? -Margie Become a fan on facebook! Become a fan on facebook! ca

Jamie Oliver has traveled the world and has done what many thought to be impossible, promoting a healthy lifestyle by healthy eating habits, but even he, an experienced cook, knows that preparing Christmas dinner can be quite a difficult task to accomplish. Experience, Oliver says in a Daily Mail column, ha… Jamie Oliver has traveled the world and has done what many thought to be impossible, promoting a healthy lifestyle by healthy eating habits, but even he, an experienced cook, knows that preparing Christmas dinner can be quite a difficult task to accomplish. Experience, Oliver says in a Daily Mail column, has nothing to do with making sure the traditional turkey and everything else come out just right – it’s all in being well organized. Because the Christmas dinner is such an important event, a special occasion when all of us sit down at the same table, surrounded by family and the best of friends, the amount of pressure put on the person in charge of everything is huge. Because of this, Oliver says, there are people out there who start stressing about it as early as October. In fact, the solution to getting everything right is precisely in eliminating the stress by learning to think things ahead. “Christmas should be a time when you get family and friends round and really enjoy the day, but for too many people it’s a stressful time, and the big meal is one of the major reasons for that. Back in October I started getting letters from people who were panicking about cooking Christmas dinner, even though it was months away. But the good news is that pulling together a fantastic dinner without spinning out of control can be done: it just takes a little forward planning,” Jamie says in the aforementioned column. “It’s all about preparation and doing as much as you can before the big day – and there is a lot you can do on Christmas Eve or even earlier. And a quick note about the turkey – please buy the best welfare bird you can afford. It makes such a difference. And please, please don’t forget to let the bird rest after you’ve cooked it and before carving. This lets all the juices get back into the meat and gives you a far better tasting turkey – and it gives you valuable time to get all the trimmings sorted,” the cook further says. In order to make things even easier for those at home in need of a helping hand, Oliver also includes a few of his favorite recipes, which you can see here, while also being available in the latest issue of Jamie Magazine. As for his own Christmas dinner, this year, Jamie is planning on letting other members of the family take some responsibility off his shoulders as he will be putting his “feet up” for a while, he says. Source: News.Softpedia.com

Georgia has produced the earliest evidence of wine selection and hence the emergence of the cultivated variety: Vitis vinifera sativa. Carbon-dating puts this change to domest… Georgia has produced the earliest evidence of wine selection and hence the emergence of the cultivated variety: Vitis vinifera sativa. Carbon-dating puts this change to domestication at about 5,000 BC." "The Transcaucasian region, home today to the Georgians, is one of Vitis vinifera sativa land and is believed to have been the place where grapes were first harvested to be made into wine some 7000 years ago.''... In the 17th Century, the French traveler Monsieur Sharden observed that Georgia produced a greater quantity of high quality wine than any other country. The production of sparkling wine and brandy emerged in 19th Century. By the 1870s, Georgia was producing 7.6 million decalitres of wine per annum, according to existing records. By 1913, this volume exceeded 9 million decalitres....

The roots of Taittinger date back to 1734, when Champagne merchant Jacques Fourneaux established his company. The business prospered through the 19th century, ultimately Fourneau… The roots of Taittinger date back to 1734, when Champagne merchant Jacques Fourneaux established his company. The business prospered through the 19th century, ultimately Fourneaux-Forest merged with the Taittinger family, who retained control. Join us as we accompany Cellarmaster Loïc Dupont through the famous Taittinger cellars, located in Reims on the site of Gallo-Roman chalk mines dug during the 4th century, and enlarged in the 13th century by the Saint Nicaise Abbey monks to provide storage for the Champagne wines which they traded in. Remains of the Abbey, which was destroyed during the French Revolution, are still visible today throughout the tunnels, in an excellent state of preservation.

Mussels in an aromatic coconut broth recipe by Gordon Ramsay. Serves 4 - Prep time: 12 minutes - Cooking time: 10 minutes Mussels in an aromatic coconut broth recipe by Gordon Ramsay. Serves 4 - Prep time: 12 minutes - Cooking time: 10 minutes

Recipe from the F Word Series 4 Recipe from the F Word Series 4