I'm Dreaming of a Wine Christmas

Well, I've been seeing a lot of Christmas commercials on television, so I guess it's not too early to discuss holiday decorations. At our house, the annual Christmas tree is decorated with wine-themed ornaments: grapes, wine glasses, grapevine wreaths, wine barrels, and lots of corks. The tree is wired with tiny green and purple lights, and we usually keep it up well after the holidays.

If you're looking for ideas for your holiday tree, Squidoo lensmaster WebSpinstress has a nice collection of home decoration lenses, including one on Elegant Wine & Grapes Christmas Decorating. The lens features an assortment of grape cluster novelty lights and wine-inspired tree ornaments. She also includes lots of tips for making your own ornaments. For example, craft stores always have bunches of grapes that can be incorporated into a holiday tree or wreath, and plain round Christmas tree ornaments can be painted with grapevines and wine bottles.

We usually add a dozen or so new ornaments each year, and I'm shopping for them now. I'll post a photo after the tree is dusted off and decorated for the holidays.

Pieroth Blue 2008 Burg Layer Schlosskapelle

In my three years on Squidoo, I've only encountered one wine review lens, A Great-Tasting White Wine. There are lots of lenses about wine-making and wineries, but this particular one is dedicated to a German wine, Pieroth Blue 2008 Burg Layer Schlosskapelle Kabinett. Veteran lensmaster JaguarJulie has created more than 500 Squidoo lenses, and this one bears her unique stamp -- it's thoughtful, entertaining, informative, and loaded with great photos (even several close-ups of the bottle!) Speaking of the bottle, one can't help but notice its cobalt blue color. In the Nahe region of Germany, where this wine is produced, soil conditions are the secret behind the color. More than two centuries ago, artisans at the Nahe glassworks crafted bottles locally, and wines produced in the region became associated with the blue-colored bottles. Those familiar with the area's history and traditions believe that wines from the Nahe region are the only ones appropriate for presentation in the blue bottle.

The House of Pieroth is one of the largest German wine enterprises, with a wine-making history going back to 1731. For a crisp, fresh, light, and slightly fruity Kabinett from Germany, be sure to try the Pieroth Blue 2008 Burg Layer Schlosskapelle.

Wine Maps by MapCo Marketing

MapCo Marketing has been creating cartography, caricature, and custom maps since 1998. The company recently unveiled their latest custom wine region map which features more than 40 wineries in Lodi, California. The front side of the map includes hand painted "old cartography style" depictions of each winery on a watercolor landscape background. A wine label from each winery accents the border of the map. Key points of interest and a few facts about the history of the region are also woven into the design. On the back of the map contact information for each winery is provided, along with a list of their varietals.

As beautiful as the printed maps are, what sets Mapco Marketing apart from other map companies are their online companion maps. For example, on the Livermore Wine Map, just click on any wine label to find more information about that particular winery -- varietals, winery location, tasting room hours, and phone number. There is also a link to the winery's website.

A friend gave me a copy of the Livermore Wine Map as a gift. It's in my office, and always cheers me up when I'm feeling homesick for the Livermore wineries. I just love the watercolor winery illlustrations, many of them created by San Francisco bay area artist Richard Sigberman. Credit for the overall design goes to MapCo Marketing's owner and founder, Kelli Pearson. Her resume is impressive -- she was the lead artist at MAXIS, where she played a key role in developing SimCity2000, the #1 selling video and computer game.

MapCo Marketing is located in the east San Francisco bay area. Their five-person team has created custom maps for several clients, including realtors, large corporations, school districts, homeowners associations, Welcome Wagons, scout groups, youth clubs, youth sports associations, visitor/tourist centers, and shopping districts. They will make an accurate map of any U.S. city using the same high quality NAVTEQ data used by premium quality map providers such as Rand McNally, Google Maps, and GPS systems.

Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle

I've been drooling over Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle catalog ever since he started printing it, and am always impressed with his line of unique wine-related items and Tuscan touches for the home. Not the fake Tuscany stuff you see in department stores, but the real things... items you would find in an Italian fattoria. My latest purchase was a large, ceramic olive oil dispenser. We go through a lot of olive oil at our house, so it helps to keep it handy. This one looks like it's a century old, much like my great-grandmother's creamer (which I still use today).

I especially love Michael Chiarello's furniture designs. Most of his wine barrel tables are a bit on the pricey side (not to mention hard to ship). We wanted the look without the high price tag, so my husband and I purchased 10 retired oak barrels from Thomas Coyne Winery in Livermore and transported them down to southern California in a race car trailer. We've since incorporated several wine barrels into our garden and outdoor entertaining areas, and have even gifted a few to friends.

We are always cooking something at our house, and often find inspiration in Michael's simple and delicious recipes. I've assembed a collection of videos from Michael Chiarello's award-winning food shows, NapaStyle and Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. Several great recipes are featured, including Whole-Leaf Caesar Salad, Roasted Peppers, Braised Potatoes, Carrot, Fennel & Tangerine Salad, Tomato Steak with Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad, French Fries, Chicken Brodo, Sole Veronique, Spaghetti All' Amatriciana, Veal Milanese, Grilled Chicken Sandwich-to-Go, Mama's Salsa Rosa, Grilled Lamb Chops, Marinated Grilled Provolone, and Grilled Italian Sausage. Visit Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle Video Showcase for complete details on all of these recipes.

Rippon Vineyards in New Zealand

I've never been to New Zealand, so it was a real pleasure to learn about Rippon Vineyards, located on the shores of Lake Wanaka in Central Otego. The area has the distinction of being the world’s most southern viticultural region. Vineyards thrive because of the area's unique microclimate, aided by a large body of water and a small wind-breaker of an island situated near the vines.

Squidoo lensmaster Pukeko shared her family's impromptu outing at Rippon Vineyards, and documented the experience with beautiful photos of the winery, vineyards, and the surrounding lake and mountains. Some of these images are available as posters, T-Shirts, mugs, and other gift items on the artist's Zazzle Gallery.

Since Rippon Vineyards is located in a marginal grape-growing area, the winery has experimented with several varietals, including Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay. After many years of trial and error, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc proved to be the varieties best suited to the site. There have also been successes with Gamay and Osteiner, which are used for lighter summer wines.

Rippon Vineyards is a little out of the way for most of us, but don't despair! The wines are available in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Blacksmith Square in Downtown Livermore

When I was growing up in Livermore, Blacksmith Square housed a nondescript muffler shop near the heart of downtown. Its brick walls were painted white, and the building itself had very few architectural features, unless you count roll-up garage doors. A major renovation commenced in late 2004. The buildings were sandblasted, which unveiled bricks that were installed more than a century before when the compound was designed as a blacksmith shop.

Today Blacksmith Square is a thriving retail and wine tasting center. Current occupants of Blacksmith Square include Big White House Winery, Hidden Creek Wine, John Christopher Cellars, John Evan Cellars, Retzlaff Estate Wines, and Thomas Coyne Winery. New to the lineup is Swirl on the Square, a wine bar and tapas restaurant featuring locally produced wines.

Blacksmith Square is a great place to stop for an afternoon picnic in the courtyard, or for a light snack at Swirl before going to a movie (two Downtown Livermore theaters are within walking distance).