A Guide to Wine Tasting Holidays

Wine tasting holidays are very popular in Europe. Many travel agencies organize wine tasting holidays in different countries around the globe. When looking for a travel agency, you should look for one that offers many destinations such as trips to Italy, France, New Zealand and South Africa.  If you don't know where to go then consider wine tasting in Tuscany.

Wine tasting holidays are fantastic and bring a memorable experience to your and your travel partners; there are many things that you can enjoy whilst travellng such as visting the great wine cellars or a chateaux in France.

What will you ba able to do on your wine tasting holiday?  Well, there are simply so many choices such as being able to taste gourmet food, meet the chateaux owners and also meet the wine makers. You will not be able to experience these excitements if you visit these wineries alone as a person. Wine tasting holidays in different countries gives a unique experience. If you go for a wine tasting holiday in New Zealand, you will find unique experiences which you not find if you visit a similar place in South Africa.

If you choose a wine tasting break in France, you will be taken for a journey in the French vineyards of Bordeaux, Rhone, Burgundy, Alsace and Provence. There are different forms that your tour can take place. You can take the ride in a chartered bus, or in a private luxury car or a cruise, and the cost will vary accordingly.

Choose a Wine Guide

The organization generally provides a wine guide with the vacation. These people are normally very friendly and approachable. They fully understand that eveyone on the tour will have different skills and knowledge when it comes to wine. If you have never been to that region before or want to learn as much as you can, finding a wine guide is great.

A good wine guide in a wine tasting holiday can tell you the inside story, the gossip, the real history, the run down on the vintages, the producers and the wines, without the PR, the sales pitch or national chauvinism. If you come home without knowing the details of these destinations, what is the point in spending so much money and going for wine tasting holidays? If you have learnt the details of the particular areas, you can feel the place.

The price of wine tasting holidays depends on which region you are going to travel and make sure to confirm rates and read all the fine print before heading out to your getaway.  The good thing is that you don't have to be a real wine buff to enjoy a wine tasting holiday.  You don't even have to build your own wine cellar to house all the wines you buy on your trip.

Gourmet Chocolates Tips.

A while ago I decided to a be chef and make some gourmet food for a party, I actually ended up making truffles, and boy, were they a big hit with all my friends, who all made the assumption they were gourmet chocolates purchased from a trendy candy or gourmet food shop. Be warned! making your own gourmet chocolate is quite difficult, and it takes time and patience, however, on the positive side it gives you the option to choose from recipes that may not be so easy to get in the local candy store.

The key to making amazing gourmet chocolate:

Choosing and buying the ingredients of your gourmet chocolate is part of the fun. To start with I melted excellent quality dark chocolate over a double boiler. Secondly I rolled some small balls from marzipan and covered them with chocolate. Finally I rolled the chocolate covered marzipan in ground almonds, I also rolled chocolate covered peanut butter in more chocolate and then gave them a covering of ground peanuts.

Making chocolates opens up your creative juices, and so when making your own gourmet chocolates, you can create many different variations like, chocolate covered candied ginger, chocolate covered citrus peels; even chocolate covered chili peppers, wow.

Sharpen your sculpting talents when making gourmet chocolate:

A popular TV chef had a recipe for a honey chocolate cake, which inspired me to make a honey marzipan truffle.

• Start by getting the chocolate ingredients.
• Then melt the chocolate over the double boiler.
• Add a little honey, this will create a nice glaze.
• Now get the marzipan and with a paring knife carve some simple shapes like flowers, bunnies or hearts.
• Then immerse the shaped marzipan cautiously into the chocolate and let the chocolate set on the marzipan.
• Then dust them with confectioner's sugar.
• The glaze will be a little sticky, so the sugar will stick.

This will make a great gift for all occasions, and is an especially good idea for gourmet chocolates, because you can make the marzipan into any shape to suit the occasion, and finish off by dusting them with the confectioner's sugar.

A Fantastic gift for someone you care about:

It's difficult to find someone who doesn't like chocolate, so as gifts they are an excellent choice to show someone you care. By making chocolate yourself, you can take your time, and make them look great for that special person in your life. Food and wine followed by some gourmet chocolates will definitely score you some brownie points.

Gourmet chocolates are as a rule created by master chocolate makers, so there's no pressure here, but be sure you don't make something that’s looks dreadful and uninteresting, as this will crush the object of making them yourself. If the chocolates you create are lumpy, uneven or mis-shaped people will not think much of them. You need to be sure the quality is fantastic when offering your friends some of your gourmet chocolate.

Wine Gift Baskets For All Occasions

A wine gift basket can provide the ideal gift or a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion that requires a gift. They can provide elegant gifts for wine lovers and can include additional products besides wine. You could also include such treats as cheese, chocolates, fruit, nuts and wine accessories like corkscrews and bottle openers, drip stoppers, foil cutters or whatever else you decide to add to the basket. They are available already assembled or you can create your own to add that special touch. All you need to know is the type of wine the recipient enjoys, or you can create a surprise basket.

Buying Prepared Baskets

If you'd rather buy a wine gift basket pre packaged, stop into your local liquor store to see if they have a selection available. Liquor stores will often sell wine gift baskets, especially at holiday times. You should have a range of wines from which to choose and then you can add extra products.

Shop Online

The internet is a great place to order customizable gift baskets. Begin by choosing a bottle or two of wine, then start adding additional products from the range of food and accessories. Complementary products could include smoked salmon and caviar, savory crackers or cheese crackers, soft or hard cheeses, cheese knives, nuts, exclusive mustards or honey ... the sky's the limit when it comes to adding to them.

The organization then delivers the gift basket to you or straight to the gift recipient. This is a very easy option for a corporate gift or as a thank-you to a member of your staff.

Make Your Own Gift Baskets

Making your own wine gift basket gives allows you to add that extra personal touch. Start by buying an attractive basket. Even a simple and inexpensive basket will do because you can then decorate it with silk flowers or colored tissue paper. Buy your wine of choice or choose champagne for a special celebration, add some additional products depending on the preferences of the gift recipient. For example, it's not necessary to limit your gift basket to wine or wine accessories. You could include handicrafts for someone interested in arts and crafts, or a book about wine for a wine lover who is also interested in the history or the making of wine. Add some quality food products to accompany the wine, pack everything into your decorated basket and wrap the whole thing in clear cellophane.

If you are able to, deliver the gift basket to the recipient personally so you can see their joy when they receive it. If you're lucky he or she might even share the bottle of wine with you.

You can still assemble a stunning gift basket for a non-wine drinker. A coffee drinker might enjoy a gift basket that included freshly roasted coffee beans from different coffee-growing regions, coffee mugs, gourmet cookies, caramels and nuts. A tea drinker would appreciate a selection of teas from different regions, a teapot and strainer and a fine china teacup. A coffee or tea gift basket could actually be packed onto a decorated tray rather that a basket. Again, wrap the entire package in clear cellophane and tie a ribbon around it.

Gift basket ideas are only limited by your imagination.