A popular gift during the holiday season or at exclusive events is the wine and cheese basket. The combination is as old as time, and wins hearts and favors with ease. It indicates a sophisticated palate and a superior appreciation for the good things of life.

Selecting the right wine and cheese is as much a matter of personal preference as of the area from which they are produced. Usually, the amalgam from a particular location works best and saves you much time and trouble while giving. However, when it comes to experimenting with the two, there are myriad styles to adventure with.

Made with as much care and artistry as wine, cheese is a product of careful craft and ingenuity. Prepared from cow, sheep, goat or yak's milk, cheese can be fresh, poached, or hard; with a washed, flourished or natural rind, and melted or cured. Cheese can even be spiced up or enfolded in leaves for new aromas to sink in. Farm cheeses or industrial cheeses come in various flavors and blends that easily match the complexity and varieties of wine produced in the world. It is the painstakingly produced cheese from exclusive farms that are most popular (and expensive).

Red wine usually teams up with most cheeses. Fresh cream cheeses are heady with most white wines and some delicate red wines. Red and white wine work well with goat's milk cheese. Camembert, Brie and other such ripening soft cheeses thrive with fine white wines or fruity reds. Soft and semi-hard cheeses blend well with champagne or sweet sherry. Washed rind cheese integrates best with that region's red wines or stronger whites, while lush semi-aged ones resonate with ros? or local wines. Cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar or other hard, aged cheeses brilliantly highlight red wines, sweet dessert wines and port. Blue cheeses favor vintage port, as well as strong reds and some whites.

Budgetary, seasonal and personal preferences can lead you to the right choice in cheese baskets. Standard wine and cheese baskets combine spaces for the two items, besides including wine glasses, light crockery, napkins, a cutting board and a cheese knife. Special designer baskets include the perfect wine and cheese combo, crackers and light snacks, exclusive linen and wine accessories.

Everybody is entitled to some fun and relaxation. Whether it's earthy, lively or velvety, savor the wine, nibble the cheese and pamper your taste buds. That's the idea of a wine and cheese basket - that, and to raise the pleasure element that much higher!

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Wine Baskets provides detailed information on wine baskets, wine gift baskets, wine picnic baskets, wine and cheese baskets and more. Wine Baskets is affliated with Bakery Management.

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Wine And Cheese Baskets


A popular gift during the holiday season or at exclusive events is the wine and cheese basket. The combination is as old as time, and wins hearts and ...


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The FTD Eternal Friendship Arrangement - Deluxe


A beautiful way to remember a special person. A planter is used to arrange lilies, snapdragons, spray roses, orchids, carnations and more. Appropriate to send to a home or to a funeral. S22-3556D


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Headlines on Wine Chillers

Birmingham judge favors gas station in liquor license case (Birmingham News)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:26:52 PDT
A East Lake gas station targeted by neighborhood protests is back on today's Birmingham City Council agenda because a Jefferson County Circuit judge ruled city officials were wrong when they denied the store's owner licenses for liquor and for beer and wine.

Surplus wine shrinks Charles' carbon footprint (Toronto Star)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:41:51 PDT
Reports out of London say Prince Charles' income grew last year even as his carbon footprint shrank, thanks in part to an Aston Martin that runs on a by-product of wine.

Arrows celebrates 20 years (Portsmouth Herald)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:05:14 PDT
OGUNQUIT, Maine — What's better than celebrating a 20th anniversary with a huge party surrounded by 200 of your closest friends and family? Some would say having that party at Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit — with all of the food and wine the...

(AFX UK Focus) 2008-07-01 12:07 Blavod Extreme Spirits says made good start to year, Q1 sales in line (Interactive Investor)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:19:18 PDT
LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Blavod Extreme Spirits Plc. said it has made a good start to the new financial year which started on April 1.

Police reports from local municipalities (Miami Herald)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:33:24 PDT
MIAMI BEACH Police arrested a 36-year-old man on a charge of theft, after they said he shoved a bottle of champagne valued at $60 down his pants at Beach Wine & Liquor, 6604 Collins Ave., at 11:15 p.m. June 24. Police said the man also shoplifted four DVDs valued at $84 from Blockbuster, 6550 Collins Ave.


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Instead of enjoying a fantastic glass of your favorite fine Italian wine with dinner, consider using the nectar of the gods as an ingredient in your favorite dish. Cooking with wine has never been more popular and endless recipes abound that incorporate all different types of wine into favorite dishes and unique spins on classic cuisine. When you cook with Italian wine, the alcohol evaporates, so the dish will be appropriate for individuals unable to consume alcohol, underage eaters, or individuals who do not wish to imbibe any alcohol.



Many international dishes include wine, especially Italian, French, and Spanish favorites. You can use any type of wine or alcohol to cook with, but Italian wine has substantial fan following when it comes to cooking with wine. Whether you want to add a unique flavor or a powerful zest to your dishes, adding your favorite Italian wine will have everyone raving over your cooking skills and the dishes you serve.



The key to cooking with wine is to choose good quality Italian wine. Just as quality directly affects the drinking enjoyment of a glass of Italian wine, the quality will also affect the end taste of dishes that are prepared using wine as an ingredient. Remember, quality wines are not necessarily the most expensive wines, so avoid associating price with taste. It is safe to say that if you enjoy drinking a particular vineyard?s wine, you will also enjoy cooking with the same wine.



Also, you should carefully choose a Italian wine appropriate for the dish. Generally, the recipe you choose will come with

the appropriate Italian wine included, but the traditional rules for serving wine with food applies to including the wine as ingredients with food. Many individuals choose to cook with white wine for a tangier, crisp taste and choose red wines for heartier dishes, including those filled with tasty cuts of meats.



Even though water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, alcohol has a much lower boiling point, around 175 degree Fahrenheit. For this reason, you can quickly remove alcohol in Italian wine, in fact, approximately 40 percent of the alcohol is boiled out in approximately 15 minutes. Eventually, the Italian wine will turn into a thick syrup is boiled long enough. This syrup is perfect for use as a glaze with meats or vegetables.



Once the alcohol has been evaporated, the flavors are emphasized. Also, alcohol, including Italian wine, brings out the flavor of tomatoes and other ingredients. Consider adding a bit of white Italian wine to tomato sauces to bring out the flavors.



There are a variety of cooking wines on the market, but you should avoid these products, since they are of lower quality than a fine Italian wine and usually contain a high amount of sodium. However, if you are a collector of fine Italian wine, save these delicious drinks from the heat, since the alcohol will only be evaporated and the importance of the wine will be lost. There are a variety of quality Italian wine on the market that are perfect for cooking. Choose rich, fruity wines for dessert dishes and strong white wines for saut?ed or baking dishes.

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Italian Wine Facts is an information site that contains articles, a directory and other Italian Wine Resources. It can be found at:
http://www.italianwinefacts.com