- Wine 101
- Wine Trivia Challenge
- Recipe of the Month
- Health & Fitness

January 2008

1 -- New Year's Day
17 -- Ben Franklin Day
21 -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
22 -- Full Moon Day
30 -- Jazz Day

Your New Year's Gift!

Start the year with a gift from us: Use one of the coupons J10, J20 or J30 with your next order and receive a rebate for $10, $20 or even $30 (depending on your order size) directly off the cost of the wine! It is simple, hassle free and valid until the end of January. Enjoy!

Useful Links

Veronique's Wine Club

Join the Club today and we'll deliver 3 bottles of fine wine made from organic grapes to you each month! Talk about convenience and fun! We'll expand your wine repertoire by selecting three bottles of wine and shipping them directly to your home. Be it for a few months or longer, this is a great way to discover wines you might never have thought of trying by yourself!
Only $49.99/mo (+ S&H).

Club members get a presentation of the wines selected, privileged access to some rare products and a continuous 10% additional discount on all orders placed in the General Catalog. Our customers are delighted by the personal attention they get. (Thank you for your praise!)

Each month, you'll try some of the best wines we carry. And, as a welcome gift with your subscription, you will receive an extra bottle of wine, FREE! Currently a Château Bousquette Prestige 2003!

A great gift idea, you can order it for a few months and cancel at any time without a fuss. Try it, you'll like it!

Click here for more information.

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Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you
play it is free will.
-- Jawaharial Nehru

Wine 101

Vintage cars, vintage clothing and vintage wine. We hear the term a lot, but just what does "vintage" mean?

In wine-making, a vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown in a single, specified year. The year indicated on the wine label is the vintage, or the year the grapes were harvested. In the United States, a wine label may only list the vintage if a high percentage of the wine comes from grapes harvested that year.

It's important to note that different countries have different standards. For example, in Chile and South Africa, the requirement is 75 percent same-year content for vintage-dated wine. In Australia, New Zealand and the member states of the European Union, the requirement is 85 percent. In the United States the requirement is 85%, unless the wine is designated with an AVA, (e.g., Russian River Valley), in which case it is 95%.

The reason a vintage wine is better than non-vintage wines is because the weather conditions for producing the wine were optimal. Weather conditions that produce ideal vintages require a warm spring, with no freezes, and mild temperatures during bud-break; then a steady, moderate climate must be maintained throughout the growing season (about six months), especially at the time of flowering. Ideal conditions will be warm days and cool nights with a little rain to keep the vines irrigated. A long, slow growing season is necessary if the grapes are to ripen and mature. Most importantly, the weeks leading up to harvest must be free of rain and without any deviant climate changes.

The opposite of a vintage wine is a non-vintage wine, which is usually a blend from the produce of two or more years. This is a common practice for winemakers seeking a consistent style of wine year after year.

It is not uncommon to hear the term vintage used incorrectly to declare a wine that is perceived to be particularly old or of a particularly high quality, such as a vintage Port.

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Millions saw the apple fall,
but Newton asked why.
-- Bernard Baruch

Wine Trivia Challenge

Question 1.) Aging wine in this type of barrel produces the highest-quality and expensive wine?
a.) Oak
b.) Plastic
c.) Steel
d.) Pine

Question 2.) White wine can be made with which grapes?
a.) Red or green grapes
b.) White grapes
c.) Only red grapes
d.) Only green grapes

Question 3.) What does it mean when a wine is "dry"?
a.) The bottle is empty
b.) The wine is not sweet
c.) The wine is spoiled
d.) The wine is non-alcoholic

Question 4.) Where is the best place to store wine?
a.) The basement
b.) The refrigerator
c.) Above the stove
d.) In the garage

Question 5.) How long does an opened bottle of wine last?
a.) 1 to 3 days
b.) 1 week
c.) 10 days
d.) Wine gets better with age

TOP | ANSWERS

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
-- Voltaire

Personal Chicken Pot Pie

Cold weather is here and it's time for "comfort food." A traditional favorite is chicken pot pie. Serving this dish in individual serving bowls gives this old favorite a new twist.

Ingredients

• 2 (12.5 oz) cans chicken breast
• 1 package frozen veggies
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 2 tbsp. garlic herb seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Frozen puff pastry

Directions

1. Cook all ingredients (except pastry) covered in a skillet until hot and blended.
2. Fill cups with mixture and cover each with a square of the puff pastry. Pinch edges of dough lightly onto bowl edges. Bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Wine Pairing

• Château de Boisfranc Beaujolais 2006

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My idea of exercise is
a good brisk sit.
-- Phyllis Diller

Add the Warm-up Stretch to Your Routine

If you don't already, add the warm-up stretch to your exercise routine. Stretching gets your muscles ready for activity, increases flexibility and greatly reduces the chance for injury.

Sport-specific stretching increases coordination and the body’s readiness to perform the specific motions associated with the activity involved.

1. Begin your warm-up with joint rotations to lubricate them and get them moving smoothly.
2. Follow the joint rotation with an aerobic warm-up to get the blood flowing and raise the core body temperature. Jumping rope, jogging and jumping jacks are good for this (about five minutes).
3. Once your body is sufficiently warmed, start stretching. Begin with your back and torso, then upper body, then lower body. Many trainers recommend stretching opposing muscle groups one after the other for best results.
4. Include sport-specific stretching, as a golfer won't necessarily need the same stretches as a tennis player. Do some low-intensity motions similar to the ones you will be making to get your body ready for those movements (for example, a golf swing).
5. Spend about 30 seconds on each stretch -- to mild discomfort -- then stretch a bit further and hold once the discomfort passes.

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Wine Trivia Answers
#1. a.) Oak; #2. a.) Red or green grapes; #3 b.) The wine is not sweet; #4. a.) The basement; #5. a.) 1 to 3 days