Sipping a toasty glass of mulled wine in winters is one of life’s little pleasures one should not miss out on. This Christmas, replace your chilled cocktails with this traditional holiday drink that can be prepared at home in a jiffy. There are many variations of mulled wine. Gluhwein, sipped during Christmas holidays in Germany and some parts of  France, is made with red wine, spices such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla pods, orange and sugar or honey. Traditional English mulled wine uses cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon or mace. You can always play around a little with flavours and create your own recipe. Go try!

Making mulled wine at home
You don’t require a very expensive wine for preparing  mulled wine. A full bodied red wine works best. Sula is an easily available option. Do not boil the wine. Boiling will burn off the alcohol content in the wine. You can leave a long cinnamon stick inside the glass which works as a stirrer. You can also float an orange slice in the glass.
mulled wine recipe

Ingredients
750 ml red wine
1 peeled and sliced orange
1/4 cup of brandy or Cointreau
6-7 cloves
2/3 cup honey or brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp ground ginger

Method
Mix all the ingredients in a large pot. Gently heat the ingredients on low to medium flame for 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring to fully dissolve honey or sugar. When the wine starts steaming and the ingredients blend, it is ready to serve. You can now add a little Cointreau as some of the alcohol may have evaporated. Pour the wine into mugs, leaving out seasoning. (Recipe by Ravindra Kumar, GM, F&B, The Lalit)

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If you will be hosting a dinner party for friends, family or colleagues, it is always a good idea to put some thought into correctly pairing the wine to the food. Certain wines go better with certain foods. This is usually true when dinning at an upscale restaurant, where the menus have wine recommendations next to the food selections. For wine food pairing ideas, search the internet or contact one of those restaurants where they are more than willing to help you. For your dinner party to go smoothly, and for it to be as memorable as possible, selected your wines and foods according to wine food pairing techniques and plan everything down to the smallest detail. This will surely have them talking about your dinner party for a long time.

Wine food pairing is important because some wines are sweet, others are bitter, and these flavors go better with certain foods. Just about every wine goes great with cheese, for example, that's why you see that wine and cheese are sold in the same places. However, some don't go very well with some foods. Wine tasting will help you to see which ones go best with certain foods.

Red wine
Red wine pairs great with foods containing pasta and red sauce, like Italian food. It also goes well with beef and chocolate. In addition, certain red wines, like Pinot Noir, go well with pork. There are many types of red wine, so you should do more research to determine if the food you plan to serve goes well with it.

White wines
As for white wine food pairing, it's excellent for poultry and Asian food. It also pairs great with seafood, such as mussels shellfish. You can also pair it with certain appetizers.

Sparkling Wines
A perfect choice for after dinner is a sparkling wine. It goes well with desserts and fruits. Like white wine, they also pair great with some appetizers.

This is simply a general list of wine food pairing options. If you are unsure about pairing, you always have the internet at your disposal or you can read a good wine guide. You can even ask a chef or call your favorite restaurant. Pairing your wine and food properly will certainly contribute to your dinner being a great success and your guess walking away satisfied.

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Think of wine critic Robert Parker as the EF Hutton of fermented grapes. When he talks, oenophiles listen. So when Parker, publisher of the Wine Advocate, said recently that the world is entering the 'Age of the Buyer' - a prolonged period of stable or declining wine prices - it was enough to get sommeliers buzzing over their Chateau D'Yquem. "There's now a tremendous amount of high-quality wines available at reasonable prices," agrees Andrew Bell, president and CEO of American Sommelier, a membership association for wine aficionados. "With supply increasing and consumption decreasing, it stands to reason that prices will fall or stabilize. The pendulum is swinging in favor of the consumer."

To which wine lovers might say: It's about time. In recent years, they have grappled with seemingly ever-increasing prices. With production at top French chateaux like Margaux or Petrus limited, and wealthy Chinese buyers starting to acquire a taste for high-end Bordeaux, bidders have set auction records and the futures market has been priced at sky-high levels.

But things may finally be tipping in favor of the consumer, at least in the broader market. The punishing recession has a lot to do with it: Disposable income is plummeting, so most households just don't have much cash to be splurging on an outstanding syrah or sauvignon blanc. "The recession drove everyone to trade down," says Barbara Insel, CEO of Napa-based wine-market advisory firm Stonebridge Research Group. "The market disappeared for most wines costing more than $15 or $20. Pretty much anything costing more than $30 was 30 percent off - and often not refilled on the shelves or wine lists."

CURRENCY TRENDS
Currency trends are helping foster the Age of the Buyer, as well - at least for Americans.
"There's some bullish sentiment under the U.S. dollar now because the American economy is starting to perform better," says David Song, a currency analyst with foreign-exchange site http://DailyFX.com. "Meanwhile the outlook for the Euro is pretty bearish, and it will likely trend lower for 2012."

That combination of a steadying greenback and a worsening Eurozone mess will likely drive down prices for European wine imports. From the Euro's current exchange rate of roughly $1.30, already well down from previous levels of around $1.60, Song expects a further slide to $1.20 or even $1.10. That, in turn, could encourage American producers to trim their own prices in order to compete.

Here are a few ways savvy oenophiles can benefit: - Leverage your online advantage. Historically, wine access has been a restricted and clubby affair, which often depended on personal relationships with dealers.

But the proliferation of online retailers has essentially democratized access to high-quality vintages. An array of websites are now offering so-called "flash" deals of deep discounts on high-end, limited-availability cases. A couple of Andrew Bell's favorites: http://Lot18.com and http://WinesTilSoldOut.com.
- Look beyond Bordeaux. Want a steal on bottles from famed French chateaux like Haut-Brion or Romanee-Conti? You're probably out of luck. That's the stuff that billionaire Chinese buyers really care about, as do investment vehicles like the London-based Fine Wine Fund, which tend to focus almost exclusively on first-growth Bordeaux. One reason is that Bordeaux is - pardon the pun - the most liquid option for wine investors, easily sold to other collectors. Other regions and varietals can be harder to move.

But look to the rest of the world, and the bargains appear plentiful. The quality-to-price ratio is particularly attractive in places like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Spain and Chile. Stonebridge's Insel says buyers can find an alluring mix of quality and value in Southern Italian reds, whites from Italy's Veneto region and homegrown vintages from Washington State.

- Be active at auctions. As Woody Allen once said, 90 percent of life is just showing up. In that spirit, show up at the wine auctions of prominent purveyors like Zachys, Hart Davis Hart, Sotheby's and Christie's, and you might be surprised at what you come away with. After all, since wine futures have been priced at record levels - and you still have to wait a couple of years for delivery - you'll probably have better luck with more mature vintages.

Tips from American Sommelier's Bell: Do your due diligence beforehand to identify your best quality-to-price opportunities; set budget limits for yourself, so you don't get caught up in auction momentum and overpay; and consider so-called 'mixed' or 'odd' lots, groupings of assorted wines that higher-end collectors might overlook. "There are incredible discounts to be found right now," says Bell. "I guarantee it."

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WHEN George & Dragon Cafe opened in Johor Baru in 2002, the English-themed cafe attracted a loyal clientele who appreciated a taste of traditional English and Irish tavern food. Guests  are thrilled with the  charming old-world ambience with its custom-made wooden tables fitted on cast-iron sewing machine stands.

Now the mediaeval English charm of George & Dragon can also be experienced at the new Johor Premium Outlets at Indahpura, Kulaijaya. From the coat-of-arms of shields and swords that adorn the walls, and the knight's shiny suit of armour standing sentinel next to the wine chiller to signature furniture that features cast-iron table legs, the new George & Dragon outlet  at Low Street of the Johor Premium Outlet reflects the same endearing atmosphere.

"Our menu here is the same as that in the city outlet," said Patricia Chew, the executive director of George & Dragon Cafe. She said  there are two choices of set meals for lunch, while  a la carte items are served for dinner.

The set  meals comprising a soup of the day, a choice of drink and main course, cater to the quick lunch most shoppers prefer because they only want a short break before continuing with their shopping.

"In the evening, there is a more leisurely group of visitors at the Johor Premium Outlets," she said, adding  many  come to enjoy a stroll around the shopping complex and dine in the restaurants here. The a la carte menu includes appetisers, soups, salads, pasta, entrees and desserts.

English fish 'n' chips, black-pepper lamb, grilled chicken, chicken chop, as well as seafood specialties are popular choices. eat-lovers can pick juicy New Zealand sirloin, T-bone or Rib-eye steaks that have been marinated and grilled to perfection before being served with  signature sauces.

Shoppers also drop in for homemade English desserts such as trifle, apple pie, chocolate fudge and blueberry cheesecake that are perfect with freshly-ground fragrant coffee brewed hot, or a choice of English teas served by the cup or pot.

Many also choose to enjoy the epitome of English desserts -- freshly-baked hot scones served with a dollop of whipped cream and jam, that are savoured with  hot English tea. "We have more space here," said Chew about the spacious cafe that can seat up to 104 guests, including single diners at the bar.

Just as in its Johor Baru outlet, the cafe has a full bar stocked with local and European beers as well as a wide selection of wines. For the festive season, the cafe has created a  variety of treats and wine hampers that are a joy to give and receive. The halal George & Dragon Cafe is at Suite 204, Johor Premium Outlets, 1 Jalan Glasiar, Taman Tasek, Indahpura, Kulaijaya.

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With the Holidays just around the corner, consumers are rushing to get their last minute shopping finished. Let Wine Country Gift Baskets help with their wide variety of handmade gift baskets, each guaranteed to arrive by Christmas. Order before their Friday (12/23) cutoff time and they will guarantee your gifts arrive in time for the Holidays. Even better, each gift is backed by their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: if you or your recipients are not satisfied, Wine Country Gift Baskets will make it right.

Wine Country Gift Baskets has had an extremely successful year and many popular products are expected to sell out before Christmas. Wine Country Gift Baskets attributes the success to a renewed social media campaign, support for users on mobile devices and a radio campaign. On their Facebook site, Wine Country Gift Baskets has seen a 2,000% increase in activity during the month of December. Mobile traffic and sales are up 300% compared to last year.

Many of their free shipping gift baskets are still available, but order soon before they sell out. Their discounted gift baskets are perfect for those on a budget. Ordering is as easy as visiting www.WineCountryGiftBaskets.com or calling (800) 394-0394 to speak with a friendly gift consultant. Order by 6pm PST, Sunday, December 18 for guaranteed delivery with standard S&H. Expedited delivery is available if orders are placed by noon on Friday, December 23.

Wine Country Gift Baskets is a division of Houdini Inc., located in Fullerton, California. Wine Country Gift Baskets has shipped more than 55 million gift baskets since they were founded in 1984. They are the premier gourmet food and wine gift basket company in the United States.

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A plan pushed by Gov. Tom Corbett and the state House majority leader to shut down state-owned wine and liquor stores and auction off retail liquor-store licenses to supermarkets and other private operators collapsed Tuesday in a House committee meeting controlled by their fellow Republicans.

Instead, Republicans on the House Liquor Control Committee voted unanimously to scrap a bill proposed by Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, in favor of a plan that supporters say would strengthen the profitability of the state stores while providing more options for people in Pennsylvania to buy wine and beer from private retailers. In part, the bill would allow the state's approximately 1,200 retail beer distributors to apply for licenses to sell wine.

Even though the bill keeps open the state stores, Republicans called it the only privatization legislation that has won a committee vote in Pennsylvania since Prohibition. All 10 Democrats on the committee opposed the bill, although they supported an amendment to it that would give the state Liquor Control Board a freer hand to operate the stores.

Prospects for the bill are not clear in the full House, and a raft of proposed amendments are expected to emerge on a topic that has proven to be as complicated as any for the Legislature over the years. Turzai cast the committee's vote as a victory for privatization, but he also suggested that he wasn't giving up, saying that he would work to "enhance" it.

Liquor Control Committee Chairman John Taylor "put his mark on the privatization efforts that he could support as part of a transition approach, and it was a big step, it was a very positive step," Turzai said.

Other GOP governors as far back as Dick Thornburgh in the late 1970s and '80s made liquor store privatization efforts, but those efforts died in the Legislature and Democrats continue to oppose them today. And while Corbett and Turzai have argued for over a year that the state should not control the wine and liquor business, as few other states do, many Republican lawmakers have not sided with them.

Taylor, R-Philadelphia, defended the bill as a better transition to a private market than Corbett's idea because it would allow good stores to thrive without costing the jobs of 4,300 state-store employees and get major food and liquor retailers get into the business.

"On paper, this looks to be 'privatization-lite,'" Taylor said. "If you play it out, it's much more significant in terms of what will happen after this is passed. ... I think you'll have a hybrid approach in terms of the retail market, as well.

"You'll have a Total Wine (store) in Pennsylvania, you'll have mom-and-pop operations, you'll have supermarkets with this ability to do it and I think that's significant enough without doing damage," he said.

Under the bill, restaurants, bars and beer distributors could sell beer in a wider variety of quantities. The retail beer distributors, which currently sell cases and kegs of beer, could get $50,000 licenses to sell wine. For a price of $100 million per license, a private wine wholesaler could compete with the state Liquor Control Board, which holds a monopoly now, to sell wine to restaurants, bars, hotels and the newly created retail wine and beer distributorships.

The state stores would remain the only licensees that could sell hard liquor, and the Liquor Control Board would get more power over purchasing, pricing and setting the hours that its stores can operate, including opening more stores on Sunday than the approximately 150 allowed by law.

Taylor said he would expect some beer distributors to sell their licenses to supermarkets or other retailers that want to take over the business, get a retail wine license and attach a beer and wine store. About 100 convenience stores, groceries and supermarkets currently sell beer through retail restaurant licenses, Taylor said.

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A group of wine experts - five French and five Chinese - ranked the bottles from the remote and sparsely populated Ningxia region above those from Bordeaux at the tasting, held recently in Beijing.

The jury sampled five wines from each region, selecting a cabernet sauvignon from the Grace Vineyard in Ningxia as the top-scoring bottle - a shock result echoing a 1976 contest that saw the classics humbled by New World wines.

Wines from Ningxia took the four top slots in the contest and a 2009 Medoc from the Lafite vineyard in Bordeaux was the highest-scoring French wine, in fifth place.

All the wines in the contest were produced in 2008 or 2009, and all were priced between 200 and 400 yuan ($31-$62) in China - putting the Bordeaux at a disadvantage because China levies a punishing 48 per cent import tax on wine.

Nonetheless, Bordeaux expert Nathalie Sibille said the Chinese wines had "performed very, very well'', adding, "this region (Ningxia) has enormous potential''. China has enjoyed a huge wine-drinking boom in recent years and is now Bordeaux's largest export client.

Analysts have predicted it will overtake the United States to become the largest wine-consuming nation within 20 years. Most of the wine made there is mass-produced and of low quality, but experts say there are now some good Chinese wines being produced - notably from Ningxia.

Moet Hennessy, the wine and spirits arm of France's LVMH luxury group, said this year it was planting its first Chinese vineyard in Ningxia to produce sparkling wine. And a Ningxia vintage was named best Bordeaux-style wine over STG10 ($15) at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London this year - prompting today's event.

The tasting came 35 years after British wine merchant Steven Spurrier organised a blind tasting that pitted some of France's finest wines against lesser-known names from California. The American bottles came out on top, shocking the wine establishment, which had always considered Old World vintages to be superior.

"Wine is not a new thing in China, but we are at the very start of China's fine wine story,'' said the organiser of today's event, Jim Boyce, who runs the China wine blog www.grapewallofchina.com.

"The very good ones are mostly being made in Ningxia. For me, the link is that a lot of the winemakers there have been trained in Bordeaux.''For judge Fiona Sun, editor of the Chinese edition of a French wine magazine, the results of the contest mean that "people should change their minds about Chinese wine''.

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Virginia has revamped its annual wine competition to raise the profile of the industry and winery tourism.
Changes announced Monday by Gov. Bob McDonnell include more stringent judging standards and regional forums for winemakers with the head judge to provide feedback on how their wines were received.

McDonnell says the Virginia Governor's Cup will continue to be a single event for red wines and white wines.
Preliminary and final rounds will be held in January. A winner will be announced Feb. 23 in conjunction with the Virginia Wine Expo in Richmond. There will be separate categories and medals for ciders and fruit wines. McDonnell says Virginia wine sales increased by more than 11 percent in fiscal 2011 compared to the previous fiscal year.

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When glasses clink over a meal this Christmas, they're more than likely to contain a drop of sauvignon blanc. But if drinkers are catching up with friends at a bar, they will probably knock back a cider or a craft beer. And if you happen to receive a bottle-shaped gift under your tree, chances are it will be a wine worth $20 to $30. December marks the high point for alcohol sales and consumption in Australia and consumers are increasingly trading beer for wine. Beer consumption per capita dropped to a 62-year low last year, while wine was at an all-time high, figures compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal.

That said, we are still a nation of beer drinkers, guzzling our way through 103.3 litres a person aged 15 and over last year. That, however, marks a drop of more than four litres since 2005. Wine drinkers consumed an average of 30 litres a person last year, up from 28 litres in 2005. The managing director of Taylors Wines, Mitchell Taylor, believes the trend shows that Australian drinkers are becoming more sophisticated in their tastes. ''People are looking for quality; they're also getting more confident in their own appreciation of wine and more trusting in their own palate,'' he said. ''That takes them off spirits and beer, which are simple beverages which are generally consumed over a bar, whereas wine is generally consumed with food.''Sauvignon blanc is the leading variety, says sales-data collection agency AZTEC, followed by shiraz, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet merlot.

While the beer market appears flatter than a schooner left out too long in the sun, Carlton and United Brewery's head of insights, Tim Ovadia, said there were some strong growth areas. Sales of craft beers produced by microbreweries have grown 30 per cent year on year, while cider sales have increased 20 per cent year on year. Overall, the number of beer brands available in Australia has increased from 500 a decade ago to 1500 today.

''That growth has been dramatic,'' Mr Ovadia said. ''All these new beer offerings in the craft beer category are just breathing life into beer in general.''Cider has also grown, which is expected to continue over summer. ''Cider is the quintessential summer drink - it's light and it's refreshing,'' Mr Ovadia said.

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Cellarmasters has stressed that it was not responsible for an error that resulted in the wine seller's brochure being sent to children. Subscribers to K-Zone magazine, boys aged from six to 13, reportedly received the Cellarmasters wine club pamphlets in envelopes addressed to them.

The pamphlets were co-branded as Cellarmasters and Pacific Magazines, which publishes K-Zone. Pacific Magazines said in a statement that as soon as the error was discovered, it "took immediate steps to address the situation and recipients have been contacted". "Cellarmasters does not send marketing material to people under 18 and was not responsible for the error," it said. Woolworths, which acquired Cellarmasters in February, said it had been assured by Pacific Magazines that processes had been put in place to ensure the incident did not occur in the future.

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