Best Gifts for the Wine Lover in Your Life

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Best Gifts for the Wine Lover in Your Life

Looking for a gift for the wine lover in your life? If you know their favorite varietals then you can’t go wrong with a nice bottle of Cavit, but opting for a cool tool or fun new accessory can be just a little more personal. Try to look for things that will complement their wine collection and lifestyle—are they often playing the party host? Do they prefer unwind at the end of the end of the day with a quiet glass of red? Maybe they love to hold monthly wine tastings to introduce friends to new flavors. However they prefer to enjoy their wine, there’s a gift that’s perfect for them.

Bicycle Wine Rack from Oppsmark
If you know a wine enthusiast who loves to drink and dine al fresco in the park or picnic at the beach, they would love the Bicycle Wine Rack from Oppsmark. The rack is handmade from a vegetable-tanned leather and holds the bottle in place with two adjustable straps. It attaches to most traditional bike frames easily with antique brass fasteners so you can take your wine wherever you go. For eco-friendly wine drinkers that use bikes as their main mode of transportation, it’s also a great way to safely bring a bottle to a friends or home from the market. Available at Oopsmark and priced at $34.

Corkcicle Air 4-in-1 Chiller, Aerator, Pourer, Stopper
Trying to keep wine cool, but still easily servable can cause a headache for any hostess, especially those who prefer not to keep their bottles in a big bucket of ice. For something a little sleeker, gift them the Corkcicle Air 4-in-1 Chiller, Aerator, Pourer, Stopper. The device slides into the bottle of wine keeping it cool with a non-toxic freezing gel in the shape of an icicle, while the built-in aerator helps to make any wine more aromatic as you pour. The top pops open into an easy-pour spout and secures again when not in use. Available at Uncommon Goods and priced at $24.95.

The World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition
For the ultimate wine lover who loves to talk about the intricacies of wine, from bouquet to acidity and everything in between, gift The World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition. The latest edition of this tome keeps connoisseurs updated on new maps, up-and-coming wine regions and recent developments in techniques, climate and trends. The 400-page reference guide was written by two award-winning wine authors and is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. An added bonus? They’ll be able to spout off some serious knowledge and impress their guests at the next wine-tasting party. Available at Amazon and priced at $36.32.

Noritake’s Blind Tasting Glasses
Wine tasting parties are a great way to discover new favors and new favorites, but tasting blind can be a fun way to elevate your experience. Gift your hostesses Noritake’s Blind Tasting Glasses at their next tasting event. Some people hide labels or blindfold drinkers to hide a wine’s identity, but this series of black crystal wineglasses means there are no visual clues about the wine’s identity. Guests will have to decipher which wine is which by sniffing and sipping. It makes for a fun evening and the chic black glasses are much more sophisticated than a room full of blindfolded, bumbling guests. Available at Noritake and priced at $21.

Wine Cork Wall Art

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Use Any Variety Cavit Bottle for this Project

WINE CORK WALL ART

Materials

Wine corks (quantity depends on the size or sizes you would like to create)
Cardboard or foam core
Craft knife
Pen or pencil
Glue gun
Twine
Gold or brown marker
Scissors

Directions

  1. Collect a lot of wine corks and separate them by color. The more corks you have, the bigger your final piece of art can be!
  2. Decide what you want the shape of your art to be. Wine glasses or bottles, monograms and hearts are all excellent options.
  3. Once you’ve decided on your shape, sketch it out onto the cardboard or foam core using a writing utensil.
  4. Using the craft knife, carefully cut the cardboard or foam into the shape you like.
  5. Then with the glue gun, gently adhere the corks to the shape you created. Creating a gradient with the corks is one creative way to use their color, but it’s your art piece, so organize them any way you see fit!
  6. After all of the corks have been securely glued down, use twine and glue to wrap around the piece to create a contour.
  7. If there are any white spaces showing between the corks or along the edges of your piece, use your gold or brown marker to fill them in.
  8. Flip your piece over and use the scissors to create a small hole in the top center of the cardboard for the hanging string.
  9. Work twine through the hole and add glue to give the string more security.
  10. Glue down an extra piece of cardboard or foam core over the string to secure it even further.
  11. When all the glue is dry, your work of art is ready to be hung!

RED WINE TRUFFLES

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RED WINE TRUFFLES

Ingredients

16 oz. semi-sweet bakers chocolate

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup of room temperature red wine (we recommend the Cavit Pinot Noir, Cavit Cabernet Sauvignon or Cavit Red Blend!)

1 tbsp. of unsalted butter, at room temperature and halved

3/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

  1. Place all chocolate in a large glass or heat-proof bowl. Microwave chocolate 4 times at 15 second intervals. Stir after each interval. Continue stirring until almost completely melted.
  2. Put chocolate aside and pour the cup of heavy cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the cream gently until it begins to boil. Once the cream boils, remove it from the heat and pour into the bowl with chocolate. Carefully stir the chocolate and cream mixture in one direction until the texture is completely smooth.
  3. Pour the wine and butter into the chocolate mixture until all ingredients are combined. Cover with plastic wrap pressed on top of mixture. Let sit at room temperature to cool for 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 hours to set. Ganache should be soft and easy to scoop.
  4. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet (or use a silicon mat if you have one!) and pour cocoa powder into a bowl. Set both aside.
  5. Remove bowl with ganache from the refrigerator. With a small spoon, scoop out ganache and roll into a ball. Once ganache is in ball shape, roll it in cocoa powder and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all ganache is on the sheet! This recipe will yield approximately 60 truffles, depending on how large you roll the balls.
  6. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for a few more hours. (Tip: The chocolate tastes best when it’s a little cold!)

Recipe adapted from: Recipe Girl

Sparkling Holiday

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Sparkling Holiday

Ingredients

1.5 ounces Cavit Pinot Noir

.5 ounce brandy

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Dash of bitters

Directions

  1. Shake over ice. Pour in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange and cherry.

Source: Brian Mullin

Branch Ofc.’s Spiced Wine

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Branch Ofc.’s Spiced Wine

Ingredients

3 bottles of 750 ml Cavit Select Red Blend or Cabernet Sauvignon

1 large (4″) piece if fresh ginger sliced thinly (not ground)

5 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 ounces all spice dram (spiced liquor)

1 full orange peel

1/2 lemon’s worth of sliced wheels to float

Directions

  1. Combine ingredients and enjoy!

Source: Branch OFC

Apple Cider Sangria

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Apple Cider Sangria

Ingredients

1 bottle white wine (750ml) Cavit Pinot Grigio

1 bottle of hard apple cider (22 ounces)

1/2 cup of triple sec

1/2 cup of pomegranates

1 apple

1 lemon

Directions

  1. Start by slicing the apple and add to the pitcher along with the pomegranates.
  2. Next, pour the bottle of white wine into the pitcher, triple sec and the juice of one lemon.
  3. Stir together and chill.
  4. For best results, prepare the sangria at least a few hours before serving. Once ready to serve, just add in the hard apple cider, and cheers!

Source: Suite & Savory

Wine Tasting Party Essentials

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Use Any Cavit Wine for Your Get Together

Wine Tasting Party Essentials

Throwing a wine–tasting party for all your glamorous friends this holiday season? Then you’ll want to be fully prepared with all the essentials. It takes more than a few bottles of wines and a swanky cheese plate to be the perfect host or hostess, especially during the hustle-and-bustle of the holidays. To make sure that your guests are talking about your soirée for months to come, plan each part of the evening in advance, from the dishes and wine you want to serve to the schedule and theme of the event. Planning each detail of your tasting will give you the best chance at being named host or hostess of the year—by your guests at least.

Start by selecting the kind of theme your wine tasting will take. You can opt to only serve wines from a particular region, a specific vintage or a favorite winemaker. One you’ve selected the type of wine and number of varieties, be sure that you’re well stocked on each bottle and have glasses for each guest. Provide each drinker with a new glass for each type of wine to avoid tainting flavors or be sure to rinse each glass between tastings. Glasses should be clear so guests can see the color of the wine and have long stems so they don’t warm up the drink with their hands. Try Dailyware’s 12 piece set of tulip-shaped wine glasses with pulled stems.

Remember to tailor your wine tasting experience. If you’re a bit of a connoisseur and you’re inviting over a few novices, it may be best to try a wide variety of wines to introduce them to different flavors. Likewise, those who are well-versed in the world of wine may want to try tasting the subtle differences between regional varietals or vintages. As you work your way from the lightest to the darkest wines, allow guests the time to swirl and smell the wine before taking a sip. Keep score sheets on hand so they can make notations of each bottle’s aroma, texture, finish and taste. Sweet Unrest Studio.

As the host or hostess you’ll have to scuttle back and forth from the kitchen to your guests, but if you keep your tasting area well-stocked with everything your guests need, there will be less running laps around your home. Most wine tastings include four to six different types, so be sure there are multiple aerators, bottle openers and corkscrews, bottle stoppers and ice buckets. By having everything easily accessible everything moves smoothly and naturally, allowing guests to enjoy the party to the fullest. Try Prodyne’s clear, four-bottle ice bucket to keep tasting wines cool while guests sample the different varieties available.

Be sure to let guests know beforehand if it will be a simple wine tasting where only hors d’oeuvres are served or if you will be hosting a dinner after the event so they can plan accordingly. For dinner parties, plan to do your wine tasting before the food is served so guests have a fresh palate and can enjoy the variances and flavors of each wine you’ve selected. If your party is drinks only, be sure to serve snacks like bread and crackers during the tasting so guests can cleanse their palate between sips. For either affair, keep bread out on a chic board that guests can nibble from throughout the evening. Try the acacia wedge server from Crate and Barrel.

Depending on the theme of your party you may want to incorporate some fun games into the wine tasting. There are a few different things you can play depending on how casual it will be. The blindfolded wine challenge can be a fun way for beginners to try to guess which variety is which, while something like trying to guess vintners may be better for the more experienced drinkers. Trying to pair the right cheeses with wines (or dessert wines with sweets) to create the best flavor combination is also a popular wine tasting game. Grab a game set, like All You Need is Wine’s Game Kit and let your guests run wild!

WINE BOTTLE VINTAGE RING TOSS

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Use Any Variety Cavit Bottle for this Project

WINE BOTTLE VINTAGE RING TOSS

Materials

Shallow Wooden Box 
Several clear, empty wine bottles (as many as will fit in your wooden box) 
Chalk paint in a variety of colors 
Paint brushes 
Colored masking tape 
Multi-purpose rope 
Sand Paper 
Scissors 
Hot glue gun (optional) 

Directions

  1. Collect clear wine bottles (with labels removed) and make sure that they fit evenly and comfortably in your box.
  2. Paint each wine bottle with the chalk paint. Bottles can all be painted the same color if you’d like, or switch it up to make the game more colorful!
  3. While the paint in drying, cut the multi-purpose rope into equal-sized pieces, approximately 4 inches long.  Cut as many pieces as you’d like, as these will become the rings in the game!
  4. Take the colored masking tape to tape the ends of each piece of rope together to make a loop. You can also add a dab of hot glue for more security if you’d like.
  5. Once the paint on the bottles are completely dry, use the sand paper to gently sand down the paint, giving them a more vintage look.
  6. Place all the bottles back into the wooden box, gather up your rings, and get ready for some fun!

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