swirl, sniff, sip, savor, swallow: do-it-yourself wine tastings

*featurette- benjamin esser calvi of bomoseen vermont 
recently while on a ski weekend, my brother-in-law hosted a wine tasting for us just before dinner. 

 each place setting was set with 5 glasses- one for each wine being tasted & an aroma wheel. download both the aroma wheel, (it will help you distinguish & describe the flavors in the wine) as well as wine tasting grids (to keep track of the wine).

try to serve light fare while
tasting to relieve the pallet

start in the middle & work your way out to pinpoint the aromas & flavors
in the wine. this wheel helps you to convert what you are tasting into words.

for more help, consult this article by Dina Cheney, a professional tasting host & author of Tasting Club, at this link as a resource for shopping for wines to use at your tasting and further guidance to lead you through the tasting itself.

home made holiday card

i went old school for this postcard by cutting out 
images from barneys & bergdorf holiday catalogs & used 
a glue stick to collage a scenescape. then i cut out a 
picture of my family and pasted it on top. 
no photoshop for me.