Best Gifts for Men

When it comes to buying gifts for men, the rules are pretty simple. Unlike women, most guys like getting gifts that make their lives easier. If it means one less trip to the mall, all the better. If it entertains them, it’s a winner. While women like gifts that make them feel pampered, men like gifts that give them more time to do the things they like doing (i.e., having fun). So if you buy them a new work wardrobe, that means they can spend more time, you guessed it, having fun. Whether it’s enjoying their wine collection or playing video games.

Here’s a novel idea—why not host a party and help others who are less fortunate? Epicurious.com has created an easy way to turn any home party into a fundraiser for a good cause. America’s Second Harvest (ASH) is the country’s largest food bank and has worked with Epicurious.com to create the Wine. Dine. Donate. Program. Here’s how it works:

•Download everything you need to plan your party – including a menu by celebrity Chef Ming Tsai, invites, etc. Inform your guests and ask them to bring a monetary donation to ASH instead of the customary holiday gift.

•Collect the donations and submit them to ASH via the Epicurious.com website (and don’t forget to share pictures of your party with other Epicurious.com visitors via its Member Forum).

•Funds raised go to feed more than 9 million hungry children and families nationwide.

If you're looking for a reason to throw a party, look no further. All of your friends will love the idea of having fun and giving a little something back.

Part Three: The Bubbly

Whether you're throwing New Year’s Eve party or a party just because you can, a Champagne toast is always a welcome event. Don’t let the search for that perfect bubbly to fit both the occasion and your pocketbook spoil the celebration. Here are some champagne tips from m National Wine Director Marian Jansen op de Haar of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Vive La France: Champagne is a dry white wine made from grapes grown only in the region of Champagne in France. Perrier Jouet, Grand Brut France NV is an excellent choice. Crisp and lively, it features lingering flavors of fresh apples and lemons making it a great companion to hors d'oeuvres. Another good choice is the extra dry Moet & Chandon White Star France NV, which has mellow well-developed flavors and just a hint of sweetness.

Make It Sparkle: Sparkling wine uses the same process, fermenting sugar in white wine, as Champagne. The only difference is that sparkling wine can be made anywhere from California to Russia while Champagne cannot. A superb sparkling wine to try is Gloria Ferrer, Blanc de Noirs Sonoma County NV. The rich, bright strawberry, raspberry, and black cherry aromas are enhanced by a lush palate, small, lively, bubbles, and a persistent finish.

Corral the Cork: Once a Champagne or sparkling wine has been selected, resist the urge to “pop” the cork as that releases too many bubbles too quickly resulting in a flat wine. While holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle and covering the cork with your thumb, loosen the wire cage and slowly twist the bottle. Slowly pour into a Champagne flute, and delight in the explosion of tiny bubbles.

If you’re feeling daring, raise a glass of more than just bubbly with this signature champagne cocktail recipe created by Oren Cohen of Nobu 57 in New York.

Agua Luca’s 07 Heaven

1.5 oz. Água Luca™
1.5 oz. Champagne
½ oz. Fresh lemon juice
½ oz. Honey
Sugar the rim of the flute. Melt honey gently in a shaker by immersing the shaker in hot water; add lemon juice and Água Luca™ and shake. Add half champagne to shaker and pour into flute; top off with remainder of champagne.

~A. Covington for Belisi Fashions

Part Two: The Food

The key to a successful party is to have plenty of food and [adult] beverages. So how do you keep the food hot and on a continuous rotation out of the kitchen? Jennifer Purcell, an assistant professor at The Culinary Institute of America and maître d’ instructor at St. Andrew’s Café, one of five public restaurants on the CIA’s main campus in Hyde Park, New York, suggests tapas, or bite-sized appetizers, which offer bite-sized foods with minimal time in the kitchen.

“Serving tapas allows you to have a larger crowd without compromising the quality and taste of the food,” Purcell says. “Typically, 10-15 pieces per person is adequate for the average appetite. When planning the items you wish to serve, offer a variation of food textures, tastes, temperatures and preparations that will please the crowd and avoid overburdening you and your kitchen.”

Not sure what qualifies as a “bite-sized” appetizer? It’s pretty simple: they should be self-contained bites of food that you can gobble in one bite. So your guests shouldn’t have to spread anything on them or have to hold it together while they balance their drink and plate. Consider serving items that could fit into a teaspoon and always remember to offer vegetarian options, and creative, non-alcoholic beverage options.

Short Cuts

Sometimes you have to take short cuts in life. And with the introduction of specialty gourmet frozen foods, a fancy and delicious meal may be just minutes away. With the growing popularity of sushi, it makes a great option for a slightly less traditional meal (perfect for those Zen-inspired parties). With the creation of frozen sushi, a healthy holiday snack can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and ready to eat within minutes, so there’s no messy clean up or heating up required. If you’re stuck on what to serve or want to try something different, check out Banzai Sushi of Seattle, which has been producing quality frozen sushi since 1997.

If you find yourself really cutting it close, go to CHOW.com, a food website aimed at the 25- to 40-year old set, where you can find tips on throwing an “emergency” cocktail party—meaning you waited until the last minute to prepare or worse, your other plans fell through and you’ve been nominated to host at the 11th hour.

If you have a little time to spare and want to kill all birds with one stone (don’t really kill any birds please!), head to SAM’S CLUB, where you can stock up on all your party essentials, just like professional caterers. Pick up plenty (and we mean plenty) of frozen hors d’oeuvres like mini quiches, crostini, or cooked shrimp that only need to crisp in the oven or are served at room temperature. Frozen cakes and miniature cream puffs only need thawing, a drizzle of sauce, and a holiday garnish to look and taste great. Affordable luxuries like caviar and fine chocolates are a hit but don’t require hours in the kitchen. It’s surprising but true, you can get it all at Sam’s Club.

For a party without a hitch, let “make ahead” be your mantra. The more food preparation you can do before your party, like making and freezing ingredients or appetizers, the more you’ll relax and have fun. After all, it’s your party.

Party on the Move

You want to have a civilized party, not a feeding at the trough-like frenzy. While you want to keep your guests’ bellies full you want to keep them moving and their minds off of food.

“Instead of putting food in one place, create food stations around the room to get people moving,” says Purcell. “Remember to place small ‘catch containers’ at each station for used toothpicks, skewers and spoons, so guests aren’t left carrying them, or worse, hiding them in plants or bookcases.”

And while you want your guests to feel at ease, you also want all of your guests to interact with each other—especially if you have any solo guests.

“Limiting the number of seats encourages guests to mingle and move. As a general rule, provide seating for half the number of invited guests. When selecting music, choose songs that are not too loud or obtrusive so that guests can converse comfortably.”

When it comes to dessert there are lots of options, from tarts to truffles, but a popular dessert for parties is fondue. “Fondue is an ideal dessert for a festive holiday gathering” Purcell says. “Set out melted cheese with assorted types of breads and fruit or chocolate with plenty of fun dippers like marshmallows, fruit, pound cake and pretzels. Keep other sweets and desserts, such as cookies, cakes, and brownies, bite-sized too. Prepare as much as possible in advance so that you can enjoy the evening with your guests.” You can also use chocolate in addition or in place of cheese.

New Year’s Resolutions in Full Force

After all the eggnog and cheese balls you’ve ingested in the past few weeks, you and your guests are probably ready to start those New Year’s diets (or maybe not!). Either way, you don’t have to completely forget about healthy options when planning your party.

Registered Dietitian Samantha Heller at NYU Medical Center says that it’s easy to be the ultimate host while being health conscious at the same time.

“Follow the trend of being trans fat free and start your party off right with some spruced up dips like a beet and goat cheese dip or pumpkin hummus,” she says. “You can include old party favorites like potato chips as sides but look for the better ones like Lay's potato chips, which have zero trans fats and are now made with sunflower oil, a heart healthy oil. Your guests will never know the difference in taste!”

~A. Covington for Belisi Fashions

Part One: The Scene

So you’ve decided to host a cocktail party. Invitations--or eVites--are out but now is the time to start preparing. The idea is to provide a festive, yet pressure-free, environment for your guests. If you’re running around at the last minute, you’re guests will feel the frazzle too.

First, take a step back and think about the overall “feel” or theme of the party.

“Think of your home as a party space,” says New York restaurateur/style guru Donatella Arpaia, who was crowned “Hostess with the Mostess” by Zagat’s. “Think about where people congregate - maybe the hallway, the kitchen; by anticipating where the flow will be, you can decorate accordingly. And don't forget the bathroom - decorate it with candles or special hand towels in a bowl, and be sure to clean up the medicine cabinet - guests will look inside!”

Set the Mood

Lighting: Everyone feels festive and relaxed in dim lights, colored light and candlelight; use all three.

Food: Make one dish the star of the show instead of slaving over lots of complicated dishes; serve in individual portions to set your food apart from others - ramekins, crème brulée saucers, even sake boxes will create pretty, easy-to-handle dishes.

Get help: Go to your favorite restaurant and ask if any waiters are available to work your party; many are looking for extra work and the expense is very reasonable for a few hours.

Etiquette: Greet guests immediately with a drink, and be sure to offer interesting non-alcoholic cocktails. Introduce guests to each other, especially those arriving solo.

Other than beverages, food is a big part of a successful party. Read all about what to serve in Entertaining Like a Pro: Part 2.

~A. Covington for Belisi Fashions

One of the fastest ways to develop a knowledge base of wines you enjoy is to taste them. This can be a lot of fun. Go to your local wine & spirits store; gather up a bunch of bottles and head home for a night of tasting adventures. You might have more success if you ask the wine clerk for suggestions, or check out the ratings affixed to bins at the store. Check out wine reviews online (Wine Library TV is a good place to start) or check out what the experts say in wine publications like Wine Spectator. Depending on your preferred learning method, you may find it helpful to do a vertical tasting, which means sampling wines of the same variety but with different vintages.

There's no shame is doing a taste test at home alone (just be sure to spit out the wine or you won't be able to remember what you liked and what you didn't!). It is also a great way to spend the evening with a friend or significant other.

Okay, so you've got your bottles of wine. Before you start tasting, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the proper way to taste wine. These techniques actually help you appreciate the wineÑthey are not simply to make you look smart (although they undoubtedly do).

Tasting Basics

"For the home taster, conducting a blind tasting is a great way to focus one's tasting skills, but it's not essential if your objective is simply to learn about the wine," Peter Meltzer, wine critic for Wine Spectator, says in his best-selling book author of Keys to the Cellar. "It's better to first grasp the salient characteristics of different varietals and vintages by sampling a series of related bottles in a pressure-free environment in order to develop personal preferences."

Jim Kennedy, President of BaggedWine.com, argues the merits of doing a blind tasting. He says that blind tastings are the best wine to taste the wine rather than the marketing effort behind the wine. "When tasting blind you should only taste one varietal at a time to ensure that the process is not too complex for those at the tasting," he says. "This is intended to be fun rather than giving the feeling of a sommelier test."

Wine is evaluated by its color, bouquet, palate, and aftertaste. To fully appreciate a wine's characteristics, Meltzer recommends tasting white wines at cellar temperature (about 55 degrees) and reds at about 65-70 degrees to avoid compromising the wine aromas and flavors. And, if you're truly serious, skip the cologne and perfume, as they interfere with the aroma of the wine's bouquet.

Let Your Nose do the Talking

Meltzer says to hold the wine glass by its stem (holding it by the bowl leaves smudges, obscures the color and warms the wine). Hold it against a white backdrop to examine the color. Not sure what you're looking for? Look at its hue. Is it bright or flat? Clear or cloudy? "As red wine ages, it devolves from bright red or purple into brick or mahogany, browning around its edges," says Meltzer. "White wine will turn progressively golden as it matures. Wines that are the product of less than perfect harvest will be less intense than those picked under ideal conditions."

Next, rest the glass on the table and swirl it. When the wine settles, you should see a clear film on the side of the glass, called legs. You may have seen a wine snob or too making a big show about a wine's "legs" but in reality it's just a measure of the wine's alcohol contentÑthe more you see, the higher the alcohol content.

"Swirl the glass vigorously and inhale deeply," Meltzer advises. "Try to detect any 'off' odors." If you smell a heavy cork smell, the wine may be bad. Any scents that are moldy or musty are a warning sign. An oxidized wine, which means it has been exposed for too long to the air in the vinification process or because the cork has dried out, will give off a smell resembling Sherry or Madeira. A barnyard like could mean the wine is spoiled by yeast, and a smell like nail polish remover could mean the wine has a volatile acidity.

On the up side, you are most likely to meet with a pleasant smell and there are hundreds of them, including complex fruit smells from blackberries, black currants, and cassis.

"Your nose will actually tell you more about a wine than your mouth, because our sense of taste is actually restricted to four categories: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter," says Meltzer. "To minimize the impact of a wine on your palate, slosh it around in your mouth, aerating it by taking in deep breaths at the same time. Ideally, keep the wine in your mouth for at least 10 second before expelling it into a spittoon or slop bowl."

Young, mature or brand new, choosing a wine that's right for you

Don't worry; we weren't going to leave you to your own devices. If you'd like to try wines from areas other than the most popular regions, here are some tips. David Muse, wine writer and sommelier, likes to try wines from what he calls "exciting regions." "For me right now Austria is producing wines that are of incomparable quality and like nothing youÕve had before," says Muse. "Gruner Veltliner is this luscious white wine that is more ductile than almost anything. It goes with all the typical wine killers: shrimp, artichokes, tomatoes."

Looking to impress your friends? According to Muse some good wines reaching maturity include the famed 1997 California Cabs. "The fruit is tempered and their nuances are coming out.  I recently had a Caymus Special Select that was overwhelmingly good, and I don't normally like domestic wines.  Also, Late 80s Grand Cru Champagne is good. I had a Krug 'Le Mesnil' at lunch from '86 that was lively yet playful."

If you want a wine that's ready to serve young, Muse suggests Beaujolais. "Everyone knows by now that Beaujolais is drinkable," he says. The wine is bottled and consumed within months of the grapes being picked. Also, there is a wine from Austria called Jungfernwein, or Virgin wine.  This is wine produced from first year vines, newly planted.  It lacks complexity, but so do many Sunday afternoons by the pool."

For adventurous types, there are some new varietals coming to market. "Portugal is bottling still, unfortified versions of the grapes traditionally used to make Port," Muse says. "They are wonderful, but often high priced.  A single varietal to be on the lookout for from Portugal is Periquita. Also, get your hands on Blaufrankisch, made from an Austrian red grape that produces wines similar to Cabernet though not quite as punchy as the US versions."

Developing a true appreciation for the flavors, vinification process and complexities of wine takes time. Developing a list of wines you like may take even longer. Building a respectable home collection could take years. Purchasing wine is not like buying clothes--what you see is not necessarily what you get.

Wine Tasting Essentials

Having a tasting? Here is a quick list of supplies:

• Wine glasses (make sure you have plenty! Wine charms are a good idea if you are having several guests, so no one confuses his or her glass with someone else's).
• White table cloth (so guests can examine the wine's color, density, legs)
• Spittoons (for spitting out the wine).
• Bowls with unsalted crackers or baguette to cleanse the palate.
• Tasting sheet for notes.

And of course, don't forget the wine!

~A. Covington for Belisi Fashions

Looking good is one thing but if you can't hold your own with all of those urban wine snobs, not even the hottest Jimmy Choo heels will carry you. This is the first in a series of wine entries to bring you up to speed fast, so the next fundraiser, dinner party, etc. you attend you can hold your head up high.

Wine 101: Wine Varieties and Regions

Chardonnay	France	A popular grape originally grown in France; now produced all over the world. It is one of the most available and versatile white winesÑand because of this finding a Chardonnay you like takes patience. A good Chardonnay can be creamy or dry, oaky or crisp. It all depends on your personal preferences.
Riesling	Germany/France (Alsace)	Found in sweet wines from Germany and Alsace. Also widely planted in Austria and Australia. Riesling is a sweet standalone wine as well as a component of many dessert wines.
Sauvignon Blanc	France (Bordeaux)	Generally produced in Sauternes and Barsac regions, this grape makes a light, pleasant white wine.
GewŸrztraminer	France (Alsace)/Germany	Literally meaning, "spice from Tramin", this sweet grape is also known for its spiciness. Mostly produced in the Alsace region of France but also in Germany, New Zealand, California, New York, Canada and Australia.
Chenin Blanc	France (Loire Valley)	This is a classic French variety used in some of the world's best and longest-living sweet wines.
Pinot Gris	France	Widely planted in France, this variety is light-bodied, lean, crisp and acidic. This grape is also planted in Italy, Germany, Hungary and Oregon in the US. It is frequently referred to as Pinot Grigio in Italy and the United States.
Viogner	France (Rhone Valley)	A full-bodied, aromatic white grape variety that is growing in popularity in the US.
Red Table Wine Varieties
Cabernet Franc	France (Bordeaux)	Found in Bordeaux blends and Loire Valley reds.
Cabernet Sauvignon	France (Bordeaux)	Grown throughout the world to produce well- structured, full-bodied red wines. It is a main component of Bordeaux reds.
Malbec	France	This wine has done well in Argentina and in France among Bordeaux blends. Wine stewards and wine drinkers have varying opinions of whether this variety is distinguished enough to be labeled a fine wine.
Merlot	France (Bordeaux)	Originally planted in France, Merlot is readily available worldwide. A good Merlot features great softness and richness, however; its widespread availability can make selecting a quality Merlot challenging. Understanding the region and climate where the wine is produced will help in selecting a stable Merlot.
Pinot Noir	France (Burgundy)	A light skinned, aromatic variety, most famous as the variety of red Burgundy. Successfully grown throughout the new world.
Sangiovese	Italy (Tuscany)	Widely planted throughout Italy. It is the principal variety used in Chianti but also can stand on its own.
Shiraz	France (Rhone)	A powerful variety, highly renowned in the Rhone region and more recently, Australia.
Tempranillo	Spain	An important component of Rioja, with growing popularity as a stand-alone wine in America.
Zinfandel	Italy	Substantial plantings in both California as well as Italy, where it is known as Primitivo.

Check back for more wine edification, including how to taste wine, store wine, and pair wine with food and much more.

You know a good glass of wine when you taste it--the only problem is getting a good glass happens purely by chance. On occasion you get a recommendation that pans out, other times you close your eyes and point ay the wine list or grab the first bottle with a high Wine Spectator rating at your local liquor store. Learning how to choose wine according to your personal preferences, as well as how to pair it with food and select a wine to please a crowd is not as intimidating as it seems.

We're going to take you on a wine journey. The first lesson is wine varieties and their regions. Once you learn what's out there, you can begin your journey into the world of fine wine.

Wine Basics

There are many different types of wine, grape varieties, wine regions and vintages. Vintage is the easy one: vintage simply means the year that the grapes were harvested. Even the world's best wines have "off" years when the picking conditions are not ideal, resulting in a sub-par "vintage". Where vintage gets complex is determining which wines have aging potential and which ones should be drunk young. We'll touch on that topic later.

Wine grape varieties represent only a fraction of the more than 600 kinds of grapes. Each grape variety has unique characteristics such as color, size, skin thickness, acidity, yield per vine and flavor. There are many grape varieties used to make wine but only a few grapes are suitable for making fine wine. Below is a chart listing some of the most popular fine wine varieties, where they come from and their notable characteristics.

Grape Varieties and their Regions

White Wine Varieties