Sparkling cocktails can add an extra touch of excitement to just about any celebration. But for some, the champagne and sparkling wine section can be one of the most daunting areas of the wine department. With that in mind, here are some cocktail ideas plus a champagne primer to help you get your bubbly supply sorted out in time to celebrate!
For the cocktails below, try putting out an assortment of mixers with drink recipe cards so your guests can create their own custom sips. That way, you can circulate and enjoy your guests while sharing the role of bartender. Or, you could simplify and choose a signature drink to feature.
Looking for a last minute gift idea? Green wines are a perfect choice for host or hostess gifts as well as stocking stuffers (depending on the stocking, of course!). This year I’ve been gifting wines that have been made using responsible farming practices, are Fair Trade, or have been made with organically grown grapes. So along with using solar lights to decorate my house and wrapping presents with my paper bag collection, this is my way of going green this holiday season.
Elevate a plate of sweet, briny oysters or any of your favorite seafood dishes with this bright White, ripe with floral aromas and a subtle touch of grapefruit, guava and melon. Its herbal fig quality is ideal paired with Robusto cheese, too.
Lately I’ve been noticing slate cheeseboards are gaining in popularity. I like them because you can write the cheese name in chalk next to where the cheese is placed. This makes it easy for party guests to scope out the selection and it helps the host remember which cheese is which after a few glasses of wine. And, with the offerings below – you and your guests will have a party for your palates even if some overly enthusiastic cheese enthusiast smudges the descriptions once they’re plated up! As a bonus, each cheese has a suggested wine pairing so you can sip and savor simultaneously. All of the suggested wines are from our Top 10 Wines for the holidays and they’re all under $15. That means you can buy more cheese!
BONHOMME FRENCH BRIE
The mushroom aromas and luscious creaminess in this superbly flavored cheese, the best of Normandy from Isigny Ste. Mère, help celebrate the fresh palate of Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut.
ROBUSTO
For the ultimate party-season pair, relish the nuttiness of this sharp, Gouda-style Dutch cheese with the distinct citrus notes of Benziger Family Sauvignon Blanc. Read the rest of this entry »
Looking for ways to put the “holiday” in your party this year without adding a load of stress? We can help dial down the work with suggestions for hosting a wine and small bites party that won’t break the bank. Small bites are an easy thing to ask your guests to bring, too. Before you know it, you’ll have delegated most of the cooking and will just have to figure out which wines to serve.
With just a few of our Top Ten Wines plus our great holiday appetizer recipes, you’ll have festive options to make holiday entertaining on a budget a snap. It’s like having an extra set of hands to help with the preparations. (Though, you’re still going to be on your own to clean up afterwards – sorry we can’t help you with that!)
Three essential wines will cover all of your party guests’ tastes: sparkling, red and white. Have a few of each of these on hand and the wine drinkers will be delighted.
For a holiday sparkler, we’re big fans of the Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut. It’s made from 100% Chardonnay. Soft and fresh, with a superb balance of yeast and effervescence, it’s your go-to budget party-starter. Plus, it’s versatile enough to serve with a wide range of appetizers and small bites or even dessert.
For a great sipping red, try Don & Sons Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. It’ll charm your party guests with flavors of currant and crabapples and fresh berries interwoven with zippy acidity. Plus, it’s a real bargain and goes great with just about any savory cheese you can think of.
To round out your wine offerings, try Benzinger Family Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a great conversation starter as it’s made using responsible farming practices. This white will elevate a plate of appetizers faster than you can say “under 15 dollars!” It’s bright and ripe with floral aromas and a subtle touch of grapefruit, guava and melon. Slightly herbal, it goes well with a wide variety of holiday flavors.
Still need a bit more inspiration? Watch this video tasting of our Top Ten Holiday Wines.
And make sure to pick up an extra bottle of your favorite so that long after your guests leave you can pour a glass or two, prop your feet up, and revel in this wonderful time of year.
What’s your favorite budget wine to serve your holiday guests?
Whether you’re stuffing a stocking, sending a gift across the country, handing a hostess some holiday cheer or simply putting something special in the hands of someone special, you’re sure to find a gift for everyone on your list at Whole Foods Market. Over the next three days, we’re sharing helpful ideas in our gift giving guide. Today we’ll explore over 10 gifts for under $10 that are sure to make even a Grinch smile. Tomorrow we’ll share stocking stuffers from around our stores and gifts you make yourself. And Sunday brings tips for easy shopping from the comfort of your living room — in your PJs with a mug of hot cocoa in hand.
OVER 10 GIFTS UNDER $10
For the Wine and Cheese Lover
Isigny Ste. Mére Bonhomme Brie: A rich, creamy, crowd-pleasing cheese, exclusively ours and only available this time of year. It’s the best of Normandy, traditionally crafted by a farmer co-op. Lush grasses make for rich milk, superb flavor and a luscious mouthfeel.
This first wine of the harvest season is traditionally released on the third Thursday of November – and that’s today! A true party and celebration wine, Beaujolais Nouveau is about spending time with friends and family and kicking off the holiday season. Best enjoyed fresh, or before spring returns, Nouveau is a terrific compliment to the rich, earthy and spicy flavors that come across the holiday table.
Despite its fun-loving nature, this red French wine does play by the rules. In addition to the third Thursday in November being mandated as the official annual release date by French law, the grapes used to make Beaujolais Nouveau must come from the specific region or Appellation d’origine contrôlée known as Beaujolais, which is located north of Lyon in the eastern part of France. The French government insists the grapes be harvested by hand. The wine is then made using a process called whole berry fermentation, resulting in a wine that is fruity and low in tannins. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you love to unwind with a glass of red wine at the end of the day? Us too. And just in time for the holiday season, here are our Top 10 Wines, a great selection of affordable reds and whites that we’re very excited about. Nothing beats bringing together friends and family to celebrate with dynamic reds that you can feel good about sharing!
We’re also encouraging our readers to get together with family and friends for a tasting party with a difference on November 17th via Twitter. Sample our featured holiday wines, along with some recommended cheeses, and tweet along while you’re sampling them.
There’s a TweetChat room set up for the event where you can follow our wine guys, Geof Ryan and Doug Bell, and hear what they have to say about each wine. You can also share your comments about the aromas, tastes and cheese pairings using the hashtag #WFMWine on Twitter. By following @WFMWineGuys, you can read what other wine enthusiasts think about the selection. Good times!
Here’s the rundown of our fabulously affordable holiday reds and the cheeses that love them. And just in case you missed it, here’s what we’ve got for holiday whites.
What brings good cheer and gets along with everyone and goes with everything on the table? Beaujolais Nouveau, of course! With its cherry-berry fruitiness, this nimble wine goes down easy and is revered as the perfect sidekick to the myriad of flavors on your holiday table. Beaujolais Nouveau is made from Gamay Noir grapes, which come from the southernmost part of Burgundy, France.
For decades, the third Thursday of November is the first day where the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau kicks off the holiday season with an all-out celebration. Beyond the first taste of the year’s quality, Nouveau is more about celebration — celebration of the harvest, celebration of the first revenue from a year of hard labor, and celebration of the start of the holiday season.
Are you looking for top-notch wines at easy-to-swallow prices? This holiday season; be sure to check out our Top 10 Holiday Wines. Technically there are 12 wines in our Top 10 – we always like to give you a little extra – but “Top 10” rolls nicely off the tongue, not unlike the sparkling brut featured below. I’ve been thinking lots lately about ways to create new traditions at holiday gatherings and a wine tasting party might be just the ticket.
Here’s the lowdown on our holiday whites and the perfect recipes to pair with them:
You’ll revel in the season with this golden sparkler, made from 100% Chardonnay. Soft and fresh, with a superb balance of yeast and effervescence, it’s your go-to party starter. Sip a glass with appetizers, brunch or Bonhomme French Brie.
Jodi Bart is the Austin-based blogger behind Tasty Touring, who won a trip to Europe through our Foodie Fantasy Food Blogger Video Contest. She’ll be sharing some of her adventures in this 2-part blog feature.
I recently returned from a fabulous European vacation for two, thanks to Whole Food Market’s Foodie Fantasy Food Blogger Video Contest. The trip, an Intrepid Travel tour from Berlin to Paris, included visits with Whole Foods Market local partners, including one to the M. Chapoutier vineyard and tasting room in France’s Rhone Valley.
My traveling partner on this adventure was Adam, my boyfriend of almost three years, and now fiancé after we got engaged at the end of the tour(!).
Adam and I arrived at M. Chapoutier a half hour earlier than our 2 p.m. appointment, and the tasting room, along with most of the shops in Tain l’Hermitage, was closed for lunch. We wandered to a local sports bar and ordered “deux café.”
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Sparkling cocktails can add an extra touch of excitement to just about any celebration. But for some, the champagne and sparkling wine section can be one of the most daunting areas of the wine department. With that in mind, here are some cocktail ideas plus a champagne primer to help you get your bubbly supply sorted out in time to celebrate!
Lately I’ve been noticing slate cheeseboards are gaining in popularity. I like them because you can write the cheese name in chalk next to where the cheese is placed. This makes it easy for party guests to scope out the selection and it helps the host remember which cheese is which after a few glasses of wine. And, with the offerings below – you and your guests will have a party for your palates even if some overly enthusiastic cheese enthusiast smudges the descriptions once they’re plated up! As a bonus, each cheese has a suggested wine pairing so you can sip and savor simultaneously. All of the suggested wines are from our 
BONHOMME FRENCH BRIE
Looking for ways to put the “holiday” in your party this year without adding a load of stress? We can help dial down the work with suggestions for hosting a wine and small bites party that won’t break the bank. Small bites are an easy thing to ask your guests to bring, too. Before you know it, you’ll have delegated most of the cooking and will just have to figure out which wines to serve.
For a holiday sparkler, we’re big fans of the Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut. It’s made from 100% Chardonnay. Soft and fresh, with a superb balance of yeast and effervescence, it’s your go-to budget party-starter. Plus, it’s versatile enough to serve with a wide range of appetizers and small bites or even dessert.
For a great sipping red, try Don & Sons Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. It’ll charm your party guests with flavors of currant and crabapples and fresh berries interwoven with zippy acidity. Plus, it’s a real bargain and goes great with just about any savory cheese you can think of.
To round out your wine offerings, try Benzinger Family Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a great conversation starter as it’s made using responsible farming practices. This white will elevate a plate of appetizers faster than you can say “under 15 dollars!” It’s bright and ripe with floral aromas and a subtle touch of grapefruit, guava and melon. Slightly herbal, it goes well with a wide variety of holiday flavors.
Whether you’re stuffing a stocking, sending a gift across the country, handing a hostess some holiday cheer or simply putting something special in the hands of someone special, you’re sure to find a gift for everyone on your list at Whole Foods Market. Over the next three days, we’re sharing helpful ideas in our gift giving guide. Today we’ll explore over 10 gifts for under $10 that are sure to make even a Grinch smile. Tomorrow we’ll share 
This first wine of the harvest season is traditionally released on the third Thursday of November – and that’s today! A true party and celebration wine, Beaujolais Nouveau is about spending time with friends and family and kicking off the holiday season. Best enjoyed fresh, or before spring returns, Nouveau is a terrific compliment to the rich, earthy and spicy flavors that come across the holiday table.
Do you love to unwind with a glass of red wine at the end of the day? Us too. And just in time for the holiday season, here are our 
What brings good cheer and gets along with everyone 
I recently returned from a fabulous European vacation for two, thanks to Whole Food Market’s 
