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Sauternes – the Best Bordeaux Wine

Is Sauternes the best wine in Bordeaux?

I think so, but that will come as no surprise to those that know me, as I have been a champion of Sauternes and Barsac wines within the wine trade for nearly 30 years. A few may also happily concede that Chateau d’Yquem is one of the world’s, let alone Bordeaux’s, finest wines.

What is surprising though is that I can now prove my opinion – and not just in relation to Chateau d’Yquem. And YOU may have unwittingly helped me to do this, especially if you have ever used the online wine software package called Cellartracker.

Eric le Vine has created this wonderful piece of cellar management software which is now used online by thousands of wine lovers. They use it to track the wines in their cellars, value them and, most importantly for the purposes of this article, to write tasting notes for them. There are nearly one and a half million tasting notes covering wines from over 550 regions around the world.

The really interesting bit is that users are encouraged to give scores for every wine they taste. The site effectively assesses exactly what people think about just about every fine wine and the wines from every wine region in the world! The consumer has become the critic!

What do the wine enthusiasts on Cellartracker think of Sauternes? They love it! More than any other Bordeaux wine including Pauillac, St Julien, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol, St Emilion, Margaux and St Estephe. The figures for mis-May were as follows:

Sauternes – 8,014 notes with an average score of 91.5 points

Barsac – 987 notes, 91.5 points

Pauillac – 16,874 notes, 91.0 points

St Julien – 12,473 notes, 90.5 points

Pessac-Leognan – 9,087 notes, 90.4 points

Pomerol – 6,624 notes, 90.1 points

St Emilion Grand Cru – 15,054 notes, 90.1 points

Margaux – 9,748 notes, 89.9 points

St Estephe – 7,468 notes, 89.8 points

In fact Sauternes and Barsac outscore almost every wine region in the world with the exception of the Burgundy Grand Crus, Hermitage, Quarts de Chaume, the Barossa Range and a few small Italian regions. All of these regions have a much greater concentration of top wines and much fewer lesser wines within them.

This is no surprise to me! For nearly 30 years I have hosted Sauternes and red Bordeaux tastings around the world. Almost without fail a sip of Sauternes or Barsac produces a much bigger smile on people’s faces.

Some of us may not like to admit in public that we like sweet wine but the Cellartracker figures prove that when we are asked to quantify our experiences we place Sauternes and Barsac at the top of the pile!

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Bill Blatch 30 May 2011 Home Entertainment , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

10 Awesome Oktoberfest Party Ideas

Oktoberfest is the worlds largest fair taking place every year in Bavaria. You can also throw your own Oktoberfest party using the following Oktoberfest party ideas:

1. Get some cardboard to make your invitations. Cut out shapes of lederhosen, beer goggles, beer glasses, beer kegs, beer steins and bratwurst. Remember to say on your invites that they will be charged an admittance fee if they fail to dress up!

2. The guys costumes are truly hideous yet hilarious. Traditional Bavarian lederhosen will cut off the circulation where you don’t want it cut off! These knee length leather shorts are held up by braces. You will also need socks pulled up to your knees and a hat with feather. How silly!

3. Ladies, you get to wear traditional Bavarian or Alpine peasant girl costume. This includes a lacy blouse and tight bodice. You can also dye your hair blonde and tie it up in cute pig tails.

4. The Bavarian flag is of blue and white, so get plenty of decorations including balloons in these colors.

5. To make your venue look like a traditional brau haus bier keller, you need long wooden tables and benches. If necessary fix them together, but they should be in a long line!

6. Cut out bratwursts, lederhosen, beer glasses and beer kegs from cardboard and hang them from the ceiling. If you’re ambitious, you can also hang gingerbread men up too.

7. They may not be attractive but get some German flags for the walls. Also get plenty of miniature ones for the table decorations.

8. Consider hiring out a brass band to play traditional beer hall music. This of course is budget dependant!

9. Some traditional German food you should serve would be; sausage stuffed mushrooms, garlic bread, weiner schnitzel, bratwurst, nuremburger, sauerkraut, gingerbread, apple strudel and black forest cake.

10. Of course, the most important element of any Oktoberfest party is the beer. Make sure you stock up with plenty! Make sure it is German beer! There will be people wanting to try many different sorts of beer so get in a variety.

We hope you have found some useful Oktoberfest Party Ideas here as well as inspiration for your theme party! We also have lots more Oktoberfest Party Ideas to help you with your party planning and enable you to throw the best Oktoberfest party ever that your guests and yourself will always remember!

C D Jackson 22 December 2009 Home Entertainment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Mardi Gras Party Supplies To Make Your Party Sparkle

by Rand Fortescue

As you know every year there are many who celebrate the festival known as Mardi Gras. Many do not understand the concept of the celebration except that you dress up with many beaded necklaces and drink! Many call Mardi Gras “Fat Tuesday.” If you are going to host a Mardi Gras party you may want to search around for some affordable Mardi Gras party supplies so you do not have to break the wallet.

When the Mardi Gras festival rolls everyone wants to have an all-out party. There are several options to buy Mardi Gras party supplies. You’ve probably seen Mardi Gras party supplies show up around February or March. You either can order them from an online store which is sometimes the cheapest way or you purchase them at retail stores.

The Mardi Gras celebration always consists of the beaded necklaces, masks, and anything else which is purple, green, and gold. Decorations and accessories can be as elaborate as you choose. Glitter and glamor are two things that are prevalent during Mardi Gras as are plentiful food and drinks and hip-swaying music.

One nice tradition that has been handed done for generations is the baking of the King cake. This delicious and gooey confection will contain a tiny baby made plastic somewhere inside the cake. The recipient of the King cake baby will usually have to throw the next party in the season. Some localities like to crown the baby cake holder as the King or Queen of the festival.

If you’ve ever been to a Mardi Gras festival such as one held in New Orleans, you’ll notice the elaborate floats that parade down the streets. You can recreate this experience in your own hometown or even at home. If you put some effort into it, you can find some nice Mardi Gras party supplies like tinsel, beads and jester type dolls to decorate your own mini-float that you can display at home.

Any Mardi Gras celebrant knows you can’t have enough Mardi Gras beaded necklaces. These are essential Mardi Gras party supplies and come in various sizes and shapes, but the colors should always be purple, green and gold. Some people like to throw in red, but this is purely your choice. Shiny beads are nice, but the classic ones are the transparent ones that people love to throw to each other.

Something you consider when looking for Mardi Gras party supplies is the mask. At carnivals all around the world, the mask is a source of pride and reflects the creativity of its wearer. Bedecked with feathers, glitter and gems, these are anything but plain. You can buy blank masks and provide the glue and craft supplies for your guests to make their own mask and then hold a contest to select the most creative.

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Now That you have your supplies, what are you are going to wear ? How about adult pirate costume ? Check out a full range of costumes here.
Rand Fortescue 12 October 2009 Home Entertainment , , , , , , , No Comments

Harry Potter Party Supplies – For Magic Moments At Any Party

by Rand Fortescue

When planning your child’s birthday party you should make sure that the theme is something that they really like and are interested in. Most children these days are into Harry Potter. You can start planning your child’s party by buying Harry Potter party supplies and you will have the best party you’ve ever had. It really can be that easy.

Before you start planning for the party you should go online and start planning for basic supplies. Find some that have scenes from your child’s favorite Harry Potter movie on them. This will be their theme. There are even Harry Potter party supplies kits that you can buy if you want to make it really easy. You will need napkins, plates, table clothes, cups and decorations. Then you just need to plan activities and some games.

Most Harry Potter party supplies include matching invitations. However, it might be more fun to create your own custom, personalized invitations. You can go online and use an online program that will help you to make the invitations. For greater flexibility and more options, buying a greeting card software program might be a better choice. Get your child to help you decorate and address the invitations.

You will need to get some accessories along with your other Harry Potter party supplies. Twinkling party lights, spider webs (quilt batting), jars of potion (colored water) and plastic frogs can all be used in the party’s decor. Just use your imagination to create the right ambiance for your child’s party and they will have a great time.

Before the guests arrive, have your child make each guest a wand and cape. Present these to the guest when they first arrive. It will help them to feel more a part of the party and really get them into the mood. Have a sorting hat ceremony and put each child into a house. Make badges out of paper and yarn.

Have several craft tables for the children to make Harry Potter crafts. They can make their own Golden Snitch, wizards hat or pet owl. There are many websites that can give you hundreds of different ideas. You can buy all the necessary parts cheaply and have them ready to go when the children arrive

Harry Potter party supplies can make your child’s wizard’s party really great. Make sure you do the proper planning and research and the party should go off without a hitch. Have fun and get creative. The party will be a success and your child will be a hit amongst his/her friends.

About the Author:
Now That you have your supplies, have you thought what you are going to wear ? How about a prisoner costume ? Check out a fun range of costumes, including the jailbird costume.
Rand Fortescue 5 October 2009 Home Entertainment , , , , , , , No Comments