Category: Great Gifts !

Nigl Brut de Brut – A Gruner with Bubbles!

While on the lookout for a worthy sparkler to ring-in December, as part of our Sparkling Resolution, we discovered a Gruner Veltliner with bubbles – the 2005 Nigl Brut de Brut.

Since Gruner has been a long-time favorite with us, the addition of fizz, and in this case Chardonnay, seemed like an interesting marriage. Well, we’re here to say, “It’s wedded bliss!”

These new "wine" glasses were inspired by running out of glasses to share a wine with neighbors on a recent Ptown vacation. We substituted a martini glass that worked well and was fun!

This Austrian sparkler is definitely food-friendly, but also very enjoyable all by itself. Followers of wine site CellarTracker said it best, tasting “…flavors of tart apple with peach,” calling the Nigl Brut de Brut “…dry, crisp, with racy acidity,” "…quite spirited and fun to drink,” and “…a very nice alternative to Champagne.”

Choosing a sparkling version of a familiar wine might not always be this satisfying, but we’ll try it again. In fact, if you’re looking for a holiday gift for someone who likes wine and has a favorite grape, see if there’s a sparkling version?

We found our bottle of 2005 Nigl Brut de Brut at The Urban Grape, South End.

Here’s a peek at Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List!

…And, Sunday Dog will return to this spot, next week!

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 1, 2013
Nigl Brut de Brut – A Gruner with Bubbles!

While on the lookout for a worthy sparkler to ring-in December, as part of our Sparkling Resolution, we discovered a Gruner Veltliner with bubbles – the 2005 Nigl Brut de Brut.

Since Gruner has been a long-time favorite with us, the addition of fizz, and in this case Chardonnay, seemed like an interesting marriage. Well, we’re here to say, “It’s wedded bliss!”

These new "wine" glasses were inspired by running out of glasses to share a wine with neighbors on a recent Ptown vacation. We substituted a martini glass that worked well and was fun!

This Austrian sparkler is definitely food-friendly, but also very enjoyable all by itself. Followers of wine site CellarTracker said it best, tasting “…flavors of tart apple with peach,” calling the Nigl Brut de Brut “…dry, crisp, with racy acidity,” "…quite spirited and fun to drink,” and “…a very nice alternative to Champagne.”

Choosing a sparkling version of a familiar wine might not always be this satisfying, but we’ll try it again. In fact, if you’re looking for a holiday gift for someone who likes wine and has a favorite grape, see if there’s a sparkling version?

We found our bottle of 2005 Nigl Brut de Brut at The Urban Grape, South End.

Here’s a peek at Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List!

…And, Sunday Dog will return to this spot, next week!

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 1, 2013
At the Market: Edible Boston Winter 2014 Issue

If you are like me, you shop in quite a few places that advertise in Edible Boston, so pick up the new Winter 2014 issue with the photo of Cutty's homemade bagels on the cover.

Inside, you'll learn more about the creation of this new menu item at the popular Brookline sandwich shop. Elsewhere in this issue, you will tour a knife factory and a cheese cave.

You'll find profiles of a group of small artisan food businesses that you may want to add to your holiday shopping list – Bonnie's Jams, Caramels de Bouchard, Pure Pastry, and many more.

Under Edible Reads you'll see a collection of cookbooks and food books to put on your wishlist or check off someone else's.

And, as always, you'll find a few recipes you must try and profiles of people you'll love knowing more about.

Publisher Ilene Bezahler encourages her readers to support local businesses when they do their holiday shopping. I'd like to also encourage you to support Edible Boston by subscribing or giving the gift of a subscipiton to a food loving friend or relative.

You can also buy the Edible cookbook – Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods or find more local food in The Boston Homegrown Cookbook.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Artwork: Courtesy of Edible Boston

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 21, 2013
At the Market: Edible Boston Winter 2014 Issue

If you are like me, you shop in quite a few places that advertise in Edible Boston, so pick up the new Winter 2014 issue with the photo of Cutty's homemade bagels on the cover.

Inside, you'll learn more about the creation of this new menu item at the popular Brookline sandwich shop. Elsewhere in this issue, you will tour a knife factory and a cheese cave.

You'll find profiles of a group of small artisan food businesses that you may want to add to your holiday shopping list – Bonnie's Jams, Caramels de Bouchard, Pure Pastry, and many more.

Under Edible Reads you'll see a collection of cookbooks and food books to put on your wishlist or check off someone else's.

And, as always, you'll find a few recipes you must try and profiles of people you'll love knowing more about.

Publisher Ilene Bezahler encourages her readers to support local businesses when they do their holiday shopping. I'd like to also encourage you to support Edible Boston by subscribing or giving the gift of a subscipiton to a food loving friend or relative.

You can also buy the Edible cookbook – Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods or find more local food in The Boston Homegrown Cookbook.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Artwork: Courtesy of Edible Boston

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 21, 2013
At the Market: Edible Boston Winter 2014 Issue

If you are like me, you shop in quite a few places that advertise in Edible Boston, so pick up the new Winter 2014 issue with the photo of Cutty's homemade bagels on the cover.

Inside, you'll learn more about the creation of this new menu item at the popular Brookline sandwich shop. Elsewhere in this issue, you will tour a knife factory and a cheese cave.

You'll find profiles of a group of small artisan food businesses that you may want to add to your holiday shopping list – Bonnie's Jams, Caramels de Bouchard, Pure Pastry, and many more.

Under Edible Reads you'll see a collection of cookbooks and food books to put on your wishlist or check off someone else's.

And, as always, you'll find a few recipes you must try and profiles of people you'll love knowing more about.

Publisher Ilene Bezahler encourages her readers to support local businesses when they do their holiday shopping. I'd like to also encourage you to support Edible Boston by subscribing or giving the gift of a subscipiton to a food loving friend or relative.

You can also buy the Edible cookbook – Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods or find more local food in The Boston Homegrown Cookbook.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Artwork: Courtesy of Edible Boston

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 21, 2013
The Mambe Pet Blanket Gets a Paws Up from All Three of Us

When you have a dog like Poppy who loves to cuddle with her people, a product like the 100% Waterproof Mambe Pet Blanket quickly becomes a family favorite.

Amazon reviewers have convinced me that the blankets are 100% waterproof. So far, our good little girl has not put them to the test.

UPDATE 1/2014: We did have a small spill on one of the sofa blankets. The protection was perfect and the blanket washed and dried easily.

But, if an accident should happen, I'm confident that our bed and furniture will be protected. The blankets are made of Polartec® so I know they are good quality and should last for years.

Here's our girl snoozing on the charcoal Mambe Pet Blanket that is covering our bed. The blanket is soft and snuggy, so she loves perching on it for watching her world or napping in comfort. We're not chasing her away because the Mambe blanket is actually easier to clean than she is.

We love it because it's not as heavy as other waterproof bed covers we've tried. This one simply replaces a blanket we would have used anyway. We have one large for our bed and small ones for the love seats Poppy loves to share with us.

When we find a great product, we want to share it with our friends and readers. We purchased our Mambe blankets from Amazon and hope that if you decide to add one to your dog or cat supplies that you'll begin your shopping right here and support the BostonZest team.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost any more for you but Amazon puts some change in our tip jar.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino
Related articles

Sunday Dog, Wellie – "What Kind of Dog Is That?"

Poppy Says, "Keep Your Dog Safe and Secure in the City"

November 10, 2013
The Mambe Pet Blanket Gets a Paws Up from All Three of Us

When you have a dog like Poppy who loves to cuddle with her people, a product like the 100% Waterproof Mambe Pet Blanket quickly becomes a family favorite.

Amazon reviewers have convinced me that the blankets are 100% waterproof. So far, our good little girl has not put them to the test.

UPDATE 1/2014: We did have a small spill on one of the sofa blankets. The protection was perfect and the blanket washed and dried easily.

But, if an accident should happen, I'm confident that our bed and furniture will be protected. The blankets are made of Polartec® so I know they are good quality and should last for years.

Here's our girl snoozing on the charcoal Mambe Pet Blanket that is covering our bed. The blanket is soft and snuggy, so she loves perching on it for watching her world or napping in comfort. We're not chasing her away because the Mambe blanket is actually easier to clean than she is.

We love it because it's not as heavy as other waterproof bed covers we've tried. This one simply replaces a blanket we would have used anyway. We have one large for our bed and small ones for the love seats Poppy loves to share with us.

When we find a great product, we want to share it with our friends and readers. We purchased our Mambe blankets from Amazon and hope that if you decide to add one to your dog or cat supplies that you'll begin your shopping right here and support the BostonZest team.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost any more for you but Amazon puts some change in our tip jar.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino
Related articles

Sunday Dog, Wellie – "What Kind of Dog Is That?"

Poppy Says, "Keep Your Dog Safe and Secure in the City"

November 10, 2013
The Mambe Pet Blanket Gets a Paws Up from All Three of Us

When you have a dog like Poppy who loves to cuddle with her people, a product like the 100% Waterproof Mambe Pet Blanket quickly becomes a family favorite.

Amazon reviewers have convinced me that the blankets are 100% waterproof. So far, our good little girl has not put them to the test.

UPDATE 1/2014: We did have a small spill on one of the sofa blankets. The protection was perfect and the blanket washed and dried easily.

But, if an accident should happen, I'm confident that our bed and furniture will be protected. The blankets are made of Polartec® so I know they are good quality and should last for years.

Here's our girl snoozing on the charcoal Mambe Pet Blanket that is covering our bed. The blanket is soft and snuggy, so she loves perching on it for watching her world or napping in comfort. We're not chasing her away because the Mambe blanket is actually easier to clean than she is.

We love it because it's not as heavy as other waterproof bed covers we've tried. This one simply replaces a blanket we would have used anyway. We have one large for our bed and small ones for the love seats Poppy loves to share with us.

When we find a great product, we want to share it with our friends and readers. We purchased our Mambe blankets from Amazon and hope that if you decide to add one to your dog or cat supplies that you'll begin your shopping right here and support the BostonZest team.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost any more for you but Amazon puts some change in our tip jar.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino
Related articles

Sunday Dog, Wellie – "What Kind of Dog Is That?"

Poppy Says, "Keep Your Dog Safe and Secure in the City"

November 10, 2013
Nino Franco Rustico: A Wine for Holiday Gifts & Celebrations

Nino Franco Rustico has been one of our favorite sparkling wines since we first sipped a glass in a Boston restaurant many years ago.

Recently, we enjoyed a bottle of Nino Franco in Provincetown and couldn't resist doing a photo shoot with the fantastic light and wonderful backdrops we found at Chandler House.

We bring you these photos today with a message.

Please don't give your clients, business associates, and friends the wines you see in TV ads as holiday gifts. A good wine shop can recommend a good wine value that you can give with pride. And, it will be one that will please both the occasional sipper and wine aficionado.

If you buy a good wine by the case, you can save even more. Stock up on "just-in-case gifts for the season" and be ready for a party at a moments notice.

This classic sparkler bottle and elegant label will show your good taste from the moment you hand it to a host, pop a cork for a pre-dinner toast, or when a client unwraps your gift. A second round of applause will come with the first taste of this prosecco.

"The golden color and peach nectar scent predict this to be rich, but a potent, nutty savor keeps it balanced. It finishes clean, tight and grippy – a mouthwatering aperitif," is how Bauer Wine describes Nino Franco Rustico.

And, should you find that after the holidays you have a bottle or two left, we assure you this wine is the perfect match for a chair-for-one, on a deck by the ocean.

Or, an evening for two by a fireplace in a mountain cabin or a city apartment.

Always give a wine you will be happy to have in your own wine rack for a special moment.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite Wine Books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2009-2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 7, 2013
Nino Franco Rustico: A Wine for Holiday Gifts & Celebrations

Nino Franco Rustico has been one of our favorite sparkling wines since we first sipped a glass in a Boston restaurant many years ago.

Recently, we enjoyed a bottle of Nino Franco in Provincetown and couldn't resist doing a photo shoot with the fantastic light and wonderful backdrops we found at Chandler House.

We bring you these photos today with a message.

Please don't give your clients, business associates, and friends the wines you see in TV ads as holiday gifts. A good wine shop can recommend a good wine value that you can give with pride. And, it will be one that will please both the occasional sipper and wine aficionado.

If you buy a good wine by the case, you can save even more. Stock up on "just-in-case gifts for the season" and be ready for a party at a moments notice.

This classic sparkler bottle and elegant label will show your good taste from the moment you hand it to a host, pop a cork for a pre-dinner toast, or when a client unwraps your gift. A second round of applause will come with the first taste of this prosecco.

"The golden color and peach nectar scent predict this to be rich, but a potent, nutty savor keeps it balanced. It finishes clean, tight and grippy – a mouthwatering aperitif," is how Bauer Wine describes Nino Franco Rustico.

And, should you find that after the holidays you have a bottle or two left, we assure you this wine is the perfect match for a chair-for-one, on a deck by the ocean.

Or, an evening for two by a fireplace in a mountain cabin or a city apartment.

Always give a wine you will be happy to have in your own wine rack for a special moment.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite Wine Books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2009-2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 7, 2013