Hey Everyone,

If your watching the wallet and staying in for Valentine's Day this year,
why not get a little creative?

Here's a quick idea...table side S'mores

• Box of Graham Crackers
• Bag of Marshmallows
• Package of Skewer Sticks
• Milk Chocolate Bar
• Tea Lights
• Your Valentine
  

If you are more of a red wine people, a nice Cabernet will do the trick.

The tasty sleeper choice...Tawny Port.
Enjoy the nutty almonds & caramel flavors with your table side creation!

That's it. Short and Sweet : )

Cheers,
Hello Vino

p.s. Please visit HelloVino.com for more Valentine's Day wine and Valentine's Day gift ideas

Loading mentions Retweet

Hello Everyone,

February brings a sea of loved ones together who exchange candy, flowers, and gifts. The murky history surrounding St. Valentine himself is intriguing. We do know the stories portray him as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. Well St. Valentine...do you like wine?

A better question...does your valentine enjoy wine?

You could do many romantic things with wine and spend some quality time with your love-ahh (Will Ferrell voice).

Maybe you plan on making a nice dinner? Perhaps you have some chocolates in mind? How about grabbing a thoughtful wine gift?

Here are some tips to enhance your valentine's day with wine

What wine goes with dinner?

Recommendation: Filet Oscar paired with Pinot noir or Garnacha

What wine goes with chocolate?

Recommendation: Bittersweet dark chocolate pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon

Recommendation: White chocolate pairs well with Muscat... looks nice with roses too (presentation points).

Need wine for a gift?

We've got you covered here. Try a romantic duet basket, maybe some Rose and Godiva, or turn a February living room into a trip to wine country! These will warms things up real quick.

90 Point Romantic Duet

This basket includes a favorite white of mine... Torrontes. You will also receive Crios de Susana Malbec, Crackers, Beef Salami, Napa Valley Mustard, Biscotti, Monbana Chocolate Noir, smoked almonds and Cabernet Cheddar.
More on this deal »

A Romantic Evening with Rose Regale & Godiva

A sweet 750ml of Rosa Regale Brachetto, Godiva Chocoiste Dark Chocolate Fruit, Godiva Chocoiste Dark, Chocolate Almonds, and a Complimentary Hearts Gift Box.
More on this deal »

California Wine Tour Gift Basket

Enjoy a killer Kenwood Russian River Pinot Noir, Wente Sandstone Merlot DeLoach Chardonnay, Beef Sausage, Pistachios, Camembert Cheese Spread, Spanish olives Lemon almond biscotti and more!
More on this deal »

Want some more? Please visit HelloVino.com for our Valentine's Day Wines section and discover wine gift ideas, wines for a date, more dinners, desserts, and more chocolate pairings!

Now...go make February 14th special.

Love,
Hello Vino

Loading mentions Retweet

Hello,

I recently had the opportunity to head to Utah for a few days since my
wife had a conference being held at The Zermatt Resort.

We asked our concierge about a few nearby restaurants we could hit,
and they recommended a few casual bar & grille type spots, some pizza
joints, and another place right down the road called The Blue Boar.

Me: Cool, where's the Blue Boar?
Concierge: Take a left out of the resort and look for a big blue boar.
Me: (smiling)...a blue boar, got it.

I could not get the image of the Boar's Nest bar out of my head...which is a
fictional bar in what show? OK, I'll give you a hint...Hazzard. General. 01.

To be clear, I was not on a mission to find a wine story. I was not doing any Hello Vino work. I was just looking to eat. Well, The Blue Boar Inn & Restaurant was a nice little surprise. I had no idea, but this restaurant is "one of Utah's most venerable dining establishments. The Four Diamond restaurant boasts the highest possible Zagat rating of 26 and has received Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence." I just happened to be directed to the big blue boar down the street.

Executive Chef Eric May plays with fresh herbs from the Inn's garden to transform modern day favorites and seasonal dishes. Chef May sent us a little pre-dinner gift which was a ravioli with boar meat in a port wine reduction sauce (in the pic above, although a bit fuzzy). Tasty.

• The wine list was extensive.
• The menu was unique.
• The atmosphere was rustic and comfortable.
• The service was amazing.

Dishes we tried off the 2009-2010 Winter Menu...

Gnocchi Gratinee (House Made Gnocchi, Lobster Meat, Mornay Sauce)
Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir which was perfect

Chicken Scaloppini (Orzo Pasta, Brussel Sprouts, Pink Peppercorn & Grapefruit Sauce)
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon which was a challenge, but I liked it.

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S

The check came in a beer stein type of thing, and I left my debit card in it when I left the restaurant! The staff immediately had someone drive it to my hotel once they discovered I left it behind.

Very, very cool Blue Boar Inn. Thank you.

We were taken care of from start to finish and it never felt like a stuffy place at all.

This place cares, and it shows.

Cheers!
Jim from Hello Vino

Loading mentions Retweet

The winner of free tickets to the Boston Wine Expo will be announced later today!

• Sunday, Jan 24, 2010, 1-5pm
• 1800+ wines poured from 440+ wineries
• Souvenir tasting glass (1 per person)
• Winemaker "Meet & Greet" presentations
• Celebrity chef demos
• Did we mention 1800+ wines to try?!

Cheers and Good Luck!

The Hello Vino Team
HelloVino.com

Loading mentions Retweet

Want to score two free tickets to the Boston Wine Expo?

We thought so. That's why we're giving away a pair of tickets to Sunday's "Grand Tasting" at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA. Here are the details:

• Sunday, Jan 24, 2010, 1-5pm
• 1800+ wines poured from 440+ wineries
• Souvenir tasting glass (1 per person)
• Winemaker "Meet & Greet" presentations
• Celebrity chef demos
• Did we mention 1800+ wines to try?!

Here's what you gotta do:

1. Must be 21+ (IDs checked at the event)
2. Follow @HelloVino on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook
   At least one, but preferably both  ;)
3. Tweet or Share your favorite type of wine, including the #expotix hashtag and a link back to this blog: http://blog.hellovino.com
   You must include the http://

That's it! We've also made it super easy for you... simply click these buttons to post out the message:

We'll announce the winner at random from the Hello Vino Blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page on Wednesday, January 20 at 12pm EDT. Please make sure to fan/follow us or subscribe to the blog for the announcement.

We hope to see you at this huge event!

Cheers and Good Luck!

The Hello Vino Team
HelloVino.com

P.S. If you have any questions, please shoot us an email.

Loading mentions Retweet

Jim McNamee Hello Vino, LLC www.hellovino.com

Loading mentions Retweet

I know a few of us at Hello Vino routinely watch shows like Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen to see how some amazing dishes are created... and of course, watch the bickering and drama that the competitions bring to the forefront.

This past New Year's Eve, I planned on staying low-key and making dinner with my wife. We did not go for a massive food and wine challenge, destroy our kitchen, or blow it where we'd have to order pizza down the street. We also did not have a world class chef with colorful language breathing down our necks... although we couldn't resist faking a stern question once in a while and ending with "ya donkey!"

We took a stab at making mushroom risotto. This was delicious, but you have to babysit this puppy the whole way. Grab some tenderloin steak, fresh asparagus spears, and a bottle of Barbera, Valpolicella or dry Merlot and you'll have a restaurant quality meal at home. Let us know (in the comments) if you'll give this a shot!

Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Ingredients (to serve 6)

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute.
4. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Then, add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed.
5. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The Meal & Wine Pairing

After making the mushroom risotto, we added our tenderloin marinated in a tangy mushroom sauce, along with the asparagus spears. The meal came out wonderfully, and we paired it up with a dry Merlot.

By the way...

Are you in the Boston area?

If so, we'd love to meet you at the...

Boston Wine Expo
Jan 23-24, 2010 !!

You can still grab tickets to the Wine Expo, held at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA.  And... we have a discount promo code for a $10 discount for each Sunday ticket:

Enter the code HELLOVINO upon checkout

1. Go to the Boston Wine Expo site
2. Check out the Grand Tasting and other seminars on Sunday, where celebrity chefs and wine personalities like Mr. Gary Vay-ner-chuk will be dropping knowledge and making wine fun
3. Use the promo code HELLOVINO when you check out (offer good for Sunday tickets only)

Cheers!

Jim from Hello Vino

Loading mentions Retweet

New Year's Eve is tomorrow night and we can all start to look back on 2009. As my family grows, siblings have children, another holiday season comes and goes, and that thing we call "work" stealing crazy amounts of time, I'm amazed at how fast 365 days can go. We have one more night to kick back and enjoy some time before we sign on for another run in 2010.

There are a lot of things you can do to celebrate on New Year's Eve, but you do not always have to go out, or buy a high priced ticket to an event for a good time. You can stay in... switch up your regular menu a bit... get creative with drinks... invite some friends over... whatever your mood is, there's something you can do.

Here are some simple ideas for a New Year's with food and wine:

Mingle and munch! What wine goes with hors d' oeuvres?

Stuffed Mushrooms - Merlot, Brut Champagne, or crisp Chardonnay
Spinach Dip - A dry Rosé or Viognier
Cheddar Cheese - Rioja, Cabernet Sauvignon, or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc

Order up some Chinese food. What wine goes with Chinese food?

Beef with Broccoli - Valpolicella or Malbec
General Tsao Chicken - Gewurztraminer, semi-dry Riesling, or Pinot Noir
Chicken Chow Mein - Prosecco or Pinot Noir
...even Egg Rolls - Albarino, Chenin Blanc, or Sauvignon Blanc

What wine goes with pizza?

Whip up some homemade pizza and toss on some chicken with your favorite veggies! This is like Build-A-Bear with sauce and cheese...why not? - Try a Chianti or Pinot Noir

Seafood lovers:

One year, my wife and I made stuffed flounder (crab & shrimp stuffing). Delicious! Typically, this would go great with white wine like a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. You could pop open a Rosé and give that a shot as well. However, I wanted to try to go with a red wine and chose Pinot Noir which worked out well since the wine did not overpower the flavors of the dish. You have a few options here, so go with what you like if you want to be your own chef this year.  :)

Bored with sparkling wine or Champagne for the countdown?
Spruce up your drink options and make some wine cocktails:

Bellini

• Chill a champagne flute
• 1 medium ripe, peeled and pureed peach (or 2 oz. peach schnapps)
• 4-6 oz Champagne
• Pour peach puree into glass and slowly add champagne. Stir gently.
• Garnish with a peach slice

Berry Sparkler

• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries or blackberries
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/3 to 1/2 cup chilled Prosecco

Ecco Cioccolato (courtesy of EccoDomani.com)

• Muddle 6 raspberries with 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Add 2.5 oz. of Ecco Domani Chianti
• Stir in 1.5 teaspoons of sweet cocoa powder
• Pour into a shaker and shake vigorously
• Strain into a martini glass
• Layer whipped cream onto drink and garnish with chocolate shavings
• Serves 4 to 6
  

Heading to a New Year's Eve party? Do you need to grab some wine?
Try out the New Year's Eve Wines section by clicking on the option below:

New iPhone App is Here!

By the way, if you haven't seen the new version of our iPhone app, please take a second and download from iTunes.  Oh yeah, it's free!

Cheers...and Happy New Year!

The Hello Vino Team

Loading mentions Retweet

And a 1, and a 2, and.... On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Twelve corks un-corking,
Eleven pipers pouring,
Ten foods a-pairing,
Nine winos dancing,
Eight gifts a-giving,
Seven swans a-sniffing,
Six geese a-sipping,
Five gold wine charms,
Four sparkling,
Three red n' white,
Two dessert wines,
And it's all in the Hello Vino App

We hope Santa is very good to you this year and brings you an iPhone or maybe an iPod Touch this Christmas...hint hint ; )

We're just kidding around. We would like to wish everybody a wonderful Holiday Season. This has been a fun and exciting year for us at Hello Vino, and we are looking forward to even bigger things in 2010. You have all been a big part of our community and we sincerely thank you for your friendship.

Heading to a few events in the next few days? Do you have some last minute gifts to grab, or maybe a great meal you'd like to pair with wine?
Try out the Christmas Wine & Gifts section by clicking on the option below:

New iPhone App is Here!

By the way, if you haven't seen the new version of our iPhone app, please take a second and download from iTunes.  Oh yeah, it's free!

Happy Holidays!

The Hello Vino Team

Loading mentions Retweet