Well it's almost time to say buh-bye to 2009!

You know how we do that at Sup's! house. Well the same way you do of course, with something a little bubbly. Somehow the Champagne industry has managed to convince us all that it just is not a celebration with out a few floating, sparkling bubbles. Maybe I am just gulliable to their wiley ways, or maybe it's an actual fact. But I have decided that bubbles are festive. Bubbles are fun. Bubble mean celebration. Although this happy little fact does not mean all that sparkles shines. So when it comes to my bubbles I prefer the kind that float all the way to the top. Because not all sparkling wine is created equal and it's possible to get all the fizz with out the pop!

What I am trying to say is it's time to pick a special wine for your New Eve Celebration. I know you want it to be good. In fact I know you demand great taste and sparkling quality. You could go out and pick up a Krug, a Dom Pérignon or even a Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé. You could even drop $100.00 or more (way more). I am quite sure you would get an outstanding bottle and you would indeed have the makings of  a special evening. And if you are in a position to do that, and the celebration calls for it– this is certainly one of those evenings to go for broke.

However it is possible to get a lot of bang for your buck. All it takes is a little bit knowledge and you too can separate the pop from the fizzle. So I've brought in my brother Sip! to give us a few pointers. Take it away Grant.

Get off your duff and start getting ready. It will be here soon enough. You don’t want too many of the million and one little details to get set-aside until the last minute, now do you?

So make a list. There must be several of the chores you can get done early. And by early I mean– today!

One of the details that is easy to pre-plan is the wine. You have a pretty good idea about the menu, right? So there is no reason to wait in making this decision. Please don’t let it be an after-thought, or worse yet, don’t let it become a stressful decision.

So to help you (and by “you” I mean “me”) get one of these details checked off the to do list good and early, I asked my brother Grant for a simple run down of what he expects from a Thanksgiving wine. After all he is the Sip! half of SippitySup and this is a detail that falls firmly in his court.

He didn’t disappoint either. He put together some guidelines and even made a few suggestions. I know you will be happy to get this taken care of now. Because you have bigger fish to fry, err well, I mean turkeys to baste… GREG

The arrival of each season means different things to different people. Autumn brings football and leaf peeping. Winter means skiing and nights by the fire. Spring promises blooming flowers and baseball, and Summer is all about the beach and vacations.

For we food lovers, the local farmers markets’ bounty serves as our barometer. “Eating seasonally” is a way of life, and for each season, we have our favorite food associations. I believe that the intrinsic connection between food and wine demands that we “drink seasonally” as well.

Now that it’s summer and we’re all enjoying the season’s delicacies, let’s look at some wines that are sure to complement any summer menu, and enhance your culinary experience. The whites are fragrant and crisp, and the reds are fruity, low in tannin, and chillable. They are all inexpensive, light-bodied, and of course, refreshing in the heat of summer.