I know Father’s Day is tomorrow, but if your Dad is a wine lover like mine I have the perfect gift for him. This set of cufflinks feature a bottle of wine and cork screw at a very reasonable price. Cufflink Depot has a variety of price ranges and options in the wine theme including sterling silver Champagne bottles, wine glasses, and even grapes. You can also get the box personalized. I know any wine lover would love this gift.

Our local grocery is holding a fire sale on its holiday wine overstock.  And by fire sale, I mean selling its stock for pennies:  I purchased grapeinabottle and I two bottles of bubbly for less than $5, which includes the sale discount and my handy discount card.  En fuego!  We’re not big sparkling wine drinkers (we’re not big white drinkers generally, but I digress), but who’s going to turn down (almost) free wine?  I picked up a Barefoot Chardonnay Champagne and a Yellow Tail Sparkling Wine for purposes of comparison/contrast.  I expected to like the Barefoot, especially considering the hang tag proclaiming its awards, which dangled from the neck of the bottle.  But I much preferred the Yellow Tail–I detected hints of vanilla and pineapple, but with a crisp (rather than sweet) finish–which is a proprietary blend of 72% Semillon, with Traminer, Viognier, and Trebbiano.  And it didn’t leave that egads! gag reflex in my throat, as *cheap* bubbly so often does.  My verdict?  Pour the Yellowtail into your party flutes, and mix the Barefoot.