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67 CLAREMONT ROAD • BERNARDSVILLE www.KenRent.com Extensive Selection of Holiday Paper Products Tables, Chairs, China, Silverware Let help you plan your next party! PARTY & TENT RENTALS & SALES 908-766-7114 Mon.-Fri. 8-5pm Sat. 9-1pm Closed Sunday Gift Certificates J EWELRY H ANDBAGS C LOTHING A CCESSORIES & M ORE W E H AVE A LL Y OUR S PECIAL O CCASIONS C OVERED ! Fall In Love With Kreations We will make your Shopping Experience Pleasant & Fun! F LAG P LAZA • 50 M T . B ETHEL R OAD • W ARREN , NJ •908-755-2700 WWW . K REATIONS B Y A NNE . COM Open Tue - Sat & Thur Evening N EW I NVENTORY A RRIVING D AILY Gift Certificates S HOP L OCAL , S HOP K REATIONS By Anne A Unique Boutique Open Sundays in December Violet Marie’s Home of the American Girl Doll Over 100 outfits and the latest styles of shoes and boots are here now! We have cribs, armoire, tables and chair sets, scooters, snowboards, triple bunk beds, trundle beds, trunks, wheel chairs, carrying cases and much, much more... 908-704-8080 Corner of Route 202 & 108 Thompson Street Raritan/Bridgewater Area For adults, there are gifts galore – fashion jewelry, evening purses and handbags at outlet prices. Always 25-30% discount Melissa and Doug toys! All Quality and All Below Retail!! Plenty of free parking Check Our Website for Coupons! (Located 1/4 mile south of Somerville Circle, 1 Street past Uneeda Route 202 N. We are set back in parking area of Stapleton Restaurant) Always free gift wrapping Hours: Tues.-Fri. 11-6 Sat. 11-5 • Sun. 11-4 Closed Mondays Voted #1 for Quality and Price Come in, enter to win the doll of the year - Grace No purchase necessary We specialize in quality clothing and accessories made for the American Girl Doll, Bitty Baby, Twin, and other 18 Dolls. Come in, of the yea It’s the most wonderful time of the year for wine! This is the time of year when all of the shelves are stocked with the latest and greatest wines available. It is also a time to celebrate with family and friends. Champagne and sparkling wines are my go-to wines for the holiday season. Not only are they festive, celebra- tory and fun to drink, but they liven up your palette and pair well with many foods and hors d’oeuvres. Champagne is the name for sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region in France. It is the pinnacle of sparkling wine. There are three main grapes that are used to produce Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The majority of Champagnes you see at wine stores are Non- Vintage (NV) Champagnes. This is typically the producer’s main commercial wine. It is made in the producer’s house style, and the wines are consis- tent year after year. Non-Vintage Champagnes do not see much benefit from bottle aging. On the other hand, Vintage Champagnes are only made in the best years, made from the best grapes cultivated, and bene- fit from further aging. Aged Vintage Champagnes offer more yeasty characteristics. Blanc de Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay, lighter in body, as well as offering citrus and green apple fruit characteristics. Blanc de Noir is made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, offering more red fruit characteristics. When looking at the label of a Champagne bottle, not only will you see the producer’s name, but you will see words like, Extra Brut, Brut and Demi-Sec. These terms refer to the level of sweet- ness of Champagne. There are seven levels of sweetness. Ranging from driest to sweetest, the order is Brut Natural, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra-Sec, Sec, Demi- Sec and Doux. The most com- mon is Brut. Champagne is not the only region producing sparkling wine. Nearly every wine region in the world produces sparkling wine. Prosecco and Cava are two great sparkling wines to consider this holiday season. Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine that has gained world-wide appeal over the last ten years. Produced with the Glera grape, these sparkling wines have fresh aromas of green apple and melon, and are typically a little sweeter. Prosecco is best when consumed while they are young and fresh, and is very affordable. Here’s a hint: for the best Prosecco, look for Conegliano- Valdobbeadene DOCG. Cava is produced in Spain using the traditional method of sparkling wine, and is an afford- able alternative to Champagne. Traditional Cava is a blend of regional Spanish grapes Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. Cava is a crisp and elegant sparkling wine, offering notes of lemon and biscuit. I hope you have many opportuni- ties to celebrate and enjoy the holiday season by popping bot- tles of bubbly with friends and family. Cheers! MAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS SPARKLE! By: Gary Fisch Gary’s Wine & MarketplaceHoliday Cheer