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Let’s be clear, by no means are we endorsing heavy drinking. We do, however, understand that there are occasions when people—to put it politely—stop counting. It might be your bachelor party, a friend’s birthday party, or… New Year’s Eve. Tonight is the night where even those who aren’t typically “drinkers” let loose and celebrate the New Year. It’s possible when you wake up on the first day of 2013 that the only reminder you have of tonight is your heightened sense of hearing and sensitivity to light. Thus, you don your sunglasses and groan at any pin-drop-turned-velociraptor-screech and head out for a late bacon-filled brunch.

Traditional Martini

Hangovers are the result of several factors, meaning no single equation works for every person. This is not a one-size fits all nausea. Instead, your weight, the amount of food in your stomach prior to drinking and how much sleep you got the night before are added against a constant: the amount of congeners contained in the alcohol in your drink of choice for the evening. Congeners are substances released during fermentation responsible for the taste and smell of distilled spirits—basically they’re what make alcohol enjoyable.

So, to keep you hangover-free on this holiday, we have a few tried-and-true tips. But, before that, here are the top 5 cocktails that induce the worst hangovers (if all other factors aren’t in your favor). In other words— STAY AWAY FROM:

5. Rob Roy

4. Gin Martini

3. Planter’s Punch

2. Long Island Iced Tea

1. Vodka Martini

I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy one of these scintillating libations. What I’m saying is that if you do, remember to practice these top three hangover prevention tips:

1. Alternate every cocktail with a glass of water; the main reason for a hangover is dehydration

2. Do not drink on an empty stomach; have something with protein before heading out

3. Drink slowly—the goal is to enjoy yourself, not to get sloppy

If you decide not to listen to us and wake up tomorrow wishing you had, here is the remedy we suggest to reduce those awful hangover symptoms:

DRINK WATER

Track down a banana; potassium is your friend

Eat a light breakfast. A protein/carb combo, like eggs and whole wheat toast, will recover some nutrients you have lost

Sleep. Hopefully you have the day off work; let your body recover

Remember, you should always celebrate responsibly. The best way to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation. Good luck and we wish you all a very happy and safe new year!

Cheers!

Meghan and Hannah

The 2010 Saint Péray white, Lieu Dit Payrolles by Pic-Chapoutier is the most unique, small production from a single vineyard wine that we have ever brought in and made available to our guests at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

In fact, only 100 bottles of this divine beverage were allocated for retail purchase.

Until last year, this wine was only available to the patrons of Pic-à-Valence, the world famous three-star Michelin restaurant in the Rhône Valley in Southern France.

The 2010 Lieu Dit Payrolles is made of 100% old vines Marsanne from a single, high-altitude vineyard, composed of granitic soil and surrounded by woods in the Saint Péray appellation of the Northern Rhône Valley.

The wine exhibits saturated golden yellow color with green hues and aromas and flavors of ripe citrus, star fruit, acacia flower and spicy notes of star-anis and cloves; full-bodied and generous, ample and defined with floral and honeyed notes on the long-lasting finish.

This was one of the most intense, pure and exciting white wines ever tasted by our panel.

A bottle of the 2010 Saint Péray white, Lieu Dit Payrolles is now accessible to all true wine enthusiasts for only $80.

Secure yours now!!

Pic-Chapoutier is a combined effort of two of the most influential people in their respective fields: Anne-Sophie Pic (restaurant Pic in Valence) and Michel Chapoutier (domain M. Chapoutier).

Maison Pic is one of the highest places of French gastronomy, located in the town of Valence in the Rhône Valley. The restaurant has more than a century of history, three generations, each eneration distinguished by the highest three-star Michelin award.

The Chapoutier family has more than 200 years of winemaking history in the Rhone Valley, producing some of the world’s greatest wines (Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes Hermitages, Saint Joseph, Châteauneuf du Pape, Luberon) and more recently in the wine regions of Roussillon, Languedoc, Alsace and outside of France, in Portugal and Australia. The vineyards are cultivated organically or biodanamically.

Atanas Nechkov, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

On twitter @abcwineatanas

Beer blogger Adam Shugan is a store manager in Gainesville.

My beer-from-every-country trip has come to end. It was a fun jaunt and I experienced myriad tastes, colors, and smells. Now I am going to go back to hunting for uncommon styles that breweries have been reviving.

Today I have Sam Adams Verloren, which is part of a Small Batch Series of rare-beer-style bombers that they recently released. It is a Gose and this is the first time I have seen or sampled this style.

A Gose is a very old unfiltered German wheat beer born in Leipzig. The main ingredient is 50 to 60% malted wheat with low hopping and the addition of coriander and salt. The finished product is a turbid, dry, and spicy brew. Many true German ones have a flavored and / or colored syrup added to it to balance out the addition of lactic acid in the boil. A horned owl graces the label of the bottle and it lists the addition of the coriander and the salt.

Appearance: serving it chilled in my Kronenbourg 1664 glass. A modest pour produces a massive rocky head that sticks to the sides of the glass. It gives off a cloudy iced tea color with no residual bubbling.

Smell: coriander, sea salt, orange zest, bread crust and wheat husk. It goes from spicy to bready to earthy. It is a rather pleasant aroma.

Taste: I do not really pick up the salt, but there is a twang of wheat and an almost rye-like spice. The coriander remains faint but there are some lemony undertones that stick to the back of the throat. Actually, the coriander has an oily feature that I detect when I lick my lips. As I continue to sip I get a hint of passion fruit. I am a bit disappointed in the lack of saltiness because I enjoy the taste of some good sea salt. I find I really enjoy the smell of coriander. I mentioned a few blogs back about Hitachino Nest White Ale from Japan, which has one of the best coriander smells I have experienced.

This turned out to be a very nice beer style. I recommend it to anyone who likes Blue Moon, Shock Top, Barrel Trolley Belgian White or Hoegaarden. Even though these examples are Belgian Whites, they have pretty similar tastes. Look for Verloren and others in the Samuel Adams Small Batch series at your local ABC.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," according to Andy Williams. And of course when he sang, "Be of good cheer," what was he saying? Of course he's encouraging us to enjoy our beverage of choice throughout the holidays. I guess it goes without saying that for me it will be wine.

"With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings. When friends come to call."...What could be better than Champagne? We just received our holiday shipment of Moutard Champagne. If you are not familiar with this small, high quality producer you are missing out. One only has to read what one of the most respected wine writers, Antonio Galloni of the Wine Advocate had to say.

NV Moutard Brut Grand Cuvee

"I was quite taken back with the wines I tasted from Moutard this year. The NV Brut Grande Cuvee emerges from the glass with high toned notes of Mirabelle plums, kirsch, crushed flowers and sweet herbs. There is an exotic quality to the Grand Cuvee that is totally beguiling. Intensely aromatic and layered through the finish, the Grande Cuvee impresses for its delicate, feminine personality and overall balance." 90 pts

NV Moutard Brut Rose

"The House's NV Brut Rose de Cuvasion is another standout. Tar, smoke and game are some of the aromas and flavors that emerge from the glass, adding considerable complexity and nuance. A short maceration on the skins gives this 100% Pinot Noir Champagne its volume and breadth. Richness and sophistication meld together beautifully here. This is a standout from Moutard."92pts

2005 Moutard Cuvee 6 Cepages

"An exotic melange of dried pears, flowers, herbs, lime, red berries and ginger emerges from Moutard's 2005 Brut Cuvee des 6 Cepages, one of the few Champagnes made with all six authorized grapes. The Cuvee 6 Cepages is a decidedly exotic, totally beguiling wine loaded with personality. It is a pleasure to taste." 93pts

So don't forget what Mr. Williams sang, "There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow" ...and you must get some Moutard Champagne to celebrate this most wonderful time of the year.

Paul Quaglini

Beer blogger Rick Swartz manages our Vero Beach (Miracle Mile Plaza) store. He's Cicerone certified. You can follow him on Twitter @abcbeerrick

There are as many different holiday traditions as there are families who celebrate them. Usually,
these traditions include gathering together around shared meals with friends and family. With all of the many craft beers available, knowing where to begin when seeking out a beer/food pairing can be intimidating. I’ll share some of my thoughts when it comes to holiday pairings.

Ham

I like to pair ham with either a spiced beer or a porter. If you are drawn to ham’s smoky flavor, you would probably enjoy a porter. On the other hand, if you prefer the sweeter maple or brown sugar cured hams, choosing a spiced ale will accentuate the clove in the ham and the sugars.

Suggestions: Stone smoked porter, Sierra Nevada porter, Bell’s Christmas Ale, Anchor Merry Christmas Happy New Year or Rogue’s Chateau Pumpkin.

Turkey

A Belgian dubbel or German Dunkel pairs exceptionally well with Turkey and gravy. Both have the
ability to stand up to the heartiness of Turkey, while possessing the sweetness needed to cut through savory gravy.

Suggestions: Ommegang Abbey ale, Sierra Nevada’s Ovila Dubbel, Bell’s Hell Hath no Fury ale, Ayinger Dunkel or Warsteiner Dunkel

Rack of Lamb

Lamb has the type of intense flavors that pair well with Scotch ales or Old ales. Lamb is hearty enough to stand up to these typically bigger beers without fearing that the beer will be over-powering. The sweet notes and slightly fruity nose will complement most any accompanying sauce.

Suggestions: Bruery Fruet, Bell’s Third Coast, Great Divide Hibernation, Cigar City Big Sound, or
Oskar Blues Old Chub.

Bread Pudding

I don’t know about you, but I see more bread pudding served this time of year compared to any other. They are rich, decadent, easy to make and easy to pair. A typical bread pudding pairs well with Belgian Strong Dark ale. A chocolate bread pudding could be served with a sweet fruity lambic, or a rich bold chocolate stout.

Suggestions: Unibroue Trois Pistoles, La Trappe Quadrupel, Weyerbacher Quad, Brooklyn Black Chocolate stout, Bells Expedition stout, Dogfish World Wide stout, Rogue’s Shakespeare Oatmeal stout.

Guest blogger Stephen Simms traveled to California this summer with other wine consultants. Here are some of his notes on his experience at Antica.

On the last day of our three-day trip to Napa Valley, our ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine consultant group arrived at the Antica Napa Valley property, which is a mile away from the famous Stagecoach winery. We were warmly welcomed by the estate manager, Ms. Kim Peters, and were treated to a breathtaking panoramic view of the Antica Estate.

Antica Napa Valley is a 1,200 acre stunning wine estate located in Foss Valley at the base of Atlas Peak (or "blue mountain," as the locals call it) in the Atlas Peak sub-appellation. While this is Napa, it certainly does not resemble the main valley floor.

This property is owned by the Antinori family. This family has an amazing history. They own one of the world's five oldest family businesses and trace their wine business back to the year 1385 (they
have another 200 years before that in finance). That's more than six centuries, or, in their case, 26 generations of involvement in the wine industry. Their business was founded before Columbus set sail and about 450 years before wine grapes were even planted in the Napa Valley.

These are all hillside vineyards; the property ranges in elevation from 1,200 to 1,800 feet. Because of the elevation and relative close proximity to the San Pablo Bay to the south, the site has moderate weather year round.

Unlike the northern part of Mt. Veeder and the Spring Mountain appellations (on the other side of the valley) this part of Atlas Peak doesn't really see an inversion layer so the nights are also fairly cool even during the summer. This all contributes to a long growing season and hang time. Sugars can get high, but they have the hang time to ensure that the other phenolics develop and "balance" out the ripe fruit before the actual harvest.

After taking pictures of the lovely landscape we headed to the wine caves built under the small mountain.

The walls of the cave were filled with thousands of oak barrels and the cave walls were covered with moss.
We were informed by our tour guide that the 35,000 square foot cave was built in 1985 and was drilled by their employees using equipment from a mine that had
recently shut down in the southeastern USA. No gunite was used and after only 25 years the inside walls already look like a much older cave. The inside of the cave looks decidedly European—it has the "character" you often associate with a wine cave.

More to follow...

I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my home this year. After all, it's been years since I cooked a turkey and all the trimmings. Having spent years in the restaurant business, I was fairly confident I could pull this off without a glitch, but still....

The afternoon began just as planned. The Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut was a huge hit with the pre-dinner appetizers. As my house filled with the intoxicating aroma of roast turkey, my anxiety grew. The moment of truth came when I started carving the bird and could see it was perfectly cooked...job done...or so I thought.

I had a couple of bottles of 2005 vintage Beaune Premier Cru in my wine fridge just waiting to be uncorked for the big day. Great producer, extraordinary vintage, and as so often happens with red Burgundy, the bottles disappointed rather than delivered. {Sorry to my Francophile friends but I'm sure you have experienced this as well}. The wine was supposed to be the easy part of my turkey day meal.

I knew I had to act quickly. I could see my friends were not enjoying the wine as much the food. I reached into my Danby and pulled out a bottle of Poggio Il Castellare Sant' Antimo Cervio. Tuscan cabernet is not a wine I would normally choose for Thanksgiving dinner but the wonderful scents of crushed berries and fresh herbs along with the velvety tannins was a perfect match. Fortunately I had a second bottle to get us through the dinner. Sadly, however, most of this spectacular wine is quickly disappearing from our stores.

Don't despair, though, if you don't find any of the 2008 Cervio left in our stores. The 2009 vintage of this wine should be in our stores before Christmas. Wine Spectator has once again awarded the wine 93 points and describes it as follows: "Deeply rooted black currant, cherry, spice and earth flavors mingle in this intense red. This is more about the fruit, with well-mannered tannins and structure nicely integrated. The fine finish of black currant and spice lingers. $60" Our price is $34.99 at the time of this writing.

Paul Quaglini

Follow me on twitter @abcwinepaulq

Every so often, the opportunity to get together with friends and share good food and wine presents itself and I like to be prepared when it does. When those friends also like fine wine and the good discussion fine wines bring, the get-together is what we in this business really live for! This past week I was given a boneless leg of Colorado lamb, (THANK YOU, Brad!) one of my favorite meats (and one that seems to work just fine with almost any nice red wine). It only took one phone call to find someone to help devour it. A few pounds of fresh shrimp and a baguette rounded out the menu, and we were ready!

The shrimp were sautéed in olive oil with finely diced red onion, garlic and a little butter. When they were finished, fresh lime juice and salt gave them the needed spark to pair with a 2007 Ch. Luchey-Halde blanc from Pessac-Leognan. The wine is rich and vibrant, with a nerve of lime/citrus acidity and an almost lemon curd flavor...simply wonderful.

I have to admit it was a bit difficult focusing on the white with the aroma of lamb filling the house! The leg was tied, braised, then roasted for an hour with crimini mushrooms and red potatoes…everything was shimmering with olive oil, garlic and rosemary...heavenly! We opened first the 2005 Echezeaux from Maison Champy. Rich and mouth filling, with a fair dose of new oak, the Grand Cru showed very well, but probably better in another 2 years. Next we decanted my only bottle of 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Paul Autard, the Cuvee le Cote Ronde. Should have been stunning, but was an off bottle, so down the drain it went. We ‘settled’ for a 1990 Napa Cabernet from Harrison Estate. Mature and in pristine condition, the wine was delicious but was at the end of a long journey, and began cracking up just about the time we finished it….Very herbal/sage-like and silky, it was a very nice match with the lamb.

I have had these bottles of red for years, stored in a wine fridge at home for times like this. Every once in a while, they whisper for me to open them, but as much as I enjoy them, they are wines that you need to experience with others, conversation pieces really, so they sit quietly until the opportunity presents itself. Thanks, Mr. Greeley.

Shayne Hebert, Central/Coastal Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne

Beer guru Rick Swartz, a manager in Vero Beach, joins our "official" beer team. Follow him on Twitter @abcbeerRick for everything new in Beer Country, and watch for his posts here.

With all of the major beer brands touting their born-on dates and gimmicky labels that change colors when at the “proper” ice-cold temperature, it is easy to miss a couple of key beer facts. The first of these facts is that a great beer can be as age-worthy as a great wine. The second is that not all beer is most enjoyable when it is ice-cold.

Just like with wine, there are elements to consider when both selecting a beer to “lay-down” and deciding how to store that beer. A general rule is that the higher the gravity, or ABV, of a beer the better cellaring potential is has. As far as storage, if beer is stored too warm, you risk shortening the beer’s lifespan and if they are too cold, they can become cloudy. Generally, the strongest beers (quads, tripels, barley wines, and Imperial IPAs and Stouts) benefit the most from “room temperature” storage in the 55 to 65°F range. Standard ales (IPAs, doppelbocks, stouts, Belgian goldens) should be kept at a “cellar” temperature of 50 to 55°F. Lastly, lighter beer (lagers and wheat beers) should be kept refrigerated at 45 to 50°F. Just like with wine, the appropriate storage temperature is also the appropriate serving temperature.

When you are going to purchase beer for cellaring, it is also important to buy at least two of any beer you are going to store. After all, you are going to want to try one now and most likely, you will want to do vertical comparisons at some point in the future, trying several “vintages” in a single tasting session. Then, sometimes, you will just want to pull out a special bottle for a special occasion.

For me, such an occasion is today (I'm writing this on the weekend). I have the day off. College football is on the TV, meat on the grill, and a bottle of Clipper City’s Heavy Seas Below Decks barley wine from 2006. This is an English-style barley wine with 10%ABV. This beer began its life in the bottle with a deep copper color, but has darkened some with time to show a little more brown and ruby tones.

A slow pour into a tulip glass reveals a slight frothy head that builds to about a centimeter before quickly receding. On the nose, there are notes toasty malt and caramel backed up by slightly spicy, piney hops. In addition to these expected general characteristics, there are other layers of complexity in the nose including sweet tobacco, worn leather, raisin, milk chocolate, and very subtle notes of cardamom and fresh peppercorns.

On the palate, it is front-loaded with caramel and toffee sweetness. On mid-palate, it carries some semi-sweet bitterness, not unlike what one finds in a caramel latte. It finishes with some lingering sweetness balanced by very subdued English hop bitterness. Overall, it has a silky, though perhaps somewhat thinner than expected mouth-feel for a beer of this gravity; nevertheless, it is highly enjoyable.

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Brew Hops & Wine Stops

New Year's Eve is Here!

Detroit Brewing Company Altbeir

Wine Travels in South Africa (Part 4)

What's new: Lieu Dit Payrolles

Candy Cane Shots: Pin-Possible or Impossible?

Stony Brook Red Tasting Notes

Exciting New Reds from Spain

Making sense of St. Emilion

It's That Time of Year!

Pin-possible or Impossible?

What to try: Gose style

What's new: Veuve Ambal sparkling wines

…coming to the end

Moutard for the most wonderful time of the year

Holiday Food and Craft Beer Pairings

Bodegas Baigorri: New Wave Rioja

2009 Bordeaux

JUICE or WINE?

Destination California: Antica (part I)

World Tour of Beer: New Zealand

A Wine Breakfast in South Africa (Part 3 of Our Travels)

...as we press on

What's new: Xavier wines

Cervio saved the day

Good beer, bad scare

Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyday celebration: good food, good wine, good friends

Making money stretch

Ageworthy beers

Way to celebrate: Sam Adams Utiopas

Visiting South Africa (part 2)