I too have enjoyed the Yellowtail Label. Another good Aussie Lable for Reds is The Little Penguine. It is very similar to Yellowtail in style and drinkablity. I came across a great site www.ivillage.co.uk/food/experts/wineexpert/articles/0,,166022_166960,00.html It was really infomative for breaking down the flavours for the different black grape varieties. You might want to check it out because the discriptions might help you to narrow down the flavor that you are looking, for so that you can experiment confidently on your own.

A true "tradizinale" balsamic vinegar is regulated by the Italian government and by law runs 6% acidity. It just tastes less acid due to the sweetness. The U.S. government doesn't regulate balsamic vinegars, so the many balsamic vinegars available here will run anywhere from 4-6%, depending upon brand. Anything less than 4% doesn't qualify as "vingar." Topp and Howard are very innovative in their recipes; I love that book and have canned many of their condiments. They are Canadian, but Topp especially has excellent food-safety credentials and the book does follow USDA principles. It was Topp who developed a method for driving water off oils for safer storage of garlic, fresh herbs etc. in oil. However, that is not the same as canning. In canning you are sealing a product in an anaerobic environment. Botulism loves a low-acid, low-heat, low-oxygen environment. Butter and oils contain high levels of fat which help insulate any botulism spores from penetration by heat and acid. So driving off the water in canning terms is not the only relevant factor. Katie knows what she's talking about. She is the expert. However, I would discourage fiddling around with substitutions in canning recipes, especially as a beginner. Canning isn't cooking. It's science. You're being wise in asking for help in learning the process. I very much recommend the National Center for Home Food Preservation and their self-paced online food preservation course. Just scroll down the page at the link. Happy preserving. I think you'll really enjoy Topp and Howard's book. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

What you want to do will not be meaningful because a particular wine might be wonderful for one dish and not another. For example a Sauvignon Blanc might be perfect for Fillet of Sole Bonne Femme and do nothing for a wine reduction sauce for a venison roast. To say that wine is not "good for cooking" is not correct information. It might be more helpful to make notes of the particular dish that you found the wine enhanced. With a wine reduction sauce, sometimes I will reduce all the other ingredients and add the wine in the last minute. This will be sauces where I use a fourth of a cup or so of wine. The sauce will then have a perfect balance of flavors because I will adjust the balance starting with an eighth of a cup first. When you are doing a bigger reduction, say a whole bottle of red wine, you will need to balance the tartness with the addition of a sweeter wine, say a wonderful port. About a half bottle port, to a full bottle of red wine. A sauce like this would be wonderful for strongly flavored meats, such as venison, goose and wild duck. You would probably end up with about 2 cups of sauce. I admit this is an outrageous extravagance but if you are entertaining a head of state, or your husbands first girlfriend or maybe your boss, you can do this every once in a while. Finally, I think the word you want is not "blend" but varietal. "Blend" is something done to spirits. Sometimes wine are blended and the are called a "meritage" or it is not even noted if the amount is slight.

The above advice works if the staff knows anything about wine. Some do, some don't. Check out a couple of the other threads on this forum - Breathing, "Is it just me" and a couple of others - I and others have made some recs. If you are giving a present, it should be more than a supermarket wine, but not necessarily a super-expensive wine. You can get a great wine for somewhere in the $20s, $30s, and $100s, depending on what you are looking for. If it is a wine-drinker, select something that the person would appreciate. Many great Spanish wines are out these days and something from there may be interesting - avoid Rioja and Ribera del Duero in the 2002 vintage and you will be OK. Southern France makes great wines - again avoid the 2002 vintage. In the area of Chateauneuf du Pape - Pierre Ussegglio and Fils makes a basic blend that goes for $26 - $36. From nearby Gigondas, Domaine Brusset makes a Hauts de Montmirail that is wonderful - lots of cherry and spice and very smooth drinking. Both are areas that you may want to look at for decent values that you can drink today or keep for a few years. Nearby is Minervois, Roussillon, and Corbieres - all places to look for something good. In Italy, you can pick up decent Chianti Classico for somewhere in the $20s - Viticcio, Felsina, Gabbiano, and others all make Reservas that are in the low $20s and wonderful. The reservas are worth the extra money too, and again, other than the 2002 vintage, any that you are likely to find will be good. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 are all tasty.