My friend and I are staying in an apartment in Paris for a week. The owner has been so nice to us and we%26#39;d like to bring him something from San Francisco, where we live. Does anyone have any suggestions for a small gift that a Parisian may like? I hate to buy touristy trinkets, but thats all I can think of!
We leave tomorrow!!
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If your hostess likes wine, I like bringing nice California Zinfandels. California excels on the world wine scene with this wine variety. The French love wine and they know that California wines are quite prestigious. However, France%26#39;s wine industry%26#39;s barriers normally make it hard for them to try. Rosenblum, Ravenswood and Ridge are the three big R%26#39;s. I find Rosenblums to have a greater spectrum of character. You can go tasting across the bay at Alameda/Oakland (a LOT easier than fighting Napa or Sonoma traffic!) to choose for yourself. Ravenswood%26#39;s are uniformly very good, but with fewer differences in character it seems. I%26#39;ve never had Ridge.
Remember not to pay more for the gift wine than you%26#39;re willing to see your hosts guzzle it down in an instant. They just might.
Remember that reds keep better than whites. Fortunately, zins are red. You can even bring your hosts an assortment. Just be sure to get a wine carrier.
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I thought of wine (Ravenswood Zin is one of my favorites, by the way) but I%26#39;m nervous about carrying it on the plane. What is a wine carrier? Where do you get it? Does it count as a carry on? We%26#39;re not checking anything so space is limited!
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A wine carrier is a cardboard box with a big block of styrofoam in it. The styrofoam%26#39;s going to have bottle shaped cavities in it. I%26#39;ve seen them available for two, three, six, nine and twelve bottles. You can get one at most liquor stores, BevMo or WineClub. It%26#39;s made for mailing so it does fine as check-in luggage!
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oh I missed your bit about not checking anything in...
I prefer not checking anything in either because of convenience and my philosophy of only checking-in those things that I%26#39;m willing never to see again...
Wine does weigh a bit and can make you nervous as a carry-on, but it can be done. In that case, the wine carrier would be quite bulky. Just bundle it well with clothes.
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Thank you for your suggestions! I think that%26#39;s a good idea!
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its good that you%26#39;re not checking your wine... you should never check wine, always try to carry on... it could go into unpressurized cargo and bad things will happen to it, not to mention the temperature fluctuations....
i always carry wine in my suit case, packed in my clothes... takes up less space than any carrier... since you%26#39;re going to want room for your souveniers on the way back, it won%26#39;t be a big deal to put in your suitcase anyway??
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Californian wine is a fantastic idea and how about pairing it with some Ghirardelli chocolate?
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There is a great product I used to buy at the Embarcadero Farmers%26#39; Market called Aubergine. It is a mesquite smoked eggplant dip which is really outstanding. It was made by a lady named Affie, who I believe has passed on the company to her relatives. If you have not tried it and can find it, it is outstanding. Paired with the pain au levant (if my memory serves me) found at the same farmers%26#39; market, it is really a treat. It seems to me that the Aubergine spread would really please the French palate, and it is typical of San Fran in my eyes, anyway. I used to bring home a large quantity of this stuff every time I visited San Fran, after living there for just a few months.
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elliemae, did you know that aubergine is the european word for eggplant?
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Thanks for your great suggestions!
The Aubergine dip is still at the Farmer%26#39;s Market (although it%26#39;s in its lovely new Ferry Building location now!) and yes, it%26#39;s very good. The company has grown a lot and they sell it at Whole Foods here now too, so you can find it on your next trip!
Thanks again for your ideas! We%26#39;re leaving this afternoon!!!
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