In a previous post (read it here), I explained some things to know when buying champagne. One was that all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne. (True champagne is produced in the Champagne region of France.) But that doesn't mean that sparkling wines are any less desirable.

This week's selection from WorldWineBoutique.com is a South African sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir grapes that will add a little color to your New Year's Eve celebration. And contrary to what you may think, the rose color does not mean it is a cheap, "pink champagne". Just the opposite. This particular bottle has been getting rave reviews.

Here are the bullet points:
- Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes
- One of the first South African wine makers to produce a sparkling wine in the Méthode Champenoise ...More

Once a year Michelob breaks from the usual and brews some truly special beers for the holiday season. Right now, just through the new year, they are offering their Celebrate brews, a pair of higher alcohol beers with unique flavors and deep rich colors.

Mich's Celebrate Cherry has a deep garnet color and is brewed with Munich carapils caramel malts and European aroma hops. Then natural cherry juice is added and it's matured on dark sweet cherries.

Celebrate Chocolate has a rich chocolate aroma and complex dark cocoa taste that comes from brewing with caramel and roasted malts and a variety of Hallertau/Tettnang and Alsace hops. Then they mature it on real cocoa beans.

These brews are definitely "dessert" beers, and are perfect after a holiday dinner with some cake, in front of a fire. (And the brew-masters over at Michelob suggest you drink them at room temp to get all the flavor.)

They come in limited edition 24-ounce platinum bottles, and they also offer a gift pack (pictured), that comes with a pair of crystal snifters to add a little class to your holiday imbibing. Dear Santa, I've been very, very good...

$25 for the gift pack
www.michelob.com

Wayne Gretzky may have hung up his skates for good back in '99, but that hasn't slowed him down. Part owner and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, he also owns a vineyard in the Niagara Peninsula of Canada. (Prompting one writer to comment, "The Great One has become The Grape One.")

One of his wines, Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 Unoaked Chardonnay 2006, is this week's selection from WorldWineBoutique.com. (And, as a BG reader, remember to enter coupon code WWB103BG when you check out to get 10% off your order.)

Here are the bullet points:
- This is considered the flagship wine of Gretzky Estates.
- It is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
- Harvested October 2006, bottled June 2007
- It's labeled "unoaked" because the wine is cool fermented in stainless steel, not oak casks. ...More

Energy drinks are the lifeblood of students, sales people, club goers, graveyard shift workers, and others. The problem is they contain a boatload of sugar. Which gets you buzzed, but also sets you up for a huge crash. A new energy drink squeezing its way into the crowded market also wants you give you wings. It just wants let you down gently.

Syzmo (pronounced SIZZ-mo), is the first energy drink on the market to be certified organic and be Glycemic Index tested. Instead of sugar, it's sweetened with all-natural Blue Agave syrup which gives the drink a low Glycemic Index score of 30. That gives you sustained energy without suffering a crash after. It also has organic coffee fruit, guarana extract, green tea extract and yerba mate extract, giving you an herbal lift, not ...More

On Monday I posted a quick piece about a $15 discount on wines from MyWinesDirect.com. (Read the post here.) Some of you encountered problems with the coupon code and weren't able to use it. I spoke several times to the owner of the site to get the problem rectified. He promised me the problem is resolved and for the inconvenience, has upped the discount to $20 on a purchase of $79 or more. The discount is good until this Friday, December 21.

If anyone has a problem using the code, or gets an error when trying to make a purchase, email me immediately at hey@thebachelorguy.com, as well as leaving a comment so other readers know there is a problem.

[UPDATE: The "bach15" code had problems. Use discount code: bach20 to get $20 off your order of $79 or more.]

Today is the last day to order wine from MyWinesDirect.com, pay zero for shipping, and still get your order by Christmas. Plus they are offering $15 off any six bottle wine pack (which start at $79), for BG readers.

Their tasting packs are perfect for someone who is new to wine drinking, or for someone who loves trying new wines. Their most popular is the Mixed Tasting Pack of two whites and four reds from Chile, Australia, France and California. Or give the Holiday Hits six-pack, featuring Cab-Syrah, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. There's something to pair with whatever is being served.

Tonight (12/17) at midnight ET is the cutoff to get your wines by Christmas. And with the $15 coupon, six bottles of wine start at just $64. Delivered. And the discount is good until December 31st, so you can order bottles for your New Year celebrations too.

Enter coupon code bach15 when ordering.

www.mywinesdirect.com

Here are three holiday cocktails to choose from when you see her standing under the mistletoe, drinkless and alone.

Merry Berry
1 1/2 oz Smirnoff Blueberry Flavored Vodka
1 oz of white or red cranberry juice
1 oz of tonic or soda
Squeeze of Lime

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Berry Bells
1 1/2 oz Smirnoff Flavored Vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz Lime juice

Shake and serve in a chilled martini glass.


Frost Bite
1 1/2 oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional
2 oz Chilled cranberry juice
2 oz Chilled apple juice
Club soda or seltzer
Ice

Fill a glass with ice. Add tequila, cranberry juice, and apple juice. Top off with soda. Serve in a highball glass.

Christmas Eve falls on a Monday this year. And you know what that means. Monday Night Football. Perfect excuse for getting the guys together while the ladies wrap gifts. And because you'll be celebrating, this calls for more than a six-pack.

Once a year Budweiser releases their special Brew Masters’ Private Reserve. Brewed in a limited run, it's a rich, malty Doppelbock created with four types of malts, including Munich and caramel malts - classic for this style of beer - creating a smooth, toasted malt flavor.

The brew comes packaged in a huge 46.5 ounce bottle with a swing top cap, should you want to save some for later. And you will. The gift set also includes two stemmed pilsner-style glasses, because drinking this beer out of the bottle would be an insult to the brew masters who created it.

It's the perfect gift to give another guy without triggering any awkwardness.

$25
www.budweiser.com
1-800-DIAL-BUD for retailers.

We have a new sponsor to introduce: WorldWineBoutique.com, a site dedicated to offering you hard-to-find and limited run wines, as well as wines produced by small boutique vineyards. Great bottles you may not be able to find easily anywhere else.

I'll be featuring one of their bottles every week, give you some good info on the wine, and whenever possible, some interesting or unusual details about the wine or winery you can weave into a story you can tell your date while pouring her a glass. (Gotta impress those dates.)

And when you see something you like, they'll give you a 10% discount on your order for being a BG reader. Just enter WWB103BG when you check out.

This week's wine is Highbank Red Blend Basket Pressed Coonawarra 2001.
Here are some bullet points:
- It is an Australian wine from one of the country's most highly regarded vineyards.
- It's a blend of 70% percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, making it a huge, full wine. ...More

With all the holiday parties you'll be hitting the next few weeks, you can be assured there will be some drinking going on. And although you may not want to admit it, at some of those parties, you may drink to excess. And if there's no designated driver around, you either cab it home or wake up on the host's front lawn.

Mornings on the lawn suck. So to make sure you get home, keep a few of these "Dear Cab Driver" cocktail napkins on you. These multi-purpose wonders not only keep you from getting a water stain on the bar, but they also let the driver know where to take you, and where to access your money, after your friends push your passed-out butt into a cab.

$3.95 for a 12 pack
www.spoonsisters.com

For holiday parties, having the right mixers on hand is just as important as having the right spirits. One you may not have used yet (or even heard of), is Pomegranate 7UP.

Adding the wildly popular pomegranate flavor to the familiar lemon-lime, this version of the Uncola is a limited edition, made just for the holidays. And it works for drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Here are recipes for one of each. The Mistletoe Mojito adds a holiday twist to the tropical favorite. And the Merry Berry Float can be served as a dessert, or as a "cocktail" for those kids that may be tagging along with mom and dad to the party. (Stock up. It's only available until Jan 31st.)

MISTLETOE MOJITO
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
8 fresh mint leaves
2 ounces white rum ...More