This little gem is from an article in today’s New York Times, suggesting that you allow 9 hours for the making of your Thanksgiving gravy. It sounds a little crazy — who has that kind of time? But I am tempted to use the recipe next week. Just to try out the timer.

“I cook my roux for a full hour,” said Tina Meche, a cook in St. Mary Parish, in Louisiana, who says she counts the time in glasses of red wine consumed (one every 20 minutes). “I think a pale gravy looks undercooked and kind of raw, but that’s just how I was raised.”

Raised right, I think!

Just a quick update on the Botanical Garden at Cossey.I ran into Bob Antozzi (Director of Parks and Rec) at First Friday last week.He said that for personnel reasons the water supply lines had yet to be installed. I don’t have a date yet on when this …

Members of a delegation from Princes Town, Ghana, sister city of Fredericksburg, pray before a forum and ceremony about recent DNA genealogical research linking Princes Town Chief Nana Ndama Kundumuah IV and an African American man from Memphis, Tenne…

I’ll bet many of you reading this have already begun working on your Thanksgiving Day meal. Finding the organic turkey, the perfect pie recipe, fuss we only bother with once a year. So . . . what wine are you serving? Your everyday favorites? Now why would you go all out on the meal, and not choose standout bottles of wine to complement your hard work?

At the holidays we’re fortunate to get together with friends and family, some of whom we haven’t seen since this time last year. I really enjoy treating them to something special. A wine they’ve never tried, or a stellar version of their tried and true favorite grape. Learn a little something about the bottle, the vineyard history, the winemaker — and pass this info along with your one of a kind pumpkin pie recipe.

Stop by for suggestions if you’d like a little help stepping out of your wine routine, or check out kybecca’s holiday picks at www.kybecca.com.

On a cold and drizzly Saturday morning, I followed an “Urban Trail Ride” through downtown Fredericksburg. I rode my bike, easier than walking/running to get around. Our focus was on members of the United Horsemen’s Assoc., a group dedicated to promotin…

Juan Carlos Bonilla. World traveler, businessman, consultant.

Most of you probably know that I am usually more of a wine girl than a beer girl. That said, it’s been more of a beer than a wine week for me (perhaps it’s all of the strange weather?)

I’ve admired the bold, incomprehensible labels on the German smoke beers, but I’ve been too much of a chicken to try one. Smoke…in my beer? I just wasn’t convinced it was a pairing that was meant to be.

That all changed the other night while in conversation with Chad and Kyle, who both raved about how the “smoke” comes off as bacon fat. BACON?! In my BEER!?! NOW WE’RE TALKING! I’m definitely a bacon girl. I like it for breakfast, on sandwiches and salads, in my CHOCOLATE (ask my about Vosges sometime!) Yeah….bacon makes everything better.

So I had to try it…and I’ve got to say, they were right on the mark. The malts come through with rich, maple-syrupy flavors. There’s also some roasty-toasty coffee notes. And the bacon….blissfully delicious! The only thing missing was a toasted, buttered english muffin and a plate of eggs benedict.

Yes, there is another election coming up in the city of Fredericksburg.We will be choosing the next Commonwealth District Attorney, December 16th.The post was vacated midcycle when Mr Sharp was appointed to a judgeship.In the midst of the holidays and …

We have loads of new beers in for you to try this week, including a couple of rarities.

We’ll start with the best first. We managed to get a limited quantity of the De Dolle Oerbier Special Riserva from Belgium. Oerbier is the fall seasonal from De Dolle brewers (although it usually gets here around autumn). The regular oerbier isn’t easy to get, but this one is even harder. It’s the regular oerbier (which is a Flemish ale) aged in oak barrels. This beer doesn’t even come around every year so get it while you can if you’re a fan of Belgian ale. Pictured right is the regular Oerbier, I don’t have a picture of the Special Riserva, but it looks like that but with a silver label.

From there we have lots of new or reappearing American craft brews. From Richmond’s Legend Brewing Company we have the Chocolate Porter and the Belgian-style Tripel. From New York’s Southern Tier Brewery there’s the Krampus Imperial Helles Lager, which is one of their winter seasonals and is basically a very strong lager. Back again from San Diego’s Stone Brewery is the Double Bastard, the big brother to the well-known Arrogant Bastard.

We also have an interesting beer from the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY. For those not familiar with this brewery, they specialize in Belgian-style ales and do it just as well as the Belgian breweries. We got a very small quantity of one of their once-per-year beers called Chocolate Indulgence. It’s a Belgian-style stout brewed with lots of Belgian chocolate. Good stuff.

Also rolling in are the Christmas beers such as Delirium Noel, Gouden Carolus Noel, and Penn Brewery Christmas Bock, among others. Plus other new stuff I don’t have time to mention. If you haven’t been in for a while come check it out.

There’s a funny article in today’s New York Times about selecting wines for the Thanksgiving meal. Well, that’s not really what the piece is about — it’s really about trying to please all the guests all the time, and whether or not that’s a worthwhile approach. The article actually recommends poking fun at friends who disagree with you about the sauvignon blanc or syrah, which does sound more entertaining than apologizing. The trick is to have a variety on hand.

kybecca has chosen its annual Thanksgiving picks (tasting notes and bottles in shop now). Sparkling wine from Greece, an Alsace riesling, French chardonnay, an organic red blend from Portugal, and Italian Barbera. Something for everyone!