nice pictures, next year I'll eat a turkey, I'll learn how to cook

OsoMajor,

The nativity scene is small, just Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. No shepherds, angels or wise men. A few animals.

Have you ever had NY wine? (I'm sure you are a California wine fan and with good reason, but I'm from upstate NY and they make some nice wine, too.) Am I allowed to ask that question on a Spain forum?

When we were kids, my Spanish grandmother would send us several boxes of Spanish turron around the holidays. My brother and I would jump on it like we never saw candy before.

The boxes she sent had a really nice painting of Columbus landing in the new world. I never see that same box, and I look for it on the shelves of all the supermarkets in Spain. There are so many, but I never see that one.

We liked the turron duro - the white hard one with all the nuts. She also used to bring another kind that was soft and oily that we didn't like. Just to be polite, we used to hide it and pretend that it was finished. Usually around June it would be found hidden behind the sofa or under a bed.

I noticed a lot of suger free turron being sold recently. Is that any good?

I had New York wine once, but it was some kind of Jewish wine. Is that what you're talking about?

My hometown of Canandaigua does make a Jewish wine, but there is so much more than that. Have you been upstate? (Finger Lakes, specifically) It is sooooo beautiful and there are tons of wineries, including the new New York State Wine and Culinary Center.

I enjoyed your holiday stories. (and I've enjoyed your other posts. I have learned a lot from you)

Candy, in my opinion, should not be sugar free. (unless it is for diabetics who can't enjoy sugar).

When I was in NYC recently, I noticed that some restaurants sold NYS wine, so if you get a chance, check it out.

I have a friend ( from Quebec ) but who lives with his wife and kids in California ( Napa ) . I went to visit a few years ago and as his business is Wine ( he owns the business ) we had a great time tasting the different varieties ! And we had a great steak BBQ at his house before I had to get the bus to San Francisco .
When I was last in NYC ( maybe 5 years ago ) I was shocked at how unaccessible wine was in the city . You can buy beer , no problems , but wine was difficult . I was in an apartment in Bleeker St .. Downtown .. And some American guys were telling me that some city law prohibits the sale of some wines within the downtown area . But they directed us to a great store that sold ( very good ) wine but only from the USA .
In London , just turn any corner and you can get wine from many countries .
I know there are many New Yorkers on this site so I´d be interested on feedback about this .
Turrón I really don´t like .. I have some in the cupboard right now but from a guy from Alicante ( traditional home of Turrón ) and it´s going to be thrown out .
I´ve never tried Jewish/kosher wine but I adore Jewish food ! The town where I used to live ( Westcliff-on-Sea ) in Essex has a big traditional Jewish population and I used to go for breakfast at a restaurant that served toasted bagels with smoked salmon , cream cheese , olives etc.... And I´ve been to a Jewish restaurant in St. Petersburg ( Russia ) for great food !! ( But behind bullet proof glass as drive by anti-semetic shootings can be a problem ) .
What is NY"S" wine ?

Steve,

When you're from New York State and you tell people that you are from New York, they automatically assume it is New York City. I call New York City "NYC", but when I refer to the state, I say, "NYS" I am from the Finger Lakes area of New York State, but people often have no idea where that is.

I live in Michigan now where you can buy wine in the grocery store or the drug store, but in New York you can only buy wine in wine stores with liquor licenses. Beer is available in the grocery store. I think it has something to do with the alcohol content, but I'm not positive. It is inconvenient for the buyers and possibly the sellers. Last summer we were in a liquor store buying NYS wine (and also some Argentine and Spanish wine) and the proprietor told us that he can't sell anything but wine and wine related items. He'd like to be able to sell some foods, but he can't. weird.

Maybe Donna can shed more light on the New York wine laws.

I didn't like too much of the candy I tried in Spain except for Valor Chocolate. I don't know if it is because it isn't as sweet or what. Generally I like sweets. But you all have made me curious to try turron now.

Turron is wonderful, but make sure you have strong teeth.

As for buying wine in New York City, I don't know what you are talking about. It is not sold in supermarkets, but liquor stores usually sell wine from many countries. Maybe the one you went to specialized in American wine and sold only that. I never heard of a city law that prohibited the sale of some wines in the downtown area. Those guys were just joking with you.

I've been through NYS on a train to Montreal. There was some amazing scenery from that train.

Teachertraveler8,

I haven't tried any NYS wines, would like to try some. It seems that more states are getting into the wine industry. Out here in the West Coast we have California, Oregon and Washington. Texas has gotten into the wine business as well as Virginia and even Missouri. Don't know of other states with wineries, but I'm sure there's more.

Steve, I love bagels & lox! It was one of my wife's favorite things to nosh! Onion bagels or "everything" bagels are my favorite. We're also fortunate to have a large Jewish community in Los Angeles. Lot's of great food!

I hate to say this but I've never had turron.

Ok there is some law in NYC that prevents the sale of wine in grocery stores unless thay have a license . In Madrid it would be inconcievable to not be able to buy wine in any store . Indeed you can buy wine of the shelf in some bars near me ! The guys in NYC were telling me that to get any decent wine I would maybe have to travel to a supermarket on the outskirts of the city . I saw this article on line which I´m going to paraphrase :

New York is one of those strange cities where you can only buy wine in a licensed liquor store or winery. On your way home from work you cannot walk into a grocery store or a supermarket and pick up a bottle or two. A debate is raging over whether to turn over this prohibition era law. Regardless of the outcome .
The debate in New York has put the groceries against an alliance of distributors, liquor and wine store owners. In fact, this group warns that with the new law a third of the 2,700 independent liquor stores in the city will go out of business. The government is leaning towards letting the grocery stores carry the wines not because it thinks it is the right thing to do but because the city needs the revenue.
The wine stores owners grumble about the competition (primarily the grocery chains) killing their business overnight by their ability to discount their offerings and wrangle better deals from the distributors and the producers. The store owners also think that its unfair that they are not allowed to sell cheese, bread and other foods that naturally pair with wines while the grocery stores can. These wine stores do have a point.
When I'm in New York, I shop at Whole Foods and salivate over the thought that I'll finally be able to buy my wine right after choosing a cheese and vice versa. As a wine consumer, how can I not want that. But then I also frequent a few local wine shops that carry some more high end wines and give me fabulous service. I'm torn on the issue as a result. I would hate to see my local wine stores go out of business. I definitely won't get that service in a grocery chain. But I do believe that in the long run the stronger wine stores will hold their own and opening up sales to the grocery stores can only help the industry.

The website this appeared on was from an Indian guy who wants to develop the wine industry in India . The site is : http://www.sommelierindia.com/blog/2009/03/buying_wine_retail_in_india_le.html