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A Guide to Buying Australian Wine

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , July 4th, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
Andrew Gates asked:

Why buy wine?

In Australia, wine has become the new beverage of choice for people in all walks of life. Moreover, Australia has developed an enviable reputation amongst wine drinkers and appreciators the world over. Myshopping.com.au can help you make the right selection of wine for any occasion and to suit any taste. Listed on our website, you will find some of the most celebrated labels and award winning wines and you can make a selection based on reviews, price and supplier, regardless of why you want to purchase wine.

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There are essentially three reasons that we can think of why you might want to buy wine: to drink in some social occasion, to give as a gift, or as an investment with a realisable future.

Buying wine to drink

Winemaker Greg Gallagher at the Charles Sturt University, South Australia, says judging a good wine is simple. “It starts with asking, ‘do you like it?’ ” he says, “and finishes with ‘did you like it?’” When you have a list of favourite wines, all you need to do is find them on Myshopping.com.au, and you will find out where it’s sold for the best price.

But, because it’s not always easy remembering the name, style and vintage of the wine you enjoy, it’s a good idea to keep a record of wines you drink that you really like (and those that you’d prefer to avoid), for future reference.

When you’re buying wine to drink, there are a number of considerations you might like to bear in mind, the first being: what is the occasion? It stands to reason that a wine for an intimate dinner with a partner might be a different choice than one for a footy night with the boys. Sharing a wine with someone is a lot more than simply sharing the drink. It’s also sharing your taste, your values and your standards, so it pays to think carefully about the occasion and the company with whom you are sharing the wine.

A second consideration might be, what is accompanying the wine? Wine is often enjoyed with a meal, but you might like to consider also how the occasion (or meal) will develop. Matching the perfect wine with the perfect food and mood is an exhilarating experience, and is often at the heart of great memories.

You may also want to consider the ambience of the occasion. A wine for enjoying at an evening symphony concert will have a different character to that enjoyed at a beach picnic.

Buying wine as a gift

Wine makes an excellent gift for many reasons. It’s an easy purchase; you can buy a wine to suit practically any budget. And it is a demonstration of your taste and standards, subtly imparted to someone whom you may care for.

However, as well as meeting your taste standards, you also need to choose a wine that will meet the tastes of the receiver. It pays to find out what sort of wine that person enjoys, and buy within that person’s style or region preferences. A person who enjoys sweet white wines will appreciate a gift that matches that personality.

Buying wine as an investment

Some wines make a good investment because they are rare and have an established reputation causing them to appreciate in value. Possibly the most famous of these in Australia is Penfolds’ Grange Hermitage, a Shiraz style Claret that has been made since 1951 (a bottle of that vintage now might set you back $50,000 or more if you can find one). Although young in terms of wine heritage, Australia has some notable wines that do and will appreciate in value.

A good investment wine is not necessarily a guarantee of a high quality drinking wine. The investment values are arrived at by reputation. A particular vintage may have enjoyed popularity for any number of reasons and become scarce because only a limited number of bottles were produced. What results is a collectors market and wine changes hands through auctions, private sales, estate dissolutions and wine club memberships.

What makes a good investment wine however, is the fact that you are able to sell the wine at some future date for a sum greater than what you paid. Therefore the condition of the wine-or more importantly, the bottle-is of paramount consideration. The provenance of an investment wine is important. Before buying, you need to establish its history of origin and previous ownership. Satisfied that the bottle is in good condition, once in your possession it needs to be cellared correctly in the absence of heat, light and movement. You should document your ownership and the conditions of its cellaring before selling it to a new buyer.

What makes good wine?

The winemaking process

The quality of a wine is affected by a wide variety of factors that occur in and as a result of the winemaking, cellaring and handling processes. One of the key factors is the terrain and climate, commonly referred to as a ‘region’, where the grapes are grown. Different conditions affect different varieties differently. A Shiraz style from McLaren Vale in South Australia, for example, is a heavier and darker wine than the same style from the Swan Valley in Western Australia, which tends to be lighter and more peppery. A Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley is more full-bodied than one from Margaret River.

While knowing which vines are best suited to a soil type and climate is one aspect, another is knowing when to pick the fruit for particular effect. The fruit’s flavour at the time of picking is a major character of the residual flavours of the wine. After initial fermentation, some winemakers choose to ferment in oak, others not to. Using oak affects the reduction of tannins in the wine. Different types of oak-English, American, old-affect the flavour and character of the wine as it matures to its nominal alcohol level. It is in the barrel that a lot of transformations in flavours and character occur, and a great deal of skill is required to know exactly when to bottle the wine.

Different winemakers have different techniques and, while a good wine can’t be made from bad grapes, it is largely the winemaker’s skill that produces a good wine.

Taste

One of the ways we can tell the quality of wine as judged by its taste, is whether it has had successes in any of a number of wine shows held around the country. Experts from the wine industry judge wines on their quality and medal winners enjoy the benefits of being recognised and written about in the main media.

While not every medal winner is a wine that suits our taste, it is as a direct result of the shows and competitions that Australian wines have grown in popularity and quality. At Myshopping.com.au you can compare many award winning wines.

What’s your taste?

Regions and style

When you are shopping for wine, one of the first questions to answer is whether you are choosing a red wine or a white wine. Once you have decided this, you can then start to narrow down the different styles. Begin with the question of whether you are seeking a dry wine or a sweet wine.

Styles of wine are named after the region from which the grape originated. In the popular dark reds you have the Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot styles that tend to be drier wines. Lighter reds feature Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and Rose styles and these tend toward sweeter wines.

Popular white wines include the Chablis, Riesling, Semillon, Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay styles in dry wines, with Traminer Riesling, Moselle and late picked Verdelho in the sweeter styles. Aperitifs include sweet and dry sherry and Marsala. Dessert wines include Sauternes, Muscats and Ports.

Many wines are now presented as blended wines, a way to offer wider variety in taste and a way to use up less popular grapes and thereby minimise waste in the industry.

Australia has more than a dozen identified wine growing regions that produce distinctive wines of the main styles. The Barossa Valley in South Australia is possibly the most famous region with the richest heritage, and features many labels from subregions such as Claire Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and the Adelaide Hills. These regions produce some of the most spectacular Riesling wines, and Shiraz styles in the country. East of this region, near the border with Victoria lies the Coonawarra district (also known as Riverland), famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon. In Victoria lie the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsular districts. The Goulbourn Valley lies on the border with New South Wales. The Hunter Valley in New South Wales produces some of Australia’s finest wines, while in the West, Margaret River, t4he Swan Valley and the Plantagenet districts all produce fine wines.

Trends

Recent economic conditions and consecutive years of oversupply have changed much of Australia’s wine market. There are many small boutique wineries whose products can be bought direct from the cellar door. Many of these wines are featured on Myshopping.com.au by style and region.

The wine industry is encouraging the buying of wines and cellaring them (storing them in a cool place) for a period of time and enjoying them at a later time. To cellar your wine, store it somewhere cool, dark, airy, and free from vibration and dampness. Temperature stability is the most important factor in preserving wine in the cellar. Storing wine in an environment where the temperature varies gradually with the seasons is better than in a room that varies with the day and night.

For long-term storage, the ideal cellar temperature is 18 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 60-75%. Warmer conditions accelerate the development of wines, which could mean a reduction in the pleasure of drinking them.

The second phenomenon to occur through oversupply is the introduction of cleanskins, a method of selling wine without a brand label. This is presented as being ‘money saving’ because of a reduction in marketing expense, however the real cost saving per bottle is around 3-5 cents (the cost of printing and applying a label).

Cleanskins enable a wine producer to present a lower cost bottle, but this is mostly achieved by not having to identify the origins of the grape, or the varietal blends that make up the wine. And while it is true that some cleanskins are eminently drinkable wines, evidence suggests that they are generally of a far poorer quality than branded label products. It is suggested that you taste the wine before purchasing any cleanskins.

Wine is a high fashion product, and wine trends emerge on a regular basis. The best way to follow these trends is to shop using Myshopping.com.au—comparing prices and suppliers, and following medal winning labels.

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Wine Storage

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , January 23rd, 2009 @ 9:02 am
Kamyar Shah asked:

Have you ever wondered where the term “wino” came from? It is an offensive term that dates back to the Victorian Era to refer to a poor drunkard. Wine was cheap and considered a poor mans drink; hence, wino referring to a drunk poor homeless man. Whether this origin is true or not, wine has somehow climbed up the prosperity ladder. In the last decade, wine has become so trendy that wine connoisseurs are standard at most fine restaurants. Furthermore, wine is not just a drink to drown your sorrows, wine also is an investment. To protect ones investment, wine storage has become big business and it is used by wine many enthusiasts.

Wine storage is used by restaurateurs, wine connoisseurs, investors, and anyone who enjoys a good bottle of wine. Restaurants buy wine by the bulk and need wine storage for their wine surplus. Since most restaurants don’t have storage space or proper wine storage facilities, restaurateurs use wine storage at a self storage business for wine preservation. Connoisseurs know how to appreciate a good bottle of wine. As experts, they feel the need to care for a good bottle of wine like a mechanic takes care of his car. To preserve the wine’s bouquet and the wine’s body, wine connoisseurs recommend wine storage. Everyone knows that wine gets better with age, so does the value of some wines. Wine investors know this. Also, they know how to protect their investment by using wine storage. Like baseball cards, if you don’t preserve your wine collection well, it will lose its value. Wine storage is like sleeves for baseball cards. Lastly, you don’t have to be a wine guru to use wine storage . Wine storage is available to anyone with a large or small wine collection. You might be planning a party and need wine storage as a temporary place to hold your wine bottles. In fact, a wine layperson can order wine and have it delivered to the wine storage business.

So what is the difference between wine storage and storing wine at home? Wine storage is designed specifically for wine. Each renters wine storage unit is individually locked in private vaults. Wine storage is climate controlled at 55 degrees Fahrenheit with 60 percent humidity and low light exposure. These are the perfect condition that any wine guru will recommend. Unlike Vodka and whisky, wine is a perishable good. There is insufficient alcohol in wine to keep it well preserved.

It’s common knowledge, like birds fly, that wine gets better with age. But not all birds fly, and not all wine gets better with age; especially, if wine storage is not properly prepared. Also, like all living creatures, wine reaches a point maturity point; then it starts to deteriorate. But if you properly take care of your wine like the human body, it will last much longer. If you bought a bottle of Chteau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion 1996, you probably spent around $608. If you own a bottle of Dom. Romane Conti 1997 you spent over $1,540. That is a lot of money to spend for a quick buzz. But that’s not the reason why you spent that much, is it? Protect your investment and use a wine storage unit near your.

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Add Some Wine Flair to Your Christmas Decorations

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , August 19th, 2008 @ 12:55 pm
David Scott asked:

Want to add some wine flair to your Christmas decor this year? There are a number of great products that you can make or buy to incorporate your love of wine into your holiday decor. If you like do-it-yourself projects you can make a wreath or ornaments. You can also purchase some fun wine Christmas ornaments and figurines to enhance your holiday decor.

For something different than the traditional evergreen wreath, you can buy or make a wreath made from grapevines. A wine themed wreath is a great item for your kitchen, wine room or even your front door. These can end up looking very lovely after being decorated. Try wrapping a string of clear lights around the wreath. There are also different grape light strings that you can use in conjunction with your grapevine wreath. You can use many of the traditional colors and decorations with these wreaths but to add more of a wine look, adorn your wreath with plastic grape clusters, ribbon with vineyard or wine designs, or add some wine corks to the grapevine wreath. As a complement to your grapevine wreath, use grapevine garland as an elegant way of decorating your banister or mantle. A wreath made with wine corks is another great wine related Christmas decoration. Make your own cork wreath with the corks that you have saved from your favorite wineries. If you don’t have the time or patience, there are many beautiful cork wreaths available to purchase.

Figurines are very popular Christmas decorations for many homes. There are many elegant wine figurines that can be used to add more of a wine feel to your holiday decor. There are several Santa figurines where he is holding wine glasses or bottles and even some that have Santa with a wine barrel. These figurines generally range from ten to thirty inches in height and are great items to decorate the fireplace mantle or hearth or even around wine racks and cellars. If you use nutcrackers as part of your Christmas decorations, there are several nutcrackers with a wine or grape theme. There are even wine related snow globes available to add to your Christmas decor.

The tree is the focal point of any decorated house. Fortunately, there is a wide range of wine ornaments available for your Christmas tree. Whether you want to use wine Christmas ornaments to add to your current tree or if you want to create your own wine themed Christmas tree, there are many ornaments to choose from. Generally, there are two categories of wine Christmas ornaments to pick from; vineyard style ornaments or fun ornaments. Traditional ornaments are ones that utilize grapes, wine bottles, barrels and vineyard designs. Generally, if they have any text, it tends to the homey or inspirational like, “Friends and wine get better with age.” There are also whimsical ornaments with comical depictions of Santa Claus or his reindeer with wine and with fun sayings like “You’d be jolly, if you only worked one day a year.”. There are also hand painted mini wine glass ornaments that have fun and whimsical images. So depending upon your style, there are many different wine related ornaments to choose from. To light your tree, there are strands of lights that have grapes on them or you can use your existing lights and some large grape cluster lights as an enhancement. Again, if you are crafty, you can find several different designs on the internet for cork ornaments that you can make to add to your Christmas tree or to grapevine wreaths or garland.

Christmas wine stoppers are another great way to add to your holiday decor. Use several wine stoppers in empty wine bottles to create a table centerpiece or use them to decorate a shelf. There are numerous Christmas wine stoppers to choose from including snow-globe wine stoppers, ornament shaped stoppers, Christmas light shaped stoppers and many different stoppers with Santa, snowmen, or reindeer. Like the wine ornaments, Christmas wine stoppers have both traditional type stoppers such as blown glass stoppers to whimsical stoppers like a passed out Blitzen.

Use bottle collars or charms as decorations by placing them on either full or empty wine bottles. These hang on or from the neck of the bottle. You can use them alone or in conjunction with a wine stopper. These collars and charms come in a number of different designs like ornament shaped bottle charms that have different messages like “Cheers” or “Eat, Drink and be Merry.” There are several bottle collars with Santa, snowman or reindeer motifs as well.

There are many different wine decorations you can make or buy to enhance your holiday decor throughout the house or even create a wine themed room. You can use all of the different decorations that were mentioned above or select just a few to help create a wine themed Christmas.

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Wine and Food: Tips on the Right Wine and Food Pairing

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , June 28th, 2008 @ 6:02 am
Karen Karila asked:

There are some basic rules that will help you get the right combination of foods paired with wines. Yes, there are wines that will improve the quality of your dining experience when the right combination of food is pair appropriately with the right choice in wine. When you get it right, the right combination can make your meal immensely enjoyable while the wrong combination can ruin your dinning experience. However, the number one rule for choosing the right wine and food pairing is to choose the wine that you prefer.

These four questions will help you choose the right wine.

When you are considering which wine to order for your meal, keep in mind the following four questions. (1) What is the main dish? Is it fish, chicken or beef? (2) How will it be cooked? Will it be grilled, baked, lightly fried, or pan-fried? (3) Is the main dish accompanied by a sauce and if so, what kind of sauce and what are its flavors? (4) Will there be any side dishes and how will their flavors impact your wine choice? There are many different types of wine choices available today, so the basic wine rules may not always apply, but generally speaking these rules remain for the most part, still accurate for helping you make the right wine choice: white wines with poultry and fish, and red wines with beef.

When choosing your wines “think wine power”.

Generally speaking, red wines will work best with dishes that are rich, heavy and have a big flavor. When choosing a beef dish, you should consider the powerful strength of beef and choose a wine that has equal power. This rule also is effective for dishes that are served in rich, thick, heavy, full-of-herbs types of sauces. The reason why red wines and beef goes well together is that red wines contains tannins which mixes with proteins, allowing the flavors to blend well together. White wines do not contain tannins and therefore generally do not work well with red meats.

White wines works best with light foods, such as chicken, turkey or fish. Color and the aromatic smells of the flavors influence taste buds and wines that are lighter, such as white wines, will complement the meal and not overpower the flavors of the foods. Even in light types of foods, the type of sauce that is paired with the dish can influence the taste of the wine with the food. This changes the definition of light, and now that dish might be better paired with a red wine or Rose or a wine that has a bit more spice.

You need more than one wine, with a multiple course meal.

When you are having a multiple course meal, you should have more than one wine choice. To make one wine work for an multiple course meal would be difficult because of the multiple of flavors. If possible, choose a wine that is appropriate for the appetizer or first course, and then change the wine for the main dish, and then change the wine again for the dessert choice.

Start off with a lighter wine (usually white, or light tasting wines) and then move to the more full-bodied types of wine (red wines and burgundy’s) and then move to the dessert wines (ports & muscats.) Wines that have low acid can often be overwhelmed even with foods that are light in taste. Acidic wines that you would not drink alone can be quite wonderful when paired with the right food choice. The following examples of going from light to more full-bodied wines are: White Zinfandel, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewrztraminer and Chardonnay. In the red wines, go from the lighter tasting red wines to red wines that are more full-bodied: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

You can’t go wrong, when you choose a wine that you know you like.

The four questions guideline will help you to pair the right wine with your meal selection. Until you feel comfortable in making those wine choices for yourself, ask your server to suggest a wine for you. Be sure and tell them the type of wine you prefer, so they can keep that in mind before coming up with their recommendations. They should be able to provide you with three to four appropriate wine recommendations in varying price ranges that should work well with your meal. If you get a bottle or a glass of wine that you don’t like, then feel comfortable in sending it back and requesting a new bottle or a new wine pour. Of all the wines rules to follow when it comes to wine and food pairing, the number one rule to remember, is to always choose the wine that you like.

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How to Pour the Perfect Glass of Wine

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , June 21st, 2008 @ 4:43 am
Andrew Bowen asked:

To pour the perfect glass of wine you must take several steps:

Temperature Of The Wine:

The temperature at which a wine is served makes an immense impact on its taste. Serving wine while cool will mask some imperfections which is good for younger or cheaper wines. However, a warmer wine temperature allows a more full expression of the wine’s characteristics which is favourable when serving an an older or more expensive wine.

A bottle of wine will cool at about 2 °C (4 °F) for every ten minutes in the fridge, and it will warm at about this same rate when removed and left at room temperature. Obviously, the temperature of the room will affect the speed with which the wine warms up. If you need to chill a bottle of wine quickly, 35 minutes in the freezer will do the trick. Just don’t forget to take the bottle out!

Decanting The Wine:

Decanting is pouring wine into a container before serving. Decanting is typically only required with older wines or Ports, which contain sediment that can add bitterness to the wine.

Wine decanters may improve the flavor of older red wines.

Younger wines also benefit from the aeration that decanting provides. Of course, a wine decanter may also be used simply for aesthetic reasons.

Before decanting a wine that contains sediment, allow the bottle to rest upright allowing any sediment to sink to the bottom. Then slowly pour the wine into the decanter keeping the bottle angled so that no sediment makes its way into the decanter. The wine may be poured through cheesecloth to assist in filtering out any unwanted particles. Decanting wine should be done out of sight of any guests.

Pouring The Wine:

Still wines should be poured towards the center of the glass, while sparkling wines should be poured against the side, like a beer, so that unwanted bubbles do not show up.

To control drips, one can twist the bottle slightly while tilting it upright. When pouring wine, glass should be filled no more than two-thirds. This will allow guests to swirl the wine and smell the bouquet. A glass can always be refilled if desired. Of course, serve wine to the women and older guests first, then the men and end with your own glass.

Type Of Wine Glasses:

As important as serving temperature is the type of glass in which wines are served. The shape of a wine glass can affect the taste of the wine, and for this reason different types of wine are served in specific glasses. The three main types of wine glasses are as follows:

White wine glasses : shaped like a tulip

Red wine glasses : rounded with large bowl

Sparkling wine flutes : tall and thin

A suitable all-purpose wine glass should hold about ten ounces and be transparent to allow the taster to examine the color of the wine as well as its body Moreover, it should have a slight curve in at the top to hold in the bouquet. While an all-purpose wine glass is fine for serving a red wine, be sure not to serve a white wine in a red wine glass.

To find out more on Wine Grapes and Vineyards, just visit http://www.wineinfonet.com

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I Love French Wine and Food – a Rhone Valley Crozes-hermitage

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , March 18th, 2008 @ 10:33 am
Levi Reiss asked:

If you are in the mood for fine French wine and food, why not consider the Rhone Valley region of southeastern France? You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a Crozes-Hermitage red wine from the northern Rhone Valley.

Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions the Rhone Valley ranks second in acreage. The region extends 125 miles (200 kilometers) along the Rhone River. This region is actually composed of two parts, the north and the south whose wines tend to be quite different. The northern Rhone Valley is quite narrow. Its major red grape variety is Syrah, while its major white variety is Viognier. The northern Rhone Valley produces some of the best red wines in all France, and according to its fan club, some of the best red wines on earth. The southern Rhone Valley produces about 95% of the Rhone Valley wines. This is the kingdom of grape blending. For example the famous Chateauneuf-Du-Pape AOC wine may contain a maximum of thirteen different grape varieties.

Vienne, population about thirty thousand, was a major town in Roman Gaul and still retains a lot of its history and its charm. Near the river you’ll find the Romanesque church of St-Pierre already rebuilt in the Ninth Century. The Gothic Cathedral of St-Maurice was built during the Eleventh to Sixteenth Centuries and largely destroyed in a religious war during the mid-Sixteenth Century. Rue des Orf?es (Goldsmiths’ Street) is filled with Renaissance buildings and the Romanesque church St-Andre-le-Bas (St. Andrew the Lesser).

Vienne’s Theatre Romain (Roman Theater) is one of the largest in France; it spans almost 450 feet (140 meters) and once held thirteen thousand spectators. Excavation started only in 1922. This theater hosts a great jazz festival in July. Other Roman ruins include the Temple d’Auguste et de Livie (Temple of Augustus and Livia) erected by the Emperor Claudius and the Plan de l’Aiguille (Needle Tower), a truncated pyramid that was once part of a Roman circus. Some say that this structure encloses the tomb of Pontius Pilate.

Before reviewing the Cotes du Rhone wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Foie Gras avec Gelee de Viognier (Goose Liver Pate with Viognier Jelly). As your second course savor Chevreau a l’Ail et Herbes Sauvages (Baby Goat with Garlic and Wild Herbs). And for dessert indulge yourself with Granite aux Pommes et Calvados (Apple and Calvados Ice).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage 2005 13% about $25

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Until 1992, Florent Viale and his father sold all of their grapes to negociants. As Crozes-Hermitage came into its own, the Viales decided to make their own wines. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. Layers of blackberry, tar and black pepper dominate their finely made Syrah-based wines. A very good match for roast leg of lamb.

My first meal was a barbecue including a rib steak marinated in a homemade ketchup-based sauce with chunks of garlic, corn on the cob, and red-skinned potatoes. The wine was powerful and mouth-filling. It was quite long and had no trouble maintaining its flavors. I didn’t used to be a fan of tannins but these Crozes-Hermitage tannins melted in my mouth along with the meal.

My next meal involved a combination of marinated barbecued beef and veal ribs, red-skinned potatoes, and a garlic-based Moroccan salad. First I tried the more subtle veal ribs. The Crozes-Hermitage was very powerful with a lot of tobacco. While this wine was very powerful it complemented the veal very well. The taste of dark fruit was predominant with the beef ribs. While there was quite a change in the wine, with both types of ribs it was simply great. Dessert consisted of blueberry fruit juice candy. I was somewhat surprised but the wine was a good accompaniment. I tasted blackberries in the wine.

I know how much this wine likes beef and veal, so I decided to try it with barbecued chicken marinated in a commercial Mediterranean-style light sauce. The wine was careful not to overwhelm the meat. Once again the meal included barbecued red-skinned potatoes and this time, perhaps because the meat was subtler, the potatoes had more effect bringing out the earthiness of the wine. Interestingly enough the intensive Turkish Salad was the least successful accompaniment to the wine. One might have expected the contrary, namely, that the greatest pairing success would be with the strongest tasting component. The Turkish Salad and Crozes-Hermitage combination was good, it just wasn’t as good as the other pairings in this meal.

The first cheese was a mild-tasting Italian Pecorino Fruilano. This wine is so fine that even though the cheese flattened it somewhat, it remained excellent. But believe me, I won’t subject the wine to such an indignity again. The second cheese was a nutty tasting Dutch Edam. This more powerful cheese had less of a flattening effect on the wine. Go figure.

Final verdict. This wine is a definite winner. I went back to my previous article describing a Rhone Valley wine: I Love French Wine And Food – A Red Cotes du Rhone to refresh my memory. I was very happy with that much more modest wine, priced at about half of this one. Is the Crozes-Hermitage better? Yes. Is it twice as good? That’s a hard question. It really depends on how you view wines. The Crozes-Hermitage is definitely a fine wine for its price range, as was the other. I am definitely tempted to taste a Rhone Valley red wine in the $50 range. But I can’t promise you when. Perhaps what I should do is buy a case of this Crozes-Hermitage and drink one a year and see if the critics are right when they say it can be cellared for many, many years.

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Wine Wedding Favors on the Rise

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , March 7th, 2008 @ 12:22 am
David Scott asked:

More and more bridal couples are choosing a wine theme for their wedding reception. Even if you can’t have your wedding in the wine country, you can have a wine themed wedding enhanced by wine wedding favors. There are numerous wine wedding favor ideas including: custom labeled wine, imprinted wine glasses, and wedding wine stoppers just to name a few.

You can personalize wine labels to create a custom labeled wine to use as wedding favors or to give as gifts to attendants, family and out of town guests. You can personalize the labels with your wedding date and names as well as a personal message. You can add your favorite photograph to your label to further customize the label. Depending upon your budget and needs, you can get wines in full bottles or half bottles. At some wineries you can participate in the wine making process and bottle your wine with the help of friends and family. You can even serve your custom label wine at your reception if your venue allows it.

Another option for a wine wedding favor is a personalized wine glass or Champagne flute. You can get glasses or flutes etched or imprinted with your names and wedding date to commemorate your special day. Your text can be enhanced with several wedding style designs like hearts, doves, and wedding rings. To decorate the glasses use ribbon that matches your wedding colors and tie a bow on the stem of each glass.

Wedding wine stoppers have become more popular and now there are more and more options to choose from. Most of these stoppers are made from chrome with a rubber seal to help preserve the wine. You can choose traditional wedding theme wine stoppers with designs like hearts or a bride and groom or you can tailor it to the season of your wedding. There are wedding wine stoppers with fall leaves and snowflakes, for example, if you are having an autumn or winter wedding.

There are also many wine stoppers that can go with a specific theme, like beach ball or sea shell wine stoppers for an ocean front wedding. There also fairy tale style toppers. Most wedding wine stoppers come gift boxed and in many cases you can have tags printed that commemorate your wedding date. Also available are sets that come with both a wine stopper and a corkscrew.

Wine charms are another wine themed item that makes for an inexpensive wedding favor. There are several wedding related wine charm sets available which usually come packaged in a set of four charms. If you want a more personalized option there are wine charms that can be customized with your name and wedding date.

Other wine themed wedding favors include coasters with wine designs and wine scented gel candles that come in replica wine glasses. The gel candles usually come in different wine scents like Merlot or Chardonnay and come in a petite wine glass.

Wine wedding favors can be used to create a wine themed wedding. Additionally these are favors that people will keep, use and enjoy which will remind them of your special day.

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I Love German Wine and Food – a Mittlerhein Reisling

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , January 12th, 2008 @ 11:44 am
Levi Reiss asked:

If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mittelrhein region of southwestern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Riesling Kabinett.

The Mittelrhein is castle country. It starts out just south of the former West German capital of Bonn and then follows the Rhein River for about 60 miles (100 kilometers). The area was named a World Cultural Heritage site in 2002. It contains some of Germany’s steepest vineyards, in effect some of the steepest vineyards in the world. This is a problem; the shortage of farm workers who are willing to break their backs on these slopes is probably the major reason that Mittelrhein vineyard acreage has shrunk almost by half in the last forty years. This region now ranks 11th out of the 13 German wine regions for vineyard area and 12th for total wine production. About three quarters of its wine is Riesling, quite a good sign. In fact, after the Rheingau region, the Mittelrhein has the highest percentage of Riesling in Germany. Less than 2% of Mittelrhein wine is low-quality table wine, almost 60% medium-quality QbA wine, and almost 40% higher-quality QmP wine. The yield per acre is also one of the lowest in Germany, which is also a good sign.

Koblenz, population slightly over one hundred thousand, is a real river town. It is situated on both banks of the Rhine River and on the Moselle River. The rivers’ meeting point is known as the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). Besides these two magnificent rivers there are three mountain ranges and a third river, the Lahn nearby. The name Koblenz means confluence or merging rivers.

Koblenz recently celebrated its two-thousandth anniversary. During the Middle Ages Koblenz took advantage of its strategic location to control both Rhine and Mosel trade. Most of the city is situated on the west bank of the Rhine. On the east bank, facing the city, is Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Europe’s largest fortress after Gibraltar. This fortress sits on a mountain four hundred feet above the river. It’s hardly surprising that the site has been fortified for more than three thousand years. We are happy that Festung Ehrenbreitstein was not destroyed as it passed from one country to another during many wars. It now hosts a youth hostel and a museum.

In the old town make sure to see the Pfaffendorfer Bridge, the Weindorf, a wine village constructed in the 1920s for a giant German wine exhibition, the Rheinanlagen (Rhein Gardens), a 6 mile (10 kilometer) river promenade, and the mid-Ninth Century St. Kastor Kirche (St. Castor Church) which, shortly after its foundation, hosted talks for the Treaty of Verdun that divided Charlemagne’s empire into present-day Germany and France. The Schaengel is a famous statue of a boy who spits water.

Before we review the Mittelrhein wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are some suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Hinkelsdreck (Chicken Liver Pate). For your second course enjoy Wildschwein Sauerbraten (Wild Boar Sauerbraten-Marinated Meat). As a dessert indulge yourself with Feigenmus (Fig Puree).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Toni Jost Riesling Kabinett 2004 9.5% alcohol about $20

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. From the little-known-in-our-market Mittelrhein region comes this superb Riesling. There is pronounced varietal character here with special emphasis on peach, apricot and floral notes (particularly lilac). It is off-dry with very good fruit notes surrounded by crisp acid tones. Light- to medium-bodied, this long-finishing wine would be an excellent match for Thai spicy noodle dishes, crab legs or scallops in a saffron cream sauce.

My first tasting included a commercial chicken pot pie perked up by a spicy Jalapeno-based salsa. The wine was quite acidic and lemony with some taste of apple as well. The wine was very flavorful; a little bit went a long way. Frankly this Riesling was too good for such a pedestrian meal. Dessert was a slice of top of the line chocolate mousse cake that suffered somewhat by being too sweet. The cake was too sweet for the wine. I had the feeling that the wine and the cake were fighting. In the end the wine emerged as the winner; it was only a little injured.

My next trial involved a home made barbecued chicken marinated in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. The side dish was a specialty of the local supermarket, roasted potatoes cooked in chicken fat, reheated in foil on the barbecue. Yummy. To complete the meal I barbecued Portabello mushrooms and slices of red pepper. The whole meal was a great match for the Reisling. The wine was light (but far from weak), refreshing, and pleasantly acidic. I loved the meat’s grease – I removed most but not all of the skin. And I loved the way the wine cut the meat’s grease. The Riesling’s fruit intensified when matched with the sweet barbecued red pepper. I tasted a lot of apple and lemon.

The final meal consisted of an omelet with tasty local Asiago cheese, green and black Greek olives, and grape tomatoes. The wine had a gossamer quality and an excellent balance of acidity, sugar, and fruit, mostly lemon. That was the wine. It overwhelmed the omelet, which essentially added nothing to the mix in spite of the relatively strong cheese. Not surprisingly the wine did better with the acidic grape tomatoes than with the salty olives. As is my policy, I never blame the wine for an unorthodox food pairing that just doesn’t make it. I finished the meal with a high-quality but oversweet chocolate ice-cream bar. The sugar weakened the wine and made it taste sour. But I waited a few minutes and finished the final sips without any food. And this wine was as good as it had ever been.

I paired this wine with two imported cheeses, a German Edam and a French Camembert. The Edam was soft and buttery. In its presence the Riesling was pleasantly acidic with a lot of fruit. The French Camembert was probably past its prime. At the first sip, the Riesling seemed a bit weaker than in previous tastings, but later on the wine managed to hold its own.

Final verdict. I am really a fan of this wine and plan to buy it again. However, I won’t want to waste its power and delicacy on pairing it with the wrong foods.

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Make Wine at Home

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , November 25th, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Kingsley Modozie asked:

I don’t know whether you’ve ever tasted wines that people make at home,its more delicious than wine sold at stores,it has a unique taste,you might get amazed at these.This is because wine that people make at home are not economical rather than the once that companies make.Though sometimes changes might differ depending on how the wine is made,things to watch out for is if the wine made at home is done by an expert or someone who has an experience on how to make wine at home and the quality of the recipes used. if you want to learn how to make money from home visit Secret Wine Making Recipes

Wine that people make at home are inexpensive compared to the wine you buy at your local store,as soon as you discover the secrets of home made wines you can be able to save money and get more recognition especially from your friends,families,neighbors etc from the wines made at home.The best ways to make wine at home is normally doing so from books.Do you know you can make wines like apple wine,blueberry wine,coffee wine,rose petal wine and blackberry etc , all these wines and more you will make at the comfort of your home, all you need is the tips and guides from a wine expert.

Even if you have never made wine at home before you can do it,just with help of a ebook which contains guides like steps needed to make great taste and delicious wines,additives needed to make wines from home,how to make red wine and white wine.Over the years most of the wines I’ve made from home are normally through the help of an ebook i got from somewhere on the net,i was surprise when i served the wine i made a day before my birthday,preserved them on the fridge and served them to my friends on my birthday,they never knew they were home made wine until i told them.They were curious to know how i made those wines.Not only did i save money making wines from home,i also got my pride from my friends.

Many people love to make varieties of wine from home,especially to impress their friends or even take them to the park or country,when you start experiencing wines made from your home you will be able to learn various ways to make wine even without any book guide.According to what i have experienced in making wines from home over the years,the easy 2 ways to make wines from home without a commercial kits is with juice or pulp as an initial ingredient.

I will like to look more deeper into the pulp and juice fermentation methods.While making wine from with the pulp fermentation method,add the required ingredients and avoid including yeast and nutrient to your initial fermenter.Melt your sugar in a filtrate and boiled water.Uncover it for like 24 hours.

You may wish to also make your wines with grapes,its also a good and popular fruit for making wines,most wines you might have tasted are made from grapes.The most common type of grapes used for making wines is vinifera grapes.To make wines with grapes,is normally better to use ripe grapes to make them.If you would love to make a full inexpensive and delicious wine,i recommend an ebook which i have used over the years to make mine,you may try getting the ebook at Secret Wine Making Recipe

Wine Racks

I Love French Wine and Food – an Alsace Riesling

0 comments By Wine Delivery Filed in Home And Family Tagged with , , , August 29th, 2007 @ 7:20 am
Levi Reiss asked:

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Alsace region of northeastern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local white Riesling wine tasted with several meals and paired with imported cheeses.

Alsace ranks tenth out of the eleven French winemaking regions in terms of its acreage devoted vineyards. But don’t let the statistics mislead you; little Alsace is a major producer of quality French wine. Its wine growing area is barely 60 miles (100 kilometers) long, and at most 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide tucked between the Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River and Germany to the east. But this relatively tiny area is famous for its distinctive wines. Alsatian wine bottles are also distinctive; tall and thin with labels that feature the grape variety, not the usual practice in France. Chaptalization (adding sugar to the fermenting grape mixture) is allowed for many wine categories.

About 95% of Alsace wine is white. The major white grape varieties are Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Riesling, reviewed below. Its secondary white grape varieties include Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, and Muscat. The major red grape variety is Pinot Noir, which we review in a companion article in this series.

The beautiful Vosges mountains are located in eastern France near the Rhine River and Black Forest of western Germany. They are largely composed of granite and red sandstone. Their highest point is the Grand Ballon (also known as Ballon de Guebwiller) whose elevation is about 4600 feet (slightly more than 1424 meters). The vineyards of its eastern slopes have an elevation of up to 1300 feet (400 meters).

The Vosges mountains are ideal for tourists. Attractions include beautiful forests, several castles in ruins, and health resorts. If you are so inclined you can hike their usually gentle slopes and are never far from vineyards and restaurants serving delicious foods and local wines. After all, you are on the Alsace Wine Route, at least for the eastern slopes. Don’t forget the winter skiing. The southern Vosges, near the village of Bussang, boasts a beautiful fountain exploiting a spring that originates in the Moselle River. I hope you don’t mind that this particular area is just over the border in Lorraine.

Before reviewing the Alsatian wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Schniederspaetle (Onion Ravioli). For your second course savor Brochet d’I a la creme (Pike in White Wine and Cream Sauce). And for dessert indulge yourself with Strudel aux Pommes (Apple Strudel).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Hattstatty Hatschbourg Riesling 2003 12.5% alcohol about $21.00

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. This wine won a Gold Medal at the 2006 Concours Riesling du Monde. Established in 1998, the Concours Riesling du Monde (Rieslings of the World) competition takes place every year in Strasbourg, Alsace. Rieslings from throughout the world are submitted to an international jury of oenologists and wine critics. This hugely respected competition illustrates the diversity and brilliance of fine Riesling from around the world. And now for the review.

My first meal consisted of chicken barbecued in a home made sweet and sour Thai sauce with Portabello mushrooms and red pepper. The wine was fruity, nice and complex. It was quite a good match and I knew that this would be a quality wine.

The next shot was a commercially barbecued chicken leg (not nearly as tasty as my own barbecued chicken) with its skin in a paprika sauce accompanied by Turkish salad, and Greek olives. I started by sipping the wine alone, as I was afraid that I might have lost the bottle because the wine sat in the fridge for quite some time. No problem. This Riesling wine was fine with an appely taste but in the positive sense. The food pairing made the wine even better. It was quite long and powerful and yet delicate. While I liked the Greek olives and I liked the wine, I did not enjoy the two together. The Riesling’s acidity became more intense when pair with a moderately spicy Turkish salad. I finished the glass with some overripe cherries. This time the wine went flat, especially with the sweet ones.

The final meal was an omelet with a local Provolone cheese and a side of Turkish salad. The wine was nice and crisp. I tasted a touch of lime. As dessert I had a high-quality chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream bar. The ice cream bar was fine but it did flatten the wine somewhat.

My first cheese was a nutty, fatty, and slightly sour Dutch Edam cheese. My Edam cheese was well beyond edible by humans, although the spores looked like they were having a real feast. Anyway, in the presence of this Dutch Edam the Riesling was round and fruity, with pleasant acidity. In the presence of an Italian Friulano cheese the wine became sour and flatter.

Final verdict. Great wine, I will buy it again and watch my pairings more closely. This wine should be served with the right gourmet meal.

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