Preview: The history of wine spans thousands of years and is closely intertwined with the history of agriculture, cuisine, civilization and man himself. Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest wine production came from sites in Georgia and Iran, dating from 6000 to 5000 BC. The archaeological evidence becomes clearer, and points to domestication of grapevine, in Early Bronze Age sites of the Near East, Sumer and Egypt from around the third millennium BC.

Evidence of the earliest European wi...

Preview: Wine is usually made from one or more varieties of the European species, Vitis vinifera. When one of these varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Merlot, for example, is used as the predominant grape (usually defined by law as a minimum of 75 or 85%) the result is a varietal, as opposed to a blended wine. Blended wines are in no way inferior to varietal wines; some of the world's most valued and expensive wines from the Bordeaux, Rioja or Tuscany regions are a blend of grape varieties of ...

Preview: Regulations govern the classification and sale of wine in various regions of the world.

Wines are usually named either by their grape variety or by their place of production. Generally speaking, European wines are named both after the place of production (e.g. Bordeaux, Rioja, Chianti, Cotnari) and the grapes used (e.g. Pinot, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot). Wines from everywhere except Europe are generally named for the grape variety. More and more, however, market recognition of particular r...

Preview: A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown in a single specified year, and are accordingly dated as such. Variations in a wine's character from year to year can include subtle differences in color, palate, nose, body and development. Good quality red table wines in particular can improve in flavor with age if properly stored. Consequently, it is not uncommon for wine enthusiasts and traders to save bottles of an especially good vintage wine for future consumption. ...

Preview: Wines may be classified by their primary impression on the drinker's palate. They are made up of chemical compounds which are similar or identical to those in fruits, vegetables, and spices. The sweetness of wine is determined by the amount of residual sugar in the wine after fermentation, relative to the acidity present in the wine. Dry wine, for example, has only a small amount of residual sugar.

Specific flavors may also be sensed, due to the highly complex mix of organic molecules such as...

Preview: At the highest end, rare, super-premium wines are amongst the most expensive of all food, and outstanding vintages from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars per bottle. Such wines are considered by some as Veblen goods. The most common wines purchased for investment include Bordeaux, cult wines and Port. The reasons for these choices over thousands of other products and regions are:

1. They have a proven track record of holding well over time.
2. Their plateau drinking win...

Preview: The use of wine in religious ceremonies is common to many cultures and regions. Libations often included wine, and the religious mysteries of Dionysus involved wine as a sacramental entheogen.

Wine plays an integral part of Jewish laws and traditions. The Kiddush, a blessing said before starting the first and second Shabbat or festival meals and Havdallah, a blessing said after the Shabbat or festival are required to be said over wine if available. On Pesach (Passover) during the Seder, it is...

Preview: The health effects of wine (and alcohol in general) are the subject of considerable ongoing study.[55] In the USA, a boom in red wine consumption was initiated in the 1990s by '60 Minutes', and other news reports on the French paradox. The French paradox refers to the lower incidence of coronary heart disease in France than in the USA despite high levels of saturated fat in the traditional French diet. Epidemiologists suspect that this difference is attributed to the high consumption of wines by...

Preview: Most wines are sold in glass bottles and are sealed using a cork. Recently a growing number of wine producers have begun sealing their product with alternative closures such as screwcaps or synthetic plastic "corks." Some wines are packaged in heavy plastic bags, which are typically packaged further within cardboard boxes, similar to the packaging of breakfast cereal. One advantage of boxed-wine is that it can stay fresh for up to a month after opening, while bottled wine will start to oxidize i...

Preview: Cooper: Someone who makes wooden barrels, casks, and other similar wooden objects.

Négociant: A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers, and sells them under his own name. Sometimes, this term is simply a synonym for wine merchant.

Vintner: A wine merchant or producer.

Sommelier: A person in a restaurant who specializes in wine, and is usually in charge of assembling the wine list, staff education and making wine suggestions to customers.

Winemak...

Preview: The use of wine tasting descriptors allow the taster an opportunity to put into words the aromas and flavors that they experience and can be used in assessing the overall quality of wine. Many wine writers, like Karen MacNeil in her book The Wine Bible, note that the difference between casual drinkers and serious wine tasters is the focus and systematic approach to tasting wine with an objective description of what they are sensing. The primary source of a person's ability to taste wine is deriv...

Preview: The Aroma Wheel provides a visual graphic of the different categories and aroma components that one can encounter in wine. The terminology used is standardized for use by both professionals and amateur wine tasters. The aroma wheel does not contain terms to describe texture or mouthfeel, however these are listed in the Australian "Mouthfeel Wheel". A separate Aroma Wheel has also been created for sparkling wine. The wheel breaks down wine aromas into 12 basic categories and then further sub-divi...

Preview: Myths abound everywhere in our culture. Long ago, we seemed to be more willing to have the wool pulled over our eyes; today, we seem more likely to be skeptical. The news media are a lot more revealing these days. So there are fewer myths in most fields -- except wine lore.

Decades ago, our religious leaders were above reproach. Recent allegations about some religious leaders (infidelities, child molestation, embezzlement, etc.) have made us all more skeptical. Take also political leaders...

Preview: It seems to me that people will make a movie about anything (White Chicks...seriously?). From anacondas to Zorro's, if there is a camera, there will be a film. A not-so-recent addition to this movie bandwagon is the food and drink industry. Strange Brew made beer famous, Supersize Me showcased the unhealthiness of fast food, Leaving Las Vegas spotlighted hard alcohol, and Babe, well, that was all about pork.

Wine, not to be left out, has begun to get noticed. Many movies have featured wine i...

Preview: Have you ever wondered why wine has a taste like it does? It begins with the grape. To understand the flavor of wine we need to understand the grape.

Grapes
Grapes are in essence the berry fruit of the grapevine plant. They are vinified and have the capability to produce wine naturally. It has been theorized that over 5,000 years ago someone discovered a naturally created wine that actually tasted good. That event prompted grape cultivation, a long with winemaking techniques to embellish nat...

Preview: To be honest, when my husband and I first started exploring wine and wineries we certainly did not have the customs or techniques down as we should have. Now however, after numerous day trips to the tasting rooms we feel like seasoned veterans. So, I wanted to cover some tips that might help you on your next winery visit.

Hours of Operation
There is nothing worse than taking a long drive, only to arrive with no lights on. So when you plan your day, be sure to consult the winery guides to mak...

Preview: For some reason the art of winemaking seems to be very intimating to a lot of people; and it certainly was to me. Why is this? After all, wine is a just a beverage. Why do we get so tied up in knots over the myriad of technical terms involved with winemaking? Here we will skip most of all the technical aspects and view the simple steps from 10000 feet.

Vineyard
Grapes are grown in vineyards, with the obvious purpose of being used to produce wine. During the growing season, which runs from sp...

Preview: At your next dinner or holiday party, make sure your guests save room for dessert...dessert wine, that is. They augment or just take the place of the after dinner tea and coffee.

What are Dessert Wines?
A dessert wine is one that potent, sweet, and full of flavor. It is because of their sweet flavor the wine complements a dessert. Often extra spirits are added to raise the alcohol content. In general, dessert wines are thicker, richer, and sweeter than table wines. The grapes are picked late...

Preview: Questions and confusion periodically present themselves concerning the comparison of liqueur to wine. Is liqueur a stronger version of wine? Let us dig into this a bit.

Wine
Wine is made using grape juice, adding yeasts, and developing a controlled fermentation process. Subsequently, most of grape's natural sugars are converted into alcohol. The winemaker removes unwanted solids and performs some tweaking to balance the wine toward the intended taste goal. Ultimately, the product is bottled ...

Preview: The reasoning behind cooking with wine is to intensify and enhance the flavor of food. Wine is known to release flavors in many foods that otherwise would not be experienced. It is amazing the difference that cooking with wine can make in a wide variety of foods and how very simple it is.

How Much Wine
Many people do not cook with wine because they are unsure of how much to use. The flavor of wine in cooking is derived from the nature of the wine and not the alcohol. Most of the alcohol evap...

Preview: A few of years ago I was promoted and in celebration, my boss and colleagues treated me to an upscale restaurant. I was flying high from my promotion and was definitely full of confidence, until the wine bottle that I ordered was delivered to our table.

At that very moment I was sorry I ordered wine as I had no clue what to do when the sommelier held the bottle in front of me to inspect. I knew from watching movies that you should swirl and taste. But never having to do this, I had no idea ho...

Preview: You do not have to tour the Napa Valley or take an expensive trip to Italy to discover some nice wines. Without some reference or guidance, shopping for wine can be an overwhelming experience. There are hundreds of labels from an array of different wineries throughout the world, presenting a confusing maze.

When you know what sort of wine you want to buy, there are several ways to go about buying it. Your basic options for buying are the local grocery, wine merchant, direct from the vineyard...

Preview: Looking to have some fun with friends while sharing some wine? You should consider hosting a wine tasting party. It's a really neat way to share your wine favorites and to be introduced to a variety of new and interesting wines. You can also add some spice to your fun by using a wine theme ("All About Reds", "Blindfold Tasting", etc.).

Party Size
You don´t need a lot of guests to have a great party. What I have found works best is to have about four to twelve people, and definitely include y...

Preview: This term covers the use of sulfur-based preservatives, sodium and potassium metabisulphite, as well as sulphites and sulfur dioxide gas. These are all closely related or derived compounds of such. Sulfur is a very common element naturally occurring in foods, nature, and the human body.

Sulfites are used as a preservative and antioxidant in various food products and in wine as well. For the winemaker it is extremely important as it inhibits both oxidation and the growth of infections. In the ...

Preview: A lmost everywhere in the world, a wine label is a legal document. It undergoes more regulatory examination than perhaps any other product.

Regulations
After a design is created, the label must pass muster from the government agency that controls wine production as well as the various government agencies controlling importation and sale in every country where the wine is distributed. Understanding wine labels can be difficult for the patron who is primarily interested in the taste of the con...

Preview: Ordering wine in a restaurant is not much different than buying it in a wine store. The main difference is that you have an audience. Yet ordering wine in a restaurant can be intimidating especially if the wine list is extensive.

Experiment or Homework
Keep in mind that even the experts will not be familiar with every selection on a wine list. If you are a novice and your are going on an important date, you should do a little homework to get some idea of what you might want to order. Unless ...

Preview: So you are thinking about making your own juice. Making wine is a really fun hobby, and one that helps you learn a lot about the art of wine. The main challenge to the novice is in transforming the raw material into a finished wine. The biochemical steps involved in converting fruit sugars into alcohol and then fine-tuning your mix into the desired wine character, can be complex. This tutorial attempts to demystify making wine by walking you through the fundamental parts of the process in this 4...

Preview: A cork is known primarily for its use as bottle stoppers. Have you ever wondered where it comes from or how it was made? Unbelievably, there is really a cork tree, and it is known simply as the Cork Oak Tree. Amazingly, it takes about 25 years to make a cork fit snuggly in your bottle.

Harvesting Natural Wine Cork
Cork is harvested from the Cork Oak Tree, which is found primarily in Portugal and Spain. This is where around 80% of the world´s raw cork is produced. Cork is harvested in a way t...

Preview: The wine taster's ritual of peering into a glass, swirling it around and sniffing suspiciously at it, before taking a mouthful only to spit it out again looks highly mysterious and technical. However, as you try more and more wines, your awareness of flavors and your personal preferences will develop. It is however a sequence of events that can enhance the enjoyment of good wine. Once learned, they become almost second nature to even the novice taster.

Wines Appearance
Pour your wine into a ...

Preview: Being a New Yorker, pizza in my opinion is one of the best and most flavorful foods made. However, pairing wine with pizza can be a challenge. We need wines that are flexible enough to go with the pizza´s ingredients: tomato sauce, crust, cheeses, spices, and all of the various toppings.

Food and Wine Pairing, Wine with Pizza
When you think of wines that go well with pizza the first ones that come to the forefront of my mind are the ones from Italy. "Italian wines for Italian foods", Why not...

Preview: Wine and cheese are natural food partners. Both are products of the fermentation process and offer a wide variety of styles from simple to complex. You cannot go wrong serving friends wine and cheese, or eating a light meal of cheese, crusty bread, and wine.

Selection
Choosing a wine that goes best with cheese is very much a question of personal taste. Red wine pairs well with hard cheese, and white wine with soft cheeses. Flavored cream cheeses go great with fruit wines. Chardonnay is a hi...

Preview: There is no place I would rather be than tailgating with friends before a sporting event. Tailgating, to those not familiar with, is a pre-game ritual that typically revolves around barbeque, a little loud music, flying frisbees, and very enthusiastic sports fans.

When I first started tailgating, I noticed a lot of beer. However, I am seeing just as many bottles of red and white wine in the parking lot and, why not? We all recognize the combination of "wine and cheese" and now we have anothe...

Preview: Wine is a social drink which should be enjoyed in the company of friends and...food.

The right combination between food and wine is a source of ultimate bliss for every connoisseur. Both wine and food can benefit from the right pairing. The right wine can accentuate unexpected gastronomical aspects of food and vice versa, wine can shine in a new light when accompanied by the right dish. In order to savor the splendor of such combinations, one does not need to frequent expensive restaurants an...

Preview: What is all the hoopla about breathing? Being a human, there is a lot to be said about breathing. However, as a young bottle of Classic Red wine one should not have to worry about breathing. Wrong!

How to Breathe Your Wine
Our young bottles of wine especially need to breathe. The bitter taste of tannin is mellowed by letting the wine oxidize somewhat. The trick is not to let it oxidize too much.

Letting our bottle of wine breathe too long can be somewhat dangerous to its health. Too much...

Preview: You do not have much time before your friend´s arrival, and you need to get that wine bottle chilled. Well, you might be inclined just to pop it in the freezer. Although it certainly is an option, don´t, because there is a faster and safer way to get it cold!

From Storage to Serving
A wine´s storage temperature will dictate how a wine should be handled before serving. If the storage is not cool enough, some wines will require chilling. Other wines may need to be pulled out of the cellar earl...

Preview: You are just about to begin a big dinner party. You open the wine only to discover that the bottle of Burgundy you have been saving since last summer is ruined from corked wine. What a frustration for you; and, it certainly doesn't show well for those wine makers who want their bottle of Burgundy to be part of your successful dinner gathering. There is a remedy on the market; but some of the traditionalists may not be pleased with this solution.

The Problem
Wine disorders happen, and the tra...

Preview: Joining a wine of the month club is great fun and informative but, there can be a downside...what do you do with all the bottles? You can drink them all, gift some away, or find a good way to store them. Many people have them stored in the kitchen cabinets, on top of the refrigerator, or even sporadically spaced throughout their living areas! If that is you, how about creating a wine cellar? Don't get intimidated, it is not as hard as you may be inclined to believe. Let me take you through the b...

Preview: When finding a wine that really hits the spot I save the label to accurately remember its name and vintage information. You would think it would be simple, but sometimes removing a pesky one can be nearly impossible. I have heard all kinds of suggestions on how to remove them and the safer methods include peeling, soaking, heating, or using a wine label remover.

Peeling
Start in a corner and try to peel off the label. With any luck, the winery used the new peel and stick style and it pulls r...

Preview: Wine is definitely one of the nastiest looking stains to remove. You are not a wine expert unless you have stories about who spilled wine at a dinner party. Whenever red wine is spilled, it always seems to focus everyone's attention, quickly followed by a discussion of how best to remove the stain. Over the years, I have tried many remedies, with different results on clothing and carpeting. Follow these tips to deal with your next wine stain.

Clothing Stains
With any wine stain, treat it as ...

Preview: The technicality involved in storing your wine does not need to be complicated. It is actually simple but does require some ingenuity to figure out the best solution for you. Whether you are just starting a collection or you have thousands of dollars invested in fine wines, you want to keep your wines in healthy condition.

What to Cellar
Not all wines require long-term aging and storage. It depends on the type of wine, region of origination, creation method, and the particular year the grape...

Preview: The Art of Decanting

Atechnique of slowly removing a wine from its sediment, while allowing the wine to breathe is decanting. Decanting is often performed on older wines and ports, which contain sediments that can make the wine taste bitter. Surprisingly, even young wines also benefit from decanting.

Techniques of Decanting Wine
A simple glass carafe can be used as a decanter, as long as it is clear so that the wine´s color and clarity are visible. Some people choose to use carafes that...

Preview: While pouring the wine for the guests at my last tasting, I mentioned that the wine chosen was organic. The guests were quite surprised, with expressions on their faces ranging from mystified to suspicious. Many in the group had previously tried organic wine and found it lacking. However, today many organic wines are getting rave reviews from wine critics. In fact, you may have been drinking an organic wine and have been unaware of it. The wine industry has been producing organic wine quietly fo...

Preview: Do you get a headache after drinking even a small amount red wine but not when drinking white? While it is known a small percentage of wine drinkers get a headache from drinking red wine, the cause is unknown. Sulfites, histamines, tannins, or even the alcohol in wine might trigger this unpleasant side effect. Find out how you might prevent wine headaches and what is to blame.

Sulfites
Are sulfites the blame for this phenomenon? Sulfites are a naturally occurring compound that nature uses to...

Preview: Wine & Carbs

Personally, I have not read the South Beach Diet. Nevertheless, the assumption is that you get to drink a lot of wine due to all the dancing, walking, swimming, and biking around Miami's South Beach...thereby, lots of wine and activity will help you to lose weight! That works for me!

Government Ruling
The good news is if you do count carbohydrates, wine is naturally low in carbs. Yes, that is even according to the government's "low-carb" criteria, where the wine must have lo...

Preview: During the 1990s, a physician voiced on the television show "Sixty Minutes" that drinking red wine reduces heart disease. He cited the relatively lower levels of the disease in France despite their ever so famously high fat diets. Since that program, it seems that red wine health effects have been on the forefront of the wine consumer´s mind.

Good for the Heart
Coronary artery disease is caused by a build up of cholesterol in the arteries that supply the blood to the heart. If the arteries g...

Preview: Ingredients

1 cup Maraschino Liquor or juice
1 cup Cognac or Brandy
1 cup orange juice
1 large orange, thinly sliced
3 quarts Champagne, chilled
16 oz. pineapple juice (used for ice-mold)
Directions

1. Pre-make and freeze a large ice-mold, using pineapple juice.
2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a punch bowl. Stir well.
3. Chill one hour or until serving time.
4. When ready to serve, place the frozen ice-mold into punch bowl.
5. Add in the Champagne and stir.
6. S...

Preview: Ingredients

1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 lime, sliced
30-50 green seedless grapes
1 can Five-Alive frozen concentrate (12 oz.)
1 bottle red Burgundy wine (750 ml)
1 can of Fresca (12 oz.)
Lots of ice


Directions

1. Pre-chill all ingredients (if possible)
2. Pre-slice lemon, lime, and orange
3. Mix Five-Alive, Fresca, and Burgundy together into a large pitcher
4. Add in fruit slices
5. Load in lots of ice
6. Stir well and serve

Preview: Ingredients

10 fresh mint leaves
2 cups water
3 unflavored tea bags
1/2 bottle of Pinot Gris
2 cups lemonade
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
Directions

1. In a 4 quart saucepan bring water to boil.
2. Add the tea and mint leaves.
3. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Remove the tea bags and add the Pinot Gris, lemonade, sugar, and stir well.
6. Serve over ice with additional mint leaves.

Preview: Ingredients

1 lime
1 lemon
1 orange
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brandy
1 bottle red wine (750 ml)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 oz Soda water
Directions

1. Slice up all of the fruit.
2. Put most of the sliced fruit in a pitcher, saving some for garnishing.
3. Stir in brandy and sugar; refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Mix in wine, lemon juice and stir. Again, refrigerate for an hour.
5. Just before serving add in ice and top with soda water.
6. Serve with fruit slices as garnish...

Preview: Here you find yourself having been invited to a dinner party and decided to bring the host a bottle of wine. But which type of wine should you buy? I am sure you have seen people seemingly bewildered in front of the wine shelves at the local grocery or liquor store. You have seen them, staring dumbly with no idea what wine to pick out. After you read this article, you can be assured you will never be one of those people.

Choosing a wine can be a tricky decision. You want your selection to ple...

Preview: Wine does not have to be served in the most expensive glassware to show its advantages. However, there are a few basic principles to bear in mind when choosing glasses that will help you get the best from its bottle. As with wine, personal preference should always be your guide.

General Tips

1. Just hold the glass stem. This simply prevents the wine from warming. It also helps dirtying of the glass, and prevents fingerprint marks.
2. Most experts recommend a glass that curves in around t...

Preview: The conventional wisdom that white wines should be served chilled...And reds at room temperature is essentially correct. But, that is not the whole story.

Is the Temperature Important?
The serving temperature for wine varies depending on the style of wine and one´s personal preference. Serving wine too cold masks its aroma and flavor. Serving it too warm can make wine seem dull, flat, and harshly weighted with alcohol. Therefore, no doubt the temperature is a big deal.

From Storage to Ser...

Preview: The use of wine barrels to store and age wine is a many century old tradition. Many of the world's best reds and whites are fermented or matured in these oak wonders.

Purpose of Wine Barrel Aging
The chief purpose of wine barrel aging is to fine-tune the taste of the wine by adding subtle oak flavors. Steel vats and cement vats are popular and effective but impart no flavor to the wine. Wood barrels are different. Oak is slightly porous, and well constructed barrels let in just the right amo...

Preview: Amazingly, grapevines planted only a few hundred feet away from each other can be polar opposites regarding its harvested fruit's sweetness and taste. Thousands of years of trial and error have taught grape growers the importance of finding that favorable site for the grapevine.

Grape growers must decide where they locate their vines relative to the limitations of their property boundaries. Within such, the winery must review and compare environment considerations such as:

* daily sunlight...

Preview: This describes the malolactic bacteria (leuconostoc oenos) created process by which the harsh malic acid in grapes is converted into softer lactic acid and carbonic gas during grape fermentation. This process is part of the winemaker's arsenal of options to make wine better.

Why
Well, it really is all about creating a better tasting wine. The primary reason for using malolactic fermentation is to reduce malic acidic levels in wine. Reducing excess malic acidity, which has a stronger harsh ta...

Preview: Phylloxera: What is it?

In the early 1800s, the wine world was growing at a fantastic rate. Wineries were planting record numbers of vines to increase their yields and sales were booming. Then in the 1860s, a tiny root lice insect called Phylloxera wiped out nearly half of the vineyards in Europe.

During that period plants were imported with very little regard whatever to the possibility of introducing pests or diseases. The French discovered that the Phylloxera root louse was devastatin...

Preview: Making wine is a yearlong process that repeats and re-cycles annually. It starts in the spring when all the planting is done; moving through the summer when the grapes are beginning to grow. Fall is a very busy time as this is when the grapes are harvested. Winter is clean up time, when the vines are pruned.

Importance of Pruning
Pruning helps properly maintain the vines, allowing them to produce consistently high grape quality and volume. The growers will cut back what they feel is just the...

Preview: What does the winemaker do when the juice needs more body or alcohol? One way to correct this problem is to add sugar to the must just before fermentation. This practice is called chaptalization, which is common in France and Germany, but not in California. Instead, California winemakers add grape concentrate. The purists mock the practice of chaptalization and refer to it as cheating.

What is Chaptalization
When natural grape sugars are not high enough to produce reasonable alcohol levels,...

Preview: Fining is the name given to an important part of the clarification phase of wine making. Wine is supposed to be very clear and completely free of any suspended particles, so wine makers go to great lengths to clarify it.

Wineries use industrial filtration machines and special chemical additives to help precipitate out any suspended solids, no matter how small. They also let the wines sit still for very long periods so they can rack out the solids that have fallen to the bottom. That is, they ...

Preview: Part of the wine making process; the time during which the grape juice is left in the vat and in contact with the grape solids (skins & stems). The length of this process depends entirely on the level of tannin and depth of color required in the final wine. This prolonged contact may occur before or after fermentation.

The winemaker's judgment and talent determines the method and time period when the tannic elements and the color of the skin diffuse in the juice ("must"). Typically, the solid...

Preview: Wine is a byproduct of the fermented juice of grapes. This is the process whereby the grape or fruit juice turns into alcohol. Understanding the process of fermentation will give you the basic concept of how grapes and yeast make wine. There are two parts of fermentation, primary and secondary. Here we focus on primary fermentation.

Primary Fermentation is centered on the addition of the yeast to the crushed grapes. Because of natural forces, the two grape sugars (glucose and fructose) are co...

Preview: The primary fermentation process is straight forward, as yeast consumes the sugar in grapes, creating ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. This will convert each percentage point of sugar into slightly more than half a percentage point of alcohol. Meaning, a grape juice with a 20% sugar concentration produces a wine with around 10% alcohol.

During the secondary fermentation, the wine is siphoned into an airtight container, without the access to new oxygen sources. This anaerobic transformat...

Preview: If you took a poll, asking if it is true that the longer you keep a french wine, the better it will get; You can probably guess the likely answer by most. It is a very common question, how long do I keep a bottle of french or italian wine before drinking? The fact is most of the wine throughout the world is meant to be enjoyed when you buy it, and it would likely peak within the first couple of years of bottling.

Peak Uncorking
There are no exact set of rules to determine the moment your rac...

Preview: Did you know that Port Wine is described as one of the sexiest drinks available? In the old days, it was only brought out after women had left the room. Women do not leave the room anymore, of course, and Port sales are certainly better for it.

Origins of Port
Officially, real Port comes only from the Douro River Valley in Portugal, very much the same way that true Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France. The term "port wine" can only refer to these Portugal originated products. ...

Preview: Why do red wines improve with age? Simply put, it is all about tannins. Tannins are a family of natural organic compounds that are found in grape skins, seeds, and stems. They are the key to giving wine their great aging potential, by slowing oxidation.

Since they are an excellent antioxidant and natural preservative, the process of extracting their benefits is a very important part of red winemaking. With white wine, the grape juice is pressed off the skins prior to fermentation. Red wine is...

Preview: One of the oldest and most wonderful fortified wines made is a Sherry. Fortified, which means that some extra alcohol is added to it, typically bringing it up to somewhere between 15% and 18%...more than table wine, but not as much as Port. It is usually made from Palomino grapes, but a grape called Pedro Ximenez sometimes plays a role.

Fino Sherry
Most of the Sherry consumed in Spain looks like white wine, and has a small percentage increase in alcohol when compared to white wine. When a Fi...

Preview: The term tannin is talked about a lot in wine circles and if you are wondering what it means, think of a strong cup of tea. Another example is if you have ever accidentally bit into a grape seed. That woody taste is tannin.

Sources
Tannins are a family of natural organic compounds that are found in grape skins, seeds, and stems. Additionally, during the aging process oak barrels infuse tannin into the juice. They are an excellent antioxidant and natural preservative; also helping give the wi...

Preview: 1. Try something new and you might be surprised. Let the staff make suggestions. Compare the wines aged in steel to those aged in oak.

2. Take Notes especially if you are gone all day. Most wineries offer a list that will assist you on keeping track. When you get home to your local wine shop, you will appreciate having a cheat sheet.

3. Visit during off season. November through May is an excellent time. You might be only one of the few guests all day, so the staff can give you some extra...

Preview: I was visiting a winery and I heard that the area has been designated an official wine growing region called an American Viticultural Area or AVA. I wanted to know what an AVA is and why is it important to the grape grower? So, I did some research, and this is what I came up with...

What´s it All About
AVA is an American system implemented in the late 1970s, with purpose of appellation and classifying U.S. wines in fashion similar to other countries. Unlike other systems, the AVA is consider...

Preview: Wines are produced in almost all of the states within the US, including the big wine growers of Oregon, Washington, and New York. However, when it comes to quality and quantity, California wines by far out shines them all. It is beyond any doubt one of the largest and most innovative wine growing regions on earth.

Short History Overview
Wine growing in California dates back to the 1700s, when vines were planted after being brought in from Mexico. The first winery in California was establishe...

Preview: Wines are produced in almost all of the states within the US, including the big wine growers of Oregon, Washington, and New York. However, when it comes to quality and quantity, California wines by far out shines them all. It is beyond any doubt one of the largest and most innovative wine growing regions on earth.

Short History Overview
Wine growing in California dates back to the 1700s, when vines were planted after being brought in from Mexico. The first winery in California was establishe...

Preview: French Wine Classifications

Inoa, "Institut National des Appellations d'Origine" is the French government body that regulates their wine appellation system. The INAO recognizes geographical areas that have well known winemaking and growing traditions associated with a particular name and quality.

The four general INAO classifications for wine in France are:

* Appellation d'Origine Contrðlée
* Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure
* Vin de Pays
* Vin de Table

Appellation d'Origin...

Preview: Napa Valley is the heart of the California wine country. More than 200 wineries call the valley home, making this the most concentrated wine region in the world. The wines produced here are among the industry's best and the landscape of rolling, vine-covered hills is breathtaking. Napa Valley is one of the most popular tourist attractions in California, and world renowned for its wines and a reputation that is larger than its wine production.

Geography
The Napa Valley wine region is located ...

Preview: While Sonoma County is known for its award winning wines and wineries, it is also home to a myriad of shops, restaurants, historical sites, small farms, hiking trails, and lots of beautiful scenery. It does not shout sleek, slick, or polished when compared to Napa Valley, but environment of Sonoma County can certainly holds its own when it comes to wine making.

Geography
Sonoma County is an hour north of San Francisco and west of the Napa Valley. Nestled between the rugged Pacific Coast on t...

Preview:  It's New Year's Eve, and you are obsessing on what kind of Champagne to buy. No need to worry, as Champagne is one of the most famous wines types in the world; it is one of the simplest to buy. We will get you started here with some Champagne basics.

Champagne Basics
Champagne is a sparkling white wine that is produced in the Champagne region of Northeast France. These wines have a legendary history, as over many hundreds of years Champagne has been part of so many cultural events and histo...

Preview: Did you ever want to try a special bottle (say a 2000 Charmes Chamberlin Burgundy) but did not want to pay full price? If your wine retailer was able to purchase and import the product directly, there is a good chance that a portion of that discount will be passed onto you!

Wine's Supply Chain
As with many commerce products, the wine industry consists of a three-tier vertical supply chain.

1. Producer
2. Wholesale Distributor
3. Retail Wine Merchant

As wine passes through to t...

Preview: Popping a sparkling wine cork is fun, but letting it fly with a bang isn't really a great idea. You might break the china, hit someone in a sensitive area, or just make a mess and waste good wine.

How to Pop the Cork

1. First, ensure the wine is ice-cold.

2. Avoid at all costs any shaking of the bottle.

3. Carefully peel the foil and unwind and remove the wire cage that holds the cork in place.

4. Next, make sure there are no foreign substances around the cork. If you notice an...

Preview: Who says an inexpensive bottle of wine cannot be a popular choice?

If you buy a $2.00 bottle of wine, does that make you any less of a wine connoisseur? Some purists would say "yes", but the majority of wine lovers would say, "If it tastes good and you like it, go for it!"

Two Buck Chuck
Here is an example. In a trendy part of Chicago, one of the upscale gourmet grocery and liquor markets sells a wine called "Two Buck Chuck"; and, they cannot keep their shelves stocked with Chuck. Actuall...

Preview: Did you know that each year well over one billion wine bottles are made around the world? And since American wineries have no rules about bottle shapes, you will find a large variety. Today, the standard wine bottle is 750 ml, established by the United States in the late 1970s. Most of us fail to appreciate the impact of the lovely glass wine bottle on our lives. An explanation of what you may expect from the shape and color of a wine bottle on your merchant shelves can be helpful.

Bordeaux S...

Preview: Wine Rack Buying 101

Wine is a huge part of many lives, parties, and a favorite collector's hobby. You can see the growing trend just by walking around almost any medium to large city and you will pass more and more wine shops. Home wine storage has seen similar steady growth. Once bottled, wine continues to mature, so proper storage is essential to help it do so gracefully. So, if you too are thinking about what to consider when selecting a wine rack or wine cabinet, the following should he...

Preview: Wine Racks and Wine Storage

Love to collect fine wine? Consider wine racks for storage of your hobby, from one bottle or more. Made of many different types of materials they make keeping track of your bottle supply very easy. And many designs add flair to any room they are displayed in. Let's take a look at some styles and materials of wine racks to enhance your kitchen and your whole house.

Wood Wine Racks
Wine racks made of wood are a very popular choice. Made in many shapes and sizes...

Preview: * Planting and grafting the vines

* Growing period of the vines and fruit

* Picking and harvesting the grapes

* De-stemming and crushing the grapes

* Primary fermentation period

* Maceration time with grape solids

* Raking the must

* Malolactic fermentation

* Secondary fermentation and aging

* Wine bottling

* Uncorking and serving

Preview: The quality of a wine depends largely on the quality of the grapes used. The goal of the production process is to maximize this quality.

Wine is produced through a biochemical process called fermentation, initiated by the yeast added. During this process the sugar contained in the must (the fresh grape juice) is transformed into alcohol along with the output of carbonic gases that escape into the environment. Yeast is only able to fulfill its task between -3°C and 36°C, and the wine maker c...

Preview: Drinking red wine and cooking with olive oil may help us to live longer, say scientists. Figures from the European Union show that people living in Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy can expect to live longer on average than people in other countries. Key ingredients in both substances can significantly increase the lifespan of yeast. Since yeast and humans share many genes, scientists have speculated they may have the same effect in people. The findings provide more evidence to sugge...

Preview: When you talk to grape growers and winemakers today, they will tell you climate is a major factor in how good a vintage will be. Researchers have found that vintages have improved as temperatures rose over the last 50 years, especially in areas with cooler climates. Vineyards in cooler climates, such as Oregon , Washington and British Columbia , could continue to benefit from global warming. These findings could prove troublesome for vineyards in traditionally warmer regions.

Odds are we are...

Preview: How to choose a Glass

Every wine has certain organoleptic characteristics which are different from any other. For this reason, every wine should be served in a proper glass capable of exalting its characteristics. Wine glasses come in different shapes and characteristics, sometimes considered as “extreme” because of some producers who tend to make specific shapes and styles, not only for certain wines, but also for specific wines made of certain grapes or coming from certain areas. The sh...

Preview: The standards for naming a wine vary depending on its origin. In many European countries a wine is named for the growing area or appellation where it originated. For example, Bordeaux Supérieur or Chablis are all French ACs (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée); Chianti is an Italian DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita), and Rioja is a Spanish DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada). In some areas like the United States , Australia , New Zealand , South Africa , and South Americ...

Preview: Basic Wine & Food Pairing Principles

When pairing wine to food try to match similarities of richness, texture, intensity, and flavor of the food to the wine. Here are some tips:

Similarities: Match wine and food with similar richness and texture such as fish in a butter sauce with a buttery chardonnay.

Flavor: Pair wine and food with similar flavors, such as a pepper crusted steak with a strong peppery syrah. Earthy foods, such as mushrooms, go well with earthy old wines. The d...

Preview: There are multiple scenarios involving returning wine at a restaurant. Each has its own level of expectations surrounding it on both the customer and restaurant employee. Here are a few of the situations you may face; as well as, my proposed way of handling it.


SITUATION ONE

You have selected a bottle of wine on your own that wasn’t recommended by the Waiter or Sommelier. The wine appears to be “corked” and needs to be returned or the wine you’ve selected is not to your liking.


I...

Preview: France plans to convert 200mill. litres of excess wine into industrial alcohol, mostly AOC wines for the first time in history. Is there a lesson in it for India? By Subhash Arora


The French wine industry plans to convert over 200 mill. litres of wine into industrial alcohol. The government has decided to approach the EU for an assistance of 300 mill. Euros to complete the process. In spite of several measures taken by the government to limit production and increase sales, it has been saddl...

Preview: Ah, bottle shock. Some people know it for its true definition; others imagine it’s what a bottle of red feels whenever a bottle of white is chosen instead. Whatever meaning you lean towards, one thing is certain: bottle shock isn’t a term with which many wines hope to be labeled.

In the scientific sense of the word, bottle shock, also called bottle sickness, is when wine adopts strange, disordered flavors. These strange flavors make the wine taste less fruity, make the presence of the alcoho...

Preview: This afternoon I poured myself the last of a bottle that had been opened earlier in the week, and wandered to the back yard to relax a little. I must not have slept well the night before, because after a few sips and a few moments in the sun, my eyes became heavy, and their lids fell.

I awoke with a start, and found myself alone on a level plain of grey concrete stretching far and away into the distance. Alarmed, I gulped what was left of my tepid wine, presumably warmed by the sun which now...

Preview: It was hardly an international incident, but embarrassing all the same. The highly-touted Zinfandel I ordered to impress Xavier Berger-Devieux, winemaker and proprietor of Burgundy’s Manoir de Mercey, wasn’t really terrible, just…blah. I meant to show that America had the chops, vinously speaking, to give France a run for her Euros. But I blew it.

Or did I? Perhaps the wine was corked, or tainted by 2-4-6 Trichloroanisole (TCA), a bacteria you can detect in concentrations akin to one sugar c...

Preview: Selecting and enjoying wine in a restaurant can sometimes feel like a daunting task. But it doesn't have to be. Here are ten tips for enjoying wine when dining out:

1. Don’t be afraid to ask the sommelier or server for advice. Let him know what kind of wine you and your dining companions prefer (ex. “We like light reds that don’t dry out our mouths”; or “We don’t like white wines that are too oaky.”)

2. Look beyond the bottle. Many restaurants now offer other options for wine lovers. Win...

Preview: Despite the dirty looks and obscene gestures I get whenever I drive by a field filled with cattle or stroll by the local chicken farm, I stand by the notion that red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with white meat. Sorry Bessie, my apologies Chicken Little: it’s just a fact among humans. Please stop trying to get us back with Mad Cow and Bird Flu. Your revenge tactics are getting old.

Still, it’s not like you have to be a carnivore to enjoy wine: pasta, breads, and cheeses all ce...

Preview: Wine is new and happening in India at the moment, but Indian food and Wines have individually been as old as civilization. Since wine has not been popular in the sub-continent until the past two decades there have been no established traditions regarding pairing Indian food and wine. Indian food is very complex, so it gets rather difficult to put the wine suggestions on an index-card; hence people have stayed away from evaluating the possibilities.


I start writing this with a lot of trepid...

Preview: Walk into your favorite wine shop and head for the kosher section. Look for the wines labeled “Product of Israel”. But first, let us look behind and beyond labels for a bit of history.

According to Genesis, as soon as Noah emerged from his ark he planted a vineyard. Wine was made in Israel (Palestine) over 2,000 years before the vine ever reached Europe. When the Romans conquered the area, the Jews were dispersed along with their wine industry. During the Arab conquest all vineyards were upr...

Preview: The largest of the Mediterranean Islands, Sicily is separated from the rest of Italy by the 2-½ mile Straits of Messina. Hot and dry on the coast, temperate and moist in the interior, 85% of Sicily is mountainous or hilly. The land’s archeological finds, slower pace (except the drivers); its vineyards, lemon, orange, almond and cherry trees and olive groves offer a proud heritage of sights and sensual experiences. The Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines and Normans all left their ar...

Preview: Move over media room, adults are seeking their own space and one of the hottest trends in upscale housing today is the addition of wine storage in the form of closets, rooms or wine cellars. This coincides with Americans growing fondness and appreciation of the whole wine experience.


Wine consumption has been increasing in the United States 2- 5% per year for the past decade and according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) the United States will overtake France in win...

Preview: One would expect ice wine to have a long history in winemaking, but it does not. In fact, ice wine has only been around for about 200 years. The prevailing theory of its “birth” centers on a German winemaker who was surprised by an early frost. He decided to press the frozen grapes anyway, but separated them from the rest of his vintage so as to avoid ruining everything. To his surprise, the resulting wine was pure and sweet.


Ever since, ice wine has been produced to some degree in all win...

Preview: Dating, for those of us who are tired of being single, can be a royal pain. From speed dating to online dating, from the taverns to the grocery stores, we have several outlets where we can meet potential matches. But, unfortunately, these matches often extinguish before they can light even the slightest spark, leaving those of us frustrated to long for the days of arranged marriages: someone just marry me and give my parents a llama.


My own personal experiences have led me to meet dates a ...

Preview: SWEET WINES FOR VALENTINES

better than chocolates, more clever than roses


Have you been around the Valentines block and back again bearing the same, tired box of chocolates and dozen red roses?


Fellows, have you bought so many little trinkets and baubles and dinners out that they just don’t mean anything anymore?


Ladies, have you given him every conceivable romantic version of golf stuff, cute boxers, silk ties, and yourself all dolled up?


It’s past time to do somethi...

Preview: Canada has been making wine since the 1800’s and today there are over 400 wineries throughout our northern neighbor. Many of you are familiar with the ice wines from the Ontario region just over the border from Niagara Falls, but I was surprised at the blank stares when I mentioned I was going to British Columbia to write a wine story.


The region is small with most of the wineries classified as “boutique”. Several American & Australian wineries produce more wine than the entire BC region. ...

Preview: The wine regions of Austria are divided into 4 areas, called Lower Austria, Styria, Burgenland, and Vienna. Each of these regions is then further divided, for a total of 19 designated wine growing areas. To roughly get your bearings, Lower Austria encompasses the wine growing areas north and west of Vienna, with Burgenland south and east of Vienna and Styria south and west of Burgenland.


Lower Austria, called “Niederosterriech”, is divided into 8 sub-regions: Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal, Dan...

Preview: Are you curious about what wine to order with your cheesecake? Intimidated by five-hundred page wine list at a top restaurant? Downright scared when the sommelier comes charging toward your table?


Relax. Authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created a resource that helps even the ‘average Joe or Jane’ understand the principles of wine and food pairing. They take the conventional, canned, old-school advice of “red wine with meat, white wine with fish” to an entirely new level, based...

Preview: Some of the most common wine questions asked by people are regarding the aging of wines, how to age wines, and if a particular wine should be aged, cellared, or kept in a deep crypt .


For example: “I just received a bottle of Califoakian Cabernet 1996 as a gift and wonder if I should drink it now or lay it down for a while?”


An entire book can be written on what wines should be aged and for how long. In fact, there are several on the subject, many of which go in to great detail. Also...

Preview: We’ve all purchased a bottle of wine at a store, winery or restaurant and discovered that it just doesn’t taste right. Here are some various descriptions used to describe a bad bottle, otherwise called as a "corked" bottle:

“Tastes like vinegar”

“All I taste is the cork”

“Smells like old wet newspapers”

“Strong Chemical Smell”

“Smells like Old Moldy Wood”

I’ve experienced a couple of bad bottles in my lifetime. To be honest, I have stored them in the garage with the inten...

Preview: Washington State is the nation’s second largest producer (behind California) of premium wines with 300 grape growers, 30,000 vineyard acres and more than 325 wineries. In 1981 there were 19 wineries; 5 years ago there were 155 and one winery owner told me he believes that in 5 years there will be 500 wineries. More than 15 wine grape varieties are grown (57% red and 43% white wine) including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer ...

Preview: In three days in Germany I drove, tasted, visited, ate, drank, slept, and toured the Rhine, Mosel, Saar and Ruwer. If you did as I did you would fly nonstop on Delta at under $400 roundtrip (www.delta.com ) from JFK in New York to Frankfurt (www.frankfurt-tourismus.de ). Rent your Mercedes C Class from Dollar/Thrifty (www.dollar.com ) and drive a half hour into the center of Frankfurt staying at the charming and friendly Villa Orange Hotel (www.villa-orange.de ). After walking through the old ci...

Preview: When it comes to wine, we use a variety of our senses. Our sense of taste and our sense of smell helps us perceive flavors and aromas, our sense of sight helps us look for legs, helping us to identify body, and our sense of touch, well, that just helps us to make sure we grab a glass of wine, and not a can of beer. In fact, there is only one sense we don’t really use: our sense of hearing.

Now, I’ve done it myself: I’ve had a few too many glasses of wine, put the glass up to my ear, and swor...

Preview: Often set a side for cold, rainy weather, a small glass of any of these wines can offer a sweet or toasty finish to a large meal.


Warre's "Optima" Ten Year Old Tawny Port

Price $24

Rating 91

The color is a rosy shade of brick. The sip is hottish and chewy with caramel, dried fruit and nutty nougat.


Port is a sweet fortified wine, name derived from the fact that such wines are shipped out of the Portugese city of Oporto. There's a specific region in northern Portugal's Dou...

Preview: When it comes to the holidays, there is a right and wrong way to get the presents you want. For instance, making a detailed list and giving it to family and friends is the right way, performing a lap dance for the local mall Santa is the wrong way, no matter how right it feels.

For wine lovers, getting what you want can be even trickier: with so much wine paraphernalia in your possession, you want to make sure you don’t receive something you already have. You certainly don’t want a wine open...

Preview: Last time I wrote about integrity in wine production, I concentrated on what happens during the winemaking process. But integrity doesn't begin with the decision not to add chemicals to the final product,

A healthy wine begins in the vineyard.

Wines is a natural, agricultural product and when it’s treated lovingly start to finish in a healthy, natural, nurturing environment it repays us with an emotional experience, each glass is a journey across time and space, a communion between mothe...

Preview: I had started the evening tasting with Moet & Chandon to celebrate the inauguration of the new Bangalore facilities of National Instruments, a billion dollar Texas based IT company. The nine wines selected for tasting were Azure Bay, Kendall Jackson and Fontanelle Banfi Chardonnays, Beaujolais Villages from Louis Jadot, Sula Satori Merlot, Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir, Oxford Landing Cab-Shiraz and as the grand finale, Gaja Promis, all purchased locally from Metro Cash & Carry.

A pretty decent...

Preview: Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, 1869: “Noted horse-tamer Professor D. Magner was introduced to a horse belonging to the Omnibus Company - a most vicious brute, with the habit of biting and striking with his forefeet, this large and powerful bay once killed a man by biting and trampling him and recently bit the hand almost off a person. In about twenty minutes Mr. Magner reduced this brute to perfect subjection - the former furious beast being as docile as a kitten.”

This sort of news item was...

Preview: Some say it can’t be done, pairing red wine with chocolate, but if you have the right wine to complement the right chocolate it can be a match made in heaven! There are a few pairing tips you must keep in mind. Nonetheless, chocolate is beautifully trendy and red wine handsomely in vogue, so it comes as no surprise that your winemaker should play a role at hoping to displace that cup of coffee with a Virginia glass of red wine.

Step one is to consider sweetness. Most chocolate desserts are d...

Preview: The full name of the region is Friuli Venezia Giulia. It has less than 1 1/4 million inhabitants and sits in the north east corner of Italy with Austria to the North, Slovenia to the East, and the Adriatic Sea to the South. Almost half of Friuli (using the shortened version is a lot less confusing to Americans since many assume Venezia or Venice is part of the region and it is not) is occupied by mountains including part of the Alps. The largest cities are Udine with almost 100,000 population an...

Preview: We all know the old saw: red wine with meat, white wine with fish. But how true is this old adage? Wine and food matching has evolved greatly since the days when everyone blindly followed this type of "rule". Today, sommeliers and wine lovers trust their own palates to determine which wine to serve with a certain dish. They make their decision based on a number of subtle criteria, including:

The aromas in the dish: if you're serving a Provençal stew cooked in Herbes de Provence, you've got t...

Preview: Imagine yourself at one of the popular new wine bars in your town. You are sipping a glass of red wine perfumed with notes of violet and lavender – a departure from your typical request for a California Cabernet Sauvignon. You take another sip and wonder what combination of soil and sunlight could produce such a succulent wine? Your curiosity roused, you look at the label on the bottle and see it is from the Languedoc – a region in Southern France.

Suddenly, you are bursting with questions a...

Preview: As the person who came up with The Bay Area Critic, I’m often asked for suggestions on wineries to visit when planning a trip to Napa. My typical response to the question is, “It really depends. Tell me more about what you’re seeking.”

strongly believe Wine Tasting in Napa Valley is mainly about the wine you taste and the people you meet along the way. However, Napa Valley can be broken into the following categories:


Scenic Tours (Breath taking views, old Chateaus, etc.)

Red Wine T...

Preview: Vintage, when it comes to wine, has a unique definition: it isn’t merely an old, classic bottle or one wearing a Guns and Roses hat and Van Halen (pre Sammy Hagar) shirt. In wine, vintage is defined as being made from a particular harvest or a specific crop. A 1989 vintage Riesling, for example, is made up of grapes from - you guessed it - 1989.

Still, not every single grape used for the wine may be from the year denoted. Like a fruit with a fake ID, some grapes from other years may sneak in...

Preview: I have found that most people want to enjoy wine, but that many of them just feel frustrated and confused by all the jargon and pomp and circumstance. I believe learning about wine should be simple, without attitude and above all else, lots of fun! So here are my 5 secrets to ordering a great bottle of wine every time:

• Ask the sommelier or server for suggestions. Most are eager to help and have tasted most (if not all) of the wines on their list. Those of us who have chosen wine as a caree...

Preview: I am a nice Jewish girl. I grew up on Mogen David wine. I drank four glasses every Passover. Then I would help my mother wash and dry the glasses and put them away until next Passover. My parents occasionally drank wine in-between, but I thought wine was something you served with Matzoh.

That is probably why it took me so long to develop a real interest in wine. I don’t remember tasting any white wine before Mogen David came out with theirs.

Maybe that is why I have a preference for swee...

Preview: The word "organic" on a label of wine has tended to be the kiss of death towards sales. There has been a small, sometimes tie-died, always dedicated audience for all things certified organic. The remaining vastness of the marketplace views such efforts as being more expensive and less full-filling. Lets face it; The wines snobs make wine drinking geeky enough without compounding things with tofu inspired methodology.

"If you don't get your flavors from the soil," asks Napa's Frogs Leap Winer...

Preview: One thing I love to do is experience “OPF” (other people’s food). Unfortunately, with the wear and tear of societal and cultural strains with respect to time and exhaustion and the resulting degradation of the prepared dinner experience, at home with friends and/or family, that concept usually means dining out more often than not. When we do go out, we almost always bring our own wine. We aren’t saying ours is better. We just know how much it costs, what it tastes like with what, and where it’s ...

Preview: “If you simply want a good meal, you don’t need to try to impress anyone in the restaurant with your wine order.”



By the Glass – yes and no

At a casual lunch or dinner, an upscale restaurant will often feature a few more interesting wines by the glass or by the flight. A flight is several small glasses of different wines, served at the same time or sequentially, and usually paired with specific dishes. This is your chance to sample without committing to a pricy full bottle. As these ...

Preview: I am certain many of you have heard the statement, "I can't drink wine because I get headaches from sulfites", or "I can drink white wine but not red because I am allergic to sulfites". It is an interesting and debatable subject, but to be quite honest, I am not convinced that sulfites are completely to blame.


On the contrary, I empathize with folks that suffer from some sort of reaction from drinking wine. I, myself do not experience allergic reactions, nor suffer illness or headaches whi...

Preview: The media just adore knocking the stuffing out of wine snobs. Last year they pounced on a study claiming that blindfolded, you couldn’t tell red wine from white. This week they’re thrilled to inform us that wine and cheese, that staple of gallery openings everywhere, don’t really go together.


“Cheese Spoils Fine Wines - So Stick to the Plonk!” screams one headline. “Wine and Cheese Incompatible,” squeals another. And, “Cheese and Wine in Worst Possible Taste.”


A study by Hildegarde H...

Preview: Judging by my e-mail, an alarming number of you have quit drinking red wine because it gives you a headache. Do not go gentle into that good night! As inventions go, red wine ranks right up there with indoor plumbing, novocaine and the wheel. More than a great pleasure, it’s been shown to prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, memory loss and memory loss. (Note to self: drink more red wine).


I’ll bet people nag you, "Oh, come on, try a little. You’re just being hypersensitive!" At la...

Preview: It began as a casual invitation to attend a Texas wine-tasting for a reunion, of sorts, with some old high school friends. How could I resist? So, with my 4-year old son properly ensconced at his trustworthy godparents, I set off from Los Angeles to Texas to attend the largest wine festival in the Southwest – The 18th Annual GrapeFest and People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic in Grapevine.The festival, voted one of the top 100 events in the US and Canada, spans four sweltering days from September...

Preview: Dorothy J. Gaiter and husband John Brecher wrote in the Wall Street Journal mentioning wines they had tasted from the Temecula Valley of California: “If you haven’t heard of the Temecula Valley, you’re hardly alone. But now is a very good time to start getting to know some of the lesser-known wine regions of the US. Temecula (pronounced te-MEC-u-la) is about an hour north of San Diego.”


James Laube wrote in California Wine: “ Whites, led by Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and some ...

Preview: At the end of last week, after finishing a wine article on Riesling, I felt a little guilty, bad that I had left red wine out of the limelight. For a while, I shook this feeling off - I mean, I can't possibly talk about all wine types at all times. But, as I soon felt a bottle of red wine powerfully tapping me on the shoulder and angrily uttering, "Ahem," I gave in and decided I would do for red what I did for white. Easy there Pahlmeyer Napa, you had me at merlot.


One of the most well kno...

Preview: One of the few true things spoken in the movie Sideways was when Virginia Madsen said "the wine is alive."


While wine might not meet all the criteria required by science to be a life form of its own (it doesn't reproduce, but it would be nice if it could) it certainly exhibits some of the phenomena of life. Properly interpreted, wine grows, adapts, and responds to stimuli. It seems to me that wine even has memory.

Those memories have roots in wine's early life as a plant: weather condi...

Preview: Planning an upcoming wedding? Looking for other gift options than china or pots and pans? Well, if you and your fiancé like to drink wine, why not create a wine registry for your wedding guests? Wine is a very personal gift, one that (literally) reflects your taste. And, when you sit down to drink a bottle of a wedding gift of wine, you can both toast to happy thoughts of the special guest who gave it to you.


How do you go about creating a wine registry? Start by calling your local wine sh...

Preview: Pinot gris (or pinot grigio, as it is known in Italy) probably is the best-known "white" variant-clone of Pinot Noir. Ripe pinot gris grapes may be described as having colors from bluish grey to light pinkish brown. Clusters with a variety of colors are not unusual.

The variety can attain a very high level of sweetness, but will begin to lose acid rapidly when near to fully ripe. Sometimes it is used to add richness and to lighten, when blended with Pinot Noir.

Some pinot gris is grown in...

Preview: Not to be confused with the Muscat grape, Muscadelle is an increasingly unimportant grape that calls Bordeaux home. Part of the blend used for both dry white Bordeaux and the sweet wines of Sauternes et al., Muscadelle has now taken a back seat to Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, most of the Muscadelle plantings today are in the outlying area of Entre-Deux-Mers instead of the more prestigious Graves or Sauternes. Also found in the Dordogne area of the Gaillac region further to the south wh...

Preview: This grape is relatively new to the "varietal scene", as one of the white wine grapes that is helping, along with Viognier and Roussanne, to increase the visibility and popularity of "Rhône-style" wines in California in particular and the United States in general.

Its probable origin is the northern Rhône region and it is one of eight white grape varieties allowed in the Côtes du Rhône appellation. Offering greater productivity and intriguingly different aromas, it has gradually taken oven th...

Preview: Grüner Veltliner, or Gru-Vee, as it has been dubbed, is the latest craze. It’s Austria’s own white variety: although lots of attention has focused on Austrian Riesling, there’s actually an awful lot more Gru-Vee planted (by a factor of 10). Now it’s rightfully regarded as the centrepiece of Austria’s wine industry. If you want to look cool this summer, then you should really be sipping Gru-Vee.

So if Austrian whites, and Grüner Veltliners in particular, are so good, how come we haven’t seen ...

Preview: An ancient vine which is nearly identical to Sicily’s Grecanico, Garganega is thought to be of early Greek origin, as the name suggests. It has been established in northeast Italy for centuries and is widely planted throughout the Veneto, where it is the primary white vine and the staple ingredient of Soave. Cultivated to lesser extent in Friuli, Lombardy and Umbria, it shows up almost nowhere else.

Garganega is a late-ripening and extremely vigorous vine, with medium sized, pentagonal leave...

Preview: Zinfandel was for many years somewhat of a mystery grape, as far as its origins are concerned. Recent research in Croatia and at the University of California at Davis, using DNA profiling, has proved Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak. While it had been theorized that Zinfandel's genetic twin, the Italian Primitivo, was the source, this grape also originally mutated from Crljenak. Further research may indicate the very first plantings migrated from Albania or Greece.

In Apr...

Preview: Tempranillo is a primary red wine grape for much of Spain, especially those from the Ribera del Duero and the Rioja Alta. It is also a key blending varietal in Port and known by the name of tinta roriz in Portugal's Douro Valley.

While its varietal character is somewhat vague, its aromas and flavors often combine elements of berryish fruit, herbaceousness, and an earthy-leathery minerality. Rarely bottled as a stand-alone varietal, its most frequent blendmates are grenache, (aka garnacha in S...

Preview: Shiraz is the most widely planted grape variety in Australia. It currently represents 40% of the total red grape crush and constitutes one fifth of all wine grape production in Australia. It is without doubt Australia's favourite red variety, both domestically and internationally.

However Shiraz has not always enjoyed the popularity that it does today. Until the mid-1900s, Shiraz was grown purely for fortified wine production. Its ability to get very ripe, along with its inherent rich flavou...

Preview: Italian immigrants from Tuscany probably introduced the Sangiovese grape to California in the late 1800s, possibly at the Segheshio Family's "Chianti Station," near Geyserville. It is one of several varietal components of the field blend in many old North Coast and Gold Country vineyards that are often otherwise identified as Zinfandel.

Sanguis Jovis, the Latin origin for the varietal name, literally means "blood of Jove" and it is likely that Sangiovese (a.k.a. Sangioveto or San Gioveto) was...

Preview: Pinot Noir is often described as being a "difficult" grape, to grow, to deal with in the winery, and to find truly great examples of, but fans are passionate about this veriety, as sensually expressed by the dialogue between Miles and Maya in the 2004 movie "Sideways."

Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties to be cultivated for the purpose of making wine. Ancient Romans knew this grape as Helvenacia Minor and vinified it as early as the first century AD. Recognized worldwide as a gre...

Preview: The result of a cross between the Pinot Noir and Cinsault varieties, 1Pinotage was created in South Africa in 1925, by Stellenbosch University Professor A.I. Peroldt.

Pinot Noir makes the classic highly-prized wines of Burgundy, while Cinsault is a prolific cropper that makes relatively undistinguished wines in the south of France. Pinot Noir is very difficult to grow successfully, whereas Cinsault is sturdy and resistant to most vine ailments. It was hoped, by 2crossing these two, the new va...

Preview: Mourvèdre as a cultivated wine variety originated in Spain, where it is called monastrell. Over 250,000 acres are planted there and, although many vineyards are intermingled with the bobal variety, only grenache outnumbers total monastrell acreage. It is the principal black grape of the five appellations that cluster on Spain's Southeastern Mediterranean Coast, Almansa, Valencia, Alicante, Jumilla, and Yecla. Prior to the late Nineteenth Century phyloxera devastation, mourvédre was also widely p...

Preview: Montepulciano is an ancient hilltop town in southeast Tuscany. Worthy of a visit because it is a treasure trove for enthusiasts of medieval and Renaissance architecture and artifacts, it also the home of a very fine Sangiovese-based red wine. The noble wine of Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, is one of Tuscany's classic red wines. Although notice of the town's wine dates as far back to 790AD, it was the poet and doctor Francesco Redi who widely established the fame of the wine in a f...

Preview: One of the traditional "Bordeaux varietals", Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends.

It is known in much of France as Côt, and, in Cahors, also as Auxerrois. There are in fact hundreds of local synonyms, since Malbec at one time was widely planted all over the country. Sensitivity to frost and proclivity ...

Preview: Grenache noir is the world's most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.

Used as a component in some Northern Rhône reds, nearly exclusively for Rhône rosés and as the primary component in nearly all Southern Rhône red blends, Grenache is probably most notable as the base varietal for Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhône and Gigondas. In spite of its fame coming from French wines...

Preview: Gamay noir is the primary black grape of France's Beaujolais region, where the wines are typically fermented, spared from aging, and consumed young to appreciate their fresh, fruity qualities, with more tang than tannin.

In 1395, the Duke of Burgundy, Phillip the Bold, ordered Gamay vineyards to be torn out and banned the variety evermore from being planted in the vineyards of Burgundy, so that it would not compete with Pinot Noir. Although this decree nearly erradicated Gamay altogether, it ...

Preview: The Dolcetto grape makes soft, pleasantly fruity wines that are for early consumption. It is used in the Piedmont region of northern Italy but it's use is diminishing. There are also limited plantings in California and most other key wine producing regions around the world, but most of those plantings are for experimental purposes.

Thoughts of Piedmont usually bring images of big tannic Barolos and Barbarescos, but an oft-forgotten everyday variety of the region is Dolcetto. Roughly translate...

Preview: Historically, Carmenère has been difficult to grow in cold, humid climates, and, although this is one of the most ancient varieties in Bordeaux, plantings have not been maintained even in this region, let alone any other in France, or for that matter, anywhere in Europe!

Carmenère was prized in the Medoc for both its depth of color and, in ripe years, flavor that can range from herbal to gamy and add complexity and interest to blends. Carmenère requires more heat to ripen than the other varie...