9:36 PM

October 21, 2008 - Wine Vineyards

Wine Vineyards For Your Reading Pleasure

Do you really want to buy wine online?

I love walking around wine shops. Especially really good ones. Some of them have wonderful bottles of vintage wines, ports, sherries, madeira, marsala and brandy in lovely dusty racks. Others give you a list and you can go and actually look at a bottle of wine that is on the list at ?2000. Of course buying it is out of the question, but you will always remember that day when you actually touched a Rothschild '47 or whatever it was for the rest of your life.

If you live or work in London there are some fabulous wine merchants to window shop in. You can potter around the more expensive areas of the West End and discover a cornucopia of wine shops with superb wines from all over the world. Many specialise in the more expensive vintages.

Looking round these emporiums is a bit like taking a kid into a sweetshop. You look at all these wines that you have read about only in fables and decide that you will have a bottle of 'house-red' thanks. You can't tell the be-suited gentleman behind the wooden counter that your bank manager would have a fit if you bought the one you really wanted. You also know that if you try to bluff him by asking for the '85 rather than the '86 he will produce the bottle from the folds of his morning suite.

The airports of Western Europe, particularly Amsterdam and Zurich for transit passengers are amazing. Good wine is not in it. From behind glass, possibly bullet-proof, you can gaze at bottles of 200 year old brandy. I wonder if anyone actually drinks it, or do they frame it or something? You may wonder, whilst looking for the rather cheaper duty-free shop which sells things for under $1000, whether you could buy some of these things rather less expensively somewhere else.

If you go to Italy or France you can just go to the local shop in the town and you will be amazed at the range of wines there. Of course the local wine/s will be paramount in the mind of the storekeeper or wine merchant, but there will be some special wines that really need attention paid to them. Little stores can often come up with some really cracking wine if persuaded to. "This is my last bottle" really means that the wine is really good and possibly too good to be drunk by a foreigner.

If you take a tour of the wine growing regions of Italy or France you will be able to buy a case or two of whichever wine you took a fancy to on your holiday. Having tasted it in Italy though, does not necessarily mean that it will taste the same in England or Germany when it's only 2C outside.

Most of us would love to go to interesting places; see how wine is made and taste it on the spot; have the time to wander round wine warehouses and have the knowledge of what to look for. The rest of us take advantage of the new ability of being able to buy wine online. It's much easier but not, perhaps, as much fun.

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Another short Wine Vineyards review

Do you really want to buy wine online?

I love walking around wine shops. Especially really good ones. Some of them have wonderful bottles of vintage wines, ports, sherries, madeira, marsala...

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Recommended Wine Vineyards Items

Hauswein Red

Red Hauswein is a fruity wine produced in the European Union. Served in big Roemer glasses, it is sure to compliment all types of foods. Hauswein in the German language refers to the establishment's "Pouring wine". You can buy this inexpensive wine online. K-003 K-003

Price: 19.95 USD

Wine Vineyards in the news

Texas Vineyard delivers the whole experience | Texas Vineyar

Thu, 16 Oct 08 19:40:10 -0700
A great article about a small vineyard near Rockwell that really brings the whole wine and food experience together.

David Lett, Oregon Wine Pioneer, Dies at 69

Tue, 14 Oct 08 09:32:57 -0700
Mr. Lett planted the first commercial pinot noir vineyard in Oregon, opening the way for what became a thriving pinot noir industry.

Tablas Creek Vineyard Wine Dinner

Fri, 10 Oct 08 13:51:00 -0700
We received an invitation to the Tablas Creek Vineyard Wine Dinner at David Burke's Primehouse and decided to pass on the invitation to you!

English wines are beating the French

Thu, 09 Oct 08 01:05:58 -0700
From Cornwall to Kent, vineyards are enjoying a champagne moment.

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Labels: Wine

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2:52 AM

October 20, 2008 - Wine Shopping

A Wine Shopping Artilce for Your Viewing

Understanding the Basics of Wine Tasting

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.

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 wine glass so that it is about 40% full, you will need room for swirling. Have a good look at the wine. Is it clear, opaque, or cloudy? Does it contain sediments or other solid matter? Tilt the glass away from you at a 45-degree angle against a white background so you can enjoy the range of colors in the wine from the center to the rim.
Wine changes color with age. Whites are at its palest state during their youth, gradually adding stronger color. Red wine, on the other hand, has more vivid color in its youth, slowly fading to brick red.

Smell the Wine
Give your glass a vigorous swirl to help release the aromas. Swirling takes a bit of practice. This technique can be learned by leaving the wine glass on the table, holding it by the stem, and rotating it in small circles. The object is to get the wine to move up to around 70% of sides of the glass.

Stick your nose right into the glass and inhale steadily and gently, as if you were smelling a flower. These vital seconds of inhalation will reveal all kinds of familiar and unfamiliar smells. Try to detect the smell of fruity or floral notes. Decide what they remind you of if possible. Note the presence of spices, such as pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, tea or possibly nuts. Finally, note the presence of other aromas, such as cedar, oak, moist earth, herbs, chocolate, tobacco, toast, or smoke. Always interpret them in terms that mean something to you.

Remember, it's your nose that counts here. It does not matter if someone else interprets the smell differently, that is part of the pleasure of wine.

Taste
At last, it is time to drink the wine. The following components that make up the flavor of the wine can be detected by rolling wine around in your mouth and concentrating on what comes to mind as you taste.

Sweetness
This the fruit flavor tasted at the front of the tongue. This comes from the wine's fruit flavors as well as any fermented grape sugars left in the wine. If there is no perceived sweetness, a wine is dry.

Acidity
This gives wine freshness and zest. When balanced, it makes for a fresh, crisp, enjoyable wine. On the other end of the spectrum, acidity can lend a negative, vinegary taste to the wine.

Tannin
Comes from the stems and skins of the grape. It has a woody taste, similar to flavor released when biting a grape seed. Tannin can be mouth puckering, but it normally mellows with age.

Alcohol
In low concentrations, alcohol portrays itself as somewhat sweet, and in high concentrations, it shows as a warm, pervasive sensation at the back of the mouth.

Fruitiness
The intensity and flavor depends on the grape variety, growing conditions, and wine making techniques.

Balance
For a good wine, there should be a balance of the above flavor components. If any one of the components is overpowering, the experience of drinking the wine can be tainted. This can sometimes mean that the wine is young and will become more balanced with age.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nerello [Designer, Fashion Artist and creator of the Zany Wearables Collection: http://www.zanygiftware.com. A wine enthusiast and publishing member of the wine source: http://www.winedefinitions.com.

Thoughts about Wine Shopping

Understanding the Basics of Wine Tasting

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 aga...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Wine Shopping Items For Viewing

Dingo Ridge Shiraz

A medium to full bodied wine with unique Shiraz characteristics of Raspberry and Black Pepper with accompanying oak tannins and subtle vanilla overtones. Dingo Ridge Shiraz can be cellared or enjoyed with beef, Asian stir-fry or BBQ chicken. You can also enjoy this dry red wine from Australia with a cheese platter while watching the sunset. Perfect gift! ARDSK701 ARDSK701

Price: 27.95 USD

Wine Shopping in the news

It's Now Dirt Nap Time In America

Mon, 31 Mar 08 16:04:29 -0700
Legendary Ad Man Hal Riney died last week ... The Career Thumbnail - The Carpenters, Ronald Reagan and a Wine Cooler

Must Love Wine | Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)

Sat, 22 Mar 08 10:36:31 -0700
Soft white wines are floral, honeyed and highlighted by pleasing acidity while ranging from dry to slightly sweet. They are a good match for varied foods including hard to pair Asian foods. The most notable soft white wines come from cooler climates where the grapes gain more acidity on the vine.

Charlize Theron Flashes some Classy Cleavage

Thu, 13 Mar 08 13:02:38 -0700
The trashy ones are grateful just to get a few wine coolers and ride back to the bus station.

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Labels: Conundrum Wine | Cream Sherry