Nothing says “I love you” like a little romantic atmosphere. A bottle of wine. Some chocolates. Candlelight. Wine gift sets can make for excellent gifts for this Valentine’s Day. Smart buying can reveal some amazing choices that will leave your partner absolutely delighted. Even better, it’s the kind of gift that the two of you can share together.

Wine gift sets meant for Valentine’s Day often have that Valentine’s Day feel to them. Companies that craft these gift sets and gift baskets will wrap them up in pink and red boxes with foil for shine, heart accents for love, and more. They can contain anywhere from a single bottle of wine and some chocolates to being a full wine gift set with cheese, crackers, and multiple bottles of wine.

Posted by: Matters2009
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Tags: bottle of wine, romantic atmosphere, romantic gift, Valentine's Day, wine gift sets

Just as some people claim that Swiss chocolate is the best you can get, others might argue that French cheese is the only way to go when enjoying a bottle of wine. But is there really a difference between French cheeses and other international cheeses? And does it matter which cheese you eat when drinking wine?

There is nothing that really makes the statements about French cheese true. Everyone will have their favorites and nothing is going to make them change their minds. Likewise, getting many cheeses straight from France can be difficult depending upon how old the cheese is, what it’s made with, and so forth. For example, cheeses made with raw milk and not allowed to ferment a certain number of days cannot be sent to the United States.

Eat what you want with your wine. In fact, you don’t even have to eat cheese with wine. Some connoisseurs believe that strong cheeses can actually overpower the flavors within many wines, which doesn’t lend well to overall enjoyment.

Posted by: Matters2009
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Tags: cheese with wine, France, French cheese, international cheese, wine

If you’re looking for good wine, try something a little different. Most people don’t tend to think of wine and Canada together, but you can find great quality wine from Canada if you know where to look. Though Canadian wines have less than a 50% share in their domestic wine market, smart vineyard owners know how to make the most out of a cooler climate with grapes that can handle the seasons.

Wine in Canada is produced primarily in British Columbia and Southern Ontario. Smaller areas that craft good wine include southern Quebec and Nova Scotia. Within these areas, the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia are two of the principal wine-producing regions.

While in other countries, certain areas are known for certain wines, much of Canada is recognized for ice wine. In fact, ice wine is produced with a great deal of reliability in Canada and has been the most recognized product on an international basis. In fact, the growth in the international market for Canadian ice wine has grown, especially when it comes to exporting to China, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

Next time you see a bottle of Canadian wine, why not give it a try?

Posted by: Matters2009
Posted in: Wines around the World | No Comments »
Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Canadian wine, ice wine, icewine, Southern Ontario

Not every location in the United States is allowed to sell wine. Aside from places needing a liquor license, some states actually have laws in place that prevent locations, such as grocery stores, from selling wine and other alcoholic drinks. There are only specific buildings that are allowed to sell them, which means people looking to host a wine tasting event may have to travel very far just to obtain a few bottles. 35 out of 50 states allow wine to be sold in stores – all the others mean people have to make two trips for everything they want.

Tennessee is one of those places. But the Red, White, and Food campaign is looking to change that. To change the law, they need people to support them and vote to do so. The more people signing up, the more likely it is that lawmakers will eventually bend and allow stores to carry wine. This coming fall, depending upon how lobbyists push lawmakers and how much democracy will prevail, the possibility of change may appear on ballots. It may be that in 2012 Tennessee will finally be able to have wine where it wants.

Posted by: Matters2009
Posted in: General | 2 Comments »
Tags: alcoholic drinks, grocery stores, Red White and Food campaign, sell wine, Tennessee, voting on wine

Smell Wine?

Have you ever wondered where people come up with the descriptions for what they smell in wine?
Does it sound pretentious?

I always thought so.  I thought there was a standard by which everyone could describe the wine and everyone would understand.

Yea, not so.  What smells like the oak door off an outhouse to me, may smell entirely different to someone else.

I just loved this article and wanted to share it with all of you.

The world of wine descriptors is an inexact science. Especially since every person seems to have a slightly different sense of taste. All the wine critic can do is to faithfully describe what is personally detected in the glass of wine.

You can enhance your sense of smell and taste by simply paying serious attention to it. And you can expand your olfactory ability in many ways, such as sniffing your spices and herbs in your kitchen or smelling exotic fruits at your grocery store.

My first daunting task as a newly hatched wine sniffer was being confronted with 30 almost identical California Chardonnays, all oaked, and struggling to describe what made each one unique. It requires more concentration than you might expect.

I got a real chuckle from a reader’s email the other night. She started by congratulating me on my great wine column. Then she confessed she never drinks wine or, for that matter, any kind of alcohol. No, she reads my column first every Saturday because she thinks it is hilarious, all those funny descriptors. She finds my column funnier than the comics.

I replied by thanking her for reading me and confessed I did try to entertain, as well as inform.

Most wine drinkers and regular readers recognize the descriptors I use because they encounter such smells and tastes in their everyday consumption of wine. So it is not alien territory or language from another planet to them.

Continue Here

What it boils down to is this.  Tell people what it smells like to you.  Not what you think they want to hear.

_______________________________________

Article:  Smell Wine?
Original Source:  The Star
Author:  Gord Stimmel
 
 

Posted by: John Carter
Posted in: Humor | 1 Comment »
Tags: wine, wine smell, wine sniffing, wine tasting

Whether you’re looking for a new cookbook that can teach you ways to cook with wine, or just want a great wine gift to give someone, there are some handy new titles out there that may be exactly what you’re looking for. Check out the following books and give them some thought.

Pairing Wine and Food by Linda Johnson-Bell. It’s exactly what it sounds like! Instead of trying to piece together information here and there online, now you can look right inside this book for excellent ideas on what to drink the next time you have dinner.

Winemaking with Concentrates: How to Make Delicious Wines at Home with Easy-to-Use Fruit Concentrates by Peter Duncan. You may not have a vineyard, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own wine! Peter Duncan has some interesting ideas on how to make mouth-watering wines without the need for acres of land.

The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine by Karen Page. Sometimes it’s the other way around. You love food first, wine is secondary. So how should you go about treating the two? Karen Page looks at the world of wine from the eyes of a food fan first.

Posted by: Matters2009
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Tags: cookbook, gift ideas, wine book, wine gift, wine literature

Decanting Wine

The days of finding sediment and particles in your red wines have gone forever.

Because of modern filtration techniques sediment and the need to age wines is something of the past.

However, decanting wine is still important to bring our the best in red wines.

Back in the day, red wines were made to age for several years before being uncorked, and often left a sediment in the bottle from bits of grape skin and stalks.

And classics such as Bordeaux and high-end reds from around the world often still come with sediment.

But these days most everyday reds we buy in supermarkets and off-licenses come ready to drink right out of the bottle – there’s no need to age them and no sediment, thanks to modern filtration techniques.

 

However, you can still maximize the potential of such a wine by the simple action of decanting, to let the air get to it.

It might be that a wine you drink doesn’t appear to have much of an aroma, or the flavors seem mute – and if that’s the case, it’s well worth decanting it to unleash all the smells and bells.

 

After all, it’s been cooped up in that bottle and could do with a good stretch.

At press tastings, wines are often decanted out of the bottle and back in again before being shown to assembled journalists, bloggers and members of the wine trade.

So do you need a fancy decanter? In a word, no. You can use a jug, a milk bottle or a vase and you’ll get the same effect – opening up the aromas and flavors of the wine.

The myriad shapes and designs of decanters are all about aesthetics.

 

If you shove a bottle in the freezer you’re likely to forget about it! It’s much better to invest in a chiller jacket which you keep in the freezer – perfect for rapid chilling. Similarly, if you leave bottles of red on a radiator you risk heating it into soup. Leave the wine at room temperature for longer, and if necessary hold your hand around the bowl of the glass to warm it gently.

And I love them all! From ship’s decanters, which are wide and flat at the base to compensate for the motion of the vessel, to incredibly intricate decanters such as the amazing Riedel ‘Mamba’ decanter, shaped like a coiled snake, which serves wine a glass at a time by trapping a small quantity in the neck as you swing and serve. It’s brilliant fun and great theater.

Read more HERE

Let’s face it.   Red wines that get decanted, either with a beautiful wine decanter or a glass bowl, just taste better!

Article:  Decanting Wine

Original Source: Daily Mail

Author:  Olly Smith

Posted by: John Carter
Posted in: Wine Decanting | No Comments »
Tags: decanter, decanting, wine decanter

Many people have their preferences in music just as they have their preferences in wine. When you get home after a long day at work, you may want to kick back with a glass of wine and put on some tunes. But can music help enhance the taste of your wine?

Interestingly enough, a study by Heriot Watt University in Britain found that people believe there is a difference in taste when certain music is played. In fact, 60% of people believed the taste changed when music came into the picture.

The sounds in the music somehow seemed to echo the flavors and tastes in the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon was most affected by “powerful and heavy” music whereas a bottle of Chardonnay tasted better with music that was “zingy and refreshing.”

Wondering what to try (music-wise) the next time you sit down with a glass of wine? How about “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings with Cabernet Sauvignon, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner for Chardonnay, “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding with some Merlot, or “Orinoco Flow” by Enya with Syrah.

So the next time you see a bottle of wine, don’t be too surprised to see the label include a few musical recommendations as well!

Posted by: Matters2009
Posted in: General | No Comments »
Tags: background music, bottle of wine, glass of wine, music played, wine and music

Looking for ways to keep track of the bottles you’ve enjoyed? A wine journal is exactly what you need in order to remember which vineyard made the best merlot and which chardonnay simply did not work with your swordfish dinner. There are several ways you can keep a wine journal. You could buy a blank journal and create your own format as you try different bottles, or you can purchase a journal made specifically for wine lovers.

Moleskine makes Passions journals tailored to the loves that people have. Their wine journal is an excellent way to keep track of your wine, allowing for places where you can record all sorts of notes, include pictures, and customize it in various different ways.

Kevin Zraly is all about wine. It’s a larger book with more room for larger pictures and space for writing. Great to keep at home, but because of it’s size and hardcover design, it’s not really made for traveling.

If you want something even smaller than the Moleskine, the Little Black Journal of Wine is a good choice. The elastic band keeps it shut and you have plenty of different note areas you can write in. Because of its smaller size, you may have to write smaller to get all your thoughts in!

Posted by: Matters2009
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Tags: journal, keep track, wine journal, wine lovers, wine notes

Love wine and love to recommend it along with various foods? You could be on the brink of a brand new career. A sommelier is someone who works at a restaurant doing exactly that. You’re much more than a waiter. You inform guests of the wine choices, make recommendations based upon their food choices, or suggest wines paired with certain dishes. A sommelier also gets to choose which wines the restaurant should stock.

However, you can’t simply walk into a restaurant and apply for the position. To be truly qualified as a sommelier, you need to go back to school. That’s right. A sommelier should go to the Court of Master Sommeliers in order to obtain an amazing knowledge of wine and more to become a certified sommelier. From tasting all the subtleties of wine to smelling the various aromas, there is a lot to learn through the courses offered. You can get certified if that’s all you want, or you can continue to take courses in order to become a true Master Sommelier.

Posted by: Matters2009
Posted in: General | No Comments »
Tags: certified sommelier, classes, love wine, Master Sommelier, sommelier