Archive for April, 2010

The island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy is the home of the Vermentino di Gallura region.  Though it is Spanish in origin, eventually it made its way to Italy and then to Corsica and eventually Sardinia.  It can be a little difficult for grapes and vines to thrive in the area due to the dry soil; however, the Vermentino does remarkably well, enjoying the cool winds and the overall micro-climate of Sardinia.

From here, you can obtain the delicious white wines.  The soil and other attributes of the vine’s location allow it to include some interesting overall flavors, aromas, and tastes.  Though the overall production is somewhat small, you can find bottles to purchase online relatively easily.  In 1996, it became the first wine on Sardinia to be classified as DOCG.  Generally, Vermentino is a pale, straw color and can contain some green tinges with a very light bitter taste.  Other various wines are produced in the region, many of them under the DOCG.

Sometimes certain foods just work perfectly with certain wines.  But one cannot just say, “Pair white wine with fish.”  There are too many white wines and too many types of fish to be so general!  Take a quick look at this list below before making any solid wine and fish and seafood choices.

Champagne is a solid choice for delectable raw oysters or a seafood dish that utilizes creamy sauces with rich flavors.

Sauvignon blanc is so light and crisp that it matches beautifully with the freshness of herbs and citrus flavors, so fish prepared in a simple manner with these flavors work well, such as mahi-mahi, shrimp, clams, or mussels.

Beaujolais works when the fish is a little heavier and meatier, such as tuna, swordfish, shark, or sturgeon.  You can also try a merlot with fish such as these.

Chardonnay’s light taste makes it a great partner with seafood dishes that have rich and buttery creamy sauces.  Lobster, crab, swordfish, or shark work well with a glass of chardonnay.

Visiting a vineyard may seem like an impossible task.  This is because many casual wine drinkers may not realize that they can find vineyards right in their own backyards.  Many people associate vineyards to European countries and California.  It does not occur to some that even a location like Arizona or Wisconsin might have beautiful vineyards.  Due to the simple fact that grapes and vines demand particular climates, certain areas simply do not seem to be well-suited to host vineyards.

However, human ingenuity and tenacity has allowed us to overcome such hurtles.  Now every state in the United States has at least one vineyard to speak of, though many states have several.

Find a vineyard near you just by searching online or taking a quick look in a phonebook.  Visiting a vineyard can be a wonderful treat, providing you and your friends or your spouse with a fine way to spend the day.  Or, if you are so inclined, several days, as some vineyards include rooms you can stay in.  Relax, enjoy the scenery, and drink some wine!

When you visit Italy and wander over to the areas of Asti, Alessandria, and Cuneo, you have found the place for Moscato d’Asti wine.

Moscato d’Asti wine is regulated by the DOCG and crafted in the above areas according to their guidelines.  While not every winery may follow the DOCG procedures, that means they will also not be mentioned in the DOCG list and have no formal ranking.  The wines you taste are up to you though.  The Moscato d’Asti wine is generally a wine that is low in alcohol with a sweet flavor.  It is frequently enjoyed with a dessert, as the sweetness of the food and the wine pair well together.

These wines are typically developed from the Moscato Bianco grape.  This same grape, however, is also used to create a sparkling wine, often referred to as Asti or Asti Spumante.  Feel free to travel throughout the area trying different bottles from different wineries to find the ones you like the best.

The Gewurztraminer grape is a lovely choice for making white wines that bring you a twist of spiciness and offers up floral fragrances.  The best place for the Gewurztraminer grape to be grown is in France, particularly in the Alsace region.  But that doesn’t mean it can’t flourish elsewhere.  Gewurztraminer grapes have been known to grow strongly and create quality wines in the United States, particularly California, Oregon, and Washington.  You can also find them in Germany and New Zealand.

Many of these regions have cooler climates, which helps the Gewurztraminer to thrive.  You may find Gewurztraminer wines semi-dry or completely dry.  Their spiciness makes them perfect to pair with other spicy foods, but they can also be made into dessert wines, bringing a little zip to your after dinner delight.  If you haven’t tried a Gewurztraminer wine, start looking for a quality one today for a little bit of variety in your dinner menu.

When people think wine, they automatically think grapes and vines.  It’s a perfectly normal association, especially due to the number of grape varieties available.  Though it is true that almost every wine you see is made from some type of grape, wine has not always been made using these beauties, and even today you may discover a delicious wine that was created using something other than grapes.

Wines can also be made from various fruits and berries.  Makers of these wines use a few processes that can be different from the typical grape winemaking process due to the fruit or berry involved.  However, whatever fruit, berry, or grape is used, fermentation is one of the most important components involved – otherwise the wine simply would not exist.

So what sort of wines can you drink that are not made from grapes?  Just with a quick search online or at various wineries or other locations that sell and/or make wine, you can discover a wide variety of wines made with apples, peaches, cherries, blackberries, mulberries, and even bananas!  Many fruits, when treated right, can be transformed into a tasty wine.

Only 65 square miles in size, the Chianti region of Italy is just south of Florence and north of Siena.  You may hear of this region spoken of as being one of the oldest wine regions in the world.  A visit to this beautiful place will show you wide open vineyards with old castles and old towns nearby.  Like many other Italian wine regions, it is seeped in history, from the Chianti name to the grapes used by the Romans (and are still used today to make Chianti wine).

This is a region that is well worth taking a trip to and visiting many of the breathtaking wineries there.  You can try plenty of Chianti, of course, but there are other wines made in this region as well such as Chardonnay.

Don’t just pick up any bottle of Chianti either.  For an authentic bottle of Chianti, look for a bottle that has a black rooster on a pink label located at the throat of the bottle.  This symbol was developed in 13^th  Century Florence and has been passed down through the years to distinguish Chianti wines that follow a specific set of rules during winemaking.

While the bottle in your fridge is safe and sound, the vines that produce the grapes that make that wine can be in trouble should phylloxera get into the soil where the vines grow.

Phylloxera is a root louse that is nearly microscopic in size.  The problem with this pest is that it burrows down and infests the roots of a vine.  In addition, vineyard owners may not realize there is a problem because a phylloxera infestation can take as long as ten years before the plant finally dies.  During this time, the plant may seem healthy and will even continue to produce grapes that have a high quality.  One of the few symptoms of a phylloxera problem is the diminishing number of grapes produced by the vine.

Certain locations, such as California and New Zealand, are currently dealing with phylloxera issues.  Still, you can count on your favorite wines to come out of those locations because new technologies and aggressive campaigns against the phylloxera louse are slowly but surely making some progress.

There are many different terms used when discussing wine.  The casual wine drinker may not recognize many terms simply because they are never in a position to use them, much less mind them at all.  But there is nothing wrong with learning a little wine lingo to use – if only just for fun.  However, when you live in serious wine country and love wine and everything about it, knowing how to discuss it like a pro can give you an edge.

Aeration – the simple act of allowing air to come into contact with the wine; in turn, the oxygen allows younger wines to open up.  There is some debate over this action, though.  Some wine lovers are not sure if it improves wine or not.

Appellation – this is the official name of the location a wine originates from.

Balance – this is used when discussing the levels of flavor dominance in a wine.  A well-balanced wine does not have any one flavor that dominates over the others.

Brix – a measure of sugar in grapes.

Pips – grape seeds.

Thin – a term that describes wines that lack flavor, depth, or body.

Italy has a long history when it comes to wine.  Since the time of emperors and great wars, wine has been a drink to be remembered and always enjoyed.

The Romagna wine comes from the Emilia-Romagna area, located in northern Italy.  It is here that the Albana grape is most prominent.  There is a wide range of land types that span this area, from the coastal areas to sweeping hilly areas.  History and legend come together as one in this area, of course with wine always involved.

The Albana di Romagna was the first white wine to receive a DOCG classification early on in 1987.  There are people that dispute this ranking, and the debate continues even today.

It is the Passito that gains the most notice of the region.  Wine producers with plenty of skill can make bottles that people strive to obtain, using various techniques in order to give the wine its personality and diverse taste.  The next time you are in Italy, ask for a high quality Passito and decide for yourself.