Posts Tagged ‘red wine’

Switzerland seems as though it should be a heavy producer of wine. After all, look at all the countries around it – Italy, France, Germany, Austria. It should be a given that with such wine culture around it, Switzerland should be competing equally with them.

However, people often forget the topography of Switzerland. The country is very hilly, very mountainous. Indeed, there are very few areas that lie below 1,000 feet. Many peaks easily reach above 13,000 feet. This means that Switzerland tends to be much cooler overall, though it can have high temperatures from time to time and often gets a great deal of sunshine.

Switzerland is typically broken up into three main areas: the southern Alps, the western Jura Mountains, and the Central Plateau. The amount of wine produced in Switzerland is relatively small. You’ll find more beer here than wine! But that doesn’t mean the country is absolutely without vineyards. In fact, you’ll find more red than white wine produced here, and wine has been produced in Switzerland for over 2,000 years. Chasselas is the primary white grape found in Switzerland whereas Pinot Noir is the primary red.

If you’ve ever been to a wine tasting, you may recall that the food you ate was small (if there was food involved at all). A few crackers with cheese. Maybe a bit of chocolate or fruit here and there. There is no wine tasting that features goose or turkey, gravy or cranberries. Yet every holiday season people start to fret – just what wine should you serve with your main course?

Truth is, there are no hard and fast rules about pairing wine with such a giant meal. This is mostly because there are so many different flavors that while a red wine might go with a few items perfectly a white wine will match up with other items. You’re best off finding out what people like to drink and buying a few bottles to satisfy those palates and offer a little diversity.

If you do notice that you have predominately red wine foods, like a heavy stew or rich meats, by all means aim for red. With desserts, you may decide to switch things up and really go for a winning pair. Try to keep dessert wines nice and sweet so the dessert itself doesn’t overpower the wine. Fruity desserts are complimented well by acidic wines. If you have a nice dark chocolate dessert, look for a beautiful dark wine.

If you’ve never had wine or just haven’t partaken of wine very frequently, understanding a bit about typical taste progression may help you to choose your next (or first) bottle of wine. Remember, though, this is just a basic map of where you may be comfortable heading when it comes to moving along tastes in bottles of wine. There is no hard and fast rule to follow when it comes to trying new wines or experimenting with tastes you’ve never had before.

Usually, people’s tastes to begin with are towards wines that are sweet and chilled. Light and cold, some of them may even have a bit of carbonation.

Next comes semi-dry served chilled. They don’t have the same cloying sweetness and have no carbonation, traded in for a slightly higher acidity to balance their current sweetness.

Dry (often white) wine served chilled tends to follow once you tire of sweet wines. You’ll enjoy the flavor with foods like chicken and seafood. From there, you may start to move to wines that are still dry but are more flavorful and served slightly chilled instead. This can include whites as well as some light reds.

Eventually you may move on to wines that are dry and richly flavored. You’ll also prefer them served at cellar temperature and even allowed to warm slightly in the glass.

Finally, when you are a lover of all things wine, you can enjoy all the complexities of dry wines with myriad of flavors served at cellar temperature. These typically include wines that have been aged to the peak of their particular variety for some truly exquisite flavors.

Thanksgiving is an excellent time to be with family and friends – and, of course, good food! Good food is made even better with good wine. During Thanksgiving, there is no one wine that you need to have at the table. Instead, get a feel for what all your visitors enjoy. Don’t forget to include yourself as well! It may be necessary to obtain a few bottles, depending upon how much people want to drink, or what sort of variety you might need.

It is true that usually white wines are associated with fowl, but that’s not a strict rule. Reds can go very nicely with a juicy turkey due to their rich flavors. If you know what you like, it’s bound to be an enjoyable feast. Turkey dinners are often accompanied by a mix of foods as well: cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, noodles, rutabaga, olives, yams, and more. Foods that would normally favor one wine over another end up being thrown together, which throws all the typical wine guidelines out the window. But one tip to keep in mind – aim for wines that are lighter instead of heavier. Let all the foods do the heavy work!

But don’t stop there! After all, there’s dessert to be had. From spicy pumpkin pie to other family favorites, each one might deserve a good dessert wine or two for some complementary flavors.

It’s that time again! Time for good friends, family, delicious food, and, of course, amazing wine. Whether you have turkey before Thanksgiving or anytime, it’s always a nice treat to have a good bottle of wine to accompany it. But some people wonder – should you treat turkey like chicken and follow the wine guidelines there? Or is there some other concept to follow when it comes to pairing the two?

First, it is always important to remember that in the end you should choose a wine that you want to drink, and/or a wine that your company wishes to drink. Do you prefer red over white, or does it matter? Do you like them dry or nice and sweet? Consider your tastes first, and then take a peek at the guidelines.

If you enjoy white wines, Chardonnay is typically the choice wine when it comes to turkey. You’re bound to already have a favorite, so you can go with that or choose something new for a little holiday variety.

If you like red wine, Pinot Noir is a good wine to match. It won’t overwhelm the food even though its flavor is a little fuller. Turkey tends to be a little more flavorful than chicken, which is why these two work well together.

Don’t be afraid to ask friends for their suggestions as well!

Some people believe that wine is only for pairing with actual meals, whether it’s a salad or a stew, fish or steak. Often the idea of pairing wine with commercial snacks lower on the food chain (so to speak) is looked at with distain. But if we can pair wine with sea salt crackers and rich cheeses, why not have a glass of wine this Halloween while snacking on some of your favorite holiday candies to ward off the scary ghosts and goblins?

Solid chocolates are easy. Find a red wine with rich fruits to pair with dark chocolate, and something a little softer for milk chocolate. Ports typically work well.

Snickers is one of the staples of a good Halloween treat. Try a Cabernet Sauvignon to help match with the caramel, chocolate, peanuts, and nougat combo.

Caramel apples are not just for Halloween, but all autumn. If you want a glass of wine and a mouth-watering caramel apple, pour some Gewurztraminer for spice or Riesling with crisp apple flavor.

Candy corn simply cannot be missed when it comes to Halloween. For all their sugary goodness, search out a buttery Chardonnay for a great complement.

There are a lot of myths out there concerning wine. Red wine, white wine, cooking with them, drinking them, their alcohol contents, and many, many more things that can branch off these concepts. One little idea that has squeaked out into mainstream mythdom is that white wine can help clean up a red wine stain.

It’s an interesting idea, and most likely gained power due to the idea of the alcohol in the wine. People tend to associate alcohols with cleaning abilities. Red wine has that rich color thanks to the grapes, their skins, and so forth. Because white wine is without dark colors, people tend to think of it as colorless. Somehow the belief is that the white wine will have the power to negate the color of the red wine. An odd thing to believe, when you think about the components of both wines and how they vary only a little. Especially when white wine is in fact not colorless, but often gold or a very pale yellow.

Whatever you might believe, the truth is this: If you were to put white wine on a red wine stain, you won’t get any results. At least, no results you’d be happy with. Instead of a red wine stain on your shirt or rug, you would end up with a red wine and a white wine stain. If you ever spill wine of any kind, be sure to treat it with the proper cleaning products as soon as possible for a stain-free surface.

The simple answer to this question is: Everywhere.

Indeed, the tricky part will be picking out recipes you want to try, and there are many delicious recipes out there that involve a number of wines. Consider experimenting with foods that you like the most and dishes you would enjoy trying. You’ll find a number of recipes that include white wine, red wine, some that cater to vegetarians, and some that offer up a bit of wine in desserts. The choices are seemingly endless!

You can start by looking in books and magazines, but if you aren’t interested in making a purchase to get recipes, you can easily look online. Check out well-known or more practical websites first such as the home pages of wine or cooking magazines, or food television networks. You can also try recipe websites that feature massive lists of recipes uploaded by people from all over the world. Recipe websites can be handy for those times when you have a few ingredients you think might be good together and can search various recipes with your combination.

So get out your recipe book and start experimenting, but remember—never cook with a wine you wouldn’t also enjoy drinking!

Kicking back and sipping a glass of wine or enjoying a cigarette is a pleasure that people like to do from time to time.  The trouble comes when a person indulges in one particular pleasure too much.  But for those who find themselves stuck in the habit of smoking, they may find that a few glasses of red wine helps out.

Studies have been done that show red wine is able to counteract some of the damages that cigarette smoke can do to the body.  The study showed that two glasses of red wine actually helped fight against the acute arterial dysfunction that cigarettes leave behind.  It isn’t the alcohol in the wine that helps; instead, it is the constituents within the wine that do the job.  The studies were performed with the alcohol removed.

However, this does not mean smokers can be cured of all their ills through a few glasses of red wine after every cigarette.  The wine only helps with specific types of damage, and likewise, too much wine can easily have adverse affects, thus defeating the purpose.  Remember, everything in moderation is the best policy.

When you have a meager amount of wine left in your bottle but you’re loathe to throw it out, what can you do with it?  Smart minds develop unique ways to utilize the remainder of their wine.  Remember, wine is great with foods, so finding ways to mix and match it up with a few dishes can be a great idea.

If you have a good white wine, break out the blender and cheese!  A quality Brie or Saint-André can mix up nicely with a bit of wine and add a little extra zest the next time you’re spreading this soft mix on your bread.  From there, all you have to do is craft your new cheese into a delicious recipe and enjoy.

You can always kick start older recipes by throwing in the remainder of your wine.  Have a hearty red?  Pour it in with a beef stew and let it mix in with all the juices and broth.  Suddenly, a typical winter stew just got an extra jolt of flavor.

Freeze it for use later!  Pour the wine into ice cube trays and use it to chill other drinks that could do with a splash of wine flavor.