Posts Tagged ‘red wine’

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.

While most wine regions within and outside of Portugal utilize multiple grapes for their particular areas, Bairrada actually relies almost completely upon a single grape variety.  In fact, 80% of the wines in Bairrada are crafted using the Baga grape, ending in a red wine that can be anywhere from highly astringent to quite dazzling.  In the end, it depends upon the maker of the wine and how they decide to handle their grapes in order to transform it into a great bottle.

Bairrada has many small growers in the area; approximately 4,700 with very small plots of land in which to do their growing and bottling.  Many of these vineyards have been in the area for a long time, some for more than 50 years.  There are only a small number of white wines that come out of the Bairrada region, and it is well worth looking for them for a quick taste to see everything that Portugal can provide.

Despite the fact that Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow, its popularity has pushed vineyards onward to find ways to best handle its difficulties.  Of course, weather plays a large part in the way that this little grape ripens and tastes in the end.  Small crops are most popular; if the grapes don’t get enough heat during the season, they produce a weak wine.  However, if the season is too warm, wines can taste a little too ripe.  Pinot Noir grapes thrive best when the nights are cool and the days are pleasantly warm.

At first, when people first glance at the Pinot Noir, they assume it makes a red wine.  While this is true in some cases, it can also be used to make white wines and even sparkling wines such as Champagne.  However, it is the color of the skins and not the grape flesh itself that gives a wine its color.  When a vineyard wants to make a red wine, they include the skins during the process.  If not, then the Pinot Noir skins are discarded early on, leaving only the fleshy fruit of the grape to determine the wine’s coloring.

When it comes to red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is the go-to grape.  Just about every region in France features these little beauties, and it is the primary grape in their Bordeaux region.  This grape is the result of a combination of the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.  If you want a wine that has the power to age, best to get Cabernet Sauvignon grapes involved.  Often, 5 to 10 years allow the wine to be at its very best by the time it is opened and enjoyed.

Cabernet Sauvignon does not have to stand on its own, either.  These grapes are often mixed with others in order to create wines with more complex flavors and aromas.  Typically, drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon created wine will yield some interesting tastes, from rich dark cherries to a bit of cedar to even a tobacco-like nip.  Some of the finest wines in the world are made using this grape variety.  It is grown in warmer climates and is often stored in smaller oak barrels for as long as 18 months before being bottled and sold around the world.

If you’re thinking of Don Quixote, you’re not too far off the mark when it comes to the La Mancha region.  In fact, one logo you might see referencing the region is a man on horseback with a long lance (and who looks suspiciously familiar…).

The La Mancha region is 190,000 hectares wherein 300 vineyards make their home, producing over 100 million liters of wine each year.  The La Mancha region takes up a large place in Spain, making it perfect for wine lovers who wish to travel; in fact, it is the largest wine region.  You can taste a great number of different wines from the area.  Six different red wines are crafted here, from Cincibel to Merlot.  Five different white wines are also made in the area, from Chardonnay to Airen.  Of course, each vineyard may decide to do a bit of mixing in the process, providing drinkers with many varying flavors and delights.

If you are looking for more foods to pair with the right wines, then start to take notes.  If you are a newcomer to the world of wine and food pairings, a good idea is to pay attention to the foods and wines that work well together and consider all their characteristics in order to make smart pairings in the future.

Light white wines are always amazing with chilled seafood and raw oysters, but you can also enjoy them with tofu dishes with added light flavor.  Medium white wines are tasty with green salads and vegetable pastas that are simple and fresh.  Full-bodied white wines work well with roasted chicken or rich seafood dishes that involve such items as crab.

Light red wines make a wonderful match with grilled chicken or meaty fish dishes.  Medium-bodied red wines really bring out the flavor when it comes to pastas that are tomato-based or game meats such as venison.  A full-bodied red wine works well with rich, flavorful meals that involve pot roast, steak, and slow-cooked pork.  Savory and delectable.

The Ahr Valley Region of Germany is a relatively small piece of land, only about 1,300 acres in size.  With the Rhine River nearby and the Ahr River running directly through the area, there is plenty of water to be had, making the country fertile and green (great for touring!).  This small area of Germany’s wine regions is actually responsible for many of the red wines that are available.  In fact, some call the Ahr region the home of red wine in the country.

Eighty percent of the wine grown here are of the red varieties: Dornfelder, Spätburgunder, and Portugieser.  Locals thoroughly enjoy the wine created here and actually tend to consume a great deal of the harvest.  If you want a bottle from the Ahr region, you may have to look a little harder for it than you would with other wines.  Of course, a direct visit to the Ahr area would easily put you within reach of a fresh bottle, as well as give you a great view of the beautiful country it came from.

Because the southwest region sits right beneath the Bordeaux region, people often confuse wines that come from southwestern France as being from Bordeaux.  But make no mistake; the southwest region of France also produces some very high quality wines.  A visit there can become an adventure, with the Pyrenees available for some gorgeous viewing.  Each wine you find will have a unique personality, so save room to test them all and get the full flavor and experience of the southwest.

Red wines you can find made in the southwest region include Bergerac, Buzet, Cahors, Gaillac, and Madiran.

If red wines aren’t your style or you are ready to move on to dry white wines, search out the two produced in the region: Bergerac and Jurançon.

When it is time for dessert, there are three sweet white wines that can work beautifully on your palate: Gaillac, Jurançon, Monbazillac.

You may note that some names are repeated; this is due to the different vines and grapes able to produce different flavors depending upon what they are and who may be growing them.  If you’re curious about what you’re drinking, examine the label or, even better, ask the growers themselves!

Some people less versed in the world of wine are not exactly sure what makes one wine red and another white.  Many assume it has something to do with the color of the grapes.

They’re close.

Wines actually gain most of their color from the grape skins.  Red wines are fermented with the skins present.  The fermentation process actually leeches the color from them, giving the wine its typically deep red color.  White wines are fermented without the skins, so the color remains relatively clear.

Additional color can be added through the rest of the winemaking process, such as the oak barrels used to store the wine.