Category: Merlot Wine

White Wine – Ultimate Sophistication

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The ultimate in sophistication and class in the world of wine would be the white wine.  It is so versatile because of all the varieties and styles is comes in.  White wine can be paired with just about any food you can imagine.  Whites can be sweet, dry or even semi-sweet.  They are easy to recognize because of their light yellow or almost clear coloring.  White varietals are grown all over the world with the most famous probably being the Chardonnay grape originally from France.  However, this grape is just as at home in California and New Zealand.  This white wine is renowned for its smoke flavor with a hint of oak.  Chardonnay is not the favorite of this author, but that does not diminish its popularity world wide.

A much sweeter contender for favorite white wine worldwide would be the Riesling.  Rieslings originate in Germany and by far they make the best, but it has had a slow start in the world of white wine.  Unfortunately there are many poor quality sugary substitutes which have given Rieslings a bad name.  These substitutes have tarnished the reputation of a very fine wine, but like the nature of all Germans, they do not give up and they quickly overcome.  High quality Rieslings hail from the Rhine and Saar valleys and have help to reestablish this wine as one of the finer whites.  Varieties in America and Australia have contributed to the good reputation of this grape variety.

A great way to enjoy your favorite whites thoroughly is to pair them with your favorite foods.  Cheese is a simple and great way to enjoy your favorite white wine.  Mild cheese is best paired with a sweeter white like White Riesling or a Gewurztraminer.  Full bodied cheeses pair wonderfully with a Chenin Blanc or a Dry Riesling.  Seafood or pastas with cream sauces should be paired with a Chardonnay to enhance flavor while shellfish like lobster, crab, and shrimp pair amazing with a Sauvignon Blanc.  Asian foods like Thai pair great with the sweet wines as well, the best being Gerwurztramner.  Poultry goes well with any white wine.  This may surprise many of you, but chocolate is perfect with a glass of White Riesling.  Yummy!

While it may be important to consider what food you will pair with your white wine it is more important to enjoy the wine you are drinking.  The number one reason to choose any wine is by if you like it or not.  Then when you find one or many you like, you might try to increase your pleasure by pairing it with just the right food.  The quality, color, notes and variety all combine to make the best wines in the world, but that is all for naught if you do not like it in the first place and cannot find yourself taking another sip.  White wine is considered the ultimate in class because of its versatility.  You can drink whites socially, with a meal or while reading a book!  You will find the best white wines being drunk during BBQ’s and charity events alike.  It is your choice and make it confidently and often.

Homemade Wine Making Equipment

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If you’re thinking about making your own homemade wine, here are some things you should know about the equipment required to get you started.

First and foremost, we need to talk about cost. You could visit online merchants here, there and everywhere to shop around for the best prices on individual items you’ll need to start making your own wine, but most sites that sell equipment offer some sort of beginning equipment kit that will have all the items you need to get your wine making career started. This is absolutely the best way to go in my opinion. Kits will run anywhere from $ 80-$ 150. That’s a lot of money, but this equipment can be used over and ever and thus will eventually pay for itself.

So what’s included in a kit, anyway? For starters you’ll get a plastic primary fermentation bucket, usually around 8 gallons. After primary fermentation you’ll need something to transfer your wine into for secondary fermentation. This is usually a 5 or 6 gallon glass bottle, called a carboy, although in some kits the secondary is plastic.

Also included will be some rubber stoppers that fit the fermenting vessels, and an airlock, which is a device used to let carbon dioxide out when your wine is fermenting while not allowing air and bacteria in. You should also get a couple of brushes, one for cleaning the bottles and another so you can clean the carboy.

Some sort of cleaning agent and also a sanitizer will be included. Cleaning and sanitizing is a crucial step when making wine. A length of plastic tubing will be supplied, and a sometimes a device called a racking tube which aids in transferring your wine from one vessel to the other. Some kits also include a little device to slip onto the plastic tube that allows you to shut off the flow of wine when you’re bottling.

Most kits include a hydrometer. This is a device that measures the specific gravity of the wine during various stages of development. You can also use it to measure the potential alcohol of your wine. Corks are also in most equipment kits, as is some sort of corker to insert the corks.

This is the minimum list of items, and you’ll find some kits that include much more. What is generally NOT included is an ingredient kit, although some sellers will allow you to add one to your package for a reduced price and if you can afford it, this is a good way to go. Bottles are usually not included either, but are easy to collect from friends and family.

Consider getting started making your own homemade wine today. It’s a fun and fascinating hobby that you can explore endlessly.

Homemade Wine Making Facts

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Wine is more popular than ever in the United States. There are almost 3000 vineyards in the US, with at least one winery in every state. Most US wine production occurs in the west, with the states of California, Washington and Oregon leading the way.

Here’s something you may not know. More and more people are discovering the fascinating hobby of making their own homemade wine. If you’ve ever thought about making your own wine at home, there’s no better time to start than right now. Let’s take a look at what’s involved to get started making your own wine.

First of all, you really don’t need a lot of space to get begin. All the wine I’ve made, a couple thousand bottles, has been produced in my 10 X 15 foot kitchen. And all the equipment you’ll need can be hidden away in a hall closet when it’s not in use. So for most folks space is not an issue.

Time is a factor for most people these days. Homemade wine making need not be labor intensive. When using wine making kits, the absolute easiest way to get started, the total time you’ll spend from starting a batch to carefully putting the last drop into the bottle will be approximately 4-5 hours, spread over a one month period.

Money is another factor for most folks these days. A basic wine making equipment kit will cost approximately $ 100 to $ 140 depending upon where you’re shopping. This equipment can be used over and over again, so the initial investment will eventually pay for itself.

Ingredient kits can cost $ 60 to $ 150, putting your cost per bottle in the $ 2 to $ 5 range. This is a bargain for the high quality, delicious wines that are being produced by homemade winemakers.

Wine making is a fun and fascinating hobby. You can begin with the basics and stay there, producing high-quality wines that you and your friends and family will enjoy. If you have a creative side and love to explore new things, you can take your wine making hobby as far as your creative desires will lead you.

Wine making is fun, economical, and easier to do than you think. Begin your wine making journey today!

Wine Tasting For the Novice

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When it comes to wine appreciation, there’s so much involved. From wine flavors to aromas to tasting to educational information, it all contributes to the fun you have drinking it, right? No matter where you drink your wine-whether it be a winery, a dinner party, or your own living room-knowing how to taste your wine adds flavors and aromas you may have never enjoyed had you not tried it. If you aren’t sure how to best taste your wine, as opposed to just swig it like a beer-don’t worry, this article’s got you covered. Here’s all you need to know in order to conduct a simple wine tasting for social and your own purposes.

Color- First, when conducting a wine tasting, you want to check out the color. Aside from it being red or white, what shade is it? If it’s a white wine, it can be light yellow, light green, brown, amber, or clear. Depending on the color, you will find a quite a range of taste and aroma.

Opacity- Next, examine how clear it is- in the light. Look closely at your white or red wine to discover translucent or opaque it is dark or light, etc. Moreover, it’s always good to check for cork bits and sediment, as both of these factors will definitely affect your wine experience.

Swirl- It’s what you have all been waiting for: the classic wine swirl. Here it is. Why do people swirl their wine other than looking pretty sophisticated doing it? Because it releases more aroma, and this will take you more fluidly to your next step: smelling your wine.

Smell- Ok, so now that you have swirled your wine and released more aroma by doing so, if you want you can swirl it again-many enthusiasts do. Once you have refreshed its aroma, smell your wine by sniffing lightly over the glass.

Now, Really Smell- Now, that you got a first impression of the wine, take a deeper smell by putting your nose into the glass of wine. Inhale through your nose with your mouth closed. This is typically where a wine enthusiast will say something like, “my, doesn’t that have an oaky aroma?” or something to that effect, but you may or may not recognize an aroma if you are new to wine tasting and haven’t sniffed enough wines. What you are looking for is basically one of a few aromas: oak, vanilla, citrus, floral, or berry scents. If you don’t get it on the first try, certainly try swirling and smelling again.

Taste- Yes, it takes six steps in the average wine tasting to get to actually drink your wine, but if you are doing it properly, it should be well worth it. How do you taste it properly? Take a small sip and introduce it to your taste buds or palate. You should be able to pick up tannin amount, acidity, sugar, and alcohol content. As the wine approaches the middle of your palate, you should be able to pick up which flavors are involved. Then, once swallowed, consider the aftertaste, and how it affected your overall wine experience.

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5 Common Wine Myths Debunked

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Don’t let some snooty ‘wine snob’ scare you away from all the fun you can have by exploring wine. There are countless varieties of wines that you can learn about and try. It can be very relaxing to have some friends over, open up a bottle of your latest ‘find’ and sit back and enjoy the company and the wine.

Today more than ever a lot of the old ‘rules’ about wine just don’t matter. The single most important rule you need to remember is that you are supposed to enjoy your wine. It doesn’t matter how expensive it was or what you’re having for dinner. You need to enjoy the flavor of the wine you are drinking.

Here is a list of the 5 most common wine myths — debunked…

1) Good wine has to be expensive. Nope. Good wine is whatever you like the taste of even if it comes in a box!

2) You have to take out the cork to let it breathe. While it is true that many wines will benefit from adding oxygen to them, just taking out the cork won’t allow enough oxygen in the bottle to do any good. If you want your wine to breathe pour it into a wide mouth wine decanter or glass prior to serving.

3) You can’t store an open bottle in the refrigerator. As long as you put the cork back in a bottle of wine should be just fine in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

4) You can tell if the wine is good by smelling the cork. Generally the only thing you will learn by smelling the cork is whether or not the cork is moldy. If you want to know if the wine itself is any good smell it. And then taste it.

5) You have to have white wine with fish and red with meat. This is probably one of the best known ‘wine-isms’. And it’s true, to a point. It’s all about combining the flavors of the wine with that of the food for the maximum enjoyment of both. You don’t want one flavor overpowering another, you want them to compliment each other.

It’s important to keep in mind though that just adhering to this guideline might get boring and you should never follow it if you don’t like a certain type of wine.

Let’s say you’re having a nice steak for dinner. According to the guideline you should have a white wine with dinner. But what if you don’t like white wine? Wine is all about enjoyment and relaxation. So have the type of wine you prefer no matter what you’re having for dinner.

There you have it, 5 of the most common wine myths debunked. Just enjoy your wine and your friends and family. That’s what it’s all about. Don’t get caught up in all the wine etiquette. Enjoy your wine and enjoy yourself!

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