Category: Zinfandel Wine

aWine that Sparkles

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Sparkling wine is well known for it’s tiny bubbles that race to the surface.  Sparkling wine is one of the most exotic yet refreshing types of wine, providing memories and happiness once the cork is released into the air.  For many years, this exotic wine has proven to be among the most popular types of wine for celebrations and special achievements.

By looking at sparkling wine, you’ll find it to be a complete mystery.  When tasting the wine, friends and lovers choose to discuss the refreshing, nutty aroma.  Even though this type of wine is very popular, it can be hard to describe.  Although the taste and aroma can be right there, lingering in the air – it’s still something that is nearly impossible to find the words for.

When you first open a bottle of sparkling wine, the carbon dioxide aroma that instantly fills the air is an experience that you have to smell to believe.  A true feast for all of your senses, sparkling wine can instantly put you at ease.  Drinking this wine is a feast for your taste buds, bringing several different flavors to rest on your tongue at the same time.

Even though the nature of sparkling wine is really unknown, society as a whole as really accepted it.  Although many don’t realize it, the crisp and delicate taste of this wine isn’t what made it what it is today.  Similar to the shine and splendor of the finest diamonds, sparkling wine emits a truly elegant aura and romance that makes it easy to distinguish from other types of wine.

Sparkling wine was first discovered in France by Dom Perignon, who was a monk in the Champagne region.  He actually stumbled upon this fine wine while performing his duties as a cellar master in the Benedictine Abbey.  Dom would hide his discovery for many years, as the public didn’t really respond in the way that he had been hoping.

Although Dom Perignon’s sparkling wine wasn’t popular at first, it would grow and become more popular over the years.  Once people in France and people around the world caught wind this amazing sparkling wine, they simply had to experience it for themselves.  At this point, it didn’t take long for Dom Perignon to become a legend and one of the most important wine makers throughout the rich and cherished history of France.  

The formula and techniques that Dom used to produce his sparkling wine eventually become known as the traditional way of making Champagne.  The process is still used throughout the world today, producing some of the best sparkling wines.  Even though sparkling wine is made in various locations, many agree that the best place is the Champagne region of France – which is where sparkling wine first began and was first introduced to the world.

These days, sparkling wine is an essential part of life, for celebrations and events.  With most celebrations, sparkling wine is simply a must have.  There are many manufacturers of the wine these days, although most prefer to have the original and still the best – Dom Perignon.  No matter where the future of wine goes, sparkling wine will never die.  It will always be the wine that sparks celebrations, and the wine that makes events come to life.  From it’s truly unique and breathtaking taste to it’s amazing look and splendid aroma – sparkling wine has the appeal and the flavor to keep people celebrating and living life for years and years to come.

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Wine Making Kit – Make Your Own Wine

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If you are the creative type and have always wanted to invent new and exciting flavors of wine, then you may want to consider using a wine making kit to bottle your own wine. If you are a beginner, you want to make sure the wine making kit you purchase has all the ingredients or materials needed to create a successful wine. Here are some suggestions or tips on items to look for when deciding on which wine making kit to purchase.

Essential Wine Kit Items

Since you are a beginner, you want to ensure your wine making kit has a fermenting bottle or container-usually 6 gallons-air hoses, stoppers and locks. You will also need an instructional manual that is detailed and easy to understand the recipes. Your ingredients will vary depending on the type of wine you want to make, so be sure you understand what the ingredients are and what they do before you begin.

Where to Buy Your Wine Kit

Purchase your wine making kit from a reputable dealer either online or wine specialty shop. The merchant you select should be available to you in case you have any problems or need assistance during the process. Many wine dealers who sell beginner kits will be just enthusiastic about the process as you, so don’t feel like you’re putting them out by asking for assistance.

Wine Ingredient Kits Can Save Time

If you’re looking to cut the processing time down while you’re still a beginner, you may want to consider purchasing some grape concentrate when you purchase your kit. The grape concentrate frees you from researching grapes and the flavors they achieve, and it will cut the processing time down significantly. Once you are used to the process itself, it may be easier for you to choose different grapes for your wine and start from the very beginning.

Dual Zone Wine Cooler

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Becoming a wine collector is a hobby that costs quite a bit of money, especially if you become such an enthusiast that you have hundreds of bottles in your home at once. Not only do you have to pay for the wine but you also have to pay for some sort of storage for the wine in your collection. Wine storage options include an individual chiller, a cooler, a refrigerator, a thermoelectric cooler or a dual cooler. A dual zone cooler can help you store both red and white wines at their required temperatures without affecting either type being stored.

The wine cooler is separated into two compartments by the control panel. Each of the two compartments has its own thermostat, allowing the owner to set the temperature for each individual compartment based on the wine being stored. A dual cooler is the perfect appliance for someone who hosts many dinner parties that feature wine with the food being served. It is always a classy move to pull out both a red and white wine from your dual zone cooler and offer a glass of either wine to a guest.

If you are interested in purchasing a dual zone cooler, you can spend anywhere from $ 300-$ 1,500 for one cooler, with the average money spent coming in right around d $ 800. The price depends on the how many bottles the cooler can hold, the brand of the wine cooler, and the company from which you purchase the cooler. Should you be tight on space in your home, a twelve bottle dual wine cooler will be best for your home. A twelve-bottle cooler with dual zones can be placed on your kitchen counter, your dining room buffet server, a table in the living room or any other room in your home since it is so small.

When looking for a dual zone cooler, make sure you perform research into each cooler you are interested in before making a purchase. One feature to look for in a wine cooler is one that has a locking door. A cooler that has a locking door is perfect for wine enthusiasts who have kids living in the house with them. The locked cooler will keep your kids away from your collection, no matter their age, keeping them safe from the alcohol. Another feature to look for when purchasing a dual zone cooler is one that looks like a piece of furniture. There are coolers with dual zones that look like chests from a dining room set, adding to your furniture collection in your home. Then, on the other side of things, there are wine coolers with dual zones that look like refrigerators with glass doors. These coolers can hold close to 60 bottles on each side, can be locked, and will cost anywhere from $ 500-$ 1,000 per wine cooler. Dual zone coolers can be shipped to your location or you can pick them up at your convenience.

Wood Wine Racks

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Many people enjoy the occasional bottle of a really good wine every now and then and even those who aren’t big wine drinkers like to keep a bottle or two on hand for unexpected guests. However, few people want to leave a bottle sitting in their refrigerator or kitchen cabinet for months on end, but don’t want to buy a large rack for just a few bottles. In such cases, wood racks can provide the perfect solution.

Wood wine racks come in various sizes and styles from small classy looking chest type racks that hold that one extra special bottle to those that literally hold hundreds while adding a bit of interest, class and/or usefulness to your home. For most people having a smaller wood rack will both meet their needs and their budgets.

Types And Styles Of Wooden Wine Racks
Wood wine racks come in a variety of types and styles suiting almost every need and personal sense of style. There are both large and counter top racks that are just that, racks that hold your bottles and do nothing more. However, there are also wooden racks that can hold your wine and also add attractiveness and usefulness to your homes decor.

Stands with wine racks built into them are becoming increasingly popular as these stand / racks usually have a top that you use as a miniature bar for pouring your wine and often even drawers for keeping things like corkscrews and other small items right at your finger tips. Some even have table tops and storage bins, while others may even have their own cutting board for those occasional wine and cheese parties.

These stand racks are a great way to store it properly while adding a bit of usefulness and attractiveness to your home decor.

Other people enjoy the chest wooden wine racks, that are actually a chest with a place to store a few bottles attractively in the bottom while providing storage in the top of the chest. These type of wood racks look exceptionally nice in a dining room where you can use the chest to store your table linen and display your few bottles in an attractive way. They also look great in a game room as well.

Buying Wood Wine Racks
When shopping for wood racks you will want to purchase one that is attractive and designed to hold the number of bottles you want to keep on hand while considering your homes decor and your own personal sense of style. Keep in mind that in most cases you don’t need a wine rack that is outrageously expenses and that there are many beautiful wooden racks that run in the $ 100.00 to $ 500.00 range that can serve your purpose quite well.

Always remember that when looking for a nice rack to store it, you can often find just what you are looking for Online often for a better price than you will find in local stores and nothing is more enjoyable as having the perfect wine storage at a great price, unless you are sipping a great bottle.

Holiday Turkey and Wine

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This past Thanksgiving we were blessed to be invited to a dear friend’s house.  This was the first time in years that we were just able to enjoy the feast and company of friends without the messy clean-up that comes with entertaining in our own home.  I did not have to stuff the turkey or roll up my sleeves at the sink trying to get the baking pan clean.  My joy was short lived when my wife made the Thanksgiving announcement that, “Everyone is invited to our house for a big December holiday feast”.   There was a resounding cheer at the gathering from everyone at the table.  Hands were raised and voices heard to say, “We will be there”.  At the last count we had fifteen couples, my daughter, two grandkids and one obnoxious “grand-dog” called Bones.

When December rolled around, my wife started preparations immediately.  First, we had to do spring cleaning in December, which included walls, furnace registers, base boards, floors, etc.  The next step was the obligatory decorations that needed to be scattered around the house, including an ornate light display for the outside that had me untangling and hanging lights for days.  I was sent to the Party Store to rent tables, chairs and huge serving platters for the food.  My final assignment was to get “The Birds” and the wine to go with it.  I was beginning to wish we had entertained at Thanksgiving.

Before I left to do the shopping, my wife told me, “Make sure you talk to someone at the wine store so you get the right wine to compliment the turkey”.  I said, “Why didn’t you ask everyone to bring their own wine, instead of us risking that we wouldn’t buy their favorite?”  My wife raised her voice at least one octave and replied, “We are doing the entertainment so it is our responsibility not theirs and besides I want everything to be just perfect”.  I love my wife dearly and I have learned when it is best to just say, “Yes Dear”.  Before I left, I hopped on the computer and did my research so I could portray to the wine store clerk how knowledgeable I was about pairing turkey with wine.  I didn’t want to embarrass myself at the wine store.

The general consensus from the web research was for a lighter red (not over burdened with tannins) or several white wines that tended to be fruity and slightly sweeter.  Another caution, that seems well advised, is during dinner stick with wines lower in alcohol content.  Northhamptonwines.com stated, “Save the 15 percent alcohol ‘in your face Zins’ for after dinner when it is OK for folks to go to sleep.” 

The top choices I found for red wine lovers were Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and Red Zinfandel. White wine enthusiasts might enjoy a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Beaujolais Nouveau or White Burgundy.  If some of your guests have a sweet-tooth, then try White Zinfandel or Cranberry Wine.  Save the desert wines for after the main meal when it is time to devour the pumpkin and pecan pie.

Not everyone is a wine drinker.  I also ran across some advice for people for pairing turkey with beer and cocktails.  The consensus was that a beer should be complex but not over bearing.  A good choice might be pale ale from one of the smaller breweries.  Another website suggested that for the cocktail drinkers, gin cocktails like an English Rose, Park Avenue or Verbena Martini would work.

I went to the wine store and made my selections with an air of “I know what I am doing”.  When I arrived home my wife said, “What wine did you decide on?” I smiled and told her, “One of each, a total of 12 bottles”. She exclaimed, “We won’t be able to serve all that wine at dinner!”  I responded, “I wouldn’t think of doing that.  I am going to raffle off any that we don’t serve.”  My wife grabbed her forehead and walked away stating, “What I am I going to do with you.”  I let her have the final word and started preparing the raffle tickets.

I always maintain that there are a lot of people that will tell you what wine to pair with what food.  In the end, as I always say, buy the wine you like, store wine properly in a wine refrigerator, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely.

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