Category: Zinfandel Wine

Consider the Wines of Abruzzo For Your Next Wine-Tasting Party

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The wines of Abruzzo, Italy, can offer more than just wine for your next wine tasting party. By offering your guests a little history on the legendary wine making region of the wines you feature, you provide more than a great tasting wine. You can complement the taste as your guests can picture the vineyards where the wine originated. The Abruzzo region of Italy has a vivid ancient past, both in history and wine making. This article looks at this region, including Scarpone, one of the most prized wineries of the area, providing some information you can share at your next wine tasting party.

Abruzzo

Abruzzo has its fair share of art and architecture throughout its hill towns and mountain villages, but the Apennine mountains dominate the region, taking up two thirds of the area and attracting hikers and skiers to resorts. The vast Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo is one of Europe’s most important nature preserves.

Descendants of various hill tribes who settled the region in the Bronze Age, the Abruzzesi were difficult to unite, although the Greeks, Romans, Swabians, Aragonese, and Bourbons all tried. Before the advent of modern transportation, the inhabitants were isolated in hill towns and villages clinging to the sides of mountains. After the 12th Century, the Abruzzesi were ruled by a succession of dynasties based in Naples to the south. As a result, their diet, speech, and customs are more similar to their southern neighbors than to their neighbors to the north or west.

The hills in the region are highly favorable for grapevines. The two classified wines are Trebbiano and Montepulciano, not to be confused with the town of that name in Toscana, where Vino Nobile is made. When grown on the lower hills, Montepulciano has an irresistible character, full bodied and smooth with the capacity to age. In the higher areas, the vines produce a lighter version, Ceraruolo, which is a sturdy, cherry-colored rosé. The white Trebbiano d’Abruzzo has been described as a phantom vine since its origins are unclear. At its best, the wine can develop a Burgundy-like complexity after four or five years of aging.

Scarpone

The small estate of Lorenzo Scarpone is located in Abruzzo in the Colline Teramane zone named after the nearby mountain town of Teramo and thought to produce the finest wine in the Abruzzo region from the native Montepulciano grape. It is the first and only zone in the Aburzzo to be given the Italian government’s highest quality ranking of DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata E Garantita).

Owner Lorenzo Scarpone is well known in the United States among Italian wine lovers for his Italian wine import company, Villa Italia, founded in 1989. Villa Italia’s wines have received outstanding reviews from Italy’s leading wine journal Gambero Rosso, wine club associations, and from Wine spectators, Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer.

Lorenzo, an active member of the Slow Food Organization, founded the first convivium in the United States in San Francisco where he resides with his family. Born and raised in the same area where his wine estate is located, Lorenzo grows only the native Montepulciano grape. Highly respected Loriano di Sabatino is the winemaker and the wines have gained critical acclaim in the short time that the estate has released them.

The fine wines of Scarpone as well as other wineries within the Abruzzo wine making region of Italy are a favorite of many wine club associations as they produce robust wines with grapes possessing a vivid past that is sure to interest and intrigue your guests.

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Wine Storage Units

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Wine is one of the more popular alcoholic drinks today because it goes with almost any type of food, can be served at any party and is easy to store. If you are an infrequent wine drinker, one who only has one bottle in the house at a time, then you do not need to purchase a wine cooler or build a wine cellar. Instead, you can store that one bottle of wine in your refrigerator or cabinet, replacing it when it is empty. On the other hand, avid wine collectors need to be able to store their wine when it is open so it does not go bad. You will also need to store the wine before it is opened so you do not have wine bottles in random spots all over the house.

The first option for wine storage is a wine cooler. Wine coolers come in all types of shapes, sizes, colors and prices. Deciding on which wine storage units to purchase depends on how often you enjoy wine. If you have more than five unopened bottles in your house at a time, purchasing a medium sized wine cooler is your best bet. If you have less than five unopened bottles at a time then you should purchase a small cooler. If you have more than 10 unopened bottles of wine in your home then you should purchase a large wine cooler to store all of those bottles and keep them cool at the same time.

Wine is not just for consumption anymore these days. In fact, hobbyists across the country purchase wine bottles as an investment. Some wine collectors have bottles of wine in their cellar that are over 30 years old, some even older than that. These collectors usually do not drink this wine. Instead, they hold onto it until it reaches a certain value, then they turn it around and sell it for a profit to other collectors. When you purchase a wine cooler, no matter its size, the humidity of the cooler should sit at 70 percent. The cooler can be kept at temperatures 10 degrees either above or below the 70 percent mark. If the humidity were to dip below 50 percent, the corks can shrink, allowing air into the bottle and ruining the wine.

If you are an avid wine drinker or collector, and have hundreds of bottles of wine in your home, it might be in your best interest to purchase a wine cooler and have a wine cellar built in your home. The wine cooler will hold ten bottles that you plan to drink soon and the cellar will hold the remainder of your collection. A wine cellar costs thousands of dollars to build but will keep your wine collection safe from harm and fresh. When you store wine in a wine cellar you should keep the temperature between the degrees of 68-73 so the wine stays fresh and does not lose its luster. You should also not move the wine once it is placed in the cellar. Have shelves built that hold bottles of wine in a specific pattern so you do not have to move one bottle to get to another.

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Dual Zone Wine Coolers

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When it comes to red and white wines, two different temperatures are required, and in the past this need was addressed by a wine cellar. The problem these days however is that most people do not actually have a wine cellar. Why? Because modern conveniences and technology have allowed us to cool our wine without the need for huge cellars. This is most certainly helpful, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have choices to make. For instance there are a number of different wine cooling options when one looks at a wine refrigerator, one of which is happens to be dual zone wine coolers.

Wines are an interesting commodity as you have probably discovered over the years. There are some who like red wine, and then there are those who like white wine. There are also those who hate one with a passion but love the other. In direct contrast there are those who love both types of wine, and this is where dual zone coolers come in handy.

These are precisely what they sound like, and that is to say that dual wine coolers are actually a wine refrigerator that contain separate compartments that maintain separate temperatures. Yes, red wine and white wine should be stored at different temperatures, and dual zone wine coolers make it possible to do so without owning more than one refrigeration unit.

In the center you should find a divider, and on the divider there would be a control panel capable of governing the temperature on both sides. There are a few things that you will need to ask yourself before you actually start utilizing one of these devices. For one, does it really maintain different temperatures? You can test this with a thermometer, and in some cases one will actually be built into the cooler.

In addition to that you need to determine whether or not the cooler seals properly. You cannot have any leaks outside or within as this will defeat the purpose entirely. Dual zone coolers can be very delicate objects, and ensuring that they are made properly will certainly go a long way. That being said, you’ll certainly want to look into them, and even determine what the price happens to be.

It will depend on the size of course, but you can normally expect to pay about $ 300 for a cheaper unit, while you would pay about $ 1500 for a high end model. It all depends on the options you want and how many wine bottles you actually need to store. Either way, it is clear that wine storage has become much easier, and overall, it has become less expensive, even if the initial cost is a bit high.

Wine Tasting In Malaga

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Malaga is one of the cultural centres of southern Spain and it bequeathed to the world flamenco dance, cubist art and some very tasty wines. You can enjoy sweet Spanish wines when you go wine tasting in Malaga and they are the perfect accompaniment to all tapas.

Wine has been produced in Malaga for centuries by various peoples including the Phoenicians and the Moors. Despite being Arabic and forbidden by their religion the Moors were even enticed to produce and drink wine. Along with fantastic Moorish architecture it is one of the legacies which they have left to Malaga.

Most Malaga wines are made from the Muscat grape but they can also be of the Pedro Ximenez variety. They tend to be very rich with an earthy taste. Visitors to this part of Spain can visit a number of attractive and interesting Bodegas including the Antigua Casa de Guardia in the mountains of Malaga. Located high up in Axarquia amidst groves of fig trees, this is an award-winning winery which has been favoured by Isabel II, who was once Queen of Spain. In honour of her visit the Moscatel Isabel II wine was named after her. The Antigua Casa de Guardia is the oldest bodega in Malaga having been founded in 1840 and the wines are kept in oak casks.

This is just one of many worthwhile testing destinations within the Sierra Nevada and if you want to find out more about wine production in the area then the Mijas Wine Museum is the place to go. Located in San Sebastian, it is open all year around and offers introductory courses to Spanish wine as well as regular tasting sessions.

The Malaga Wine Museum

Within the province of Malaga is the town of Marbella which started life as a small fishing village and has many wine bars that serve tapas. Near to Marbella in Ojen is the Malaga wine Museum.

More than 20,000 tourists go to the museum every year and the surrounding area is where many of the best Malaga wines were created. Indeed the museum itself is a restored distillery. In the 19th century a brand of snaps was first made here which was named after its creator Pedro Morales as Pedro Morales Aguardiente de Ojen.

Malaga Restaurants

When considering which wines to drink is important to take into account what you are eating. Malaga is a seaside city in the south of Spain which has a fantastic range of local food and restaurants.

These restaurants include the famous Chiringuitos, which are beachside bars or taverns that serve freshly-caught fish. Malaga has some white wines that will go well with the catch of the day.

If you want to drink world-class wines in a star-studded setting then visit La Posada de Antonio, a restaurant which is owned by actor Antonio Banderas. The chef there prides himself on serving authentic Spanish food in conjunction with an intriguing wine list. The grilled meat and tapas are both recommended.

Wine Storage Refrigerator

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With everyone trying to find ways to be more economical, people have learned to find ways to enjoy quality times with friends, instead of spending large sums of money going out on the town. There are always good times to be had when you are able to enjoy a fine bottle with your friends.

Some people don’t see a reason to put their bottles in the refrigerator, and most might simply put the wine inside of a regular refrigerator. However, what many people don’t know, is that putting it in the refrigerator can ruin your bottle of wine. This is why you need to purchase a storage refrigerator.

Many are under the assumption that wine doesn’t go bad, because it’s an alcoholic beverage. This in fact isn’t true. While it’s true that it is an alcoholic beverage, it can and will go bad. It will go bad from the air, and from any mold and bacteria that might be floating around. So, how can mold and bacteria get into your bottle if it is corked? This is because corks breathe. This means that they allow air, and whatever is in the air into the bottle of wine. So, if someone has moldy or old food in the refrigerator, these bacteria and spores can find their way inside of your nice bottle of wine. Especially if it has been opened already, it will spoil. You’ll know it’s spoiled, because it will have a bad, sour, vinegar taste. In some cases, bad wine can make you sick. So to avoid this, be sure to purchase a storage refrigerator.

Another advantage of having a wine storage refrigerator, is that certain wines, such as white wine, are highlighted in flavor when they are chilled. A standard refrigerator is set for the temperature of your food. But a wine refrigerator will be specially designed, and temperature set to not only keep your bottle of wine fresh, but to also bring out the best notes and flavors. So it really is to your advantage to buy a storage refrigerator.

A wine storage refrigerator makes a nice gift for yourself, or for the wine enthusiast in your circle. Instead of waiting on line for an overpriced bottled of wine, you and your friends can enjoy perfectly chilled bottles right in your home, in your environment. You can set up events, such as wine tastings, or wine and cheese nights. Or, if you’d like to host something more intimate, you can create a dinner date that features wines that will have a wonderful flavor, because they were stored in a storage refrigerator. When you and your guest notice the difference in the flavor, and when you stop having to pour a good bottle down the drain, you will be very glad that you bought a wine storage refrigerator.

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