Tag: Wine

Argentina Travel: Mendoza Wine Tours

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Wine enthusiasts who have already toured Napa and Sonoma valleys in northern California, uncorked bottles in the Champagne region of France, and tasted wine in Tuscany, may want to head to Mendoza in Argentina for a unique tasting adventure in the Andes. Mendoza, like many wine producing regions, is startlingly beautiful.  The area is dry and sunny, full of lakes and rivers, and blessed with the snow capped Andes as a backdrop.

The high altitude and extreme variance in temperature produce some of the best wines in the Americas. This area of the world is often compared to Napa Valley around thirty years ago and viticulturists have embraced Mendoza with the belief that the combination of world class wines and stunning scenery will thrust this area into the international spotlight. There are many wineries or bodegas located in and around the city of Mendoza which makes for full days of wine tasting.  Travelers can horseback ride, bike, or bus to the tasting rooms, where tours, explanations, and delicious cuisine await. It is also possible to hire an oenologist to accompany you for a more personalized experience.  Many of the wineries have their own bed and breakfasts, or unique winery accommodations for guests.

A great place to begin a tasting tour is at the Vines of Mendoza tasting room, which is centrally located and offers all the best wines of the region. Once you have tasted the different wines you can visit the wineries that produce your favorites.  Two top-notch places are Tapiz and Achaval Ferrer which offer great wine flights and interesting, informative tours.

Mendoza is a bustling and beautiful city with 150,000 inhabitants and offers a variety of activities to suit every taste. In addition to wine tasting, travelers can take cooking classes with world class chefs, climb the Andes, hike through spectacular pastoral landscapes, try white-water rafting, and enjoy evening tango shows.

Another perk to visiting Argentina, is that the dollar and euro stretches a little further here than it does in Europe or the United States. Travelers can very easily fly to one of Argentina´s other great travel destinations or head to Chile after their wine tasting tour.

Temecula Wine Tours in the Sky

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Like many people, I am fascinated by flying. I love to get on an aircraft not only because it take me to faraway land, but also because it gives me a feeling of being lifted up in the sky. To me, it’s a great way to start the day with peace, tranquility and stunning views.

 

A few years ago my husband and I and some friends took a helicopter tour over volcanoes national Park on the big Island in Hawaii. Now that was a great time! The flight itself lasted approximately 45 minutes, which does not really seem like a long time. But we got to see a lot in those 45 minutes.

 

It seems like whenever I want to try a new adventure, I head for smaller and smaller aircraft, as is evidenced by this flight in a hot air balloon over the Temecula wine country. For my next adventure I’m really kicking around the idea of doing some hang gliding on the Oregon coast.

 

I loved the peace and tranquility of being up in the air with the birds, without the noise of a propelled craft. Although the sound of pumping hot air into the balloon to keep us aloft was quite noisy. Other than that, the absolute solitude was astounding. The views of the vineyards in the Temecula Valley was awe inspiring. I cannot imagine a better way to start the day!

 

We took the morning flight, which had us up in the air in the while it was still fresh. They served Champagne before the flight, and we departed from one of the Temecua Valley wineries. After the flight, we had lunch on a lovely terrace overlooking the vineyards and rehashed our flight. Then we continued on to the ground portion of our wonderful Temecula wine tour with an open air jeep tour. In addition to the wineries we visited, there was even some off roading to a spot with a great view of the valley from a cliff side vantage point, that was off the beaten track.

 

It is hard to describe how it feels to hang in the air. It is not quite the same sensation as being in an airplane, because an airplane is rapidly moving through the sky. A hot air balloon, while not motionless, is moving so slowly that it feels as if you are motionless. But, unlike the hang gliding I will try next, with a hot air balloon ride you have the security of a floor under your feet and walls around you.

 

And the views! I am a big fan of rooftop bars or tall buildings with views. As long as there is some type of railing or barrier between me and the view, my fear of heights does not kick in. My camera had a busy morning of it, capturing the oh so different angle we had of the vineyards. It was impossible to not end up with some great photos. It was also one of the most romantic mornings I have ever had in my life. Since my husband and I were the only passengers, our guide graciously left us alone unless we addressed him.

 

It was great to be able to see the vineyards from the air, and then to finish up my Temecula wine tours adventure in an open-air Jeep, visiting the wineries that I recently viewed from the air. It’s a good thing we did not do it the other way around. Although it would be great fun to climb into a hot air balloon after a day of wine tasting, since I swallow instead of spit when I am wine tasting, I cannot see them allowing me to do that.

 

Wine Cabinet Furniture For Your Home

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If you prefer wine so much that you might wish to have it placed only in the finest quality cabinets on the market, then as another wine passionate, I will completely agree on that one. Using this method, you will certainly treat your favorite drink with the admiration that it has earned through its taste and magnificent color. Also, wine cabinet furniture will significantly enhance the characteristics of your living room and it is likely to make the atmosphere more inviting. Using only the best wine cabinet furniture, you will conserve the flavor and quality of all of your beverages.

The first thing that you ought to do just before acquiring wine cabinet furniture, is get on line and visit the internet community sites that focus in such things. You will there find out about the most important things you will need to think about before buying one such cabinet and the greatest places you can have them acquired from. Make sure to read every post so that you won’t miss out on vital info.

Before buying the wine cabinet furniture, make sure that you will measure the space where you will want to have it. This is because, if you are not custom making it or ordering it, you will have to be sure that it will fit. If you want to custom order it, measure up the space and send the necessary details to the manufacturer and you will have your cabinet in no time, perfectly matching the space it has been designated to fill.

It is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and that is true. If you want to impress your friends, then you should definitely buy a cabinet that has stunning looks. You will see that they will start complimenting all of your drinks, for, as you know, something pretty much tastes better when it comes from a beautiful place.

Make Your Unique Wine At Home

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Price of wine and spirits is increasing day by day. It is not legal to your own spirits and it is not so easy, needing some form of distillery equipment. But wine is different and of course easier to make.

 

My father always made his own wine, and whilst it was cheaper to make than to buy, there was a waiting time between brewing and drinking! Once made, however, you have 6 bottles of wine and as long as you begin a new brew about once every two weeks, you will never run out! The one thing you will find with making your own wine is that it does not taste the same as wine purchased at the store. Their wines are refined with this and that to give them a specific flavour, smell and overtone. Your wine will taste raw, and decidedly fruity.

 

So how easy and cheap is it to make your own wine? Well relatively cheap, and easy – although decidedly messy! You will need 4 or 5 gallon demi-johns (a large glass jar required for fermenting the wine), 6 bottles, corks, a corking machine, labels, tablets for clearing and yeast. These are basic equipment requirements and can be purchased for around £20 – that is 4 bottles of good wine. With this equipment you will make batch upon batch of delicious home made wine. All you pay for from now on is your ingredients!! You make back your £20 from the cash you will save from not buying wine from the store, and therefore with your first 6 bottle batch of wine you already begin to save money, afterwards you are saving £30 with each batch!

 

What ingredients do you need? Sugar is a must, as is yeast – these cost a few pounds. After that, your costs are whatever you want them to be! I have made wine from pineapples, grapefruit, raspberries, home grown strawberries, and best of all black currant cordial!!!!! This was my dad’s recipe, and I am now going to share it with you (luckily he doesn’t read my articles – I hope!):

 

1 large bottle of supermarket brand cordial (1 litre)
3 lb sugar
Yeast and nutrient

 

(These ingredients will cost £3 and will make 6 bottles of wine – it is a rose that is quite sweet and powerful, but smooth and well balanced also)

 

Dissolve the sugar in warm water add cordial and boil for 20 minutes – stirring frequently. This kills preservatives. Allow to cool. Pour into your demi-john. Add yeast and nutrient. When ferment dies down, top up to shoulder and continue to finish.

 

Leave it to ferment for around 8 weeks, somewhere warm but not hot. When you return to it, you will find a clear pink liquid that tastes just great. Not only is this a cheap wine to make, but also clears fantastically due to the fact that there is not any fruit pressing involved in the process and therefore no “bits” in the mixture.

 

You can now syphon it into the bottle and enjoy!! Let me know how you get on.

 

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Slow Aging With Resveratrol Wine

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Red wine has been proven to provide many health benefits, as noted through many clinical trials. The reason for this is the anti-oxidants found in it, as well as the red wine polyphenols, anthrocyanidins and Reseveratrol. Found in red wine and grapes, as well as other red fruits. Reseveratrol wine has been named the “Fountain of Youth”. It is a fat fighter, and has also been shown to help treat diabetes, heart problems and cancer.

Reseveratrol alone has proven to be about twenty to fifty times more effective an anti-oxidant when compared to Vitamin C. It acts as an anti-clotting agent that prevents the formation of blood clots. Blood clots are one major reason for heart attacks and strokes. It has also shown to help prevent some forms of cancer. Another benefit of Reseveratrol is that is helps increase the formation of dendrites in the brain.

One of the biggest advantages of taking Reseveratrol wine is that it is an anti-aging component, having shown to increase life span of middle-aged rice that were given low doses of the anti-oxidant. It was shown to have the same effects on their life span that a reduced calorie diet – with 20%-30% fewer calories – would have.

While Reseveratrol wine has many health benefits, red wine also contains alcohol, which is not recommended in large doses. Therefore, scientists have discovered a way of delivering the benefits of Reseveratrol wine through means other than red wine. You can now buy capsules that contain red wine polyphenols, grape seed extract and Reseveratrol and take these without worrying about the damage the alcohol in red wine would cause to your health.

One of the products available on the market that provides Reseveratrol wine to you in a capsule form is Pure ResV. This capsule is a great way to get all the benefits of Reseveratrol wine without having to drink massive amounts of red wine.

One of the advantages of Pure ResV is that it is very useful in losing weight. When you purchase a trial bottle you also receive a subscription to two weight loss information services, namely Insider Secrets and Comprehensive Weight Loss. By using Pure ResV and the information in conjunction, you can lose weight fast and keep it off. The subscriptions will also provide tips and tricks for making tasty meals and getting the most out of your workout.

Another advantage of Pure ResV is that along with weight loss, it will help you get healthy in a variety of ways. Your cardiac health will improve, and people will diabetes will be able to control their blood sugar levels easily. An additional advantage is that Pure ResV will help decrease the chances of you getting cancer.

Now you can get all the health benefits of Reseveratrol wine without any of the harmful effects of wine by using Pure Resv.

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