Tag: Wine

Biodynamic Wine Regions

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Biodynamics may be described as being the science of the earth’s life forces. At just once, the planet was designed to heal and sustain itself. But, humans and also the pollution that accompanies them have managed to break this earth to such an extent that it’s no longer in a position to renew itself at a rate faster than that at that it’s being destroyed. Biodynamism acknowledges the basic agricultural principles in nature and makes an attempt to figure together with these principles rather than against them. By promoting them during this means, the biodynamic farmer seeks to permit the earth to regain a number of its unique ability to heal and restore itself. By its very nature, biodynamism continues to develop and evolve, rather than being a set formula.

One in every of the strategies that set biodynamic agriculture apart is that of operating according to a calendar that respects the earth and its many intricate systems and unspoken laws. This calendar takes cognizance of the magnetic fields of the world, yet as the way the sun, moon, stars and planets interact with ours.

The preparations for this sort of agriculture, whether or not for cultivating grapes for wines or alternative crops, are usually rather unsophisticated and even rudimentary. Herbs and minerals are infused into the soil in keeping with the farmer’s experience and knowledge and primarily based on what the soil would, under ideal circumstances, receive and generate. Packing these herbs et al into the horn of a dead cow, which is then buried within the soil for slow infusion, is a common practice on biodynamic farms, each in South Africa and around the world.

Most of the original supporters and developers of biodynamic farming are from the generation born within the 1960’s and 1970’s. They were the generation that lived through the movement towards environmental sustainability, recycling, etc… Such is the good thing about their efforts towards biodynamism that even the skeptics are reconsidering their stance on this different agricultural method. Wine farmers all over the globe are included during this movement. As a key player within the wine market, South Africa displays a firm determination to explore and implement such effective initiatives. However, despite even the foremost wholehearted support, many of these biodynamic supporters will confess to not understanding the total intricacies of the process or why it has proven to be so successful. What they do apprehend is that their love, respect and commitment to the land is yielding tasty, healthy grapes, ideal for wonderful wines.

A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide to $10 Wines – A Red From Montenegro

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This is our first review of a wine from Montenegro, a small country in southeastern Europe that was part of Yugoslavia. Montenegro has been producing wine for more than two thousand years, so perhaps it’s time to take a look at one of their products. This particular wine is produced from the red Vranac grape whose name means black stallion. So let’s guess that we are looking at a powerful wine. The company’s vineyard is one of the largest in Europe, containing over 10 million vines.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Palntaze Monte Cheval Vranac, 2006 11.5% alcohol about $ 8.00

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Medium garnet; leather and earth with a hint of plum and spice; earthy dried fruit flavor with a hint of spice. Serving Suggestion: Stew and casseroles. And now for my review.

At first tasting the wine was dark and oaky with round tannins. It was mouth filling and chewy but relatively short. The initial meal involved slow-cooked beef ribs and potatoes. I tasted cherries and chocolate. Its palate cleansing acidity was good because the meat was fat but this Vranac seemed to fade away. It did not pick up when I added spicy green jalapeno pepper sauce to the meat.

The second meal consisted of commercially barbecued chicken thighs in a light herb sauce and deli potato salad. The wine was powerful, but perhaps a bit too acidic. It showed dark fruit but didn’t overpower this lightly flavored dish.

The final meal was based on Merguez, North African spicy lamb sausage. The wine was mouth filling and I tasted stewed fruits. It cut the grease and, believe me, this meal was greasy. The deli potato salad muted the wine. When I added spicy green jalapeno pepper sauce this time the wine stepped into the background and its fruit was gone.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese was a marbled cheddar. The wine was dark and tasted of cherries and plums. It seemed well balanced. With a sheep’s milk feta cheese the wine lost a lot of its character. This cheese was too much for this wine.

Final verdict. I won’t buy this wine again. It is better than many $ 8 wines but with all the cheap wines out there, I won’t hold the presses for this one.

Health Benefits Of Wine

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Will it give us an increase in longevity? Some very impressive statistics are coming out from Researchers who have found red wines rich in flavonoids are actually good for our health. These flavonoids are known for their antioxidant properties which work with the body to resist viruses and carcinogens among other perks, such as helping your body to resist cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Almost every year there are headlines touting the health benefits related to drinking wine. The good news is there really are health benefits to wine consumption. These benefits are based on moderate consumption. The American Heart Association classifies “moderate consumption” as one to two four-ounce glasses of wine per day. Here’s a list of benefits that should make you very happy to be a wine lover.

Resveratrol is produced by grapes to act as its defense, when it detects some kind of a fungal infection starting to develop in its skin, and when the skin is exposed to yeast during the process of fermentation. Other substances present in wine that have tremendous health benefits to our body are other types of polyphenols, antioxidants, and flavonoids.

Some studies in women regarding the consumption of alcohol and risk of breast cancer found an increase of this type of cancer in women who consume at least one drink daily. According to a report by the American Cancer Society in 2004 there was an increase of 30% in the death rate from breast cancer in women who would drink alcohol daily.

Many believe red wine is better for you than white wine, because that is what early studies found. Skin from red grapes contained a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol, which was transferred into red wine during manufacturing. However, nowadays manufacturers are altering their winemaking processes for both red and white wine to boost health benefits.

However, to get enough of the anti-oxidant for an immediate health supplement would require drinking a lot of wine at once, and of course that would be harmful. Chemists figured out how to get the beneficial antioxidants of red wine without the alcohol – the red wine pill. Resveratrol in pill form contains no alcohol, has no calories, and delivers more antioxidants than a glass of wine.

Also they have found that you can reduce your risk of getting heart disease as well so you may want to drink you daily dose of Resveratrol laced red wine. If are not a wine drinker and are looking to start then you may want to go to a wine tasting because it is the best way to find out what type of wine that you like. Also you will be able to taste a variety of wine without having to purchase a bottle that you may not like.

Extreme Weight Problems: While the term “beer belly” may have given alcohol a bad rap when it comes to weight, wine is actually proven to help the severely overweight. In order for this to be true, dry wine, wine that does not contain sugar, needs to be ingested: four or five ounces are taken at dinnertime or bedtime. In one study, the average weight loss of those who ingested this wine was twice that of those who didn’t.

Of course, the health benefits of wine are working only with a moderate consumption of this wonderful multi-use drink. Any abuse of alcohol which is contained in wine will not only eliminate all its benefits, but add to other health problems. So, always remember that like just about everything else, moderation is the key to take full advantage of wine.

New York Wine Country

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The Yankees (not my personal team to root for) are in the 2010 baseball post season again. They are representing a city of nearly 8.5 million people, about 27,900 humans per square mile.  Contrast New York City’s population with that of Los Angles (nearing 4.0 million) or Chicago (nearing 3.0 million).  Ironically, New York State’s population is ranked only third most among U.S. states.  Still the state would seem to be nothing but a “sea of people”.  New York State actually consists of a lot of rolling countryside dissected by many river valleys with elevations ranging from sea-level to Mt. Marcy at 5,344 feet. This countryside, I came to find out, has several areas where vineyards and wineries flourish.

New York State has six areas that currently define its wine country.  The areas are 1) Lake Erie-Chautauqua, 2) Niagara Escarpment, 3) Finger Lakes, 4) Hudson River Valley-Catskills, 5) New York City and 6) Long Island-North Folk-Hamptons. Another area that previously has not been considered a part of the state’s wine country is Central New York-Lake Ontario, an area experiencing recent wine industry growth. The three most important areas Lake Erie-Chautauqua, Finger Lakes and Long Island-North Fork-Hamptons have over 95 percent of the vineyard acres, over 75 percent of the bonded wineries and over 95 percent of the tons of grapes produced in the entire state.  In an article by Debra J. Goon, she discusses New York’s grape and wine industry as contributing $ 3.76 billion to the state’s economy.  New York ranks third behind California and Washington in grape production by volume.

The grape growing seasons in the state range from about 180 days in the northern areas (Finger Lakes and Upper Hudson River Valley) to 230 days near the Long Island area.  Annual precipitation across the state averages 30 to 50 inches per year.  Wines produced include Sparkling Wines, Seyval, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Ice Wines, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, and Merlot. Many American hybrid grapes such as Catawba, Delaware, Elvira, Ives and Isabella are also grown.  Important French hybrid grapes grown, noted to make great wines, are Cayuga, Vidal and Vignoles.  Concord grapes are grown primarily for use in juices.

The state has several notable wine trails that would make excellent tour destinations. Trails can be found near the cities of Fredonia, Niagara, Penn Yan, Fayette, Watkins Glen, Marlboro, Clinton Corners, Williamson, Alexandria Bay and Riverhead. Visiting a winery could easily be coupled with visiting other state attractions like Niagara Falls, Sterling Renaissance Festival, Erie Canal, Everson Museum, Allegany State Park, Catskill Park or even the Long Island Beaches. Often a side-trip taking you away from your primary destination focus is a welcome relief; at least it has been that way for me.  I bet you might even find a wine that you can add to your list of favorites.

Take the time to check out New York’s wine industry.  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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How to Cook With Wine

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Contrary to what you might think, cooking with wine is simple. Now that we got that out of the way, budding cooks can gain a lot when they learn how to cook with wine. Some flavors remain locked and unused without the assistance of wine. Its ability to release the taste of foods is unparalleled in fine cuisine. So, let’s start with the basics.

How Much is Too Much

Cooking with wine is all about what works for you. There are really no hard and fast rules. What you need to remember, however, is to put in a little bit at first. If you don’t follow this tip, you will soon find out that it’s almost impossible to salvage a dish that got drenched in wine. Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol does not give wine its distinctive taste. Wine is composed of just a small amount of alcohol and most of that evaporates throughout the cooking process.

This presents another thing that you have to be aware of. When you cook off the liquid in wine, the flavor intensifies. When wine is reduced, it gets concentrated and the flavor gets kicked up a notch. So, add it in near the end because you can end up overwhelming the dish when it’s done.

What Makes a Good Cooking Wine

Not just any wine will do. A wine that tastes good when drunk will taste good when cooked with. On the same note, an awful tasting wine will taste even worse when put in food. You don’t need to splurge and get a $ 100 bottle – you’ll just end up not using it as much as you should. There are many good priced one out there. A $ 10 bottle could work fine. You just have to search a little harder.

A common red or white wine that you enjoy would be a good starting point. For marinades, sautéing, chicken, and seafood – applications not requiring intense flavor – it’s hard to go wrong with a Sauvignon Blanc. Red meats or sauces with a red meat base have inherently deep flavor, so a more powerful wine is in order. A Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect for the job.

Other Tips

The more you use wine in the kitchen, the more comfortable you will be in experimenting. Before you get to that level, keep the following in mind:

• If a recipe calls for water, put in wine instead.

• You can add a tablespoon or two to your gravy. Simmer until the alcohol fully evaporates.

• Your favorite flavored oil plus wine makes a good marinade for meat and poultry.

• Heat the wine before adding to meat dishes. Warm wine can tenderize meat while cold wine has the opposite effect. Don’t overdo it. Too much heat will cook your wine, robbing it of its taste.

• Heavier red meats need a dry red wine to flavor it or else it will seem that you put nothing in at all. Lighter meats, such as pork, poultry, and fish will be overpowered. It’s best to use white wine in this case.

• You can serve the same wine you cooked with along with a meal. If that is not possible, at least serve a matching variety. It is not very nice to serve a light white wine with a roast dinner flavoured with an intense red.

Final Thought

Cooking with wine need not be complicated. Find out what kinds work with what foods. Experiment and enjoy your culinary journey.

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