Tag: Wines

Featuring the Wines of Umbria at Your Next Wine Tasting Event

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If you’re planning a wine tasting event in the future, consider serving the wines of Umbria, Italy. The colorful ancient history of this region provides the perfect backdrop for giving your guests a little more than a glass of wine. By sharing this knowledge of Umbria, you can bring a wine alive in more ways than taste. This article looks at the Umbria winemaking region of Italy, focusing in on one of its red wine club favorites, Arnaldo Caprai.

Umbria

Umbria is a combination of pastoral countryside and mountain wilderness. Nurtured by the Tiber and its tributaries and Italy’s fourth largest lake, Lago Trasimeno, this region known as “the green heart of Italy” produces fine olive oil, truffles, grains, tobacco, and livestock along with its vines. Umbria also has a cluster of ancient cities that offer a glimpse into the past. The Umbri, Etruscans, and Romans all left their mark here.

Magnificent Orvieto is perched on a plateau that looks down on the vineyards below. Its grand Duomo is among the greatest of Italy’s Romanesque/Gothic cathedrals. Perugia’s ancient center embraces a 15th Century Duomo and the city’s most extravagantly decorated church. Founded in the 10th Century and rebuilt in the 15h, the Duomo stands beyond the old walls.

Medieval Assisi with its beautiful views and piazzas is the home of St. Francis, who is buried in a basilica frescoed by Giotto among others. The nearby hill towns of Todi, Spello, Gubbio, and Montefalco blend medieval monuments with Roman remains. Spoleto, surrounded by woods, is the loveliest of the hill towns and hosts one of Europe’s leading art festivals in June and July each year.

Noted mainly for its white wines, such as Orvieto, Procanico, Malvasia, Grechetto, and Trebbiano, the region also produces two noble red wines a favorite of red wine club members with special DOCG status, Torgiano Rosso, which is called Rubesco, and Sagrantino, both unmistakably grand wines capable of aging for decades. The sweet white Vin Santo is a local favorite and is made from semidried Grechetto or Malvasia grapes.

Among the many outside varieties planted in Umbria, Merlot and Barbera have been prominent for more than a century. More recently, Pinot Nero and red Cabernet Sauvignon have produced some fine wines appearing on many red wine club lists.

Arnaldo Caprai

Arnaldo Caprai is located in Umbria, Toscana’s eastern landlocked neighbor. The Umbrian hills, valleys, and soils are extensions of Toscana’s prestigious Siena-Montalcino-Montepulciano triangle. Until Marco Caprai produced his award winning Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni in 1987, the area showed no promise of measuring up to its illustrious neighbors in Toscana.

When Marco’s father Arnaldo, a textile manufacturer, bought the property in Val di Maggio in 1971, Sagrantino had almost disappeared. Five hectares remained when Arnaldo decided to plant five more. Today, Sagrantino has become the signature wine of Umbria because of Marco Caprai’s success with the variety. The estate has expanded to 370 acres, 220 of which are planted to vines on three different estates, the principal one in Montefalco, another in Bevagna, a village in the hills of Montefalco, and Gualdo Cattaneo, a village near Spoleto.

In addition to native Sagrantino and Sangiovese, Marco has planted a whole series of foreign varieties, including Tannat, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. He has enjoyed so much notoriety from his accomplishments, especially with Sagrantino, that others have arrived in the Montefalco zone to mimic his success.

In 2001, Marco was named “Best Italian Producer of the Year” by the Italian Sommelier Association for his success in respecting the long tradition of Italian winemaking while incorporating innovative research and technology practices. In 2005, Caprai was named the “Winery of the Year” by Gambero Rosso, the most important and most consulted wine guide in Italy.

The history of Umbria and the winemaking expertise of Arnaldo Caprai make a perfect partnership that can enhance your next wine tasting event. Sharing the ancient past of this area is sure to make the wines of Umbria come alive for your guests.

Awarding Wines in Australia- The most quality Wine in the world

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Vintners usually bring their wines to competitions held in Australia and around the world. Judgers are the key point to make the qualities of the types of wines. They consider the appearance, aroma, flavor and body of the wine. When you know about wine exports of Australian, you can understand how seriously wine competitions are held by vintners.

 

 

Wine competitions are held in cities, at regional levels, nationally and internationally. There are many different kinds of wine categories including, but not limited to, the following most popular Australian wine types.

 

* Shiraz

* Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc

* Merlot

* Riesling

* Rosé wines

* Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

* Grenache

* Chardonnay

* Sauvignon Blanc

* Sparking wines

* Fortified wines such as Muscat and Tawny

 

This is not intended to be a complete list, but only to give you an idea of the interesting and complete selection of Australian wines presented at competitions around the world. Australian wines only continue to grow in popularity and winemakers have earned many awards in recognition of their talents.


Uncorking the Best:

 

Wineries submit their wines for official wine tasting and judging in order to reap recognition and awards in the appropriate categories. There are even awards for the best wine bottle design. In Australia, there are many different competitions held. In some competitions the wine is judged without food. In other competitions the wine is judged after being paired with appropriate foods. The ultimate goal is to earn a gold medal which brings with it international recognition.

 

There are also many international wine competitions held and wineries from countries around the world attend. They are spectacular industry events which attract a fascinating collection of people with one thing in common – wine. The judges have earned a reputation for their ability to accurately judge wine and the coveted awards are sought by wineries seeking acknowledgment of their achievements.

 

When a wine wins an award, the winery earns the privilege of including the award name on the label.

 

The awards given to wine are as varied as the wines presented. Awards range from best local boutique wine to awards presented on a global scale. Earning top awards for a wine can lead to greater sales, increased exports and even investment purchases. There are many wine collectors and investors in the world ready to buy the next bottles of award winning wine.


Wine is Serious Business

 

Despite its entertainment purpose, wine making is serious business. The wine awards given at shows such as the National Wine Show of Australia, the International Wine Competition, and many others, bring prestige and honor to the wine making industry.

 

Vintners have been making wine for thousands of years. It is an ancient practice that has led to the creation of a unique art form. It is appropriate that competitions give awards to recognize the efforts and judgment put into each bottle of wine.

 

Understanding en primeur wines better

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The wine buyers look for opportunities to buy the wines during their auction. These auctions could be held by the vineyards or wineries, called the En Primeur and also by the importers who import to wines and sell these to the retailers after they bid for the same. The special focus is for participating in the auctions organized by the wineries since there the wines can be got at the least possible prices. But, what is the difference between the En Primeur wines and the wines sold en primeur? These two terms are used commonly and interchangeably but there is a difference between these.

The former are the wines which are put on sale only two months after the grapes are harvested. This practice originated from the Beaujolis region. The latter, on the other hand, is a wine which is to be delivered after two or three years. The latter is sold and the part payment is received before two or three years of bottling the same. This practice originated from the vineyards in Bordeaux. There is also another term called ‘new wine’ which is used to refer to a wine which is bottled before the springtime and this happens before the next harvest of the grapes.

The wines are offered en primeur due to a number of reasons. There is a greater security and coverage of the risks associated with it. The wineries get the money for the next season. The wine companies get the wines cheap and these can also serve as avenues of investments. They can make a profit by selling them at market prices after two or three years when the wines are bottled and shipped to them. The role of wine tasters is crucial here since their tasting and grading helps to take the buying decisions. It requires good amount of experience in wine tasting to determine what the taste of the wine will be after two or three years when the wines will mature.

The market of the wines futures is uncertain. No one can say what will be the market price of the wine a few years down the line. There are good chances that the expected returns may not come on the wine sales because the market price of the wines may go down. Even if the returns are less, there will definitely be a good hike in the prices of the wines, if the purchase is made at the en primeur.

The customers can buy the wines locally or internationally online. The wine online sales are quickly picking up as more and more people are using the internet to make the purchases. Even the best of the European wines, which were not to be easily seen, can now be bought from the sites of some of the biggest dealers around the world, provided they provide the delivery to your country. Internet can also provide the information on the en primeur and other auction events that are being held globally.

West Australian Wines And Wineries

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With more 150 wineries, Western Australia is one of the most qualitative wine producing regions of the country. Though it does not account for more than 5 percent of the production, the wine produced in Western Australia is of the topmost quality. The wineries are located at different at different physical locations such as Coastal, Great Southern, Margaret River, Pemberton, Perth Hills and Swan Valley. Amongst these, the Swan Valley is the one of the largest sources of Western Australias wine production. A 30 minute drive from Perth, Swan Valley is a picturesque place with wildlife parks and scenic beauty. Swan valley has some of the best wineries in Western Australia and is best known for its fortified wineries. But due to the presence of tropical climate in Swan Valley, many wine producers have deserted the region over the years and as a result production is rapidly falling. Yet it remains one of the most authentic wine producing regions of Western Australia and people often plan trips to Swan Valley to enjoy a weekend!

Winemaking in southern regions of Western Australia started in the late 1960s. The climate there is more suitable for wine production. The area does not have more than seven percent of Australias vineyards and the percentage of grapes crushed is a mere three percent. Nonetheless the winemaking regions of South Western Australia enjoy immense popularity because of the quality of wine they are known to produce. The Margaret River region is a renowned wine growing region and was founded not more than thirty years ago. Today dozens of wineries are spread beside each other and is immensely popular amongst visitors. Margaret River region is a tourist hotbed with popular wine tasting cuisines, first class restaurants and stroll gardens. Margaret River along with being a wine tasting heaven for tourists, is also a famous surfing spot and has exotic beaches.

The wineries of the coastal region are not grouped as such and one needs to drive extensively in order to locate them properly. The Wineries are filled with scenic beauty and exotic locales and it is a pleasure for eyes to take a look at them. The Great Southern Region is Australias largest wine region with more than 200 kilometers in width and 100 kilometers in length. The vineyards situated are spread throughout the area and have significant differences in the way they are. Also the climate of this region plays a very important role in this region as this is one of the coolest regions of Australia and the vineyards here are dependent on the cool climate to produce some of the best wines. The region has produced some award winning wines and is very well known amongst vintage wine collectors and tasters.

This region of Australia is very well known for its wine production techniques and the quality of wine it upholds even if certain problems tend to hamper the production at times. This region is the reason why Australian wine has become a global name today.

Famous Wines To Buy In Nyc

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Buying champagne in NYC is an unforgettable experience during the holiday season, since there are several stores in this city that provide luxury beverages at affordable rates. There is no better way to celebrate the festive spirit than sitting at home and still being able to buy Dom Perignon and other celebrated beverages at affordable rates.

Furthermore, with the free champagne shipping offers that high profile wine stores provide, customers based across the country can avail their favorite beverage at slashed rates.

Gambarelli & Davitto Marsala is a fortified wine, in which excess alcohol has been added to provide it the extra sweetness. It is one of the most famous dessert wines, and also used extensively in cooking flamb dishes. Apart from flamb, it can also be function as a marinating and flavoring agent, both of which are properties that make it one of the most favored multipurpose wines in the world.

Each and every wine retailer stocks this delectable beverage in his cellar due to its popularity amongst the masses and its low prices. Indeed, cooking a flavorsome Christmas or New Year dish using this fortified beverage will be a pleasure.

Another love of wine enthusiasts is the Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino 2007, which is a fairly young drink. It possesses rich ruby red color that is complemented by flavors of red fruits as well as tobacco, spices and minerals. It has a complex aroma and body, which emanate from the tannins that young Sangiovese grapes are well known for.

Speaking of tannins, they are smooth & velvety in this wine, which is perfectly suitable for its well structured, mellow, long-lasting flavor. Connoisseurs can buy wine online from the web based portals of their favorite Syosset liquor store, since almost every retailer has set up a website to tap into the ecommerce world.

There is no better companion for celebratory occasions than the Moet & Chandon Champagne Nectar Imperial, which is the monarch of sparkling wines. This is from the house of Moet, which is well known for producing the Dom Perignon champagne, but is sweeter than that one. With the slightly extra sweetness, it specifically caters to the tastes of those who relish sparkling wines as well as sweets.

The buyers can acquire this wine online, since it is readily available for sale on the internet. So, go online and book wine deals by the case to get heavy discounts that allow users to bring down the cost of beverages drastically.

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