Enjoying Wines

Archive for the ‘Pairing Food and Wine’ Category

How many of us can say we really know anything about wine? Most people are probably familiar with that feeling you get when you’re standing there looking at the endless rows of bottles, and have no idea what it is you’re actually supposed to be looking for. We assume that expensive wines cost more because they’re better and cheap wines should probably be avoided, but is there really any truth to this? I have tried both cheap wines that have tasted fine, and expensive ones that have been horrible – that’s not always the case but they do exist and how are we supposed to know which ones to choose?

It’s like the theory that crystal wine glasses make wine taste better than regular glasses. It’s true that it is definitely nicer to drink out of a crystal glass, they do feel nice to hold and they make that lovely sound when you tap them, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that it actually affects the flavour of the drink. A nasty wine will taste nasty whatever you drink it from – just think of the familiar grimace on people’s faces when they take a sip from their posh celebratory Champagne flutes, only to be reminded that they’ve always hated Champagne and are only drinking it because it’s what you’re supposed to do.

A real wine buff would tell you they can tell the vintage of a good wine and where it was bottled purely from tasting it. But in the opening episode of BBC4’s recent mini-documentary series entitled (rather inventively, I thought!) Wine, an interesting scenario arose. A group of professional wine experts were given a taste from a mystery bottle and asked to guess the vintage. Most of them guessed at somewhere around the 1980s, with the exception of one French expert who claimed 1928. It turned out to be from 1870, proving that they really didn’t have a clue.

So do factors like the age and vintage of a wine really make any difference in terms of the quality of wine? If even the world’s most knowledgeable experts can’t tell the difference then it would seem that no, probably not. Older wines are likely to be more rare, which might explain why they cost more, but I bet those experts could have bought a whole crate of good 1980s wines for the same price as that one bottle from the 1800s would have cost. And in these times of the credit crunch do people really want to be paying so much more for fancy wines when it’s entirely possible they could get one just as good – or maybe even nicer – in Threshers for under a tenner?

Are you tired of spending $8.00 – $10.00 for a glass of cheap wine when you go out for dinner? Does the big price tag for a lousy bottle of wine at your favorite restaurant drive you nuts? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions then you should be bringing your own.

Bring your own bottle restaurants are a growing trend throughout the USA. They are exactly what they sound like, restaurants where you can bring your own beer, wine or other spirits. They will provide the ice, glasses and even corkscrews for you. They don’t have to spend the big bucks for liquor licenses and you don’t have to spend big money for the booze.

I live in the small city of Harrisburg, PA and we have a great selection of bring your own bottle bistros. In fact, several of the best Italian restaurants in the area don’t have liquor licenses and allow you to bring your own. We also have a family diner style restaurant and a great pizza parlor where {you} can bring your own wine. If you want more information about these places, feel free to visit The Pennsylvania Wanderer.

You may want to show your style by bringing your wine in a wooden, aluminum or leather wine carrier. Wine carriers come in many different styles and are available in sizes to fit one to six bottles. They also make it possible to bring home your extra wine (if you have any) since the bottles fit well and won’t spill in your car. Think about how cool you’ll feel when your friends see that you showed up with an elegant wine carrier.

Whether you have a wine carrier or not, you should consider visiting a bring your own bottle restaurant soon. You’ll get a great meal and not break your budget. I’m sure that once you try it, You’ll be a regular at bring your own bottle restaurants.  I know I am.

If you are a beginner, a new Absinthe drinker, you will want to know “how do you serve Absinthe?”. Usually direct consumption of absinthe is not possible so it is diluted with iced water.

Absinthe is banned in many countries for being pshycoactive like cannabis. Most countries has legally approved it.

Traditional method Ritual or La Louche method modern method Bohemian method or Czech method for preparation of Absinthe. special preparation is required for Absinthe. Methods for preparing Absinthe two different ways

The Ritual

Before the ban the method used in the cultural history of Absinthe in France and Switzerland.

Requirement of equipment for this method are
– Absinthe
Use of an Absinthe glass
A slotted spoon An Absinthe spoon is use with Absinthe.
Take a cube of sugar
Take Absinthe fountain of iced water.

Use of the ritual recipe:-
Amount of Absinthe is 25-50ml in Absinthe glass.
On top of the glass rest your Absinthe spoon and place the sugar cube on it.
Set the tap on the fountain to a slow drip over the sugar cube. The sugar cube and water mix into the Absinthe.
The mixture of water with Absinthe makes it louche. The louche effect is caused by Absinthe as it contains essential oils like wormwood which are soluble in alcohol but not in water.
Absinthe is enjoyable when stirred.

(The ratio of water to Absinthe should be between 3:1 and 5:1)

An adaption of the Ritual method is the “Glass in a Glass”. In this method place a small glass containing the Absinthe into a larger glass and drip water into the small glass which then overflows into the larger glass. The small glass is removed when water and all of the Absinthe is in the larger glass.

Method of Bohemian

This method needs:-
– Absinthe
– An Absinthe glass
Take an Absinthe Spoon
Use of sugar cube
– A lighter or match
Take iced water

Pour 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass.
Allow Absinthe to soak with sugar cube and then rest on the spoon.
Set light, caramelize sugar cube , melt and drip into Absinthe.
To louche Absinthe iced water is added to it.

This method has become very popular in Absinthe bars in the Czech Republic. Many Absinthe drinkers scorn this method as it is not traditional.

Alcohol should be carefully set

A quality Absinthe which contains real essential oils is needed for the Absinthe to louche. If you cannot buy quality bottled Absinthe you can buy essences from Absinthe Kit.com Top-quality, classic wormwood Absinthe is made by mixing the distilled herb essence with vodka or Ever clear.

Once you have your quality Absinthe you can enjoy learning how do you serve Absinthe.