Enjoying Wines

Archive for the ‘Wine Club’ Category

California wine vintages are is an example of the farmers and artisans who craft their wine.  The unique taste of these wines is due to the consistent weather conditions and fertile ground in which their grapes are grown. California wine growers produce some of the finest wines in the world due to the attention winegrape growers give to matching grape varieties to climate and location.

The impact of the first Spanish settlers on the California wine industry is huge. As the California missions were being setup in the 18th century, the Spaniards would create a vineyard. Grapes were needed by the Catholic monks for reigious ceremony as well as basic provision. Early vine cuttings came from Mexico from the common black grape. The original mission grape plantations would primarily use the common black grape or “Mission Grape” as it was often called.

The largest expansion in populace and wineries in the California areas of Sonaoma and Nappa Valleys was during the years of the gold rush. During this time well known wine companies such as Buena Vista Winery, Charles Krug Winery, Inglenook Winery and Schramsberg Vineyard were founded.

California Wine Regions

California wine is produced in specific locales. They are separated in to 4 separate locations.  The number one vicinity is referred to as the North Coast area which is located north of San Francisco comprising of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Lake Counties. Second is the Central Coast of California that are areas west of San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara County that includes well known places such as the Paso Robles, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and more. Thirdly, there is the South Coast locales of Los Angeles, Temecula, Antelope, Romona Valleys on down to the Mexican border. The fourth region is the Central Valley which includes, of course, the central valley and the Sierra foothills and Lodi.

Varieties of Grapes and Wines

There are a number of types of grapes cultivated in the California wine regions. There are French, Italian and Spanish grapes as well as hybrid grapes and new varieties being developed all the time.

The most familiar grape varieties are the Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah and the Zinfandel. You have tasted some of their red wine grapes like Barbera, Grenache, Malbec and Sangiovese. Some white grapes are the Chenin blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, and Riesling to name just a few.

The New World Style California Wine

California wine is often referred to as “New World” wine.  The temperate and warmer climate in California ripens the grape earlier making for a frutier flavored wine with 13.5% alcohol levels. California wines achieve a full bodied flavor by making wine using oak aging process.

Rave Reviews for California Wine

The locally treasured California wine has emerged as an international treasure as well. The rest of the world is quickly discovering the treasures of the California wine industry through the wine of the month club.  Another wine club worth mentioning is the California wine club which offers offers premium California wines at great pricing.

If you like wine, as I do, you can find any occasion to open a bottle. You may have a bottle or two around the house. That’s what I always did, that way I was always ready for a last minute guest or event, but I didn’t know one thing: how to store my wine properly.

There’s a lot of wine rules and standards that a bunch of wine enthusiast follow, but Ii was never one to follow them. I assumed that knowing the basics was all I needed to enjoy my wine just enough, without overdoing it. At first, I didn’t use a Ravenscroft wine decanter or even gave a second thought to the type of wine glasses I was using. This went for how I stored my wine. But then, on a lark, I thought I would try storing my bottles the way you are supposed to, and believe or not, the taste improved dramatically, so even if you aren’t overly consumed by the latest wine rules, consider this one on wine storage a staple.

Temperature: It does not matter what kind of wine you have, it should always be stored in a cool dry place! This is why wine enthusiast have wine cellars, for optimal taste! While the best tempurature for wine varies slightly, 55 degrees is a good target.Any warmer than this temperature and you will definitly notice a difference in the taste of your wine. Try to keep your wine at a constant temperature, as this change will dramatically change the taste of your wine.

Light: To help keep you wine in full flavor, be sure to keep it out of the sun. If a bottle of wine is in the light for extended periods of time, it will age the wine considerably, affecting its flavors.

Humidity: Another key consideration when it comes to optimal wine storage is making sure that the humidity levels are just right. Overall, It should be more humid than not in order to keep the wine corks from shrinking. A cork that has shrunk even a little bit will let in that much air, and the air will oxidize the wine-tampering with its taste. So, what should the average humidity be for wine storage? Between 65-75%. This is why damp basements and cellars can work so well for wine storage.

Sideways: So many wine racks and cellars hold their wine bottles sideways instead of upright, this may seem a strange one to some, but it’s worked for thousands of years? Yes. It is because in order to ensure that the cork is protected from shrinking, it needs to stay moist. This said, keeping a bottle of wine on its side, keeps the wine in constant contact with the cork, thereby keeping it moist.

Travel: When traveling with your wine, you know, to a party or to a BYOB resaurant be sure to use a wine tote bag.This will protect your wine while boucing around during transport and hold the temerature as well.

Deciding on the best way to let your wine breathe can be a difficult one.  When I open a bottle of wine, I am ready to relax with my glass of wine. I generally don’t have much patience for allowing it to breathe.Why does wine need to breathe?  By letting your wine breathe or aerate it allows for the full flavors to emerge and make the wine more palatable. While there are many wines that do not need to go through this process, it is good to know the little details that can make a big difference. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your wine to its fullest potential.

The reason why wines needs to breathe, or age, is because of tannins. Tannins can transfer into wine during the fermentation process from seeds and skins of grapes. They are a natural preservative that diminish overtime allowing fuller flavors to emerge. White wines and some red wines have low levels of these and therefore do not need aging, or periods of breathing, before drinking. Generally all red wines can benefit from aeration, but those that are lighter and fruitier generally don’t require much aeration.

The term breathing refers to the mixing of oxygen with wine allowing the breakdown of tannins. Decanting a bottle of wine allows the wine to mix with the air, bringing out fuller flavors.

If you choose to allow your wine to breathe, you still have one more decision to make. Do you use a decanter or an aerator? When using a decanter, you should make sure that you have at least one hour to allow the wine to breathe. This is plenty of time for your wine to mix with oxygen and for its full flavors to emerge.Just pour the wine into the decanter and let it sit for a while.  The more surface area if the wine that is exposed to air,  the sooner you will be able to enjoy.

If you just opened a bottle of wine five minutes before guests arrived, or you are only wanting to drink a single glass, decantors may not be the best way to aerate your wine.  Aerators serve the same purpose of decanters, but can achieve the same effect in the time it takes you to pour a glass. Two types of aerators are available: one that is seperate from the bottle, and one that attches as a spout directly in the bottle of wine.

The Vinturi red wine aerator allows you to speed up the breathing process by mixing the perfect amount of air for the perfect amount of time to bring out the color, aroma, and flavor of your wines. All you do is pour your glass of wine through the aerator. A drip free stand elminates the need to clean up wine spots.

The second option, which is more user friendly especially for multi-tasking person, is the Wine Finer aerator . Pour a perfectly oxygen enhanced glass of wine with this easy to use aerator. All you do is open your bottle of wine, place the Wine Finer in the bottle and pour. When finished simply place the top back on the Wine Finer as you would a stopper and let sit until you are ready for your next glass.

So before you decide whether to get yourself a decanter or an aerator, consider your time constraints. Before using the decanter, make sure there is sufficient time for the wine to breath. You can play it safe but allowing your wine to breathe in an instant with a Vinturi or Wine Finer.