Joseph asks…

anyone know about the ‘Wine and Cheese’places of the seventies?

It was a very relaxing place you were served different varieties of wine and a tray of cheese ,crackers ,some pepperoni and slices of apple. There was usually one or two people on a guitar possibly a singer. We use to enjoy this type of atmosphere. Does any one remember these places ?how did you enjoy them?

Wines Manager answers:

My prime was in the 70′s. I did a lot of wine & cheese, fruit parties with people.. Often outside on patios, as I remember; but also in the Winter with music. More white in the Summer, red on Winter evenings. I don’t think I ever went to a restaurant for that. It doesn’t seem the fashion so much anymore where I now live (115,000 city in the Midwest). Where I am, cocktails or full dinner parties are more back, when someone wants to be more formal.. And BBQs/grilling (with beer) when someone wants to be more casual. My wine is more in a restaurant with a dinner now, and usually red. Haven’t done the fruit & cheese thing for a long time, and it used to be nice..
Especially when I lived in San Francisco..

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Charles asks…

How can I organise a wine tasting for 12 people at home? What questions should be asked?

I went to a similar event in Chicago but can’t remember the questions! It was done as a fun competition with scores for the person with the most right answers. Wine was restricted to particular region (i.e. New Word) not more than £10/bottle. Questions included color, clarity, after taste, price, name of wine etc. Prizes for whoever got most right. Fun evening, supper included.

Wines Manager answers:

To set up a wine tasting first pick as broad or specific a theme as you like. Beginning tasters might select several wines from a different varietal (grape type) to demonstrate the differences between them. Another option is to choose several wines made from a single varietal to show how a grape type can yield different-tasting wines depending on where the vineyards are located. More experienced tasters hold “vertical” tastings, where wines of a single vineyard or winery in a range of vintages are sampled to determine the best vintage years.
The number of wines served at a tasting varies, but eight to ten is typical. To avoid being influenced by perceptions based on label information, hide the identities of the wines by covering the bottles with foil or placing them in bags sealed with elastic bands or tape. Use numbers or letters for identification (a “blind” tasting). Also provide drinking water, bread or crackers, paper and writing utensils, and containers or “spit buckets” for spitting or dumping excess wine.

At an informal tasting, guests can sample the wines and discuss them one at a time. This saves on glasses and cleanup. Or, to compare the wines side-by-side, serve them in a “flight” (a group of wines for tasting), which requires each person be supplied with a glass for each wine tasted. To serve, pour a small portion–one to two ounces–into clean stemware. If there are both whites and reds to taste, serve the whites first. When everyone has finished tasting the flight, it’s time to discuss the wines. Don’t hesitate to express your opinions. Even inexperienced tasters can be uncannily accurate when it comes to wine.

Click on this Wine Tasting picture to learn how to get Wine Tasting Invitation Postcards

Scoring the wines or naming favorites will yield a group consensus on the best wines of the bunch. The results can be surprising, such as when the least expensive wine takes top honors.

Http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33071.asp

http://www.expertrating.com/quizzes/Wine-Etiquette-Quiz.asp

http://www.drvino.com/winequiz2005.php

http://www.wineeducation.com/quiz/quizl/quizl.html

http://www.dewijnhoek.com/engdewijnhoek/spel2.html

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Maybe not as famous as Napa, Temecula is California’s Southern Wine Country. If you go on a Temecula wine tasting vacation, you’ll enjoy award winning wines, great wineries, an excellent atmosphere and gourmet restaurants. Lots of companies offer full service guides to the Wine country, accompanying visitors through scenic vineyards and showing them the best sights of the area. The staff working for such companies can give the visitor an insight of the area’s history, tradition and wineries, the way only a local could.

Good planning is required for Temecula wine tasting expeditions if you don’t join a guided tour. There is a total of 36 wineries, but every year Temecula Wine Country expands, and it is getting more difficult for the visitor to navigate alone. Moreover, when you are on your own, there is no one to answer your questions on wineries, varietals, wine making and more. For this reason mainly, tourists are encouraged to have a guide so as to make the best out of their Temecula wine tasting experience.

Many people choose to travel in groups, which will usually get them a discount per person. However, such details ought to be looked into when you make reservations, and you hire the services of a special Wine Country company, because there may be various special offers that you can take advantage of. If you search online, there are numerous blogs and directories that can help you find what you’re looking for. Temecula wine tasting holidays can be taken all year round, although late summer and fall are the best times of the year to travel here to enjoy both grapes and wine.

Another great and funny way to visit Temecula Valley is in a motorized cable car. You will thus get an incredible view of the vineyards, and taste some premium wines that the region is famous for. As part of this special tour, you’ll also get the feel of wine making besides Temecula wine tasting. The cable car can be an excellent choice for special and corporate events, birthdays, weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties. The excellent taste of the wine in the vineyards will thus be doubled by the breathtaking views, the impressions and the novelty of the experience.

For a very customized Temecula wine tasting holiday, or some special afternoon, you can make reservations with a particular winery, and get full services with them.

Enjoy it all!

A home wine tasting party is a great experience to share with family and friends. Wine tasting usually creates a warm and entertaining atmosphere, with laughter and high spirits. Nevertheless, the host has quite a lot of responsibility and needs to plan things carefully in advance. Not only wine but food too deserves your attention, because you need to find the right matching. Even for the least pretentious home wine tasting party, you still need a balance between salty foods, delicate foods and rich foods.

Instead of supplying all the wine varietals yourself, it is a good idea to create a list with wines and ask everybody to bring a bottle. You will need to provide several glasses for every taster, good lighting and several types of food. This will give a chance to your guests to decide which wine matches a particular food and which doesn’t. It will in fact be a funny lesson for everybody, being able to tell whether the wine goes well with food or not. Encourage your guests to experiment!

You should pay attention to what you serve between wine and food courses. Dry crackers will allow your guests to change their taste, and get ready for the new wine tasting round. You can be as creative as you like, particularly as you have to prepare things in advance. A home wine tasting party can turn into a great experience. Even if you are the host, and you have to supervise things, remember to have fun and relax too. Being with family and friends should make this easier for you, particularly if you have some help with the organization aspects.

Two important aspects that influence the quality of your home wine tasting party is the temperature of the wine and the glasses you use to serve the beverages. The wine flavor comes out only when the wine is served at the right temperature. Sparkling wines should always be kept cold. White wines are usually served after chilling, while red wines like Burgundy are usually served at room temperature. You should have water available close by, so that the guests clear their pallets between tastings.

As for glasses, many people use plastic party glasses to cut down on cleaning afterwards. Yet, the main disadvantage here is that plastic recipients do not keep the wine cold. It is usually preferable and more elegant to use tulip glasses with bowl and stem. They look nice and really stylish, and everybody will feel the difference!

If you intend to throw a wine tasting party some ice wine reviews may be relevant for making a good selection of several wine varietals. The German name for ice wine is Eiswein, which you may be familiar with, and it comes from the production peculiarity specific to this dessert wine. The grapes are left on the vine and left until they freeze. It takes a really good freeze to make grapes suitable for ice wine making. The frozen grapes are pressed, and they give away a very concentrated must.

The refreshing sweetness is the main characteristic of Eiswein, and all ice wine reviews stress this out. However, the sweetness is balanced by the high acidity level. Due to the fact that only very healthy, clean grapes are used for ice wine making, such wines are pretty expensive. The production takes intense labor and only small amounts are produced. The most famous countries for their ice wine are Germany and Canada. In Canada, the Ontario region gives 75% of the total ice wine production. This is why, when checking online, you’ll usually come across Ontario ice wine reviews.

Sparkling ice wine deserves special attention from anybody keen on wine tasting. This varietal was accidentally created by a Canadian back in 1988, and from 1996, sparkling ice wine is available on the market. There is international acclaim for sparkling ice wine as you can notice from ice wine reviews, and the varietal is mainly produced in Canadian wineries from British Columbia and Ontario. It is definitely worth trying, as it makes an excellent impression in the form of dessert.

We should probably mention icebox wines too, because you can read about some of them among other ice wine reviews. There are winemakers who simulate frost effects by mechanically freezing the grapes (the process is called cryoextraction), which means that the grapes are not left for too extended periods on the vine. Bonny Doon’s Vin de Glaciere is an example of icebox wine, that you can find on the market. Most varietals are not available in regular size bottles like normal table wines. They are usually sold in half-volume or smaller bottles.

The main difference from table wines is the lower alcohol content. There are German ice wines that have only 6% alcohol, while most Canadian ice wines range somewhere between 8% and 13% alcohol. Ice wine reviews mention the alcohol concentration of the varietal together with its other characteristics such as freshness, acidity etc.

A Napa wine tasting holiday appeals to so many people. Napa Valley, in sunny California, thus turns into the dream destination for a honeymoon, a birthday or an anniversary getaway. There are hundreds of vineyards and wineries to explore, and they will all charm you with world class wine varietals. Here are some suggestions to consider when planning such a Napa wine tasting expedition.

First you should keep in mind that three or four wineries per day should be enough to visit so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the impressions and get bored or tired. There are organized tours, with drivers that will take you to the appointed location. It is even possible to spend a few days in a winery and enjoy the great flavor of Napa wines. If you purchase some wine, you can make arrangements to have the bottles shipped directly to your home. There’s no need to over-load your baggage.

Another great and funny way to take a tour of the Napa Valley is to ride on the Wine Train. It is famous and it houses one of the best restaurants in the Valley. You travel around and you can enjoy a gourmet dinner, wet with the best wines this region can give. Napa wine tasting is a delightful experience indeed, no matter where you go around the Valley. There are even solutions for people traveling on a budget: you can have a great time in the many picnic areas that you find along the Silverado Trail or some other route.

This means that you can savor the flavor of Napa wines in a tasting room or outdoors in open air. It all depends on your choice. Nevertheless, you can’t go on some Napa wine tasting tour and not enter a tasting room. Some are very elaborate while others have a simple table set. Usually, there is a host at the bar who will provide glasses and explain what wines are available that day. There will also be a list posted with the names. The great part here is that you can enjoy comparison tasting, not to mention that you will have someone to answer your questions.

Napa wine tasting begins with white wines, followed by red wines and then by dessert wines. You will also have to pay some nominal tasting fee, but that is not much and it is regularly applicable towards the purchase of a bottle.

The online tips available for wine tasting Los Angeles opportunities are great for anyone who needs recommendations when visiting the Hollywood Mecca or when simply trying to find a way out of daily routine. The impressions posted on websites come from people who have directly had the experience of California and LA wineries. There are many great things to discover locally, and get in touch with a different ‘reality’ in the City of the Angels.

You will be surprised to discover wine tasting Los Angeles restaurants and an operating winery that is a century old. This is the case with the San Antonio winery that is now on the fourth generation of family ownership. It is unique in LA and although you won’t feel like in Napa or Temecula Valleys, you’ll still have a great time. You won’t find a vineyard in the area, but the restaurant is very picturesque, the wines are good, and the memorabilia deserves the visitor’s attention.

Many wine tasting Los Angeles events are organized at the Silver Lake Wine Shop. The focus here falls on small production wineries. In fact, you can buy varietals from all over the world. Boutique California wines come in a very nice selection that you’ll enjoy checking. This wine shop hosts at least three or four wine tasting events of some sort every week, which makes the location an ideal stop for anyone interested in wines. If you check online, you will find a map with directions to reach the place.

Vinoteca Farfalla, is a wine tasting Los Angeles bar that easily wins any visitor’s heart. There is an extensive list of wines that you can choose from, no matter if you order a glass or a full bottle of wine. You may wonder how fresh the wine remains given this serving option: all bottles have dispensers, and they are filled with an inert gas that prevents the wine from oxidizing. The bar is pretty festive and popular, and it also owes its reputation to the food menu with small plates that you can order to match the wines.

These are just three of a much longer list of wine tasting Los Angeles destinations. The best way to find out about other places is to search online and learn about special events organized throughout LA. You can also get good tips from family and friends who have visited a certain place and taken a liking to it.

Have fun!

There is so much that can you learn with a basic wine tasting kit. Such ‘aids’ are necessary because it is hard to explain and understand what you are tasting and smelling: this is the main obstacle to overcome when people start learning about wine. Many aromas will seem unknown and hard to identify even if they characterize most wines. If you read a wine-related article or hear someone say that the wine smells of rose petals, you may feel disappointed if you don’t get the same impression. Who is wrong then?

A wine tasting kit is a box with small vials that contain aromatic essences and essential oils. There will be more than a hundred such vials, and they can help you train to identify wine aromas. Practice leads to an improvement of the skills, because you increase your sensory memory and the moment you smell and taste, you remember the aroma and become able to name it. A wine tasting kit can be used for entertainment purposes as well, as you can use it for parties and games. For example, you can ask guests to close their eyes and identify an aroma by simply smelling it.

You can buy a wine tasting kit from a wine supply vendor or from regular wine shops. Another option would be to order it online. So as to simplify things, it suffices to check in the category with wine accessories. As for costs, a wine tasting kit is not cheap, but people who follow an education about wines and have the means to purchase bottled varietals, will certainly afford such accessories too. There are definitely limitations to the use and the quality of a wine tasting kit, but you should not expect too much from it either.

The learning process is individual, and unless you drink different wine varietals in parallel with the use of the wine tasting kit, you won’t be able to get the full sensory experience, through both taste and smell. If you start at a beginner level, and you use the wine tasting kit consistently while also having wine, you’ll be surprised to discover that you’ve grown a ‘talent’ and that your nose and palate become more receptive and sensitive to stimulation.

As for parties, your friends should know a thing or two about wine in order to make full advantage of the wine tasting kit. Otherwise, you’ll feel pretty disappointed if nobody seems to recognize the essences in the vials!

We recognize dry wine as the opposite of sweet wine. Lots of people don’t like dry wine, because they don’t have their taste educated to have such types of wine with their means. They follow their taste for dessert, and prefer a sweet wine first and foremost. Another misconception is to believe that women usually drink sweet wines. A statistical report is not at all relevant when we are talking about personal taste in wine: dry wine can be just as nice as sweet wine.

Dry wine always goes with the main food courses while anything sweet or fruity should be left for dessert. France and Germany give the world some of the most widely appreciated types of dry wine: Riesling and Moselle from Germany and Chablis and Sauterne from France. The United States also produce nice white wines in these categories in California, New York, Carolinas and Verginias. The American varietals carry a particular flavor that distinguishes them from the European counterparts due to the grapes growing in the American soil.

Since you should serve dry wines with food, they are also known as table wines. There should be a good match between food and drink so that you really appreciated the flavor. Chicken and fish go well together with white wine, while veal, beef, pork, lamb and venison should be matched with red dry wine. Of course, you should also follow personal taste and preferences for a particular varietal. Cheese is another excellent match for dry wine, but you need to pay attention to the pairings, to enjoy the flavor of both cheese and wine.

In terms of chemical composition, a dry wine has only 1% sugar, as compared to a sweet wine that has 25% residual sugars. Another difference appears in the type of fermentation: dry wine requires only the natural fermentation of the grapes, nothing other than that. Sweet wine on the other hand is fortified with additives that prevent the sugar in the grapes from completely converting into alcohol. Last but not least, the acidity is another feature that defines dry wine. Dry wine is made from grapes plucked at an early stage, which explains why it is more acidic.

The Internet provides lots of tips and suggestions on how to serve dry wine. It would be a pity not to take advantage of this rich source of information, making the best of what it has to offer.

Cheers!

To a certain point wine is a symbol of elegance, relaxation, enjoyment, gratitude towards life and so much more. We can very well speak of wine art and the sheer joy of tasting a unique wine flavor paired with the right food and in the right environment or company. The way people appreciate wine varies greatly: some have it with every lunch or dinner, while others consider it a luxury and hardly ever drink a glass. No doubt, art wine characterizes the interest of someone who can afford to learn the distinction between white, red and dessert varietals.

Lots of people who’ve really had a rich life experience and who don’t have to strive for their dollar, take time to visit wineries every now and then. Life perception seems to change when surrounded by sunny hill tops covered with vineyards and when the nostrils and palate feel the wine flavor. Wine art somehow means that when you’re tasting wine, you are totally involved in the experience: your senses become drunk with the flavor, and you learn to recognize subtle bouquet variations and really appreciate wine variety.

Many people who’ve visited wineries, taking tours of Napa or Temecula, California, for example, claim that time seems to stop in a winery, as the visitor becomes more aware of the present moment. There is so much to enjoy right now in the surrounding reality, that you leave out all worries, thoughts, business or family concerns. A time off or a getaway perfectly matches a visit to the Wine Country. And, there only do you really start to perceive what wine art is about.

Let yourself dazzled not only by the taste of premium wines, but also enjoy the must, the flavor of fresh grapes and the beauty of wine making. Open yourself to the sense of the place and you’ll be filled with emotion and gratitude that there are places on earth like wineries, where the sweet nectar of the gods becomes ‘alive’. You are here not to taste, but to actually live wine art. It may sound romantic and idealistic, but when you’ll be in a winery yourself, you’ll realize that words alone can render the full beauty of the experience.

If my words have stirred something in you, all that remains is to make time and actually visit a wine making area in the country. Plus, you will be more curious and attentive to every wine that you taste, because now you know or just suspect that there is such a big and beautiful story behind it!