Wine Online

Archive for the ‘Types of Wine’ Category

Author: Caroline Silverstone

Vintage wine is a favorite of wine experts. It is more than a beverage because more went into the creation of the wine then simply mixing it up and bottling it. There are many aspects of a wine that make it vintage. When a wine is considered vintage you will find that it meets the following 5 points.

These five points highlight the things that set vintage wine apart from other wines. Additionally, you will see why vintage wines are more expensive then other wines on the market.

1. Point One - The source of the grapes.

Vintage wine is made with grapes that are all grown or mostly all grown in the same year. The reason for this is that grapes harvested in different years will have different tastes. Using grapes from one year helps to ensure the consistency of the taste.

2. Point Two - The aging process.

Vintage wine is carefully aged to the point where the flavors are perfect. The aging process allows the flavors to develop. With vintage wines the aging process is carefully monitored and the wine is carefully handled to ensure proper aging and storage for the perfect final taste.

3. Point Three - The bottling process.

Vintage wines are bottled in a single batch. Bottling can alter the taste so when wines are bottled together the tastes are going to be consistent and similar.

4. Point Four - Regulation specifications.

In the US there are specific regulations about what wines can be labeled vintage. This helps consumers to ensure that they are getting true vintage wine. In order for a wine to be labeled vintage and with the country of origin 95% of the grapes used in the wine must come from the same year. Without the country of origin on the label, the wine must contain 85% of grapes harvested in the same year.

5. Point Five - Regional characteristics.

Grapes from different regions taste different. The different growing conditions produce grapes that have different flavors and that directly relates to the taste of the wine from that region. With vintage wines the grapes all come from the same region. This helps to ensure a pure flavor. In fact, vintage wines are often characterized by the region so this is an important aspect.

These five points help to define what a vintage wine truly is. Sometimes false labels may suggest a wine is vintage, but unless it follows these points, it is not a real vintage. When buying wine you should note the points so that you are sure to get what you pay for. You do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on wine that is not truly vintage.

Wine experts can tell the difference through taste, but if you’re unable to taste before purchase or you are not that advanced in your wine tasting skills then you have to rely on the label to tell you what you need to know. It can be embarrassing to serve a wine as a vintage when it really is not, especially if someone can tell the difference.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/5-important-points-of-vintage-wine-425029.html

About the Author:
For the best wine gift store on the web shop at The Wine Standard. They have hundreds of wine related gifts and wine accessories. Shop for wine racks, from wrought iron to wooden. A wine cabinet is also a must for any wine lover, matched with a line of wine refrigerators or chillers.

photo credit: Ale J. Ven.
By Neil Best

What is corked wine?

Keeping a wine bottle-sealed is probably the most important factor when it comes to maintaining a good wine. A cork is essential, as it keeps oxygen out of the wine bottle. If a bottle of wine is not airtight then it may become oxidized and undrinkable.

Different types of cork

Traditionally, the only corks worth considering were those actually made of cork. Recently, however, many wine experts have recognized that cork may actually cause more problems than it solves.

Cork, due to its malleable nature may have imperfections; these can result in the seal of the bottle not being as airtight as it could be and the wine being spoilt. In an attempt to avoid this problem, modern cork manufacturers may treat the cork with a chemical called TVA. Unfortunately, this chemical can cause the wine to taste and smell a little damp and musty.

Having said this, cork is able to expand to fully fill the neck of the bottle, which therefore, still makes it the preferred option for special wines that need to be stored, over a long period of time.

Plastic corks are becoming increasing popular, of late. One of the main problems associated with traditional corks is that the wine becomes ‘corked’. Plastic corks prevent this occurring. Great! I hear you say. However, there can be minor irritations with plastic corks. A plastic cork can sometimes be difficult to extract from the bottle and virtually impossible to fit back into a half drunk bottle.

Another recent development is the widespread use of screw-top bottles. Until recently, this type of seal was used for only the cheapest of wines. Wine producers across the globe are now recognizing the benefits that screw tops provide. This type of seal ensures that wine is kept fresh; there is no chance of the wine becoming ‘corked’ and the bottle can be easily resealed. In reality, the only reason that screw tops are not more popular is because of the ingrained snobbery associated with this method of sealing a bottle.

Dealing with cork problems

No matter which type of cork you choose, it is important that you are able to recognize whether the wine has been properly sealed or not. A useful test is to see whether the top of the cork is level with the top of the bottle; if it isn’t, then that particular bottle of wine is probably best avoided.

If a traditional cork breaks when you are removing it - don’t panic! Use a corkscrew to attempt to ‘dig out’ the remaining cork. If this fails, simply push the remains of the cork down into the bottle. Contrary to popular belief, this will not destroy the wine’s flavor. You may have to fish out a few bits of cork, but the taste of the wine should remain unaffected. However, you’d be wise to finish the whole bottle, under these circumstances!

When choosing your wine, base your decision on the wine itself and not the type of cork. Resist the temptation to be a cork snob; a screw top bottle may just give you a pleasant surprise …

About the Author: Since Neil Best first investigated the history of wine he’s been recording his findings at http://www.goodglug.com. This article is part of the free Good Glug Wine Appreciation Course. Visit now to get your copy.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=14398&ca=Food+and+Drinks

photo credit: 96dpi

By Montefioralle

Less experienced consumers tend to believe that a DOCG ‘Chianti’ wine and a DOCG ‘Chinati Classico’ wine are the same thing.

Nothing more wrong than that!

Chianti Classico is a wine produced in the Chianti area. You may recognize these wines very easily by the ‘black rooster’ logo on the neck of the bottles.

The ‘Chianti Classico Consortium’ applies much stricter rules to its producers in comparison to those applied to the producers of ‘Chianti’. Let us analyze these differences.

Production area: the Chianti Classico wine is produced within the borders of the namesake area only, whereas Chianti producers can implement their production also outside those borders, including some areas of the Tuscan provinces of Florence, Siena, Arezzo, Pisa, Pistoia and Prato.

Grapes: while the Chianti Classico uses black grapes only with a minimum basis of 80% of Sangiovese (the typical grape of the Chianti’s area) the Chianti wine can use also white grapes such as Malvasia and Trebbiano (in addition to the minimum basis of Sangiovese which is 75% in this case).

Quality standard: without going through the details, it is important to know that the rules of the Chianti Classico Consortium are much more rigid and strict on all the aspects which can have an impact on wine’s quality. For example, the ‘resa massima di uva per ettaro di vigneto’ (the maximum amount of grapes for hectare) is 75 quintals for Chianti Classico, while for Chianti the limit gets to 90 quintals.

The first version of the DOCG ‘disciplinare’ (production rules) for Chianti and Chianti Classico dates back to 1984, when Chianti Classico was still considered a sub-category of the omni-comprehensive Chianti DOCG, although with separate regulations that imposed production rules more stringent than those stipulated for the other Chianti wines. Only in 1996 Chianti Classico obtained the definitive consecration of its importance and its precedence: Chianti Classico, in fact, was recognized as an independent appellation, establishing once and for all its diversity and independence of the other Chiantis.

Chianti and Chianti Classico are not the only traditional wine made in Tuscany, and sangiovese is usually the base of most red variants like Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, etc.

A black rooster was the emblem of the Lega del Chianti during XVII century. Now 2005 the black rooster is the emblem of the Chianti Classico producers association, all Chianti Classico wines have that symbol on the neck of the bottle indicating that the wine is produced in the Classico area and according to the Chianti Classico Consortium rules.

In summary, specially in the last years, Chianti Classico Consortium’s policy is to safeguard wine’s quality to the detriment of quantity, mainly because of the growing number of high quality wine all over the world. Furthermore, there is another aim which is to safeguard the quality aspects specific to the area making the Gallo Nero products unique. In that matters, on top of the Chianti Classico wine, the Vin Santo and the Olive Oil should also be mentioned.

About the Author: Montefioralle is a small family-run winery near Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy. Montefioralle Chianti Classico

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=209414&ca=Food+and+Drinks

photo credit: funadium

Author: Gareth Meradith

Many different wines can be made from apples, either by themselves or in combination with other fruits. No one variety is known to be outstanding on its own but cooking varieties make better wine than dessert varieties.

Experience over many years has shown that a combination of cooking, dessert, crab apple, pears and quince make the most attractive wine of all. Apples respond well to most yeast’s but especially to champagne yeast.

Although perfect fruit is desirable for most wines, windfall apples make excellent wine. The apples do not need to be peeled or cored, but naturally any badly bruised parts that have turned brown should be cut away, with any parts infected by a maggot.

Apples are sometimes hard to crush but various answers have been found to this problem. Perhaps the easiest is to wash the apples in a sulphite solution of about 100 ppm, so removing dust, leaves and grass at the same time as killing off unwanted micro-organisms. Next, drain off the surplus water, pack the apples into polythene bags and place them in a freezer for 48 hours. When thawed they should be soft enough to crush with your hands.

If a freezer is not readily available, place the washed apples - a few at a time - in a polythene bag and hit them with a mallet, wooden rolling pin or steak hammer. When each bagful is crushed, drop the contents into water containing sulphite and citric acid to prevent oxidation.

A third method is to place the apples in a strong polythene or wooden bin and to ram them with a 10 cm. (4 in.) cube of wood on the end of a broom handle.

Another way is to liquidise them, and yet another is simply to cut each apple into about 16 pieces. Coarse mincing is not recommended unless it is known for certain that the metal, from which the mincer is made, does not react to acids.

Apples should always be fermented on the pulp. If you lack a big enough bin for this purpose, a heavy gauge, large polythene bag inside a cardboard container may be used very effectively. The neck can be gathered and fastened with a rubber band or a wire tie - not so tightly, of course, that the carbon dioxide cannot escape.

After pulp fermentation a press is needed to extract all the juice. Bale the pulp out of the bin into a freshly sterilised hessian, linen or nylon bag placed inside the press. At first the juice will run free, and then a little shaking-up of the bag will encourage even more to do so. When pressure is applied, do so intermittently rather than steadily; a better run is thereby obtained. When you are satisfied that no more juice can be extracted, the apple cake can be used to make a second-run wine.

Often elderberry, or blackberry, or damson, or plum, wine is being made at or about the same time. The addition of the applecake to the other fruit improves the body and flavour of that wine. Alternatively, the two pulp residues may be mixed together and added to a grape juice concentrate wine to improve its body and flavour. Spent apple and elderberry pulp mixed with a white grape juice concentrate can make an attractive rose.

It is always worth making the maximum amount possible of apple wine. It blends well with other wines, is useful for topping up jars that are not quite full - no matter what the wine they contain - and it makes an excellent base for liqueurs.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/making-wine-from-apples-426937.html

About the Author:
Gareth Meradith runs a Hotel in Blackpool and is sponsered by Karcher Pressure Washers and Snickers Workwear

Author: Bill Garlough

Perfect Pairings

January 20, 2008 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun

By Bill Garlough

Pairing wines with food is fun, entertaining and downright tasty. Many of my 2007 milestones, memories and seasonal celebrations included great food and wine. Here are some of my favorite picks and pairings from last year.

Winter

January is our favorite time to have a party. The holidays are over, everyone is relaxed and there is no better way to spend a snowy night than with good friends. Chinese New Year is a great seasonal theme and everyone likes Asian food. The higher acidity and tropical fruit notes of Rieslings and Gewurztraminers help offset the heat of this spicy cuisine.

Bill’s picks: Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling, Washington State, $18; Fitz-Ritter Gewurztraminer, Germany, $17.

The comes February, and romance is in the air as we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Start with an expensive French Champagne and finish with a port, paired with chocolate of course.

Bill’s picks: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne, France, $60; Rosenblum Desiree Chocolate Port, California, $21.

Spring

Just a hop or two away, Easter is upon us and the traditional Easter ham. We like to serve either a Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris.

Bill’s picks: Trimbach Pinot Gris “Reserve” Alsace, France, $19; Tapestry Chardonnay McLaren Vale, Australia, $14; Elk Cove Pinot Gris, Oregon, $18.

With the weather warming, we often serve Rosés. Lighter colored Rosés pair well with fish, salads and soft cheeses, while darker red Rosés can stand up to spicy barbecue and Asian cuisine.

Bill’s picks: Chateau De Trinquevedel of Tavel, France, $16; Cabernet d’Anjou, Loire Valley, France, $9.

Summer

As picnics and barbecues dominate July, we break out the Zinfandels, Syrahs and Shiraz. Their jammy and slightly sweet fruit is the perfect counter to barbecue’s bold flavors.

Bill’s picks: Rosenblum “North Coast” Zinfandel, Washington, $12; St. Francis “Old Vine” Zinfandel, California, $15; Cycles Gladiator Central Coast Syrah, California, $12; Mr. Riggs “The Gaffer” Shiraz, Australia, $24.

The oppressive heat of August calls for Sangria. While a couple of pre-bottled varieties are available, nothing beats the taste of homemade Sangria. Shiraz is recommended for red Sangria, while Muscat, Riesling and Gewí¼rztraminer are all good bases for white Sangria.

Bill’s picks for pre-bottled Sangria: Real Sangria, Spain, $8; de la Costa Sangria, California, $10.

Fall

Autumn brings Oktoberfest. Riesling’s low alcohol level and high acidity make it an ideal wine to pair with bratwurst, schnitzels and even sauerbraten.

Bill’s picks: Ress Kabinett Riesling, Germany, $13; Dr. Loosen Riesling, Germany, $32; Studert-Prí¼m Riesling, Germany; $20.

With our traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I serve the food friendly Pinot Noir

Bill’s picks: A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon, $18; Jigsaw Pinot Noir, Oregon, $17; Fiddlehead Pinot Noir “Oldsville” Reserve, Oregon, $42.

Champagne Cocktails are a festive way to usher in the holidays. For a more affordable “champagne” cocktail, use either an Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava. Just add a little of your favorite fruit juice, sweet liquor or aperitif to the sparkling wine and you have a grand start to your celebration..

Bill’s picks: Zardetto Prosecco, Italy, $12; de Marques Gelida Cava, Spain, $13; Mionetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Italy, $16.

For More from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/wine-to-fit-all-sorts-of-occasions-from-january-to-december-527994.html

About the Author:

Bill Garlough is a Level 1 Master Sommelier and an owner of My Chef Catering in Naperville, the winner of the U.S. Chamber’s 2007 Small Business of the Year award. Bill can be reached at My Chef or wineparings@mychef.com

Author: Mark Buckingham

Red Wine

The first operation performed on grapes after they are removed from their storage is to de-stem them, which is the process of removing the grape from the shoots to which they are attached.

As soon as all the grapes in the batch are de-stemmed, they are placed into the wine press where they are compressed into a paste which in turn releases the must (the juice of the fruit). The resulting paste (or pomace) and must combination then spend time together in a cask and it is the length of time that the mixture sits with the must in contact with the grape skin and pulp that determines the character of the finished wine.

When the winemaker determines the right amount of time has passed, the juice is drawn off and yeast added to begin the fermentation process with the remaining pomace, in many cases, being returned to the vineyard to be used as a fertilizer.

Once the colour and sugar content are correct the cask valve is opened and the first juice, which is the best quality wine, is then transferred into other containers where the fermentation process is finalized.

‘Pressed wines’, which are full of tannin, are made from the leftover solids. They have a strong colour and are generally mixed with the first juice in many different ways to create wines of different strengths and flavours.

When the fermentation process is complete, the wine is either bottled straight away, or left to age.

White Wine

When making white wine it is important not to damage the grapes, so they are poured into the receiving bins as quickly as possible. Once they are all in the receiving bin, the grapes are then transferred to the press where the must is separated from the skins and other solids.

At this stage the solids are disregarded and the remaining must is slightly refrigerated before being transferred into a stainless steel vat where it is allowed to ferment. Care is taken to maintain the temperature during fermenting which preserves the delicate aromas of the finished wine.

Once the fermentation process is complete, the resultant wine is decanted taking care to avoid the sediment which collects at the bottom of the vat. After decanting, the wine is bottled and ready to be sold, and is best drunk within two years.

Sweet Dessert Wines

Dessert wines are produced in one of two ways. In the first method, Botrytis Cinera, a fungus which grows very quickly, is used. This transforms the fruit and changes the colour and also alters the acid components and sugar levels. The second method is to interrupt the fermentation process by adding alcohol. This method creates a strong, sweet wine where the grape is the major flavour.

Grapes used for sweet wines are of the white Moscatel and Garnacha varieties which, along with the production process, leave the wine with a mushroom type smell as the bottle is opened.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/a-taste-of-wine-475312.html

About the Author:

Written by Mark Buckingham for Rentaccomspain.com. Rent or buy your perfect Spanish retreat direct from the owner.
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Author: Alison White

Port wine is amongst the worlds most refined and sought after alcoholic drinks. It has a century-old tradition to legitimise its unique quality. The wine is one of Portugal’s finest products and a major cause for the countries reputation. The inhabitants of northern Portugal’s Douro valley have perfected their techniques for nearly two millennia, as the archaeological discoveries indicate. The exquisite wine was first sold on a large scale in the city of Porto. The reason for which it reached England was its early 18th century war with France. Being deprived of French wines, the islanders saw Portugal as a replacement. English ships often took home quantities of Port wine; their legacy resides in the names of some port shippers with a strong English resonance.

Although the term “Port” refers to wines produced in countries like Australia, USA, South Africa and India as well, the authentic Port has Portuguese roots. In the EU, Porto may be the name only of wines originating from Portugal. The “Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto” imposes a strict control on the Portugese wine industry.

The production of Port is precisely calculated at each step. The amount of distilled grape spirits (like brandy) is responsible for its higher alcohol percentage. These spirits were first used because wines tended to decay on their journeys to distant lands. Wines with more than 16% alcohol are safer from damaging than those with less. The ones above 18% can be stored in wood casks which allow air inside.

Port wines come in a great variety. To classify them easier, experts have appealed to basic criteria: the presence or lack of “breathing”. Some wines are utterly ceiled while transported, so they are untouched by air. Others are safe for oxygenating, for so they will undergo the oxidative fine aging process. The ones from the latter category change their color faster and are left to healthy mature in wooden barrels. For this they are called “wood ports” sometimes.

The wine of the greatest quality is named “Vintage Part”. Although the finest, it is also amongst the rarest kinds produced. The time necessary for it to reach the perfect quality is long, it is known to require two and a half years in barrels, before left waiting 10-30 years in bottles. Its dark ruby pattern makes it sought after. They are only produced from grapes grown in what is called a vintage year, when the conditions are the best.

The traditional Tawny Port wines are either white or red and spend no time at all in barrels. Others, such as the Tawny Reserve port are left to interact with air for some time there and this results in a golden-brown spectrum. The Tawny categories are set after the age of wines. The Garraferia wines, labelled only by the Niepoort Company are stored first in barrels for seven years, than they lay in demijohns for another 8 years.

The Late Bottled Vintage derives from Vintage Ports that have been left in barrels longer than they should have. They can be consumed without decanting yet some experts believe this diminishes their quality.

The Clustered wine is similar to Vintage Port, though drinkable at a younger age. The Ruby Port is cheap and isolated in stainless steel before consumption. The white port is usually served cold and is made from white grapes.

If the cork has a plastic cap the wine should not be decanted, only the ones with plastic cork must be. In order to decant some wines a corkscrew and a specially adapted funnel is all that’s needed. The time a wine needs to be decanted depends on its age; the older need less time. The decantation process must be slow, with extreme patience.

The Red Port is obtained from special types of local grapes, while the White Porto is strictly controlled by the “Instituto do Vinho do Porto”. The name for vineyard in Portugal is Quinta. It appears that the future weather conditions will offer Vintage Ports more often.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/what-to-know-about-port-wines-71478.html

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Author: James Copper

Wines are of many types. Red wine is a type of wine which is extracted from red, dark purple or blue colored grapes. This wine is red in color. Red wine is produced by fermenting grape juice. The red color of the wine is due to the tannins present in the wine which is a chemical compound. Red wine is stronger than white wine. Red wine is the most popular wine compared to other wines and is produced all over the world. There are almost 50 varieties of red wines like Australian Shiraz, Syrah, Chianti, Bordeaux, Sauvignon, etc.

Red wine comes in different flavors some of which are listed here:

Cherry, Plum, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currant, Raisin, Fig, Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon, Coffee, Cocoa, Mocha, Tobacco, Leather, etc.

Types of red wine

The type of Red wine depends on the area in which it is produced and the type of grape used for extracting the wine.

Syrah:

Syrah, also called as ‘Shiraz’, is mostly served with meat, beef or pastas. They are mostly dark colored wines. Syrah is widely cultivated in the regions of France, Australia, and California. One of the main ingredients of ’syrah’ is ‘aroma’ which is very good for health.

Merlot:

Merlot, a red wine, is known for its light color and soft taste. It can be served with any kind of food. It is a very light drink and is not strong at all. ‘Merlot’ is cultivated in countries like Romania, Chile, Washington, Italy and Australia. They are also present in herbal and medicinal form.

Cabernet sauvignon:

Cabernet sauvignon is produced from oak. This red wine is beneficial in preventing cardiovascular problems and also cancer because of its medicinal properties.

Pinot noir:

Pinot noir is rarely found because it is difficult to grow. This red wine plant is cultivated in countries like New Zealand, USA, Oregon and many other valleys.

This red wine is best suited with meat and lamb.

Zinfandel:

Zinfandel is the native wine of California because it is produced only in California. This is very hot and spicy in taste and goes well with meat, pizzas, and pastas.

Sangiovese:

Sangiovese goes well with Italian dishes and is available in valley areas.

Barbera: Barbera is available only in USA.

Wine and Health

Consumption of wine to a limited extent may be beneficial to one’s health. It removes bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol while reducing blood clotting, which is used to prevent a number of heart diseases and leukemia, because it acts as an antioxidant. They are used to prevent Parkinson’s disease because of presence of ‘resveratrol’ in the wine. Red wine contains higher amount of flavonoids which is very useful. Melatonin present in red wine is used to cure a number of skin diseases. Over consumption of wine may lead to many health problems like:

1) Red wine headache (RWD) - It is a disease caused due to excessive consumption of red wine, which may further lead to nausea.

2) Consumption of red wine is hazardous during pregnancy. It also increases the chances of breast cancer.

3) Brain migraines

4) Diabetes

Hence, moderation is highly recommended for the consumption of red wine.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/the-many-types-of-red-wine-538826.html

About the Author:
James Copper is a writer for http://www.cecwine.co.uk where you can find out about red wine

Author: Levi Reiss

If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mittelrhein region of southwestern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Riesling Kabinett.

The Mittelrhein is castle country. It starts out just south of the former West German capital of Bonn and then follows the Rhein River for about 60 miles (100 kilometers). The area was named a World Cultural Heritage site in 2002. It contains some of Germany’s steepest vineyards, in effect some of the steepest vineyards in the world. This is a problem; the shortage of farm workers who are willing to break their backs on these slopes is probably the major reason that Mittelrhein vineyard acreage has shrunk almost by half in the last forty years. This region now ranks 11th out of the 13 German wine regions for vineyard area and 12th for total wine production. About three quarters of its wine is Riesling, quite a good sign. In fact, after the Rheingau region, the Mittelrhein has the highest percentage of Riesling in Germany. Less than 2% of Mittelrhein wine is low-quality table wine, almost 60% medium-quality QbA wine, and almost 40% higher-quality QmP wine. The yield per acre is also one of the lowest in Germany, which is also a good sign.

Koblenz, population slightly over one hundred thousand, is a real river town. It is situated on both banks of the Rhine River and on the Moselle River. The rivers’ meeting point is known as the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). Besides these two magnificent rivers there are three mountain ranges and a third river, the Lahn nearby. The name Koblenz means confluence or merging rivers.

Koblenz recently celebrated its two-thousandth anniversary. During the Middle Ages Koblenz took advantage of its strategic location to control both Rhine and Mosel trade. Most of the city is situated on the west bank of the Rhine. On the east bank, facing the city, is Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Europe’s largest fortress after Gibraltar. This fortress sits on a mountain four hundred feet above the river. It’s hardly surprising that the site has been fortified for more than three thousand years. We are happy that Festung Ehrenbreitstein was not destroyed as it passed from one country to another during many wars. It now hosts a youth hostel and a museum.

In the old town make sure to see the Pfaffendorfer Bridge, the Weindorf, a wine village constructed in the 1920s for a giant German wine exhibition, the Rheinanlagen (Rhein Gardens), a 6 mile (10 kilometer) river promenade, and the mid-Ninth Century St. Kastor Kirche (St. Castor Church) which, shortly after its foundation, hosted talks for the Treaty of Verdun that divided Charlemagne’s empire into present-day Germany and France. The Schaengel is a famous statue of a boy who spits water.

Before we review the Mittelrhein wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are some suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Hinkelsdreck (Chicken Liver Pate). For your second course enjoy Wildschwein Sauerbraten (Wild Boar Sauerbraten-Marinated Meat). As a dessert indulge yourself with Feigenmus (Fig Puree).

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

Wine Reviewed Toni Jost Riesling Kabinett 2004 9.5% alcohol about $20

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. From the little-known-in-our-market Mittelrhein region comes this superb Riesling. There is pronounced varietal character here with special emphasis on peach, apricot and floral notes (particularly lilac). It is off-dry with very good fruit notes surrounded by crisp acid tones. Light- to medium-bodied, this long-finishing wine would be an excellent match for Thai spicy noodle dishes, crab legs or scallops in a saffron cream sauce.

My first tasting included a commercial chicken pot pie perked up by a spicy Jalapeno-based salsa. The wine was quite acidic and lemony with some taste of apple as well. The wine was very flavorful; a little bit went a long way. Frankly this Riesling was too good for such a pedestrian meal. Dessert was a slice of top of the line chocolate mousse cake that suffered somewhat by being too sweet. The cake was too sweet for the wine. I had the feeling that the wine and the cake were fighting. In the end the wine emerged as the winner; it was only a little injured.

My next trial involved a home made barbecued chicken marinated in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. The side dish was a specialty of the local supermarket, roasted potatoes cooked in chicken fat, reheated in foil on the barbecue. Yummy. To complete the meal I barbecued Portabello mushrooms and slices of red pepper. The whole meal was a great match for the Reisling. The wine was light (but far from weak), refreshing, and pleasantly acidic. I loved the meat’s grease - I removed most but not all of the skin. And I loved the way the wine cut the meat’s grease. The Riesling’s fruit intensified when matched with the sweet barbecued red pepper. I tasted a lot of apple and lemon.

The final meal consisted of an omelet with tasty local Asiago cheese, green and black Greek olives, and grape tomatoes. The wine had a gossamer quality and an excellent balance of acidity, sugar, and fruit, mostly lemon. That was the wine. It overwhelmed the omelet, which essentially added nothing to the mix in spite of the relatively strong cheese. Not surprisingly the wine did better with the acidic grape tomatoes than with the salty olives. As is my policy, I never blame the wine for an unorthodox food pairing that just doesn’t make it. I finished the meal with a high-quality but oversweet chocolate ice-cream bar. The sugar weakened the wine and made it taste sour. But I waited a few minutes and finished the final sips without any food. And this wine was as good as it had ever been.

I paired this wine with two imported cheeses, a German Edam and a French Camembert. The Edam was soft and buttery. In its presence the Riesling was pleasantly acidic with a lot of fruit. The French Camembert was probably past its prime. At the first sip, the Riesling seemed a bit weaker than in previous tastings, but later on the wine managed to hold its own.

Final verdict. I am really a fan of this wine and plan to buy it again. However, I won’t want to waste its power and delicacy on pairing it with the wrong foods.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/i-love-german-wine-and-food-a-mittlerhein-reisling-235880.html

About the Author:

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but between you and me, he prefers drinking fine German, Italian, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He teaches various classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com .

Author: Lindsay Alston

Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as a blending grape and for varietal wines. Merlot-based wines typically have average body with trace of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and stoutness, combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a model grape to blend with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. This suppleness has helped to make it one of the most popular red wine varietals in the United States and Chile.

The most basic recorded mention of Merlot was in the remarks of a local Bordeaux official who in 1784 labeled wine made from the grape in the Libournais region as one of the area’s best. The name comes from the French provincial patois word Merlot, meaning young blackbird. By the 19th century it was being frequently planted in the Médoc on the Left Bank of the Gironde. It was originally confirmed in Italy around Venice under the synonym Bordò in 1855. The grape was launched into the Swiss, sometime in the 19th century and was recorded in the Swiss canton of Ticino between 1905 and 1910. “Researchers at University of California, Davis believe that the grape is an offspring of Cabernet Franc and is a sibling of Carménère.”

After a sequence of delays that consist of a severe frost in 1956 and several vintages in the 1960s lost to rot, French authorities in Bordeaux banned new plantings of Merlot vines between 1970 and 1975. Until 1993, the Chilean wine industry incorrectly sold a large quantity of wine made from the Carmenere grape as Merlot. In that year, genetic studies exposed that much of what had been grown as Merlot was actually Carmenere. The classification of Chilean Merlot is a catch-all to include wine that is made from a blend of random amounts of Merlot and Carmenere. With Merlot ripening 3 weeks earlier than Carmenere, these wines vary significantly in eminence depending on harvesting.

Merlot grapes are identified by their loose bunches of large berries. The color has less of a blue/black shade than Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and with a thinner skin; the grapes also have less tannins. In addition to a contrast against Cabernet, a Merlot grape tends to have higher sugar content and lower malic acid. Merlot prospers in cold soil, mostly ferrous clay. The vines have a tendency to bud early which gives it some hazard to cold frost and its thin skin increases its vulnerability to rot. It normally ripens up to two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. Water stress is important to the vine with it thriving in well drained soil more so than at base of a slope.

Merlot was popular, but then took a dip because of the movie sideways. Throughout the film, Miles addresses dotingly of the red wine varietal Pinot Noir. Following the film’s U.S. release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot Noir sales increased 16% in the Western United States. A related trend transpired in British wine outlets. Sales of Merlot plummeted after the film’s release most likely due to Miles’ disapproving remarks about the varietal in the film.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/merlots-fast-ride-to-stardom-492600.html

About the Author:

Lindsay Alston is a contributing editor for Classic Wines, specializing in Merlot wines.