Connecticut Wine Trail

So, it's official. I finally have a date picked out this summer to explore the Connecticut wine trail! A good friend and I are going on August 1st and I couldn't be any more excited! I visited a few of them last summer, but hope to see those again plus a few more! They are all beautiful and each of them have their own character, but so far, my fav had to be the Maugle Sierra Vineyard. This was in Ledyard, CT and it was like discovering a secret garden or walking from one world to another. It was so quaint, and the perfect hideaway for a warm summer day! The vineyard was owned and run by a super cute older couple, and I can't wait to bring my friend there for a revisit! I came home with a St. Croix wine that tasted like chocolate! Here's some pics from the website and I'll be journalizing my trip when I get back!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Choices, choices!! Did you know that it's estimated there are over 6500 wineries available to consumers in the U.S.? This is astounding considering that in 1970, there were fewer than 200 available to U.S. consumers. I'm hoping my travels will allow me to see all of them in Massachusetts, the entire Connecticut wine trail and some in California. Who's with me??

Daily Wine Tidbits

So, how do you choose which Alsace wines to buy? Remember, the Alsace wines are the wines produced in the region of Alsace, France. Well, first thing to remember is that most Alsace wines are meant to be consumed young, between 1-5 years aged. Also, check the label to see if it says "Grand Cru" on it. Wines that say "Grand Cru" on the label can only be produced from the very best grape varieties. There are over 50 vineyards entitled to the Grand Cru label. I'll be on the lookout for some myself to try!

BIG tasting coming up!

I'm very very excited for this upcoming Friday! I'm doing a very large wine tasting at my friend Gina's house. She's such a sweet person and I'm looking forward to spending time with her and sharing my love of wine with her and her friends! She's expecting 30 people, so this will be my biggest tasting so far. I do know though that everyone will have a blast and I'm going to be sure to take pictures this time to share! We're going to be trying a Pinot Grigio, a Viognier, a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec. These are fantastic wines, so I'm thrilled to be sharing them with everyone! See you then Gina!!

Daily Wine Tidbits

There are basically four different types of tasting when you are tasting wines. The first one is called horizontal tasting. This is when you are tasting wines from the same vintage. This type may be particularly enjoyable if the vintage happens to be a year with perfect weather conditions! The second type is called vertical tasting. This is when you get to compare wines from different vintages. This one can be particularly interesting if you're trying the same grape variety from different vintages. For example, trying a 2006 Pinot Grigio and a 2004 Pinot Grigio from the same vineyard could yield interesting results! The third kind is called blind tasting. This is when the taster does not have any information about the wines they are trying. This type of tasting may suit the experienced taster most since the more one knows, the more they would be able to say which type of wine it was just by taste! And last but not least, there is a tasting called semi-blind tasting. This is where the taster only knows the grape variety OR where the wine was produced! I'm hoping to be participating in some horizontal and vertical tastings very soon! I'll keep you posted!!

Building the wine list

So, as I mentioned before, I'm very excited because I am going to be lending a hand in choosing the wine list for the newly renovated President's Golf Course in Quincy where I work. Yesterday, I was given a bottle of wine to take home and try and let them know what I think! So far, my favorite work assignment yet :-). I was given a 2008 Mezzacorona Moscato, and it was very different from the Moscato D'Asti that I had talked about before. It had a drier texture to it than the D'Asti, mostly because of the alcohol percentage involved. The Mezzacorona had 11.5% alcohol, while the D'Asti only has 5.5%, making it a much sweeter wine. I enjoyed the Mezzacorona very much..it has that signature taste of sweetness and fruits, but also had a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg to it. It would go very well with fruit, or even some holiday dishes that would contain those spices. I can't wait for my next "assignment" next week to try even more wines! I want to make certain we have a strong wine list, so I'm thrilled to be a part of it..Happy Friday!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Some interesting stats for you: 1. When you see one grapevine, just think of that grapevine as producing 5 bottles of wine annually! 2. There are typically 240 bottles of wine contained in one barrel. 3. 720 bottles of wine are produced from one ton of grapes 4. 5500 bottles of wine are produced annually from an acre of grapeviners! So, now you can see why weather and climate conditions are of the utmost importance to vitners. The better the conditions, the better the grapes and the more wine that is able to be produced!!

Exciting wine news over the weekend

So, this past week/weekend, two exciting things happened to me..I tried a Gewurtztraminer and I was chosen to pick the wines that will stock the bar at the President's Golf Course in Quincy!! I know..small things amuse me :-). I'll start off by talking honestly about the Gewurtztraminer...the taste was rather good, but it was very hard to not think about the smell. Now, the word "Gewurtz" in German means spicy, so this is described as a spicy wine. It has also been told to me that I would either love it or hate it. Well, I definately don't love it. But I don't hate it either. If you held your nose while drinking it, it tasted to me like a Chardonnay or even a Sauvignon Blanc, but it smelled like my grandfather's old cologne. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing..when it's a cologne and not a wine. Every sip I took I felt like I was drinking that cologne and it really creeped me out. But, it's definately worth trying, because it's unlike something I guarantee you have ever had. Food-pairing wise, it would go fabulous with Thai food, or even some Mexican food because of the spice in it.

Also, I am currently working for Boston Butler at the President's Golf Course in Quincy. This is an event planning company that is in the process of a complete renovation. Long story short, they are building a bar in their function room, and need a wine list. I was chosen to help build it! I am so excited! They are going to give me their complete list and even a sample set to personally "research" and I must report back what I think. I'm thinking I'll most likely choose the more popular wines that people are accustomed to, such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, etc. I'll also have to throw in a dessert wine, such as a Riesling or Moscato as well. I'm really thrilled about this, and I can't wait to help out!!

Daily Wine Tidbits

What do most people think of when they think of a Riesling? They think of a sweet, dessert like wine. However, if you're one of those people that love a sweet Riesling, you should be careful on which type you buy because a Riesling can be sweet OR dry depending on where it's from! If you want a dry Riesling, make sure the wine is from the region of Alsace in France. The grapes grown here are able to be grown to a more ripened state, and the alcohol content is going to 11 to 12%, thus making the Riesling a drier variety. However, if you're after a sweeter Riesling, you should get one from Germany, where the grapes are not fully ripened and sugar must be added. Also, the alcohol in a German Riesling is only going to be 8 to 9%, so it makes for a sweeter wine. There are other parts of the world that grow the grape variety Riesling, but these are the two major producers of this grape. So, now you know!

Let's talk tasting

A lot of people may be intimidated or even feel a little silly when they visit a winery and see all of "those pros" tasting the wine in a particular manner. It's really very simple, and even though it may look kind of ridiculous, it really does let you experience a glass of wine in a more profound manner. There are five basic steps: 1. Examine the color of the wine-the best way would be to hold the glass up to a blank sheet of white paper to examine its color and transparency. However, if you don't have a sheet of paper, just try to hold the glass up in a natural light coming in from the window. You will see if the wine can be described as "white", "straw yellow", "golden yellow", "purple", "red", etc. 2. The next step would be to examine the "legs" of the wine. To do this, tilt the glass slightly, and watch the wine fall down the side of the glass. The "legs" are the streaks left behind by the wine. A wine with good "legs" will leave a heavy streak and is most likely a full bodied wine. 3. The next step would be sniff the wine. That's it..just sniff it! 4. Now, the part I find to be the most fun. Place the glass on a table, and swirl it around by holding the stem of the glass. Now, sniff again. Notice the difference?? This oxygenates the wine, and allows more of the aroma to come out. You will be able to notice a profound difference between your first sniff and after the swirl. What do you smell? 5. The last step..taste! Take a sip, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds and feel the texture. Feel if it's sweet, tangy, etc. You can even take in breath of air while it's in your mouth to really get a sense of the taste. Now, I prefer to swallow the wine, even though real wine tasters will spit it out so that the alcohol doesn't go to their head and weakens their senses to tasting the rest of the wines..But that seems like such a waste to me! Enjoy!!

Daily Wine Tidbits

So, you're shopping for wine and not sure how to read the label? Well, wines from the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa usually list the grape variety on the label while wines from France, Italy and Spain usually list the region, village or vineyard where it was produced! Just a little info to help you out!

The Little Wine Bus

So, very soon I'm going to be trying to put together a little summer getaway for myself and good friends. I was doing some internet surfing, and found a company called The Little Wine bus. It's a company that operates in the Hudson Valley area in New York, and they offer many different types of tours from food and wine, to hiking and wine, and even kayaking and wine! The main theme here, is wine of course! The most popular tour is the Take me to the Vino tour, which is where you will be taken to three different wineries and enjoy some culinary treats along the way! The website is www.thelittlewinebus.com. I can't wait to go and I'm sure I'll be blogging about my adventures when I get back!

Yet another wine

Recently, I signed up for The Traveling Vineyard's passport program, and received my first shipment yesterday. It included a Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2005 white wine from the Loire Valley in France. It's called Vouvray, and it was very unique. This wine is made from the Chenin Blanc grape variety, which makes it unique because Chenin Blanc is not one of the more popular grape varieties to use. The three most popular white grape varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. This wine is made by letting the grapes overripen, giving it a beautiful amber-like color and making it taste like honey. It's semi-sweet, and has a complex flavor of honey, apples, and even has some floral characterisitics. It was unlike anything I've ever tried before, and would recommend it to beginners or even experienced wine tasters. It's $17.99 a bottle, and the SKU is LO1098 if you're interested!!

Daily wine tidbits

So, how do you know when your aged wine is ready to drink? The most important thing to remember is that typically, red wine ages better than white wine because of the amount of tannin in it. Tannin is the substance that comes from the stems, skins and pips of the grapes and even from the wooden barrels in which many wines are aged. It acts as a natural preservative and generally, red wines have more tannin because the red grapes are left to ferment in their own skins. So, how do you know when your red wine is ready to drink? As a red wine ages, it loses color. Typically, a red wine starts off as a purplish color and if aged too long, ends up being brown. It's perfect to drink when the color is an almost pure red and can be seen through. So, drink up!

Quote

"Wine is the best of all beverages...because it is purer than water, safer than milk, plainer than soft drinks, gentler than spirits, nimbler than beer, and ever so much more pleasant to the educated senses of sight, smell, and taste than any of the drinkable liquids known to us."

-Andre L. Simon, author and founder of the Wine & Food Society

Viognier

The Traveling Vineyard sells a wonderful wine called Viognier(vee-on-yay). This is an Argentinian white wine and it's delicious! It's very light and fruity and sells for only $12.99! I have personally tried and I love it, so I wanted to share since a lot of people are looking to save money in today's economy. If you want to try it out, maybe to have with your Easter ham this year, or just to celebrate spring coming, go to www.myttv.com/stefany13690 and type in SKU ARG033. enjoy!!!

Daily wine tidbits

When most people think of red wine versus white wine, they think that white wine is made from white grapes, while red wine is made entirely from red grapes. However, the color of a wine is made entirely from the skin of a grape, so in other words, a white wine could be made from a red grape if the skin was removed! This method is used for some white wines. Who knew!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Australia now produces the top selling imported wine in the US. You have probably all heard of Yellow Tail? Well that's it!

Best.wine.so.far.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of trying a wine called Moscato D'Asti. This is the BEST wine I've had so far. It's very fruity, sweet and has a creamy texture as if you're drinking a creamsicle or something. It would go perfect with fresh fruit or a creamy dessert. My friend and I drank the whole bottle Saturday. oops. But it's so worth it! It's $18.99 a bottle and can be ordered at www.myttv.com/stefany13690. The SKU is ITA660. Trust me, you won't regret it! Cheers!

Daily Wine Tidbits-cork talk

Let's talk cork. Many winemakers in today's day in age are moving towards using synthetic cork or even screw caps. The reason is because natural cork can rot much easier and spoil the wine. If you open up a bottle of wine and get a strong scent of vinegar, it's likely the wine is spoiled and most likely due to a bad cork. The funny thing is most people have this stereotype in their mind that wines with screw caps or plastic corks are "cheap". This is simply not true. You will most likely find a wine with a synthetic cork as fresh and delicious. If you do have wines with a natural cork, the best way to store them is to tilt the bottle so that the liquid hits the cork. This way, the cork won't dry out as easy and start to rot away.

My first wine tasting

So, last night I had my first tasting party and it went really well! I was invited to do a tasting at my cousin's friend's house, and I was really pretty nervous when I pulled up and saw the 18 bajillion cars on the street. Yes, I said bajillion. However, I was made to feel right at home when the minute I walked in the door, I was pulled into a conga line that was moving throughout the house. Then I knew I had nothing to worry about!! I had so much fun and met some of the nicest people. I started off enjoying a glass of Shirah, then jumped right into the tasting. I shared some interesting wine facts, played the "get to know the host" game and then sampled some wines. The game was a big hit with everyone, especially the wine quiz and the "write a true or funny statement about the host". You know that when good friends are drinking and have to do this, it can get really pretty funny. The women were all eager to try the wines and learn the correct way to taste. They were amazed at the aromas that are brought about simply by the swirl method. My most favorite wine of the night was the dessert wine that I brought. It's an Italian wine called Moscato D'Asti and it was fab. It was so creamy and fruity and actually had "froth". I can't wait to try this again tonight with good friends. Well, off for another day, and I can't wait for my next tasting!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Just to give you an idea on how much of an impact wine has made.. newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and USA Today have added full time wine writers to their staff. So who knew drinking wine could pay! :-)

Daily Wine Tidbits

For those that like sweeter wines, I would recommend drinking a German wine. These wines have very hard names to pronounce, but are much sweeter than table wine. These wines are sweeter because the grapes are grown in the northerly regions of the Rhine and Mosel valleys where the climate usually consists of long, cool summers and the grapes don't have time to fully ripen. Thus, the winemakers must add sugar. I've gotta get my hands on one of these wines very soon!

Ahhh..summer days

So, I was reminiscing today, and remembered the hot day last summer that I went apple picking and wine tasting at beautiful Nashoba Valley Winery. Located in the heart of Massachusetts' apple country, Nashoba Valley is a gorgeous orchard overlooking the quaint town of Bolton. I make it an annual tradition to make it to the winery every summer at least once, if not twice for the apples, atmosphere, and of course the wine! I love spending a quiet summer afternoon there with picnic basket in hand, plant myself down on their wraparound farmer's porch and just drink in the sights and sounds. sigh. Summer is almost here, right?

Daily Wine Tidbits

Let's talk about aromas and bouquets. The "aroma" of a wine describes a scent given off by a young wine. A "bouquet" of a wine describes the scent given by an aged wine. So, just remember: young wine=aroma of usually straightforward grapes and fresh fruits and aged wine=bouquet of more complicated scents.

Harvest 2009

I cannot wait until July! Why? It's Harvest 2009 time and I have been told that it's an amazing time and I'll be asking a lot of my friends to join me! It's from July 23rd-July25th at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston. There will be a lot of training, wine tasting, and concludes with a gala dinner on Saturday. I'm thinking I'll be staying over at least Friday night, because I've been told you definately need a DD, or designated driver, for those less cool than me :-). I'll hopefully be seeing the itinerary soon, so I'll post the events and I can't wait to attend, take lots of pics, and let everyone know what I learned. Harvest!!!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Wine is becoming more appealing to Americans than ever before. In a recent poll, it was revealed that 39% prefer wine, 36% prefer beer and 21% prefer spirits. I, of course, am part of that 39% and can't wait to try this on Saturday with good friends:

Such a fab idea, I am going to do it myself

The Traveling Vineyard has a wonderful program called the Passport Wine program. It is such a fun program, that I'm going to try it myself. When you sign up, you will get two different wines shipped to your house each month complete with food and wine lessons, regional lessons, winemaker secrets, tasting notes, recipes, discounts and your own personal wine advisor! You can either get the World Explorer program for beginner's for $29.95 a month or the First Class package for more sophisticated wine drinkers for $39.95 a month! It's such a fun night in once a month! Why not set aside a night to have friends over and try some new wine and throw in some cheese to go with it! I can't wait to get my first shipment and I'm sure I'll be blogging about it! Cheers!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Most people when they think of the world's leading wine producer, they think of France. But they would be wrong! France is the world's second leading wine producer coming only after Italy. Italy produces 2 billion gallons of wine per year. France does produce tiny quantities of the world's greatest and most expensive wine, while also producing massive quantities of everyday drinking wine that is rarely exported.

The GREAT wheel

So I recently purchased a wine tasting wheel to further my knowledge of the many flavors and scents in a glass of wine. This thing is amazing..Who knew that there were so many different kinds of varietals in a single bottle or even single glass of wine! The wheel breaks down the many flavors by 7 categories: Faults, Developed, Other fruit, fruit(white), fruit(red), oak and malolactic(dairy). It then breaks down each category into specific categories for that category and then further into even more specific elements! It's pretty amazing when you think about it..so next time I sit down with a glass of wine, I will be using my wheel to try and find the varietal. If you want your own wheel, send me a note and I can let you know where to get one!

Daily Wine Tidbits

Did you know that a typical boutique vineyard yields approximately 500-2,000 cases per season! That's a lot of vino!!