Daily Wine Tidbits

Whoah, Viva La Italia!! Each year, EACH American consumes an average of 15 bottles of wine. That sounds like a lot, but compare that to each Italian, who consumes an average of 70 bottles of wine per year!!! That's a little more than a bottle per week per person! Maybe I should move to Italy! :-)

Mommy's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner and flower shops across the country will be at their busiest and restaurants will be completely booked up(if they aren't already). Yawn. Most people get their moms these same things every single year and moms want something different!! If your mom is a wine lover, The Traveling Vineyard has a fantastic gift just for them! Our passport wine club will provide two different bottles of wine every month along with recipes, tasting notes, tips, and much, much more! You can order this gift for mom as a 3 month, 6 month or 1 year subscription. I have gift certificates available to give to mom next Sunday, and her first shipment will arrive shortly after that! This club is either only $29.95 per month or $39.95 plus $8.95 s&h. Much cheaper than going out to dinner on the weekends! This is a really fun way to have a night in, have some wine with friends and family, and try out some new recipes or food pairings! Let me know if you want in on this great club!

Latest try

Last night I made faralle pasta with chopped red peppers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, herb tomato dressing and parmesan cheese. It was delish! Obviously I had to have a good wine to go with it. I cracked open a bottle I recently got from my passport program. It was a bottle of white wine from Maconnais, which is the southernmost white wine producing area in Burgundy, France. This particular wine was from the Macon Villages, which are usually the best value for your dollar and are not aged in oak, so they're ready to be drunk as soon as they are released. Maconnais is also known for its warm climate and the wines have a light, uncomplicated and pleasant flavor. I have to say, the wine was very good. It was very sweet and had a beautiful golden color to it. It almost reminded me of a sweet German Riesling. I might not have paired it up with what I had for dinner again because of the sweetness of the wine mixing with the savory flavors of the onions and peppers, but it was still really good. A glass of Carmenere might have gone better..oh well! I still would recommend it!

Oh.my.god. The Vinturi is wicked cool

I talked recently about my purchase of the Vinturi. It's a red wine aeration system that you simply hold over a glass while pouring red wine through it. The Vinturi increases the velocity of the wine being poured, while decreasing the pressure, creating a vacuum that aerates the wine beautifully and enhances both the flavor and aroma of the wine. Typically, to get the full taste of a red wine, you need to decant it for a little while, but who wants to wait that long?? I just received my purchase, and tried it a couple nights ago. I had so much fun! Doesn't take much to amuse me..It makes a really cool noise and also looks really cool while it's working. But, I knew I had to get past the entertainment of it, and make sure it really works. I poured a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon without using the Vinturi, took a sip, then poured a glass using the Vinturi. What a difference!!! The second glass tasted like I had decanted the wine, and already swirled it to release the flavors. It's a fantastic product and I can't wait to keep using it! Of course, the hubs thought it would work on beer..um..let's not go there.

Daily Wine Tidbits

Another grape variety that people may not have heard of is Rubiana. This is a grape brought about by fruit breeding and was discovered and named Rubiana in 2003 by Cornell University's acclaimed fruit breeding program. I recently learned that this grape variety actually grows abundantly and grows very well along the Connecticut wine trail. This grape is known to be vigorous, productive and winter hardy, which is probably the reason it grows so well in New England. After all, New England's climate can change on a minute by minute basis!! The grape is typically used to make red wine blends and has a dark appearance and soft(low tannin)flavor. It also has a delicious cherry flavor and aroma. So, give it a try!

Getting back into the swing of things

I'm back! My Aruba trip was amazing and I'm just trying to get back into reality! I'll be wine blogging again very shortly, but until then, here's just a few pics from our trip.

Off.to.the.beach

I'll be in Aruba for the next week, so I won't be blogging until I get back. I'll miss everybody!! Hopefully I will try some wines out there..usually it's just banana daquiris :-) Bon Voyage!!

Grocery Store Debate

New York state law right now bans the sale of wine in grocery stores. However, they are working towards changing this, and want grocery stores to have a selection of wines available for purchase for the shopper and consumer. There are always two sides to any debate and advocates for the law argue that this would create 2,000 jobs and would increase sales of wine 20% statewide due to higher access for consumers. Those against the law argue that this would put nearly 1,000 liquor stores out of business and they feel that the grocery stores would not be as strict as the liquor stores when checking id's for legal consumption. They also argue that the grocery stores would only carry the biggest, most well known brands of wine, eliminating people's desire to try different wines only carried at a liquor or speciality store. I am personally against the idea of selling wine in a grocery store. To be honest, when I first heard about it, I was for it. I was for it only because of the convenience aspect of it. I am always on the run, so of course I am always an advocate for convenience. However, I am also a wine enthusiast and do believe that this could put those mom and pop liquor and wine stores out of business due to people's lack of imagination when buying their wine. Not that I have a problem with brands like Yellow Tail and Barefoot..some of them are actually really good..but I have been to many wine specialty stores as well, aka the Vin Bin, and found the passion the workers have for their less known wines to be special and I have tried many wines that I wouldn't have tried otherwise. So, what do YOU think??

Daily Wine Tidbits

So why are such differences in France's Burgundy region wines when it comes to price points? One of the reasons is the soil used. The better the soil in which the grapes were grown in, the more expensive the wine. Also, the vinification process in which the vitner uses plays a part. Compare it to that of a gourmet chef. They both start out with the same ingredients, but it's what they do with them that makes the difference. You also should be area which areas of Burgundy produce better whites, better reds, etc. Once you become familiar with all of this, you will be able to pick out a great wine.

Vinturi

Oh.my.god. I'm very excited about my recent purchase. I recently ordered a device called Vinturi. This is a red wine aerator and you simply hold it over a glass while pouring your red wine. Normally, in order to get the full complex bouquet out of a red wine, you need to decant it for a while. However, who wants to wait that long? This device will instantly enhance the bouquet, give the wine a better flavor and a smoother finish. It works because it increases the wine's velocity, which decreases its pressure..this creates a vacuum that draws in air that mixes with the wine for a perfect aeration. Ok, enough geek talk..bottom line is, it's a rad device. I just ordered it, so once I try it out, I will definately be blogging about it. They also make a white wine one as well. Check it out at www.vinturi.com.

Daily Wine Tidbits

Cote De Beaune is one of the two major areas of Cote D'Or in France. The wines produced here are some of the finest examples of dry Chardonnay produced in the world. The three most important villages of Cote De Beaune are Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet because all three of these villages produce their wine from 100% Chardonnay. The reason this is important, is because a lot of times, the grape variety of Chardonnay will get mixed with other varietals. This is done by vitners to create their own "brand" and flavor of a Chardonnay they hope to get known for. So, it's actually quite a find when you do find a wine that is true to itself and only made from 100% Chardonnay.

Yum..another wine discovery

Recently I tried a South African Gewurtztraminer. I talked briefly about a French version I had tried earlier and discussed that it was difficult to get past the smell of old man cologne. Well, it definately still had the same smell, just not as strong. However, it was surprisingly a lot sweeter than the French version and easier to drink. I was expecting a very acidic wine seeing as South Africa is known for its acidic wine. But the sweetness was a very welcoming characteristic. Still not as sweet as the Washington Gewurtz. I tried recently at a tasting, but definately middle of the road. It's amazing how the same grape variety is translated in so many different ways!!

Daily Wine Tidbits

A lot of people may have trouble pairing their food with wine. It does take some getting used to when matching the taste of wine with a food that would go well with it. However, a neat little trick that I recently learned is while sniffing a wine, also breathe in air through your mouth at the same time. Sounds a little weird, but it works. You will "taste" what you're smelling. If the wine has a smokiness to it, you will taste it in your throat and the same goes for wines with a bit of spice to them. So, you will be able to tell if you should have smoked sausage or spicy Thai food with wines of similar characteristics. If you don't get a sensation in your throat, it's most likely a very "clean" wine and would go well with vegetarian or seafood dishes. Bon Apetit!!

Another fab. summer getaway planned

And yet again I come up with another getaway for the upcoming summer months. I have a good friend that lives in the Berkshires, and we were trying to come up with something to do out her way. Well, a few years back(more like 10), I went on a bus trip with my family up to the Hudson Valley area in New York. We went on the Shawangunk Wine Trail and concluded our trip at the Gasho Japanese Steak House. I had soooo much fun and realized I need to do this again..but this time I need to drive it so we can hit more wineries. The wineries out there are gorgeous, and the one I do remember, Brotherhood Winery, has this unbelievable spiced wine that you heat up on the stove..works wonders on cold winter nights, or if you have a bad cold..clears it right up! The Gasho restaurant is a really fun Japanese restaurant that has the serving style of Sakura Tokyo or Osaka, but way nicer and way more entertaining. The building is a replica of an old Japanese farmhouse and they have some beautiful gardens to walk around in. So, come the end of June, we'll be wine trailing and Japanese gardening! I really can't wait! June is right around the corner! Here's some sights from our upcoming trip:

Daily Wine Tidbits

Chablis has gotten a bad rep over the last few years. A lot of people have this stereotype that Chablis is a cheap, "poor man's" wine. However, Chablis in France is definately not considered "cheap" and actually has a reputation of being quite good. Chablis a region in France in Burgundy. It is located in the northernmost part of Burgundy and is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. There are four levels of Chablis: 1. Petit Chablis-this is France's most ordinary Chablis and is rarely seen in the U.S. 2. Chablis-wine that comes from grapes grown anywhere in the Chablis district 3. Chablis Premier Cru-this is a very good, high quality Chablis that comes from specific Chablis vineyards and 4. Chablis Grand Cru-this is the highest qualification of Chablis and is very limited in production(only 7 vineyards have the label), so it is the most expensive. Another thing to note about Chablis, is that it is going to be a dry wine. Next time someone makes fun of Chablis, just remember these little tidbits :-)

Cheryl's Tasting

So, yay! I had my second wine tasting Saturday night and had fun despite the 2 hour drive..each way!! We had three of my favorite wines..Inzolia, Carmenere, and the Moscato D'Asti. The women had a blast and my favorite part of the entire evening was sharing information about wine that everybody was surprised to hear..oh and embarassing Cheryl! haha..sorry Cheryl..that's what you get for being the host!! Remember, see, sniff, swirl, sniff and sip..Here's a pic of the group:

Daily Wine Tidbits

Let's talk about Burgundy, France. Burgundy is a region located in central eastern France. It is one of the major wine producing regions that is AOC designated. There are misconceptions that the region of Burgundy only produces red wines because of its name. The truth is, Burgundy is renowned for its very good, and expensive white wines. There has been a lot of confusion with this wine because going back about 20 years, many winemakers labeled their red wines "Burgundy", even though the wine itself was a simple table wine. Also, many wineries today, particularly U.S. wineries, still label their red wines "Burgundy" even though they definately have no resemblance to an authentic French Burgundy wine. How dare us!!!!

Boston Tasting

I had a great experience last night at a wine tasting out in Boston. The class was called "Anything but Ordinary", and I was thrilled to be trying wines I've never tried before. I have nothing but good things to say about ALL of the wines I tasted. Most likely due to the fact that the teacher was a wine snob like myself, and only allowed us and himself to drink the best. First we tried an Austrian wine called Gruner Vetliner. I'll be honest..I've never heard of this grape variety(shame shame), but it was the kind of wine that even a non-wine drinker would enjoy. It was very smooth and clean. The reason for this is because this type of wine is only fermented in a cold steel tank. We also tried a South African Chenin Blanc that was highly acidic, which is ok with me because I tend to like that "bite" of it. We also tried a Gewurtztraminer from Washington and it was delish! I blogged about a Gewurtztraminer earlier that I honestly didn't really care for. But that Gewurtz. was from France, and the French tend to like their wines a lot drier than Americans..So, the Washington Gewurtz. was so sweet and so good. The two highlights of the whole night had to be a Chilean Carmenere and a New York Holiday wine. The Carmenere was sooo different. It was extremely peppery and had a bite to it that I've never tried before.ever. The holiday wine was heated up on the stove, and it was like drinking hot cider with cinnamon and cloves. It reminded me of Christmas. And you gotta love Christmas in a cup. I'll be wine shopping for both of these wines very shortly..

Daily Wine Tidbits

There are a few things to remember when trying a South African wine: 1. South Africa grows the most acidic grapes in the entire world 2. Limestone soil is used in their vineyards, so you may get a mineral-like taste when trying one of their wines and 3. A lot of the wine labels will have a picture of an Oak Tree on them. This is because the Oak Tree is abundant in South Africa because they are planted there to buffer the winds. I finally got a chance to try a South African Chenin Blanc the other other night, and it featured all three of these things. I especially loved the Oak Tree label..kinda pretty..

Winery Images

So I had another blog idea..from time to time, I'll share an image from my personal collection of trips to wineries. Actually, they're mostly from Nashoba Valley, but this is going to change this summer when I visit the CT wine trail and bring Kelly along to take pics and have some wine with us..Here's some of me and Lala in front of the barrel at Nashoba Valley..ahh..summer

Very winey week/weekend coming up

Ahhh..so many wine related activities going on this week..gotta love it. I'm attending a wine tasting course tonight in Boston. I'm excited and a little scared because last time I tried to get to this building, I drove around in circles for an hour trying to find the effin building. Gotta love Boston..but, they've sinced moved to a new location, so hopefully it will be easier to find. Then I'm doing another tasting at a friend's house out in the Berkshires Saturday night. I can't wait! Hopefully it's not snowing up there. I heard it was 35 there yesterday with snow flurries. Um yeah..it was in the 50's here with rain. It's a whole other world up there..then it's Easter Sunday!!! I have no shame in promoting The Traveling Vineyard at family get togethers, so I'm bringing a bottle of Moscato for everyone to try. I imagine they'll all say "this is the best wine I've ever tasted" and then they will all buy a case from me. Oh..and here's a pic from last winter at Nashoba Valley winery. It was freezing cold, but myself, friends and fam went out there for some caroling, wine and Christmas spirit:

Daily Wine Tidbits

If you see the word "sur lie" on a bottle of Muscadet, it means the wine was aged in its own sediment..Hmm..doesn't really sound appealing, does it? But considering Muscadet is the third most popular wine in all of the Loire Valley, I'm thinking it's better than it sounds. Muscadet is a light, dry wine made from 100% Melon grapes. And remember, unlike the wines of Alsace, you would choose the wines in the Loire Valley by style and vintage. The two best vintages for a bottle of Muscadet is 2002 and 2005. Let me start my hunt...now!

Bottle Shock=2nd best wine movie so far

Last week, I finally had the chance to sit down and watch the movie Bottle Shock. I never thought that any movie would ever be as good as, or even come close to being as good as my beloved Sideways. However, this movie, based on a true story, did not dissapoint, and even told a charming tale of humor, sadness, and victory. It takes place back in 1976, when wine and wine producing was just gaining its "legs" in the wine race in the United States, in particular, Napa Valley, California. Up until then, wine was strictly known as a French symbol and France itself was the only country known for producing decent wine. But this would all change. Steven Spurrier came to Napa Valley looking for a wine to bring to a blind taste testing in Paris. He stumbles across Jim Barrett, a man who owned a vineyard called Chateau Montelana. This man, along with his son Bo, had a passion and love for wine, that at the time, was probably not the smartest love to have, financially. Jim's Chateau was mortgaged to the hilt, as he tries to perfect a Chardonnay. As the story told, Jim was a divorced father, whose ex wife had married rich and left Jim to pursue his "hobby", as the new husband so snobbishly referred to it as. Anyways, all of Jim's hard work and trouble pays off when his 1973 Chardonnay, which was brought to the blind tasting, wins..against the French wines of all things! Of course, when the French tasters discover that they had picked an American wine to win, they are dismayed and a little outraged, but they're the ones that picked it! Jim goes on to sell a lot of wines after that, and the one bottle left of the 1973 Chateau Montelana Chardonnay is now kept in the Smithsonian. It is said that Jim is now 81 years of age and his son Bo runs the vineyard. This movie was a really uplifting and interesting tale, and I highly recommend it for wine lovers out there or anyone who really needs to see a good movie! I also plan on making it to Chateau Montelana very soon in life..I really need to start planning a Napa Valley excursion..who's with me??

Daily Wine Tidbits

So, are you a dry person? If you're looking for a good, dry wine, then you should turn your attention to the Loire Valley in France. Here, 56% of the AOC wines produced are white and 96% of those are dry!! Boy, those Loirens(totally made up word) sure like their alcohol!

Oh hi..

Last night, the hubs and I went out to dinner and tried an amazing chocolate dessert wine. I just had to experience it because from the sounds of it, it was going to be something quite different and it was. It was served warm, almost like after heating up chocolate syrup in the microwave. It smelled exactly like what it was, and I thought it almost smelled like Kahlua. I will definately be getting this next time..YUM..

Daily Wine Tidbits

When you think of the region of Bordeaux in France, you most likely will think that this region only produces red wines. While it does 84% red, the whites that it does produce deserve to be talked about. Two of the five major areas of Bordeaux, Graves and Sauternes, are known for their excellent whites. If you're looking for a very good sweet wine, then you should be looking for a wine produced in Sauternes. When deciding on a Sauternes wine, make sure the label has a particular name of a chateau, which is a special vineyard that produces the best quality grapes. Sauternes wines have two different levels: regional and classified chateau. Of course, the classified chateau are of higher quality and are more expensive. But, they are also beautiful choices for collectors as they can age 10-30 years!!! I don't know if I would be able to wait that long :-)

Daily Wine Tidbits

So, we've already talked about how to pick out your Alsace wines, but how do you pick out your wine from the Loire Valley? Well, in Alsace, you would choose your wine by grape variety and shipper. When choosing a Loire Valley wine, you would choose by style and vintage. There are four main styles to be on the lookout for: Pouilly-Fume-a dry wine with the most body and concentration and made 100% from Sauvignon Blanc; Muscadet-a light, dry wine made from 100% Melon grapes; Sancerre-this style strikes a balance between the heavy bodied Pouilly-Fume and the light bodied Muscadet and it's made 100% from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety; Vouvray-this chameleon can be dry, semisweet or sweet and is made from the Chenin Blanc variety.

I've personally tried a Vouvray, and absolutely loved it. I can say I've never had a Chenin Blanc wine before, and I was not disappointed. I tend to like sweeter wines, so this wine was perfect; not too sweet, and not too dry. 56% of all wines produced in the Loire Valley are white and 96% of those are dry! So, for those people that like dry wines, you may want to start experimenting with Loire Valley wines.

Give Grandma some vino

A team of researchers at Oxford University working with colleagues at the University of Oslo, says that a combination of wine, dark chocolate, and tea in moderate amounts enhances cognitive performance in the elderly and lowers the risk of dementia. This is because all three are rich in polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids. So, what's a moderate amount of wine? Researchers say 1 small glass a day would do the trick..and yet ANOTHER reason to drink wine..gotta love it..

Daily Wine Tidbits

So, why do fancy restaurants use white tablecloths? The real reason? Well, most likely, if it's a nicer restaurant, they will have an extensive wine list, and the tablecloth is for the guest to hold see the glass of wine against to examine it's color and clarity. Kind of like a diamond. Try this next time you're out to eat. You'll only get a few weird looks :-)

Sideways

So, I think by now most people that know me, know that my favorite movie of all time(so far) is the movie Sideways. There's many, many reasons why I love this movie so much, but I think the biggest reason is that both of the main characters(Miles and Jack) are so relateable personally to myself and I'm sure to many other people out there. I can say I used to be a Jack and slowly, but surely became a Miles over time. Jack was the kind of person that didn't really know anything about wine, but knew he wanted to drink it for that buzz. He was a guy's guy..loved women and really didn't show any sensitivity until the end of the movie. Miles on the other hand, knew a lot about wine..maybe a bit too much. In my mind, he went from being overly sensitive to learning how to let go by the end of the movie. Miles was the complete opposite of Jack. The scenery itself in this movie is breathtaking, and makes you feel as if you are actually at the wineries. There are a lot of funny moments and a lot of meaningful moments in this movie that create a beautiful balance. My favorite scene had to be when Miles and Jack were at a wine tasting, and Miles was trying to explain how to taste and really enjoy a glass of wine. He explained the aroma of the wine using many complicated and specific words, while poor Jack just stuck his nose in it, said he smelled nothing and chugged it back. The funny thing is, that used to be me. I've become a Miles over time and I always have my crew of Jacks with me :-). Another memorable scene was Miles hitting his breaking point and just chugging the pourer bucket down his throat..I think we've all been there..classic moment! And you can't miss Mya's infamous speech based around a metaphor for Miles classically aging. I wrote this monologue at the beginning of my blog. Anyways, if you haven't seen the movie yet, I highly recommend it!!