Break Away II

Popular Wine Varities

There are a great number of different wines available – many more than you may have even imagined. If you’d like to find out more about how to match up different wines with your food, then a good place to start is with some of the more popular wine varieties before you start to explore more esoteric grapes.

Oh, and before we get started, if you love to try new wines, then you can’t go wrong with a wine of the month club, they’re fun and you’re always expanding your wine palate.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular wine varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon

Often abbreviated to the less-than-lovely name ‘cab-sav’, the flavorful cabernet sauvignon is a classic French wine that is one of the most widely recognized red wine varieties.

This full-bodied red wine blend can be the ideal accompaniment to a fine steak, a roast lamb or on its own as a drinking red wine.

Merlot

Merlot is a very soft red which has a lower level of tannins than many other red wine varieties. It is often blended with cabernet sauvignon and other grapes, but is often found on its own, making a good accompaniment to chicken and other poultry dishes.

Shiraz

Also known as Syrah, Shiraz is a deep red colored, medium bodied wine whose flavor includes hints of black pepper and berries. This is one of the best wines to go with barbecue as well as many other meat dishes. Shiraz can be aged for a long time and improves well with age.

Originally from Iran, this grape is now very much associated with the Australian Barossa Valley region, where some of the world’s best Shiraz is produced.

Shiraz holds up to strongly flavored sauces, making it a good choice for barbecued meats and spicy dishes.

Grenache

Grenache is a very soft, subtle red wine that is often blended with other types of wine to produce distinct flavors and blends. A glass of chilled Grenache goes beautifully with most spicy foods.

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a stunning light- to medium-bodied red wine with a fine fruity aroma. When this fine wine is well aged, it can develop lovely floral flavors.

Chardonnay

This is one of the most popular white wine varieties. Chardonnay makes a lovely wine on its own and it is often blended with other white wines. Chardonnay has notes of melon and lemon, as well as oak; the wine is generally aged in oak for between one and three years. This wine is the perfect complement to salmon and tuna dishes.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc is a tart, assertively flavored wine with lemon and gooseberry notes. This is a great wine for seafood or on its own, well chilled.

Semillon

This classic full-bodied dry French white wine is often misunderstood by people living outside of France or Australia. Often criticized for lacking in intensity, Semillon has a distinctly fruity flavor that is more subtle than some of the ‘heavier’ white wines and so it’s often blended with a Sauvignon Blanc to create a wonderful light drinking wine.

Riesling

Originally a German wine, Riesling is now produced all over the world. These whites have a fruity, floral taste which reminds many of green apple and are made both in sweet varieties and dry. The dry Rieslings go well with spicy dishes.

Now get out there, start trying new wines (join a wine club if there are no vineyards nearby), and enjoy.

Personalized Wine Bottles Video

More people today are producing their own wines at home.  They may be growing their own grape varietals or using fruits such as blackberries, peaches, or pears.  Whatever the case may be personalized wine bottles are just the ticket for giving or displaying their product. Each bottle would be uniquely theirs.

If you are looking for a special gift for a wedding, anniversary celebration, a job advancement or as a thank you to someone special, personalized wine bottles add a personal flare.  It is as easy as looking online for companies that create custom labels.  Some sites may offer free templates to help you start.

If you produce your own wine at home and want to not only communicate information about your product, but you will also want to draw customers’ attention to your bottles.  Custom designed and personalized wine bottles with eye catching labels are a great solution.

If you are planning to market your wine, personalized wine bottles are just the ticket for attracting customers.  An attractive label with your logo and name on it are great advertisements.    

Some online retailers that create personalized wine bottles also have access to several wine vintners and can send you a case of whatever wines you like, from a Merlot to Cabernet.  These premium wines, with your own personalized wine bottles, can be order by the bottle or by the case.  Make an impression on your friends or colleagues with this one of a kind gift.    

Personalized wine bottles provide the wine hobbyist with an affordable way to label their wines. You can order pre-printed, customizable labels that come in packages of five 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheets and are laser and inkjet printable.  There are label makers available complete with wine label software.  These digital personalized wine labels are printed with full color digital printing technology, yielding brilliant prints with sharp, high quality images . Digital printing also allows for short runs and multiple copy changes.

The next time you need to thank a few special clients for their patronage or celebrate a retirement, personalized wine bottles are a great choice.

When you are passionate about wine you begin collecting it. Sometimes you get in on a club for wine lovers and now are acquiring high quality wines. Storage becomes important when you start buying cases of wine or collecting many fine wines. A cabinet can simply be turned into a small wine storage cabinet to protect your brand new collection.

You must count the cost before starting the construction of your cellar. For instance where is the closet in relation to the rest of the house? Avoid converting a closet against an outside wall into a wine cellar. As the outside walls are in direct contact with the weather the temperature levels are not consistent and change dramatically. Choose an internal closet where your wine can be stored in a more stable atmosphere.

Make sure your wine cellar has a steady temperature, this is of critical importance to correctly store/age your collection. Shifting temperatures during the seasons will have no affect on the wine aging, as long as it stays within safe levels. A wine that is exposed to this treatment will fair very badly in a relatively short period of time. Your wine will fare much better if you follow the rule of not letting the temperature rise and fall too rapidly.

You can see the damage with a visual inspection. Look for the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. Each time the temperature changes, the cork is essentially pulled out and put back in. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork allowing air to seep back in. While it is usually good to expose wine to the air, as it brings out more flavor, it’s the last thing you want when aging wine. Your wine is ruined. Wine is enabled to propler develop and fully age when the temperature is a comfortable 57 degrees, give or take a couple. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.

Vapor barrier the walls so the water will not damage them. Mold like the humid environments that are good for wine. Also it’s a good idea to get a little better wine cellar cooler for managing the humidity and temperature.

Next comes the construction phase. Wine cellar construction can be fun! You will need to purchase a few essential items. You can get some cheap wine racks from a hardware store. With some cheap racks you’ll have a simple but very effective mini wine cellar. Wine rack designs will vary in bottle density. Price variations are more to do with aesthetics than efficiency. Individual racking is the most convenient for selecting bottles.

A good idea is to have racks against only one wall of the closet. Then you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case. Building your own wine cellar at home isn’t hard or pricey, and it can be a rewarding endevour. Go for function over design to save money. If building your own cellar is too daunting then you might want a Cuisinart Dual Zone 15 Bottle Wine Cellar.

Don’t forget to enjoy the wine that you have worked so hard to store!

Fruit Wine Making

Since homemade fruit wine making is an interesting hobby, many of us look for good wine making instructions to make this hobby more successful, easy and fun. Truly, whenever we think about wine making, we cannot resist thinking about grapes. But the fact is you can use other fruits as well.

Once you have all the equipment and a recipe book, you can begin your venture to making the best wine you have ever tasted. Home wine making allows you to try different flavor juices or fruits. You will find there are many different types of wines that you can make with a home wine making venture.

You might want a citrus wine favor. If so, you can use oranges, apples, grapefruit or gooseberry. If you want something a little less citrus flavored, you might try bananas, cherry, pear, peach, strawberry or grapes. There are people who use dandelions and rhubarb as well as watermelon and ginger root to make wine.

So for a basic idea, you should prepare your wine with 22 pounds of pears, 16 pounds of strawberries, 14 pounds of pineapples, 15 pounds of peaches, 18 pounds of watermelon or 15 pounds of blackberries.  These are measures for yielding five gallons of wine. However, these are the simple instructions for wine making; in fact, there is no single accurate measure for the quantity of the fruit to be used in wine making process.

You make have heard of people who like a specific fruit mixed with another fruit, well this might just make a great wine as well. If you like a can of fruit cocktail, you might try making a fruit cocktail wine. There are some people that mix fruits and the wine is to die for. It has a taste you cannot find with any other wine around. Home wine making opens up new avenues for wine enthusiasts. If you like wine, you will love experimenting with new tastes.

Proper amount of acidity is a crucial factor for wine preparation. No instructions for wine making seem to be complete without the discussion of acidity and its significance in wine preparation. Acidity is important mainly because of two reasons. It is essential to improve the character and balance of the wine produced in general and to enhance the fermentation process. Acidity largely varies between different fruits. There are essentially two ways to test acidity in a fruit juice. One is with pH testing strips and the other one is doing a titration. The former is not a very accurate way to measure acidity level; however, the later is useful to offer a better result.

Wine Lovers Gifts

Puzzled about what the top gift ideas for wine lovers are? You may want to find the perfect wine-oriented gift for your favorite oenophile; but unless you’ve already spent a lot of time looking (and maybe if you have), you’re probably at a loss as how to find the perfect gift for the wine lover on your list. Of course, they’d prefer to have their own personal vineyard, but if this is beyond your means at the moment, keep reading for some other great gift ideas for the wine lover in your life.

10 Great Gifts For The Wine Lover

1. Still gotta go with that vineyard motif….okay, not a whole vineyard. Some wineries advertise that you can become part owner in their independent vineyard for a cost. You might want to check this out, it won’t make you wealthy overnight, but hey, you will be a part owner. The part of the vineyard you own will really be small but the gift and the thought behind it are way cool.

2. Wine glasses are always a great idea for wine lovers. This is a gift which you know they’ll use, probably right away. Consider picking up some large, high quality crystal wine glasses; these look great, are great to use and will certainly be appreciated.

3. A Purple “Instant Youth” bottle bag. These are always good for a chuckle, with their slogan of “Instant Youth – just add wine”. Of course, you’ll want to put a bottle of something good inside; this will get an even bigger smile from the recipient.

4. Personalized labels. You can order a bottle of Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio with a personalized label; this can feature the design or photo of your choice.

5. One ideal selection among wine gifts is a portable wine box or basket. These come in an amazing variety. You can choose one made from leather, wicker, or even wood. Some of these carry single bottles of wine while others have room for 2 or more. There are also higher end models that include wine stoppers, corkscrews, glasses and napkins that make them perfect take-a-longs for a concert or picnic.

6. If your wine lover enjoys games you can dazzle and delight them with a Wineopoly board game. The tokens used for the game include a wine glass, carafe, cheese, grapes and more. You can best your friends and become a grape champ as you challenge them with this game, and you really learn some cool facts about wine as you play.

7. Wine glass charms are always appreciated. These decorative items are collected by many wine lovers and you can even order custom made sets of these wine glass charms from some companies.

8. A wine club membership is a fantastic gift idea for anyone, whether they are already serious about their wine or just learning. This is a great way to introduce them to your favorite winery. Wine club memberships are available with many options and can be customized to suit the tastes of the recipient.

9. Cookbooks with wine-related recipes are terrific gift ideas for wine lovers. Food and wine go together like.. well, food and wine! You can put together a great gift basket including a cookbook, some cheeses, a bottle of good wine and other accessories – this is a very thoughtful gift for the wine lover on your list.

10. Novelty T-shirts featuring wine-related slogans will always be appreciated by wine lovers; how about:

• Get a Tan with your Tannins…pick your own grapes
• The Wine is Divine but it crushed the poor grapes
• Nectar of the gods…Produced by our soles
• Us Old Vines Have The Best Wines
• Wine is fruit….and they recommend 4 servings of fruit daily

Wine Of The Month Club Video

Joining a wine of the month club is a great idea for anyone who is really serious about their wine habit. It’s something which is  becoming extremely popular, since many people would rather join a wine club than go to their corner tavern or take up hobbies like making lye soap at home.

This is one of the reasons that more and more people are choosing to sign up as members of wine clubs. Whether your wine-loving participation truly makes you one of the cultured elite could be a matter of your own opinion, but hey after a few rounds of tasting several special burgundies does it really matter?

A lot of vineyards and bottlers are choosing to promote themselves by starting their own wine clubs. If you’re interested in joining a wine club yourself, then read on; I’ve listed the five biggest benefits to joining a wine club – there’s more to it than the opportunity to drink some wine you may not be able to come across at your local grocery store or liquor shop.

1. Your wine will come in an inconspicuous package.

• Wine clubs all deliver their goods via UPS in plain brown boxes, so you’re your nosy neighbor doesn’t have to see what’s being delivered to your home (it’s really none of their business anyway).

2. Impress your friends. You’ll be able to amass a wine collection including some harder to find bottles at a low price. You can point to that garage Petite Syrah in your collection and tell friends that it sells at auction for hundreds of dollars (after all, they don’t have to know that you didn’t pay anywhere near that much for that bottle).

3. Make Money….You can now stage your own wine tasting at home and hey, feel free to make a few bucks by charging a small fee for the food and drink served. You can use the money to buy a totally cool wine rack.

4. Saves Time and Effort. Being in a wine club can keep your wine collection well stocked, all without having to run out to buy wine. You’ll never have to run out at the last minute to find a bottle for dinner again!

5. Ha-Ha Time….Wine club benefits include the ability to play dozens of new practical jokes…

• You will be the only one who knows the exact features and description of the wine in the bottle, so if you decide to challenge friends to a wine taste off…….hey, you’ll beat the experts. A really good wine connoisseur may know the aromas and flavors but he sure as heck will not know exactly when and where it was bottled…..only you will know that it is from McQuiqqleburry Lantern Vineyards….

• Fill the empty bottles of really good wine with cheap stuff that you bought on sale and serve them to any of the pretentious snobs that you might know…. You know the ones that we are talking about, I’m sure. Make sure that others get the best wine you have and only your select guests should have glasses filled with your special “house wine”.

The wine snobs will probably spend a lot of time trying to rave about the wine as much as everyone else. This can be a great prank to reveal later; that is, if you can keep a straight face through dinner.

Home Brew Video

Discounted home brew kits are great for the many people that like to prepare their own special beer or ale recipe at home.  It is important when shopping for your equipment to be able to save money for brewing your custom bottled blend.   There is a feeling of personal accomplishment when you sample your first batch of amber ale.

The most common method for obtaining ingredients to create a home brew is to purchase them from a retail store.  These local brewing suppliers typically focus on home brewing supplies and will carry different types of home brew ingredients from many different manufacturers. home brew kits image These retailers carry the latest products that have recently been released from well known manufacturers and have brewing ingredients in a wide range of prices.  The major disadvantage of purchasing from a local retail store is that these locations are generally the most expensive option.

Many shops that focus exclusively on the sale of brewing equipment have opened in different areas across the nation.  These stores offer products online and have a wide selection of different home brew equipment and ingredients from a number of manufacturers. They are experts in the home brewing industry and know exactly what you will need.  These online stores often have the best prices on the ingredients that they carry and will often sell their ingredients in bulk.  It is sometimes difficult to find particular home brew ingredients as their products change on a regular basis depending on which ingredients are currently popular or in season. 

Some people prefer to purchase the home brew ingredients that they like from an online website that specializes in brewing equipment and supplies.  By purchasing the ingredients for the home brew on the internet, the ingredients can be shipped directly to the home without hassle of physically shopping at a store.  If you know exactly what type of ingredients you would like to order this is a good option because you can order the items that you want in a very short amount of time.

There are a number of discount online retailers that offer brand name home brew ingredients available on the internet as well.  Choosing to purchase ingredients for a home brew from these retailers can be chancy because the ingredients may not be as expected and the retailer may make it difficult to return any items that you do not like.

You should only purchase home brew ingredients and equipment from an online store that has an excellent reputation and has an easy to understand return policy.