Simple 2 Bottle Wine Tasking Party

Wine tasting doesn’t have to be stuffy. Too many people shy away from tasting and comparing wine because they think they don’t know “how to do it”. Well, what’s to know? Take, for example, an impromptu wine tasting we had with two of our neighbors recently.  They had come over for a holiday dinner with the instructions only to bring some red wine.

While we waited for the food to finish cooking (or overcooking, as it turned out), the four of us tried a bottle of wine I had picked up at our local store.  My husband and I love wine but we really don’t know anything technical about it. We go by what tastes good and what fits our budget (no more then about $8 a bottle right now).  We’re also not big white wine drinkers; for the most part, we love Cabernets or red table mixtures.

The bottle I purchased was an Italian cabernet for about $7.  I warned everyone this was a ‘tester’ meaning I had never had it before so it could be pure swill. Each of us took a sip and was completely in awe. It tasted absolutely wonderful and was a real treat. (See below for further details).

After the first bottle was drained (and that seemed to happen so quickly), our neighbor opened the bottle he had brought. This was a red wine mixture from a Santa Cruz winery and also a vintner of one my favorite Rieslings (see information below). Again, the wine was a huge hit. Very tasty, full in the mouth and was one of those times when you wish you had a second bottle.

That was our tasting. We didn’t’ use any fancy words or swirl our wine around (well, OK, I did a bit but only because I had been reading up on what swirling actually does for the wine. It’s a fun experiment to try).  We simply took two bottles of wine, drank them and told each other what we liked. That is the kind of wine tasting I enjoy- wine does not have to be expensive to be good; in fact, some of the best wines I’ve had were under $20. And if you’re a novice to wine like we are, then why jump into a $50 of wine your not really ready to appreciate?

Don’t be afraid to try wine. Pick up something you think you might like, grab a buddy to try it with you and enjoy. That is the real glory of the grape.

Wine Details:
Gaetano D’Aquino Vineyard “Cabernet del Veneto” 2003

Priced around 7-8 dollars (we purchased ours at Trader Joes), this big tasting, easy drinking wines was outstanding.  It had full mouth flavors of fruit and none of the musky sharpness I sometimes find with cabernets. We enjoyed it with Jarlsberg cheese and summer sausage; simply fantastic. Fruity but not too fruity, it really coated your mouth nicely and didn’t leave behind any wine resin.

Ca’ del Solo “Big House Red” 2002 California red wine

I was already a Boony Doon fan as their Pacific Rim Reislings is one of my all time favorite wines hands down.  This red wine mix combined a multitude of grapes including syrah, zinfandel and petit syrah, to name just a few.  This had a thick, fruity taste that completely coated the interior of your mouth yet never lingered and turned resiny. Delightful to smell, this was a fun one to do the swirl test- tip your glass forward just a bit, then bring it back and swirl the stem in your hand slightly. A wine’s heartiness will cause “legs” or long streams of wine to slide down the glass. The more legs, the heartier to wine. Seems snobby but its really fun and swirling opens up the wines taste, truly changing the experience.

Fine German Wines

German Wines and Their Fine Distinctions

So you are a lover of fine white German wines, you say? Well do you know the difference between DTW, QbA and QmP? Of course you don’t. These are German legal acronyms for

 Deutscher Tafelwein
(German table wine), Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet
(a quality wine of an approved region) and Qualitätswein mit Prädikat
(a quality wine of distinction).

And please don’t feel bad about not having known this. Most Germans don’t know the meanings of these classifications, either.

Most German wine drinkers do, however. And although German table wines are prima and German QbA wines are practically always wunderbar, the wines that you (and I) will most likely be interested in tasting are the ones classified under the QmP classification.

The QmP label guarantees a quality wine with attributes that wines under the QbA label cannot claim to have. QmP wines cannot have any sugar added to them, for instance. They must also be a so-called Erzeugerabfüllung, an estate-bottled wine. They are also only permitted to come from certain specific wine-growing districts.

The QmP wines are then broken down into five distinct subcategories, all of which are based upon on the ascending level of a grape variety’s ripeness and sweetness. This also has a direct relationship upon the price of the wine, by the way. These five categories, all determined by German wine laws and broken down from the lowest to the highest concentration of sugar, are called Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenberrenauslese. Germany’s ever-popular Eiswein is also considered to be a QmP wine but actually falls into a category all by itself.

Kabinett wines have to contain a minimum amount of natural sugar, the lowest amount among the five categories, and usually have roughly 20 percent of the so-called sugar weight. Depending upon the region and the variety, and the Jahrgang (year) of course, these wines can nevertheless be of excellent quality and can easily compete with their more expensive cousins – they just tend to be the driest and the least expensive.

 Spätlese is the “late-picked” wine. These are the grapes that are selectively picked at least one week after the official harvest of a given variety has begun. These grapes are riper and therefore contain more sugar and this produces a richer and sweeter wine than the Kabinett. They contain approximately 23 percent sugar and cost a bit more than the Kabinetts, too.Auslese means selection. These fruity wines are produced with perfectly ripened, handpicked grapes. The natural sugar content of these wines is around the 25 percent level, depending upon the variety and the region. These wines are sweet and quite expensive and are usually placed in the dessert wine category.Beerenauslese is another form of selection: This time the “berries” themselves are handpicked. They are also separated from other grapes for pressing. The natural sugar content for these wines can easily reach 30 percent and can age for many years because of this high sugar content, developing in taste as they go. The Beerenauslese is generally very expensive and a very exclusive dessert wine.Trockenbeerenauslese is pretty much the same idea as with Beerenauslese, only this time the handpicked “berries” are “dry”; that is, they are the overripe grapes that are left on the vine until nearly dry. Because these grapes are individually picked at the time of their fullest maturity, they produce a very concentrated taste, it’s almost a form of nectar. The natural sugar in these wines is about 35 percent. These wines are so sweet that they sometimes have trouble fermenting and contain less alcohol than the other wines do. These are rare wines – and rarely affordable (well, at least for me they are).

And Eiswein? Well, “ice wine” is made from frozen grapes. That’s right. They are picked between December and February. This is, of course, the sweetest German wine there is and the most expensive by far. Eiswein, like the Trockenbeerenauslese, is also a candidate for long aging.

But if you are like me, these wines, once in your possession, will most likely have a very short life expectancy indeed.

Wine Tasting

Being an expert at wine tasting takes more than just drinking the wine.  Wine tasting takes plenty of experience and knowledge to determine what is good wine and what is bad wine.  This includes the understanding of the wine quality, color, and its origin.

Wine is very popular in almost every household during meal times.  Different meals require different wines to compliment them.  For example, red meats like roasts beef and pork are best with red wines.  On the other hand, white meats such as chicken and fish are better with white wine.

There are literally thousands of different type of wines on the market ranging from the popular red wine to the rare ice wine.  Each type of wine have their own unique taste and smell.  The taste and smell of the wine depend on where it is grown and what type of grape they are made of.  To be able to distinguish the characteristics of one type of wine to the next, it takes a lot of experience and knowledge of the wine.

With any type of wine, the wines that have been properly stored should always taste smooth.  Wines that taste off or stale are usually not of good quality or they were stored improperly.

So how is wine tasting done?  Wine should be tasted by swishing the wine in your mouth, allowing your taste buds to identify the taste and flavor of the wine.  Your sense of smell should be used also to identify the wine.  When wine tasting, both your sense of smell and taste should be used.

While the two senses are very important in determining the wine’s quality, the physical appearance of the wine is equally important.  To determine the wine’s appearance, pour it into a clear glass and look through it using a white paper or other white object as the background.

Wine are generally red or white in color, and the colors of them are very important in determining the quality of it.  Red wine that are lighter in color are older.  You can determine the age of the red wine by simply tilting the glass and allowing some to settle on the glass rim.  If the color of the wine that settles on the rim is brownish, then it has been aged. On the other hand, white wine that are darker in color are older.  While aging improves the taste of red wines, this doesn’t hold true for white wines which many go bad with time.

Wine tasting is generally subjective because it depends on a persons taste and preferences, but one thing that remain for wine connoisseurs is following specific guidelines in wine tasting.  Once you learn the art of wine tasting, it will definitely be a pleasure to drink them.

Best Wine For Each Occasion

When it comes to choosing the best wine for any event, there are really no hard or fast rules since people are partial to certain wines depending on their taste and preference.  One factor that remain the same throughout history is that at any event, there should be some type of wine available for the guest.  Here are some guidelines to follow to help you choose the right wine for the right occasion.

White Wines - White wines are lighter and drier than red wines which makes them best when served during the earlier part of the occasion or before the main course.  Chardonnay, is a favorite red wine among most wine connoisseurs and perfect with meals that are rich tasting, especially those that have creamy sauces.  Sauvignon Blanc is another popular red wine, while not as dry as Chardonnay, still makes an excellent complement with meals, especially shrimps, salads, and fish due to its fruity nature.

Red Wines - Red wines are great for main courses and typically served during the latter part of the occasion.  Their full bodied nature makes them an excellent complement to any meals, especially meals that includes poultry, pork, and lamb.  For most people, the wine that are a favorite is Merlot.  It has a balanced mix of body and lightness that makes it perfect for most dishes.

When it comes to spicy foods, Shiraz top the list for the best wine to use.  It has a peppery taste that will enhance the flavors in roasts beef, barbeques, and spicy dishes.

For a hearty, full taste, Chianti is the wine to use.  Chianti make great companion for meals that have tomatoe in them.  Other meals that goes well with Chianti are poultry, pork, lamb, and beef.  Chianti offer many selections and range in price and quality.

During some occasions you may want to serve both white and red wine.  This gives your guests the opportunity to sample which wine they like.  Most people choose their drinks early on and keep them until the end of the event.

Health Benefits Of Wine

To most people, when it comes to wine, the images that comes to mind are toasting in celebrations or fine dining.  After all, wine has been known to be a huge presence in many festive occasions.  Also, they make a great addition to some of world’s best culinary delights!

But now after many medical findings that claims wine have many benefits to one’s health, wine popularity has risen over the years.  The most popular type of wine for this finding is red wine.  Red wine is more widely researched and found to have more benefits than white wine.  However, white wine do have some benefits, but do not have enough claims to make them appear beneficial to the body.

Studies have shown that drinking wine decreases a person’s chance of getting coronary disease. Plus, it lessen the chances of a person’s risk of having a stroke.  Another benefit of wine is that it lowers a person’s death rate due to cardiovascular disease by 36 percent; and also from cancer by 18-24%.

Scientists still do not have the exact answer on how wine contribute to the body’s health, since this is an ongoing study.  However, there are many findings that point in the direction that some of the ingredients in wine can have positive results on the body.  One example that have been proven is during meal times, the presence of wine in the system helps prevent the negative effects of fatty foods, especially during digestion.

Besides the consumption of wine to help reduce the risks of developing many diseases, a few glasses of wine can help you live longer too.  There have been many studies on this and they all claim that a regular intake of wine in moderation will increase a person’s life expectancy.  By incorporating the consumption wine into your diet, there are definitely many benefits of wine.

The important thing to remember when it comes to wine is to drink it in moderation.  This means around 1-2 glasses a day.  Anyone who wants to incorporate wine into their diet should consult with their doctor first, especially those with pre-existing medical condition, since the consumption of alcohol might be harmful to the body.