Happy 4th of July!

Independence Day is here already? I can hardly believe it's July, oh how the time flies! That means that summer is in full swing, pool parties, movies in the park, jazz festivals, and WINE!

We really don't need a reason to drink wine, but holidays are always a cause for CELEBRATION!  Summer is the time to drink light and refreshing wines, maybe something sparkling like a Moscato D'Asti, or a pretty Rosé.

The other day we stopped at Henry's Farmers Market and they had Crane Lake Wines on sale 3 for $10, talking about a deal! A little while ago I was given a bottle of Crane Lake Cabernet Sauvignon and I was surprised at how much I liked it, it was smooth and rich. So the deal at Henry's was a godsend! We bought Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Moscato. We'll be posting a review of the Crane Lake wines soon to tell you our thoughts.

We're going out to our mom's house today to heat up the grill, make some homemade ice cream, laugh, talk, and drink vino!  

Happy 4th of July!!!

Age is just a number - unless you're wine!

by csk_azriel

How old do you feel?  Do you think you've improved with age or not? Well if you're a wino  wine, age could vastly improve the way you look, feel and taste. So let's take a look, shall we?

What types of wine have aging potential?

Red wines have a greater aging potential than whites,  because of the tannins (a bitter plant compound found in leaf, bud, stems, and roots).  Acidic white wines also have the potential to age well, because the acid mellows over time.

What happens during the aging process?

When wine ages the tannins mellow out (the bitterness fades), which also changes the color of the wine; red wines get paler, while white wines tend to get darker. The acidity lessens and the taste of the wine gets "softer."

Young Wines

According to British wine expert, Jancis Robinson, the majority of wine on the market should be consumed as "young" as possible.  Of course the average wino is not paying a lot of money for wine and wines that age well tend to be on the pricey side.  The bottom line is - all wines don't get better with age, I know it's heart breaking, but it's true. 

The Wine Curators has a lovely aging chart, so you won't have to think about it!  Click here to check it out. They also have wine software for purchase if you're fancy.

A Rosé by any other name....

To some Rosé is the ugly cousin of the standard red and white varieties, but I think that rosé has been given a bad rap.  How could one possibly resist the delightful beauty of it?  I'm sure you've seen it in stores all dressed up and pretty in pink.

Rosé is not red wine but not quite white either its blushing color leaves it somewhere in the middle. So what’s the difference between rosé and blush wines you ask?  Plenty.

Rosé wines are usually derived from red grapes, but the skins are removed before the color can leave its indelible impression. Blush on the other hand is procured in pretty much the same way; however, they are usually made with light skinned grapes and small amounts of red wine is later introduced, which provides it’s “blushing” tint.

In terms of appearance, rosé and blush are very similar. But once you have developed your tasting palate you will be able to tell the difference.  The most important thing is whether you like it or not. 

Zinfandel is probably the most popular blush wine. Ironically, it was made entirely by accident by Sutter Home Winery:

Corks - Put a plug in it!

Wine 101 by WhoWatches

Dom Perignon was more than just a monk and cellar master, he is also the guy who came up with the genius idea to put corks in wine bottles. Back in the 1600's wooden wine stoppers soaked in oil were used to plug wine bottles, of course they had a tendency to pop out, which posed a bit of a problem.  So old Dom decided to insert cone-shaped (conical) pieces of cork in the bottles instead.  Dom's little "aha" moment changed the wine industry forever. 


The very first cork factory opened in Spain in the mid 1700's. Currently Portugal dominates the corking market producting 52.5% of the corks in the industry every year, Spain is second with 29.5%. 

Cork Oak (Quercus suber ) start out as little acorns. Mature Cork Oaks are harvested once every 9-10 years, but the tree is not considered mature until its at least 25 years old and even then it's not until the third harvest that the cork is suitable for wine stopping. What's even more interesting is that Cork Oaks live about 200 years, producing as many as 18 useful harvests. Cork Oak is usually harvested during the spring or summer months (early May to late August). The cork is delicately removed from the tree in strips and then dried for 6 months or more, then they are boiled and and dried for an additional 3 weeks. After this process is complete the corks are cut, shaped, and washed.  The washing process is important to prevent potential bacterial growth. 

The reason why cork works so well with wine is that it expands naturally once it's inserted into the neck of the bottle, sealing in its contents. Bet you didn't think about all the effort it takes to deliver wine to your cellar.  It's not all about grapes! 
    
Here at the Wino house we've been collecting our corks.  Who knows what we'll do with them, maybe we'll have a cork crafting wine night or something - recycling at it's best!

Chocolate Wine...seriously???

It's no secret that the Winos' love wine and chocolate (well at least two of us love chocolate, the older sister - not so much).  Anyway...wouldn't you know that some genius decided to put both them together, in a bottle!  That's right folks Chocolate Wine is the new sensation, well at least it's new to us.
 
I read an article quite awhile ago about chocolate wine in a local newspaper, but I hadn't seen it in stores (well I really hadn't been looking for it).  So a few weeks back we stumbled upon a bottle of Chocovine at our local market, of course we had to give it a try. The wine is described as "a French Cabernet subtly combined with a rich dark chocolate from Holland."  Rich and chocolaty it is indeed.

Region: Holland
Producer: Team Products (a division of Dekuyper)

Year: N/A 

Color: Milky brown

Aroma: Decadent Chocolate

Alcohol: 14%

This is a wine that's best served chilled.  You can see the richness in the initial pour - oh it's thick ya'll. Those decadent legs cling to the glass like nobody's business! The smell is sinfully delicious and when you take that first heavenly sip...OMG! 

 

Chocovine is versatile you can drink it alone as an after dinner drink/dessert or you can use it to make other chocolaty drink delights: 

We give Chocovine:

If you like diversity you should know there are three different flavors: original, raspberry, and espresso. For more information on Chocovine visit the website and check out their Facebook page.

Bernie Madoff's Wine Stash Scores Cash for Scam Victims

So the infamous Bernie Madoff is in the news (again) but this time on the wine circuit.  It seems that the Ponzi Scam artist was a wino.  His extensive wine collection was auctioned off last night raking in $41,530. The proceeds will go toward the scheme victims.  

The auction was coordinated by Morrell & Co Fine Wine Auctions in New York.  The top pick of the night was a case of 1996 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, a Bordeaux which was purchased for nearly $7k.

Despite having a cellar full of wine, some say that Bernie didn't have very good taste in vino. Perhaps Bernie received more wine gifts than he actually purchased himself...figures.

While old Bernie may be singing the jail house blues while he's serving a 150-year sentence, there are many wino's who will be toasting to his demise. 


Cheers to justice being served!

Now & Zen - Wasabi White Wine

Last week I was having mean craving for Asian cuisine. We'd been talking about making sushi, but were too lazy...so instead we opted for Chinese take out.  When we got back home with the food, I had an aha moment - remembering that we had a bottle of Now & Zen Wasabi White (we'd been saving it for a sushi night actually), but since this opportunity presented itself, we popped the cork.

Region: Alsace 

Producer: Imported by Underdog Wine Merchants
Year: 2006

Color: Golden straw

Aroma: Fruity (pineapple, mango, and lemon)

Alcohol: 13%

The label indicates that Now & Zen will bring out the flavor of spicy food, this is absolutely, beyond the shadow of a doubt true!  The flavor of the wine is completely enhanced by spicy flavor, we tried it with Spicy Tofu and Red Chili Sauce - delicious!


Just to test the wine's range, we tried it with something sweet. Yuck! The taste becomes bitter when paired with sugar, so this is a no-no. Definitely an umami type of wine, which is interesting because Now & Zen is a white blend, consisting of: 40% Sylvaner, 30% Pinot Blanc, 15% Riesling and 15% Gewurztraminer. Obviously the combined 30% of Riesling and the Gewurztraminer do not influence the wine enough to accommodate a sweet pairing.

We give it:

We will be making sushi in the coming weeks and drinking a little Now & Zen, we have to see if it can actually stand up next to Wasabi...white???  (pun intended) LOL