Author: Rickie

A Wine Lover’s Weekly Review of $10 Wines – A Red Sicilian Blend

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Please let me apologize. Usually I place these weekly reviews on my website Sunday night or Monday night. This one went up on Tuesday; last night was President Obama’s first prime time news conference. I’m not going to talk about the press conference here, except to repeat that this wine column is our attempt to deal with the present economic problems. We feel that in these very difficult times it’s important to keep your chin up, and to find a way to enjoy life without spending too much money. What can be better than the right $ 10 bottle of wine? We help you find the right ones.

Italy produces many fine wines. We have reviewed about two dozen fine Italian wines, coming from eighteen and soon nineteen of the twenty regions of Italy. Sicily is the number one Italian wine region both in terms of acreage devoted to the wine grape, a whopping third of a million acres, and total production, over two hundred million gallons. In fact, if Sicily were an independent country it would rank seventh in the world for wine production. Now quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. The wine reviewed is a blend of the indigenous Nero d’Avola and the international Cabernet Sauvignon, both red grapes. Nero d’Avola wines usually aren’t very expensive but I was quickly able to locate a $ 80 bottle on the web. Cabernet Sauvignon produces some very expensive wines such as the California Opus One costing hundreds of dollars, depending on the vintage. Enough of that; let’s see if this bottle is a good choice for dealing with these hard times.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Montalto Nero d’Avola Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 14% alcohol about $ 8

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Deep red violet color; dark fruit and spice aromas and flavors; dry, medium to full bodied, long, smooth finish. Serving Suggestion: Roast lamb or beef, meat pastas, and grilled meats. And now for my review.

At first tasting the wine was thin but long with moderate acidity and a touch of oak. The initial meal involved homemade shepherd’s pie. There was dark fruit. The red blend washed the food down pleasantly. It was robust. Simple food, simple wine. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I added some Turkish Harissa, a hot pepper sauce and the wine followed, picking up some spiciness.

The second meal was a combination of meat balls and recooked steak, slow cooked with potatoes. The Nero d’Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon was now powerful; it definitely packed a punch. I could taste the oak. The length was good.

The final meal was a middle-eastern specialty, kube, also called kibbe, ground meat in jackets made from ground bulgar, in a spicy tomato sauce. It was strange, at the first sip the wine was thin, almost watered. But as I drank more the power built. There was some oak and dark fruit with moderate acidity.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese was a provolone. The wine was balanced with good tannins and moderate acidity. But it was short. A marbled cheddar cheese flattened the wine somewhat. After the cheese the fruit came back.

Final verdict. If you feel like washing down simple meals with a simple wine this is an option. But I think I will keep looking.

Featured Enlightenment Services Become Mainstream Marketing Trends Wine Shop – Wine, Marketing –

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Stephanie? Mike can not be Wine Experts, but occasionally like to point dining Pinot Gris, I often have to GreenHills newly opened Grace grapes Wine Spirits Center (Grace’s Plaza Wine & Spirits) shopping, she loved the experienced and knowledgeable employees to buy 50 U.S. dollars under the guidance of bottles of wine.

Grace plans to install a fireplace shop, a flat screen TV, play wine and gourmet catering to the educational video, this consumer guide to help Mike to purchase, this approach seems to promote the wine shop has become a mainstream marketing trends . Grace store operations director Dan? Gokal said: “The difference between the store atmosphere is, employees have a wealth of wine knowledge, to provide convenient service to consumers buy.”

Grace shop set up a special “cellar”, special sales boutique wines, such as 670 U.S. dollars a bottle of Italian AntinoriSolaia 2005 vintage. There is also a “niche product house” (WineNiche), to sell cheap products, prices are 10 dollars a bottle less.

Nielsen survey, as of December 13 to 52 weeks, the U.S. wine sales of about 8.1 billion U.S. dollars, compared with 2007 increased by 4.7% over the same period. California Wine Retailers Association executive director Tom? Walker said: “The wine shop is like shopping more and more people, even if they did not in-depth understanding of the wine. In addition, nearly a decade with the growing popularity of wine in the United States, retailer has introduced consumer-friendly policies, also helped the popularity of wine. “

Goals: enlightenment consumers a winery Fine Wines Spirits Store (Grand Cru Fine Wine & Spirits) manager Jason? Ross said his store three years ago launched the wine tasting began to spread more knowledge of the consumer, this achieved remarkable results in promoting ways to attract more and more customers. Ross said: “If your wine is not a mainstream product, we must educate and guide consumers to understand them, to stir up people’s desire.”

Some stores in Nashville, such as the Woodland wine shops on a wine’s flavor of each offer personalized descriptions, staff Courteney? Wilder said: “Through these individual descriptions, people can better experience to the wine’s taste, because sometimes the description on the bottle back labels are confusing, not enough to reflect the characteristics of wine. “

West Point Wine and Spirit is ready to discount some “Wine Spectator” magazine, as well as wine master Robert? Parker’s buying guide for clients. Manager David? West out that shops with local restaurants Cooperation Hold wine tasting, wine and food matching, help consumers better understand the wine.

Wine: consumers can afford luxury goods

Even in the face of financial crisis, consumer belt-tightening, remains, as always, to buy wine. Ross said the spending habits of customers in the change from the past 35 dollars to buy the product into a 10-20 per product. California Wine Association, GladysHoriuchi that, despite the economic downturn, many people are still hard to give up wine, this is a luxury can be affordable.

Learning About Wines

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Learning about wine takes practice and patience. What tastes good to you may not fare the same with someone else. Trying different wines at restaurants will give an idea of what white and red wines taste like with certain foods. This article will give tips in pairing wines with foods and what temperature to serve them.

Wine is usually made from grapes, but other fruits or berries can also be used. White wines usually go well with chicken, seafood, pork or turkey. Red wines are usually paired with proteins such as beef, duck, lamb, veal and some types of pasta. These suggestions are not always the norm. As you are learning about wines, your personal preference will play a role in what is pleasing to you.

Learning about wine means tasting different varieties. Trying them with different foods at restaurants is one way to get started. Once you’ve found a wine that pleases your palate, your next stop is the local wine shop. If you can find the type of wine that was served in the restaurant, that’s your best bet. If not, browse the section that closely matches your chosen wine. For example, if you enjoyed a white wine, glance through the white wine section.

Once you’ve chosen your bottle of wine, you’ll need to know the best serving temperature. White wines should be served chilled, around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people may want to let white wines warm up to around 50 degrees before serving. When serving red wines, room temperature is the norm-around 60 degrees. If you want to get technical, there are devices that will show the temperature of your wine. You can find these gadgets online or in fine department stores.

Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be good for you. When consumed in moderation-one to two glasses per day-wine has many health benefits. Wine can reduce coronary disease, promote healthier blood vessels, and decrease the risks of some types of cancer. Learning about wines can not only be a worthwhile hobby, it can also be beneficial to your health.

Get The Best French Red Wine In New York

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Any celebration is incomplete without a bottle of wine. So if you want to celebrate first go down to a store and pick up a bottle of the finest French Red Wine available. Why French Red Wine? Because it is often said that it is the best kinds available. Talking about French Red Wine, always remember that there are many varieties of them, so when choosing a bottle make sure you choose wisely. Here are a few steps that can help you choose a bottle of good French Red Wine:

Step 1: What is your preference?

Do you prefer it?

* Sweet or dry? Dry here refers to the absence of sweetness.

* With Low or High Tannin? This is what determines the dry and puckery feeling in the mouth following consumption.

* With Low or High Acid? The absence of this would make it taste flat and one dimensional. The exact proportion of acid enhances its taste complementing the other tastes as well.

* Light or Full Bodied? A wine’s body is directly proportional to its alcohol content. (Check on the label of the bottle for the percentage of alcohol by volume, it applies in the following way: 7.5% – 10.5% indicates light body; 10.5% – 12.5% indicates medium body; 12.5% and over indicates full body.)

* Heavy Oak or No Oak? Oaky describes the aroma or taste quality imparted by the oak barrels in which it was aged.

Step 2: Where do you buy it from?

It is important that you buy it from stores take proper care of their wine. A cellar would be a good choice.

Step3: Should you explore your options?

You should definitely explore your options, as there is a wide variety of Red Wine. So, do not stick to one type just because a merchant, friend or wine writer says a wine is good because your taste may vary.

Step4: How to get a good bargain?

It’s a good idea to purchase Red Wine by the case (12 bottles) since many stores would give you discount on a large purchase rather than just purchasing one bottle.

Before you purchase your French Red Wine, make sure the bottle is filled up to the neck, the cork is not pushing out of the bottle, and that there is no leakage. To get yourself a bottle of French Red Wine (New York) visit www.holidaywinecellar.com.

Wine Rating Systems

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A few wine ratings sites that will help you determine which wine is worth paying for. It serves as a little background information on the history of the wine rating scales.

One of the top and most widely used wine ratings system is Parkers 100 Point Scale. The scale, which was founded by Robert Parker and his friend Victor Morgenroth, rates wines from 50 – 100, 100 being, “An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume,” and 50 being, “A wine deemed to be unacceptable.” All wine rankings are based on the wine’s color, appearances, taste, aroma, bouquet, flavor, finish, and overall quality level or potential.

Another wine ratings scale is Wine Spectator’s 100 Point Scale. The scale was imitated from Parker’s Scale and used mostly for their magazine readers. It has the same principles as Parkers, but a little less detail in the actual rating and it’s more frank. A wine rated at 100-95 is considered a “Classic: a great wine,” and 74-50 is rated as a “Not recommended.” A score that was given a range is usually the preliminary score and is usually based on barrel tasting.

As of March 2008, the wine ratings have switched to rolling four point spreads for unfinished wines. Wine Spectator believes it will “better reflect the subtle differences between wines, and give our readers better information for their buying decisions.” A different wine ratings site is Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

They have a unique search engine that allows you to find wines based on rating, price, type, vintage, blend or varietal, region, brand, special qualifiers, publication date, reviewer, and records per page. Their wine rating system is also based on a 100 point scale with 100 being “Classic,” and 80-82 as being, “Acceptable.” They do not include any lower numbers since none of their users look for anything under 80. You have a choice to either smart search or field search on their web page for the wine of your choice. As a final point, we have our own wine ratings expert Michael Zimberg. He has an actual grading system for wines instead of a point system. He uses the school based method of grading from A-F. He believes that regardless of the cost of wine “region and rarity also play a factor. “He also grades based upon something that is fun and different to try so it may merit a higher grade. He has an exceptional sense of taste and always knows the perfect thing to drink.

Lindsay Aston is a contributing editor for Classic Wines, specializing in wine ratings.

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