Category: Merlot Wine

Make Your Wine Experience Stress Free With the Help of a Wine Opener

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You may have previously attempted to open up your favorite bottle of wine and experienced difficulty using a normal bottle opener. After all the pushing, pressing, twisting and rumbling, your friends tell you that there is an opener specifically made for wines. Then, you have bought one and tried it yourself only to discover that all the experiences you had can be prevented if only you own the right tool. Certainly, wine openers can save you from all the challenges that go with opening up wine bottles with a minimal effort. The usual types are the durable lever and the squeeze hand grip models. If you use any of these two, you would just need a little hand pressure to open up wine bottles which are always safe and secured.

The best type would depend solely on the user’s decision. It is basically your choice to find the best opener that can work perfectly for you and can be found from its extensive selections. You may opt to consider buying a lever-style opener that has its own stand. It firmly holds the bottle as secure as possible and comes with a side-arm balance to make sure that the weight is divided evenly to prevent drip and leaks. All you have to do is to place the opener on top of the bottle, push the lever down and you now have your favorite wine bottle opened up for everyone to enjoy.

There is another style of wine openers that is a bit lighter and placed on top of the bottle. With just a single push of the lever, you can already enjoy your opened bottle of wine. It is usual to see sets that already comes with a separate stand and corkscrew. One more type that works well is by punching a hole through the cork. Then, the bottle cork is precisely removed without being broken. The only down side is that there are bits of cork that are left inside the wine bottle when the cork gets pulled up.

Wine drinkers should be aware that the best bottle opener is essential to the total satisfaction and enjoyment of drinking wine when you serve it at home or in a different place. Here are some details to consider before you shop for the perfect wine bottle opener:

1.) Simple and easy to clean
2.) Durability of the materials used
3.) Functional duration prior actual replacement (Life Span)

It is important to use up your bottle opener for a specific period of time to test how reliable and durable it can stand. The lesser expensive bottle openers would sometimes fall short during the most inconvenient times. The ease and simplicity of use are just part of the many benefits using a wine opener. Moreover, it prevents the cork bits from breaking apart and be left inside the bottle. You may have experienced the tacky feeling that comes after pulling out cork bits from wine that has been poured into elegant wine glasses.

Definitely, finding the best wine opener that works well for you is fun and interesting most especially if you take pride in being a certified home tools fanatic. You do not have to be a wine lover for you to consider purchasing a wine opener for your home. It is recommended that you own at least one for your home to ensure convenience when the need arises. With a right wine opener at hand, a different level of grandeur is being displayed during the actual experience of opening a wine bottle in front of your family and friends. In fact, your guests may think it seems easy and trouble-free, only to find out that it is actually effortless.

True blooded wine aficionados will simply prioritize to own a functional bottle opener for their wine parties. It is now time to make that wine opener be part of your newest collection of wine tools.

Wine Cabinets Make an Excellent Showcase For Your Wine Collection

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If you are a wine lover, you may have already collected a number of good quality wines in your home. Whether to enjoy yourself or to entertain friends, it is a pleasure to increase your collection with a wide variety that are available today. If you do not have a wine cellar, then you may be considering having one or two wine cabinets to store your collection.

They have other functions than just providing space for storing; wine cabinets can also keep your wines at the right temperature to preserve their flavor and quality and make an excellent showcase for your collection. You can have your cabinet custom-made for your purpose, and to match the design and available space in your home. There are cabinet makers who can design and build the type you want. You can have a small cabinet just enough for a few bottles, or very large wine cabinets that can accommodate the number that you would otherwise have stored in the cellar — a veritable wine cellar within easy reach anytime you need a drink or anytime friends come over for dinner.

The tradition of having wine with dinner has come to be regarded not only as socially desirable, but also a healthy practice. Wine infuses a certain kind of relaxing atmosphere, a happy mood into any occasion. After-dinner conversations become more interesting and engaging, and parties become a little livelier. It is always good to have a selection of various wines that you can serve on any occasion. Your wine cabinet will make this all very convenient for you. It can even be a conversation piece during the gatherings that you host in your home. You will therefore have to take into consideration a few things to make your wine cabinet serve all these purposes.

These are a few points to consider for your wine cabinet:

Temperature control to preserve the quality of your wines.
Storage capacity — it should be big enough to accommodate your present collection as well as future additions.
Convenience of maintenance and durability of material.
Compatibility with the size and design of your home.

So whether you have a wine cellar or cabinet, you can store your wine collection with peace of mind knowing they will be stored the best way possible and maintain their quality and flavor. You can also build your collection with good quality wines very inexpensively if you know where to look!

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Texas Wine – The Historical Wine Making of Chateau Bubba

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Although Texans have made wine since the frontier days, they have always had trouble getting any respect for their craft. One visitor from the 19th century complained that the handcrafted local wines made from wild grapes were too sour.

More recently, when the state’s wineries began modern production, unappreciative outsiders labeled the Texas wine and wineries “Chateau Bubba” as a derision.

Although this probably had some truth to it in the past, it hides much of the reality. The very same Spanish priests who introduced vineyards and wine to California, also cultivated grapes in Texas by the 18th century. Although little is known about the quality of the mission wines, there is evidence that some later European settlers (particularly Germans and Czechs) were accomplished vintners. They developed ways to make good wine from native mustang grapes, and they passed their knowledge to several generations up to the present.

At the turn of the century, these same poor wild grapes actually played a large part in turning around and saving the French wine industry from disaster. When a plant louse epidemic called phylioxera attacked vineyards everywhere, a Texas vintner named T. V. Munson found a solution by grafting French vines onto the more disease-resistant Texas grape vines. Munson is still a hero in France and the Napa Valley of California.

Before Prohibition started in 1920, there were at least 16 commercial wineries in Texas. The only one to survive Prohibition was Val Verde in Del Rio. They closed until the end of Prohibition in 1933, but rep-opened after it was repealed. Val Verde remained the only commercial winery in Texas, until the 1970’s, when a national wine boom started a revival of production in the state.

The very first bottles from these new commercial wineries may not have been very good, but they improved at a rapid pace. Starting in the 1980’s, Texas wines were and continue to be regular winners in wine competitions throughout the country, taking metals in many categories.

Some of the larger wineries of Texas today include Llano Estacado, Pheasant Ridge, Sainte Genevieve, Fall Creek, Sister Creek, Messina Hof, Moyer, Slaughter Leftwich, Grape Creek, and a growing number of other wine producers.

Texas wine today is truly an international treasure, and is no longer labeled as the “Chateau Bubba” of wine making. It can now stand up with the great wines of the rest of the world, and continues to grow in quality and reputation.

Awarding Wines in Australia- The most quality Wine in the world

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Vintners usually bring their wines to competitions held in Australia and around the world. Judgers are the key point to make the qualities of the types of wines. They consider the appearance, aroma, flavor and body of the wine. When you know about wine exports of Australian, you can understand how seriously wine competitions are held by vintners.

 

 

Wine competitions are held in cities, at regional levels, nationally and internationally. There are many different kinds of wine categories including, but not limited to, the following most popular Australian wine types.

 

* Shiraz

* Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc

* Merlot

* Riesling

* Rosé wines

* Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

* Grenache

* Chardonnay

* Sauvignon Blanc

* Sparking wines

* Fortified wines such as Muscat and Tawny

 

This is not intended to be a complete list, but only to give you an idea of the interesting and complete selection of Australian wines presented at competitions around the world. Australian wines only continue to grow in popularity and winemakers have earned many awards in recognition of their talents.


Uncorking the Best:

 

Wineries submit their wines for official wine tasting and judging in order to reap recognition and awards in the appropriate categories. There are even awards for the best wine bottle design. In Australia, there are many different competitions held. In some competitions the wine is judged without food. In other competitions the wine is judged after being paired with appropriate foods. The ultimate goal is to earn a gold medal which brings with it international recognition.

 

There are also many international wine competitions held and wineries from countries around the world attend. They are spectacular industry events which attract a fascinating collection of people with one thing in common – wine. The judges have earned a reputation for their ability to accurately judge wine and the coveted awards are sought by wineries seeking acknowledgment of their achievements.

 

When a wine wins an award, the winery earns the privilege of including the award name on the label.

 

The awards given to wine are as varied as the wines presented. Awards range from best local boutique wine to awards presented on a global scale. Earning top awards for a wine can lead to greater sales, increased exports and even investment purchases. There are many wine collectors and investors in the world ready to buy the next bottles of award winning wine.


Wine is Serious Business

 

Despite its entertainment purpose, wine making is serious business. The wine awards given at shows such as the National Wine Show of Australia, the International Wine Competition, and many others, bring prestige and honor to the wine making industry.

 

Vintners have been making wine for thousands of years. It is an ancient practice that has led to the creation of a unique art form. It is appropriate that competitions give awards to recognize the efforts and judgment put into each bottle of wine.

 

Understanding en primeur wines better

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The wine buyers look for opportunities to buy the wines during their auction. These auctions could be held by the vineyards or wineries, called the En Primeur and also by the importers who import to wines and sell these to the retailers after they bid for the same. The special focus is for participating in the auctions organized by the wineries since there the wines can be got at the least possible prices. But, what is the difference between the En Primeur wines and the wines sold en primeur? These two terms are used commonly and interchangeably but there is a difference between these.

The former are the wines which are put on sale only two months after the grapes are harvested. This practice originated from the Beaujolis region. The latter, on the other hand, is a wine which is to be delivered after two or three years. The latter is sold and the part payment is received before two or three years of bottling the same. This practice originated from the vineyards in Bordeaux. There is also another term called ‘new wine’ which is used to refer to a wine which is bottled before the springtime and this happens before the next harvest of the grapes.

The wines are offered en primeur due to a number of reasons. There is a greater security and coverage of the risks associated with it. The wineries get the money for the next season. The wine companies get the wines cheap and these can also serve as avenues of investments. They can make a profit by selling them at market prices after two or three years when the wines are bottled and shipped to them. The role of wine tasters is crucial here since their tasting and grading helps to take the buying decisions. It requires good amount of experience in wine tasting to determine what the taste of the wine will be after two or three years when the wines will mature.

The market of the wines futures is uncertain. No one can say what will be the market price of the wine a few years down the line. There are good chances that the expected returns may not come on the wine sales because the market price of the wines may go down. Even if the returns are less, there will definitely be a good hike in the prices of the wines, if the purchase is made at the en primeur.

The customers can buy the wines locally or internationally online. The wine online sales are quickly picking up as more and more people are using the internet to make the purchases. Even the best of the European wines, which were not to be easily seen, can now be bought from the sites of some of the biggest dealers around the world, provided they provide the delivery to your country. Internet can also provide the information on the en primeur and other auction events that are being held globally.

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