Category: Merlot Wine

Temecula Wine Tours in the Sky

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Like many people, I am fascinated by flying. I love to get on an aircraft not only because it take me to faraway land, but also because it gives me a feeling of being lifted up in the sky. To me, it’s a great way to start the day with peace, tranquility and stunning views.

 

A few years ago my husband and I and some friends took a helicopter tour over volcanoes national Park on the big Island in Hawaii. Now that was a great time! The flight itself lasted approximately 45 minutes, which does not really seem like a long time. But we got to see a lot in those 45 minutes.

 

It seems like whenever I want to try a new adventure, I head for smaller and smaller aircraft, as is evidenced by this flight in a hot air balloon over the Temecula wine country. For my next adventure I’m really kicking around the idea of doing some hang gliding on the Oregon coast.

 

I loved the peace and tranquility of being up in the air with the birds, without the noise of a propelled craft. Although the sound of pumping hot air into the balloon to keep us aloft was quite noisy. Other than that, the absolute solitude was astounding. The views of the vineyards in the Temecula Valley was awe inspiring. I cannot imagine a better way to start the day!

 

We took the morning flight, which had us up in the air in the while it was still fresh. They served Champagne before the flight, and we departed from one of the Temecua Valley wineries. After the flight, we had lunch on a lovely terrace overlooking the vineyards and rehashed our flight. Then we continued on to the ground portion of our wonderful Temecula wine tour with an open air jeep tour. In addition to the wineries we visited, there was even some off roading to a spot with a great view of the valley from a cliff side vantage point, that was off the beaten track.

 

It is hard to describe how it feels to hang in the air. It is not quite the same sensation as being in an airplane, because an airplane is rapidly moving through the sky. A hot air balloon, while not motionless, is moving so slowly that it feels as if you are motionless. But, unlike the hang gliding I will try next, with a hot air balloon ride you have the security of a floor under your feet and walls around you.

 

And the views! I am a big fan of rooftop bars or tall buildings with views. As long as there is some type of railing or barrier between me and the view, my fear of heights does not kick in. My camera had a busy morning of it, capturing the oh so different angle we had of the vineyards. It was impossible to not end up with some great photos. It was also one of the most romantic mornings I have ever had in my life. Since my husband and I were the only passengers, our guide graciously left us alone unless we addressed him.

 

It was great to be able to see the vineyards from the air, and then to finish up my Temecula wine tours adventure in an open-air Jeep, visiting the wineries that I recently viewed from the air. It’s a good thing we did not do it the other way around. Although it would be great fun to climb into a hot air balloon after a day of wine tasting, since I swallow instead of spit when I am wine tasting, I cannot see them allowing me to do that.

 

Homes With Wine Cellars

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If you’re going to talk about luxury homes in the Los Angeles area, one thing you have to consider is that many homes of the rich and famous will probably have a wine cellar of some sort. For many, it’s nothing more than a status symbol. For others, it’s a necessity if they’re either going to be doing a lot of entertaining, or just love wines of all styles and vintages.

Many people don’t understand what the purpose of a wine cellar is, or why it’s such a big deal. People who are connoisseurs of wine have an understanding of what keeps a wine good over the course of time. For instance, these items seem to be important for keeping a wine at peak condition over time:

• Keeping wine in the dark most of the time
• Keeping a consistent temperature, especially in the Los Angeles area where the weather is a bit warmer than normal; wines like to be kept cooler, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit
• Little movement, as wines don’t like being jostled too often
• Good humidity to keep the corks from drying out so they don’t shrink, as their purpose is to allow wines to breathe some, but not get contaminated by outside air
• Keeping the air still, as this also can dry corks
• If you’re going to collect a lot of wines, having them all in one place for convenience and safety

Of course, after those factors, all bets are off as to how they’re created. Some builders only use wood; others only use stone or brick. Some avant garde builders of wine cellars will use metals that actually look like coolers. In an expensive home, homes will usually be built with a wine cellar, though one can be added later; it costs more to install a wine cellar after the fact.

Los Angeles is truly a unique place when it comes to wine cellars. Even the mayor’s mansion has a wine cellar; that’s unheard of in most places around the country. In today’s world, where most celebrities will buy homes that already have this feature rather than build a home, the house of former television producer Aaron Spelling stands out not only because of its massive size, but because it also has a wine tasting room.

Another wonderful house that was formerly owned by both Kirstie Alley and Katey Segal, once again on the market for around $ 9.3 million dollars, has a large wine cellar also, with a lighted arch that can highlight the favorite wine of the owner at the time.

And the home of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, which they paid $ 16 million for, came with a brick wine cellar, which they had to wait to use since, when they purchased it, Jennifer was pregnant.

Wine cellars in the homes of the rich and famous don’t conform to the same look or style either. Some have wines stacked on top of each other. Some have them facing each other, or side by side. Some have they spiraling either up or down, covering the equivalent of two stories. Some figure out ways to compact the space, while others want the space to be as large as their living rooms might be. And, because they have the money to pay for it, many will order customize wine cellars from Italy and France and have them installed in space set aside just for them.

No matter what, if you’re looking for a home in Los Angeles and have the money to spend, you’ll easily be able to find a home with a stylish wine cellar.

Instructions For Wine Making

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Making home-made wine is a wonderful and easy way to profit from your home grown grapes and all the work you put into growing them. The basic steps for wine making are:

• Picking the grapes
• Crushing the grapes
• Fermenting the juices
• Clarifying and bottling the liquid
• Aging the wine

For white wine you use white grapes and for red wine you use red or black grapes. However, you can make white wine from red grapes if you first remove the skin. You might also need to remove the seeds and stems. Each component of the grape, including the stems and the skins, contribute to the aroma and flavor of the finished wine.

Materials:

To make one standard bottle of wine (75cl) you will want about two pounds of grapes. Ten pounds of grapes will yield a gallon of wine. In addition to the grapes you will need a few accessories for making your wine. Visit your local wine-making supply store to find the items or look on the Internet for suppliers. Here is a list of the essential items.

• Grapes
• Large vat for crushing grapes
• Hand masher (or use your hands)
• Bottles, corks
• Campden tablets
• Wine Yeast
• Barrel fitted with an airlock
• Syphon and carboy (clean and sterilized)
• Hydrometer (To measure the specific gravity)

A wine-making kit is the easiest way to get started, and as you progress you might enjoy upgrading your tools as you gain experience in using them. You don’t have to crush the grapes by treading on them. This is a good way to do large productions, but for small productions, mashing them by using a hand-masher (or your hands) will do just as well. Don’t fill the vat too full because the grapes will foam and froth as they ferment. When the grapes are mashed, leave them for a day or two before beginning the fermentation. Campden tablets are used to prevent wild yeast from growing during this stage.

Proper wine yeast should be used, not bread yeast, because the flavor is quite different. Stir in the yeast by hand, cover the vat and leave the wine to ferment for about a week. At the end of the week you can strain the wine. The bubbling and boiling effect should have subsided before you strain the wine and throw away the pulp. Pour the liquid into a barrel with an airlock so that carbon dioxide, which forms as the wine ferments, can escape. The wine should be protected from exposure to the air at this stage or it will oxidize and won’t be good for drinking.

Over the next two to three years, sediment will fall to the bottom of the barrel and the liquid will turn clear. After about three weeks the wine is ready to “rack” or siphon into the carboy to remove the clear wine from the sediment. The carboy should be sterilized to prohibit the growth of bacteria. Siphon the wine every couple of months as the wine ages. When you notice there is no fresh sediment, and the liquid is perfectly clear, the wine is ready for bottling. Another test is to check the specific gravity with a hydrometer. It should be below 1.000.

As you can see winemaking is quite easy. Making truly fine wine, however, is an art as well as a science. Aging your wine a few more months in the bottle will improve the flavor, but once it is bottled, you can basically begin drinking it.

Wine Cork Screws and Openers

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There are many varieties of wine cork screws and openers available that will suit everyone from the new wine drinker to the all-out, wine cellar owning enthusiast. What you need will simply depend on your personal needs. Lever style corkscrews are good for beginners. This really makes opening wine bottles easier than the hand screw type. This style is sure to quickly and easily open up wine bottles with great speed. This is the easiest type of opener but it is pretty big in your drawer in space. They tend to range from $ 30-$ 150, depending on how complex it is.

The waiter’s corkscrew is the old fashioned opener that resembles a pocket knife with the cork screw and bottle opener. This is one of the hardest wine cork screws and openers to use and requires a good bit of work and practice to get good at using. It is very inexpensive and takes up little space when closed. It also contains a knife which is helpful in removing foil on a bottle of wine. The twisting pull cork is a handy little device which is a step up from the waiter’s corkscrew. You simply pop this on the bottle, twist it down, and pull out the cork! A quality model is important and for those with wrist troubles, this may not be the right type of opener.

Winged corkscrews are yet another type of wine cork screws and openers. This is a cork screw that when twisted downward, the wings come up. When the wings are up completely, you push them downward, which really saves on hand and arm power if you are not strong. The two-pronged opener is not a cork screw, and you get the two metal prongs down the two sides of the cork. Once in, you pull and twist until the cork comes out. This is really good for old wine with a damaged cork, but this style of wine bottle opener is not easy to use and can be damaged itself if not used properly.

The final type of cork screw is the air pump corkscrew. You pump air which is forced between the wine and the cork, forcing the cork to rise up and come out. Some people don’t feel that this is method is good for the wine, so it is not a very popular one. As you can see there are many types of wine cork screws and openers to choose from. The style you choose depends on how you will use it and which method you will prefer.

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White Wine – Ultimate Sophistication

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The ultimate in sophistication and class in the world of wine would be the white wine.  It is so versatile because of all the varieties and styles is comes in.  White wine can be paired with just about any food you can imagine.  Whites can be sweet, dry or even semi-sweet.  They are easy to recognize because of their light yellow or almost clear coloring.  White varietals are grown all over the world with the most famous probably being the Chardonnay grape originally from France.  However, this grape is just as at home in California and New Zealand.  This white wine is renowned for its smoke flavor with a hint of oak.  Chardonnay is not the favorite of this author, but that does not diminish its popularity world wide.

A much sweeter contender for favorite white wine worldwide would be the Riesling.  Rieslings originate in Germany and by far they make the best, but it has had a slow start in the world of white wine.  Unfortunately there are many poor quality sugary substitutes which have given Rieslings a bad name.  These substitutes have tarnished the reputation of a very fine wine, but like the nature of all Germans, they do not give up and they quickly overcome.  High quality Rieslings hail from the Rhine and Saar valleys and have help to reestablish this wine as one of the finer whites.  Varieties in America and Australia have contributed to the good reputation of this grape variety.

A great way to enjoy your favorite whites thoroughly is to pair them with your favorite foods.  Cheese is a simple and great way to enjoy your favorite white wine.  Mild cheese is best paired with a sweeter white like White Riesling or a Gewurztraminer.  Full bodied cheeses pair wonderfully with a Chenin Blanc or a Dry Riesling.  Seafood or pastas with cream sauces should be paired with a Chardonnay to enhance flavor while shellfish like lobster, crab, and shrimp pair amazing with a Sauvignon Blanc.  Asian foods like Thai pair great with the sweet wines as well, the best being Gerwurztramner.  Poultry goes well with any white wine.  This may surprise many of you, but chocolate is perfect with a glass of White Riesling.  Yummy!

While it may be important to consider what food you will pair with your white wine it is more important to enjoy the wine you are drinking.  The number one reason to choose any wine is by if you like it or not.  Then when you find one or many you like, you might try to increase your pleasure by pairing it with just the right food.  The quality, color, notes and variety all combine to make the best wines in the world, but that is all for naught if you do not like it in the first place and cannot find yourself taking another sip.  White wine is considered the ultimate in class because of its versatility.  You can drink whites socially, with a meal or while reading a book!  You will find the best white wines being drunk during BBQ’s and charity events alike.  It is your choice and make it confidently and often.

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