Category: Zinfandel Wine

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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Wines – Pairing Wine And Pizza

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Till now, beer was seen and considered one of the only options to accompany the popular Italian dish pizzas. But, the pattern has changed now. More and more people liking to combine the Italian treat pizza with classy wines now-a-days. There are various kinds of wines that may be paired with different sorts of pizza toppings. Not all wines can be combined along with all pizzas. There has to have a blend of flavors because pizza has a massive number of flavors ranging from simple onion-garlic pizza to beef and chili pizza.

Considered one of the biggest myths of wine and pizza coupling is that red wine must only be served with pizza owning dark meat toppings. You may pair any appropriate wine together with any meat pizzas, be it dark meat or light meat. Yet, you have to pay extra attention while you’re not following this rule. A gloomy flavored red wine is valued more when paired with seafood pizzas. And among the weirdest combos could be coupling white wine with chili beef or jalapeno flavored pizzas. Along at the end of the day, you need to make use of your own personal judgment and taste buds while coupling any sort of foods and drinks.

All kinds of pizzas might be paired with at the least two nice red and two white wine varieties. All you might want to be careful about is to always select the average wine kinds. Dont go for too bizarre or too strong or excessive sweet. All extreme wine tastes are extremely hard to join up. So, be very simple and usual in your wine selection.

Many of the pizzas are made up of this very acidic tomato sauce, which sometimes retort with wine which makes it a very weak and full-bodied. To attenuate this unenthusiastic result, you possibly can go together with medium-bodied wine choices like Cabernet Sauvignon, California Zinfandel, or Shiraz. You can actually even make it an entire Italian meal by pairing the pizza with Italian Chianti. Additionally, it is better to dish up white pizzas along with earthy Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

To match the taste and savor of a pizza sauce and topping, it is always highly recommended that you choose more acidic wines. One of the best wine option for any crusty pizza would be a little strong and flavorful. This may mechanically lessen the crust effect of the pizza in the tasty way. Always, confirm the sauce, base, topping and main ingredient for the pizza prior to a pick any complementary wine to match.

Want Adventures In Wine? Join a Wine Club

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The Internet is good for quite a number of things – not least of which is its propensity to make information and opportunity available to the masses. Now, with holidays on the horizon and approaching fast, there’s another opportunity arising – and that, of course, is to join up with a wine club, or to get a membership in one for a loved one. What better way to start the festive season or to enjoy what would normally be an ordinary month of January, than by sampling some of the best wines that new and old worlds have to offer?

A wine club works like this. You get wines selected for you, by the expert buying team at the wine retailer of your choice. Generally you’ll then receive a case of wine every quarter, which is composed of bottles and vintages specifically selected by the buyers who source wines for the wine retailer as a whole. The better clubs offer a great deal of flexibility along with their normal bottles – so you can start off by taking their advice completely, and then use the bottles you have liked to inform your future decisions.

A comprehensive selection of tasting notes and information packs further add to the joy of the wine club, allowing novice wine lovers to learn and grow as the year goes on. There are some excellent examples of these clubs on the Internet – notably including the excellent offering from the legendary Colchester Wine Company, which has gone to great pains to tailor a wine lover’s membership that brings a great deal of choice along with very little in the way of commitment. That makes club membership the ideal way to start the New Year, and even to enjoy the festive holidays itself to the fullest. People who know they like wine, but aren’t sure how to go about exploring that like to its best extent, can only benefit from wine club models like the one espoused by The Wine company, which offers a friendly and informative service along with some excellent selections.

It’s this idea of learning without feeling embarrassed that makes the club experience so rewarding. Wine is a wonderful thing, but it is also a famously involved and complicated obsession. The more you find out about the stuff, the more you realise how little you know. In the past, it has been quite difficult to get past this feeling of “novice hood” – before the Internet, the only way to get the information you need to expand your wine tastes was to seek it from people who can (whether they mean to or not) give off the same air that an educated elite does – a kind of “if you don’t know, then you don’t know” feeling that can be very discouraging to the beginner.

Using a wine club to get to know what you really like and what you don’t can be a fun, rewarding and fascinating experience. Enjoyment is always better with knowledge – and knowledge is exactly what the club helps you explore.

aWine that Sparkles

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Sparkling wine is well known for it’s tiny bubbles that race to the surface.  Sparkling wine is one of the most exotic yet refreshing types of wine, providing memories and happiness once the cork is released into the air.  For many years, this exotic wine has proven to be among the most popular types of wine for celebrations and special achievements.

By looking at sparkling wine, you’ll find it to be a complete mystery.  When tasting the wine, friends and lovers choose to discuss the refreshing, nutty aroma.  Even though this type of wine is very popular, it can be hard to describe.  Although the taste and aroma can be right there, lingering in the air – it’s still something that is nearly impossible to find the words for.

When you first open a bottle of sparkling wine, the carbon dioxide aroma that instantly fills the air is an experience that you have to smell to believe.  A true feast for all of your senses, sparkling wine can instantly put you at ease.  Drinking this wine is a feast for your taste buds, bringing several different flavors to rest on your tongue at the same time.

Even though the nature of sparkling wine is really unknown, society as a whole as really accepted it.  Although many don’t realize it, the crisp and delicate taste of this wine isn’t what made it what it is today.  Similar to the shine and splendor of the finest diamonds, sparkling wine emits a truly elegant aura and romance that makes it easy to distinguish from other types of wine.

Sparkling wine was first discovered in France by Dom Perignon, who was a monk in the Champagne region.  He actually stumbled upon this fine wine while performing his duties as a cellar master in the Benedictine Abbey.  Dom would hide his discovery for many years, as the public didn’t really respond in the way that he had been hoping.

Although Dom Perignon’s sparkling wine wasn’t popular at first, it would grow and become more popular over the years.  Once people in France and people around the world caught wind this amazing sparkling wine, they simply had to experience it for themselves.  At this point, it didn’t take long for Dom Perignon to become a legend and one of the most important wine makers throughout the rich and cherished history of France.  

The formula and techniques that Dom used to produce his sparkling wine eventually become known as the traditional way of making Champagne.  The process is still used throughout the world today, producing some of the best sparkling wines.  Even though sparkling wine is made in various locations, many agree that the best place is the Champagne region of France – which is where sparkling wine first began and was first introduced to the world.

These days, sparkling wine is an essential part of life, for celebrations and events.  With most celebrations, sparkling wine is simply a must have.  There are many manufacturers of the wine these days, although most prefer to have the original and still the best – Dom Perignon.  No matter where the future of wine goes, sparkling wine will never die.  It will always be the wine that sparks celebrations, and the wine that makes events come to life.  From it’s truly unique and breathtaking taste to it’s amazing look and splendid aroma – sparkling wine has the appeal and the flavor to keep people celebrating and living life for years and years to come.

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Wine Making Kit – Make Your Own Wine

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If you are the creative type and have always wanted to invent new and exciting flavors of wine, then you may want to consider using a wine making kit to bottle your own wine. If you are a beginner, you want to make sure the wine making kit you purchase has all the ingredients or materials needed to create a successful wine. Here are some suggestions or tips on items to look for when deciding on which wine making kit to purchase.

Essential Wine Kit Items

Since you are a beginner, you want to ensure your wine making kit has a fermenting bottle or container-usually 6 gallons-air hoses, stoppers and locks. You will also need an instructional manual that is detailed and easy to understand the recipes. Your ingredients will vary depending on the type of wine you want to make, so be sure you understand what the ingredients are and what they do before you begin.

Where to Buy Your Wine Kit

Purchase your wine making kit from a reputable dealer either online or wine specialty shop. The merchant you select should be available to you in case you have any problems or need assistance during the process. Many wine dealers who sell beginner kits will be just enthusiastic about the process as you, so don’t feel like you’re putting them out by asking for assistance.

Wine Ingredient Kits Can Save Time

If you’re looking to cut the processing time down while you’re still a beginner, you may want to consider purchasing some grape concentrate when you purchase your kit. The grape concentrate frees you from researching grapes and the flavors they achieve, and it will cut the processing time down significantly. Once you are used to the process itself, it may be easier for you to choose different grapes for your wine and start from the very beginning.

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