Tag: Wine

Constantia Wine route

Posted on

The Constantia wine route is located in the Constantia Valley in Cape Town. Constantia is on the eastern flank of the Cape Peninsula in the coastal zone. The maritime climate and cool position create ideal conditions for a wide range of grapes to grow. In South Africa viticulture usually takes place at a latitude of 34 degrees south and thrives in an area with a mild Mediterranean climate.  This climate features warm summers that are cooled by south easterly winds and cool winters with very little frost.

 

Positioned in the heart of this magnificent wine route is the elegant The Last Word Constantia, one of 4 boutique hotels owned and run by The Last Word hotel group.The Last Word Constantia is surrounded by the majestic Cape Mountain ranges that form a backdrop to the most scenic wine producing regions in the world and makes for an ideal form of Cape Town luxury accommodation for those wanting to explore the winelands and experience some tours of the eight wine farms that make up the region.

 

The eight farms, which all offer tasting tours, are Buitenverwachting, Constantia Glen, Constantia Uitsig, Eagles Nest Wines, Groot Constantia, High Constantia, Klein Constantia, Steenberg Vineyards all of them boast a rich history, dating back to 1685 as well as a unique terrior. This 5 star boutique hotelis situated conveniently close to main roads that lead to the Stellenbosch Winelands, for discerning wine connoisseurs seeking to experience other types of wine.

 

The Last Word Constantia has a swimming pool and surrounding tanning deck, set amongst manicured gardens and rolling lawns, allowing guests to take advantage of more than the extravagant mountain views that encompass this luxury hotel.

 

This particular luxury boutique hotel is also situated close to other Constantia attractions such as the up market Constantia shopping center and many high quality restaurants.

 

 

 

Related Zinfandel Wine Articles

Wine Importers: Know the Australian land, the spirit

Posted on

Australia is blessed with abundant sunshine which enables our grapes to ripen to perfection.  Whatever the vagaries of a particular red grape variety, there will be a part of Australia that can give it everything it needs. Even toughies like rustic Malbec or black-as-pitch Petit Verdot turn out a treat.

In general, the warmer the wine region, the more likely it will produce rich, full flavoured styles which many people come to associate with Australian red wine.  However, Australia also has cool climatic conditions well suited to red varieties which produce lighter and more delicate red wine styles.

The world’s classic premium red grape varieties are all found in abundance in Australia.

Cabernet Sauvignon has several natural “homes” amongst Australia’s wine regions.  The famous Coonawarra terra rossa soils have produced excellent Cabernet Sauvignon for over a century, while few regions can match Western Australia’s Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon for sheer stylishness.

In cooler regions the tricky grape Pinot Noir fits in nicely, while the versatile Shiraz, expresses itself wonderfully well in virtually all but the coolest regions. Several of the milder climate regions are also home to that eccentric and wonderful Australian speciality wine, sparkling red Shiraz.

Whatever you’re looking for in terms of red wine, the chances are Australia will be making that style somewhere.  Here’s what to expect from the different varieties that Australia grows:

Barbera

Of the Italian varieties, Sangiovese and Barbera have had the most success in Australia.  Barbera is perhaps the most suited to the country with its full-on plummy fruitiness and it is evidently at home in hot temperatures.

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is mostly included in blends with big brother Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.  This is a shame, because in its own right it’s full of wild-strawberry and cherry fruitiness – a tad lighter in style than Shiraz but no less of a wine and great for drinking in warmer weather!

Cabernet Sauvignon

Usually considered the noblest of red grapes, probably due to its pride of place in the history of old world classics.

In Australia, look for it in the medium to cool regions and the wines will be as powerfully flavoured, blackcurranty and full-bodies as you’d expect from anywhere.  It’s at its minty best in Coonawarra and Margaret River – the latter region coming up with wonderfully good blends with Merlot.

The Yarra Valley in Victoria is another Cabernet Sauvignon producer, making wines that are pure-fruited and elegant.  McLaren Vale in South Australia and Mudgee in New South Wales also generate wines with black currant and berry characters with a hint of chocolate.  All of these wines are rich and well structured to benefit from further age in bottle, so it’s also well worth cellaring them for a year or two.

Grenache

Another red grape variety from the Rhône, which is just as at home in Australia as Shiraz is.
Like Shiraz it was taken for granted for a long while – prized principally for its juicy rosé and fiery fortified wines.  Today, with the discovery of some of the original old vines, first planted over 150 years ago, growers now realise that this grape makes just about the most luscious cherry and raspberry-filled wines possible.  Renowned for their sweet ripeness, these grapes (which grow best in Australia’s warmer regions) make wines which are high in alcohol and low in tannin. They’ll warm you to your toes!

Merlot

Merlot is not a grape variety which you’ll often see on its own in Australia.

When you do, however it will be full of attractive primary fruit flavours and velvety softness to make you wonder why.  Merlot makes a perfect partner for Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot adds the suppleness to Cabernet’s stern, serious structure.

Fine examples of Merlot blended wines are available from the warmer inland regions, such as Riverina, Riverland and Murray Darling.  Unblended Merlot is also being increasingly seen from these areas, where like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale it produces a soft dry red often described as plush plum like.

In cooler climates such as the Yarra Valley or Margaret River, unblended Merlot tends to take on more savoury flavours with firmer tannins.

Mourvedre

Mourvedre (or Mataro) was another grape used in Australia’s bulk wines during the1960s.  Mourvedre has since been rediscovered for its fabulously rich, spicy old-vine/bush-vine wines.  The Barossa Valley has some wonderful examples of this variety which should be treasured for their history and for their spice and liquorice concentration.

Pink or Rose Wines

Rosé style wines are made by pressing ripe, red grapes but leaving the juice in contact with the skins for just a short while so that the wines just acquire a pink blush.  These wines are generally drunk young, while they are still fresh and vibrant.

They tend to be drunk chilled, an increasingly popular option during warm Aussie days, particularly among red wine drinkers who just can’t bear the transition to a true white wine despite the heat.  As Australian winemakers are using their favourite grapes such as Shiraz and Grenache for the wine with their tendency to produce more complex flavours, Australian rosés fall mid-way between whites and fuller bodied reds.

Pinot Noir

What’s a delicate, pernickety grape like this doing in a sun-drenched robust country like Australia, you might ask.

You’d be asking a good question.  Pinot Noir is a challenge to grow in any part of the world.  What’s now emerged is a handful of Pinot Noir styles all Australia’s own and a proud group they are too.  Being a cool climate variety, growers in the coolest regions are seeing great success; that’s in regions like the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, the Yarra Valley and Great Southern.

In these regions the wines tend to come out strawberry / raspberry- fruited when young, then get progressively more mushroomy and savoury with age.  The best styles of all come from vines with a little age, which haven’t been harvested too heavily and from wines given a gentle maturation in oak barrels.

Sangiovese

Of the Italian varieties, Sangiovese and Barbera have had the most success in Australia.  Sangiovese’s sour-cherry tones have proved more difficult to perfect but a few from the McLaren Vale region have shown good potential.

Shiraz

No other grape has such a uniquely Australian character. Try to copy they might but the rest of the world’s winemakers will never capture that mulberry, spicy, slightly ‘wild’ flavour that can only be Australia’s own.

Shiraz (the same grape as Syrah in France’s Rhône Valley) was one of the first vine varieties to arrive in Australia in 1832.  So at home was it on its new turf that plantings prospered and it wasn’t long before the local population began to take it for granted.  However, by the 1980s people had begun to realise how versatile it could be, its character changed depending on the region in which it was grown.

Every style emerged from elegant, peppery cool climate styles (Heathcote in Victoria) to more intensely flavoured spicy styles of Coonawarra and Margaret River to powerful and minty (Clare Valley), sweet and chocolaty (McLaren Vale), muscular, and ripe-fruited (Barossa), and leather and rich (Hunter Valley).

Shiraz, which has traditionally been blended in both cool and warm climates with Cabernet Sauvignon is also blended with Grenache and Mourvedre in warm climates. 

In recent years, with the availability of increased plantings of Viognier in Australia, winemakers have increasingly blended Shiraz Viognier combinations.  Typically, Shiraz Viognier blends have a perfumed aroma and softer tannins which make these wines suitable to enjoy while relatively young.

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is known for its sweet, plumy berry flavours that are balanced by savoury, dry tannins. Originally from Spain this grape is adapting well to new homes in Australia. In cool regions Tempranillo can be ‘spicy’ while warmer regions bring out sweeter fruity flavours but stronger tannins too.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a thin-skinned grape that performs best in warm, dry conditions.  In Australia the Cape Mentelle winery in Western Australia’s Margaret River region has played ambassador to the grape producing dense, high alcohol wines with intense flavours that have developed a cult status.  However other Australians are now using the grape to produce lighter, spicy wines that can, in the Californian fashion, be savoured much younger.

Why Health Benefits Of Red Wine Is Much Higher Than White Wine – Red Wine, White Wine, Wine – Food

Posted on

Relevant statistical data, Red wine Consumption accounts for Wine Overall share of the world more than 80%, rated the most popular wine category, and white wine are far behind. Experts pointed out that the health benefits of red wine, white wine, 3 to 5 times that of the main reasons contributed to the former global epidemic.

Scientists have confirmed that red wine is the nemesis of cardiovascular disease. As early as 1989, the World Health Organization (WHO) “MONICA program” Epidemiological investigation report stated that: The French love to eat cheese, butter, Chocolate And other “three high” food, but the French people (35 to 64 years) the incidence rate of coronary heart disease is Britain’s only 1 / 2, United States, 1 / 4. Medical scientists who study suggests that the French love to drink wine this is a great relationship.

This year, on April 21 in Denver at the American Association of Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting of published results of a study to confirm red as the anti-cancer food. U.S. KaiserPermanente Medical Group’s findings also showed that smoking and drinking red wine per month, every drink, the risk of lung cancer an average of 2% drank one to two glasses per day, reduce the risk of lung cancer by 60% many.

To explore the mystery of red wine health, scientists have isolated from the red wine tannins and other polyphenols found in wine rich in tannins, resveratrol, flower pigments and other polyphenolic compounds, these substances have a strong health powerful antioxidant, in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, aging and so has an obvious effect.

All kinds of medical experiments with red wine as the experimental object, because scientists have found that the polyphenol compounds contained in more than white wine. Study revealed that: resveratrol in red wine is about 4 to 6 milligrams / liter tannin content of about 1000 mg / liter; comparison, the resveratrol content of white wine is only about 1 ~ 2 mg / l, tannin content of only about 400 mg / liter. As the tannins in red wine, resveratrol and other polyphenols were higher than white wine, so this sense of two components, the health benefits of red wine than white wine.

Reason, the wine expert chenzhuang that the tannins from the grape skin and pulp, and resveratrol exists mainly in the peel. In the brewing process, the red wine will be impregnated with belt seed fermentation, and to be peeled and seeded Juice of white wine fermentation, which resulted in the polyphenol content of the two differences. Moreover, most of red wine to go through a rubber Barrel Aging, liquor will also draw from the oak some tannic substances.

In addition, the color of red wine from grape peel anthocyanin, anthocyanin pigment is a natural plant, flower color pigment in addition to display certain things, or a strong Antioxidants , To protect the body from free radical damage. The results show that the human body will be too many damaging effects of reactive oxygen species, which is the root of human aging and disease. As China’s southern Fujian

spread of “red of hot, dry white of cool,” saying they have no medical basis. Chinese food is divided into cold, hot, warm and cool, level 5, whereas in the absence of other additives, alcohol situation, its cool heat depends primarily on alcohol. In a variety of daily drinking Alcohol In the high degree of white wine (including soju, Firewater, etc.) of heat, low degree rice wine (rice wine) and wine and warm, while the lowest alcohol Beer The cool earth. Red and dry white is usually the same degree of alcohol, are 12%, so there is no distinction of cooling of heat. Chinese believe that wine, “and warm, sweet, nourishing quality goods for the ages.”

More Red Wine Articles

Mulled Wine

Posted on

Glhwein

Glhwein is popular in German-speaking countries and the region of Alsace in France. It is the traditional beverage offered and drunk on Weihnachtsmrkten. It is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar. Fruit wines such as blueberry wine and cherry wine are rarely used instead of grape wine in Germany. Glhwein is drunk pure or “mit Schuss”, which means there is rum or liqueur added. The French name is vin chaud (hot wine).

The oldest Glhwein tankard is documented in the high noble German and first Riesling grower of the world, Count John IV. of Katzenelnbogen around 1420. This gold-plated lockable silver tankard imitating the traditional wine woven wooden can is called Welcome.

In Romania it is called vin fiert (“boiled wine”), and can be made using either red or white wine, sometimes adding peppercorn.

In Moldova the izvar is made from red wine with black pepper and honey.

In Italy, mulled wine is typical in the northern part of the country and is called vin brul.

In Latvia it is called karstvns (“hot wine”). When out of wine, it is prepared using grape (or currant) juice and Riga Black Balsam.

Glgg

Warm mulled pear juice, alcohol-free drink.

Glgg is the term for mulled wine in the Nordic countries (sometimes misspelled as glog or glug); in (Swedish and Icelandic: Glgg, Norwegian and Danish: Glgg, Finnish and Estonian: Glgi). Non-alcoholic glgg can be bought ready-made or prepared with fruit juices instead of wine. The main classic ingredients are (usually) red wine, sugar or syrup, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such as vodka, akvavit or brandy. In Sweden, glgg spice extract can be purchased at the chemist. To prepare glgg, spices and/or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to 60-70 Celsius (140-158 Fahrenheit). The temperature should not be allowed to rise above 78.4 Celsius (173.12 Fahrenheit) in order to avoid evaporation of the alcohol. When preparing home-made glgg using spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving. In Sweden ready-made wine glgg is normally sold ready to heat and serve and not in concentrate or extract form. Glgg is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and gingerbread, and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.

All over Scandinavia ‘glgg parties’ are often held during the month before Christmas. In Sweden, ginger bread and lussebullar (also called lussekatter), a type of sweet bun with saffron and raisins, are typically served. It is also traditionally served at Julbord, the Christmas buffet. In Denmark, glgg parties typically include bleskiver sprinkled with powdered sugar and accompanied with strawberry marmalade. In Norway glgg parties with glgg and rice pudding (Norwegian: riskrem) are common. In such cases the word graut-/grtfest is more precise, taking the name from the rice pudding which is served as a course. Typically, the glgg is drunk before eating the rice pudding, which is often served with cold, red cordial (saus).

Glgg recipes vary widely; variations with white wine or sweet wines such as Madeira, or spirits such as brandy are also popular. Glgg can also be made alcohol-free by replacing the wine with fruit or berry juices (often blackcurrant) or by boiling the glgg for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Glgg is very similar in taste to modern Wassail or mulled cider.

British mulled wine

Cover of Mrs Beeton’s book

A traditional recipe can be found in Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management at paragraph 1961 on page 929 to 930 of the revised edition dated 1869:

1961.-TO MULL WINE.

INGREDIENTS.- To every pint of wine allow 1 large cupful of water, sugar and spice to taste.

Mode.-In making preparations like the above, it is very difficult to give the exact proportions of ingredients like sugar and spice, as what quantity might suit one person would be to another quite distasteful. Boil the spice in the water until the flavour is extracted, then add the wine and sugar, and bring the whole to the boiling-point, when serve with strips of crisp dry toast, or with biscuits. The spices usually used for mulled wine are cloves, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon or mace. Any kind of wine may be mulled, but port and claret are those usually selected for the purpose; and the latter requires a very large proportion of sugar. The vessel that the wine is boiled in must be delicately cleaned, and should be kept exclusively for the purpose. Small tin warmers may be purchased for a trifle, which are more suitable than saucepans, as, if the latter are not scrupulously clean, they spoil the wine, by imparting to it a very disagreeable flavour. These warmers should be used for no other purpose.

Navegado

Navegado is a kind of mulled wine typically from Chile it is also called Candola in Concepcin. The word navegado comes from the Spanish navegar meaning to navigate or sail. Navegado is heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, orange slices, cloves and sugar. Almonds and raisins are often added.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mulled wine

Grog

Hypocras

Negus (drink)

References

^ http://www.graf-von-katzenelnbogen.de/ All about The History of the County of Katzenelnbogen and the First Riesling of the World

^ South of Sweden: Glgg parties exposed

vde

Alcoholic beverages

History and production

History of alcohol

History of alcohol History of beer History of Champagne History of wine History of French wine History of Rioja wine

Production

Brewing Distilling Winemaking

Alcoholic beverages

Fermented beverage

Beer (types) Wine (types) Cider (category) Mead (category) Rice wine (category) Other fermented beverages

Distilled beverage

Brandy (category) Gin (category) Liqueur (category) Rum (category) Tequila (category) Vodka (category) Whisky (category)

Fortified wine (category)

Madeira wine (category) Marsala wine Port wine Sherry (category) Vermouth (category)

Distilled beverages by ingredients

Grain

Barley: Irish whiskey Japanese whisky Scotch whisky Maize: Bourbon whiskey Corn whiskey Tennessee whiskey Rice: Awamori Rice baijiu Soju Rye: Rye whiskey Sorghum: Baijiu (Kaoliang)

Fruit

Apple: Applejack Calvados Cashew Apple: Fenny Coconut: Arrack Grape: Armagnac Brandy Cognac Pisco Plum: Slivovitz uic Pomace: Grappa Marc Orujo Tsikoudia Tsipouro Zivania Chacha Various/other fruit: Eau de vie Kirschwasser Palinka Rakia Schnaps

Other

Agave: Mezcal Tequila Sugarcane/molasses: Aguardiente Cachaa Clairin Guaro Rum Seco Herrerano Tharra Various cereals and potato: Akvavit Baijiu Canadian whisky Poitin Shch Vodka Whisky

Liqueurs and infused distilled beverages by ingredients

Almond: Amaretto Crme de Noyaux Anise: Absinthe Arak Ouzo Raki Pastis Sambuca Chocolate Cinnamon: Tentura Coconut: Malibu Coffee: Kahlua Tia Maria Egg: Advocaat Hazelnut: Frangelico Herbs: Aquavit Bndictine Brennivn Crme de menthe Metaxa Honey: Brenjger Drambuie Krupnik Juniper: Gin Jenever Orange: Campari Curaao Triple sec Star anise: Sassolino Sugarcane/molasses: Charanda Various/other fruit: Crme de banane Crme de cassis Limoncello Schnapps Sloe gin

Alcoholic beverages category Pub Bar Tavern Drink Portal Beer Portal Beer WikiProject Wine Portal Wine WikiProject Spirits WikiProject

Categories: Mixed drinks | Wine styles | Christmas food | Chilean alcoholic beveragesHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from December 2007 | All articles needing additional references

Buy wine online

Posted on

“The soft extractive note of an aged cork being withdrawn has the true sound of a manopening his heart.” —William Samuel Benwell

Wine is a popular drink around the world,bringing joy, happiness and a hearty cheer. But wine of yester years was not the drink weknow of wine today. In those days there was no fermentation in stainless steel vats, no controlled temperatures and most definitely no technological advancements that we enjoy intoday’s production.

But then even without the modern facilities of today’s wine played an important role in those ancient times. Recent archaeological evidence suggests a thriving online wine industry in Greece as early as 4500 BC, supported by evidence of crushed grapes in the ruins. The ancient Greeks believed that wine was a gift from god Dionysus. And since corks did not exist as a wine closure the wine bottle mouths use to be coated with olive oil and sealed with pine bark. This method retarded evaporation of the wine and the olive oil prevented contamination by the air. The pine bark also lent the wine a nice fruity and piney aroma, a prized feature in many of the Australian wines of today.

It may surprise you to know that wine grapes are highly sensitive. The slightest change in the climatic conditions can spoil the grapes totally. Powerful winds can break the flowers from the wine and spoil the crop. Too much rain can cause the wine grapes to rot and too much sun can over ripen the grapes and quickly destroys the taste achieved by a long and slow ripening process. There are wines that don’t come to life until the grapes rot. For example Sauternes are a classic style of wine that can only be made when the grapes have been infected by the botrytis cinerea fungus. This infection is called the noble wine rot.

The barrels the wines are stored in, have a major impact on the taste of wines. White wine is normally stored in stainless steel vats and red wines in oak barrels. However contemporary winemaking is leaning to unoakedstyles as consumers prefer the lighter fruitier wines that are less oaked. This idea is backed up by many wine enthusiasts arguing that wine is supposed to taste like the fruit and not a tree.

Related Zinfandel Wine Articles

Featured wine

popular posts