Order Confidently

Everyone that goes out to eat seems to have had this experience, ordering food is no big deal but when they are handed the wine list there is a little pang of anxiety.  It is a tough looking decision and so much importance is placed on making the right decision to pair with the food.  Really it doesn’t need to be scary at all.  An easy way to play sommelier for the group is to think of the mood of the meal, is it a heavy mid-winter meal meant to warm the soul from the bitter cold outside? Or is it a light spring meal where some people didn’t even order meat; and salads are the main event? These can give important clues.  Another easy thing to do is simple gather some of this information and then ask. 

                Tell the server what everyone appears to be in the mood for and they will gladly explain which wine would be best for everyone, they will even take price range into account for guests. It is the sommelier’s job after all to recommend wine to the guests and to decode the often baffling wine list for them.  Of course if picking out wine is too much of a stretch at the moment than settle on some Will Bullas art and maybe save the wine decision for another time.

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Taste The Origin

The French have a word for wine’s ability to carry a sense of where it is from through the taste it has, terrior. This word can refer to qualities that the wine gets from the content of the soil the grapes are grown in as well as the water they were irrigated with.  The closest to terrior in English is the American coined word “somewhereness” and while it is a mouthful it captures the spirit of the French word.  To really taste a wine with some somewhereness look for single vineyard wines instead of wine that has been combined into regional blends or multiple grape blends even. This way the mineral, smooth or other qualities of the wine that were given by its terrain will be clearly evident to all. 

                Try having some friends over to try and see who can best taste the terrain qualities of the wines sitting happily in wine decanters.  This may be a taste bud trial, so to make things easier look for professional reviews of wines from the area and figure out the somewhereness or even see if wine reviewers have provided profiles of various regions.  People can even have favorite vineyards, not just a fondness for a region.

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Wine For Mom

While a nice little bottle of wine may seem like a great thing to include in the offerings for mother’s day, make sure not to skimp on the wine’s quality.  Multiple studies have shown that women have a more acute sense of smell and taste than men or even children.  Yale even discovered that there is a chunk of the population that has more taste buds than the rest of the human population and that women are in the majority of this group.  Because while wine making and tasting has traditionally been a man’s activity, many women are edging their way into the field and making it common place for women to be respected for their tasting ability.  So if getting a bottle of wine for mom still seems like a good idea than make sure it is of good quality.  

                But if picking out a mom approved wine seems too intimidating for this mother’s day, another option is to get them some rhino wine gear and let them pick the wine that is to go in it later.  That way the selection is all on their more sensitive noses and tongues.

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Is wine vegan?

A growing number of people are choosing to live vegetarian or even vegan for either the ethical or health benefits but this is leading to a lot of serious looking into everyday foods and drinks.  Wine would seem vegan at first glance wouldn’t it? Grapes and yeast, nothing from a living animal; but it gets complicated when the details are taken into account. So before putting anything in those wine bags, do some research on the company, some even put this information on their labels for the growing vegan and vegetarian population.

Wine is actually very cloudy with grape skin and yeast when it is being made, to clear this makers have to use something that will trap the particles and carry them to the bottom. A lot of wine makers use egg whites or casein, a milk protein, to achieve this. If that is the case the wine is no longer vegan but still vegetarian.  Of course even vegetarians will still need to label check and research which wine is okay to drink because not all vintners use those products.  Some wine makers choose to use edible gelatins made from animal bones, which would make the wine no longer vegetarian either.

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Spring Rose

It is clearly spring, beautiful and full blooming spring.  While it can be a fickle season with lots of rain and sun alike, there is one thing that suits spring all of the time; rose.  Of course this isn’t the flowers, rose wine.  The lovely pink wines are just juicy enough to make everything more sunny and full of life.  While a lot of different roses are available to put in three bottle wine totes for that get-together or cook-out with friends, it is best to look for rose wines that are distinctive. 

                Many think that rose wine tastes more like white zinfandel than anything else, but there are rose wines out there with flavors so unique that they can range from something like a mineraly and fruity explosion to almost sparkling wine with a fruit punch kick.  Common is not really in a rose’s taste, fruit is as close to common as it can be pinned down because all kinds of fruit from watermelon, strawberry, raspberry, apple, grapefruit and lime are easily found in good roses.  While it may not seem manly to be drinking a pink wine, get over it and join the women because everyone deserves to enjoy this fun and fruity way to luxuriate in spring’s fine weather.

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In Memory

Perhaps it is time to take a minute out of the day and remember the late Jess Jackson, wine pioneer and good guy.  A visionary that, with his first wife, developed the Kendell-Jackson brand and successfully popularized premium wines to the mass market; even giving chardonnay its current household staple status.  Also a great fan of horses and racing, Jess was a classic entrepreneur where every career he tried gave him a great deal of success.  This great name in wine and the vintner world died of cancer in his California home, an accomplished man.  

                Most people had never thought much about chardonnay until Jess Jackson had a feeling it would be a hit.  He was also vocal in the unfair practice that a lot of states have that force wine to pass through multiple distributors, increasing the consumer’s paying price.  He has many friends who will miss him and a great many fans of chardonnay that may have no idea who to thank for the wine they always keep in the house from four bottle wine carriers.  But do not mourn the man, thank him and follow the entrepreneurial spirit that runs America.

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Quick Pan Sauce with Wine

 One of the marks of a great home cook and professional chef alike is the ability to make a good sauce from the pan drippings, as they are called, and wine or stock.  While the idea is a bit intimidating to some, it is actually the very simple to master pan sauces.  The pan drippings that are a lot of the flavor in this pan sauce come from the bottom of the pan after roasting or sautéing the chicken, fish, beef or vegetables that this sauce is going to put on.  These little brown, caramelized bits are usually stuck to the bottom of the pan pretty good, but there is an easy way to get them all off, right after the pan comes off the heat add some wine and scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  The hot pan will heat the wine so that the alcohol evaporates immediately but it also unstuck the roasted bits from the pan.   This is now a delicious pan sauce made with wine and pan drippings. Of course the sauce can be added to with herbs or citrus or thickened with flour but it is still the same basically. 

Of course things still may need a bit of getting the hang of and it sounds like too much of a culinary stretch than maybe it is best to stick with Will Bullas Wine Art. But for those who want to make their own style of wine art can try again. If the first sauce was bitter than the pan drippings were burnt, this is the most common problem so just try again.

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Eat Right For The Wine In Napa

The Napa, Sonoma Valley area of California is known almost exclusively for being one of America’s best wine regions but wine attracts other culinary delights and the area is now becoming more and more known for its plethora of fine dining and exquisite eating.  Wine is at its best when paired right with the foods around it, how better much better could it get than to serve local wine right alongside food from the same area.  It just makes sense that the wine and food will be at their best like this, so lots of aspiring chefs have set up shop in Napa to take advantage of the opportunity.  Of course a trip to Napa is not a must to eat with grape vines in view; it is easier to plan a picnic at a local vineyard.  If the vineyard is less than 100 miles away the food from a local grocery or farmers market will have veggies and meat from the same area as the wine from the winery. 

Fine chefs know for a fact foods from the same area are meant to go with each other. Vintners are just as wise as chefs in this matter too because they know the delicate smells and tastes hidden in their wine because of the terrain and see the sense in local food pairing well with their wine.  This being said surely no winery that offers tours could not find a suitable place for some people to have lunch with a bottle of their wine and wine picnic baskets.

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When To Drink Which Wine

It has been proven time and again that the price of the wine doesn’t dictate better quality. This would imply that knowledge of wine is a better asset in shopping for wine than a big budget.  Use this information to buy wine smart and to know when it is a good idea to break out the pricier bottles.  Be adventurous and try new brands to find value priced diamonds in the rough and look for these trusted names when next shopping for a value bottle of wine, if wine from a certain vineyard was good once than it should remain of good quality.  This doesn’t mean though that an inexpensive bottle will be good from a brand that has excellent but high priced wine.  Before too long though it will be easy to find wine gifts with a bottle of wine to go with, no matter the price range. 

                But when is it okay to serve these value find wines and when is it a good idea to dust off that treasure? Well ask this: would the guests enjoy a new wine or would they be offended that they weren’t offered the best? Can the guests or person to receive the gift enjoy a good wine? IF they are willing to try new things than it may be more fun to show off that steal of a wine that no one else would think to get because it was under $30.

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Pick Spain for Value

Every wine country is known for something other than wine.  French wine in general is known as refined and upscale for example.  But Spain, Spain is known for its plain value.  Ask anyone fond of spanish wine and they will say that the best part of wine from Spain is that even a sixteen dollar bottle is high quality wine that anyone should be proud to serve to their in-laws. 

Take a Segura Viudas Reserva Brut Sparkling, it is only a $16 bottle from Spain but it has a crisp flavor that is combined with a rich yeastiness to make a true experiance. While it is easy to find in even common town liquor stores it has stony minerality and red apple tones in the bouquet.  The Spanish pride themselves on having simple, good wine without any tricks or high price tag. This extreme pride goes toward insuring that every vintage taste just as lovely as it can, because if the grapes are good than the vintner should do all he can not to let them down.  Cava, sparkling Spanish wine, is still made in the traditional manner because it is believed that that is why it is so clean and fresh tasting.  Two bottle wine totes and very little money are all it takes to enjoy the pride of Spain at home.

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Cooking with Wine

This is a little bit different than pairing wine to go with the finished meal because wine tends to change just slightly when it is cooked. For starters the alcohol evaporates and the sulfides dissipate into the air too; also the flavors are concentrated.  A slightly oaked wine may taste lovely when drank with a fish dish, but trying to add that wine to the sauce of the fish may result in the oak flavor ruining the lemony lightness of it.  In general though picking a wine to cook with isn’t a fine art; it just is as simple as picking a wine that tastes good and than giving a try. Sometimes cooking ventures don’t work, but a lot of the time a person’s mouth knows what it wants and will guide the making of the dish. 

                Cooking with wine does have a few little rules, or rather hints that should be followed to make the meal go smoothly.  Only use wine in one dish, making all of the sauces and marinades in a meal from wine can get very monotonous, even if different wines are used.  The wine used in the dish being served does not have to be in the wine decanters on the table, it is okay to drink a different wine than what was cooked with.  But above all it is about flavor and enjoyment, so follow recipes at first than get a feel for cooking with wine; than impress people.

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Wine and Lamb

Easter is next Sunday and while most people will already have meal plans, some may be asked to bring a bottle of wine or dessert to a family brunch or Easter dinner.  While the dessert is easy, just pick a family favorite or something easily prepared; but picking a wine to go with a meal can be a little harder when the menu is a mystery.  Feel free to call and ask what is being served. A common Easter dish is lamb though so if learning what will be served is not an option it is okay to assume lamb may be the main dish. 

Picking which wine to put in wine totes for the occasion means thinking on one of two paths complement or contrast. A good wine to conplement a citrus flavored leg of lamb is a lightly oaked, citrusy chardonnay. The citrus notes in both make the meat and wine meld their flavors and bloom together.  On the contrast side of things would be a wine that counters the lambs succulance of fat and salt with high acid such as sauvignon blanc or a slighlty dry champagne.  Of course pairing wine with food is not an science so much as an art, sometimes unusual combinations that no one would have thought of, work just as great as the tried and true pairings.

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Earth Day is Coming

On the 20th of this month is a holiday that tends to get a notice, but little celebration. Earth Day is all about respect for the planet we call home but it also a day to celebrate the Earth. Thinking like that it just makes sense to have an eco-friendly party for the world, like a birthday party for the planet.  Of course green things and other bright natural colors are the first thing to come to most peoples' minds when told to think about this time of year because the Earth is coming alive again after winter, so it makes sense to celebrate now.  Aside from getting guests for the party all that is needed to have the best Earth day possible is some light red wine fill four bottle wine bags and get some of the springs bounty to snack on while everyone chats about Earth friendly living or just whatever it is that comes to guests' minds.   Some of the best things to serve at an Earth day party are a light red wine that has flavor hints at the fruits soon to come into season like berries or a white with fruit hints like peach or apple.  These wines match the light hearted mood of the holiday and can be served with almost any of the seasonal greens or light spring food favorites.

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Wine Keg Trend

A new trend is becoming popular with resturants wine kegs. This technology is part of the green movement that attempts to reduce waste made and recycle wherever possible to prolong the life of the planet. Wine kegs are a hint of genius for the green movement and resturant owner's alike. The kegs are reusable and require less material than dozens of glass bottles and benefit resturants because wine sold by the glass tends to oxidize when in the bottle.  The kegs are used and than cleaned and returned to the winery.

The savings from using wine kegs are clear for everyone involved in it.  The packaging cost of a case of wine can be as high as $40 while a wine keg holds  about three cases worth and costs just $30 apiece.  And again the resturant saves money by reducing the waste of wine sold by the glass that oxidzes.   The savings to the environmet are even clearer when recycable wine kegs are used.  But the savings of wine kegs are not as apparent to the consumor, they should try some nice wine art instead to have a reminder of wine love that doesn't cost money or require the same upkeep as a wine cellar or other tribute to wine.

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Spring Wine

Some types of wine are just clearly intended for a specific season, and with spring completely here now it makes sense to find a wine to show tribute to  the season.  Spring is all about filling three bottle wine carriers with wine that mimics the light and sweet flavors of the season.  A great match for the bright green and bloming flowers of spring is sauvignon blanc.  The dry, crispness of sauvingnon blanc with its charecteristic grassy, herbaceous notes couldn't be more like spring.  In fact the citrus flavors common in the wine are great for light spring meals.

New Zealand is a major producor of sauvingnon blanc and its variety is particularly ggreat for spring and spring like pairings because it tends to have an undertone of tropical fruit flavor.  But California makes great sauvignon too, while sometimes called fume blanc on te label it still is what a fan of sauvignon would look for. The only differance in the California version is that a little bit of oak flavor may be introduced.  Plenty of other spring wines are out there, it is just as easy to get something too sweet or deep flavored that will not suit the season.  Shop carefully and enjoy.

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The Right Glass Matters

It is clear from the sheer variety of wine glasses that the glass can make a differnce in the enjoyment of wine.  Of course all of glasses can be a bit confusing for the average wine drinker, even true wine lovers are'nt always sure why the right glass is the right one. Some basic Rhino wine gear and know how can transform even a basic bottle of wine into an experiance. 

While the tallness of the stem of thickness of the bowl are just as much aestestic as appearance, but the shape of the bowl is essential.  Tall, thin champagne flutes are shaped as they are because it showcases the pretty bubbles without letting all of it fizz away.  White wine is at its best in slightly smaller than average tulip shaped glasses because they keep the small amount of wine cool where a larger amount may get too warm.  Reds on the other hand go just fine in larger bowls but they need a larger opening to areate the wine more.  A simple medium bowl with a tulip shape works well for most wine, just make sure that the opening is large enough to areate reds and that it doesn't get filled as much to keep whites cool and crisp like they should be.

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Dessert Wine

Dessert wine is widely popular, but use caution because not all wine that is sweet will make a good treat.  A good idea to find a dessert wine favorite is to have some friends, four bottle wine totes, and a few sweet tid bits over for some fun. While a sweet wine tasting may be uncommon, it is a good idea. A study recently showed that most wine is not actually drank with a meal, most often they are enjoyed after a meal, as dessert, or as a simple enjoyment all on its own.  The fact that more wine is drank with dessert than with a meal means that knowing what pairs nicely with chocolate or fresh fruit is more important to know than what wine goes with chicken or fish. 

A dark, sweet red with hints of red berries will make a great dessert with a little bit of dark chocolate or light cake.  For a lighter dessert though try some fresh fruit like melon and a slightly sweet white wine. Try not to let the wine be the most sugary thing for dessert though, or it may come off as cloying instead of an indulgant treat earned after a long day.

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