Wine Tasting Party Tips – Wine Tasting Party Ideas

When in doubt on what to buy a person as a gift, there always remains the option of giving wine gift baskets. They can be a welcome change of pace for the recipient. Instead spring a bit of a surprise on them and use your imagination t come up with something that is truly lovely as well as thoughtful. Here we will talk about some things that can be done with wine gift baskets.

Once you have decided that a wine gift basket is the perfect thing to mark the occasion that you need a gift for, you can then go about the task of planning it out. You need to put the wine in something. Seeing as most people drink wine chilled, an ice bucket makes a perfect choice for a container.

Try putting a corkscrew in the bucket as well. Many people are in need of this item when they want to open up a bottle of wine. I know in my own experience that it can never be found at the time that a person needs it. So, with this in mind it could be the perfect item to go with the wine.

Also a good option as a companion to the wine that you are giving is cheese. There are many different kinds to choose from and you can select one that will amplify the taste of the wine selection that you have made for the recipient.

Throw some crackers into the wine gift baskets that you create as well. This can give them a bit of everything when they open the gift. Some good wine and crackers can be a very nice way for a person or people to relax.

If the gift is for a couple that is getting married, or celebrating an anniversary, they might like a pretty set of wine glasses that can mark the occasion for them. They will remember the thoughtfulness of the gift they received every time that they have a glass of wine from them.

Wine gift baskets are a way that a person can use their imagination. Take a bit of time and think of the many different things that you can do and how they apply to the person that you are thinking of doing this for. Once you have some ideas, put them to work for you. When you are done you will have a gift that will be loved by the recipient.

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Host a wine tasting and you and your friends will get to explore the characteristics of different wines. Tasting wine involves the sensory evaluation of wine, and includes noticing the color and aroma, and the taste and feel of the wine on the palate with the aim of determining the quality of the wine and its suitability for drinking now or potential for aging. While in your sensory journey exploring the characteristics of the wine you will discover its many different facets and detect any flaws that the wine might have. However , the main aim of wine tasting is to enjoy yourself.

When assessing the quality of a wine, you should attempt to gauge the overall complexity of its aroma and flavor. Concentrate on factors such as intensity, fruitiness, sweetness or acidity as well as noting how long the taste of the wine remains on the palate after tasting which determines the length of the finish.

If you haven’t already tried it you’ll find wine tasting to be a fun and enjoyable experience to share. Hold your wine tasting in your own home or the home of someone you know, or you and a group can visit one of the many companies that offer wine tasting sessions. If you have your own basement wine cellar, then holding a wine tasting event is a great way to entertain fellow wine lovers.

If you’re not comfortable choosing the wines yourself for the tasting there are companies that offer to organize the event plus the wine for you. If you’d prefer to taste the wines from just one wine region you can arrange a tasting at a vineyard. An well organized wine tasting event will be both enjoyable and educational.

Learning how to taste wine will add a new level to your existing wine knowledge, give you an opportunity to taste a range of wines from different wine growing regions and you could even decide to build a wine cellar in a closet.

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If you’re hooked on wine making, you understand the importance of obtaining some good do-it-yourself wine recipes.  It is easy to to test your own blends if you are adventurous, and of course this can be a part of the fun associated with creating your personal wine, but particularly if you’re a novice you need to stick to the wine recipes to the tee.

As soon as you are a little more skilled, you can start experimenting using different fruit mixes and sugar amounts. Mulled wines tend to be an excellent option to hot cocoas, ciders, plus other such drinks. Combine a quarter cup of brandy, about 10  cloves, 2/3 cup of sugar, some entire cinnamon sticks, as well as  a tsp of ginger or perhaps allspice. It is possible to try out this simple wine recipe with the addition of some favorite pureed fruit or fruit juice, or perhaps by using honey rather than sugar as a sweetener. By utilizing different types of red wines, you will also be capable of getting either more robust or milder tastes.

Apple wine can also be a favorite for home made wines, and although this convenient apple wine recipe is a tad lengthier, it’s going to produce a great result. The wine blend is merely 2 containers of frozen apple juice  and 4 cups of sugar,  with about 2-1/2 quarts of water. Much like most simple wine recipes, you boil the sugar in about a quart of water right up until it is dissolved, and add this to the apple juice. Add around Six teaspoons of acid blend, a campden tablet, a quarter teaspoon of grapes tannin, a 1 / 2 tsp of pectic enzyme, plus a package of wine yeast. You can now prepare it just like you would any other wine.

Since this is one of the simplest home made wine recipe there is, you possibly can experiment with it simply by mixing the apple juice together with other fruit juices. Half apple juice and half grape juice will be good; cherry or blackberry juice works nicely as well.

You can also alter this particular homemade wine recipe by eliminating the apple altogether and using half grape juice and fifty percent grapefruit juice.

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The growing number of celebrity names (alive and dead) associated with wine seems to be a trend that’s almost irresistible.True, we haven’t yet had a Michael Jackson cabernet, but the vineyards are crawling with vintages from dead celebrities including Elvis Presley (Elvis Blue Suede Chardonnay 2001, Jailhouse Red Merlot 2002, and Blue Christmas Cabernet 2002) and the Jerry Garcia (Garcia Cabernet Sauvignon 2001) to name but two.Many other breathing celebs such as Sting, Olivia Newton John, Bob Dylan and former Bond girl Carole Bouquet (excellent name for a winemaker!) have recently started hawking their own wines or associating themselves with commercial vintages.

But before you consider breaking these publicity seekers on wine racks it’s best to realise that some seem to be doing it for the right reason: they are interested in making good wines.French actor Gerard Depardieu produces an excellent Lys de Volan Condrieu 2003 with the acclaimed Northern Rhone winemaker Alain Paret.Without doubt, the dean of serious celebrity winemakers has to be Francis Ford Coppola.A wine buff from his childhood days on Long Island, Coppola got into the wine business in 1975,using the earnings from the Godfather movies to purchase most of Napa Valley’s Inglenook estate.  He has been one of the seminal figures in the valley’s rise to international acclaim and Niebaum-Coppola wines still command a dedicated following and make excellent wine gifts.

Other equally serious and perhaps unexpected wine making celebs include golfing greats Ernie Els and Greg Norman who own vineyards in South Africa and Australia, respectively.The Greg Norman Limestone Coast Shiraz 2002 is quite restrained on the palate (particularly welcome in an Australian syrah).At the other end of the seriusness spectrum must be Australian cricketer Shane Warne.  More used to a bottle opener than a corkscrew from his hard partying days, Warne’s foray into more genteel booze was greeted with a certain scepticism that he did nothing to dampen.He confessed it took him a while to understand what chardonnay was, what red wine is and what made the difference between a red and a white wine!

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There are a few points you should know to enhance your judgment as to what makes a good wine and its taste. One factor is that the wine is made from fermented grape juice. But you should know a few other things, such as the grape varieties wines are made from and the process of wine making itself.

There are many different kinds of wines, and the more commonly known ones – red, white, rose and champagne – are only a few of many. Wines are usually classified according to the grape varieties used to make them. One grape variety, the Barbera, is often used for red wine. This variety is grown mainly in Piedmont, Italy, but is quite adaptable to other regions, and is also grown on a limited scale in the United States. Barbera grapes have a high natural acidity and produce wines with a full-bodied fruity taste.

A Few Different Wine Varieties

There is a vast selection when choosing one of the many varieties of wine. Wine enthusiasts all know about one variety grown in many parts of the world, the Cabernet Sauvignon. Grown primarily in Medoc, France, this grape variety has found its way to California, Australia and other wine-making countries. Wine enthusiasts would consider Cabernet Sauvignon wines to be among the best red wines in the world. These wines have a distinct aromatic flavor, and have hints of the taste of berries, olives, coffee, mint and herbs all blended together. One of the most popular white wine varieties and producing some of the world’s finest, is the Chardonnay. The varieties and types are overwhelming at times, but you don’t take long to become familiar with all the wine values.

A basic understanding of the wine-making process is important to a wine enthusiast especially if he intends to go into wine production, if only for his personal use. Wine making is an age-old technology and is really simple. It is not necessary to have sophisticated equipment to make wines.

First you have to know what type of grapes to use, where they are grown, the right age for picking, and things like acidity and sugar levels. If you want a particular aromatic flavor, you should be able to tell which grapes will produce that kind of flavor. After the  picking comes the pressing to extract the juices, then fermentation.

Fermentation is quite a delicate process. To stimulate the fermentation process, yeast is added to the juice. In simple terms, fermentation is the conversion of the sugar in the juice into alcohol. The success of your grape juice turning into good wine, is the kind of yeast used and the absence of any contaminants getting into the mixture during the entire process.

There is so much more to understanding the differences between a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the knowledge to the types of wine available is a small start for the wine enthusiast.

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A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to enjoy a bit of a boozy weekend in Dublin. My husband had been invited over by a supplier of the firm he works for.  Everything was paid for and all that we had to do was make our way to the airport for our flight.

We were met at the airport by our host and he swiftly whisked us off to his house so we could unpack.  My jaw nearly dropped when I saw the size of his house – it was huge.  He had everything you could possibly want – a swimming pool, tennis court, sauna, gym and even a cinema room.

Waiting for us in his kitchen was some beautiful Australian wine, nicely chilled in a wine cooler and bottle openers all ready to go.

Our host was a real wine buff and has his own wine rack down in his cellar. He imports a lot of wine from Australia and was explaining that the cellar has to be kept at just the right temperature, which is quite difficult at times.  He went on to say that if conditions aren’t correct, then that’s when problems can happen.  An example he was telling us was that if the humidity is too high in the cellar then this makes the corks dry out and in turn would allow air to get into the bottle and oxidise the wine, which would be disastrous.

After we had finished our drinks we were off for a night in the Temple Bar area. We had a brilliant night and the Irish are so friendly.  Nothing is too much trouble and they are really genuine people.  My husband was in his element drinking his beloved Guinness.  I think the next morning through he was wishing he hadn’t drunk quite so much.

We had a brilliant weekend and it is certainly something I would love to do again.  If we go again though, I think perhaps we shouldn’t drink quite so much alcohol!

Technorati Tags: Bottle Openers, wine, Wine Coolers, wine rack

Original article published at Off Track Planet – the Backpacking Travel Guide. 

Booze is our escape from the reason and logic bestowed on us by the powers that be.   From Pabst to top shelf black labels of this and that, we all have our stories of drinking, getting drunk and getting retarded. We have all done the keg house parties, jungle juice gatherings and endless shot for shot competitions.  At this point, we bet your liver is begging you to stop drinking that purple drank but before you give in to its pleas, let us show you how to booze it up just a little more;  this time with style and worldly culture.  Here’s a lucky list of 7 traditional drinks around the world (and 3 complimenting hangover cures).

Caipirinha (lime wedges, granulated sugar and Sagatiba Pura)

Acclaimed as the national drink of Brazil, this sugary cocktail contains cachaca, a rum-like liquor with a sad, but true, history.  Brought over by Portuguese settlers, cachaca was given to slaves to increase productivity (seems counter-productive but sure why not?).   After slavery was outlawed in 1888, all Brazilians began whipping these suckers up for themselves to enjoy.  The Caipirinha pairs well with a white linen shirt, coconutty sunscreen and a lay on a warm Brazilian beach.

Sangria (bottle of wine, sliced fruit, honey, triple sec and a big pitcher)

The jungle juice of Spain, this beverage is traditionally enjoyed in groups (hence the pitcher).  Since wine in Spain is insanely cheap (we’re talking less than a dollar per bottle, even cheaper for a box if you’re really scrounging), this drink is quite popular among the backpacking elite.  The type of wine used and the fruit thrown inside vary regionally, with the red (“sangre” or “blood” in Spanish) version being the most popular.

Single Malt Scotch in Scotland (single-malt, nothing else needed)

The “single” part means only one grain (barley) is used.  To “malt” means to distill in an oak cask.  The “scotch” part, well that’s the most important.  Single malt scotch is ONLY considered such if it is made in Scotland and aged for no less than three years.  If you’re man (woman) enough, we dare you to gather up some hostelmates and go on one of these distillery tours.  Pricing is specific to your group’s size and preferences.  The tour includes a designated driver.  One thing for sure, all of you will leave smelling like drunken Scotsmen (and women).

Elephant’s Ear (Marula Tree Juice, Mangos for garnish)

The presentation of this one is the key.  A South African classic, this drink is traditionally served with two ear-shaped dried mango pieces attached to your glass.  Why elephants? The symbolism lies in that various animals, including elephants, eat the fruit of the Marula tree regularly.  The tree bears fruit with a high alcoholic content which often makes the animals drunk as hell.  We don’t know how you feel, but we think this guy needs to go to AAA (animal alcoholics anonymous) pronto.

The Pisco Sour (Pisco, lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup and bitters)

You put “sour” after any word and it sounds like you have drink ordering authority; it’s very James Bondish.   This Peruvian drink wields so much power that it has a national holiday (National Pisco Sour Day happens the first Saturday of February).  Mostly a great excuse to get the entire nation drunk, this holiday celebrates the concoction and its rebellious origins.  In the 1700s, Spanish colonialists brought the grape to Peru.  During that time, making wine was prohibited.  People came up with prohibition era uses for grapes that weren’t quite wine but still had a high enough alcoholic content to keep people happily intoxicated.  Pisco (a brandy-like grape liquor) was born and became Peru’s local drink of choice.

Samagonka (ingredients: the devil and his friends)

Russians drink vodka, not a big surprise and this type of vodka is the most authentic of all.  Forget Absolute and Stolichnaya, Samagonka is the general name for vodka that has been distilled in a basement . . . at home . . . from potatoes.  Most retailers in Russia will not carry it, so to get a taste you have to put your social skills to work.  Old Russian men will always have at least a liter of this stuff sitting around.  Befriend one and you will be taking shots with the pros (and chasing those shots with pickles and cold cuts) in no time.  If you get really friendly, please refer to the conveniently provided hangover cures at the end of this article.   

Mojito (Mint, Rum, Sugar, Lime and Soda)

Cubans are brilliant!  Their national cocktail is both a breath-freshener (all that mint) and a panty-dropper (inhibitions cannot withstand this sweet liquid rum candy).  We hail it the perfect hook-up drink.  The name has been rumored to mean two different things.  One interpretation comes from the Spanish word for “a little wet” (well that’s suggestive) and the other is from an African word for “a little spell”.  Either way, we’re pretty sure the mojito is how Ricky got Lucy. 

3 HANGOVER CURES… 

Bloody Mary  (shot of vodka, tomato juice, celery stick, squeeze of lemon, few shakes of cayenne pepper)

A drink to cure a hangover? Can’t be true.  The infamous breakfast Bloody Mary contains tomato juice which is rumored to dilute the ouchy effects of a bad hangover (the spicy cayenne is there to kick you in the balls so you reconsider overdrinking next time).  Invented by a French guy in New York, this drink combines the tomato and “hair of the dog” hangover cures and is sure to have you on your way to recovery (or perpetual drunken ‘I don’t give a shit’ world).

Sleep

Need to get from Brazil (where you had one too many Caipirinhas) to Peru (to celebrate National Pisco Sour Day)?  Book the longest red-eye bus ride available.  This way, not only are you saving money by taking the turtle route, you sleep the entire time and the hangover becomes yesterday’s news.  Employ these safety techniques while you snooze the booze away and you’ll be golden.

Hydrate

Hard to do when alcohol is safer than water in third world countries but a must to cure your dehydrated partied-out self.  Most bottled water is fine so buy in bulk and drink at least 16 oz before going to bed post-party.  This is also a great time to whip out those water-purifying tablets we told you about.  Stay moist friends.

Between the cheap beers and boxed wine, that random jungle juice and straight shots, give these traditional drinks a try in their countries of origin.  Chances are their American versions pale in comparison and you get no bragging rights for drinking mojitos at your local boozery (like you would if you had one on a beach in Copacabana).  

For more, check out Off Track Planet - Backpacking Travel Guide, Tips, Resources, Advice, Ideas and How-to’s.

Written/Edited By: Anna Starostinetskaya 

Created By: Freddie Pikovsky

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Australia has long been considered a big player in the global wine industry and this has to a large extent been down to its ideal grape growing conditions. However, Fiji and New Zealand have also come onto the scene in recent years and has increased their market share largely as a result of their flexible wine producing policies.

There was recent debate about the moral ramifications about being able to produce rosé by blending white and red together. Rosé is normally made by separating the juice from the red grape skins before too much of the red colour can be absorbed into the liquid. However, just mixing small quantities of red wine into white is the method that has seen a massive rise in popularity recently…a result of the recession forcing cheaper production methods to be adopted.

Countries such as France, widely considered the finest wine producing country in the world, were not best pleased with this “mutilation” of rosé wine and did not agree for it to be sold in their country, or even be given as wine gifts. However, those countries that have not set such strict rules for themselves, such as those in Australasia and Eastern Europe have profited from their liberalism. A spokesman from the New Zealand alcohol authority defended his country’s move by stating that people are free to consume whichever wine they wish. All rosé wine produced using the ‘blending method’ is clearly marked as such, and has a lower retail price than the classic wine. The spokesman argued that if people can make milk chocolate in a thousand different ways, why can the same not be done for rosé?

A number of the countries in Australasia have even started fully blending standard wine varieties together to get new drinks.In Fiji for example you can buy Chenin Blanc mixed with Pinot Grigio and Tempranillo blended with Cabernet Franc. Fiji seem to have similar opinions to the wine makers in New Zealand and have said that they are able to blend their wine just as well as a whisky maker might blend two single malts to make a great blended drink. They state that companies all over the world, and in particular Scotland, produce some very fine blended whiskies that not only often taste superior to single malts, but that are also able to sell at more modest prices. Next they will be telling us which tableware we must use when consuming the wine, stated one official.

The natives of Fiji have really taken a liking to this new blended wine, with around 150,000 bottles sold last year alone. This might not sound like the largest figure in the world, but when you consider that the population of the country is little over 800,000, you soon realise how popular it actually is. There are plans to start exporting this fully blended wine very soon and given the fact they are able to undercut many ‘single malt’ wine produces, they are almost certain to do well.

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If you’re like me, you like your wine…a lot, and you drink it after work, with a special meal, or for a particular occasion. You may have a bottle or two around the house. That’s what I always did, that way I was always ready for a last minute guest or event, but I didn’t know one thing: how to store my wine properly.

There’s a lot of wine rules and standards that a bunch of wine enthusiast follow, but Ii was never one to follow them. I just figured knowing the simple stuff would be enough. At first, I didn’t use a crystal wine decanter or even gave a second thought to the type of wine glasses I was using. This went for how I stored my wine as well. But then, on a lark, I thought I would try storing my bottles the way you are supposed to, and believe or not, the taste improved dramatically, so even if you aren’t overly consumed by the latest wine rules, consider this one on wine storage a staple.

Temperature: First off, no matter what type of wine you have on hand, it should always be stored in a cool setting-yes! This is why people have wine cellars for optimal taste! The best temperature for wine storage is approximately 55 degrees F.Any warmer than this temperature and you will definitly notice a difference in the taste of your wine. Moreover, make sure that the temperature is steady and not subject to fluctuation, as this will dramatically alter the contents of your wine bottle.

Light: Make sure if you want your wine to retain its original full flavor, that you store it in a place where not a lot of light can get at it. Wine that sits in the sunlight for long periods of time will prematurly age your wine in a bad way.

Humidity: It’s not the heat it’s the humidity, keeping humidity level right are another key to optimal wine storage. It should be, on average, more humid than not in order to keep the wine corks from shrinking. Air will oxidize your wine, so make sure you don’t get cork shrinkage. So, what should the average humidity be for wine storage? Between 65-75%. So it only makes sense that basements and cellars are perfect for wine storage.

Sideways: This may seem a strange one to some, it did to me, but there has got to be a reason so many wine racks and cellars hold their wine bottles sideways instead of upright, right? Yes. It is because in order to ensure that the cork is protected from shrinking, it needs not to dry out. This said, keeping a bottle of wine on its side, keeps the wine in constant contact with the cork, thereby keeping it moist.

Travel: When traveling with your wine, you know, to a party or to a BYOB resaurant be sure to use a wine bottle bag.  This will help keep your wine at the right temperature and keep it protected from bouncing around.

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Deciding on the best way to let your wine breathe can be a difficult one.  When I open a bottle of wine, I am ready to relax with my glass of wine. I generally don’t have much patience for allowing it to breathe.  Why do we let wine breathe?  By letting your wine breathe or aerate it allows for the full flavors to emerge and make the wine more palatable. While there are many wines that do not need to go through this process, it is good to know the little details that can make a big difference. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your wine to its fullest potential.

The reason why wines needs to breathe, or age, is because of tannins. Tannins can transfer into wine during the fermentation process from seeds and skins of grapes. Fuller flavors will begin to surface when the tannins, which acts like a natural presevative, begin to break down. White wines and some red wines have low levels of these and therefore do not need aging, or periods of breathing, before drinking. Generally all red wines can benefit from aeration, but those that are lighter and fruitier generally don’t require much aeration.

The term breathing refers to the mixing of oxygen with wine allowing the breakdown of tannins. When you use a decanter your are allowing the wine to mix with oxygen, allowing fuller flavors engulf your taste buds.

If you choose to allow your wine to breathe, you still have one more decision to make. Do you use a decanter or an aerator? If you have at least an hour to let your wine breathe, then go ahead and use your decanter. This is plenty of time for your wine to mix with oxygen and for its full flavors to emerge.Pour your bottle of wine, or the portion you want to drink, into the decanter and let it remain there.  The more surface area if the wine that is exposed to air,  the sooner you will be able to enjoy.

If you just opened a bottle of wine five minutes before guests arrived, or you are only wanting to drink a single glass, decantors may not be the best way to aerate your wine.An aerator achieves the same end result as a decanter but in a fraction of the time. There are two types, one that you hold over your glass as you pour or ones that you place directly into the bottle and acts as a wine pourer.

The Vinturi wine aerator allows you to speed up the breathing process by mixing the perfect amount of air for the perfect amount of time to bring out the color, aroma, and flavor of your wines. All you do is pour your glass of wine through the aerator. Wine stains on your counter top will not occur with the Vinturi. They come with a drip free stand that eliminates the need to clean up drops of wine.

The second option, which is more user friendly especially for multi-tasking person, is the Wine Finer by Nuance . Pour a perfectly oxygen enhanced glass of wine with this easy to use aerator. Just insert the Wine Finer in the bottle and pour the wine into a glass, the wine is aerated by the Wine Finer as it is being poured into the glass. One glass at a time, you can enjoy the full flavors that aerating allows. After pouring, just place to top on the bottle as you would a cork.

So before you decide whether to get yourself a decanter or an aerator, consider your time constraints. Make sure you have the time to wait for the decanter or be safe and allow your wine to breath immediately with Vinturi or Wine Finer.

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