by Fran Benavidez
How to Go Wine Tasting By Fran Benavidez In recent times, wine tasting has ripened into a very chic activity, leaving many people bottled up with a great deal of confusion as to how it’s done. So, grab a glass and a shapely bottle of something with an alcohol %, and join me as we uncork the exquisite mystery of tasting wine. First, pick a designated driver, one who has either lost his taste buds or is too young to drink. Better yet, rent a limo so you and your tasting amigos can enjoy the fruits of the valley’s labor free from guilt and wreckage. Your loved ones will thank you later. Choose a Flight Wine tasting can involve some fairly rigorous standing f...
by Laurie Forster
Which comes first - the food or the wine? This is a common debate at the Forster dinner table. I met my husband, Chef Michael Forster, at a food and wine pairing class eight years ago and we have been discussing the topic ever since. When we go out to dinner, I like to first select the wine and then pick an entrée that works with my favorite wine. Michael instead thinks the food should come first and then the wine should be selected that enhances the dish. Just like any great relationship, we have both had to learn to balance and compromise to make these dining experiences fun for both of us. Understanding the concepts used for food and wine pairing can be quite similar to understanding the dynamics of personal relationships. Use the following tips to simplify your wine and food pai...
by Laurie Forster
Seems like this time of year the bubbly is flowing and there are just so many things worthy of a great toast. Whether it’s a big success at work, a new addition to your family or just making it through another holiday shopping season, there are many reasons to raise your glass. It is often said that giving a great toast is a dying art in America and I am hoping this year we can collectively create a renaissance. Use the helpful tips below to create and deliver a memorable toast. Just take a deep breath and whip out your fabulous toast at your next holiday function. Your friends will be inspired, your boss will be impressed and who knows, you might just get that raise next year! Remember as Robert Louis Stevenson was once quoted “Wine is bottled poetry.” I couldn’t have sai...
by Byron Carman
Byron Carman, The Bay Area Critic BayAreaCritic.com "The Bay Area's Premier Online Magazine and Newsletter" There are multiple scenarios involving returning wine at a restaurant. Each has its own level of expectations surrounding it on both the customer and restaurant employee. Here are a few of the situations you may face; as well as, my proposed way of handling it. SITUATION ONE You have selected a bottle of wine on your own that wasn’t recommended by the Waiter or Sommelier. The wine appears to be “corked” and needs to be returned or the wine you’ve selected is not to your liking. If the bottle is “corked” then of course tell the Waiter and politely ask for another bottle. If the second bottle is bad, then switch to another label. If you’ve ordered a bottle that isn...
by Byron Carman
Written By: Byron Carman, The Bay Area Critic www.BayAreaCritic.com We’ve all purchased a bottle of wine at a store, winery or restaurant and discovered that it just doesn’t taste right. Here are some various descriptions used to describe a bad bottle, otherwise called as a "corked" bottle: “Tastes like vinegar” “All I taste is the cork” “Smells like old wet newspapers” “Strong Chemical Smell” “Smells like Old Moldy Wood” I’ve experienced a couple of bad bottles in my lifetime. To be honest, I have stored them in the garage with the intent to take them back, however ended up procrastinating and pouring them down the drain. Returning wine can be somewhat awkward, because bad bottles are rare and hardly anyone actually returns wine. If you have purchase...
by Jennifer Jordan
Wine quotes, like grapes themselves, tend to come in bunches. From those who’ve sipped a bottle of Riesling and claimed, “That’s the best wine I’ve ever had,” to those who, after a wild night, spend their morning assuring that they will “never drink again,” quotes are part of wine culture. The famous and not so famous alike have uttered them. But, not surprisingly, it’s only the famous that get theirs in print. Now, reading a wine book and coming across a quote by some of these famous isn’t far fetched. An utterance by Mark Twain isn’t going to shock anyone: Twain made it well known that he enjoyed the pleasures of life. Similarly, a wine quote by Ernest Hemmingway is more likely to leave the reader saying, “Duh!,” rather than, “Huh?” But, not every wine...
by Jennifer Jordan
When it comes to wine, we use a variety of our senses. Our sense of taste and our sense of smell helps us perceive flavors and aromas, our sense of sight helps us look for legs, helping us to identify body, and our sense of touch, well, that just helps us to make sure we grab a glass of wine, and not a can of beer. In fact, there is only one sense we don’t really use: our sense of hearing. Now, I’ve done it myself: I’ve had a few too many glasses of wine, put the glass up to my ear, and sworn up and down that I could hear the ocean. Except for those rare, okay frequent, instances, hearing, when it comes to wine, is a bit left out. That is, however, until it “auditions” for inclusion in the form of song. The following is our list of some of the best wine songs to ever grap...
by Subhash Arora
Avanti Chianti- and make mine Classico please A friend’s wife, who loves her husband immensely, faithfully loves Tuscan wines too. Ask her the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico and you will draw a blank. Ditto for Tuscan wines and Chianti! Perhaps a majority of wine drinkers don’t know either. Chianti Classico is to Chianti what Chianti is to Tuscany and what Tuscany is to Italy, if you know what I mean. It is a designated area, within Chianti, Tuscany, between Florence in the North and Siena in the South. It finds a very special place because of its terroir and personality when one talks of Tuscan wines. It used to be a part of the Chianti DOCG appellation until August 5, 1996 when it became a separate Appellation through a government decree. Earlier, since 1984 th...
by Jennifer Jordan
Vintage, when it comes to wine, has a unique definition: it isn’t merely an old, classic bottle or one wearing a Guns and Roses hat and Van Halen (pre Sammy Hagar) shirt. In wine, vintage is defined as being made from a particular harvest or a specific crop. A 1989 vintage Riesling, for example, is made up of grapes from - you guessed it - 1989. Still, not every single grape used for the wine may be from the year denoted. Like a fruit with a fake ID, some grapes from other years may sneak in. How many, however, depends on the country. In the wine regions of Chile and South America, at least three fourths of the wine must be from the vintage year in order to bear that year on the label. In Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the United States the rule sits at 85 percent. But, the U...
by Byron Carman
Must Stops In Napa Valley Byron, The Bay Area Critic www.BayAreaCritic.com The local perspective on great wine tasting experiences. As the person who came up with The Bay Area Critic, I’m often asked for suggestions on wineries to visit when planning a trip to Napa. My typical response to the question is, “It really depends. Tell me more about what you’re seeking.” strongly believe Wine Tasting in Napa Valley is mainly about the wine you taste and the people you meet along the way. However, Napa Valley can be broken into the following categories: Scenic Tours (Breath taking views, old Chateaus, etc.) Red Wine Tours (Wineries tasting predominately red wines) White Wine Tours (Wineries tasting predominately white wines) Port Tours (For those who like ports or dessert wines) T...
