by Subhash Arora
While conducting wine appreciation programmes I have realized that many people in India still believe in myths and half-truths about wine. Listed here are ten of them. Subhash Arora 1. Red wine is drunk at room temperature: Most people now understand that room temp. does not mean 40 deg. C in Delhi but in the underground cellars of Europe. It is important to appreciate that light reds are to be cooled to get the best flavours and avoid nosing the evaporating alcohol at higher temps. Full-bodied reds like Californian Cabernets, Shiraz or Bordeaux Medo`cs should be served at 18 -20 degs, medium bodied Burgundy Reds, Chiantis or Merlots at 14-16 degs C while light bodied Beaujolais, Valpolicellas or light Zinfandels can be cooled down even to 10 deg C. 2. All White wines ...
by Eric V. Orange
Have something interesting to say on wine? I'm interested in publishing both new and established wine writers. If you have articles that you have written and own the copyright for and want to see your work published here, contact me. Info@localwineevents.com EVO...
by Denman Moody
Want to Learn More About Wine? Performing your own taste tests In the 1970s, a typical diner at a steak house would drink either a beer or a mixed drink. America was certainly not a nation of wine drinkers. When I was in my 20s, nobody I knew had any interest in being a chef. Times sure have changed. Today, nearly every table in the top restaurants has a bottle of wine, and a number of my friends’ children are going to culinary school instead of getting their master’s. And some of the most famous people in America are wine and food people: Robert Mondavi, Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. I can’t help you with the culinary part, but here’s a proven way to learn more about wine. Meet once a week with another person or couple for a short—or long—tasting. First tastin...
by Patricia Noonan
There's a saying,' When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 'Well, shift your mood, and put yourself mentally, somewhere in the Mediterranean. One good way to 'do as they do' would be to enjoy aperitifs based on anise. In France, having a pastis or Pernod is a fairly typical drink. Mezes in Greece wouldn't seem right if it weren't for the ouzo to wash the food down. In Spain, anise based drinks are known as ojena, and in Italy, anesone. Pernod has been around since the late 1700's, although it was first marketed as an extract of absinthe, with the addition of green anise, fennel and hyssop. these herbs all have an aroma and flavour similar to anise. Banned in 1915 and reintroduced in 1920, Absinthe/Pernod has defined French culture around the world, through famous writers and artists from the ...
by Subhash Arora
France plans to convert 200mill. litres of excess wine into industrial alcohol, mostly AOC wines for the first time in history. Is there a lesson in it for India? By Subhash Arora The French wine industry plans to convert over 200 mill. litres of wine into industrial alcohol. The government has decided to approach the EU for an assistance of 300 mill. Euros to complete the process. In spite of several measures taken by the government to limit production and increase sales, it has been saddled with over 250M liters of surplus this year. This includes 100M litres in Bordeaux alone. The proposal comes from the Confederation of French Wine Co-operatives which represents 110,000 winemakers who account for half of French wine production. Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau announced last ...
by Ron Kapon
Washington State is the nation’s second largest producer (behind California) of premium wines with 300 grape growers, 30,000 vineyard acres and more than 325 wineries. In 1981 there were 19 wineries; 5 years ago there were 155 and one winery owner told me he believes that in 5 years there will be 500 wineries. More than 15 wine grape varieties are grown (57% red and 43% white wine) including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Washington’s northerly latitude (the same as Burgundy & Bordeaux) averages two more hours of daily sunlight (17.4 hours) than California’s major growing regions, allowing grapes to fully ripen. It also means that the grapes must struggle to survive in the rich volcanic...
by Jennifer Rosen
When I get off a plane in Europe, something smells differently European, and it takes a moment to register what it is: people. They don’t smell in America. Oh, sure, the occasional heavy smoker or gutter-dweller telegraphs his presence quite clearly. What’s missing is the normal smell of bodies, vibrant and strangely pleasant, like someone had turned up the warm tones on the color monitor of life. It’s hard to find an American who doesn’t take a shower at least once a day--twice if he does anything sweaty--and it’s hard to find a European who does. I wonder if this cultural subtext explains a wine issue that also divides along the Euro/American fault line: Earth. When you taste blind, earthiness (or lack thereof) is a major clue to a wine's origin. Wines from the Old World mos...
by Jennifer Rosen
My friend Vanessa writes, “The other day, my eleven-year-old daughter insisted I buy a bottle of wine that had a picture of a jumping horse on it--Leaping Pony or something. For a kid with no interest in wine but much interest in sailing over fences on a pony, the label and name were enough. It cost all of $4.99 and was actually not bad. But you probably already know the creative techniques used by many morons in this country to select their wines....” If choosing products by label is for morons, count me among them. Wine is for pleasure, and part of that pleasure is the delicious fantasies that brands inspire. How do you buy shampoo? Do you visit the Pantene factory? Study Consumer Reports? I doubt it. Most of us simply let ourselves be seduced by a label promising shiny, manage...
by Jennifer Rosen
If you love wine, people assume you collect it. I don’t happen to collect anything, but studies say fully one third of us do, be it Hummel figurines, Coke memorabilia or Picassos. What was once a hobby for merchants and kings is common sport now that today’s trash is so quickly tomorrow’s collectible and fortunes are made and lost on Beanie Babies. The urge to collect seems to be hard-wired. Like other biological imperatives—-eating and sex come to mind—-sometimes it goes haywire. It’s a small step from a cellar of premier cru to a house full of cats and old National Geographics. No doubt the hoarding instinct developed to store food, but your average collectible isn’t much use for surviving a long winter. It has a different sort of value, in many cases nothing ...
by Jennifer Rosen
Open letter to Georg Riedel, president of Riedel Glass Company of Austria: Dear Sir: Never having done a Jello shot, the other night I turned some rather nice Syrah and Chardonnay into Knox Blox. I suggest you try it. The boingy little squares showcase varietal flavors, while satisfying the urge to chew. Imagine echo-boomers fifty years hence; a bunch of creaky old snobs at their annual meeting of Most Honorable Order of Important Wine Worshippers, donning robes, pointy hats and Superman underwear, while out come magnums of…Cabernet Jello! “Excuse me, sir, but the ’02 bounced onto the floor during decanting. Shall I dust it off and serve it anyway?” Jello shots are here to stay and they deserve proper glassware. Who better to make it than the undisputed King of Cup, Ri...
