I drank wine on my friend's birthday for the first time in my life. Since then, I like wine and want to drink again. But which type of wine should I drink? Before this, I asked my friend that what are the types of wine so, that I can choose one from them?

My friend explained me that wines can be grouped into the six categories: red wines, white wines, rose wines, dessert wines, sparkling wines and fortified wines.

Red wines are wines made from black grapes and have a blue or red tint. Besides the difference in color, the primary difference between white and red wines comes are tannins which are found mainly in red wines, they provide a puckery, dry sensation in the mouth and in the back of the throat. Popular red wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Beaujolais, Chianti, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Zinfandel.

White wines contain little or no red pigmentation. These wines are almost always made from white grapes, but can be made from black grapes also. White wines can be dry or sweet or somewhere in between. Popular white wines are Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

Rose wines are in pink color and can be referred to as rose, blush or pink wines. Roses are made from black grapes and can also make by blending together white and red wines. Many roses are sweet, with White Zinfandel and White Merlot serving as great examples. But, the best and most traditional European roses are bone dry.

Dessert wines have a high sugar content which makes them a popular choice with or as dessert. They can be made sweet from many different ways, like harvesting the grapes very late when sugar levels are high or drying the grapes on straw mats to concentrate the sugars.

Sparkling wines made from any kind of grape, are wines that contain carbon dioxide bubbles. Popular sparkling wines are Champagne, Cava, Cremant d'Alsace, Prosecco and Moscato d'Asti.

Fortified wines have Brandy or other spirits added to the juice during fermentation. The Brandy leaves a high amount of sugar in the wine. Popular dessert wines are late harvest Rieslings, ice wines, Madeira, Sherry, Port and Sauternes.

I think I can not choose the best one without having taste of all types of wine. So, I will taste all these wines one-by-one and then will tell you which one is the best.

Cheap Flights To The Lands Of Delicious Wine

Author: Pet

Have you ever heard somebody say that the best place for tasting Italian food is Italy? It used to be an axiom to say the same about wine and France. France is often said to be the most known and finest producer of wine in the world. So where else to get a real taste of French wine but in France? So get yourself in the mood for a delicious trip to the lands of this enchanting beverage.

We are going to introduce you the finest places with the finest wines worldwide. Check your favourite low cost airlines and get budget flights to France, USA, Italy and Australia, because that's where exactly we are heading right now!

France

The first place to visit is most definitely France. There are 4 champions according to Wine Spectators TOP 100 available in France: the 1st Clos des Papes: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005, the 3rd Le Vieux Donjon: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005, the 6th Château Léoville Las Cases: St.-Julien 2004 and the 10th Krug: Brut Champagne 1996. So book your cheap flight to Paris and get a taste of it yourself!

USA

There are two champions in the USA taking the 2nd and 9th place in top 10. The former one is Ridge: Chardonnay Santa Cruz 2005, the latter one is Robert Mondavi: Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004. The sweet whispers of that far away land with white and scarlet droplets of these spectacular beverages is waiting for you. The only thing you have to do is to find your cheap flight to Rogue Valley in Oregon or to Santa Rosa, California.

Italy

The 4th and 7th position is taken by Italy. Its Antinori: Toscana Tignanello 2004 and Tenuta dell'Ornellaia: Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2004 astounded the wine committee so these found their place in top 10 as well. So get your baggage and wineglass ready and check out on the latest airfare deals to Rome and Milan!

Australia

There are two delicious rivals in Aussie in top 10. Two Hands: Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella's Garden 2005 taking the 5th place and Mollydooker: Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2006 winning the 8th position. These two are closing our list of top 10, so make sure you don't miss these out! Check the newest airfare promotions and find some cheap flights to Sydney, Adelaide or Perth and let us know which one of top 10 you liked the best!

Cheers!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-tips-articles/cheap-flights-to-the-lands-of-delicious-wine-1932168.html

About the Author

Petra Vaskovych is interested in travelling mainly in aviation and interesting destinations. Author is also interested in airfare deals and low cost airlines.

[TEMPLATE]Amazon top link[/TEMPLATE]
[TEMPLATE]ebay matic[/TEMPLATE]

Early Wine Research

Author: Sarah Martin

When the Agricultural Society recognized the need of serious research and supervision for the entire wine industry in 1861, Col. Haraszthy had already solved the problem that faced them. New varieties were needed with experimental, supervised planting in various sections of the State.

In 1861 Governor Downey appointed Col. Haraszthy to head a commission to go to Europe for the purchase of selected varieties to be planted in different parts of the State. He went abroad carrying letters from the Secretary of State, visiting principal vineyards and wineries in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. With practical knowledge of soil and climate conditions at home in California, he selected the leading species of vines, had them tagged, bundled, and shipped to America. He spent $12,000 of his own money for 100,000 vines of 1,400 different varieties.

On his return he prepared an elaborate report of his trip, accounting in detail for all the monies expended, and described the methods of all the famous wineries he had visited. His book, "Grape Culture, Wines and Wine-Making," is a collector's item today. It reads as lightly and amusingly as a best-selling travelogue. However, when the report was presented to the California legislature for approval and personal reimbursement, it was wholly rejected!

Civil War was by then raging between the North and South. A five-man Senate Committee on Agriculture voted three to two not to accept the report, or the vines, or to pay the bill. The three nays were Northern Republicans who suspected the Colonel of Confederate leanings!

Col. Haraszthy held the vines for a year, hoping the legislature would reconsider his report. They refused again. Disgusted and disappointed, he returned from the State Capitol and looked at his priceless stock of vine cuttings. His desire to be of further service to the California wine industry came to an end. To realize something from his investment he offered the vines for sale. In lots of twenty, fifty, or one hundred they were distributed, indiscriminately, all over the State. Identifying tags, so carefully attached in each country, were lost, smudged, or ignored by the new owners.

This partisan stupidity of the legislature dealt the industry a crushing blow from which it has never fully recovered. The task of identifying grape species still goes on today; vintners sometimes quarrel with experts over certain types, such as Trebbiano. The finest species, which would have been accorded special care under the Colonel's supervision, were discarded by most vineyardists of that time because they gave a small yield. The precious blood of these grapes is only now becoming fully appreciated.

In the late sixties, after conveying his Sonoma vineyard to a cooperative association, Col. Haraszthy left California to begin a new life in Central America. Wines and vines had given him a thoroughly disappointing life, and with some degree of vindictive determination he turned to raising sugar cane on a large scale. After only a few months of this new life he missed his footing while crossing a tropical stream, fell into the swirling waters and was devoured by alligators.

Col Haraszthy's career was a personal tragedy of heroic proportions. Like the central figure in a noble drama of Aristotelian conception he perished because of his virtue. However, his spectacular career as an ardent wine enthusiast established the basis of the modern wine industry, particularly when it comes to Chardonnay. The vines he selected, even at random planting, raised the standard quality of California wine to such an extent that the industry enjoyed considerable expansion in the years immediately following.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/early-wine-research-532744.html

About the Author
Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in fine wines, the history of vineyards, and interesting varietals, such as Trebbiano. For an incredible selection of fine wines, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com.[TEMPLATE]Amazon top link[/TEMPLATE]
[TEMPLATE]ebay matic[/TEMPLATE]

Merlot's Fast Ride to Stardom

Author: Lindsay Alston

Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as a blending grape and for varietal wines. Merlot-based wines typically have average body with trace of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and stoutness, combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a model grape to blend with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. This suppleness has helped to make it one of the most popular red wine varietals in the United States and Chile.

The most basic recorded mention of Merlot was in the remarks of a local Bordeaux official who in 1784 labeled wine made from the grape in the Libournais region as one of the area's best. The name comes from the French provincial patois word Merlot, meaning young blackbird. By the 19th century it was being frequently planted in the Médoc on the Left Bank of the Gironde. It was originally confirmed in Italy around Venice under the synonym Bordò in 1855. The grape was launched into the Swiss, sometime in the 19th century and was recorded in the Swiss canton of Ticino between 1905 and 1910. “Researchers at University of California, Davis believe that the grape is an offspring of Cabernet Franc and is a sibling of Carménère.”

After a sequence of delays that consist of a severe frost in 1956 and several vintages in the 1960s lost to rot, French authorities in Bordeaux banned new plantings of Merlot vines between 1970 and 1975. Until 1993, the Chilean wine industry incorrectly sold a large quantity of wine made from the Carmenere grape as Merlot. In that year, genetic studies exposed that much of what had been grown as Merlot was actually Carmenere. The classification of Chilean Merlot is a catch-all to include wine that is made from a blend of random amounts of Merlot and Carmenere. With Merlot ripening 3 weeks earlier than Carmenere, these wines vary significantly in eminence depending on harvesting.

Merlot grapes are identified by their loose bunches of large berries. The color has less of a blue/black shade than Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and with a thinner skin; the grapes also have less tannins. In addition to a contrast against Cabernet, a Merlot grape tends to have higher sugar content and lower malic acid. Merlot prospers in cold soil, mostly ferrous clay. The vines have a tendency to bud early which gives it some hazard to cold frost and its thin skin increases its vulnerability to rot. It normally ripens up to two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. Water stress is important to the vine with it thriving in well drained soil more so than at base of a slope.

Merlot was popular, but then took a dip because of the movie sideways. Throughout the film, Miles addresses dotingly of the red wine varietal Pinot Noir. Following the film's U.S. release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot Noir sales increased 16% in the Western United States. A related trend transpired in British wine outlets. Sales of Merlot plummeted after the film's release most likely due to Miles' disapproving remarks about the varietal in the film.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/merlots-fast-ride-to-stardom-492600.html

About the Author

Lindsay Alston is a contributing editor for Classic Wines, specializing in Merlot wines.

[TEMPLATE]Amazon top link[/TEMPLATE]
[TEMPLATE]ebay matic[/TEMPLATE]

I Love French Wine and Food - a Touraine (loire Valley) White

Author: Levi Reiss

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, why not consider the Loire Valley region of central France? You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll enjoy yourself on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a white Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay from Touraine in the eastern part of the region.

Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the Loire Valley ranks third in total acreage devoted to vineyards. Given that France's longest river the Loire runs for 620 miles (one thousand kilometers) across the country, in many ways it could be thought of as a series of regions. Here they are running from west to east: Nantais whose primary grape is the white Muscadet, Anjou-Saumur whose primary grapes are the white Chenin Blanc and the red Cabernet Franc, Touraine whose primary white grapes are Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc and whose primary red grape is Cabernet Franc, and Central Vineyards whose primary white grape is Sauvignon Blanc and whose primary red grape is Pinot Noir. We intend to review at least one wine from each of these four areas.

Chambord is home to the largest of the Loire castles, built as a hunting lodge for Francois I early in the Sixteenth Century. Many people feel that Leonardo da Vinci was responsible for the original design. The statistics of this French Renaissance hunting lodge are stupendous. There are 440 rooms but sadly a mere 365 chimneys. How would you feel to be assigned to a room without a chimney? The wall surrounding the property is 20 miles (32 kilometers) long enclosing a thirteen thousand acre (fifty two square kilometer) forest. The story has it that the Emperor wanted to divert the Loire River to create a moat but wiser heads prevailed and he had to be satisfied with diverting the Cosson River. Whenever he visited it took twelve thousand horses to bring all his stuff; they had to transport all the furniture and all the food except for game. It was estimated that over the years he actually spent a grand total of seven weeks there. During the French Revolution the castle floors were sold for timber and the castle doors were burnt to keep people warm during the sales. This castle is now government property.

Before we review the Loire wine and imported cheeses purchased at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Rillettes (Coarse Pork Pate). For your second course savor Lapin au Vouvray (Rabbit with Onions, Shallots, and Vouvray Wine). And as dessert indulge yourself with Tarte aux Pommes a la Confiture de Chinon (Apple Pie with Chinon Wine Jam).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Cheverny Blanc V. V. (Terra Vitis) 2005 12.5% alcohol about $15

I don't know why but the usual marketing materials were unavailable. So I accessed the producer's web site that offered following blurb - translated from the French by Google. Cheverny Blanc Old women Vines resulting from the marriage of Sauvignon and Chardonnay is manually collected with maximum maturity in order to release from the very constant flavours and a powerful gustatory length; to be useful between 7 and 8 degrees accompanied by fish out of sauce, scallop, snails as. Whaaat?

Didn't anybody tell Google that V. V. (Vieilles Vignes) means old vines and not Old women Vines? Here is my rapid translation: Cheverny Blanc Old Vines (wine) comes from Sauvignon (Blanc) and Chardonnay (grapes) that were manually harvested at their full maturity to bring out their powerful aromas and long, powerful flavors. Serve between 7 and 8 degrees C (44 to 46 degrees F) with fish in sauce, scallops, or snails. Frankly, I would rather review wines than translate documents. And that's what I am doing next.

My first meal was whole-wheat spaghetti with a homemade tuna, red onion, garlic, and Greek Olive sauce that started with a commercial tomato spaghetti sauce. I doused on a lot of grated Parmesan cheese. The wine was light, refreshingly acidic, and somewhat sweet. It was lemony with a taste of honey. When I finished the glass after the meal I had the feeling that the wine improved.

The next meal consisted of a commercially prepared barbecued chicken breast, rice, and an eggplant side. The Cheverny started off between weak and light but later picked up some strength. Interestingly enough it was quite present when paired with the tomato-based grilled eggplant.

The final pairing involved an omelet with local Provolone cheese and Greek Olives. The wine was somewhat assertive but short. As I had a little left I paired it with a high-quality chocolate-coated ice cream bar. The wine was nice and sweet and a fairly good match, at least initially.

The first cheese pairing was with a mild Italian Pecorino Friulano cheese. They made a good couple; the wine showed a lot fruit and pleasant acidity and was rather long. The second cheese pairing was with a more forceful Dutch Edam cheese. The results were fairly similar but the wine was definitely flatter.

Final verdict. This wine is best with rather bland food and as such is overpriced. At a much lower price point it would be worth buying again. I really expect more at this price.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/i-love-french-wine-and-food-a-touraine-loire-valley-white-350334.html

About the Author

Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, and yet he prefers fine Italian, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and good company. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He loves teaching a variety of computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his Italian food website www.fooditalyfood.com.

[TEMPLATE]Amazon top link[/TEMPLATE]
[TEMPLATE]ebay matic[/TEMPLATE]

The California Red: Zinfandel

Author: Sarah Martin

In the state of California, Zinfandel is the number two most widely planted red wine grape. For many, many years, Zinfandel was a mystery grape, its origins unconfirmed. The latest DNA profiling from the University of California at Davis suggests that the grape actually originated in Croatia and not in the south of Italy, which was previously a common misconception. Continued research has shown that the possible original plantings migrated from Greece or even Albania.

Zinfandel arrived in the United States in the 1820's, when George Gibbs, a New York nurseryman, brought cuts from the Imperial Austrian plant species assortment. Throughout the following two decades, Zinfandel became a widespread table grape in North Eastern America. Although there is some controversy over the actual individual who first brought Zinfandel to the states, it has regardless been thriving since the middle of the nineteenth century.

Its popularity in the United States has lead Zinfandel to be referred to by the masses as the first true "California Red." Although California is the premier grower of Zinfandel, it is also widely grown in Italy as well.

It is a difficult grape to grow, due to the small, berry-like grapes that grow in tight clusters and ripen unevenly. Water management is essential in growing Zinfandel grapes-if these grapes do not get enough moisture, they will become stressed and will be more likely to raisin.

Zinfandel grapes however, are very resistant to vine disease and it is not uncommon for Zinfandel vineyards to be in existence for 75 or even 100 years. Wine connoisseurs believe that these "old vines" create the best wines because the older vineyards tend to be smaller, causing the grapes to ripen more evenly.

Zinfandels' preferable growing climate is in warm, coastal valleys, such as Dry Creek Valley, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Paso Robles.

Zinfandel varies in taste from light and fruity to intense and peppery. It is a common variety to blend with other grapes. At its ideal state, Zinfandel is fruity, with hints of raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, cranberry, or black cherry. Common herbal tastes include briar, licorice, and nettle, while cinnamon and black pepper are both prevalent spices.

Depending on the region the grapes are grown in, the berry flavors will vary. Zinfandels produced in the Napa Valley tend to have hints of raspberry while warmer areas like Sonoma County will tend to have more of a strong blackberry flavor. The cooler the environment, the lighter and more fruity the grape will be.

A varietal best consumed within three to five years of the vintage, Zinfandel can become somewhat acidic and develop a higher alcohol level, leading it to have a "hot" taste if it isn't drank within five years of being bottled. Although typically Zinfandel is a hearty, red wine, in the United States a semi-sweet blush style wine known as "White Zinfandel" is also extremely popular

Recommended food pairings include outdoor grilled steaks, chops, or fruit stewed or stuffed meats. Zinfandels are not usually recommended for seafood and lighter tasting cuisines such as chicken, but more appropriately with full-bodied meats, potatoes, and pastas.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/the-california-red-zinfandel-507142.html

About the Author
Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in travel, leisure, home improvement, life insurance, and fine wines. She enjoys wine tasting, particularly a nice Petite Sirah, traveling, and gardening in her spare time. For great deals on countless varietals, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com.

[TEMPLATE]Amazon top link[/TEMPLATE]
[TEMPLATE]ebay matic[/TEMPLATE]