How to store your wine:
Most wine sold in stores is sold to drink now. Not all wine gets better with age. This is a myth that most people believe to be truth.
If you so desire you can store your wine for several years with no loss of quality if you follow a few rules:
Keep it cool.
Store your wine out of direct sunlight.
Heat is bad for your wine.
If your wine has a cork, store your wine on its side to keep the cork moist.
If it’s white wine drink it within two years.
If it’s red wine drink it within four years.
When you open your wine if it’s red I recommend drinking the entire bottle within two days. After two days the quality really starts to diminish. If it is white keep it cold and two days max for the best quality.
These are good rules to ensure that the quality of your wine is as the wine maker intended.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles – Owner Premium Wines & Spirits
“Explaining the Miles of Wine”
Showing posts with label Wine related.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wine related.. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Old vine wine...
Old Vine Wine - Knarley Wine - What does it mean?
As you shop for wine, sometime you will see the words Old Vine or Knarley Vine Wine on the label. What does this mean to you?
Actually, this is a marketing term that has no bering on the quality, depth or style of the wine being produced. There is no legislation or laws that require a vineyard to actually have an old vine in their vineyard before they can advertise old vine wine.
The original meaning of old vine was supposed to mean that the vineyard was harvesting grapes from vines that were a minimum of fifty years old. These old and knarly vines actually produce very rich and intense smaller grapes. These grapes will make great quality dense wine that is sought after by many people that are in the know about wine. Unfortunatly it is almost impossible to tell which manufacturers are actually harvesting grapes from old vines without researching the vineyard history. So don't fall for the line of Old Vine of Knarley Wine, when purchasing wine.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner Premium Wines & Spirits
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
As you shop for wine, sometime you will see the words Old Vine or Knarley Vine Wine on the label. What does this mean to you?
Actually, this is a marketing term that has no bering on the quality, depth or style of the wine being produced. There is no legislation or laws that require a vineyard to actually have an old vine in their vineyard before they can advertise old vine wine.
The original meaning of old vine was supposed to mean that the vineyard was harvesting grapes from vines that were a minimum of fifty years old. These old and knarly vines actually produce very rich and intense smaller grapes. These grapes will make great quality dense wine that is sought after by many people that are in the know about wine. Unfortunatly it is almost impossible to tell which manufacturers are actually harvesting grapes from old vines without researching the vineyard history. So don't fall for the line of Old Vine of Knarley Wine, when purchasing wine.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner Premium Wines & Spirits
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
The basics of a wine label.
Unraveling the basics of a wine label.
It is almost impossible to make a wine purchase without knowing what you are buying. This information should apply to most wine bottles in stores. These are the basics of deconstructing a wine label.
Most wine labels always contains certain key elements:
The winery name.
The varietal of wine.
The year the wine was produced.
The area that the grapes were sourced (picked) from.
The alcohol content.
Government warning.
As you look at a bottle, the label tells a story of each place the wine has seen. As a wine becomes more special the label has to reflect that as well. A basic bulk wine will say for example California. (All of the grapes in the bottle come from anywhere in California). As the wine becomes better quality the label will be more specific. Instead of just California the label may say Napa Valley (All the grapes come from the Napa Valley).
The best quality wine will be even more specific. The label may say Rutherford, a small very specific area inside of the Napa Valley in California.
These tips will hold true for most wine in stores. French wines are the exception; the label usually just says the growing area instead of the grape varietal. (These can be very confusing because you have to know which grape is grown in the specific area.)
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles – Owner, Premium Wines & Spirits
“Explaining the Miles of Wine.”
It is almost impossible to make a wine purchase without knowing what you are buying. This information should apply to most wine bottles in stores. These are the basics of deconstructing a wine label.
Most wine labels always contains certain key elements:
The winery name.
The varietal of wine.
The year the wine was produced.
The area that the grapes were sourced (picked) from.
The alcohol content.
Government warning.
As you look at a bottle, the label tells a story of each place the wine has seen. As a wine becomes more special the label has to reflect that as well. A basic bulk wine will say for example California. (All of the grapes in the bottle come from anywhere in California). As the wine becomes better quality the label will be more specific. Instead of just California the label may say Napa Valley (All the grapes come from the Napa Valley).
The best quality wine will be even more specific. The label may say Rutherford, a small very specific area inside of the Napa Valley in California.
These tips will hold true for most wine in stores. French wines are the exception; the label usually just says the growing area instead of the grape varietal. (These can be very confusing because you have to know which grape is grown in the specific area.)
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles – Owner, Premium Wines & Spirits
“Explaining the Miles of Wine.”
What are you drinking wine out of?
What are you drinking wine out of?
I am no snob about wine, (well sometimes I am) but there really is a difference in wine glasses. I have conducted several tastings with the Riedel Glassware representative where as we compared a normal small bowl wine glass that you see in most restaraunts, to a glass made specifically for wine.
It is amazing the difference in the types. The aroma from the regular glass is almost non exsitstent, but the aroma from the specific glass is amazing, the smell of the fruit hits your palate without even sipping. The test that really sold me was the plain tap water test. We swirled and smelled the aroma of plain tap water in the different glasses. The results were amazing. The normal restaurant glass had no aroma, but the specific glass smelled of strong chlorine, almost like bleach.
A few things you should look for when purchasing wine glasses should be as follows:
A large bowl for airaeting the wine.
A thin rim on the glass to direct the wine to your palate.
A clear bowl that is blemish and design free.
A stem to hold the glass by to keep the bowl clean and cool.
This last point has sparked a small debate throughout my industry. Several years ago Riedel (the leading glass manufacturer for specific wine glasses) developed a short large bowl glass with no stem. They call this the Riedel O. The debate is that touching the bowl dirties the outside and warms the wine thus reducing the aroma. I don't have an opinion, I just prefer a stem.
So when purchasing wine glasses pay attention to the few simple rules. It will increase your wine drinking experience.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner - Premium Wines & Spirits
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
I am no snob about wine, (well sometimes I am) but there really is a difference in wine glasses. I have conducted several tastings with the Riedel Glassware representative where as we compared a normal small bowl wine glass that you see in most restaraunts, to a glass made specifically for wine.
It is amazing the difference in the types. The aroma from the regular glass is almost non exsitstent, but the aroma from the specific glass is amazing, the smell of the fruit hits your palate without even sipping. The test that really sold me was the plain tap water test. We swirled and smelled the aroma of plain tap water in the different glasses. The results were amazing. The normal restaurant glass had no aroma, but the specific glass smelled of strong chlorine, almost like bleach.
A few things you should look for when purchasing wine glasses should be as follows:
A large bowl for airaeting the wine.
A thin rim on the glass to direct the wine to your palate.
A clear bowl that is blemish and design free.
A stem to hold the glass by to keep the bowl clean and cool.
This last point has sparked a small debate throughout my industry. Several years ago Riedel (the leading glass manufacturer for specific wine glasses) developed a short large bowl glass with no stem. They call this the Riedel O. The debate is that touching the bowl dirties the outside and warms the wine thus reducing the aroma. I don't have an opinion, I just prefer a stem.
So when purchasing wine glasses pay attention to the few simple rules. It will increase your wine drinking experience.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner - Premium Wines & Spirits
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
Alternative White Wines.
Alternative white wines- There are so many more wines than Chardonnay.
It’s the heat of summer. I hear people all the time say that they can’t drink anything in the summer heat but beer.
I suggest drinking alternative white wines. These wines tend to be lighter in body with less sugar content than chardonnay.Alternative white wines are refreshing and easy to drink. Many fantastic manufacturers produce great little field blends that are easy to drink with many types of food. These wines usually contain up to seven or eight different types of grapes blended together to make them slightly sweet and approachable by all. These wines pair well with many lighter finger foods, veggies or chips, and will not weigh you down in the summer heat.
It would be possible for anyone to sip these types of wine all afternoon, with fewer calories than beer, and not be weighed down by the shear volume.
Alternative white wines normally contain grape varietals such as Viognier, Riesling, Muscoto, Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc, Guwerztraminer, Pinot Grigio, and / or Chardonnay.
If you are up for something new in the heat of summer, have your wine professional direct you toward one of these wonderful alternative whites. You will enjoy these wines as an alternative to Chardonnay. I can almost guarantee it.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner Premium Wines & Spirits –
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
.
It’s the heat of summer. I hear people all the time say that they can’t drink anything in the summer heat but beer.
I suggest drinking alternative white wines. These wines tend to be lighter in body with less sugar content than chardonnay.Alternative white wines are refreshing and easy to drink. Many fantastic manufacturers produce great little field blends that are easy to drink with many types of food. These wines usually contain up to seven or eight different types of grapes blended together to make them slightly sweet and approachable by all. These wines pair well with many lighter finger foods, veggies or chips, and will not weigh you down in the summer heat.
It would be possible for anyone to sip these types of wine all afternoon, with fewer calories than beer, and not be weighed down by the shear volume.
Alternative white wines normally contain grape varietals such as Viognier, Riesling, Muscoto, Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc, Guwerztraminer, Pinot Grigio, and / or Chardonnay.
If you are up for something new in the heat of summer, have your wine professional direct you toward one of these wonderful alternative whites. You will enjoy these wines as an alternative to Chardonnay. I can almost guarantee it.
Until next time. Drink more wine.
Tim Miles- Owner Premium Wines & Spirits –
"Explaining the Miles of Wine"
.
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