How to Start Collecting Wine
June 28, 2010
Collecting wine can be a very fun and exciting hobby – especially when you try to find the wine. If you are looking to collect wine, you may end up spending a bit more money than you thought. Wine collecting is a great hobby, although it can be very expensive. If you are just starting out, the tips below may come in very handy to help you get started.
The first thing to do, is find a place to store your wine. You can store your wine at home, although you’ll need to have a location with the proper amount of space and cooling temperature (between 50 and 65 degrees F). You’ll also need to determine what brands and types of wine you are planning to collect. There are several options to choose from, including red and White Wine. You’ll also need to find some places with good quality and refinery to buy your wine from.
You can always participate in tastings and trade shows as well. Here, you can meet other people who are into wine collecting, and get to know local traders. You should also strive to learn as much as you can about wine. You can learn a lot about wine on the Internet, or by reading magazines and newsletters dedicated to wine. By doing so, you can also learn more about storage, buying wine, and even cooling your wine.
To better prepare your wine for storage, you can try tasting different varieties. This way, you can identify which wines you need to age more. You’ll learn more about wine this way as well, such as how to distinguish tastes. You may also want to learn how to identify the flavor quality as well. As you may already know, there is a difference among rare vintage wines and wines that are instantly processed.
If you are just beginning to collect wine, you should avoid purchasing in bulk until you know for sure what types of wine you wish to collect. When you visit a wine trader, you should let him know that you are a collector. This way, he can inform you whether or not the wines you are collecting are available in his inventory. If you hope to collect wines from other areas, he may be able to give you contact information for finding the wines you are interested in.
Keep in mind that wine collecting isn’t all about fun – it’s also a great way to eventually start your own business. You can attend wine shows and tasting events to learn more about the different brands, and also find wines that will bring in higher profits. Once you have collected some rare bottles of wine – you can start selling and watch your profits soar.
Jerry Shannon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-to-start-collecting-wine-711695.html
Dry White Wine – Why is it Golden?
June 21, 2010
Wine and good times go hand in hand, and numerous varieties of wine have evolved over the centuries. White wine plays a predominant role in many a cuisine, delighting many a palate with its complex taste. Each wine is unique to the region the grapes are grown and the manifold process it undergoes, and this is what makes a wine red, rose or white.
Why is “white” wine, not white at all, but yellow, golden or straw-like in color? The most famous example of a golden colored white wine is Champagne. The color can be derived from an assortment of grape varietals. White wines are made exclusively from the grape juice and the process carefully excludes the grape skin of green, gold or yellowish colored grapes or from just the juice (not the skin) of select red grapes. The coloration of the skin and seeds is not allowed to escape into the grape juice in the making of white wine, while in the case of the red wine, the color of the skin gives the characteristic deep reds and dark colors.
White wines are usually served chilled in fluted glasses with long stems. This keeps the drinkers hand well away from the drink and keeps the wine cool. Wines are sorted by the effect they have on the drinker’s palate. The sweetness of the wine is due to the amount of sugar left over during the fermentation of the grape juice into the wine. When there is very little or nil amount of sugar in the wine, it is known as a dry wine.
White Wines do not boast of the same health benefits of their red wine cousins, due to the absence of the antioxidant compounds present in the grape skins and seeds, which are excluded while crafting the white wine. But they have lesser amount of tannins and alcohol making it very light and easy to enjoy, an ideal choice for any beginner who has begun to explore the wine world.
The most popular of the dry white wines is Chardonnay, which derives its name from the Chardonnay grape variety. It is a vine that adapts well to a variety of climates, and is low maintenance, resulting in fairly high yields worldwide, which translate into millions of bottles of Chardonnay wines, which are relatively, priced at 8-15 dollars a bottle. The other famous dry white wines are Reisling, Savignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and so on. Wine connoisseurs describe the taste of dry white wines as cool and crisp, warm and buttery, light, fruity and so on. There are many styles and types to choose from, but the king of all dry whites is the Chardonnay that comes from Burgundy in France.
Chilled dry white wine is usually served with white meat like fish or chicken. It can also accompany other foods where the acidity balances the other flavours. White wine is used in making of many sauces and in salad dressings and in cooking where the pungent acidity is gives the simplest dish an exotic touch.
James Copper is a writer for http://www.cecwine.co.uk/dry_white_wine.html where you can find information on dry white wine
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Copper
Types of White Wine : French Puligny-Montrachet Chardonnay White Wine
June 19, 2010
Get to know all about French Puligny-Montrachet Chardonnay White Wine; learn more about wine in this free instructional video.
Expert: Mihály Fabók
Bio: Mihály Fabók is Sommelier at the world famous Gundel restaurant in Budapest, Hungary.
Filmmaker: Paul (Leopold) Volniansky
Duration : 0:1:7
White Wine’s Influence on the Lungs
June 14, 2010
For years now, we’ve been praising the health benefits of red wine, raising our glasses and toasting Merlot as bottles of white wine sit in the corner, fermenting with jealously. Because red wine has been known to have a positive impact on the human body, with particular profits to the cardiovascular system, we drink it and we heart it.
Not to be outdone by its colorful adversary, studies have recently found white wine to be beneficial to health as well. While both red and white wine aid in lung function, white wine has a more positive impact on lung health.
According to a study by the American Thoracic Society, a positive link between white wine and lung health was found for people who drank between one and three glasses a day. These people possessed overall better lung function than those who drank red wine, or other alcoholic beverages. This study also took into account several other variables such as the wine drinker’s general health, age, and whether or not they were a smoker.
Because white wine contains higher levels of flavonoids, a group of plant substances known for their antioxidant activity, researchers believe that white wine soaks up the toxins in the blood, like a “mop and glo” for the thorax, reducing inflammation of the airwaves in the process. This helps protect the lungs.
Drinking white wine may also be beneficial because of the presence of free radicals lurking in the human body. If antioxidants are the “peacekeepers” of the chemical compound world, with their main goal being to keep the body void of disease and destruction, free radicals are the bad seeds, often caught red handed spraying graffiti of cancer and illness on internal organs. Consumption of white wine, however, possesses the ability to stop the creation of free radicals, taking away their can of spray paint and leaving them enervated.
All of these factors add up to better lung function, with each glass increasing respiratory performance. According to a study at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, one glass of white wine produced 1.5% higher lung function. Three glasses of white wine produced 3.0% higher lung function. This is not to say that people should be chugging gallons and gallons – huge amounts of white wine won’t give people the ability to breathe underwater – but drinking white wine in moderation may make a human’s lungs operate at a higher level of performance. This can, on average, add one to three more years to a person’s life span.
With red wine bragging about its ability to lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure, White Wine has been left in the shadows, unable to boast about a benefit of its own. But, with new studies, people are learning that white wine may be as beneficial as red, its benefits just involve a different organ. If our hearts belong to red wine, our lungs belong to white, allowing both white wine drinkers and bottles of overzealous Pinot Gris to breathe a little easier.
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Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan |
Types of White Wine : Differences in White & Red Wines
June 9, 2010
Get to know the differences in White Wines and red wines; learn more about wine in this free instructional video.
Expert: Mihály Fabók
Bio: Mihály Fabók is Sommelier at the world famous Gundel restaurant in Budapest, Hungary.
Filmmaker: Paul (Leopold) Volniansky
Duration : 0:1:21
Introduction to Being Wine Enthusiasts
June 4, 2010
Do you like drinking wine and you want to know the right way of buying, handling, use, and care of your prized wines as well as future acquirements? Then look no further and take note of the various tips and instructions that are right here.
Buying the right wine
There are two options for you to choose: cheap wine for regular use or the more expensive varieties that can be reserved for special occasions. Good wine may be expensive but the advantages it offers is that its taste improves as time goes on. If you don’t have the budget to buy wine at its peak in terms of taste, you can actually buy wine of lesser quality and store it. When it reaches its peak, the taste greatly improves.
Storing your wine
Wines are commonly bought for immediate consumption but storing it improves the quality of its taste. This is on the condition that the wine is stored properly. Here are some basic things to keep in mind when storing wine:
- consider what wine you will be storing since not all will improve when stored. – White Wines have faster maturing rates – red Burgundy of good quality usually take 6 years to mature, peaking in another 6 years, finally declining in another 6 years. – premature aging can be prevented by storing your collection in a cool dark place with temperatures ranging from 7 to 18 degrees centigrade. – store wine with the bottles tilted to keep the corks wet. This is to prevent the corks from drying which will allow air to enter the wine bottle and affect the taste of the wine.
Pairing wine with food
There aren’t clear cut rules on the pairing of wine with food. It largely depends on your taste and mood. Usually, wine is drank from the lighter to the darker ones. Champagne is good for starters while having your appetizers. White wine is ideal with salads as well as light meals. Red wine is a perfect match for steaks and other heavy meals. Port wine on the other hand is a good drink to finish with a chocolate dessert.
These are some of the things that will help you get more out of your wine. Storing and handling your wine properly will ensure that its quality and taste won’t be compromised. There are many kinds of wines for any occasion. Make celebrations extra special with a bottle of wine from your collection.
Jerry Shannon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/introduction-to-being-wine-enthusiasts-711610.html
Learn About Chardonnay
June 1, 2010
Chardonnay grape is the most popular type of white wine, found all over the world. The flavor, taste, and aroma of it will though, depending on where it was made and what processing methods were used. Chardonnay has a variety of different styles and flavors, and remains a major type of grape. As a result of it’s popularity, this fine wine spread throughout Europe and other locations of the world such as Australia and California.
As more and more wine makers discovered Chardonnay, the fine wine began to grow quite well in South Africa and other areas as well. With it being a non aroma type wine, oak seems to work very well with it. The richest and most complex are American and French Chardonnay, which are also among the most preferred White Wines. Even though it does suffer from fatigue, the flavor and richness of this wine will keep it loved by many for years to come.
Chardonnay originated from the Burgundy and Champagne area of France. Although white Burgundy is a popular wine that is prepared with Aligote, a lesser known grape, the fact remains that white Burgundy can’t be made without the use of Chardonnay grape. What this goes to show, is that Chardonnay grapes have more than a few uses.
In appearance, Chardonnay grapes are green in color with thin skins. The grape is a result of the Pinot and Croatian Blanc grape, which are extinct to this day. Chardonnay on the other hand is still popular, fermented and aged using oak barrels that help to bring out the vanilla flavor the wine is well known for. It can also be aged and fermented using bottles, although it won’t age quite as much as red wine.
Almost all Chardonnay wines are considered to be chilled, making them work extremely well with dishes that contain butter and cheeses. The wines also have less acid content as well, which makes them work well with seafood as well. There are a lot of food that you can pair Chardonnay with, which is what makes it so popular. A lot of fine restaurants serve it as well, especially Italian and seafood restaurants.
The Chardonnay grape can also be used in making Champagne and other types of sparkling wines. Although Chardonnay wine is the most popular use, there are several other uses for the grape that lead to some truly fine wines. Oak is often times used with the wine as well, which provides it with some great flavors as it ages. Although it can be a bit on the expensive side, it still remains one of the most preferred types of wine. You can find it at any wine or alcohol store – making it a great addition to your wine or drink collection.
Jerry Shannon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/learn-about-chardonnay-711528.html