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How to Pair Wine with the Right Cheese

By Guest Author on December 16, 2011

One of the oldest pairings in the food world would have to be wine and cheese. People have made meals of this simple combination, but people rarely find the process of combining the two simple. The truth is not all wine and cheese varieties go together. While some wines may pair beautifully with some cheeses, they won’t pair well at all with others. How do you choose the best wine for the best cheese? Here are just a few tips to help you pair wine with the right cheese.

Choose the Wine or Cheese First

It can be confusing to wonder whether or not a cheese and wine will go together. This is why you need to first choose a wine or cheese. Once you have selected one of the other, the process of pairing the two becomes much easier. For example, once you know that you’ll be serving a Merlot, you can then decide on whether or not to serve a blue or cheddar cheese.

Embrace Salty and Sweet Combinations

Whether it’s chocolate and pretzels or blue cheese and Port, the combination of salty and sweet cannot be beat. Salty cheeses pair well with a variety of sweet wines. Try combining washed rind cheeses with your favorite dessert wine. The combination may seem bizarre, but your taste buds will thank you.

Reserve Creamier Varieties for Sparkling Wine

Extremely creamy varieties of cheese should be paired with sparkling wines. The bubbly, crisp texture of the sparkling wine contrasts with the rich flavor of the cheese to provide the perfect balance. This is one of the most decadent wine and cheese combinations you can have.

Keep the Pairing Regional

Different flavors of the land can be found in cheeses and wines across the country. Look at the regions of various brands of cheese in your local cheese shop and then visit a local wine shop to find a wine from the same region. A wine merchant should be able to give you the best advice on any cheese you choose.

The pairing of wine and cheese may be centuries old, but with the constant evolution of cheese and wine varieties, it can be hard to know which combination will work best. Whenever it doubt, consult your local wine merchant for the best advice. Some wine and cheese shops even have tastings so that you can try different pairings. This is a great way to learn as much information as possible, with little investment.

About the Author: Garland Sabina enjoys writing about food and has a special love for wine tastings. While she knows it is important to watch alcohol calories and food intake, she also knows there’s nothing as decadant as a properly paired wine and cheese.

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When to Decant Wine

By Guest Author on September 13, 2011

Decanting wine is probably the most misunderstood concept of wine service and drinking, in the past I have decanted wine that hasn’t needed it, and omitted from decanting wines that could probably benefit.

The main reason for decanting a wine is that the wine has ended up growing a deposit, although this is most likely experienced only on vintage wines, crusted ports and aged and unfiltered reds. So you decant the wine carefully by candlelight so you can keep an eye on the sediment as it inches towards the neck. This is a procedure that needs to be carried out with skill and precision and in one smooth and continual movement so the sediment does not fall back and mix with the wine.

Getting air into the wine is a great tactic if the wine smells slightly iffy. Wines tend to smell a bit worse than they should when they are produced naturally with little or no sulphur as they mature slightly differently, but with little sulphites in the wine it means that they should be potentially taste better.

Some young red wines can tend to taste a bit aggressive may need to go through a little aeration and decanting these into a separate container can go far to increase the quality of the wine. This can even be attributed to full bodies white wines, so don’t only think decanting wine is for the reds that are around.

So when should you decant the wine? The time in advance that you should decant wine varies greatly with the wine. The wine may need just a little aeration, so decanting just before drinking should be fine, but if the wine is fragile or a vintage wine, then possibly, unless under strict instructions, I would avoid aerating the wine for too long if at all if it a fragile old wine as there is always the chance that it could fall apart if exposed to the air, the same goes for most ports, fino, and manzanilla sherries.

When deciding what decanter to buy, as you must have now come to the conclusion that they are essential, you do not need to go out and send thousands on a crystal cut piece, even decanting from the bottle to a jug, then back into the bottle will have the same effect.

Charity shops and thrift stores are great places to find wine decanters as they have a high turnover of products like this, and you are sure to find one for a more than reasonable price.

So when considering whether to decant the wine, unless you have paid hundreds of pounds for a vintage bottle, then more often than not, the wine would benefit from being decanted.

Andy is an amateur wine connoisseur working for a company selling wine glasses and other crystal glassware. Which wines do you decant and how long before drinking might you do so? Comment below.

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How Wine Clubs Work

By wino on August 22, 2009

How Wine Clubs Work

Wine is slowly but steadily scoring above all other alcoholic beverages due to its many benefits. Wine has been an age-old drink and even Gods are known to favor it more than the whiskeys and brews! Wine has antioxidants which are sure to make you look young and beautiful despite your age. You will get less plaque in your coronaries with wine which means that you can live longer without a heart problem! Most people have recently woken up to the multi benefits of wine and some of them have even opened up wine clubs.

What are wine clubs? Well, a wine club is an amalgamation of people who are wine connoisseurs or people who love wine. All kinds of wine lovers are welcome in a wine club from amateurs to novices to experts. There are different types of wine clubs and most of them aim to experiment with the new wines and deepen their knowledge on the subject.

Some wine clubs have wine connoisseurs who help you to sample new wines at great introductory prices. These wine clubs deliver the wines to your door. The other kind of wine clubs have a combination of various pastimes and hobbies that go with wine like golf and wine. These wine clubs offer you and peek into the various kinds of wines from the well known wine and golf areas world over!

Other kinds of wine clubs let you experience wines from different parts of the world, which includes world famous wine producing areas. These wines are from Argentina, Chile, Spain, New Zealand and even America!

There are even wine clubs which aid in helping you build up your wine collection with the aid of wine experts. Generally, these clubs follow a trend where there will be a wine of the month which is selected to determine the ageing and flavor of the month from world famous wine yards. If you want to know and add to your knowledge base in the field of wines, these kinds of clubs can help you build you taste in some of the finest wines.

There are some clubs that just specialize in red wines. These clubs have a great selection of red wines which range from vintage to classic Cabernets to Pinots. These clubs have wines that are the finest and you may have never tasted them before!

Most of these clubs have membership options of monthly, quarterly or half yearly or yearly available. Once you sign up, then you are sent the initial wine shipment in the next three to four business days from the time your order was placed. The subsequent shipments are shipped normally on the 25th of every month.

Wine clubs are an amazing way to step into the world of vintage and some of the most amazing varieties of wine. They offer you guidance and even samples of wines which you may never even know about. If you are a wine drinker, then a membership to a wine club will ensure that you don’t miss any of the new entrants in the world of wines!

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What Is Reserve Wine

By wino on August 22, 2009

If a wine is a “reserve” wine, according to Spanish law this must refer to a wine that was aged before sale; for red wines, the aging time must be at least three years, including at least one year of aging in wooden barrels. The Italian wine label “Riserva” means something very similar.

However, the English/American labeling “Reserve” has no legal significance whatsoever and it might mean anything that the winery, or the winery’s PR firm, wants it to mean–a special seasonal grape variety or blend; a limited run; a kind of wine that the proprietor happens to particularly like and, thus, wishes to sell for a higher price to reflect its value; and so on and so forth.

Traditionally, reserve wine has been set aside, or “reserved”, by the vintner to serve on more special occasions or to special guests, as it is definitely regarded as a higher quality and/or limited quantity wine.

So, when Jesus turned the water into wine at the Cana Wedding Feast, it wasn’t his miracle transformation that the people appreciated so much–it was the fact that he brought out the reserves early!

Especially if you are looking at some fat bastard of an English wine, or a cherry wine from Michigan or a Zinfandel from the Napa Valley, what should you really check to see if you have found, or want to find, some wine that is a “reserve” wine? Well, to begin with, any vineyard in a grape-growing region that has a reputation for a better climate and/or better soil than average for growing wine harvest grapes is always going to charge a higher price for its wines–and that means for you that the wine shop is laying out more money for it, and thus you are going to, too. But, you aren’t necessarily getting a “reserve” wine and you may be disappointed in the taste once you’ve laid down your premium buckage (but then again, you may love it and feel you got a bargain).

For true reserve wines, it’s common for relatively small, new-oak barrels to be used in the aging process. This gives a wine more and richer overtones of flavor. This also means that a reserve wine making vintner will need to purchase more new oak barrels each year. This will increase their costs, and they will pass on these costs to you.

As with most things of higher quality, reserve wines take longer to make. They are aged longer than wines of a lesser god, and the whole process of grape cultivation and fermentation takes longer and requires more care and considerations, too. These extra, more labor intensive steps in the process and the longer storage times mean the vintner endures more costs and less immediate cash flow for making them. As you might have guessed, this means extra costs passed on to you.

Hand picking of grapes to be used in reserve wines is far more common than for other wines. Hand picking makes “perfect” selection of that day’s just-right grapes possible. And, as you have probably guessed, this is more expensive for the vintner, and those costs will be passed on to you in the price of the finished bottled wine.

Reserve wines are produced in small quantities, yet they are the most sought after wines in general, especially by restaurants. This, in addition to the other factors involved in their making, drives up their price even more.

The bottom line is that reserve wines cost you more money–sometimes, a lot more money. But if you truly have a palate that is sensitive to taste and you’re a true wine lover with experience in drinking this amazing beverage, the extra money should be well worth it to you.

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How To Store Wine – Wine Storage

By wino on August 22, 2009

Many people feel as long as they are placing their wine in the cellar or their refrigerator that they are doing all they need to do in order to keep their wine safe. But in order to make sure that the wine is kept safe and given the best shot at aging properly, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed.

For unopened bottles of wine you do want to make sure that they are always kept in the dark. Direct sunlight and fluorescent fixtures are not good for the wine and can actually spoil it. If the bottle is a corked bottle then make sure that it is laying flat on its side. This is to prevent the cork from drying out. If the cork dries out it will allow air into the wine, which will spoil it.

Another important part of making sure that you are storing your wine properly is to make sure that you are keeping your wine at a constant temperature. If you are planning on aging your wine for longer then a year then refrigeration is a must. While in some parts of the world people can get away with nothing more then below ground cellar storage, most cannot, as it simply is not cool enough.

Something that not a lot of people realize is that they should move the wine as little as possible. This means that you will want to position your wine exactly how you want it from the beginning. Moving the wine on purpose or through the vibrations of motors or heavy traffic can and will seriously affect the wine.

Humidity is another thing that you are going to have to take into consideration. If you allow the humidity to go over seventy percent then mold can grow. A simple purchase of a hygrometer will allow you to track the condition of the moisture in the air. Use different techniques as needed to adjust the humidity as needed.

Ever hear that wine breathes? Because the cork enables some air to get through to the wine you must make sure that you are not storing the wine with anything that has a strong smell or odor to it. If you do then you will probably notice that the wine will end up tainted. You have to have decent ventilation in order to give your wine the best shot at making it through the storage process unharmed.

And what about the timelines for storage? Not every wine will improve with age. A cheap wine will not get much better then it already is so there is not much that you can do about that. Nice red wines can age anywhere from two to ten years. Excellent White Burgundies can be ages for over twenty years. Make sure that you double-check the aging requirements and time limits for each new wine you bring home.

Now that you have stored your wine properly it is time to drink it. Before you serve the wine you will need to make sure that you are adjusting the temperature of the wine before serving it. Deep red wines need to be between 59-66F. Light reds need to be about 55F. Dry white wines should be in the range of 46-57F. Once it is all said and done you will have the perfect wines for dinner or dessert.

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How To Taste Wine

By wino on August 22, 2009

How To Properly Taste Wine

If you want to learn how to taste wine like all of the snobs you have seen on television there is no problem. In fact, you are just a few key pointers away from becoming a wine tasting snob all on your own. All kidding aside, there is more to wine tasting then pretending to be someone special.

There is actually a lot to wine tasting and in order to ever be able to fully appreciate your wine you should know just how exactly to taste it. The first thing you want to notice is the color of the wine. Let’s start with the white wine. The youngest of the white wine will be a pale yellow-green. If it is an aged wine then it should appear to be brown in color. As white wine ages the color get darker.

This is how you can tell visually about how old a wine is. Red wine has a different coloration effect as it ages. The red wine will actually lighten in color as it ages. A young red wine will appear purple in color while a nicely aged red wine will be brown. So for both the white and red wines, brown is the color that will show you there is a nice age to it.

Swirling is the next step taken after you have absorbed the beautiful color of the wine. Swirling is not just for fun or to look fancy but it is to get the wine ready for smelling. Ye, you read that correctly, to properly smell a wine it must be swirled first.

This is because the swirling action releases aldehydes, ethers, and esters, which oxygenate the wine so the smell becomes stronger. And why does a person have to smell a wine? For starters the smell and taste senses are closely related so when something smells good it is usually going to taste good as well.

Also, smell indicators will alert you to whether or not there is anything wrong with the wine. The last thing you want to drink is drink wine that has gone bad. If the wine smells corky then put it down because it absorbed flavors from the defective cork. Now that it has passed the color, swirl, and smell tests it is now finally time to taste the wine.

Sweet wine will be tasted more clearly with the tip of the tongue. If the wine is sour then the sides of the tongue will be most sensitive to it. Bitter wine can be felt on the throat and the back of the tongue. Does aftertaste have anything to do with the quality of the wine? Yes, it certainly does.

It is said that a fine and high quality wine will have a longer aftertaste. The taste should stick around for a while after your swallow. If there is hardly an aftertaste at all then you could very well be dealing with a cheap wine. All in all, wine tasting is a skill that is not hard to learn but easy to enjoy.

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Fruit Wines – The Sweeter Side Of Wine

By wino on August 22, 2009

Fruit Wines: Not Just for Grapes Anymore

When most of us think of wine, we think of grapes. And it’s true that most wine is made from grapes, but not all. In fact, if you want to make your own wine, you can go right ahead with just about any kind of fruit you have on hand. How about some apple or peach wine? Got some raspberries or strawberries left over from your most recent crop? (And yes, you can even “go bananas” with your wine if you want to.)

Now is the time to get creative

There are lots of recipes on the Internet when it comes to winemaking, and you can use just about any type of fruit you have. Get creative and mix-and-match, too. For example, apple raspberry wine sounds good, doesn’t it?

Some things to keep in mind

Good fruit equals good wine

Start with fresh, whole, ripe fruit that’s nice and sweet for the best tasting wine. Cut bruised parts out of apples and don’t use anything that’s gone south or is otherwise substandard.

Rinse and repeat

Make sure the fruit you use has been thoroughly rinsed so that it’s nice and clean and you’re not going to get unwanted contaminants in your wine.

Usually, you dilute

Except for wines made directly from juices (like apple, for example), you’ll want to dilute your fruit mash with water so that the flavor is not too strong.

More fruit equals a heavier wine, less fruit equals a lighter wine

It’ll take some experimentation, but you can opt for a really heavy, sweet wine or a lighter, drier wine. A very rough estimate for a good balanced wine is about 3 pounds of fruit for every gallon of wine. Again, the type of fruit and the richness you want will change this amount so that this is only an estimate.

Use a winemaking hydrometer

The winemaking hydrometer will tell you how much sugar your resulting fruit mash has. When you begin the fermentation process, read the hydrometer’s “potential alcohol” scale so that you know whether or not you need to add more.

What sugar should you use?

In most cases, wine is probably going to need some sugar added to it unless the fruit is very sweet or you like a very dry wine. Different types of sugar (such as cane sugar, honey, fructose, etc.) have different characteristics, and each will add a different “flavor” to your wine. If you like, start out with plain white table sugar and then experiment with other types once you get a knack for winemaking itself.

A little “acid” sweetness is good

Wine doesn’t just get its properties from being sweet; it also gets its unique flavor from being acidic. The type of fruit you use will change the acidity in the wine, so use a winemaking tartration kit to make sure you’ve got the proper acidity. If you want your wine to be more acidic, you can use malic, tartaric, or citric acids to balance this. You can also buy these as a blend specifically for wine making.

Onto fermentation

Fermentation is absolutely necessary to make wine; for this, you’ll need winemaking yeast and nutrients necessary to the process. Again, you can find this information on the Internet.

Finally, “your own brand”

Once the fermentation process is complete, you can bottle your wine as is, or you can make adjustments to it by adding flavor or body enhancements, a little more sugar, a little more acid, et cetera. It’s a myth that you can’t change the flavor of your wine once the fermentation process is complete. In fact, this could be one of the more interesting parts of the process.

Getting the hang of it

Don’t be discouraged if your first batch of wine doesn’t turn out great. In fact, few “first batches” of anything do. However, as you get used to the process, you may just find that store-bought wines taste, well, boring. After all, you can make any type of wine you want. Why would you just stick with bland, boring grape wine when you can do so much more?

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Wine Glasses – A Guide To Wine Glasses

By wino on August 22, 2009

A Guide To Wine Glasses

There all different types of wine glasses that are out there, and so you want to know for sure that you are using the right ones. It can be very embarrassing to serve your guests wine in the wrong type of glasses, and it can also be frustrating to be out on the town and not know which type of glasses is best for you to be using in the first place.

Of course, in the past, wine was served any which way in any type of glasses. There weren’t specific types of glasses for specific types of wine, so it was easier to simply drink the wine and enjoy it. However, now it has become important to have the right types of wine glasses used for specific types of wine. This makes it easier to distinguish the types of wine that should be drunk, and how to go about drinking them.

For red wines, you are going to be using the deeper, rounder wine glasses. This is because the taste of red wine is much more full bodied than you might think. You need the wider rim of the glass so that you can catch the entire full bodied taste of the wine. There also needs to be room in the glass for the wine to move and to allow the air to get into the wine .This is what creates the best taste for the wine possible.

For white wines, you don’t need to have a glass that is so full. This is where the skinnier flutes come in, although not at all the skinny Champagne flutes. You still want to drink your white wine in full bodied glasses because you do need the air as well for the white wine. However, you don’t need as big or as round of glasses with the white wine.

For Champagne, you want to use the skinny flutes. This helps the Champagne stay bubbly for as long as possible. Also, the skinny flutes are more conducive to the actual serving of Champagne, which should be only a small amount at one time.

All wine glasses should have stems. You should not drink the wine in glasses that don’t have stems. The stems keep the wine elevated and also protect the wine from the heat of your fingers as you drink the wine. Therefore, you always want to use wine glasses that have stems.

It is important to always drink wine correctly in the wine glasses. First of all, don’t let your fingers hold the glass where the wine is – because the wine will get too warm. Secondly, before you drink the wine, allow it to rotate in the glass and move it around a few times. This allows the wine to get aerated, which is going to make it taste better for you.

Remember, when you are using wine glasses it is important to use the right type of glasses for different types of wine. This will allow you to get the most out of the wine that you are drinking and to enjoy it as well!

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How To Cook With Wine

By wino on August 22, 2009

How To Cook With Wine

There are many different things that you might consider doing while you cook to increase flavor and help create different textures with the food that you are cooking. One of the things that you might consider is cooking with wine – if you can stand to use it without drinking it, that is.

First, remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on cooking wine. Some people claim that expensive or aged wines provide better flavor, but since the alcohol in the wine cooks off and the wine is absorbed into the food, you probably don’t want to cook with the most expensive brands of wine. A good idea would be to get some white cooking wine and some red cooking wine – wines that are specially designed to cook with.

Then, you have to figure out which types of cooking wine you want to use for what things. A good rule might to be to think about the flavors you already know match well. For instance, when you are cooking red meats or pasta sauces, red wine works really well. It gives the sauce flavor, and it also helps to tenderize the meat.

However, for things like fish and vegetables, white wine works better than red wine. This helps to emphasize the flavors that vegetables already have, and also helps to soften up the fish.

When you are cooking with wine, you want to remember that it is always going to be possible for you to add more, but not possible for you to take out wine once you’ve added too much. Therefore, what you want to do is to add the wine to your cooking in small amounts. Taste what you have already done, and make sure that it tastes good. If you can’t taste the wine or you would like it to be sharper, go ahead and add more.

Of course, for some projects and some fancy meals, you might want to go out and buy a bottle of white or red wine. In this case, be sure that you aren’t buying an expensive bottle, unless you absolutely need to have that type of taste. There are some differences that are important to remember.

First of all, wine that is made for cooking is going to be sharper, so if you want a more mild taste you might want to go with a regular bottle of wine. However, if you do want that sharp taste, use the cooking wine or even the cooking sherry. They will work better for you.

Also, remember that the alcohol burns off when you are cooking with wine ? so it isn’t as if you can’t serve the products that you make to the whole family. It is going to be the taste that matters when it comes to the food that you are cooking! Therefore, have at it and have fun while you are doing it! You’ll find that there are lots of great things that you can make with wine!

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Wines That Pair Well With Chocolate

By wino on August 22, 2009

It is pretty commonly known that people will pair their dinners with particular wines. Certain wines are preferred for fish dinners while other types of wines will generally be used with meals containing red meat as the main course. Just as with our dinners, it is important to make sure that you are properly pairing up your chocolates with wine.

Even though people may not see the point in this, different wines will bring out the various flavor components when paired together properly. The general rule that is typically followed when pairing wine to chocolates is that the wine should be as sweet as, if not sweeter, then the chocolate that is going along with it.

By not making sure that you have a wine that is sweet enough you could end up with a taste that is bitter or even sour. For something that a person would expect to be sweet, this is not the outcome that you want to have happen. Although there are some general rules that people will follow, you can experiment all you want until you find the combination that you like the most.

If you are looking for a wine that typically goes well with dark chocolate then you will need to find a wine that gives its own robust flavor. A hint of chocolate flavor in the wine would not hurt. A great tasting combination is said to be between dark chocolate of a nice Cabs or Zinfandels.

If your dark chocolate is around the 55% cocoa mark then you will want to go a different route. A nice Pinot Noir or Merlot will go well with this type of dark chocolate. A Tawny or Vintage Port is also a nice match for a chocolate truffle. In the end it is all about what you personal like so give it a try and see what you think.

For the milk chocolate you may want to pair it with a light Merlot. Mild milk chocolates do well with Muscats, Rieslings, or other dessert wines. If you are going all out and have some strawberries that are dipped in milk chocolate then consider pairing that with Champagne or a sparkling wine. If none of that meets your expectations then try the classic Ruby Port, as that will be sure to satisfy.

Even though white chocolate is used less often for wine pairing, it can still be worked with and end with excellent tasting results. Since this flavor of chocolate is more on the mellow and buttery side of the flavor charts, it works well with a decent Sherry or an Orange Muscat. If you like contrast then you may want to get a little wild and pair the white chocolate with a Zinfandel.

Of course, when all else fails you can take the do it yourself route. Grab yourself a handful of different types of chocolate and set out to buy a variety of wines. Have yourself a little chocolate and wine tasting party and see what tickles your fancy the most. You may be surprised to find which pairs you like the most.

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