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Port Wine – avoid it if you don't have what it takes to fall in love

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The world is more divided in terms of preference for wine than ever before.  Some subscribe to the old saying “The first duty of wine is to be red…the second is to be a Burgundy” – Waugh.  Others lament “The only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne” – Keynes.   Many prefer new-world wines of the southern hemisphere. Then there are those who do whites only because reds are too dense for their palates.   Everyone has a good point.  But if you walk into a room full of wine connoisseurs, holding a decanter of Port wine, you’d be lucky to have a glass of it left for yourself.  Port is without question or fuss, a universal wine-lover’s favorite.

So what is Port wine?  

Port was originally from Portugal in a city called Oporto. (Guess that quickly answers the question of why it is called Port, doesn’t it?) Various good renditions of Port can now be found elsewhere like Australia, America and South Africa.  Certainly there are some notable efforts but most are not (yet) up or par with the genuine article from Portugal.

 

                                        (Caption:

                              Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.

-Evelyn Waugh)

 

 

 

Port wine gained popularity in Britain during the 18th century when France and England were at each other’s throat all the time.  French wine were all but banned in England.  Portugal was not a part of the quarrel but Portuguese (dry) wine couldn’t ingratiate itself with the spoiled palates of the English.  The sweet fortified style was an instant success; so much so that British winemakers and merchants migrated to Portugal to set up shop there.  Even today, famous houses that rank among the most revered Port producers, sport English names like Dow, Taylor and Graham.

 

It seems like everything in 21st century Earth has to be compartmentalized into neat genres so try looking for Port in the pigeonhole called “Fortified Wine”.  Personally I find the tag a bit denigrating; smacks of a feeble wine desperately needing help to make it palatable.  It makes people wonder if Port is wine at all.

 

To be sure, Port is a type of wine, structurally modified if you must but still every bit, wine.  Purists can protest by pointing out that the Port-making process involves adding of brandy at the end – hence described as fortified – so technically it is not wine per se; point taken.

 

Just like the production of Champagne starts with the making of white wine, the first step with Port is to make red wine.  Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Amarela are grapes used in making Port.  Touriga Nacional makes world-class red wine that gives Rioja, Brunello and Malbec a run for their money.

 

Port weighs in at 20% alcohol strength (typically 12% from wine and 8% from brandy) compared to 12-14% for most dry wine.   When the fermentation reaches about 12% alcohol, potent grape spirit brandy is added to raise the wine’s strength to 20%, at the same time arresting the fermentation process.   This is where the course is altered and destiny is changed from Wine to Port.  That abrupt halt to the fermentation by the way also causes the wine to be sweet with no sugar added.  Let me explain.

 

We all know that fermentation is about converting sugar in sweet grape juice into alcohol.    When the alcohol level exceeds 14%, yeasts gets lazy and stop fermenting sugar into alcohol.  Arresting the fermentation causes a lot of unfermented natural sugar – called residual sugar – to be left in the wine.

 

There is nothing esoteric about Port, probably because it managed to elude modern wine journalism.  For starters, we don’t have to talk about terroir, nor was there ever a Paris Challenge to settle an epic dispute of very little consequences.  Nobody will approach you with a glass of Port asking you to recognize its region and producer.  This might actually be one of the last remaining sanctuaries not contaminated by ratings. When I drink Port with family and friends, it seems like only two things matter: savoring the wine and wondering whether I can afford another bottle after it.

 

At the risk of oversimplification, Port is about vintage and honor; vintage because it is about the weather condition of each year and honor because it has a lot to do with each winemaker’s preservation of his/her goodwill (more on this in a minute).  Port has a very old rules and goodwill can’t be established overnight with RP ratings and clever tricks like mailing lists.   I’ll leave it at that lest this develops into something more polemic than I bargained for.  But I will discuss vintage and honor shortly.

 

Port is not a simple wine.  In fact, it is rather complex, arguably more so than red wine, yet deceivingly easy to enjoy.  There are several styles of port; each serves a different purpose, addresses a different market segment, and fits snugly into Port lovers’ myriad whims, desires and budgets.   The top of the line is a rare and inevitably expensive Vintage Port.

 

Vintage port is like vintage wine, meant to improve with age inside the bottle over many years.  It is made from grapes of a single harvest. The vintage (year) appears on the label.  These are very rare, expensive and not meant to be drunk young.  I opened a 1970 Diez just the other evening and it was vigorous and robust, redolent of chocolate and black fruit flavors.  At 40 years of age it was a class act of power,

elegance and style all contained in one neat silky package.  When I had the same wine about 15 years ago its tannic structure was a little abrasive.  We’ll come back to talk about Vintage Port at length a bit later but first let’s run through a few other (more budget-friendly) styles of port.

 

Late-Bottled Vintage or LBV Port is also a kind of vintage port except that it is softened up by several more years of maturation in a barrel before bottling.  The whole idea is to make LBV ready to drink upon release which is usually 5-7 years after the harvest. While the best wine goes to making Vintage Port, runner ups make it to this format but quality is still of the highest standards. LBVs wear a friendlier price tag of around Php 1,200 to 2,400; they are excellent values for Port lovers. 

 

Another similar style is the Colheita Port which is a softer and more ready-to-drink version of LBV.  For unknown reasons Colheitas are seldom seen in the market these days.  These are a bit like Bordeaux’s practice of offering a “second wine” made from quality grapes that can’t go into the Grand Vin main label.  They often are excellent value for money.  

 

Single Quinta Vintage Port is probably the nearest thing to a genuine Vintage Port.  Vintage Ports are made from wines from several vineyards called quintas.   The very best grapes are selected from each site to create complex alchemy of their distinctive characters.  Single Quinta Vintage Port breaks that tradition by using grapes from a specific (single) quinta.  This approach delivers what wine lovers call “terroir” or site personality on top of distinctive qualities of the climate and harvest conditions of the vintage year alone.  Prices, and to a certain extent quality also, approach those of Vintage Ports. p2,500 to p4,500 for a young bottle is not unreasonable.

 

Tawny Port is akin to Non-Vintage Champagne.  There is no year on the label and it is completely ready to drink upon release.  Tawny Port comprises of wine from more than one year.  It undergoes extensive ageing in barrels and then filtered (to get rid of sediments) before bottling.  Oxidation causes the once-dark color of Port to lighten and acquire a tawny hue (hence the name).   Entry-level Tawny Port can be purchased at around p600 a bottle.  When you see words like Ten-Year-Old or Twenty-Year-Old on the label of a Tawny Port, you are looking at pretty fancy stuff; so expect to pay a fancy but fair price of p1,200 to 3,600.   The least expensive port is called Ruby Port.  Despite starting at just p300/bottle, it is not good value for money; hardly even worthy of being called Port in most cases.

 

Now back to Vintage Port again, particularly the subject of honor.

 

Declaring A Vintage – an honor system

 

Vintage Port is produced only about 3-4 times in a decade.  No, it is not because of Government regulations or event acts of God.  It is an honor system, self regulated and one that has governed more effectively, and most say more fairly, than any set of laws known to the wine trade.  The system is called declaration and it is quite simple; perhaps that’s why it works.  Producers have a year after the harvest to ponder over a decision to declare a vintage or to abstain, a decision that hinges on their confidence about the quality of the wine of that year.

 

Although reputation (and pride of course) factors heavily into the making of world-class wines like Petrus, La Tache and Sassicaia, money is nevertheless very much a part of the equation.   That’s not so in the case of Vintage Port.  The quantity of Vintage Port is so small that it makes up an insignificant percentage of the producer’s annual revenue.  Declassifying a whole vintage of Petrus is almost unthinkable but all Port-houses do so routinely 6-7 times a decade.  Money is not at stake here, but reputation is; perhaps ego too.  There is no bad vintage port.  Unfortunately, this also means that there isn’t any cheap Vintage Port either.  Expect to pay at least p4,000 for a young bottle that demands 5-10 years of waiting in the cellars, p12,000 for 20-year-old and the moon for rare old bottles.

 

The longevity of Port wine is legendary second perhaps only to Madeira.  In fact, Port ages much better than most dry wine.  Its high alcohol content protects its well against excessive oxidation which turns wine eventually into vinegar.  Excellent 50-year bottles of Port – still fresh and vibrant – are living testament to Port’s longevity.  Some of the best vintages are 1945, 1955, 1963, 1977, 1994 and 1997.  1985 is probably the only noteworthy vintage in the disappointing decade of the 80s that is drinking nicely now.

 

So how does one enjoy a good bottle of Port?  With a great deal of respect.  Other than the fact that it is sweet, everything else is the same as wine.  A Vintage Port is expected to achieve excellent balance between its natural sweetness, fresh acidity and a firm structure of tannins.  It has to have plenty of flesh to cover the bones, a good long and steady finish (aftertaste) to extend the experience beyond the swallow.  With age, we can expect a new kind of charm, distinction if you will, emergence of elegance, complexity and depth of flavors from its maturity to a point where one would not even attempt to describe it in words anymore.

 

If I were given one dying wish for a bottle of Port, hands down without a doubt, it would be the legendary 1963 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port specially qualified as “Touriga Nacional”; literally to die for.  Other great bottles include 63 and 77 Dow, 55 Graham and the 45 Taylor.  Bottles to lay down for your sons and daughters include 94, 97 and 2000 vintage port.  For current drinking at a reasonably affordable price, I opt for a Barros 95 and Feist 87 and 85.  These are not stellar vintages but they are good value for money.

 

The classic pairing for Vintage Port is the king of blue cheeses – English Blue Stilton – served over water biscuits accompanied by lightly salted roasted almonds.  For younger and more tannic ports a piece of dark chocolate (65+% cocoa) matches well

with the chocolate flavors indigenous to the Port.  Matured Port goes very well with braised meat in rich reduction sauces.

 

If you have a cellar at home I would argue that the best candidate for space in that precious piece of real estate is Vintage Port.  Value appreciation in Vintage Port out-performs dry wine mainly because prices on release of dry wine tend to be too high.  Upside in investment in dry wine is not lucrative and fatality rates of dry wine rise exponentially beyond 30 or 40 years of age.  The risks of Vintage Port going bad inside the bottle are much lower.  Port’s high alcohol strength protects it well against oxidation. 

 

If you need any more reasons to make that shift in your wine investment strategies to Port, here is a possible deal closer.  When the head longs for a shoulder to rest on, arms hungry for a warm body to wrap around or teeth overly anxious to sink into something unthinkable, this tawny-hued clone of a wine if you will, always hits the spot. 

 

Port was originally from Portugal in a city called Oporto. (Guess that quickly answers the question of why it is called Port, doesn’t it?) Various good renditions of Port can now be found elsewhere like Australia, America and South Africa.  Certainly there are some notable efforts but most are not (yet) up or par with the genuine article from Portugal.

 

                                        (Caption:

                              Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.

-Evelyn Waugh)

 

 

 

Port wine gained popularity in Britain during the 18th century when France and England were at each other’s throat all the time.  French wine were all but banned in England.  Portugal was not a part of the quarrel but Portuguese (dry) wine couldn’t ingratiate itself with the spoiled palates of the English.  The sweet fortified style was an instant success; so much so that British winemakers and merchants migrated to Portugal to set up shop there.  Even today, famous houses that rank among the most revered Port producers, sport English names like Dow, Taylor and Graham.

 

It seems like everything in 21st century Earth has to be compartmentalized into neat genres so try looking for Port in the pigeonhole called “Fortified Wine”.  Personally I find the tag a bit denigrating; smacks of a feeble wine desperately needing help to make it palatable.  It makes people wonder if Port is wine at all.

 

To be sure, Port is a type of wine, structurally modified if you must but still every bit, wine.  Purists can protest by pointing out that the Port-making process involves adding of brandy at the end – hence described as fortified – so technically it is not wine per se; point taken.

 

Just like the production of Champagne starts with the making of white wine, the first step with Port is to make red wine.  Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Amarela are grapes used in making Port.  Touriga Nacional makes world-class red wine that gives Rioja, Brunello and Malbec a run for their money.

 

Port weighs in at 20% alcohol strength (typically 12% from wine and 8% from brandy) compared to 12-14% for most dry wine.   When the fermentation reaches about 12% alcohol, potent grape spirit brandy is added to raise the wine’s strength to 20%, at the same time arresting the fermentation process.   This is where the course is altered and destiny is changed from Wine to Port.  That abrupt halt to the fermentation by the way also causes the wine to be sweet with no sugar added.  Let me explain.

 

We all know that fermentation is about converting sugar in sweet grape juice into alcohol.    When the alcohol level exceeds 14%, yeasts gets lazy and stop fermenting sugar into alcohol.  Arresting the fermentation causes a lot of unfermented natural sugar – called residual sugar – to be left in the wine.

 

There is nothing esoteric about Port, probably because it managed to elude modern wine journalism.  For starters, we don’t have to talk about terroir, nor was there ever a Paris Challenge to settle an epic dispute of very little consequences.  Nobody will approach you with a glass of Port asking you to recognize its region and producer.  This might actually be one of the last remaining sanctuaries not contaminated by ratings. When I drink Port with family and friends, it seems like only two things matter: savoring the wine and wondering whether I can afford another bottle after it.

 

At the risk of oversimplification, Port is about vintage and honor; vintage because it is about the weather condition of each year and honor because it has a lot to do with each winemaker’s preservation of his/her goodwill (more on this in a minute).  Port has a very old rules and goodwill can’t be established overnight with RP ratings and clever tricks like mailing lists.   I’ll leave it at that lest this develops into something more polemic than I bargained for.  But I will discuss vintage and honor shortly.

 

Port is not a simple wine.  In fact, it is rather complex, arguably more so than red wine, yet deceivingly easy to enjoy.  There are several styles of port; each serves a different purpose, addresses a different market segment, and fits snugly into Port lovers’ myriad whims, desires and budgets.   The top of the line is a rare and inevitably expensive Vintage Port.

 

Vintage port is like vintage wine, meant to improve with age inside the bottle over many years.  It is made from grapes of a single harvest. The vintage (year) appears on the label.  These are very rare, expensive and not meant to be drunk young.  I opened a 1970 Diez just the other evening and it was vigorous and robust, redolent of chocolate and black fruit flavors.  At 40 years of age it was a class act of power, 

elegance and style all contained in one neat silky package.  When I had the same wine about 15 years ago its tannic structure was a little abrasive.  We’ll come back to talk about Vintage Port at length a bit later but first let’s run through a few other (more budget-friendly) styles of port.

 

Late-Bottled Vintage or LBV Port is also a kind of vintage port except that it is softened up by several more years of maturation in a barrel before bottling.  The whole idea is to make LBV ready to drink upon release which is usually 5-7 years after the harvest. While the best wine goes to making Vintage Port, runner ups make it to this format but quality is still of the highest standards. LBVs wear a friendlier price tag of around Php 1,200 to 2,400; they are excellent values for Port lovers. 

 

Another similar style is the Colheita Port which is a softer and more ready-to-drink version of LBV.  For unknown reasons Colheitas are seldom seen in the market these days.  These are a bit like Bordeaux’s practice of offering a “second wine” made from quality grapes that can’t go into the Grand Vin main label.  They often are excellent value for money.  

 

Single Quinta Vintage Port is probably the nearest thing to a genuine Vintage Port.  Vintage Ports are made from wines from several vineyards called quintas.   The very best grapes are selected from each site to create complex alchemy of their distinctive characters.  Single Quinta Vintage Port breaks that tradition by using grapes from a specific (single) quinta.  This approach delivers what wine lovers call “terroir” or site personality on top of distinctive qualities of the climate and harvest conditions of the vintage year alone.  Prices, and to a certain extent quality also, approach those of Vintage Ports. p2,500 to p4,500 for a young bottle is not unreasonable.

 

Tawny Port is akin to Non-Vintage Champagne.  There is no year on the label and it is completely ready to drink upon release.  Tawny Port comprises of wine from more than one year.  It undergoes extensive ageing in barrels and then filtered (to get rid of sediments) before bottling.  Oxidation causes the once-dark color of Port to lighten and acquire a tawny hue (hence the name).   Entry-level Tawny Port can be purchased at around p600 a bottle.  When you see words like Ten-Year-Old or Twenty-Year-Old on the label of a Tawny Port, you are looking at pretty fancy stuff; so expect to pay a fancy but fair price of p1,200 to 3,600.   The least expensive port is called Ruby Port.  Despite starting at just p300/bottle, it is not good value for money; hardly even worthy of being called Port in most cases.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7LoU2Vi6c

Now back to Vintage Port again, particularly the subject of honor.

 

Declaring A Vintage – an honor system

 

Vintage Port is produced only about 3-4 times in a decade.  No, it is not because of Government regulations or event acts of God.  It is an honor system, self regulated and one that has governed more effectively, and most say more fairly, than any set of laws known to the wine trade.  The system is called declaration and it is quite simple; perhaps that’s why it works.  Producers have a year after the harvest to ponder over a decision to declare a vintage or to abstain, a decision that hinges on their confidence about the quality of the wine of that year.

 

Although reputation (and pride of course) factors heavily into the making of world-class wines like Petrus, La Tache and Sassicaia, money is nevertheless very much a part of the equation.   That’s not so in the case of Vintage Port.  The quantity of Vintage Port is so small that it makes up an insignificant percentage of the producer’s annual revenue.  Declassifying a whole vintage of Petrus is almost unthinkable but all Port-houses do so routinely 6-7 times a decade.  Money is not at stake here, but reputation is; perhaps ego too.  There is no bad vintage port.  Unfortunately, this also means that there isn’t any cheap Vintage Port either.  Expect to pay at least p4,000 for a young bottle that demands 5-10 years of waiting in the cellars, p12,000 for 20-year-old and the moon for rare old bottles.

 

The longevity of Port wine is legendary second perhaps only to Madeira.  In fact, Port ages much better than most dry wine.  Its high alcohol content protects its well against excessive oxidation which turns wine eventually into vinegar.  Excellent 50-year bottles of Port – still fresh and vibrant – are living testament to Port’s longevity.  Some of the best vintages are 1945, 1955, 1963, 1977, 1994 and 1997.  1985 is probably the only noteworthy vintage in the disappointing decade of the 80s that is drinking nicely now.

 

So how does one enjoy a good bottle of Port?  With a great deal of respect.  Other than the fact that it is sweet, everything else is the same as wine.  A Vintage Port is expected to achieve excellent balance between its natural sweetness, fresh acidity and a firm structure of tannins.  It has to have plenty of flesh to cover the bones, a good long and steady finish (aftertaste) to extend the experience beyond the swallow.  With age, we can expect a new kind of charm, distinction if you will, emergence of elegance, complexity and depth of flavors from its maturity to a point where one would not even attempt to describe it in words anymore.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LKzybwRqgY

If I were given one dying wish for a bottle of Port, hands down without a doubt, it would be the legendary 1963 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port specially qualified as “Touriga Nacional”; literally to die for.  Other great bottles include 63 and 77 Dow, 55 Graham and the 45 Taylor.  Bottles to lay down for your sons and daughters include 94, 97 and 2000 vintage port.  For current drinking at a reasonably affordable price, I opt for a Barros 95 and Feist 87 and 85.  These are not stellar vintages but they are good value for money.

 

The classic pairing for Vintage Port is the king of blue cheeses – English Blue Stilton – served over water biscuits accompanied by lightly salted roasted almonds.  For younger and more tannic ports a piece of dark chocolate (65+% cocoa) matches well 

with the chocolate flavors indigenous to the Port.  Matured Port goes very well with braised meat in rich reduction sauces.

 

If you have a cellar at home I would argue that the best candidate for space in that precious piece of real estate is Vintage Port.  Value appreciation in Vintage Port out-performs dry wine mainly because prices on release of dry wine tend to be too high.  Upside in investment in dry wine is not lucrative and fatality rates of dry wine rise exponentially beyond 30 or 40 years of age.  The risks of Vintage Port going bad inside the bottle are much lower.  Port’s high alcohol strength protects it well against oxidation. 

 

If you need any more reasons to make that shift in your wine investment strategies to Port, here is a possible deal closer.  When the head longs for a shoulder to rest on, arms hungry for a warm body to wrap around or teeth overly anxious to sink into something unthinkable, this tawny-hued clone of a wine if you will, always hits the spot. 

 

 

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation.  This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila.  Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

 

Yats Wine Cellars can be reached at their Clark Wine Center Philippines wine shop located on the main highway M A Roxas of Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone or their sales office in Ortigas Centre, Metro Manila.  Here is the contact information:

 

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,  Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

(632) 6375019  0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

 

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

 

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office      

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

 

Or email Wine@Yats-International.com

 


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Eco-Friendly Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

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Eco-Friendly Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country











Temecula, CA (PRWEB) May 18, 2011

Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country is gaining well-deserved recognition for its premium, quality wines and becoming a desirable destination for green, eco-friendly travelers and visitors. The casual, picturesque region’s natural beauty includes three unique destinations, each of earth-friendly interest: Downtown Old Town Temecula with surrounding untouched, chaparral-covered hills and nearby, untamed river; Pechanga Resort & Casino nestled against majestic mountains that bloom with lilac in spring; and Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country where vineyards thrive in morning air, refreshing and still.

Efforts toward harmony with nature extend beyond and include local government, families, and schoolchildren. The City of Temecula is helping to preserve the night sky for nearby Palomar Observatory with its 6,500, dark-sky friendly, low-pressure sodium (LPS) arterial and streetlights. Slow Food Temecula Valley’s school gardens program has helped establish and keep growing, edible, organic gardens at more than a dozen, Temecula schools.

Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country

With 5,000 acres protected in an agricultural preserve, rolling hills, and a big beautiful sky overhead, the vineyards and wineries of Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country host a variety of sustainable practices. Many of these practices begin in the vineyards where the health and vitality of the vines are a precursor to the flavors of the wines. Throughout the valley, cover crops grow between vineyard rows to fortify the soil. Pest management is encouraged by red tail hawks during the day and by owls at night. At harvest-time, the grapes of many vineyards are picked during the cooler temperatures of night and early-early morning, both for energy savings and for the quality berries and juice night-harvesting helps to ensure.

Among Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country champions of sustainability is Ponte Family Estate, which manages its vineyards and winery under the sustainability standards of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the Wine Institute. In the vineyards, natural cover crops limit carbon dioxide emissions, preserve soil integrity, enhance soil health, and prevent erosion. Bluebird boxes encourage bluebirds to help manage insects. Soil moisture is monitored; deficit and drip irrigation foster wine quality. Ponte’s ‘green team’ has implemented sustainability practices throughout the winery, tasting room, and restaurant, with its wine club shipping and estate landscaping; and is continually in the process of expanding these efforts. Ponte is also a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) weekly pick-up location.

Farm-elegant and widely recognized for its handcrafted estate grown wines, Palumbo Family Vineyards & Winery is certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), proud to be members of the Santa Margarita River Watershed monitoring program and active in promoting its overall health. Palumbo recycles grape winemaking by-product (grape skins, seeds, and stems) by nourishing the vineyards with composted grape pomace. Cover crops between vineyard rows include wildflowers to attract ladybugs. All Palumbo corks are derived from sustainable cork forests and are fire-branded, eliminating the need for ink branding. The tasting bar was built using recycled wood scraps found at a local guitar factory for Taylor and Gibson guitars.

The owners of family-run, Leonesse Cellars began as farmers. As a result, and as long-term farmers, Leonesse is earnest in its role as caretakers of the land. Leonesse vineyards are sustainably farmed incorporating practices such as deficit irrigation for quality fruit and for water conservation; organic composts under the vines for nutrients; cover crops – barley in every other row – to build the soil profile; and the encouragement of hawks, owls, and beneficial insects. At Leonesse, the “Touch the Vine, Taste the Wine,” tour and tasting includes a trek via jumbo electric golf cart to experience the vineyards firsthand. Leonesse is the host venue for Slow Food Temecula Valley’s annual Field To Fork, a premier wine, craft beer, and food-pairing event.

The vineyards of stunning estate, Monte de Oro Winery are also sustainably farmed as naturally as possible. Another example of Monte de Oro’s green commitment is its 9,000 square-foot, subterranean, wine cellar. Utilizing the environment and aesthetics of the structure maintains a proper, consistent temperature and constant humidity for wine barrel storage and cellaring. This dramatically reduces the need for electricity that would be required for an above-ground wine barrel facility.

With a deep farming history and passion for Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country, boutique-winery, Stuart Cellars is clearly focused on sustainability. Vineyard land is fortified with legumes and barley, and composted grape pomace is used as a natural soil amendment. Deficit irrigation watering and soil moisture monitoring are practiced, and emitters with spaghetti tubing that directs water to the base of vines, eliminates trans-evaporation of the water (versus cordon drip systems) by 33%. Towering eucalyptus trees are home to nesting Red Tail hawks and a nesting Coopers hawk, and in Spring 2011, Stuart Cellars’ owl box was home to two adult barn owls and eight baby owls.

At all-Italian varietal, Cougar Vineyard & Winery, cover crops and composted lees (grape seeds, leaves, and skins remaining from the winemaking process) are used to fortify the soils. No pesticides and no herbicides are used in the vineyards, and only natural sulfur is used when necessary to control powdery mildew. By night, owls patrol the Cougar vineyards.

Popular for its unique wines including almond champagne, Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard’s sustainability efforts include monitoring and limiting soil moisture to conserve water; these efforts also control vine canopy growth, and reduce berry and bunch size, thereby improving grape quality. Wilson Creek is also participating in a vineyard water usage study in Wine Country that uses an ADCON network of weather and soil moisture sensing stations. Wilson Creek refrains from using any chemical fertilizers; instead, compost, green waste, and cover crops increase the available nutrients to the vines and retard moisture evaporation.

At South Coast Winery Resort & Spa (Best California State Winery two-years-running), sustainable vineyard growing practices include the use of vine-based compost (grape skins, grape seeds, leaves, and stems leftover from the winemaking process) to improve overall soil health and nurture the growth of future grape production efforts. Grape seeds, leaves, and grape skins (known as ‘lees’) are also recycled to create customized spa services at South Coast’s GrapeSeed Spa. Offered every year at ‘crush,’ the exclusively designed, Lees Mud Scrub is naturally filled with antioxidants from the grapes; the grape skins and grape leaves add an exfoliating texture to the treatment.

Mount Palomar Winery also incorporates sustainability practices in its vineyard management. Grape stems leftover from the winemaking process are used to prevent soil erosion; cover crops and composted grape pomace nourish the soil; and deficit irrigation is practiced. Owl boxes encourage the nighttime predators, and in Spring 2011, a pair of Red Tail hawks had made their home in Mount Palomar’s towering eucalyptus trees. Mount Palomar uses recycled pressed paper (instead of styrofoam) in packaging/shipping its wines.

At Callaway Vineyard & Winery, cover crops limit carbon dioxide emissions, inhibit weed growth, preserve soil integrity, enhance soil health, and encourage beneficial insects. Composted pomace also nourishes vineyard soils, and hawks and owls are effective in their patrols. Weather data and soil moisture monitoring help to limit water usage, and Old World winemaking techniques allow the wines to express themselves. Seasonal events with the winemaker feature an adopt-a-vine program and provide the opportunity to learn more.

Very small, family-owned and operated, Foot Path Winery is Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country’s only certified organic vineyard. Natural cover crops, no pesticides (an organic, chrysanthemum-based alternative is used instead), and hawks and owls on-patrol are practices in the production of Foot Path’s handcrafted wines. The Foot Path Winery also features a small stand with navel, Valencia, and blood oranges; tangerines; pomegranates; figs; apricots; and other tree fruit in-season.

The primary values of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s sustainability statement are exemplified throughout Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country but perhaps two values are best illustrated by pioneer Hart Winery. Those values: produce the best quality wine and/or grapes possible and honor the California wine community’s entrepreneurial spirit. While well-respected for a stellar array of estate and Temecula Valley appellation wines, Hart Winery also supports other Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country vineyards and grape growers by buying their grapes for Hart wines, a sustainability practice, indeed.

Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country wholeheartedly recycles glass, cardboard, wooden pallets, etc. For Earth Day 2011, the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and its 34 member wineries also launched a partnership with ReCORK. The natural cork, recycling program’s goal is to inform of the crucial role, renewable cork forests play in curbing climate change.

Dining in Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country

Sampling a region’s wines while enjoying the local cuisine is a time-honored travel tradition. In Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country, dining in a variety of winery restaurants where local ingredients are used to craft seasonal menus affords the opportunity to experience the natural affinity – and natural synergy – of Temecula Valley wines and foods together.

Among earth-friendly, winery restaurants in Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country is Meritage at Callaway Vineyard & Winery, a genuine proponent of ‘shopping for the day’ using local, sustainable and organic ingredients. Based on the small plate/Tapas concept of big flavor and variety, seasonal menus feature tapas, salads, and entrees with a Mediterranean flair. Meritage is vegetarian- and vegan-friendly.

The Restaurant at Ponte Winery sources much of its fresh produce from Crows Pass Farm located across the street; olive oils and cheeses are also sourced locally. Poultry and meats are from sustainable farms, and all seafood selections are on the Seafood Watch from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The menu features Italian, French, and California-influenced seasonal selections, and is vegetarian-friendly.

The Creekside Restaurant at Wilson Creek Winery has an inspired menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and seasonal specials. Creekside utilizes organic and local produce, and is vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. Creekside also serves a complete gluten-free menu.

Pechanga Resort & Casino

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians have called the Temecula Valley home for more than 10,000 years. Within Pechanga Resort & Casino’s 445-acre footprint, there is a relaxed symmetry; the architecture is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright and infused with Luiseño tribal art and culture. The AAA 4-Diamond casino resort garners high acclaim as one of the premier live entertainment venues in Southern California. Lesser known is Pechanga’s alternative-energy creation station – a cogeneration plant.

Using natural gas, the CoGen plant can produce up to 4 megawatts of power to produce 75% of the power that the Resort uses during the winter months. The plant has an automated system that uses waste heat to produce steam for domestic hot water heaters, and produces chill water for the air conditioning system. This translates to carbon dioxide reduction, and the relief of taking 1.5 megawatts of energy off the grid.

Pechanga’s interest in clean, renewable energy and regard as an authentically gracious, full-service resort were further demonstrated on Earth Day 2011. Six electric car-charging stations debuted and became available on the first level of the Resort’s north parking structure.

Journey at Pechanga

The championship 18-hole, golf course, Journey at Pechanga, is acknowledged with highly desirable accolades from top golf publications. Literally “10,000 years in the making” and a union of nature, form and function, the spectacular course snakes through the awe-inspiring terrain of native canyons and along the boulder strewn mountain. The course includes 7+ miles of cart paths and many stunning vistas of the Temecula Valley and the surrounding mountains. Electric golf carts are equipped with state-of-the-art GPS systems; GPS and communications are solar-powered.

With respect for the natural habitat and Pechanga heritage, design and construction of the course on nearly 300 acres of unique, ancestral land, preserved most native, oak trees; those removed were moved and transplanted at great expense. Visible from the back 9 is the ancient Great Oak (namesake for the resort’s Great Oak Steakhouse fine-dining restaurant). The Great Oak is the largest, natural-growing, indigenous coast live oak tree in the United States. It is estimated to be 850 to 1,500 years old, making it one of the oldest oak trees in the world. The second-largest Pechanga oak is a deep-rooted feature on hole 9. Mature California oaks also stand on holes 1, 3, and 4; and are challenging obstacles on holes 2 and 7.

Each hole on the Journey course bears a Luiseño name from The Beginning Place/Chuxi’ vonga at hole 1 through Eagle’s Nest/Aswut Potee’I at hole 18. The course also hosts cultural exhibits that chronicle the history of the Pechanga people.

Beside the Rainbow Gap: Temecula Creek Inn

Nestled against one of the Temecula Valley’s most recognized, geographic features, the peaceful elegance of Temecula Creek Inn sets on 350 acres of secluded, natural beauty. A recent recipient of the coveted Four Star rating Golf Digest Places to Play, the Inn’s 27-hole championship golf course includes a distinctive trio of course options. From the traditional adjoining fairways of the Creek Course, to the scenic beauty of the Oaks, to the dramatic elevation changes of the precision-demanding Stonehouse, each offers challenge and reward to players of all skill levels. Century-old oak trees and towering sycamores line the fairways.

At Temecula Creek Inn, birdwatchers revel in watching Red Tail hawks soar high above. For hikers and joggers seeking morning and late-afternoon jaunts, miles of well-marked trails wrap around the resort.

Unique to Temecula Creek Inn is the historic Stone House. Built circa 1825 and once used as a mess hall for hard-working quarrymen, the quaint, 870-square-foot granite and stone building is a perfect venue for cozy wine dinners, intimate retreats, and team-building activities. The structure with its cool, stone walls, rustic-beamed ceiling, wood furnishings, stone fireplace and antiques, sits beside towering, 100-year old oaks.

Old Town Temecula

The first people of the original village knew it as “the place where the sun shines through mist.” Years later, Butterfield stagecoaches rumbled into Temecula, stopping at Temecula’s first post office (established in 1859). Old Town Temecula was born with the arrival of the California Southern Railroad in 1882; those railroad days endured into the 1930s.

Today, more than a dozen historical properties dating as far back as the 1890s still exist and have been repurposed and reopened in the Old Town Temecula entertainment-dining-shopping district. The circa 1890, red-brick Burnham Store, later Temecula Mercantile, is now The MERC, a popular, small, concert venue and art gallery, adjacent the Old Town Temecula Community Theater.

Old Town’s newest landmark is the Mission Revival-style Civic Center and Parking Structure. Designed to meet the US Green Building Council’s Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification requirements, award from the USGBC is anticipated by Autumn 2011. An example of the new Civic Center’s conserving energy and being healthier and safer than conventional construction is its highly efficient, direct/indirect cooling system providing 100% fresh air, 100% of the time. Meanwhile, the parking structure’s top-level, photovoltaic/solar-panel installation generates 90% of the energy for the parking structure’s uses.

Old Town Temecula’s Tasting Trail

Gaining renown is Old Town Temecula’s Tasting Trail featuring merchants of local and artisan foods, olive oils, and luscious wines. Among Old Town purveyors is family-owned and operated Temecula Olive Oil Company which sustainably grows olives on its ranch 18 miles east of Old Town (tours by advance reservation the second and fourth Saturdays of each month; final olive oil pressings fuel the tractor); produces all its 100% California, 100% extra virgin olive oil products in Temecula; and offers complimentary olive oil tastings everyday in its Old Town Temecula location. Exceptionally fresh the way nature intended, savoring the purity dramatically illustrates that sustainable growing practices and the old world process indeed make all the difference. As popular as the rich, buttery Olivum (Late Harvest), are seasonal flavors like Citrus and Fresh Basil.

Among Old Town’s wine tasting rooms and wine bars is premium wine lounge, The Collective, representing a variety of small, Temecula Valley appellation, boutique wineries including Woodworth Vineyards. The unique micro-climate in the Del Luz area east of Old Town and attentive craftsmanship enable Woodworth Estate Wines to produce award-winning Pinot Noir. Woodworth Vineyards are sustainably farmed and self-assessed annually per California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) guidelines.

Farmers and specialty food artisans at Saturdays’ California Certified, Old Town Farmers’ Markets (8am to 1:30pm) are 99% local (within 100 miles). Products include organic and conventional, fruits and vegetables; honey, nuts, free-range eggs, cheese, pesto, garlic pastes, and olives. Local avocados and citrus are available year-round; strawberries, March-April-May; ; peaches, apricots, plums and other stone-fruit, June-July; sweet white corn by the 4th of July; tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peak in August; persimmons, guavas, September-October; sweet navel oranges, tangerines, as well as Dragon fruit, and Buddha’s hand/fingered citron, November-December; cherimoyas into January-February.

Dining and Shopping in Old Town Temecula

Dozen-block, Old Town Temecula is made for strolling; exploring the unique, specialty stores; and experiencing the independently owned restaurants, bistros, and coffee houses. Among earth-friendly, dining options are Old Town’s gastro-pub, The Public House where local, seasonal, and sustainable foods are served; and the menu and specials change regularly. Public House food and beverage sources include Old Town Temecula’s Spice Merchants and Café Bravo; and Temecula’s own microbrewery, Black Market Brewing Company. The Public House’s popular meatloaf is made with regional, all-natural, grass-fed beef. The Public House is also vegetarian- and vegan-friendly.

Palumbo’s Ristorante prepares much of its Southern Italian cuisine with locally grown, organic produce; features seasonally-inspired specials (the Caprice salad and Margarita pizza are exceptionally delicious in summer when made with local, heirloom tomatoes); offers a nice variety of local Temecula Valley wines; and the bread, raviolis, sausage, meatballs, soups, and sauces are house-made. Palumbo’s is vegetarian-friendly and all soups including the minestrone are vegetarian.

Sharing a handsome, Old Town building are Baily’s Fine Dining (California/Continental cuisine) and Front Street Bar & Grill (upscale, casual, with patio dining). At Baily’s, local, seasonal ingredients are used and inspire the menu; the popular prix fixe menu changes weekly (every Tuesday). Like Baily’s, Front Street Bar & Grill is vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, and the menu features local and seasonal ingredients.

The Edge Restaurant is sophisticated and trendy, and the menu reflects the use of local and organic ingredients, and certified, grass-fed prime beef. Vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, The Edge also features local Temecula Valley wines.

Old Town’s specialty coffee house, Cafe’ Bravo locally fresh-roasts fair-trade/in-season whole bean coffee and serves up latte performance art in for-here porcelain mugs. Cafe’ Bravo’s coffee grounds are recycled to fortify the soil of customers’ gardens.

Down the block at Old Town Spice Merchants, recycled 100-year-old, barn beams support the shelves. Local source for teas and spices for many Temecula Valley wineries and restaurants, Old Town Spice Merchants also garners a following for its fine, spice and herb blends, and sea salts.

With its lavender fields in Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country, and its products made exclusively in Temecula, Temecula Lavender Company offers bath, body, and home products including sweetly scented soaps, lotions, and candles. Also available are novelty, lavender pepper, and culinary lavenders, both savory and sweet.

Back at Temecula Olive Oil Company, the line of locally made, nourishing, olive-oil bath and beauty products (body soaps, lotions, and butters) also includes shampoo bars. The shampoo bars eliminate detergent common in shampoos and involve no plastic bottle.

Natural Treasures in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve consists of 8,300 acres and protects unique ecosystems like ancient Engelmann oak woodlands (one of California’s rarest oak species), Southern California’s rare, bunchgrass prairie, and the region’s last remaining vernal pools – home to rare fairy shrimp, found nowhere else on earth. Small songbirds winter in the oak woodlands, and spring finds an abundance of native wildflowers in bloom and butterflies busy at work.

Formed from the confluence of the Temecula Creek and the Murrieta Creek, the Santa Margarita River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in Southern California. The Santa Margarita River Watershed includes Temecula Gorge, a 5-mile canyon formed by the Santa Margarita River as it courses through the southern Santa Ana Mountains. Located on the upper Santa Margarita River is the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve. Sycamore, cottonwood, and willow forests are part of a 30-mile protected riparian corridor.

With evidence of the region’s Ice Age environments, mastodons and mammoths are the hallmarks of the Western Science Center’s collection. The Center, awarded Platinum LEED Certification from the USGBC, hosts monthly Astronomy Nights providing opportunities to clearly see the moon, stars, and planets.

***Information is believed to be accurate but is subject to change. Please call ahead for the latest details.

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The Wine Glasses For Customers

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When you are going to be buying promotional wine glasses for your customers, there are several things to consider. It is not as simple as just buying coffee mugs for customers, there is much more to it than that. You need to consider several things when buying promotional items for your customers.

Wine glasses need to be made out of certain glass because if the wine glass is made from cut or fused glass, it will interfere with the taste of the wine. Brown glass and lead crystal glass are considered the best types of glass for wine. Lead crystal glasses are considered the best glasses for wine because they look good and are the best material for the flavor of the wine.

The shapes of the glasses are very important to keep the flavor and the aroma at its highest level. In order to qualify as a wine glass, the opening of the glass must not be wider than the widest part of the bowl of the glass. The wine glass also needs to have a long stem to keep fingers from smearing the glass, and the glass stem prevents your hand from warming the wine, as is found with brandy glasses and their short stems.

Red wine glasses have a rounder and wider bowl which increases the rate of oxidization, which subtly alters the flavor and aroma. Oxidization is better for red wines than white wines, hence the different glass.

White wine glasses can vary greatly in their size and shapes. These glasses will be designed so that there is minimal oxidization because this is not something that you want with your white wine. These glasses have smaller mouths, and that reduced surface area reduces the overall rate of oxidization. These glasses are also used for champagne since you do not want much oxidization with champagne either.

When you are giving away promotional glasses, you want to make sure that you give your customers glasses that they will want. While you will always have your company name and logo on the personalized glasses, you should ensure that you give customers who drink red wine, red wine glasses, and vise versa for white wine glasses. This ensures that the glasses will be used on a regular basis by your customers, and that gives your brand the most exposure which is very important.

DiscountMugs.com is a large distribution company based in Miami, Florida. They are web-based and factory-direct which allows them to keep prices lower than the rest of the competition. They also have a huge selection of glassware from wine glasses and champagne flute to martini glasses and drinking glasses.


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Wine Glasses As Candle Holders

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Wine glasses are always great to look at. Besides their function, many wine glasses have innate aesthetic value. When displayed on a rack, they look elegant and symbolize taste and sophistication. Wine glasses have many uses, and can endure quite a beating during their lifetime.

If you are about to purchase a new set, do not throw away the previous ones, you can use them as decorative items by getting them painted and displayed or as gifts, or you can transform them into beautiful candle holders.

One such way is to create soy wax candles using your old wine glasses. Soy candles of various colors and aromas can be made and gently poured into glasses. These make wonderful table decorations and unique gifts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or even New Year’s. Your family and friends will be enthralled to receive such lovely presents. In fact, when throwing a dinner party, you can place each wine glass candle at every seat, and your guest can take them home afterwards. Wine glass soy candle holders make great party flavors.

To start making these beatific creations, you will need: -

- Wine glasses (you can also buy inexpensive ones at thrift stores or hobby shops)

- Coffee mugs

- Double boiler

- Soy wax (get ones which are eco-friendly)

- Wicks

- Wax dye

- Fragrance oils (vanilla is a sure bet)

- Glue

- Candy thermometer

To begin, first make sure that your glasses are clean by rinsing them in warm tepid water. Let aerate completely. To make the clean up process speedier, your wine glasses should be assembled on a sheet of foil or newspapers.

Next, position your wick in the center of glass and use adhesive to secure via the metal tab. Purchase wicks that already come attached to tabs, your job will be easier and faster. Use a pencil to move the wick exactly dead center.

Carefully add the soy wax into the double boiler and ‘cook’ according to instructions. As the wax begins to thaw out, put in the candy thermometer right into the wax and secure it by the side of the double boiler. Soy waxes can be tricky as their temperatures vary, so always read the instructions and follow to the tee.

Once the soy wax is fully malleable and the temperature reading is accurate, you can now add the candle dye. Make sure the dye is fully combined and then pour gently into the mixture, doing this a little at a time. The color normally becomes lighter when the wax congeals, so be sure to add an appropriate amount. Blend concisely for about two to three minutes.

Check the temperature of the wax before putting in fragrance oil. For each pound of wax, drop about 1.5 ounces of fragrance, keeping in mind to not put too much as it will overwhelm your wax mixture.

Once this is completed, gently pour the wax into wine glasses and straighten the wicks accordingly back to the center.

The wax will harden in twenty four hours.

Once hardened, trim the wicks.

DiscountMugs.com is a large distribution company based in Miami, Florida. They are web-based and factory-direct which allows them to keep prices lower than the rest of the competition. They also have a huge selection of glassware from beer mugs and champagne flutes to shot glasses and wine glasses.


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The Latest Trend Mini Wine Bottles

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The newest trend is miniature wine bottles. Wineries are hoping to expand business by offering new, sample-sized bottle kits that aim to recreate the tasting room experience in one’s home. The customer reads the tasting notes and then samples the wine without having to spring for a full bottle of untasted wine.

A player in the small-is-big trend is San Francisco-based Crushpad, the do-it-yourself winery where individuals can select fruit and supervise the making of small batches of wine to get the vintner experience without the farming headaches (and sizable capital investment).

Likewise, The Countyporch.com located in Idaho sells miniature bottles of wine that are 1.25 inches. A six pack is currently selling for .49.

Australia’s Black Swan Vineyards has also entered into this developing business. The wine company sells convenient bottles of its signature Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay. The easy-to-carry, portable bottles hold approximately a glass and a half of wine and are sold in a handy pack of four. Available at wine retailers throughout the U.S., the new Black Swan mini wine bottles are ready for any adventure

These unique items are also becoming more and more popular for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, corporate events, special occasions and holidays of any kind.

Why not make your wedding favor a unique and special one with wine bottle favors. Online retailers offer a variety of mini (187ml) champagne and wine bottles as well as personalized labels are the perfect way to do just that.

For example, Diamond Hill Vineyards Wine wedding favor offers a cork finished, 187 ml clear champagne bottle of our winery’s very popular River Valley White wine. Comes complete with a gold or silver hot stamp surrounding the label and matching foil capsul.

Find the mini wine bottle deals at http://www.miniwinebottles.org


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Wine Glasses Are A Great Promotional Giveaway

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The United States ranks 38th in the world in per capita wine consumption. By pure volume, wine consumption in the United States has risen 30% in the past decade, and the nation has overtaken Italy as the #2 consumer of this grape-based drink, second only to France. We’re becoming a nation of wine drinkers.

More than 23,000 farms grow grapes in the country on more than 900,000 acres, for a total crop value of billion. The Wine Institute observes that North America is the only major market where cost for more than per bottle is increasing.

And wine is an American thing! The retail value of wine produced in the United States in 2005 was .8 billion, about 73 percent of the total wine sold in the United States. About 90 percent of the volume of wine produced in the United States comes from California. California-produced wines also account for 95 percent of the value of all U.S. wine sold. An estimated 305 million cases of wine from all sources were sold in the United States in 2006.

Americans tend to see wine as an “affordable luxury,” a product that symbolizes a special experience; while most of the traditional wine-drinking countries see wine as a staple, a commodity of declining appeal (an exception being Bordeaux first growths and similar grand trophy wines). Consistent with the emergence of the “New Affluents,”(n3) wine has become a symbol of a quality standard of living.

You can rest assured that with all the wine that is being enjoyed in American homes that wine glasses are an excellent promotional give away that should be in your merchandise catalog.

If you are uncertain what type of wine glasses will work best for your promotional collection, it is recommended that you at least keep one set of red wine glasses, and one set of white wine glasses on stock. You may also want to add Champagne Glasses, also called flutes. Champagne is also a form of a wine, and is rapidly becoming a favorite not just for celebratory purposes.

A good red wine glass will sit on a long stem and hold 11-13 oz. of wine. The red wine glass will have a rounder coup allowing the aroma to interact with the air in a process called oxidation. This allows the Red Wine to reach its full capacity.

A good white wine glass will sit on a long stem. It will be the smaller of the two basic wine glasses and have straight or tulip-shaped sides. The shape of the glass is important, as it concentrates the flavor.

A Champagne flute is characterized by a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top. The shape is designed to keep the intensity of the sparkles during the consumption.

Wine glasses and Champagne Flutes of all types and designs can be found at promotional product companies and you will be surprised to find how affordable they are as promotional items for your collection.

DiscountMugs.com is a large distribution company based in Miami, Florida. They are web-based and factory-direct which allows them to keep prices lower than the rest of the competition. They also have a huge selection of glassware from wine glasses and champagne flute to martini glasses and drinking glasses.


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More Rules On Serving Wine

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A particular annoyance when it comes to the “proper” way to serve wine is the inverted-cone-shaped trinket called a Sherry glass, which cannot hold much more than an ounce and a half without spilling. When Sherry is served, most people want at least two full ounces or none at all. This abominable, widely-used ornament is the reason hardly anybody ever orders Sherry in a restaurant or bar, where the price charged is excessive but the portion served in this exasperating little glass is skimpy.

Despite the foregoing tirade, it must be admitted that our eyes condition our taste buds and that consequently a nice Grenache (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Grenache/) does taste better when sipped from a thin, long-stemmed, crystal-clear glass than from a tin cup or a kitchen tumbler. You are likely to avoid the eggshell-thin, long-stemmed kinds which break too easily. But most important is to avoid the glasses that are too small to provide a decent-sized serving.

The best example of eye appeal is furnished by the hollow-stemmed Champagne glass. The tiny protuberance at the bottom of the hollow stem causes the wine’s bubbles to cascade pleasingly upward long after the wine in the bowl has ceased to sparkle.

The seemingly excessive rule of wine ritual-correct table setting-originated with the formal banquets of an earlier century. If you have time to fuss with details, and are serving several different wines at a dinner, this provides an opportunity to put on a pretentious display of how much stemware you possess. At each diner’s right place two or three glasses (no more; guests need elbow room). Each successive wine is poured into the glass closest to the table’s edge. When that particular wine is finished, the glass is usually removed.

A common question is whether to include the water glass when setting the table to include wine. Since Americans are habituated to ice water with their meals, it cannot very well be omitted; but it is recommended to not fill the water glass unless the guest wishes it. In European homes, a bottle of water is usually available for guests who wish to dilute their wine, particularly if it is a heavy Cabernet or Zinfandel (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Zinfandel/).

Once at a banquet of gourmets, who regard water as fit only for bathing; diners were surprised to see pitchers of that tasteless liquid placed in the center of the table. A closer look disclosed several goldfish swimming in each pitcher- an eloquent expression of the dinner committee’s opinion on the subject.

A second rule-that nobody may smoke where wine is being served-belongs to groups such as the Wine and Food Society and nowhere else. Except among professional wine tasters who must keep their palates keen, because their job is to detect flaws in wines rather than to enjoy them, this taboo is plainly silly. There is plenty of smoking at banquets in the wine countries of Europe.

A third ritual, the decanting, is sometimes necessary if you are serving an extremely old red wine, in order to avoid pouring sediment into the guests’ glasses. But in recent years leading vintners, both in America and in Europe, have learned to stabilize their Chardonnay before shipment; and only very rarely do you now find a bottle containing the sediment or crust (consisting of grape solids) which some wines deposit with great age.

If you ever have occasion to perform the decanting rite, do it before the guests arrive. Gently pour the wine from the original bottle into a decanter in front of a candle flame. When the light discloses tiny fragments of sediment swimming by, that is the point at which to stop pouring.

Another way to avoid putting mud into your guests’ glasses is to lay the venerable bottle on its side in one of those metal or wicker ware wine cradles. By careful handling the contents can be poured without disturbing the sediment. It is ornamental, but unnecessary, to use a cradle to serve a wine that is perfectly clear.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in international travel, cuisine, and fine wine. For a variety of wines such as Chardonnay and Zinfandel, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com/.


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Wine Lovers Around the World Tip Their Glasses to Virgin Vacations? France Vacations

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Wine Lovers Around the World Tip Their Glasses to Virgin Vacations’ France Vacations










Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) May 12, 2006

Few cultures celebrate wine as seriously as it is celebrated in France. Regulated by law, only certain regions of France can produce certain types of wine. Lovers of Bordeaux know that this spectacular wine can only be produced in Bordeaux, France.

Wine lovers from around the world make pilgrimages to France in order to sample the latest wines from Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy and other regions of the country as famous as their namesake wines.

The annual Bordeaux Fete de Vin runs from June 29th through July 2nd and will highlight the passion the vintners of France have, as well as the corresponding love of those same wines by connoisseurs from around the world.

The improving world economy and an increased emphasis on the quality of life have many expecting record numbers of visitors to Bordeaux during the wine festival. Travel packages to France, including Bordeaux are expected to lure more people to the popular event and to explore the magnificent countryside and vineyards of the region.

Virgin Vacations is offering a land only Bordeaux that includes 3-Nights accommodations and a 4-day car rental for only $ 259 based on double-occupancy.

“Our Bordeaux Journey is like a wonderful meal, accompanied by an amazing festival – the perfect glass of wine,” Jeanne De Smedt, President, Virgin Vacations states.

France is famous for having a beautiful and quaint countryside punctuated by some of the most loved vineyards in the world. A Bordeaux vacation during the annual Fete can be as perfect as the glasses of wine poured during the 4-day event.

Virgin Vacations

Virgin Vacations offers a varied product line, which includes “Exclusively Virgin” vacations to the UK and Europe featuring round-trip air on their award-winning carrier, Virgin Atlantic Airways. Their recently expanded travel menu now includes Europe, Asia, South Africa, the South Pacific, and Central and South America. This additional expansion offers travelers the opportunity to choose complete vacation packages or the option to create their own personalized holiday.

Booking inquiries

Check out all of the online specials and details, and book your next Virgin Vacation at http://www.virgin-vacations.com, or through our reservation center by calling 1-888-YES-VIRGIN (1-888-937-8474).

PRESS INQUIRIES

Contact:

Jeanne De Smedt

747 Belden Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06850

Phone: 203.750.2081

Fax: 203.750.6403

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Syosset wine stores offer the best of wines and champagnes for corporate affairs

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New York is the cultural capital of USA and renowned for its huge impact on the nation as a whole. The corporate culture of the city has taken up wines just as it had taken up whiskey once and this has led to the growth of various Long Island based wine stores. Such liquor stores sell the choicest beverages at the most affordable rates and also offer heavy discounts for the same. From these stores, all Veuve products, including accessories of wines, can be bought at the most reasonable prices, which make them ideal for corporate parties and as exquisite gifts.

Now, who wouldn’t enjoy a glass of the delicate Veuve Clicquot NV Rose when provided free of charge by the employers on special occasions. Its aroma is very generous and elegant, with aromas of fresh raspberry, wild strawberry, cherry and blackberry being recognized by the drinkers from the start.

These aromas give way to the biscuity annotations of dried fruits, Viennese pastries and almonds, apricots and brioche. The taste is quite fruity, just like the nose, and the wine is extremely balanced and harmonious on the palate. This champagne is magical and when coupled with Veuve Clicquot traveller gift set, it makes the most regal corporate gift.

From the cellars of these New York wine stores, the Krug champagne grand cuvee brut NV can be bought at the most competitive prices. This non vintage sparkling wine from Reims possesses easily observable aromas of berry, toast, citrus and coconut, which mesmerize the nose of the wine connoisseur.

This champagne is firm, dry and quite dense, due to which its flavor is wound very tightly. The generous flavors of ginger, spice, coconut and dried citrus are highly appreciated by all drinkers, who love to gift wine magnums to their colleagues on occasions that hold special significance in the work environment.

But, when champagnes are being gifted or served in corporate parties, can the Moet & Chandon Champagne Nectar stay behind? Its aroma is extremely fruity, with not so subtle hints of roses, white berries, redcurrants, melon and Clementine being experienced by the drinker.

The taste is delectable and brought forward by a fine mousse, which introduces the fizz first, the flavor second and a refreshing finish at the last, which leave the wine lover begging for more. Just like all Moet products this sparkling wine is also a favorite among the people, who relish the taste of black cherry in the Nectar Imperial.

Jackshon Dicousta has Business Expert . His Written several articles on wine magnums, Veuve Clicquot traveller gift set, Veuve Clicquot NV Rose, Veuve all products, Moet all products, Moet & Chandon champagne nectar,wine has proved to extremely useful in US.


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