Red Wine, Summer Wine, And Every Other Wines

Beer brewing in Europe continues to be a serious traditional business. For thousands of years, Europe has been a leader in brewing this popular beverage. Many countries have perfected distinctive beers; some are like mythological ambrosia. Maintaining the quality of centuries-old recipes, many brewers realise that their strength lies in maintaining tradition over promoting innovation. Not to say there aren’t several breweries experimenting with new flavours, but mostly they leave the newfangled risk-taking to the Americans. Why fix and change that which is not broken? Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer.

To promote the preservation of European beer culture, several countries have banded together to create organizations such as the European Beer Consumers’ Union (EBCU). This union was founded in Bruges in 1990 with three founding members: Campaign for Real Ale of Great Britain, Objectieve Bierproevers of Belgium and PINT of the Netherlands. It sounds like a Monty Pythonesque union with contrived names, but it is a legitimate one with twelve countries as members: the above three, plus Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and France.

Their aims are simple: preserve European beer culture, its traditions, beer brewing and breweries; promote traditional beers; support the consumption of traditional beers; and represent European drinkers in a campaign for choice, quality and value. This is not the only pro-quality beer organization in Europe. Others include the Guinness 1759 Society, the British Guild of Beer Writers, and the Brothers of Beer.

The continued production of traditional beers has added one innovation to its traditional facade: beer tours. Beertrips.com, founded in 1998, promotes many beer-tasting experiences in countries like Belgium, France, England, Germany and Austria. If you are interested in experiencing Germany’s beers, for example, there is a 10-day tour of Munich’s Fruhlingsfest and Bavarian Country Breweries. A personal favourite is the Brewers and Distilleries of Scotland tour. Check the website for details.

Each country in Europe seems to have a beer type focus. In Ireland, they continue to promote their stout beers. Stout is thick and heavy, with an earthy, full-bodied taste. They sell lagers and ales, but the focus and specialty is on beers like Guinness. The Guinness brewery was bought and opened in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. The original stout is strong and bitter-tasting.

In Spain, lager is the most popular. Spanish lagers are a touch stronger than other countries’ lager offerings. Two of their most popular beers are Especial and Extra. Especial is a pilsner beer, quite light in colour and taste while Extra is a pale lager.

Alas, until recently, Sweden had been a beer desert for decades. Their people have choked and sputtered for more to slake their thirst, all to no avail. Histrionics aside, it was the rigidly-controlled regulations for beer brewing that depleted this country’s brewers. Since Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, its regulations have grown more lax and the country has transformed itself from a desert to a vibrant and diverse beer culture. The industry in Sweden imports from many other countries; this has inspired a search for their own beer identity. How better to discover a beer identity than to try many things to see what works for the people of the country?

In Holland, the industry continues to produce their own phylum of beer: Bierbok. A good version of this type of beer is difficult to produce. Bokbier is a 16th century beer from Bavaria that has endured and been perfected. It is dark in colour (red-brown to black), sweet on the tongue with a mixture of bittersweet flavours, such as toffee, raisins, licorice, coffee, and chocolate. These are not ingredients, but flavours. It is a beer strong in alcohol with an alcohol percentage of 6.5% to 8%.

When applied to beer brewing, history and tradition are not necessarily dusty, boring or dry like old history books or documents. Thousands of years ago, beer was a product in development; it was new and ever-changing. Beer brewing traditions live on and interest drinkers because of the exceptional tastes developed over centuries, not in spite of history and tradition. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer.

For an anniversary, birthday or other special occasion that requires gift why not consider a wine gift basket. They can provide special gifts for wine lovers and can include many other gourmet products besides wine. They may also include such delights as fruit, nuts, candy, cheeses and wine accessories like bottle openers and corkscrews, drip stoppers and foil cutters or whatever else you think the recipient may enjoy. You can buy one already made or you can make your own for an extra special touch. All you need to know is the style of wine the receiver enjoys, or you can create a surprise basket.

Where To Buy Prepared Baskets

If you’d rather buy a wine gift basket pre-packaged, stop into your local liquor store to see if they have a selection available. Liquor stores will often sell gift baskets, especially during the holiday season. You should be able to select the wine you’d like to add to the basket and then select accompanying products.

Shop Online

The internet is the first place to search for customizable gift baskets. You can start by ordering one or more bottles of wine of your choice, then begin adding complementary products from the wide range available. Similar products that could be included are smoked salmon and caviar, cheese crackers or other savory bites, small dairy cheeses, cheese platters and knives, nuts, whole grain mustards or regional honeys … the sky’s the limit when it comes to adding to them.

The online retailer will then arrange delivery the basket directly to the gift recipient. This is a very easy option for a corporate gift or as a thank-you to a member of your staff.

Make Your Own Gift Baskets

Making your own wine gift basket gives allows you to add that extra personal touch. Start by buying an attractive basket. You don’t need an expensive basket because you can decorate it yourself with fabric, paper or flowers. Buy your wine of choice or choose champagne for a special celebration, add some extra items depending on the preferences of the gift recipient. For example, it’s not necessary to limit your basket to wine and wine-themed gifts. You could include handicrafts for someone interested in arts and crafts, or a book about wine for a wine lover who is also interested in the history or the making of wine. Select some gourmet delights to accompany the wine, pack everything into the decorated basket and wrap it all up in clear cellophane.

If you are able to, deliver the gift basket to the recipient personally so you can see their joy when they receive it. If you’re lucky he or she might even share the bottle of wine with you.

You can still assemble a stunning gift basket for a non-wine drinker. You could try a coffee-themed gift basket for a coffee lover that could include coffee mugs, freshly roasted coffee beans from different coffee-growing regions of the world, gourmet cookies, toffees and nuts. A tea drinker would appreciate a selection of teas from different regions, a teapot and strainer and a fine china teacup. A tea or coffee gift basket could, in fact, be packed onto a well-decorated tray instead that a basket. Again, wrap the whole package in pretty paper and add a ribbon.

Let your imagination run free when creating a gift basket.

Chances are that not many people who love wine actually think of Argentina when they consider their list of great growing regions around the world. However, there are a few reasons why this thinking is wrong. The climate of this beautiful South American country is perfect for winemaking, and is varied enough throughout so as to support a wide variety of wines. Many connoisseurs are beginning to understand why Argentine wines are fine enough to be considered some of the best in the world.

The history of Argentine wines is not a long and rich one as is the history of winemaking in France or Italy, but what Argentineans lack in history they more than make up for in quality. Much of this is due to the weather in this beautiful country. There are more sunny days during the year than not, allowing the grapes to mature properly so as to have the best flavor possible. The soil of Argentina is rich and well cared for; the lack of erosion has continued to keep it healthy. Most wines from Argentine respond to this combination of factors because of the beautiful fruit that is produced in the country.

The vineyards that produce Argentine wines are usually very small but are owned and operated by those who consider their wine to be works of art. For example, in Finca la Anita, there are only seventy hectares (one hundred acres) of land, which is rather tiny compared to many other vineyards of the world, but they produce a product that is nothing less than the end result of obsession. They are a favorite stop for many wine tasting tours. Another favorite stop is Pena Veyrat Durbex, where the grapes are still clipped by hand. This is yet another Argentine vineyard that is family owned and operated, and the family’s pride in their product is obvious.

This is true of most Argentine wines. They are not mass produced in huge wineries or distilleries, or are overseen by someone just hired to do a job. Their vineyards are usually very small and still run by the same families that have owned them for literally centuries. And since their name is on the label, these families take an inordinate amount of pride in their finished product.

Argentine wines come in a wide variety of red and white types. You can easily find Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot and Pinot Noir. White wines include Chardonnay, Torrontes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling and Viognier.

If you haven’t considered Argentine wines as being part of your collection of fine wines, you may need to adjust your thinking. You can find some wonderful products from this beautiful country.

For a real wine lover there is probably nothing more enjoyable than trying a new vintage or brand and finding it so completely satisfying. But if there’s one problem with trying a new vintage or brand it must be the time and effort that goes into shopping around all your options. One of the great benefits of a wine club is that you don’t need to do the painstaking research about each bottle or vintage before you purchase it. This is a great option for those who are just starting out in their love affair with wines and may not know how to get started with selection or what makes a good vintage and so on.

As much as someone may love wine, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to invest in researching the many choices that are out there. And this is where the California Wine Club comes into play; they are one of the oldest and most respected and trusted wine clubs in the U.S. today. But what sets the California Wine Club apart from other wine of the month clubs and why would anyone choose to join such a club rather than make individual selections on their own?

Those Behind the California Wine Club

First, keep in mind that the California Wine Club was started by married Bruce and Pam Boring, both wine lovers themselves. This is unlike some wine clubs that are started by those who just want to make a profit off of other’s love of wine and don’t care much or don’t know much about wine itself. These two personally hand select and deliver the wines to their members every single month. When you know that your selections are being made by fellow wine lovers, you begin to appreciate how the California Wine Club is different from many other such clubs.

Also, note that the Borings do not choose their wines from mass producers or bulk manufacturers. Unlike some clubs that choose wines based on availability and price alone, the California Wine Club will look at smaller vineyards with vintages that are not available at most stores and liquor shops. However, these are not lower quality wines as most are award winners and can compete with all of the more well known vineyards by quality alone.

Giving Gifts From the California Wine Club

Of course a monthly membership is not the only benefit of the California Wine Club. If you’re in the market for a gift of wine you can consult with their experts for personal recommendations just for you. You can even enter their Corporate Rewards Program, where you earn points for each gift of wine you order and then receive discounts and other perks after so many purchases or points.

Nationally Recognized

The California Wine Club has even received national recognition for their dedication to wine and the attention they give to finding perfect and unique selection. Bon Appetit Magazine stated that they are a unique source of virtually impossible to find and limited production wines, and praised them for their selections.

If you’re looking for a wine club because you’ve just discovered how wonderful the beverage is or you want to be surprised and delighted with your monthly selections, then you certainly can’t go wrong with the California Wine Club.

There is a proper way for wine tasting. Some people might even make it more complicated than it is, while others may overlook the more important points that will allow them to get as much enjoyment as possible. The following are some of the wine tasting basics to help you with the process.

The wine tasting process is quite simple. The wine will be provided in a glass with typically a very little amount of wine. The reason being is because all you really need is one sip. Wine tasting can be broken down into four components: swirling the wine around your tongue, smelling the wine, tasting the wine, and spitting it out. When done in this manner, you avoid becoming potentially intoxicated. Also, if you chose to swallow the wine as you tasted it, your sense of taste would affect and possibly inhibit your ability to accurately taste other wines.

To assist with rinse the palette, often times fruit or cheese is also offered at a wine tasting party. One important tip here is to slowly consume the cheese so that each part of your mouth gets cleansed. Thus, you will have a clean palette and now you can go back to tasting other wines.

The three facets to analyzing wine include taste, smell, as well as color. By swirling the wine in the glass, you can judge whether the colors are lighter or darker, and also how light affects the color. With smell, the initial whiff is important. Try to see if you can tell a difference between the various wines. This may not come easily at first, but the more you do it the better you will get. As time passes and you get more experience, you will be able to pick up on specific flavors such as citrus, berries, and vanilla.

When examining the wine’s appearance, you want to judge the consistency of the color. To see if there are any traces of other colors, hold it up against a light background and concentrate on the section between the top and the middle of the glass. Any differences here could mean oxidation that may be intentional; however, it could also be a problem that will affects the taste.

Most wines will fall under only a few categories when smelling the wine. The wine will either be fruity or floral, or will be bouquet aromas, which come from the process of wine making. Eventually, you should be able to recognize these categories of scents when wine tasting.

What are some wine tasting gift ideas?

Learn about wine tasting invitation cards.

Among people who enjoy tasting wine, it is referred to as simply tasting. Wine tasting consists of analyzing different kinds of wine using his or her senses. It has become very popular today and even has special terminologies and can be termed as a profession. These professionals agree that learning the art of tasting wine makes people have a deeper appreciation for both winemakers and the wines.

Wine tasters limit the art of tasting to four main tastes. They are bitter, sour, salty and sweet. Wine can be just one of these, or a combination of multiple tastes. Wine tasting is defined by not just the effect of tasting, but also the smell of the wine as well.

How Wine Tasting Is Done

Tasting is a fairly easy art and can be done at home or at a wine tasting party. The most important aspects to consider during the wine tasting process are the clarity and color of the wine, the smell and the taste. To determine the color and clarity of the wine, simply pour a glass of wine and hold it up in front of a white background and examine the wine. This should be done mainly from the edge of the glass to the middle.

If you are examining red wine, then look for maroon, brown, or purple traces. If it is a white wine, the colors to look for are yellow, green, amber, brown or gold. In addition, professionals check for traces of sediments in this stage by tilting and swirling the wine glass.

During the wine tasting process, smell is very important. The correct way to smell wine is by swirling the glass in order to eradicate some of the alcohol smell. It is important to smell the wine in a whiff in order to get the aroma that first strikes out. Next, in order to detect any distinct scents such as vanilla, citrus, flowers, or berries, the taster will place their nose slightly inside the glass and take a deep breath.

The real wine tasting process has to incorporate tasting the wine. Take a sip of the wine and roll it round the tongue, a stage called the attack phase. Here, the first impression of the wine is registered.

The following phase of the process is what’s known a the evolution phase. This involves the discernment of the wine’s flavor profile. The final stage is called the finish and this is calculated by how long the taste of the wine will be retained in the mouth after swallowing. Wine tasting enables a person know whether they want more of the wine or if it was too strong or bitter for their liking.

See Also: Wine Tasting Invitation

Wine Tasting Gift Ideas