Overview To Sampling Wine
The fundamentals of tasting red wine are reasonably straightforward to find out. As soon as the basics are understood, the nuances and details can be enhanced over a lifetime. Like any kind of various other skill, More »
Red Wine Types
Red wine has a lot of different types, among which, the most popular include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Moreover, More »
Category Archives: Zinfandel
Texas Hill Country and Wine
When one thinks of wine, maybe their first thoughts are of Northern California, the Napa Valley region, or parts of Italy and France – but few realize how many wineries are in Texas.
In Central Texas, there are close to 3,200 acres of vineyards. Grapes produced here are numerous and include: Blanc du Bois, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Lenoir, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Muscadine, Muscat Canelli, Mustang, Noble, Norton, Orange Muscat, Palomino, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Riesling, Roussanne, Ruby Cabernet, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musque, Scuppernong, Semillon, Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Viognier, Zinfandel.
The highest numbers of plantings in the state are for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes followed by Chenin blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
Believe it or not, Texas has a long history of wine production. Portions of the state have the perfect climate – that of being sunny and dry, which many compare to regions in Portugal.
The first wines in Texas were thought to be produced by Spanish missionaries in the 1650s. These Franciscan priests initially planted vines in West Texas near El Paso. The wine was used for sacramental purposes.
With Prohibition, much of the Texas wine industry was ruined. Families and companies stopped growing grapes and making commercial wine. Even today, 254 Texas counties have dry laws.
Despite setbacks, Texas became fruitful again. Today, the state is divided into three main wine growing regions due to the areas vast diversity in microclimates. There is the North-Central Region, the Eastern Region, and the South-Eastern Region. The North-Central region includes the northern third of the state from New Mexico across the Texas Panhandle toward Dallas. The South-Eastern Region includes the area around Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Last is the Trans-Pecos Region.
Grape harvesting in Texas usually occurs toward the end of July, which is two months earlier than in California and about three months earlier than France.
With all of these grapes there are of course the wineries. In Texas there are a reported 160 wineries. The largest winery is operated by the University of Texas with 1,000 acres, which was established in 1987. The second largest winery is the Llano Estacado Winery.
There are many ways to tour Texas Wine Country. There are tour companies which include luxury mini-buses to limo service. You can also take your own car and enjoy the beautiful drive.
If you want to sample the wine without visiting the winery, there are numerous restaurants in Texas who pride themselves on selling wine produced in Texas.
As for those in the Texas Hill country, there are many wineries to be visited along with beautiful tasting rooms. Some of the more popular include Becker Vineyards, located between Fredericksburg and Stonewall and Grape Creek Vineyard. Additional vineyards include: Alamosa Wine Cellars, Bending Branch, Chisholm Trail, Comfort Cellars Winery, Driftwood Estate, Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, Duchman Family Winery, Fall Creek Vineyards, Flat Creek Estate, Fredericksburg Winery McReynolds Winery, Pedernales Cellars, Perissos Vineyards, Pillar Bluff Vineyards, Rancho Ponte Vineyard, Singing Water Vineyards, Sister Creek Vineyards, Solaro Estate, Spicewood, Stone House Vineyard, Texas Hills Vineyard, Texas Legato Winery, Torre di Pietra, William Chris Vineyards, Woodrose
As you can see there are a number of wineries and vineyards to visit just in the Central Texas region. When visiting, take your time, enjoy the drive and the grounds and most importantly, enjoy the wide variety of tastes you will experience.
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The Margaret River Wine Region Western Australia
At the southern most tip of the grand continent and country of Australia is the gorgeous Margaret River Wine Region. The lush region is home to over 60 sprawling wineries, hundreds of delicious restaurants, and entertainment for the whole family. Margaret River Wine Region is predominately boutique wineries producing only one percent of the countries wine, however the region produces over 15 percent of Australia’s premium wine. Wineries use anywhere from 2.5 tons of grapes to 7000 tons of grapes. The boutique wineries are able to control the quality of their wine better than the larger commercial wineries found in other part of Australia. Many of the wineries offer free or reasonable pricing on their delectable wine tastings. The vineyards are the main attraction in this historical surfing area but they are not the only side to this beautiful region.
Among the luxurious and delightful wineries are the great restaurants for all appetites. Cuisines range from fresh fish caught right off shore to the italian and even native Australian food. Restaurants are mostly casual but there are plenty of fancier establishment for a romantic evening overlooking the green wine region or the powerful ocean. Local restaurants serve wine from around to region, giving guest another opportunity to try a new type or winery while at dinner as well. After a warm meal, gaze at the beauty of the region around you with a glass of rich desert wine or liquor from the Margaret River Wine Region.
Yes, that is right throughout Margaret River are distilleries of all types of alcohol. Most are smaller brands, that rarely leave the country for as an export but they all offering tasting and many have tours for the interested guests. Unlike the wineries the distilleries are fully operational throughout the year, therefore tours and purchasing can be done at any time. Scattered around the distilleries and wineries are unique specialty producers including sweet chocolate houses, fudge, and ice cream factories. As with the distilleries they offer an insiders view on the making of their sweets from start to finish.
For the more adventurous tourist, Margaret Wine Region boasts majestic hills and cliffs for hiking, rock climbing, and extreme bike riding. It is suggested visitors consult or hire a guide to travel on the beaten trails due to changing landscape and wildlife found in the area. Heading down to the shore, massive waves pound the shore year around creating a surfers paradise. Locals are usually surfing the waves and visitors are welcomed to join in on the fun or bask in the sun on the gorgeous beaches which line the coast.
The Margaret Wine Region is only a short jog from the city of perth, folks can travel by bus, train, plain, or personal vehicle to the gorgeous region. Traveling through the region there are hotels, bed and breakfasts, and select wineries have accommodations for guests. When visiting Australia, the wineries, distilleries, sweet factories, and fining dining found in the Margaret Wine Region are a must.
How To Make Wine At Home?
Wine is one of the tastiest drinks. Some of the wines are really expensive. But it is possible to make wine at home. So we need to know how to make wine at home. Actually, it is a very simple process. And the reward is a very nice one. We get really tasty wine. You might all be wondering about how to make wine at home, right? We tell you a very easy recipe to make wine at home.
How to make wine at home? To make wine at home, it is not all that difficult. First, it should be taken care that there are no dried or decayed fruits in the collection. Then the fruits should be squeezed to juice with hands or with the help of a juicer. Water should not be used in the process of making the wine as it will degrade the taste. Boiling the fruit is also not a good idea as this can also produce the same result. Grapes can be squeezed using the feet as well which is the right way to extract juice for wine. After extracting the juice, sugar should be added in ample amount. Usually, if the fruit is not very sweet, the sugar should be added accordingly.
According to the amount of sugar used, the amount of yeast added should also be increased. The yeast should be added to the juice only after powdering it and warming it for a few minutes in water. After this is done, the sugar should be dissolved in the fruit juice by slightly warming the mixture in a stainless steel container. The amount of yeast added increases the alcoholic effect of the wine.
The juice should then be transferred to a vessel which is called a fermentation vessel and should be tightly air-locked. The wine is usually left in the vessel for nearly a year. Wine always tastes better when it is kept for longer period of time. Every month, the bottle in the vessel should be checked. If there is a white film over the wine, it should be removed. Once you notice that there are no more air bubbles that comes out of the tightly locked cork or lid, the wine can be bottled in a sterilized bottled.
Easy Wine Making At Home
One day while surfing the web I saw an ad for wine making courses that said, “Easy Wine Making At Home”. Now that sounded interesting! Everyone always loves to come to my house to dine on awesome cuisine and enjoy a glass or two of the fruit of the vine.
Needless to say, I entertain a LOT. With all this fun going on my friends and I go through many bottles of wine each month.
I decided to give it a try and see how it might work out. I wanted to see just how easy a simple wine making course might be.
I could see myself barefoot stomping on a batch of grapes in some giant vat. If you are old enough, you might remember Lucille Ball’s famous TV skit from “I Love Lucy.” I would astound my friends with my own fruit of the vine creation!
Guess What!
I went to the website, printed out the recipe and started my “easy wine making at home” adventure. Confident that soon I would amaze my friends with a batch of my own delightfully tasting wine.
My first anchoring to reality was the realization that it would take some time before I could serve my homemade wine to all my friends. But, that didn’t stop me. I trudged on.
Finally, finally the wine was ready and I couldn’t wait to amaze my friends with my new found skill. It was all bottled and I had pasted some very attractive wine labels on the bottles. I was bursting with anticipation.
There was a surprise alright, but not what I had anticipated! We opened that first bottle, poured the wine into our sparkling crystal goblets. Before it reached the back of our throats we were all gagging and spitting, grabbing our throats and covering our mouths!
It was sour. Yuck, it tasted like alcoholic vinegar!
Luckily, we were all in the patio and my white rug was spared the red and purple stains. We got through it. After all the laughing and joking (about my wine!), we settled down with a bottle of wine from one of the local wineries.
Well we certainly had a great laugh. That was my first experience with home made wine. Nevertheless, we had a great time.
We did decide, however, that it would be a great idea to learn the art of wine making. So, we decided to search for wine making courses that we could really depend on.
A Toast
A couple of years have gone by and now we are all enjoying our own home made delicious tasting wine. Yes, we did learn how to make our own wine. We found an easy step-by-step guide and a coach that guided us through the art and the science of homemade wine making.
I can tell you this, you will not find a better tasting hobby than wine making at home. Here’s to you! Enjoy the fruit of the vine!
Know More About Popular Wines
Red wines have been around for ages now. They are available in so many varieties. While some of these varieties are absolutely light and pair well with full meals, there are others that go well with appetizers only. Here is taking a glance at some of the most popular red wines.
Speaking about exquisite wine types, one name that deserves a mention is Cabaret Sauvignon. This full bodied wine can be effortlessly paired with various food items. However, it pairs the finest with red meat. To add a dash of fuller taste to this red wine variety, it is blended with some merlot and cabernet franc. However, limit your intake of this wine variety, lest as per a number of researches you can fall prey to high blood pressure readings.
This type of red wine is easily available. Almost all regions that make red wine make this type of wine too. However, Cabernet Sauvignon is not available in the northern fringes of Germany. This well-known red wine is regarded to be one of the finest wines in various states like Chile, California and Australia.
Pinot Noir too makes to the list of common forms of red wine. Chiefly popular in areas that grow burgundy, it’s fast becoming popular in several other regions too such as France, New Zealand, Austria, Oregon and many more. This one is the fave pick of all those who have a liking for light bodied wines. You can relish its flavor finest, with dishes such as salmon, chicken and lamb. This variety is easily available on a cruise as well.
For those who are new to the world of red wines, Merlot could be a brilliant pick. The drink comes with great amount of softness and is absolutely simple to drink. This makes Merlot a brilliant starting point for folks who are new to red wine. Merlot is popularly grown in Chile, Australia, Washington, California, Romania and Italy. You can pair this wine with almost any and every food.
Do you appreciate red wine that offers a blend of flavors? If yes, Shiraz may be the pick for you. This well-liked red wine covers some of the most great fruit flavors. A dash of pepper and spice included in the wine makes it even more appeasing for the taste buds. You could carry this wine with you, when you are traveling so that you’ve the fantastic add-on for your meals. So, the subsequent time you go to your favorite destination like the city of Wichitas, make sure that you carry this wine along.
So, with so many kinds of exquisite red wines obtainable, go ahead and please your flavor buds.