You arrive home after a long, hot day ready to open a bottle of chardonnay, only to find there hasn’t been one chilling in the fridge. Thankfully, there’s a bottle patiently waiting for you in the wine rack, but it’s room temperature. Can you drink it this way? Will it still taste good? As you anticipate what to do next, you realize the friend you invited over will be here in 10 minutes. Can you add ice cubes to the wine? Instead of worrying about whether or not it’s a risk or a win, you’ll find … [Read more...]
There’s a common misconception that wine gets better with age. While this is mostly true for fine wines, the majority of table wines should be consumed within a few years of their expiration date. It’s fairly easy to tell if an opened bottle of wine has gone bad, but you don’t want to host your next dinner party and realize too late that a good unopened bottle of wine has gone bad. So how do you know for sure? Why does wine go bad? Wine goes bad as a result of chemical reactions taking place. … [Read more...]
How do you choose a wine cooler? There are so many options available, it’s hard to know what you need if you don’t really know what you want! Different wine coolers fit different lifestyles. The first question you need to answer is why are you shopping for a wine fridge? Whether you’re a wine collector who needs a large capacity unit or you live in a small apartment and need to find a space saver that holds both wine and other beverages, we’ve compiled customers’ favorite wine coolers of 2019 … [Read more...]
When it comes to learning about Italian wine, there are a number of different directions in which one can go. The wines of Sicily, for example, are some of the most unique and interesting in the world. Tuscan wine, too, is heralded by collectors and casual wine enthusiasts alike as being a benchmark of quality that few regions ever actually meet. There is perhaps no region of Italy so well-known for its excellent wines as the Piedmont, however, which gives Tuscany a run for its money in the … [Read more...]
It’s no secret that the classic cork enclosure has long dominated the wine industry. Fast-forward to the mid 1960s, however, and a new option came along that has made significant inroads in the years since — the humble screw cap. While screw caps have been around in one form or another for well over a century, it’s only been within the past 50 or so years that they’ve grown in popularity. Today, almost 90% of enclosures used in New Zealand feature screw caps instead of traditional … [Read more...]
When it comes to regions that are currently producing some of the finest wines in the world, Italy always finds itself toward the top of the list. Northern Italian wines have long been revered by wine lovers throughout the world, but the comparatively subtle wines of Southern Italy have gone from overlooked to highly refined and sought-after. One of the biggest hurdles for those who are new to Italian wine, however, is the classification system used to categorize wines throughout the country … [Read more...]
Merlot is one of the world’s most popular grapes, and for many reasons. Inoffensive, easy enough to work with and known for producing spectacular results, the merlot grape can be found on numerous different continents and on just about any wine menu you might expect to encounter. Though widely cultivated at this point in time, however, there are certain areas that are known for excelling at producing wines with Merlot as the star of the show, and Washington State is up toward the top of the … [Read more...]
Ah, Rosé. It’s one of the hallmarks of summer for many wine lovers, serving as the perfect transition wine away from winter reds and into the lighter whites that pair so perfectly with warm summer nights. Rosé may be on the more refreshing end of the wine spectrum, but that doesn’t mean it’s reserved only for when the sun is blaring down. Many people overlook just how well-suited certain Rosés are for enjoying during the fall months, as temperatures drop and the chill of winter looms. If … [Read more...]
Red wine is arguably the most popular wine choice around the globe. With so many variations, blends and flavor profiles, there seems to be no end to the potential creations and styles of red wine. For centuries, humans have been creating red wines and experimenting with their techniques to produce a vast array of wines. 6 Tips to Drinking Red Wine With such a wide variety of red wine types available out there, it can be a little intimidating to sit down in front of a red wine flight. … [Read more...]
Anyone who is even remotely familiar with Norse mythology has likely heard of “Vinland” at one point in time or another. The “Land of Wine” represents one of the most interesting stories contained in Viking lore, especially given where the area referred to as Vinland is thought to exist today. If you’re unclear on the details of the story, here’s a quick primer on the history of Vinland and what the area means for wine itself. Vinland History: A Tale of Two Sagas In discussing the … [Read more...]
When it comes to wine production regions that have stood the test of time, few can compare to Tuscany, one of the most-loved parts of Italy by wine lovers worldwide. Grapes were first cultivated by the Etruscans nearly 3,000 years ago, grown in such wide abundance that they were often sold overseas and quickly became the area’s most trusted cash crop. Today, Tuscan wine most often involves the Sangiovese grape, and although production is certainly less omnipresent than it was even just 50 … [Read more...]
Whether you’ve just unpacked your brand new wine cooler or you’ve had one for years, it’s important to ensure you do all that you can to keep it running smoothly. Although wine refrigerators are very low maintenance appliances, there are a few things you can do to help boost the efficiency and longevity of your unit. Below, we've highlighted five maintenance tips that can help ensure you and your wine refrigerator have a long and happy life together. 1. Location, Location, … [Read more...]
Diners and sommeliers have been pairing wine and cheese for hundreds of years. A complicated, nuanced culinary art has developed from this ancient practice. Let's take a closer look at the fascinating origins of this ideal pairing and how the concept of wine and cheese pairings have evolved through generations of wine and cheese making. How Regions Influence Cheese Pairings Records dating back hundreds of years indicate that wine and cheese from the same locations have been served together … [Read more...]
Oh Chardonnay, noble child of Burgundy — what a long, strange trip it’s been. This is a truly world-dominating grape, which has crossed the globe and which is grown in every wine producing country there is. Chardonnay vines are found in more wine regions than any other varietal; they’ve been the bedrock of some of the finest Old World wine regions, and they’ve taken New World countries to new heights. But on top of this, Chardonnay has been vilified and venerated more than any other … [Read more...]
Wine & Salad Pairings: How to Choose the Best Varietal for Your Greens Sometimes, there’s nothing more satisfying than a good salad. Salads make stars out of basic ingredients, and highlight their qualities, their flavors, their freshness and versatility. There’s a salad out there for everyone and for all occasions. Whether it’s a quickly tossed together green salad of crisp, plump leaves, or a carefully constructed classic lunchtime salad, like a caesar or nicoise, they are dishes which … [Read more...]
This article, on the subject of how long different types of wine can be kept for once opened, feels a little strange for me to write. Why? Well, to be frank, in my household wine is drunk joyfully and contemplatively, with friends over a good meal, or accompanied by deep and rambling conversation. It is drunk indoors on cold evenings, outside on sunny afternoons. It is enjoyed young and fresh, and aged and complex... but very rarely is a bottle left unfinished, and almost never have I had to … [Read more...]
There are many moments in life that make our hearts sink. One of the worst is surely coming home from a wine shop with a disappointing bottle. One of the problems with wine is that it is sometimes inherently mysterious: until you’ve popped the cork, the contents of the bottle can be either thrillingly exciting, or painfully underwhelming. Often, you simply don’t know until you’ve poured out that first glass, and taken a tentative sip. Choosing wine can be hard. It really doesn’t help that … [Read more...]
The rustic scenery and winding roads of Friuli-Venezia Giulia are often overshadowed by Tuscany’s rolling hills and the Piedmont’s regal history, but this small region in northeastern Italy deserves a closer look. Friuli borders with Slovenia and Austria, and was occupied by the Austro-Hungarian empire until the 19th century; before that, it was tossed around between the Slavs, Lombards, and Venetians, with the port city of Trieste often at the heart of the battle for ownership. As a … [Read more...]
A bit of bubbly possesses the magical ability to turn even mundane events into a celebration. The pop of the cork, the fizz of the mousse, and the sparkle of the tiny bubbles floating upward in a flute all combine to add a dash of pizzazz to whatever you’ve got planned—even if it’s as low-key as Netflix and chill. And if you turn your day of wine tasting into a day of sparkling wine tasting, you’ll create some truly special memories. All you have to do is follow the itinerary outlined below. … [Read more...]
It’s almost impossible to ignore the fact that aged wine has a wealth of different connotations associated with it. Terms such as “reserve,” “cellared” and others that call to mind wine that has in some way been stored away for a period of time tend to be used to push sell a particular wine, but why? People generally tend to assume that wines that have seen age are “better” than younger wines, but the reality is that the vast majority of wines are released with the intention of being able to … [Read more...]
Most wine lovers have a special place in their hearts for Italian wine. Whether it be the regal reds of the north or the lip-smackingly satisfying whites that the southern portions of Italy are known for, the country has a great deal to offer no matter what one’s preference may be. It’s no secret that some Italian wines can sell for exorbitant amounts of money, even though the country is known for plenty of great values. If you’re looking to taste the higher-end grapes of Italy but would prefer … [Read more...]
