7:38 PM

Tuesday - Wine Photography

Wine Photography For Your Reading Pleasure

California Wines and Tips For Winery Tours

If you are planning a trip to California, then you might want to consider scheduling some time for a trip to visit some of the many California wineries. With the gorgeous weather and lush scenery this can be a wonderful way to experience some of the finer US wines.

California wine is well known all over the planet and with over 200 days of sunshine each year this state boasts an ideal climate for growing wine of all kinds. In California, you will find 6 predominate varieties of wine. The Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine with a melony or herbal taste and is a good pairing with seafood. The Chardonnay can have a buttery taste and goes well with chicken as well as seafood. Of the red wines, you will find Pinot Noir which has a fruity taste, the Zinfandel which can be fruity, herbal or spicy, the Merlot which can have a fruity and floral flavor and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Along with the varieties above, you can find many other types of wine to peak your taste buds and California winery tours offer not only an inside look as to how the wines are made but also wine tasting as well as yearly festivals and events based around processing and harvesting. If you time your visit to California right, you can make the most of your winery tours.

If you are thinking about adding some California wine tours to your schedule, here are some things to consider:

1. Plan your visit. As with anything else, planning ahead will help to insure a successful tour. The first thing you should do is decide which areas of California wine country you want to visit. Most places are near each other, so you can map out a visit where you can see a couple of wineries in one day. You can start by looking at websites which give information on wineries including tours and special events. Also, try the winery organizations and trade bureaus.

2. Make sure you make reservations. You may find that the wineries require an appointment if you want to try some wine tasting so it is a good idea to call ahead of time. Also, if you are traveling to California, be sure that you have your travel and hotel plans already booked before you start to look into winery tours. When scheduling tours, it is best to limit yourself to no more than 3 vineyards per day. You want to allow yourself enough time to see everything and traveling between wineries can take some time as well. If there are special events, you want to be sure to allow enough time for those too.

3. Know what you want to see. It will be in your best interest to know exactly where you want to go and what you want to see before you start on your trip. That way you won't waste time arguing over which direction to go in. If you can get a driver that knows the area, all the better.

Some wineries in California are small while others are quite large. In some you may see the farmers picking grapes by hand while others use machines for harvesting. Either way, you are sure to have a fun filled day with your family and maybe even learn a little about the California wine business to boot!

About the Author

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.online-gourmet-foods.com where you can learn more about gourmet food and drinks such as red wine.

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5:24 PM

April - Wine Making

A Featured Wine Making Article

Red Wine Uruguayan Tannat - A Guide to This Fine Wine Its Benefits and Secrets

Tannat red wine produces wine tasting notes of red fruits and spices with an intense cherry red color and purplish tint.
Why the Uruguayan Tannat is different to the French Tannat wine?

The wine making process in Uruguay changed when the Tannat wine grape was introduced at the end of 19th century from Madiran, France since this type of wine was carefully developed and improved till today. Nowadays, Uruguay is the only wine Country of the world that produces important quantities of Tannat wine grapes.

In the natural process of the red wine maturing a micro-oxygenation technique is a complement to soften Tannat red wines with special results. The micro-oxygenation introduces oxygen into the wine, in a controlled way, giving a balance in the tannins of the Tannat red wines. The result is a varietal Uruguayan Tannat red wine with its own personality, softer than the French Tannat wine.

Uruguayan Tannat fine wine by itself or blended with other red wines like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz allows fine wines where the Tannat contributes with its robust style, body and richness of tannins.

The benefits of drinking red wine for the health are well known but they are increased, in an important way, with the Tannat red wines. If you drink with moderation a Tannat red wine you obtain, derived from the Tannat grapes, a high concentration of tannins and polyphenols that help to protect your heart health and blood vessels.

For a wine enthusiast, a food and wine pairing of a Tannat wine bottle is ideal with grilled and broiled red meats, lamb, chicken, and roast duck. In the wine and cheese area, the Tannat wine charm goes with strong and well matured cheeses.
As a general tasting note, Tannat red wine is best paired with strongly flavored dishes.

About the Author

Discover the fine wines from Uruguay with international awards in wine tasting. To learn more about the Tannat red wine, the pairing of this type of wine and food, its quality, visit http://www.mercosurexport.4t.com/tannat_red_wines_from_uruguay.htm

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4:59 PM

Tuesday - Wine Education

The Best Articles on Wine Education

Tesco Wine festival launched with up to 50% off a wide range of wines

At Tesco providing customers with quality wine at affordable prices has always been a priority, and from now until the first week of October, customers can receive up to 50% off a selection of delicious wines with the launch of the Tesco Wine Festival 2006. This twice-annual event provides the perfect opportunity to stock up on Champagne and sparkling wine at fantastic prices, with offers available both in store and online at Tesco.com, which provides convenient two hour delivery slots. Among the selection on offer is the Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (was ?36.94, now ?27.70). This zingy, well-established New Zealand wine is excellent value and originates from Marlborough, the prime cool-climate area for Sauvignon Blanc.

Ideal for parties and celebrations is the Bricout Cuvee Prestige Reserve Champagne (was ?142.44 now ?71.19), a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, offering a beautifully fresh, citrus aroma, with ripe fruit flavours and a biscuit-like aftertaste. Similarly appropriate for celebrations is Calloway Crossing's Cabernet Shiraz (was ?39.84, now ?18.89). Jane MacQuitty, The Times' influential wine critic, once advised her readers to: "buy this fat, dusky, berry fruit-charged, 14 per cent alcohol red in bulk for barbecues," and though the barbeque season may be drawing to a close, it remains the number one choice for parties where a soft, fruity and easily drinkable Australian red is required.

Also on offer at the Tesco Wine Festival is a wide selection of Hardy's wines, which have provided the world with quality Australian wine since 1853. For instance, Hardy's Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (was ?32.95, now ?22.69) is rich, soft, very drinkable red, originating from the Riverland area north-east of Adelaide. Try this with rabbit cooked in mustard, coq au vin, or stuffed sweet peppers.

Border town in the northern area of the Limestone Coast region is becoming increasingly famous for its perfect soil and great quality red grapes. The Howcroft Estate Shiraz (was ?45.54, now ?22.74) is a vibrantly coloured Border town wine, and has lovely intense ripe fruit - damson and blackberry, and subtle toasty oak flavours which complement the fruit. This is a full bodied Shiraz with ripe plummy flavours and a hint of pepper and spice. The oak is well balanced to produce fine tannins.

Gallo Coastal Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (was ?56.89, now ?34.09) may be principally (85%) Cabernet Sauvignon, but this wine gains added complexity from a little Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Petite Syrah. The grapes come from the part of California where cool coastal fog tempers the heat, making for more elegant wines than further inland, or further south. This bronze medal winner is a lovely quality Californian red wine with intense flavours of ripe blackcurrants, soft tannins and oak.

Other great specials at the Tesco Wine Festival include Yaldara Shiraz, Turner Road Merlot Reserve, First Cape Selection Shiraz, Ancien Compte Corbieres Rouge, Castillo San Lorenzo Reserva Rioja, Codorniu Vintage Rose Cava, Yaldara Unwooded Chardonnay, Turner road (white) Reserve, First Cape selection Chardonnay Viognier, Kendermanns Chardonnay Pinot Grigio and many more.

For more information on Tesco's great wine offers visit Tesco Wine Festival. All prices quoted are for a case of 6.

For press enquiries contact catherine@cubecom.co.uk

About the Author

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