Next up in our Chateau Champagnes review series, we're going to be tasting the Rosé version of the Charles de Courance Brut Champagne we've previously tried. Like the standard Brut, at under €20, it's also on the cheaper side, but since we're trying these in France we'll allow a healthy discount on international prices... Continue reading
More than 150 years ago, winemaker George Husmann published a book called The “Cultivation of The Native Grape, and Manufacture of American Wines”. In it, he wrote:
“I firmly believe that this continent is destined to be the greatest wine-producing country in the world.”
Today, it is alright to say that Husmann was right. Each of the fifty states produces wine, and the US is the fourth biggest wine producer in the world.
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Drinking wine is good for your health, and that's a mantra that has been going on forever. To be more precise moderate wine drinking is what's good for your health, anything beyond that, and the health effect is diminished.
Thanks to social media, most people also know that antioxidants in wine are the main reason why wine is good for our health, and they are the ones that make a positive difference. But at the same time, their knowledge of the subject stops there.
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Malbec wasn’t a known name until some two decades ago when Argentina introduced it to the world. It was in the late 1990s when affordable Argentinian Malbec showed on the European and North American markets. Until then, the Australian Shiraz was the undisputed king of inexpensive, yet very popular, easy-drinking red wines.
Malbec was an immediate game-changer and soon started making an impact on that part of the wine market. Its sudden rise was attributed to the fact that many wine lovers have already tried French versions labeled as Cahors or Bordeaux.
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In the Champagne region, the Charles de Courance vineyards produce low to mid end sparkling wine, with the right blend and geographical location to claim the coveted "Champagne" classification. The majority of their bottles range from €15-35, so hardly breaking the bank, but enough to get good quality wine for your money.
In addition to the Charles de Courance Brut, they also offer a number of other similar blended Champagnes including a Rosé we'll be reviewing in a later post.
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For a long time, people thought that wine only comes in three basic colors: rosé, white, and red. Well, not quite! There is one more color, orange.
But wait, that’s not a wine made from oranges, nor a mimosa cocktail. It is a real wine made from white grapes that has a unique and distinctive taste.
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Tannins occur naturally in seeds, plants, wood, fruit skins, leaves, and bark. The technical term for tannins is polyphenols. Polyphenols are a type of macromolecules that are a combination of both oxygen and hydrogen.
Wine tannins come from stems, seeds, grape skins, and oak barrels. When stems, seeds, and skins soak in juice, tannins are released. The more time they spend in the juice, the more tannin is released.
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Ice wine is made from frozen grapes that are pressed while still frozen. When the frozen grapes are pressed, they release only one or two concentrated juice per grape. As a result, the juice is quite sweet, often twice sweeter than in any typical dry wine. Plus, its acidity levels are a bit on the high end.
The harvest doesn't begin until January and can even sometimes happen in February. Grapes are harvested while frozen, at night, and are instantly transported to the winery to be pressed. The grapes must be frozen before being pressed.
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People have been making wines for more than six millennia. That's 6,000 years of fascination with one single drink. The first evidence of wine from grapes has been found in Armenia, some 4100 years Before Christ.
And until the present day, people are obsessed with wines. They are so obsessed that they are willing to spend outrageous amounts of money for a taste of the best ones in the world.
Here we have a list of the top 10 most expensive wines worldwide. Like it or not, their price is a reflection of what people are willing to pay for them, and some in this list may be even higher at current market rate.
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The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of sushi is sake. This Japanese drink is also known as rice wine, even though it’s more of a beer than wine. But, that’s a completely different subject, for another blog post!
According to Hiroshi Ishida, one of the most renowned sommeliers in Asia, ‘Sushi is designed to be enjoyed in one bite’. He believes that there is no point in ordering a different glass for every sushi flavor. He said that every wine should be paired with a minimum of two or three sushi dishes...
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