If you are looking for a red wine that you can serve with any meal, then the choice has to be Barbera. This wine is made from the second most planted variety of grapes in Italy. It has a robust fruity taste and lower tannic qualities than most other red wines so that it won`t overpower the taste of the food.

Just after the grapes have been made into wine, it has a really strong aroma of fresh red and black berries, similar to a Nebbiolo (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Nebbiolo). It is thought that this wine originated in the hills of the Piemonte region in the Monteferrato hills of Italy in the 13th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, this wine was localized to the Piemonte area, but immigrants brought this wine with them when they traveled throughout Europe and the New World. Today Barbera is bottled in several countries of the world.

• In Bolivia, this grapes are grown in Traija

•Italian immigrants to Argentina started growing the grapes, which are now widely grown in this country and used as blends for other wines

• Barbera grapes have been grown in Australia for the past 25 years in the Mudgee region of New South Wales. More recently they have been planted with success in Kings County, Victoria and in the McLauren Vale and the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. The grapes ripen here at the same time as those used for making Shiraz (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Syrah/Shiraz/) and Merlot wines.  Read more...

There is controversy about whether degassing your homemade wine is necessary. On one side, there are those that say that it is very important to making wines that you’ll enjoy and be proud of in the months and years to follow.  On the other side, there are those that suggest that degassing is not that important, that the amount of carbon dioxide that remains when you bottle your wine is negligible. But this assumes that you will be bulk aging your wine for several months in the carboy before bottling, which will supposedly allow the carbon dioxide gases to dissipate.

I’m with the first camp and it is my experience that degassing wine is important. I’m not worried about pressure building up in the bottle due to the presence of carbon dioxide. I’m concerned about taste and visual appearance. Who wants to pour wine for guests that foams up in the glass?

Degassing is also an important consideration for winemakers that are planning to enter their wines into competitions. Wines are not judged only on taste. Odor and appearance are also important factors. If the wine is meant to be a still wine but has carbon dioxide bubbles, it will not score well on appearance.  Read more...

The GE Monogram wine chiller ZDWC240NBS is an interesting appliance to add to your household, to say the least. Its basic function is to preserve and chill your wine bottles. As such, this would be a helpful item to wine collectors and connoisseurs.

Of course, any conventional wine chiller could do this job. You wouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it either. With that in mind, what distinguishes the GE Monogram wine chiller from other kinds of wine chillers? Although regular wine chillers can accomplish this task, so can your refrigerator. The GE Monogram ZDWC240NBS doesn’t just offer simple functionality. It brings much more to the table.

Being a part of the GE Monogram collection, the ZDWC240NBS wine chiller blends together practicality and looks. The Monogram line of appliances was carefully constructed to create products that are dependable and pleasing to the eye. The outer shell is made with sleek and shiny stainless steel. The shelves are made with unfinished cherry wood to give it a unique look.

The GE Monogram wine chiller ZDWC240NBS can be further customized to fit your needs. Taking a look at the shelves, you can get the wood finished. This can help your appliance match with any surrounding wooden structures such as a cabinet.

The glass door of the unit can also be exchanged with something different. There is an option to something called privacy glass. This innovative liquid-crystal technology lets you conceal and reveal the contents of your wine chiller with a press of a button.  Read more...

Red Wine

The first operation performed on grapes after they are removed from their storage is to de-stem them, which is the process of removing the grape from the shoots to which they are attached.

As soon as all the grapes in the batch are de-stemmed, they are placed into the wine press where they are compressed into a paste which in turn releases the must (the juice of the fruit). The resulting paste (or pomace) and must combination then spend time together in a cask and it is the length of time that the mixture sits with the must in contact with the grape skin and pulp that determines the character of the finished wine.

When the winemaker determines the right amount of time has passed, the juice is drawn off and yeast added to begin the fermentation process with the remaining pomace, in many cases, being returned to the vineyard to be used as a fertilizer.

Once the colour and sugar content are correct the cask valve is opened and the first juice, which is the best quality wine, is then transferred into other containers where the fermentation process is finalized.

‘Pressed wines’, which are full of tannin, are made from the leftover solids. They have a strong colour and are generally mixed with the first juice in many different ways to create wines of different strengths and flavours.

 Read more...

Many experts seem to agree that wine dates back to 6000BC. For centuries European homes have chosen wine as their favorite dinner beverage. In America, it has now become their staple drink as well. Few environments are as potentially destructive to wines as the home. Too much humidity causes mold and damages labels. The current issue is where can we store our wine safely and display our favorite vintages. The wall mounted wood wine rack has come to consumers rescue.

It is a given that anyone interested in having a growing wine collection would not want to do so behind a kitchen cabinet. Whether you are a wine hobbyist or a wine aficionado, you wish to protect valuable vintages and wish to place a cherished wine collection on exhibit for others to view.

The wall mounted wood wine rack helps you taste the wine with your eyes. It is a gorgeous piece of furniture that will enhance any wall in any room. It is an excellent alternative to the expense of investing in the construction of a wine cellar. It will also save you space as well as money. The savings from the wine rack will allow you to have more money to expand on your wine collection. These wall mounted wood wine racks offer the consumer elegance, security, and advanced engineering that allows you to age your wine with confidence. This wall accessory is well worth the initial investment.  Read more...