For Some Of The Best Wine Buys This Spring – Head To Italy!

Italian wine can be baffling! Most people have heard of Chianti. Lots of you probably enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio or two, maybe the odd Frascati or Soave every now and then. But when you find wines like Verdicchio, Primitivo and Dolcetto on the wine list, you may be left feeling that a simple Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon is a friendlier option!

But don’t give in – you’ll be missing out on some of the most diverse and exciting wines in the world! Tony Laithwaite – Chairman of Laithwaites, the UK’s leading independent wine merchant – has just got back from a buying trip to Italy, where he and Laithwaites buyer Thomas Woolrych decided they could happily drink nothing but Italian wine for the rest of their days!

“I’ve since calmed down a bit (but only a bit)”, says Tony, “but what struck me was the quality of the 2006 vintage – and the dazzling diversity on offer.” And Tony’s not alone in heaping praise on the harvest. The Giorno del Vino (Italy’s leading wine journal states that “2006 is unquestionably the best vintage of the last 5 years – in almost all areas of Italy. The best white wines are spectacular – and on a level with their red wine.”

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Laws on shipping wine among states vary. Complete understanding of individual laws on the shipment of wine for each state is almost impossible since newer laws are made each year replacing the older laws. Supreme Court decisions also play a major role in how the laws on shipment of wine are interpreted. What is clear is that shipping wine between two states can be heavily looked down upon by some states.

It all began when the Twenty-First Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which mandated Prohibition on a national scale. It was a botched national experiment attempting to eradicate the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The repeal of prohibition ushered in an age where each state was awarded control over its own alcohol shipments from one state to another. Many states completely outlawed alcohol shipments both into and out of the state, irrespective of the age of both the one who shipped it and the one who receives it. Other states passed laws restricting shipments and created barriers to shipping without a license.

Presently, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin offer reciprocal status for the shipment of alcohol — meaning you can ship wine between these states without any red-tape. This is good if you live in these states and quite unfortunate if you don’t.  Read more...

Red wine tastes like nail polish remover. Not that I’ve tasted much nail polish remover mind you, but I’ve taken off enough nail polish, and stuck my fingers in my mouth by accident  (before I’ve had a chance to wash my hands after doing it) enough times to have a pretty good idea of how bad it tastes. And while we’re on the subject, martinis taste like rubbing alcohol. Don’t try to tell me that those fancy shmancy chocolate chip ones that cost fifteen bucks each at the trendy bars downtown taste like chocolate either. They taste like chocolate flavored rubbing alcohol. A big mug of homemade, creamy, steaming hot chocolate with mile high whipped cream, now that tastes like chocolate. But I guess “hot chocolate bars” aren’t likely to become next year’s entertainment craze now are they? But then again, oxygen bars had their go around, now didn’t they? Paying for air…really? If I had a dollar for every idiotic food or beverage trend that the media helped propel into a high profile cash cow, I could afford…well, one of those fifteen dollar martinis for sure!  Read more...

There is nothing quite like sipping on a glass of your favorite vintage after a hard day’s work. Unless, you can’t find it because you don’t have a specific place to store your reds and whites. No kitchen is complete without a wine rack, and it is easy to find one to fit your needs and your space.

Rather than dragging yourself all over town to find ‘the’ wine rack; you should try shopping online. Not only will you find the best selection of wine racks, but you will also find the best prices as well. Whether you want a small rack for the corner to hold about six bottles or a veritable wine cellar with racks to hold dozens of vintages you’ll find it here.

Perhaps when it comes to wine racks you would prefer one that doesn’t take up any floor space. Try a hanging one to hold four or eight bottles as well as a dish towel and even some stemware. Or if you want to make a statement of elegance try a wine tower in your choice of finish. It comes with two shelves and a drawer for storing glassware, wine keys and anything else you might need while up to eighteen bottles are cradled below.

The mobility of a wine cart allows you to bring the wine to your guests in style. And a rounded wood rack allows you to keep your wines close at hand for cooking or savoring. No matter what style of wine rack you decide on you are sure to find what you are looking for online.  Read more...

Wine making for beginners is intended to help you get started at making great drinkable wines as quickly as possible.

I started out because I wanted to do something different with the fuit we were producing from our garden beside the usual jams, pickles and chutneys. We are now in our third year and although far from being experts we have drawn on information from ome very knowledgeable people to help you out.

When you are starting out I think you should make wine in smaller quantities. To my way of thinking (and trust me, in my own experience) once you get it right you can then up the volumes.

Personally I tend to make in small batches but there are advantages to larger amounts if you have the fruit to spare. The biggest one being that you may actually get to age some rather than sampling them all. The taste of wine that has been allowed to age is far superior.

Now decide what fruit you want to use. If you have a good supply of grapes then you are into the real thing.  If you are using other fruit then you may need to add sugar to give enough alcohol content.  In some cases the fruit/vegetable is just little more than a flavouring and most of the alcohol comes from the yeast acting on added sugar.  Read more...