Respect yourself, Respect your taste buds!

Is wine consumption today based only on the impression imprinted in our minds based on the advertisements and words of salesperson in the wine stores these days? Or do we really bother to taste the wine and drink it based on our own liking?

Do you find yourself swallowing that overpowering tannin that's actually too much to your liking? If you did, it's probably time to rethink about it!

Giving recognition to the wine critics and giving all due respect to the old classification of wine, wines from the famous Chateaus today may not guarantee satisfaction to your taste buds today. Face it, subjectivity prevails in all individuals. And not forgetting that wines are suppose to be lovely and treating! So if you find a wine torturing your taste buds, abandon it even if your friends or thousand others out there love it.

You may wanna taste it after all the good reviews, but if it doesn't suit you, there really isn't much to feel ashamed of! Afterall, it's your taste buds you're trying to please, not any one else's!

P.S Image obtained from - http://www.thebestkeptsecret.ca/

A pain worthwhile~

You shower your vines with love and constant care over the months, but it is when the most long awaited period arrives, when you and your works steps into the final stage, that your heart ache to see your vines go through the period of thirst. You are tempted to shower them with water, but only to be held back by the cruelty of reality and for the best of results at the end of the race.

You even pray hard no rain comes in to intercept in this struggle. You smile with mixed feelings when the sun rises everyday. You walk to your beloved cluster of grapes with a heart full of love, but only to find yourself not able to give them their very needs.

You run your fingers over the vines, hoping somehow they will understand and continue to saturate and bring out the ultimate sweetness from deep within them. And when the time comes for them to take the sugar and acidity test, you smile with relieve that all hardship has paid off. The harvest takes place, and you know with the final batch of lovely grapes being cut off from the stem, it is a time of reward - for both you and the grapes for you may finally unleash all your love and provide them with some quenching water!

P.S: It's been such a long time since I last posted and share here...hope this small little post will help water this blog and bring some sweetness to it once again.
Picture attached taken from : http://www.pcimagenetwork.com/wine/wine11.html

Some German wine for you?

A loyal reader of this blog might have learnt mostly about reds and hear very little about whites mentioned in my winelov3r blog. Same goes to the country France being mentioned more then any other. Shall we deviate from the norm and peep in a little more to another world of wine...Germany.

A country that sees itself holding a mixture of reputation in the world of wine is perhaps a good way of introducing Germany. To date, while the first impression that was imprinted in my mind about German wine is delicious white wine...specifically Riesling...you bet many out there also carry the impression of this as a place where cheap and low-quality mass produced wines are made from.

But putting that upper and lower status associated with German wines aside, I would prefer to appreciate more of the main characteristics of the wine itself. Hmmm..close your eyes and taste a German wine and you might start to notice that most of the time your mouth will be covered by a layer of dryness. And that's so true because most of the wines sold in Germany tend to be dry, especially in the case when your foot is in a restaurant. But let not the dryness deprive or blind you of the many wonderful sweet wines that were born from this wonder land as well. In fact, the sweetness of some German whites that I've tried felt so pure and crisp. Not the type that will make one sick cos' of its sweetness..and one that brings me to the land it originates - one of refreshness and head-to-toe indulgence. But of course that is if you manage to grab hold of a nice one..as mentioned cheap and low quality ones do exist as well, so I wish you luck!

Coming back to German wines, one would definitely see less of reds, one main reason being the climate in German. If you've read one of my very first few posts, you might still remember how the surroundings affect our very beloved grape babies. And so is the case for the growing of the darker members of the grape family in Germany. But definitely there is no doubt that more and more dark and richer reds such as Spätburgunder (or else better know as Pinot Noir by us) are popping out from Germany these days. To be fair, they seriously worth some try (though I'd still go for my reds from France anytime=p).

Another point worth taking notice is that German wines tend to have a higher level of acidity in them, and 2 attributing factors underlie this characteristic. These being the fact that firstly the grapes that are selected (eg. Riesling) tend to contain high acidity levels even when there are at a high ripeness level. Secondly, we might want to thank the northerly climate which causes the lower ripeness.

A little understanding might help one when you enjoy a sip of the German wine. Why? Because for every sip, you consume not just the physical taste but also a romantic and long journey that this wine carries with it. And so while Gewürztraminer makes my taste buds shun away from it with the very first sip, that sip that I tried made my emotions seep a little closer to the lands of Germany, to feel yet another influence it brought with it. And with the wonderful Riesling, it brings yet another different understanding as to why many others out there respect it so much. In that sip of Riesling, I felt the wonder.

So are you ready for some German wine tonight? Do remember however, that as you take a sip, close your eyes and enjoy the acidity and uniqueness of her, and leave the status of high or low away for a minute. Experience with your very own judgment. That to me, is unique. *cheers*

P.S : The above information has been gathered from :
- Personal wine tasting lessons
- Wikipedia

How about a warmer version of ice wine? -2

If you have read my previous post, you just might be interested to read on. As promised, let's bring in our main characters of straw wine in, namely the Dry red wine and the sweet red wine versions of straw wine. We shall focus more on the dry red wine in this post.

Amarone della Valpolicella (the dry red wine) as the nature would explain for itself, consist of the process of making this beautiful wine by allowing the grapes to dry, and not surprisingly, on straw mats! Of course, as per many other things of this world, names flow from their historic growth. Thus, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that straw mats, while remains a traditional method of drying the grapes, has started to see its fate being replaced by special drying chambers nowadays for the modern Amarone. Talk about being sentimental, sticking onto the traditional method might not always be ideal here. If you've been a loyal reader of my blog, the term "Botrytis cinerea" might in this instant ring a bell in you. Yes, just as mentioned in my post about ice wine, grapes processed here should be free from the noble rot as well. Thus the reason why the modern processing method might appear to be a better method of processing these grapes here. With the special drying chambers, the amount of handling that the grapes undergo is greatly minimized, hence decreasing the chances of the onset of Botrytis cinerea. Another term worth knowing would be "rasinate" - to dry and shrivel in Italian. And just as in the case of ice wine, though the grapes are not collected while it's frozen, by rasinating the grapes brings us quite the same result, and that is the concentration of sugars and flavors in the grapes. Following the drying of grapes comes the familiar step of fermentation. However, note that this shall not be mistaken as a step that is similiar to the usual fermentation. The fermentation of the dry grapes here are kept at a dry low temperature fermentation and is usually a much longer process. This is because with the reduced water content, it is easy to see the higher level of spoilage and possibility of wine faults.

And with the right grasp of time for fermenting the grapes comes the birth of our dry red wine, Amarone. However, interestingly, while the dry and sweet red wine are categorised apart, they are yet not so apart. This is so because should the fermentation be stopped early, the residual sugar in the resulting wine might just twist the fate of the wine and turn it into a sweet wine known as Recioto della Valpolicella. For the sweeter version, you might like to try it with some chocolate desserts!

Just like the making of the ice wine, the process of producing these straw wines are quite a challenge in itself as well. No wet and rainy weather is really welcomed here as this might lead to the rotting of the grapes even before it can dry out. And if the luck doesn't help here, the winemakers will then see themselves putting in extra effort in trying to remove those rotten grapes in order to ensure the quality of their final product is not compromised. Ask me what would happen if the effort of the winemakers are compromised? Well, I can only wish you enjoy the wine with the moldy flavors! *cheers* or *puke* you know it now~

Enjoy~

P.S The above information is obtained from
- The Wikipedia
- The website "http://www.detrafford.co.za/w_straw1997.htm"
- The picture from "http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Zyance" and "italianwinehub.com/news05.html"

How about a warmer version of Ice wine? -1

The dried grapes ready to contribute to the makings of Amarone!

If you have read my previous post about ice wine, and love concentrated versions of this wonderfully creation (i.e. our beloved wine), here's something else you just might be interested to know about!

And Yesss, i present the Straw wine. Oh, what a name you might think! But let not the name dampen your heightened desires to drink it. Nope, it's not gonna taste like straw, or even smell like one. A warmer version of ice wine might just be the phrase I would gladly attach to it.

Straw wine, or else better known as raisin wine, holds a rather similar fate as our beloved ice wine. Being made from grapes that have been dried in order to concentrate its juice, you bet you're in for another sweetalicious treat. And yes if you're thinking this sounds a bit like ice wine processed in warmer climates, you're right! As for the attaching of this rather weird name, that you probably still can't figure out why it was ever named after, here's some enlightening. The classic method of processing this unique wine starts with drying clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, though some other regions do dry them slightly differently like drying them under cover, hanging the grapes or even replacing the straws with modern racks nowadays. Not neglecting the recognition of its homeland, straw wines are mostly produced in Northern Italy and the French Alps. However, as per any other of its cousins, you should expect other areas to come out with more and more experimentation of producing this brother of ice wine.

Having the similar process as producing ice wine, it should naturally bring you into realization the labour intensive and low yields production straw wine has!And so needless to comment further, the higher price you will see yourself paying! But as per any other great wines of the world, you know it's always worth experimenting the fine works around, don't you agree?

Another area of straw wine I would find it worth mentioning would be the different diversification it holds. This being broadly categorized, its growth into either a dry red wine (Amarone della Valpolicella) or a sweet red wine (Recioto della Valpolicella) specifically in the region of Verona. Care to know more about the childhoods of Amarone and Recioto? Stay tuned as I bring to you "How about a warmer version of Ice wine? - 2".

Oh and before I end this post, how about adding a few new terms to your wine index. Here's presenting the various names of straw wine in the respective regions:

• Vin de Paille - France
• Strohwein - Germany/Austria
• Passito (Generic name) - Italy

Till then, let me toast to you a marvelicious glass of Recioto to end off our night with sweetness! *Cheers*

P.S The above information is gathered from the following:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_wine
- http://z.about.com/d/italianfood/1/0/y/A/201.jpg - Picture
- http://amarone.mangibene.com/ - Picture

Spot that wine fault!!!

A beautiful evening awaits, with a wonderful dinner presented, together with an important person you've always wanted to spend your time with. Oh, what a night of romance and perfection. You surely wouldn't want to see anything go wrong. Dinner starts with your ordering of the mouth-watering dishes and of course some wine to go with. Order's taken Sir and here comes that elegant wine bottle, and in it is what u've probably been looking forward to with so much anticipation as you long for some allowance and space to drift and indulge your soul in. You are then approached by the sommelier, whom might have triggered some intimidating effects upon you. As the wine is poured and presented before you, you take over politely and take a sip and hurry through the process of wine tasting. Never mind about the exact technicalities and precision that you might have missed out when tasting that wine you've ordered and will pay for, though the whole process should be taken with much effort and care. But what's the worst thing that can happen and I believe is actually happening for many people out there is this. You are served a faulty wine in a restaurant, and in your fear for any embarassment, you decide to just convince your tastebuds that this is just a new creation that doesn't taste that good and that you will not order it the next time round. And then for the rest of the night, you torture not just your tastebuds but also that beautiful partner beside you. Sounds sad doesn't it? While lets learn a little about faulty wines and forbid such disaster to ever happen shall we?


Well, not just in restaurants, but if u are actually shopping in a wine shop and it turns out to be faulty, do not hesitate or feel bad about having to ask for a new bottle as the restaurant or the merchant will be able to get themselves reimbursement from the winemakers or importers. And you know the beautiful thing is that when u do that, you're actually contributing much to helping the winemaker to monitor any faulty wines and try to eliminate the problem!


Alright after some effort to convince you that asking for an exchange is not that bad or embarassing a thing, let's go into some pointers that you can look out for in faulty wines. Apart from the 2 naturally occurring substances, this being the sediments in red wines and tartrate crystals in whites, which actually are indicators of confident winemaking and are actually positively attractive, anything else is likely to be questionable. A permanent haze or cloudiness in the wine probably means that there's a bacterial problem in the wine, with yeast usually still present. And while it will not necessarily cause you harm, but it is indeed a genuine fault and is surely not how the winemaker has intended it to be brought before you. So bring it back right now and "savour" it no more. As for bubbles in still wine , it may or may not be a problem. A little squirt of carbon dioxide may be given in whites to give them a lift to aid them in retaining the freshness of the style. These spritz will disappear shortly after serving and need not be much of a concern. However, still wines might at times be unintentionally bottled with yeast still active in the wine and this will then cause that "still wine" to be actively fizzy! This is surely the time to raise your concern as this is not about treating the frizzy wine as Champagne but rather you know this is more about drinking wine with unwanted fermentation should you decide to just go ahead with it. *yucks*


Nosing can be a great way to help detect faults as well. Any vinegary or strong sulphur smells can be off putting and point to bacteriological or winemaking cockups. You should also look out for sherry-like smell which can indicate oxidation, or even mouldy smells that could indicate dirty wooden barrels, bacterial spoilage or just plain unhygienic winemaking. However, at times some wines might not be obviously faulty but are just having some bottle stink . These wine just need some time allowance to breathe, or better still, to decant in order to give these slightly musty wine a much needed kiss of life. Lastly, a corked wine is a result of a contaminated cork affecting the taste of wine and this problem is usually not reversible. So an easy way to prevent this would be to go for screwcaps and woooo~ you get rid of that corky problem out from your wine.


So in a nut shell, while the pointers mentioned here are definitely not exhaustive, I hope it did helped you understand that not all wines are perfect and well. It definitely isn't an embarassing thing to point out a faulty wine. Besides, what's a few words as compared to a session of real tasty wine indulgence. *cheers*


P.S The above information and content is gathered from the following:
- "The Wine Book - change the way you think about wine" by Matthew Jukes
- Picture taken from http://wines.asuccessformula.com/
- For more information on the wine tasting process in particular, kindly visit my prvious post http://winelov3r.blogspot.com/2007/09/learn-to-understand-its-inner-hidden.html

Hmmm...it's time for some wine spree!!

Ooh...it's paycheck time, or perhaps you just wanna do some shopping to reward yourself after the hard work you had, so how about going on a short wine shoppalicious with me? Here's a humble invite for the day as I bring you through some tips and technical knowledge about wine. So if you would allow me please...

You've probably passed by that wine shop or the wine section in that neighborhood supermarket that you so frequently visit, but only to let your footsteps pass by it insensitively despite the cling of your longing eyes on that bottle of delicious wine. Well, it wouldn't kill if you just stop by to take a look will you? *laughs*

But so happens you do stop by and the craving in you comes rushing into your veins, don't shut your senses off! With some additional tips tagging along your sleeves, you should be quite sure this time round your hands are under control in making a better choice. Here's some helping tips you might find useful, or at least I hope...*blink*

1) Look for wine at sale time. And hey who says sales item are just loads of unwanted stuff? You never know what the Summer sales and New Year sales can bring you. You've probably wanted to widen your wine knowledge so much so often but only to find yourself restricted by the high price tags attached to the precious bottles. These are in fact great opportunities to find uncommercial oddities that can satisfy your hunger for some new wine knowledge!

2) If you happen to find a good quality, cheap wine (be it red or white), and if you can afford it, go on a crazy shopping spree then. And sorry folks, this is definitely not my crazy woman crave for wasting money. Rather, this tip is gonna help save your time and money in the future because you can be assured that you've got yourself some favs and not another bottle of feared disappointment.

3) Yep don't hesitate to ask the wine merchants about the wines if you happen to be buying in a wine shop. Questions like how long does the wine need to breathe. and if the wine needs decanting, as well as what is the temperature that is best for serving the wine are definitely indispensable.

4) Saw a wine that's window displayed that you really love but "Sorry that's the last bottle we have left" says the wine merchant? Don't buy it! In fact, not only should you forbid your desire to get that what-seems-delicious bottle from the window display, you should also do the same thing for those near bright shop lights as they tend not to be in top condition. It's always better to pay and choose for wines in the shade. Afterall, if you're paying for enjoyment, why settle for something that is not going to satisfy you. Agree?

5) Finally, avoid wines that are too ullaged. The ullage is the space between the top of the wine and the bottom of the cork. As a general gauge, in wines of less then ten years old, there should be no more then a 2cm gap. However, if it is greater that that, then there could be a potential leak or the wine could possibly be oxidised.
However, for a more detailed understanding of the ullage and the many different descriptions for the fill level, here's a website I came across that I find rather informative :
http://www.winebid.com/buy_wine/wine_terms/ullage.aspx


Well, so are you ready for some fulfilling wine shoppalicious now? You bet I'm definitely in the mood for one at this instant! Care to join me? Hesitate no more for you're always my honored guest! *booze up time* =)

P.S The above information is gathered and obtained from the following:
- "The Wine Book - Change the way you think about wine" by Matthew Jukes
- "http://www.principedipiemonte.com/eng/food-relax-wine-cellar.php" for the picture used

A toast to sweetness...

It's not an everyday event when u would get to really lift yourself off from the world and sit down with your loved ones. It's also not an everyday event when you will have something that you really find so celebratory that you jump and call for a party. But when you find that day that you decide is worth rejoicing and feel like making a toast of sweetness to someone, you probably will never miss the ice wine.

Ice Wine~How more classy can the name be? Its icy element just makes one's curiosity grow. However, perhaps you are one of them who have heard about it but yet stepped back a little because of the high price that it is always seen carrying. Indeed, ice wine is considered as one of the higher end wines. Nevertheless, you might just find the money well-spent after you understand more about its creation process and perhaps even taste one!

Ice wine, being a member of the dessert wine family, attained its name from its attributes. Being made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine, the existence of this wine is definitely not as simple a thing as any other wine we might have drank before! This is because in order for the grapes to qualify, these grapes must be free from Botrytis cinerea (noble rot). In fact, Botrytis cinerea does not really matter in the case of the other dessert wines like Tokaji or Sauternes. Hence, showing how much more sensitive the making of ice wine is.

So what really is the cause for its sweet taste since it is still just made from the grapes? Do not misunderstand and think that sugar is probably being added in! The natural sweetness in ice wine actually is a result of the freezing of the water content in the grapes and thus causing the sugars and other dissolved solids to be a concentrated finish. And because of the fear that the water might get warmed up and fail the concentrated result, it has got to be hand harvested at night or during early morning while the weather is still very cold. The timing of freeze is also one of the most important and crucial element as well. Too late a freeze will see the rotting of grapes and thus the losing of crops while too cold a freeze will result in failure in extracting any juice. So the price really doesn't seem so marked-up now ya?

Ice wine also tend to have a lower alcohol content then regular table wine. It usually delivers a refreshing taste and you will most likely find the aromas of peaches, dried apricots and figs in it. Long for the lingering finish that wines usually give? This member here would be most happy and pleasured to give you a lingering touch of honey and some other flavors alike. Indeed, i believe you might see it like I do, to view this as a nice smooth way of rounding up a meal! *Sweetalicious* indeed!

Oh, and by the way, if you're just wondering if ice wine should be aged, I can only say even wine connoisseurs argue amongst themselves over this issue! While some side along the logic that ice wine should and can age well because of the possible preservation due to the high sugar content, the opposing parties reasoned also that aging will only cause the fruitiness and refreshing taste and aroma to be lost. So who do you side with? For me, save me out of this controversy because I guess it'll work out better for me to just indulge myself in the sweetness of this very special event I have made as an excuse! ~so please excuse me for a night while the argument goes on...~ =)

P.S. The above information is gathered from:
- Wikipedia for information and frozen grapes photo that is taken by Dominic Rivard
- www.howtowine.org

Float with the bubbles, but mistake them not!

A glass so full of elegance, but yet so full of vibrancy! You drift as you allow the bubbles of energy and joy to run through your body as it enters so excitingly through your tongue. Love the dazzle of this world of wine because one touch of it may just lift you out of your burdened world. Enter with me to find out the truth of Champagne that many fail to see…

You love the bubbles and so do your friends. And many a times we thought Champagne is what we’re always having as we step into a party and get offered a glass of bubbly drink, or rather bubbly wine. Nice Champagne! Well, probably not so. It might well be just a nice sparkling wine.

Champagne (shahm-PAHN-yeh), where many types of champagne are made is actually the name of a region in France where these wines originate. So if you see a bottle of sparkling wine from New York, please don’t mistake it as Champagne. Just refer it to just sparkling wine will do. =)

And by now you probably already have the knowledge of knowing that many wines are termed and named after the grapes that they are made of. So how about Champagne? Oh sounds pretty easy. That will probably be “Champagne Grapes”! Unfortunately, no prize for saying that because nope, sorry Champagne is not made from “Champagne Grapes”. In fact, Champagne is actually made from a blend of 3 grapes that you should find familiar with. They are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. From the blend, you might be wondering now, how is it that wines from these same grapes are still but yet Champagne is bubbly. Thanks to “Methode Champenoise”, this being the Champagne making process. While sparklers from France tend to indicate the winemaking process on the front label, sparklers from outside of France tend not to do so. However, you might be able to steal some clues by turning to the back label of the bottle.

The creation of bubbles in all sparklers basically goes through two levels of fermentations. This comprises of firstly, fermenting the grape juice and letting it turn into still (non-sparkling) wine. The latter level involves turning the wine bubbly. If you are interested in peeping deeper into the roots of Champagne making, I recommend this website I came across.
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/champagne.shtml

Knowing the process may have helped you appreciate the bubbles more, but this is definitely not the end of the list you need to acquire should you decide to understand this beautiful creation. “What else?” you may ask. Well, some tips on the classification of Champagne might be useful. Most of the champagne you can easily reach out to would belong to those that are brut or extra dry. This would go perfectly with food. But what if your mood wished for a sweeter taste? Hmm, then demi-sec or sec might suit your preference. Here’s how you can differentiate while making your purchase (as extracted from the book “The Downtown Girl’s Guide to Wine”):

Demi-sec = really sweet, dessertlike
Sec = sweet, but not as sweet as demi-sec
Extra dry = a little sweet
Brut = pretty dry
Ultra or extra brut = as dry as you can get

Want to know why some champagne are so highly priced while some others are not? One of the contributing factors might be due to the fact that the bottle you’re holding is vintage Champagne. These in short are usually wine made from the best grapes from a single vintage. Another possible answer might be that the Champagne you are eyeing for is made from a boutique, specialized winery. In such cases, these boutiques produce high quality wines at a limited quantity. Therefore, its products tend to be priced higher to help it stay afloat financially. Or another highly possible reason might be that the bottle you’re holding is just a sparkling wine and not really Champagne at all! But despite these reasons and many more accompanying ones, these prices might not guarantee its quality sometimes.

And talking about sparklers as a whole, while prices are never really indicative of the quality, why not go for a safer guide? Bigger is never always better? Well, hear the protest of the bubbles because the size of the bubbles does count. Try out a bottle of cheaply priced $8 sparkler and a bottle of decent Champagne and you’ll understand what I mean.

The glam and excitement of sparkling wine and Champagne in particular is never limited to just this page. The distinction in every bottle is a wonderful creation in itself. The bubbles, the combination of taste and its very individualized outstanding appearance is always unique. You might not have tasted one, but be sure to enjoy the process right from the very beginning when you start choosing the bottle you want.

And yes, float with the bubbles but mistake them not! *Enjoy the PoP*

P.S. The above information is gathered from:
- http://bostonphoenix.com.- Uncorked
- http://www.thewinedoctor.com – Wine making process
- “The Downtown Girl’s Guide to Wine” by Megan Buckley and Sheree Bykofsky

Table wine for you?

You’ve probably heard and despise table wine and I definitely am not surprised by that fact. ‘Cos you’re not the only one feeling so and holding that perception towards table wine.

This is especially so if you’re looking at table wines in accordance to the European Union guidelines. Traditionally, in the European Union, wines fall into 2 categories, this being the table wine or the superior quality wine. In fact, table wines are so “unglamorous” in a way that they are not even permitted to disclose its exact origin or even its vintage dates!

Oh, and does “vin de table” sound familiar to you when I relate table wines to you? Well, if you do that’s simply because this is how it is termed in France and Luxembourg. I wonder if you hold the perception like I once use to hold, and that is anything in French sounds romantic and elegant. But sad to say, vin de table doesn’t really mean anything really elegant. This is because as a norm, vin de table (or vin ordinaire) actually means the 4^th or rather the lowest ranked grade in the French wine classification.

However, things get a little more neutral when we shift towards the United States. Here, the definition that is attached to table wines is any wine that contains alcohol content of between 7 to 14 percent. While this doesn’t connote any differences in the wine quality delivered, it’s sad to say that many a times table wine still lives in the shadow of being viewed as an inferior and inexpensive wine by many out there today.

So please allow me to try and help us remove this shadow and what seems like an old misconception that deserves a chance to prove itself.

Try stepping into a restaurant and hold a simple definition of table wine as just any wine that is not fortified or sparkling. Like I always believe, bringing a whole new perspective towards every new wine you encounter is always a fresh way to accept this unknown character that you’ve only always heard of but yet never tried before. Given this chance, the table wines are able to prove themselves sometimes as they appear before you in the list of table wine list that it is so not true that all table wines are inexpensive! You’ll see that the pricing of some “Red table wines” and “White table wines” are definitely not something you’ll regard as plain inexpensive. And so is their character! If you happen to make a right pick, you’ll understand why I say that some table wines are so not inferior to others. Their inborn beauty is indeed many a times a hidden beauty that deserve much recognition!

Oh and just a small note to make about this category of wine. If you haven’t noticed, most of these wines are technically termed dry. What this simply means is that the wine doesn’t have a lot of sugar in it. Most table wines are termed so even in the regard that is held with the understanding that some are less dry than the other. Therefore, logically speaking, you really shouldn’t ask for a “dry table wine” if you’re in a restaurant or a wine shop. If you’re dying for something really sweet, then maybe dessert wines are what you are looking for. =)

Hope you are slightly encouraged to wipe away that shadow you have over table wines. If you happen to try out some really delicious table wine, do share with me. After all, all wonderful wines deserve to be recognised don’t you agree? *Prost*

P.S. The above information is gathered from:
- “Wikipedia” for various definitions
- “The Downtown Girl’s Guide to Wine” by Megan Buckley and Sheree Bykofsky for some extra knowledge

*Thanks Jeremy for suggesting this topic! A great one you bring up there! =)

The ancient language!

Hungry for wine?Buy it!

You probably can literally vividly see yourself in a wine shop, longing to find a name you find familiar and comfortable for your eyes to accept. But let's face it honestly, deciphering wine labels can be quite a pain, especially when it comes to a lot of traditional wine labels. Ya? All the different producers, wine-sites etc. They really do drive me crazy at times. So you might probably prefer the younger winemaking countries which seriously helps make reading wine labeling a layman stuff now. However, let not the sophisticating labels deter us from our reach to these lovely historic wine, or so it seems to be.

Here's a little guide I found:

See no grape varieties? Oh, maybe you're holding on to a classic French label! Because usually the name of the château takes precedence for traditional Bordeaux label and the grape varieties are not usually mentioned. Why? Well, you'll start to realise if you put in some extra attention and you'll notice that French wines are often labeled by their "Mother-land" i.e the origin of the wine. So for French wines, you might need to put in more effort to know the classic grapes of each region in order to really know what you want to get.

Feel yourself entering the world of the past as you are welcomed by the gothic script on traditional German wine label. Grape varieties do appear here. You'll probably find it all worthwhile to indulge in the historic appearance that these labels bring to you because despite the old-fashioned look, its inner beauty often brings new excitement and love to you.

After much cluttering appearing before your eyes, say "Hi" to a clearly much neater and simpler label that is usually from a newer winemaking country. Just a few words is all it takes to deliver its message across to you. Its brand, its grape, its vintage, and its region. Walla, you are ready to choose and go with this clear labeling!

However, while we know the newer wine-producing countries are countries such as Australia and Chile, having a clear and simple labeled bottle of wine in your hands today no longer guarantee that it is from these countries anymore. This is because some of the European, German and French wines are also adopting more modern style labels. So do see the labels clearly before your purchase! Additionally, French wines are also not the only ones that do not show the grape variety in the labels. Italian wines or rather the great classics of Tuscany and Piedmont do not label their wines by grape variety as well. And as for French wines, note the exception of Alsace because winemakers of this region do state the grape varieties on the label.

Other information that you can usually find on the bottle would be the alcohol level, the volume of the liquid, the country of origin as well as the producer. But understand that the way that a bottle of wine is introduced is probably never really fixed. Some just love to give you a more scenic kind of explanation about the origin while others do not.

I hope this short journey has made you regain your confidence in stepping into the wine shop once again. Now that you're more sure about what you can expect from the thousands of bottles lying in the wine shop, may we succeed in conquering the ancient language that once seems so far from reach to us. =)

P.S. The above information is gathered from :
- "International wine guide" by Susy Atkins

The secrets that lie beneath…

Do you believe in us having the ability to influence each other? Have you ever wondered how you, your very sole presence, could have impacted someone or something else somewhere in this universe? The breath you take (that help contribute more carbon dioxide for the green), the footsteps you leave behind (that might be of help to someone who lost their way), or perhaps even your smile and laughter (that can make the one who love u smile with you too).

You must be wondering at this instant, what has all this got to do with wine? I thought and I suggest you could place it aside for awhile. That is, place what I’ve just said for the past minute away for awhile while I prompt a thought in you.

You’ve probably read books on wine, or even talk to some experts while you do wine test. And you might have come across descriptive words like “spice”, “fruity”, “chocolate” or even “wet dog” while they are trying to describe the taste to you. At this moment, a sneaking suspicion might have crept into you as you wonder if you’re drinking sweats of a wet dog, or some you-don’t-know kind of strange stuff. So, an embarrassing question many of us might be wondering secretly in the inside of us would be if the wine-makers actually do add in fruits or wet dog into the wine in order to achieve these aromas in it. Well, heave a sign of relief now will you, because NO they do not add any of these things in.

So, where do all the aromas come about?

Well, this is when I would like to invite you to pull back the first paragraph that I’ve earlier on suggest you to place aside. As much as we influence each other in our very unique ways, the terroir (i.e. the environment) influences the wine through the grapes that grow on it. The surrounding environment plays a major part in creating the unique mixture of aromas that you smell in each individual wine bottle. The air, the water, the soil and even any other nearby elements could be a contributing factor. Thus, if the grapes are grown in an area that has lavender scent infused in the air, you just might be able to then sense some lavender smell that has been imprinted on the grapes.

So having gained some knowledge on how the cultivation environment actually “communicates” with the grapes, here’s a brief list of possible “consequences” that might spark off from this interaction. They are as follows:

Floral, Fruity, Spice, Earthy, Animal (yes I know this doesn’t sound delicious), and Herbaceous.

Oh, and seriously don’t be shy or feel silly to turn away if you actually come across wine with an off-putting smell. It does occur and it can be so bad that it might smell like a dead rat. This sure kills all appetite right? Well several reasons can be the cause of this bad smell in the wine. It could be a bad cork or just some errors in the wine-making process, for example like storing the wine in the wrong temperature etc. So, do feel free to take it back to the shop for a new bottle. This goes the same should you be at a restaurant. You definitely wouldn’t want to match your meal with a wine that smells badly ya?

But other then this, the likes and dislikes really is a very subjective issue. So do allow yourself some time to find the taste that suits you best. Remember, wine is all about appreciation if you really want to enjoy the fullest. Therefore, do bring along some patience because your patience will let you allow yourself to be influenced. *cheers*

P.S. The above information is gathered from:
- ‘The Downtown Girl’s Guide to Wine” by Megan Buckley and Sheree Bykofsky

Learn to understand its inner hidden beauty!

Step into a beautiful restaurant, stop for a moment to enjoy the tinkling of the music notes upon your ears. Drift with the ambience and be elegantly seated. You could be there alone, or you could be there with a significant other, but no matter what the circumstances may be, you probably think in your heart like I do now - This is not a night to be missed so easily.

The menu is here. But please do not just focus on the main dish of the night though that's supposed to be the star of the night - the reason you are most probably there for. Here's why. Imagine a night, so magically drawn and made before you. You may have gone through a tiring day at work. Right before you is a chance to reward yourself. And no, just a main dish can never make you enjoy the time with your loved one. How much can you possibly talk and share your day when your mouth is busy munching? Or how romantic can it get when you talk with your mouth that is so full of the smell of garlic and sauces that you just swallowed? And have you no time at all to stay a while more after the main to relax with the tunes?

Are you able to sense what is lacking here? With no doubts, the answer is revealed. Yes, a bottle of wine, or even just a glass is the complementing element of the night.

While your senses are probably awaken and enticed by the wonderful atmosphere surrounding you, please don't neglect them so soon. Engage your senses with wine. Well, except maybe for the hearing sense. Here's how:

Look at the wine. For just the appearance of the wine alone can tell much about the sort of style you can likely expect. Next, just like how you probably see a thousand times how people use to swirl their glasses , yes you may do it. This is to help aerate and release the aroma of the wine. And no, you don't need a bull's strength to do this. A simple way would be to just place your glass on the table, and sliding the stem of the glass between your index and middle fingers, press down on the base of the glass and slide it gently from side to side. Then invite your nose to the test and sniff the aroma released. What do you smell? Spices? Chocolates? (I'll touch on the different aromas released and how these smell come about in probably the next post..stay tuned) Spend a good 60 seconds to appreciate. Don't worry about the waiter who might be standing beside you to wait for a nod from you while you test. Take your time. Ultimately, you are going to be the one drinking that bottle of wine for the night.

Now, take a sip (yes a sip and never a gulp). Swoosh the wine around your mouth to release and bring out the flavor of the wine to its fullest. Notice the taste and texture that is now occupying your tastebuds. And then for a finish, while some do this, you may choose not to do it too. What the "finish" consist is actually spitting out the wine. And the reason professional testers do this is to save their sobriety. Note that this doesn't then mark the end of the assessment. Texture of the wine can also be assessed right after the wine is spat out. Any tinge of lingering flavor can help determine if you love it or not. Certain unusual nuances also often come through more during the finish. So enjoy the whole process for this may be seen as the first touch of love towards the wine by your precious senses!

Savour the taste of your dish with the aromatic taste of your carefully picked wine. Be prepared to fill your tastebuds with the warming touch of balance between your food and wine. Spend the night toasting to a greater tomorrow with your loved ones after the main and build your love in the midst of romance.

And here I toast to you my readers for we have now equipped ourselves with more understanding on how, through the revealing of the hidden inner beauty of wine, we can appreciate the next dinner that is blessed upon us in the coming evening better.

P.S The above information have been gathered from :
- "The Downtown Girl's Guide to Wine" by Megan Buckley and Sheree Bykofsky
- "International Wine Guide" by Susy Atkins
(These 2 books are my newly borrowed books. Looking forward to sharing more with you guys. Hope you'll like it.=) )

The façade of the life of wine

Escape from the cloud and mist of the city, hide in the room of muskiness and drown your sorrows, as you worry about the sun rising tomorrow. You wish and hope that the alcohol in the wine will numb your tongue and numb your senses. You drink as if you are enjoying but you tear and drip drops of blood in the inner self of yours. Alone you sit, and you no longer remember how it feels like to savour the smooth taste of a glass of harmonic wine that once made you so peaceful.

Do you long for it? Do you still long to regain the warmth and comfort that the glass of red wine always promises you? If you do, please allow yourself to depart from the city of stress, but not with a longing to glurp and be drunk. But i urge you to depart from the city of unease and search for peace and a refreshing of the mind once you hold "her" in your embrace.

Yes you may feel burdened from work, but why not take a minute to choose the love of the night you would wish to have for company tonight? Assess her colour, her clarity, and her subtleness. Swirl her to release her mysterious aromas, and please do allow her to take your burdened mind away with the swirls. Listen to the waves and close your eyes as you bring her closer. Do you not see behind your closed eyelids, how gentle the drops of wine are dancing in the wavy movements? Awake your taste buds that can no longer wait by now. You finally take a sip but please do not let her pass you by just like that. Feel the swoosh in you mouth and you will realise how she feels for you. "She" may love you with sweetness of fruits or hate you so much out of love that she makes your gums and teeth dry or furry with tannin. Appreciate her nevertheless, for every one of them are unique in "herself".

And as my topic goes, wine has got many façades. It is really worth while to pay a little more attention to them. Gushing them down your throat is never a good way to appreciate them. Sip and savour. You may not love it the first time, but if you are patient enough to taste it one more time, you may start to discover the deeper roots of the vine that it once belonged to, something that you just might fall so in love with.

Wine dotes you and protects you...

Just came back from gym, had a great work out after lazing around for so long. Have you ever felt just like me about how much you need to protect your health more? Well, while exercise is one of the most highly recommended element to add in, why not consider adding in some wine?

And no I'm not trying to kill you or shorten your lifespan, I'm trying to help strengthen your life a little here. Many of us would probably nod our heads profusely if I were to ask if you have ever heard that alcoholic stuff should always be avoided simply because it is harmful to our body. Before this perception continues to take it roots in your mind forever, let me attempt to lift you away from it and be glad and jump to joy that not all alcoholic drinks are "evil"!

Wine, standing out from all the other alcoholic drinks, have been proven to have the ability to gear our body system better! If you happen to see my cbox by the side of the blog, you would see my recommendations to have max just 1 glass of red wine a day and not more. Why? Well, in the case of wine, more is never better.

According to New York Reuters Health, while the consumption of one glass per day appears to aid in reducing the risk of heart disease, but having two or more each day actually showed signs of offsetting the benefits by increasing the risk of some cancers. So do remember to cap your wine consumption ya? Enough for the restrictions, let us now divert our attention to find more reasons to love wine.

If you wanna know how much wine loves and protects you, here's a summary for you:
For men, wine loves you too much to see you suffer from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and hence while it does not stop you from contracting these totally, it does reduces the risk for you. As for women, cheers and be a woman wine drinker as a new study from Harvard University has shown that woman wine drinkers tend to have fewer kidney stones and also find their mental functioning more well preserved!!!Moderate, and yes I emphasize moderate wine, can also help to reduce stroke risk as well as reduce the risk of Arteriosclerosis (the gradual build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries). Oh and in case women out there are now sad because you wonder if the cardiovascular benefits runs only in the genes of men, allow me to cheer you up because you are entitled to that privilege too!! Additionally, wine consumption may also help lower the risk for upper digestive tract cancer as well as lower lung cancer risk.

With so many benefits in store in that glass of wine, are you still resistant and feel that it will only do you harm? But hey, before you say "No" to my question and decides to run to the nearest store to grab a bottle of wine to share the good news with your loved ones, maybe you can take my suggestion to choose a bottle of red wine rather then a bottle of white wine as it's been proposed that the effects of the benefits tend to be stronger for that by red wine! Most importantly, remember, the benefits will only open itself to you if you stay a moderate drinker! This is highly recommended. May the love of wine walk us through our lives! Cheers everyone!

*Dear readers,
Hope my casual writing style tonight will not cause you to feel bored or turn away. Do feel free to give me any comments or feedback on areas I can improve on. If there is any topic regarding wine appreciation you would like to know, do leave me a comment in the cbox on your right and while I cannot promise I can give the best answer, I will promise I will try my best to help bring the topic to life!=)

P.S. The above information has been gathered from:
- http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopab.htm

If you are the vine...

If you are the vine, you will love cold winters because that's when you can hibernate and charge up your strength for the coming year's fruit. If you are the vine, you will love the mixture of some rain in the midst of the warm summer because that's when the fruit ripens gradually and evenly. If you are the vine, you will fall in love also with the dry autumn when harvesting takes place as the dryness will help keep the flavour of the grapes. Trust not the humid weather at this point in time as it will result in dilution of the juice.

Apart from the seasons of the nature, feel and indulge yourself, if you are the vine, in the heavenly balance of temperture that God so beautifully created between the 30 and 50 degrees latitude in each hemisphere. Let your texture be enhanced as you soak yourself in the soil and the love of human hands.

Ah~~yes the human hands. With the advancement of technology, machine harvesters is no longer a foreigner in the territory of the vineyard. Many use it today for its efficiency and ease. But let it not deprive us of our beauty. Let it not destroy us with all the shaking done by the machine. And if you are the vine, you will be most happy to know that hand picking is still done across the globe. Despite the back-breaking hard work and great amount of time consumption, no one knows us better then our very own "parents" who cultivate us. Thus although the process of picking grapes is tough but it is definitely all worthwhile. As hand-picked grapes tend to produce less damaged grapes then machine harvested grapes, this helps to retain our beauty and texture. Additionally, sub-standard grapes can also be left behind to ensure the top quality of the delicious wine that will be served to our admirers.

Hmm...are you now in the midst of the vineyard enjoying the warmth of the evening light as i close off this indulgence of the day? Enjoy~~because if you are the vine you will love the evening light!

*Do stay tune as i learn and share my very own humble style to the lovely you!
P.S. Knowledge has been inherited from
-"The Joy of Wine" by Jane Hughes

The Historic Trace of Wine

If you are holding a glass of wine in your hands now, how about drifting a little into the land of classical age - the roots of wine drinking. It all started in the Middle East. Relate back also to the many paintings in the Ancient Egyptian civilization times wherein you get to see scenes of people carrying jugs of wine. Wine, being well-known in the Old Testament as well as being used as a strong metaphor for life. How influential, don't you think?

Through the evolution and the revolution, wine has land itself in many different parts of the world today. Unlike in the past when only a handful of varieties were available for the wine lovers then, wouldn't you agree that being a wine lover today is so much more privileged? With the new found soils and lands, more styles of wine have been discovered. Some of them were probably not created intentionally through the extensive efforts of design, but rather it was a must given the lack of techniques back then, which slowly but surely brought blessing to some of the wine lovers today.

Take for example fortifying wines. This took off in the 16th and 17th centuries, when people had to "fortify" wine by adding grape brandy to wine in order to ship them without allowing the wine to turn into vinegar. It was done back then because the wine makers realised that by so doing, the brandy actually helped to protect and stabilise the wines throughout the journey. Additionally, it was also noted that by adding brandy before or during the fermentation process, it affects the end product directly. And there you go, we have with us now the many different types of fortified wines to be used as dessert wines or even as a must have in many of our savoury food recipes. Thus, in an ironic way if you would allow yourself to see it in this way, if not for the weak structure of wine that prevents it from withstanding the rigorous journey, the wide varieties of fortified wine might probably never see the light of the world and we would have lost the chance to fall in love with them forever.

P.S The above information has been gathered from:
- "The Joy of Wine" by Jane Hughes
-"recipes4us" under the Marsala Port & Sherry information section