Celebrate Your Wedding With Pinot Noir Red Wine

Weddings are just one of several celebrations in any one’s life that is begging to include wine in its menu. And not just any kind of wine, as red wine is the popular choice in most receptions. If you are planning to serve red wine at your own wedding reception, there is a wide variety of red wines you can choose from. One is the most requested varieties is the Pinot noir. This wine is so popular among wine enthusiasts that it has been described as “the most romantic of wines,” a description that makes it a perfect fit for weddings.

Made from a delicate and hard-to-grow grape variety of the same name, pinot noir wine is one of the oldest and most celebrated types of wine. Since the grapes are hard to grow, this type of wine is produced in smaller amounts compared to other varieties. This makes pinot noir pricier too, but definitely worth its value.

Pinot noir grapes grow in the Burgundy region of France and in different parts of Europe, like Austria, Germany, Italy, and Hungary. It is also planted in New Zealand and Australia. In the States, California and Oregon are the largest producers. During processing, the grapes produce a light colored type of wine. This characteristic attracts many people, as it possesses a silky soft texture, which also makes it a good choice among first time red wine drinkers. Its flavors may include cherry, spices, herbs, florals, and light tannins.

The unique depth of flavors makes pinot noir perfect for almost any type of dishes. If you are serving seafood (most especially salmon), fowl, beef, and earthy vegetable dishes, such as mushrooms, your guests will be delighted once they take a sip of their pinot noir. They will swear that these dishes are the perfect pinot noir pairings.

The Red and the White

Truth be told, it is almost impossible to have one select category from which you can include all the wine that is being created today. There exists many different categories that use different criteria to group and differentiate wines from another. Do you want it by color? By sweetness? Or do you want it by region (European wine, South American wine, Australian wine, etc)? The possible classifications are as numerous as the number of wines themselves, so for brevity we will stay with the two main wine categories – red and white – so that you can come out from this post with a working knowledge of wines and wine matching, especially if you are about to plan a meal and want to have wine on the menu.

Red Wine

· Glass – having the proper red wine glass will ensure that the properties of the wine will show through much better than in other glasses. A proper red wine glass has an oval- or egg-shaped bottom that narrows down at the top. It must accommodate around 10-22 ounces of liquid and must leave ample room for you to swirl your wine around the glass, thus exposing it to air (allowing it to “breathe”)

· Serving Temperature – it varies with the actual red wine variety but it is usually between 60-65 degrees F. Warmer than that and you will really taste the alcohol, colder than that and the wine will taste bitter.

· Wine Matching – foods that go with red wine are generally those that have bolder, more rounded flavors. Use the following guide as a general reference:

o Cabernet Sauvignon: duck, spicy beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys

o Pinot Noir: braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, charcuterie, partridge, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, truffles, Gruyeres

o Merlot: braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles

o Shiraz: braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, peppercorn steak, barbequed meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille

White Wine

· Glass – white wine is served in narrower, sometimes taller glasses in order to concentrate the aromas of such delicate white wines at the tapering part of the glass.

· Serving Temperature – typically colder than that of red wine, at around 45-50 degrees F. Of course there are differences depending on which type of white wine, so better consult with experts if you want exact serving temperatures.

· Wine Matching – more delicate flavors, such as those of fish and chicken, are classically the perfect match for white wine. Some varietals are suited to much stronger flavors also and have the body of red wine at times. Be guided by the reference below:

o Chardonnay: seafood with butter sauce, chicken, pasta with cream sauce, veal, turkey, ham, Emmenthal, Gruyeres, Port-Salut

o Riesling: mild cheese, clams, mussels, Asian dishes, sashimi, ham, pork, lobster Newberg, Tandoori chicken, Coquilles St Jacques

o Sauvignon Blanc: oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, Irish stew, ham, chevre, goat cheese and strongly flavored cheeses, asparagus quiche

Gewurztraminer: spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, Muenster, spiced/peppered cheeses, onion tart

What Goes with What: Wine and Food Pairing

This is a question that always leaves one wondering: What to pair with wine? And with that, what to pair with which wine?

What usually happens is you have a set menu in your head, food that you want to serve but you don’t know which one it goes with. This is what makes buying wine a problem. You are not alone in this dilemma; every day people are faced with this problem. Choosing the wrong wine with a particular food can be bad. It can make the perception of people to the food be different because of the reaction of the tannins with the different components of the food. Food can be bitter, or too sweet, or too salty and never right, flavors may clash, and so forth.

When choosing food and wine pairings, you have to take many things into consideration such as the type of food (is it fish, pork, beef, etc?) and what sauce goes with it (does it go in a broth? Does it have a cream sauce or tomato sauce?), even if the food is served warm or cold. Most established food and wine pairings feature typically Western fare; so what if you want to serve Asian or other ethnic food? What goes with it?

The rule of thumb is (and this is a safe rule to follow) to pair mild-flavored food with white wine and more full-bodied and stronger flavors with red wine. Pairing mild flavors with red wine tend to overpower and overwhelm the palate while pairing white wine with stronger flavored food might not make much of a difference and in some cases clash with it. However, the rules are much more relaxed these days and you can drink any wine you prefer with any dish you want to pair it with. There’s also what’s called contrasting pairing where you pair wine (for example, something sparkling and acidic) to something silky and rich (like foie gras, for example).

To truly, truly know what food to pair with wine, one must know a wine’s properties. For example, pairing wine with cheese has always been ideal because the fats and proteins in wine soften the perception of tannins (which can be bitter), thus making it taste sweeter and more fruity. Pairing a Beaujolais with a salad with tomatoes and dressing is also great because the tomatoes and dressing can cancel some of the tartness in the wine, enabling the fruit to shine through.

Other pairing principles have also come to light, in particular to that of pairing wine with regional cuisine such as Asian and Indian food. Instead of pairing the wine to the main ingredient, one must put into consideration many other things such as cooking method (steamed, braised, stir-fried?), the sauce (is it bean based, or curry based?), even the seasonings used as this can dictate the overall flavor of the dish. It is not at all odd to pair, for example, chicken curry with Pinot Gris.

A Simple Food and Wine Pairing Guide

There used to be strict, snobby rules about which food goes with what wine, but the relaxing of attitudes towards wine drinking and fine dining have somewhat done away with the rules and just allowed people to consume whichever wine they please with whatever type of food they deem fit. However, many people realize that the rules previously in place were there for a reason. Of course, one can still choose or continue to drink seemingly clashing or mismatched wine with a certain type of food, but for a person to truly enjoy the food-and-wine experience, certain food and wine pairings must at least be tried once before deciding if you agree or disagree with it.

Here’s a simple food and wine pairing guide, featuring the best food and wine pairings that are tried and tested to help you get the best of your food and wine experience:

Beef, Lamb, Veal

· Roasted or grilled – Cabernet Sauvignon

· In garlic – Zinfandel

· Barbecued/in barbecue sauce – White Zinfandel

· With herbs – Merlot

· With mushrooms – Shiraz

Chicken, Turkey, Pork

· Baked or grilled – White Zinfandel

· Barbecued/in barbecue sauce – White Zinfandel

· In cream sauce – Chardonnay

· With lemons – Sauvignon Blanc

· With herbs – Chardonnay

Fish and Seafood

· Grilled – (darker fish) Pinot Noir, (lighter fish) Chardonnay

· With herbs – Sauvignon Blanc

· In butter – Chardonnay

· Hot and Spicy – Pinot Grigio

Pasta and Vegetables

· Tomato or Marinara sauce – Zinfandel

· Basil or Pesto – Merlot

· With Parmesan – Merlot

· In Cream Sauce – Pinot Noir

· Stir fried, with ginger – Chardonnay

· Hot and Spicy – White Zinfandel

In Clam Sauce - Chardonnay

Wine 101 - Wine Serving Tips

Wine Serving Tips!

There are many ideas when it comes to this one but listed below are some basic guidelines to assist you:

- “White wine with fish and red wine with meat” is an idea many claim to work well.

- Red wines should be served at the room temperature, while white wines, roses, and champagnes are served chilled.

- The more flavorful the food, the stronger the wine. While lighter food calls for a lighter wine.

- Wine loves air, which revives its sleeping flavors. It’s highly recommended to open a bottle about an hour prior to serving.

- A bottle of wine should be handled extremely carefully.

- Red wine bottles do not need dusting prior to opening. They are opened on a hard surface. White wines rose, and champagne should ideally be opened in an ice bucket.

- Red wines corks are sniffed to make sure the wine has not spoiled, which can allow the cork to smell badly.   You don’t need to smell white and rose wine corks since the wine was refrigerated.

Now you have a much better understanding of wine by the use of wine 101.

Wine 101-Red Wine Facts

Sideways is about a road trip in the wine country of sunny California where the two main characters, Miles and Jack, drink lots of wine while dealing with the up’s and down’s of life.  It’s a hilarious film that many people find to be quite touching due to  all the aspects of life being shown.

Maybe the greatest thing about Sideways is how it has inspired many to become connoisseurs of fine wine!

According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie made so many of its fans want to buy Pinot Noir (a dry red wine) that sales significantly have gone up in the U.S. and the U.K. as well.

Listed below are some factors concerning wine to teach you more about it.

Why is Red Wine Red?

Red wine is red because of the grapes that were used. The colors of grapes include purple, maroon, deep red, light red–the list goes on. Each variety brings a unique shade of red to red wine and the various colors you can see in wine stores are a direct result of the many grapes used in worldwide wine-making processes.

What Are The Different Types of Red Wine?

The different types of red wine are judged by their “body.” For example, a light-bodied wine is not too demanding on the taste buds and goes with food of high flavors.

The medium-bodied red wine may be just a little heavier wine (e.g. Shiraz, Merlot, etc.) but not as heavy and as powerful as a full-bodied wine like French Bordeaux wines and Italian red wine like the Super Tuscans. Full-bodied wines are denser and also have more alcohol content.

How Is Red Wine Served?

Wine is served in different type glasses because doing so can make it taste much better. . It is said that an oval or egg-shaped glass that narrows as it reaches the top sis the best way to appreciate red wine because it allows the wine to swirl better. The best temperature for serving red wine is 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you serve it warm the alcohol can be overly emphasized. If it’s served too cold it can be too bitter.

Red Wine–What Are The Different Varieties?

There are a number of wines to choose form. The best wine to you may be totally different to someone else. . But then there are many red wines that come highly recommended like Californian red wine, Australian red wine, and also many wines from Europe  Once you’ve tasted many red wines, you’ll be able to decide which one you may like the best.

How Healthy IS Red Wine?

Red wine 101 should let you know that many studies have shown wine to be very good for your health and you should drink it daily.

Regardless, if you just want to spice up a meal or drink wine for a special celebration, you should make sure you savor the great flavor that many wines can offer.

Wine 101- Shows You How To Become A Wine Expert!

As when many things in life, some people may claim to be an expert on a certain topic and they most likely aren’t.

The tasting of wine is much the same and unless you are a wine aficionado, you will have a very limited idea of exactly all that is involved when it comes to tasting wine. The majority of us just choose a wine we like and drink it. If you want o learn more about wine then you should keep reading as this is a wine 101 article.

In order to learn more about wines, you may want to consider visiting wineries and asking questions from their tour guides or also look for some information on the Internet to help educate you as well. The more you learn about wine, then the more experienced you’ll be when it comes to knowing what to taste for.

For example red wines have a different taste from white wines and you will need to taste both of these at regular intervals to be able to pinpoint many of the differences. By doing so you can get a better idea of what wine 101 can help you achieve.

Next in wine 101 is to taste some wine by pouring wine into a glass. Swirl the wine in the glass so that the wine and the substances in it meld. Then, you should hold the wine up to the light and see how long it takes for the leg of the wine to pour back into the bottom of the glass. The quality of the wine is based on this process.

The next step in wine 101 involves smelling the wine. Here you will need to first take a quick sniff. From this sniff you should be able to define what flavors are in the wine. Once you have decided what these flavors might be, you should swirl the wine again to make certain everything is mixed properly.

The final step in 101 is where you will take a small sip of the wine, hold it for a few minutes and try to make certain you savor all the flavors the wine has to offer. When these flavors are present in your mouth, you should have a good idea of what the wine tastes like and can describe it accordingly.

Wine 101-”Who Else Wants To Be A Wine Connoisseur?”

If you are interested in learning more about wine, then keep reading as this article can educate you on wine.

The correct way to start is by selecting a wine, and then being able to taste it much like a professional might. The way to do this is to know what to look for to do so properly.

This Wine 101 is for the up and coming connoisseur, a person who is looking to become a wine expert.

Don’t be intimated by all the choices because there are lots of wines out there. Yet, the is the case with most products. You should try to take some time to try different wines and pinpoint the ones you like the most. This trial period can be a learning test for you also.

For beginners, go buy some bottles of wine or visit a winery. Make your choices diversified by choosing different colors as well as throwing some international wines into the mix.

Eventually you will find the wine you like, whether red wine or white wine, a table wine or country wine. Martha Stewart recently introduced a large selection of wines through Gallo Winery. The important thing here is to find a wine you like.

Try the wine you’ve tested with different types of food. Light wines go better with foods like cheese and dark wines may taste better with meat. You be the judge after you’ve tried some wine and food combination’s.

You need more Wine 101 to help you be a better judge in the tasting process. There are five key points you need to know in tasting:

* Your sense of smell is crucial when it comes to wine tasting. You should first smell the cork to ensure there is no moldy or cardboard smell. If there is, then you know it was stored incorrectly.

* Smell the wine. The wine should always smell fruity as well as fresh.

* Look at the wine by holding it and checking to see if it is transparent. It should be clean, with no browning or yellowing color.

* Spin the wine in the glass. This should indicate different ties to the wine..

* Lastly, taste the wine. It should please to your taste buds with not moldy taste.
Now that you have the basics of Wine 101, you should be well on your way to becoming the wine tasting expert you wish to be.

Wine 101-Wine Tips For Vino Newbies

If you are a lover of wine, then you most likely will drink it in many different situations. It is a good way to help you unwind after a busy day or a great way to celebrate a huge event. It is always a good time to drink wine, unless you are driving and that is definitely forbidden.

Since there are many times you wish to drink wine, you may want to educate yourself as much as possible on the topic of wine. For instance, you should know the correct temperature to store is between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This will preserve the flavor and keep it at its best.

The best place to store wine is in a cellar. This can really allow your wine to be stored at the best temperature possible. A refrigerator is much too cold for the wine, and keeping it room temperature is far too warm.

Be certain you have a wine storage box in a dark place because UV rays can break important molecules in wine. In addition, if you plan to keep your wine for more than a month, you should plan to keep it stored in a dark cool place.

When you are preparing to drink your wine, you should know the best temperature to serve it. If are drinking white wine, the best temperature is between 60 and 68 degrees. Many people prefer white wine at cooler temperatures coldness but if you drink the wine too chilled you can lose some of the valuable flavors it offers.

When serving red wine, be certain to serve the wine starting at 70 degrees. If you are serving wine that you have properly stored at 55 to 60 degrees, you will need to be certain to allot enough time for the wine to warm up prior to serving.

There are also different glasses that can enhance the flavor of the wine. If you are serving white wine, your glasses should be narrow, with the bowl barely wider than the rim of the glass. You want less air warming up the white wine which means you should have a narrower class.

Your glasses should have a wider bowl when you are serving red wine. When serving full-bodied Cabernet’s and Merlot’s, your glass should be taller than your glass for a lighter and fruitier Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir glass should be a short glass but wide as well.

Some people may think it doesn’t make very much difference whether you serve their white wine at 50 degrees in a wide rimmed glass or if you serve their Shiraz in a narrow rimmed, tall wine glass at 63 degrees, yet it makes a tremendous difference.

To get the most flavors out of your wine of choice, you need to be certain that you serve it at the correct temperature and in the proper wine glass as well. You’ll be happy and you’re guests will love you for it.