Easy Guide to Food And Drinks

December 31, 2010

Guide To Wine Fridges

Filed under: Wine Spirits — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 8:14 am

We all want the best when it comes to storing wine, but sometimes there are gonna be trade-offs. Being systematic as you shop for a wine cellar ensures that you end up with something that meets both your needs and your budget.

1) How many bottles do you want to store?

This is the easiest question to ask, and the one people most frequently answer incorrectly. You’re buying a wine fridge to store your wine over time, and your rate of consumption will tend to rise over that time, so be prepared for your future buying habits. If you think you need a fridge that holds fifty wine bottles, you’d better buy one that holds 150.

2) Ideal conditions to keep your wine fridge?

Most stand-alone wine fridges are designed to be used inside your home. They will do a great job of maintaining the ideal 12 to 15 degrees, as long as you place the unit in a moderate environment. Stick it in a 32 degrees or leave it in your un-air-conditioned or sun-facing room for a couple of months and you’ll not only burn out the compressor, but end up cooking your wine while you’re at it.

3) How heavy is the fridge and will the floor hold it up?

When a wine fridge is at capacity it can weigh almost a tonne. While most modern homes will have no issue with the weight, you should double check before making your purchase.

4) Does it have to be attractive?

Will the fridge be hidden in a unoccupied room or under the stairs, will it be a centerpiece for the dining or lounge room? Many wine fridges are serviceable and can be even somehat attractive, and then there are those that are works of art.

5) What’s your budget?

Ok, so now you’ve narrowed to your choices to what you want, but it’s time to consider what you can afford. You may have to forgo the glass door or pull out shelves to be able to swing the bigger unit that I’m telling you you’re gonna need. Remember this is a tool first, and a big piece of furniture second!

September 18, 2010

Your Guide To The Best Australian Wines

Filed under: Wine Spirits — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 5:54 am

The art of finding those special wine labels can needlessly bring on a mild anxiety attack in many inexperienced wine drinkers as they search for the best Australian wines to serve at home. I have seen it happen – the wine drinking equivalent of a fish out of water. With so many grape varieties, numerous regions and hundreds, if not thousands of brands to choose from, it is easy to understand how wine consumers can be easily overwhelmed and potentially fearful. So how do you find that killer wine on the shelf? So what is it that makes a wine truly great - is it grape variety, the region where it’s produced or the vintage year?

There’s a trick is to understand what a fine wine tastes like. The first element is a wine’s aroma which consists of an array of smells and taste well beyond fruit? It might be tar, roses, thyme or earth with top wines showing layer upon layer of complex aromas and flavours. A good quality wine should have a rewarding texture and fruit length, and that is not overwhelming but rather has a long lasting flavour that’s experienced after drinking. Poor wines don’t have the fullness or lingering taste as it’s gone as soon as you swallow. They leave no lasting impact, and normally fade into the recesses of memory never to be thought of again. Compare that with complex wines that are seductive and so long that you can almost cover a couple of city blocks before the flavour fades.

So how you find these gems, these jewels? Start your search for a reputable wine merchant - where you can find a select wine range with expert staff who are normally more than happy to assist you in defining drinking habits based on your personal taste. Merchants can be difficult to find but definitely worth the effort in seeking them out.

If this fails there is always the option to find some personal favourite wine regions through trial and error. A key influence of any wine and its taste is the where the grapes are grown. All wines from any wine region will have a somewhat simliar taste, to nearby vineyards. And for some of those special places there is a strong natural affinity with a particular grape or two resulting in spectacular wines. A few examples include Chardonnay and the Adelaide Hills, Pinot Noir and Martinborough, Sangiovese and Tuscany, Tempranillo and Rioja, with many more to choose from. So, pick wines from these regions to ensure that you chance of selecting great wine is good.

Lastly, and probably least important is vintage. Here and in New Zealand the year when a wine is made, that is the vintage is not as important as it is in France or Italy where the weather is quite unpredictable. While there is the occasional vintage poor, red wines such as 2008 Hunter Valley or 2006 Margaret River are excellent, and do not disappoint and in their best years can be amongst Australia’s best wines.

When you next find yourself at a loss in the search for a decent wine bottle, try some trusted regions with their best suited grape and you are likely to hit a winner. Central Otago and Pinot Noir, Waiheke Island and Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley and Riesling, Margaret River and Chardonnay are wine bottles that are also worth getting excited about.

August 5, 2010

A Guide To Wine Bars

Filed under: Food-And-Drink — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 5:11 am

If you like wine and you adore to go, then you must consider heading to France to attend some of the Earth’s most celebrated wine tasting events. This is as Paris is respected for a load more than its monuments and museums. Paris is also renowned for producing some of the finest wines in the world a secret that came out in 1976.

In 1976 a wine tasting event took place with nine tasters, 8 of whom were judged to be the top wine tasters in France. The event was a blind tasting, endorsing the judges failed to know the identity of the wines that were being tasted at the wine bars. After this event, the admiration for wine tasting in Paris grew to what we all know it as today.

You can now find events at wine bars included in nearly each wine tour of Paris. This is perhaps because there are plenty of wine bars in this area that have regularly prepared events. Just ensure that you go prepared to do plenty of spitting as you taste these numerous wines as you may likely find at least one or two that you don’t like. If you do make a decision to visit Paris to sample the numerous savory French wines at the city’s wine bars, then you should be prepared to sample masses of great quality wines.

One of those wine bars is Castle , which offers cheap wines. There’s also Willi’s which offers you more than 250 differing kinds of wine to choose between. Naturally, there are plenty of other wine bars also available so you will have no problem finding one that will suit you wants. Lots of these multinationals open early and stay open for the majority of the day and late into the night. They not only offer you fine wines, but they also offer you glorious food to make a choice from also. You do not wish to miss visiting Paris’ many fine wine bars.

If you’ve a chance to do that, then ensure you plan to spend at least a couple of days enjoying yourself in this stunning town. While there, you should also visit some of the wine shops so you can bring back home some great selections that can’t be found some place else.

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