9:34 PM

April 20, 2008 - Wine Bars

A Wine Bars Artilce for Your Viewing

The Rise of Rioja Wines

For many people Spanish wine either means cava - their excellent local sparkling wine made by the same traditional method as the finest champagnes or Rioja, the famous red full of ripe fruit flavours and delicious creamy vanilla.

For many people Spanish wine either means cava - their excellent local sparkling wine made by the same traditional method as the finest champagnes or Rioja, the famous red full of ripe fruit flavours and delicious creamy vanilla.

The name itself refers to wines grown in the Rioja region of North Eastern Spain which is near the River (or Rio) Oja, hence the name. Few other wines get the same exposure as the Riojas so it is easy to forget the number of other great Spanish wines that there are available, which is not surprising really as Spain has the highest acreage under vine in the world and consequently a number of very different and very interesting wine regions.

One of the main selling points of Rioja wines are their consistent high quality. It is probably a testament to the Rioja Regulatory Council that the quality control is generally so good that people know if they spend $13 or $14 on a bottle that they are pretty much guaranteed a good one.

Rioja wines are made from the Tempranillo grape, which is sometimes supplemented with Garnacha, Graciano, or Mazuelo and the actual wine is divided into four main categories based on whole long the wine is aged for.

After the most basic version of the wine, simply called Rioja, the categories are as follows :

Crianza : Spends at least one year in oak and several months in the bottle.

Reserva : These wines are aged for a minimum total of three years which includes at least one year in oak.

Gran Reserva : Aged for at least five years with a minimum of two years in oak and three in the bottle.

And despite these old classifications of the wine, Rioja is adapting to the impact and competition of New World wines from places such as Chile and Australia.

The vineyards are aware of the demands of the younger customer - newer wine drinkers who prefer more fruit driven wines with less oak anf higher levels of alcohol.

The other main competition to Rioja wines are from vineyards in other parts of Spain itself. Areas such as La Mancha, Toro and Jumilla are fast making reputations for themselves for wines in the Rioja style but without the price tag.

La Mancha however has a little bit of an image problem to address due to in the past churning out high volumes of lower quality wine which spoiled its reputation.

Nowadays however you can pick up some excellent Rioja quality wines from the region for under $13 and even blind taste tests cannot pick out the true Rioja from some of the newer Spanish vineyards.

One of the best qualities of Rioja wines is that they tend to taste just as good at home as they do when drunk in Spain in summertime with tapas on a terrace, so drinking often leads to pleasurable associations and memories.

Indeed Rioja goes brilliantly with all types of food, while also tasting just as good on its own as a treat in the early evening.

If you like your wine smooth and fruity with creamy vanilla oak flavours then Rioja could be the wine you are looking for. Give it a try instead of your usual wine this month you will not be disappointed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fraser Neilson is webmaster at www.FairWine.com and a graduate of the Wines and Spirits Education Trust. You can find some great wine resources and special offers to help improve your enjoyment over at www.FairWine.com/resources.html.

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9:34 PM

04/20/08 - Wine Definitions

The Best Articles on Wine Definitions

The First Rule of Wine Drinking

Dont listen to what all the self appointed wine buffs and wine snobs say its what you like that counts.

Dont listen to what all the self appointed wine buffs and wine snobs say its what you like that counts.

Its not what Mr X, Mrs Y or Sommelier Z says but what you personally enjoy that matters when it comes to wine. Taste is individual to you and must always be treated as such.

If you like really unsophisticated sweet German wines such as those 70s standards Liebfraumilsch or Hock (which
incidentally almost put a whole generation off drinking wine) then thats great.

Feel free to carry on drinking them but make sure that you take the time to carry on experimenting with other wines of a similar nature or perhaps a different style of your preferred grape.

If you like a white Burgundy, such as the steely Chablis, then you may also like other wines matured in metal casks
such as a Sancerre.

If you enjoy a nice Sauvignon Blanc then take a look at a South African Chenin Blanc. But dont put yourself off by scaring your palate through trying completely new and perhaps a bit left field choices immediately.

Work up to these experiments. Try the more obvious ones first. If you go from a nice oaky Australian Chardonnay to a Gewurtztraminer right away you might never appreciate the subtle pleasures of the German speciality, which is a
bit of an acquired taste for most people though it can be dynamite paired with the right foods.

And when it comes to teaming wine with food then the same rules apply. If you like your oysters with a full-bodied
claret rather than a dry white or a champagne, then that is great too.

White wine with fish dishes is the accepted combination worldwide but now many people are realising the delights of eating a meaty fish such as tuna with a light red wine.

However do bear one thing in mind : the rules have evolved over time and reflect the preferences of millions of palates over many generations of fine dining. Like the classics of fiction, the classic combinations of food and drink are exactly that for a reason they have proven to be superior
over time.

So by all means experiment but dont ignore the tried, tested and recommended combinations as they have stood the test of time very well indeed.

As with everything in life, the only way to learn is to test.So youll have to move out of your comfort zone and risk the odd bad choice in order to move up to the next level of wine
enjoyment.

Yes you may love Californian Pinot Noir but its important that you stop buying it every week simply because you know
that you like it and that its a safe choice. You need to branch out, as this is the only way you will find something
even better than your current favourite.

And believe me, Im sure it exists among the many thousands of wines available worldwide. The best way of branching out is to start buying mixed cases of wine, typically a dozen
bottles of red and white wines and simply try each one out.

And its particularly useful to make some tasting notes as you open each one so that you can keep a note of exactly
what it was, where it was from and which variety of grape it was and so on.

And dont forget to note precisely why you liked or disliked it. Was it the citrus fruit flavours on the tongue, or was it the creamy vanilla oakiness that really made it for you?

Did the light fresh aroma contribute to the enjoyment? Get it down on paper before you open the next bottle, as tomorrow your recollection might be a little hazy!

So you must experiment a bit, but dont go for a complete extreme to what you normally drink right away.

Go for similar varieties at first and you are less likely to put yourself off progressing and expanding your taste in wine.

And remember, the only one who can tell you what wines you like best is you yourself so, whatever the combination, be sure to enjoy it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fraser Neilson is webmaster at www.FairWine.com and a graduate of the Wines and Spirits Education Trust.
You can find some great wine resources and special offers to help improve your enjoyment over at
www.FairWine.com/resources.html.

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9:33 PM

2008 - Wine Chillers

Today's Wine Chillers Article

Big Aussie Wines

Australias wine industry has boomed in the past ten years. Employers have had to triple their staff numbers to cope with the demand for Aussie wine. Considering the lower average national population of Australia, compared to say the United States or even South Africa, 30,000 (2001) workers is pretty high.

One of the main reasons for the demand on this skillful industry is that it has won an international reputation for quality and value. Australian wines have won many highly sought after international awards and labels and many innovative Australian winemakers are sought internationally for their wine making expertise.

Wine regions throughout Australia have continually had high ratings especially over the past four years. Most of these regions and especially the East and South coasts (New South Wales and Victoria) are averaging 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Second to the brilliant winemakers, and a close second, is the great climates / weather that certain regions have for cultivating vines.

Wine is very much a part of the Australian way of life, closely associated with both business and leisure. Wine consumption is often linked to the country's outdoor-oriented lifestyle as well as to the cosmopolitan urban way of life of the bulk of the Australian population.

Australia exports more wine than that that is sold domestically. Out of a total of approximately 919 million litres bottled, 516.5 million litres is exported. The largest export market has been the United Kingdom and second has been the United States.

Researchers from the University College London have come up with a few very interesting facts. They found that drinking alcohol (including wine), even in small amounts, might be associated with higher cognitive ability, especially for women. You would be silly not to have a drop every night!

One of the main reasons for the demand on this skillful industry is that it has won an international reputation for quality and value. Australian wines have won many highly sought after international awards and labels and many innovative Australian winemakers are sought internationally for their wine making expertise.

Wine regions throughout Australia have continually had high ratings especially over the past four years. Most of these regions and especially the East and South coasts (New South Wales and Victoria) are averaging 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Second to the brilliant winemakers, and a close second, is the great climates / weather that certain regions have for cultivating vines.

Wine is very much a part of the Australian way of life, closely associated with both business and leisure. Wine consumption is often linked to the country's outdoor-oriented lifestyle as well as to the cosmopolitan urban way of life of the bulk of the Australian population.

Australia exports more wine than that that is sold domestically. Out of a total of approximately 919 million litres bottled, 516.5 million litres is exported. The largest export market has been the United Kingdom and second has been the United States.

Researchers from the University College London have come up with a few very interesting facts. They found that drinking alcohol (including wine), even in small amounts, might be associated with higher cognitive ability, especially for women. You would be silly not to have a drop every night!

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Website: http://www.wineography.com

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Labels: Drinking Wine