Healthy Wines: What Are the Healthiest Wines to Drink?

Leroy Creasy is a Pomology professor at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell in New York State. He studies the sciences involved with fruit and vegetables. For more than 15 years, Professor Creasy has been studying the presence of resveratrol in various types of juices and wines. This has helped him to identify some of the most healthy wines of which he has compiled a list of more than 100, made in 10 different regions throughout the world. These places included France, Italy, Slovenia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and different states in the US including California, Mississippi, New York State, Oregon and Washington State.

Creasy's study showed that the wines made in the State of New York had the densest concentration of resveratrol. His study however did not take into account whether or not the drinks were organic. According to him, the most resveratrol content was found in Vinifera's Fleur de Pinot Noir, which was four times more than the resveratrol content in any California wines. This may be because, the northern states, which are colder, facilitate the growth of bacteria and fungus, which are essential for resveratrol.

Wines

The following is a list produced by WineSpectator.com of the 5 healthiest wines:

. Mariran Rouge Charles de Batz 2004 is so rich in procyanidins, that it is a redish-purple in color and almost black. It has been credited 91/100 by WineSpectator and has been endorsed by the website LifeStyleWines.com.

. Madiran 2004 Domaine Moureou which contains 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 80% Tannat

. Fronton 2006 Chateau Montauriol Traditiona which is a soft tannins Fronton wine

. Cahors 2006 Cedrus AOC containing 10% Merlot with 90% Malbec

. Madiran 2004Ode d'Aydie

All of these are made in regions located in northern Europe where the climate is cold.

A few studies have been conducted in the past few decades on the health benefits of consuming wine. Although more conclusive studies are needed to establish the correlation between good health and wine consumption, the studies seem to indicate that moderate amounts of red wine decrease the risk of stroke, some types of cancer, coronary heart disease and other health problems. As suggested above, there seems to be a link between resveratrol and some of the healthiest wines made in the world. So it might be wise to choose wines that have a high concentration of resveratrol found in them. That way, when someone tries to confront you with your wine-addiction "problem", you can easily point them to the resveratrol content of your grapes and the ensuing healthy goodness that it bestows upon you, which each giddy gulp!

Healthy Wines: What Are the Healthiest Wines to Drink?

Feel free to visit, browse, and buy wine online at Kevin's online wine store. If you are looking to sell your collection, Kevin also works actively with wine buyers and sellers looking to get paid quickly for their collections.

Making Your Own Vintage-Style Necklace

It is fun and cheap to make your own jewelry. Beads and pendants can be used to make a vintage or retro-style necklace that everyone will love. Here is how to do it.

As follows:

Vintage

Choose your beads. When you are ready to make your vintage beaded necklace, the first thing for you to do is to find the perfect beads and pendants. There are many places you can find these for your necklace. Look in your personal collection (or your grandma's) for beads that may be vintage-style. Thrift stores and consignment shops are also great places to look. You can often find great deals on jewelry that are perfect for this classic style necklace. The 60's and 70's tended to have bead colors in autumn tones, like orange, brown and green. Big beads are fun to use. You may have to get the beads at a thrift store so you will probably have to buy a complete necklace, but you can use it as a pattern for your vintage necklace.

Get your beads ready to work with. Once you have found what you need for your vintage-style necklace, prepare your beads. Never use old or used closures and necklace strings. Give your beads a bath in warm soapy water. Dishwashing liquid is very effective. Use a toothbrush to clean grimy glass or porcelain beads. You are almost ready to make your vintage-style beaded necklace, but first be sure to dry your beads.

Prepare your equipment and tools. Place all your tools out, along with the beads and other supplies like round-nose pliers, a closure, and thread - a good thing to use is fishing line. If you make a lot of jewelry you may have a form board to place all the beads in, otherwise lay them out on a clean towel to keep beads in order before stringing them. You can put some new beads along with the old vintage ones you've picked up to add interest. So now lay them all out in the design you think you want.

Begin to string. So now you have your bead design all set out in front of you, and that means that you are ready to begin the stringing part of making your vintage-style necklace. Make sure to add a closure to the end of your beads so they do not fall off, or else you may be in big trouble. When your beads reach the end tie a knot around the other closure and cut off any excess string. Your unique vintage-style necklace is finished and ready to show off to world!

Making Your Own Vintage-Style Necklace

Tiffany Provost writes about necklace and other hobbies for HowToDoThings.com.

Best Red Wine And Red Wine Benefits

Tannin

Not only does soaking the skins give red wine its color, it also imparts a substance known as tannin. Tannin is what gives red wines a complexity that is beyond that of most white wines.

Wines

Do you know why red wines age better than white?

It is the tannin which gives the smell of wine in your mouth. Over time, the qualities of the tannin will mellow and blend harmoniously with the other characteristics of the wine. This is one of the main reasons that red wines usually age better than whites.

Benefits - Anti-Oxidants in wine

Red Wine contains Anti-Oxidants which is good for health. Drinking red wine can improve heart health and circulation while also preventing cancer. This site is for those looking for information, articles and news on red wine and health.

Aging Process

Red wines are most often aged in wood barrels to provide a deeper, richer flavor, sometimes described as woody, while white wines are not stored in wood to maintain their usually cleaner, clear taste. There are also guidelines on the types of wine to drink with different types of food, but many find the guidelines are not all encompassing.

Types of Best Red wines

Merlot

Merlot is one of the finest vintages of red wine and also one of the most popular. The higher alcohol content of merlot makes it an especial favorite among restaurateurs with an affinity for gourmet fare. Merlot has a rich and full-bodied flavor.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most common red wine that you will find most commonly in homes across America. This rich, full-flavored beverage goes well with most any dish other than fish or seafood.

Zinfandel

The Zinfandel varieties of red wine are most often classified as ladies wine, due to their subtle and light flavor. Zinfandel can be found in both red and white varieties, it is the red which is most popular among wine drinkers who appreciate the richness of a red wine, but the subtlety of white.

What foods go fine with red wine?

For the most part, guidelines say that red wine should be consumed with red meats and white wines with white meat. However, with the different flavors of the different types of wine, people are finding that some red wines taste better with fish and some white wines go better with their beef. Essentially, it is a matter of individual taste that determines the flavor of the wine, regardless of the meal.

Do you know that not all wines are made of grapes!

Not all wines are made of grapes, and these types of wine are usually indicated by their name such as apple wine or elderberry wine. There is also several types of wine that are made from grains such as rice, but they usually have a closer resemblance to beer instead of the smoother taste of wine. There is even wine made from grapes that have been frozen on the vine known as ice wine that offers a crisper taste.

Best Red Wine And Red Wine Benefits

Only Good Wines
USA State Tourism
Organic Is Great

Counting Carbs With Wine

The recent health claims that wines have antioxidants in them that may block free radicals, prevent heart disease, cancer, and other conditions associated with aging seems to have some validity. Polyphenol, catechin, and cholesterol-reducing resveratrol are found predominately in red wines in various degrees. One suggestion as to why some of these antioxidants are present in red wines is that grapes that have been distressed during their growth will exhibit the highest level of antioxidants. Red-skinned grapes seem to have better growing success in less temperate climates but exhibit the effects of stressful weather conditions in the form of higher levels of resveratrol. Before all you wine enthusiasts start shouting, "I told you so!" let me point out that many of the same antioxidant benefits can also be found in dark beers, too.

What low-carbohydrate dieters are most concerned about with wine, however, is its carbohydrate count, loosely a function of the wine's residual sugar content. Although residual sugar levels are often made available by vintners and are a good indication as to the possible dryness or sweetness of a wine (the higher the number, the sweeter the wine), we can't, unfortunately, extrapolate the carbohydrate count of the wine from this figure without a full lab analysis.

Wine

Some wine-related Web sites say that there are no carbohydrates in dry wine, a glaring example of people who have no idea of the mechanics of fermentation. The process of converting sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation is limited by the attenuation of the yeast or the manipulation of the fermentation by the vintner. In order for a wine to have no carbohydrates in it, it would have to be pure alcohol, in other words, distilled. Of course at that point, the liquid would no longer be wine, but brandy or cognac. All--and I repeat--all wines, including dry wines, have some residual sugar left behind after the fermentation process ends. Residual sugar equals carbohydrates. If it were possible to use fermentation to convert a sugary liquid into a drink that was free of carbohydrates, the process of distillation would be a meaningless procedure. Only after distillation, when the resultant liquid is transformed into ethyl alcohol (ethanol), will a once-fermented liquid truly become carbohydrate-free.

You might notice while shopping for wine that some fruit-blended wines actually carry a nutritional analysis statement on them. For any wine with an alcohol content of less than 7% by volume, the Food and Drug Administration actually has jurisdiction over the nutritional labeling of the product. However, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has jurisdiction over the mandated government warnings that are also found on the labels of these wines and of all alcohol-based products. This is one of the few times that the FDA gets involved in the realm of spirited beverages with the TTB. You'll also find nutritional information on ciders under 7%.

What kind of a margin of error does the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau allow in the measurement of carbohydrates in wine? From the TTB ruling: Statements of carbohydrates and fat contents [on wine labels or advertising materials] are acceptable provided the actual carbohydrate or fat contents, as determined by ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the former alcohol trade regulatory agency) lab analysis, are within a reasonable range below, but in no case more than 20% above, the labeled amount.

If you're on a low-carbohydrate diet and enjoy the occasional pressings from "the noble grape," the following list of wines with their carbohydrate counts should help you keep your daily carb intake in check:

Barton & Guestier

Cabernet Sauvignon ('02) 5 oz 1.70 g Chardonnay ('02) 5 oz 1.10 g French Tom Cabernet Sauvignon ('02) 5 oz 1.30 g French Tom Chardonnay ('02) 5 oz 1.10 g French Tom Merlot ('01) 5 oz 1.40 g

Ecco Domani

Cabernet Sauvignon ('01) 5 oz 4.00 g Chianti ('01) 5 oz 3.60 g Merlot ('01) 5 oz 4.05 g Pinot Bianco ('96) 5 oz 3.50 g Pinot Grigio ('02) 5 oz 3.15 g

For more information on the carbohydrate count of more than 1000 worldwide brands of beer, 400 wines, 60 liqueurs, and distilled products, go to www.lcbartender.com [out].

© Bob Skilnik, 2004

Bob Skilnik is a Chicagoland freelance writer who has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Collector Magazine, the American Breweriana Association's Journal and the National Association Breweriana Advertising's Breweriana Collector on the subjects of beer, brewery history and breweriana. He is a 1991 graduate of the Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the United States, with a degree in Brewing Technology.

His interests in beer and brewing were cultivated while serving as a German translator in West Germany for the United States Army. Skilnik is the Associate Editor for the ABA Journal and The Tap newspaper, and a member of the Society of Midland Authors and the Culinary Historians of Chicago. He has appeared in the Chicagoland area on Media One's television program, The Buzz, WTTW's Chicago Tonight with Bob Sirott and Phil Ponce, Chicago's Public Radio station, WBEZ , Springfield, IL's WUIS Radio and the WOR Morning Show with Ed Walsh in New York. Skilnik's national television appearances have been on the Cold Pizza morning show on ESPN2 and Fox News Live.

Counting Carbs With Wine

Bob Skilnik is a Chicagoland freelance writer who has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Collector Magazine, the American Breweriana Association’s Journal and the National Association Breweriana Advertising’s Breweriana Collector on the subjects of beer, brewery history and breweriana. He is a 1991 graduate of the Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the United States, with a degree in Brewing Technology.

His interests in beer and brewing were cultivated while serving as a German translator in West Germany for the United States Army. Skilnik is the Associate Editor for the ABA Journal and The Tap newspaper, and a member of the Society of Midland Authors and the Culinary Historians of Chicago. He has appeared in the Chicagoland area on Media One’s television program, The Buzz, WTTW's Chicago Tonight with Bob Sirott and Phil Ponce, Chicago’s Public Radio station, WBEZ , Springfield, IL's WUIS Radio and the WOR Morning Show with Ed Walsh in New York. Skilnik's national television appearances have been on the Cold Pizza morning show on ESPN2 and Fox News Live.

Skilnik's latest effort is The Low-Carb Bartender, published by Adams Media. This reference book of hundreds of beers, wines, liquors, and liqueurs with their carbohydrate counts and a collection of over two hundred low carb mixed-drink recipes will be available in bookstores in November, 2004.

Making Port Wine

I had a friend in college whose life's goal was to move to France, don a beret, stomp on grapes, and make wine for a living. Though I tried to tell her that there was more to wine-making than purple feet, and that berets were so "Clinton Administration," she ignored me and dreamt of grapes anyway. Though I did not share her winemaking aspirations and decided instead to dream of something much more realistic, like a marriage proposal from Brad Pitt, she did get me thinking about the process, and she got me thirsty for knowledge. This eventually led me to discover different types of wine require different recipes, with one of the most complex belonging to Port.

Prior to actually reading about making Port, I was under the impression that all it involved was people stepping on grapes in bare feet. Because of this, I often worried that I would be drinking Tinta Barroca, and find floating in my glass a human toenail or perhaps a foot corn. But, in truth, port-making is a lengthy, complicated process.

Wine

Port wine, also known as Vinho do Porto, Porto, or Porto wine, is a fortified wine that comes from the Douro Valley in the northern lands of Portugal. Produced in Portugal since the mid 15th Century, Port gained popularity in England after the Methuen Treaty of 1703. While this treaty did war-related things reserved for history books, in regards to wine it caused England to become an adopted family for Port, with Portugal being the biological parents.

There is no easy way to make Port: no kind comes in a packet with "just add water" instructions. Instead, the process initially involves picking grapes, smashing them, and then placing them in an automated tank where they are further chopped into tiny pieces. After remaining in this tank for nearly twenty-four hours, the grapes begin to ferment and their sugar climbs the food chain, turning into alcohol.

With Port wine, after fermentation begins, timing takes over. Once half of the grape's sugar has been converted, fermentation must be stopped. In order to do this, the wine is mixed with clear brandy (a strong alcoholic spirit distilled from wine) containing a proof of 150. The alcohol in the brandy kills the yeast in the wine, causing fermentation to cease. The ending result is a sweet wine that is about 20 percent alcohol. It is typically served with desserts, cheese, and, of course, desserts made of cheese.

Though there are many styles of Port - White Port, Ruby Port, Young Tawny Port, Aged Tawny Port, Vintage Character Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Traditional Late Bottled Vintage Port, Vintage Port, Single Quinta Vintage Port, Crusted Port, and Garrafeira Port - most styles fall into two broad categories: Bottle aged or Cask aged. Because doing the tiniest thing different will result in a different taste of wine, the two Port processes greatly dictate the flavorful outcome. While Bottle aged Ports generally behave like wine on Botox, keeping their color and their fruitiness well into maturity, Cask aged Ports lose flavor quickly. They are ready to drink right away.

The best Ports to know, the ones to introduce yourself to before sending them down your esophagus, are the Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port, W. & J. Graham's Tawny Port, Smith Woodhouse Vintage Character Port, Niepoort Vintage Port, Quinta do Infantado Single Quinta Vintage Port, and Adriano Ramos-Pinto Late Bottled Vintage Port.

As demonstrated, the process of making Port is not as simple as one might imagine; it involves a little more than simply visiting a vineyard, and being met with thousands of grapes shouting, "Pick me! Pick me!" And, it involves more than taking off your tennis shoes and having a smashing good time. After a careful, lengthy process, the smashing good time will follow.

Making Port Wine

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

How to Make Wine - Adding Flavor to Your Homemade Wine

Whether you are already making your own wine or just pondering jumping into the rapidly growing hobby, one thing that you will want to experiment with is adding or changing the flavor of your wine.

Sometimes, just fermenting the fruit or grape juice doesn't produce a taste that seems "full". There seems to be something missing.

Wine

What can you do? How can you round out the taste?

Here's 3 different things you can do that will improve the fullness of the taste of your homemade wines.

Oaking

You can give your wine an aok flavor very easily. There are two ways to do this. You can add oak chips before the fermentation or after the fermentation. There are even 3 different flavors of oak chips.

Oak chip manufacturers try to duplicate the charring found inside the big barrels that are used to age wine in. There are light toast, medium toast and heavy toast chips. The toast part simply means how much charring from a flame there is on the chips.

You just add these chips directly to your must or your wine and let them soak.

Another oaking method preferred by a lot of home winemakers is to flavor some vodka with oak chips and then just pour some of the oaked vodka into the wine to add and oaky flavor.

Sugar

Some people prefer their wines a little less than dry. Some like their wine downright sweet.

The secret to sweetening wines is this: you have to make sure the wine is stabilized before adding any sugar or sugar water. You can stabilize your wine using potassium sorbate, a common food preservative. This takes place after all of the fermentation is complete and the wine has mostly cleared.

How much do you add? Just sweeten to taste. Add a little sugar water, and taste. That's all there is to it.

Glycerin

If your wine seems a little thin, you can thicken it up by adding glycerin. Glycerin will give your wine "legs" and a somewhat better mouthfeel. Legs don't really have anything to do with the taste as much as the ability of the wine to cling to the sides of a wine glass.

Glycerin will give your wine a more rounded and smoother feel in your mouth when you are drinking the wine.

Try these 3 winemaking tips on your next batch of wine. You could surprise yourself!

How to Make Wine - Adding Flavor to Your Homemade Wine

Want more information on how to make your own wine? Hop over to http://www.how-to-make-wine.net/free_book.html and download the free 24 page winemaking book. For a complete online winemaking library, go to http://www.how-to-make-wine.net

Red Wine and White Wine

I have been wondering about the difference between red wines and white wines. To me, they taste quite different. Red wines are heavier and more complex than white wine, and often tend to be less sweet. Why is this? Actually red and white wines are made quite differently. The differences between red and white wines include the kinds of grapes used, the fermentation and aging process, and the character and flavor of the wine.

White wines are almost always made from white grapes, although they can be made from black grapes, since the juice in most black grapes is clear. When white wine is made, the skins of the grapes are separated from the juice when they are put into a crushing machine. Then yeast is added to the juice for fermentation, until the juice becomes white wine. After filtering etc, the wine is aged by storing it in stainless steel or occasionally oak containers and bottled after a few months. White wines, then, are made without skins or seeds and are essentially fermented grape juice. They have a light character and have crisp fruit flavors and aromas. They can be sweet or dry or somewhere in between. Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio/ Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are all white wines.

Wine

Red wine is usually made from red or black grapes, although all the kinds of grapes usually have a clear juice. The process of making red wine is different from the one of making white wine. After the grapes have been in the crushing machine, the red grapes with their skins and everything sit in a fermentation vat for a period of time, typically about one to two weeks. . The skins tend to rise to the surface of the mixture and form a layer on top. The winemaker frequently mixes this layer back into the fermenting juice (which is called must). After fermentation is over, the new wine is taken from the vat. A little "free run" juice is allowed to pour and the rest of the must is squeezed into "press wine". The wine is clarified and then is stored, usually in oak containers, for several months until it is ready to be bottled. The oak containers add additional wood tannins and flavors to the wine which help to intensify it and add richness to it. The result of this process is that red wines exhibit a set of rich flavors with spicy, herby, and even meaty characteristics. Beaujolais, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are all red wines.

The main difference between red and white wines is the amount of tannins they have. Since tannins largely come from the grape skins, red wines have more of them than white wines. Red wine acquires it's tannins in the process of maceration (leaving juice to mix together with the skin, seeds and woody bits). It is the tannins and skins of the red grapes which are released into the wine that contribute to the deep color and flavor of red wine. Tannins have a slightly bitter taste and create a dry puckery sensation in the mouth and in the back of the throat; and often lend a wonderful complexity to red wine. They also help preserve the wine. This is why red wines are usually aged longer than white wines.

There are as many different flavor profiles among red wines as there are among white ones. Some red wines are sweet and fruity, while some whites ( such as Chardonnay) have tannins from being stored in oak containers. Some German white wines have lasted for centuries, while some red wines are made for immeadiate consumption. For wines meant for consumption right away the winemaker takes out the bitter tannins, creating a fruity, fresh, and approachable wine. So, apart from the color, there are no hard and fast rules about the differences between red and white wine.

Is it true that red wine is better for you? The research of Dr Frankel has shown that red wine contains more antioxidants than white wine, although the total amount varies according to the variety of grape, region it was grown, the climate and soil it was grown in, and whether it was stored in oak (since wines stored in oak have more antioxidants) and the filtration techniques used. However the antioxidants in white wine are apparently more effective. The research of Dr Troup shows that the antioxidant molecules in white wine are smaller and thus more effective because they can be more easily absorbed. It seems that white wine is just as healthy as red wine.

In summary, the primary difference between red and white wine is the amount of tannins they contain, although there are no hard and fast rules about the differences between them outside of the color of the wine. Usually red wines are more complex, richer, and heavier, with spicy, herby, and even meaty characteristics. White wines are usually sweeter, and lighter, and have crisp fruit flavors and aromas. Neither is significantly better for you. Which wine is best for you to drink is simply a matter of taste.

Red Wine and White Wine

About this Author

Tracy Crowe enjoys good food and wine.

For more information about wine, visit [http://thebestwineforme.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Crowe

Substitute For Marsala Wine - Cooking Alternatives

What is Marsala wine? Can you use a substitute for Marsala wine if a recipe specifically calls for this particular wine?

Marsala wine is produced on Sicily by using various varieties of grapes such as the Inaolia, Catarratto and Grillo grapes among others. It also comes in three grades that are classified according to color and sweetness, they are: Oro which is a light gold color, Amber, a darker sweeter blend and Rubino the true red variety. Marsala wine is a very sweet wine and often used in Italian cooking with many dishes using it in their names, such as the worlds famous Chicken Marsala that is served at Italian restaurants around the world. It is also often served as an aperitf before dinner.

Wine

If you do not use alcohol of any type or are against using wine in cooking you can omit it from certain recipes without to much trouble. For example, in Tiramisu you can completely omit the wine and follow one of many nonalcoholic recipes available that are still delicious.

It is a different story if you are considering using a substitute for Marsala, for example in Chicken Marsala, then it would be best to use a very sweet wine, a port or a sherry. Though this will, at times drastically alter the flavor of the recipe and it would then be best called chicken and wine instead of chicken Marsala.

All in all, there really is no substitute for Marsala wine in some recipes. This wine is often used as a base flavor for sauces. It has a very distinct flavor when it is reduced. It offers a flavor that is often key and the entire foundation of a dish.

It is good to note wine has been reported to have antioxidant properties and a reasonable amount in a moderate diet has been reported as healthy. Also, for those that do not wish to partake in alcoholic beverages, all the alcoholic properties and content of the wine cooks off during the cooking process and leaves only the essence of flavor behind. Marsala wine is also very easy to obtain and is usually available at most liquor purveyors. It is typically located by the ports and the sherry. It is reasonably priced and is a great addition to any kitchen pantry and once used, sure to become a stable in many of your favorite recipes.

Ultimately the decision is yours, substitute Marsala wine or not? Alcohol or none? Change can often be a good thing, but sometimes it is best to follow the recipe and use the list of ingredients recommend for the best results. Like the old saying goes "if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Substitute For Marsala Wine - Cooking Alternatives

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about substitute for marsala wine, please visit My Fine Wine for current articles and discussions.

Wine Tasting Appetizer Ideas

So you want to host a wine tasting party? And you want your event to be as fun and educational as possible, right? Well as much as some people like to focus just on wine alone, food and wine are a match made in heaven. Besides, when people start drinking wine and the fun discussion begins, people tend to get hungry. So even if you are not hosting a full wine dinner party, your wine tasting will be much more of a success if you have fun and delicious foods available for your guests to snack on. While simple crackers and/or bread may be enough just to cleanse your palate between flights of wines, even a small selection of more interesting wine tasting appetizers can really bring your humble event to a whole new level.

Tip 1: Try to pair your wine tasting appetizers to the theme of the wine tasting. In other words, don't pair heavy sausage stuffed mushrooms if you and your guests are tasting light, delicate white wines. Try to pair the food to the wine theme. If you are tasting several types of wine, then provide a selection of appetizers.

Wine

Tip 2: Don't get too formal. Unless you love to cook, try not to overwhelm yourself with complicated foods. Start with simple snacks that are easy to prepare or take no preparation. If you are not serving a full dinner, then try to keep it simple. Put out several plates of finger foods and encourage guests to help themselves.

Some specific wine tasting appetizer ideas: Below is a list of some classic finger food appetizers which are perfect for a wine tasting event. They are generally easy to prepare and can be simply placed on the table for guests to help themselves. They are also pretty versatile, pairing well with many types of wine. Beyond these, get creative. There are no rules so if you have a favorite appetizer that you like to make, throw that out for your guests to enjoy as well. The only tip I have about choosing dishes is to avoid very spicy foods or odd, pungent flavors which may clash with many wines. The ideas below start with the most simple and easy to prepare and continue through some more involved appetizers that require a small amount of preparation.

• Bread and/or Crackers: Sliced bread, such as a French Baguette or Batard, and/or simple crackers are a great basic food to have available at every wine tasting. Besides being necessary to serve some soft cheeses or other spreads, they are filling and a good neutral snack to cleanse your palate between wines.
• Cured Olives: Most fine supermarkets now carry excellent selections of cured olives. These are extremely easy. Simply serve them in some bowl or dish and be sure to supply an empty bowl for discarded pits. There are several varieties to choose from. Try to avoid very spicy or salty ones as these can interfere with the tasting of wine.
• Nuts and Dried Fruit: It is very common to see a selection of dried nuts and/or dried fruit slices as wine tasting appetizers, served alone or alongside olives or a cheese plate. In fact, many nuts accompany cheeses beautifully and are neutral flavored enough to accompany many wines. Spanish Marcona almonds and walnuts are great choices, as are dried apricot slices. Try to avoid very sweet fruits, particularly if you are drinking dry table wines.
• Cheese Plate: Cheese and wine can be absolutely delicious. You can provide a selection of fine cheeses on a cheese plate, accompanied by knives or forks for firm cheeses and a spreading knife and bread for softer cheeses. Try to pair the cheese with the types of wines you are serving. If you can, find cheeses from the same regions as the wines. Short of that, try to choose more mild flavored cheeses with lighter wines and richer, more pungent cheeses with more full-flavored wines. While very rich, pungent or stinky cheeses can be delicious with rich wines, their strong aroma may detract from being able to appreciate the subtleties of the wines at the tasting.
• Sliced Cured Sausages and Meats: Dried sausages and other charcuterie can be another easy and delicious accompaniment to a wine tasting. There are dozens to choose from. French saucisson sec, Italian salami, Pâté, terrines, Prosciutto, and many others are all delicious, easy to serve and a fine appetizer to accompany a wine tasting.
• Bruschetta: Bruschetta is a simple Italian finger food appetizer usually consisting of slices of toasted bread topped with various chopped accompaniments such as tomatoes, shallots, cheese, garlic, and/or olive oil. There are many variations but most recipes are quite simple and quick to make. To make it a bit richer to accompany heavier red wines, add sautéed mushrooms or meats such as Prosciutto or bacon to kick up the flavor a notch.
• Tapenade: Tapenade is a puréed olive dish usually consisting of olives, herbs, anchovies, garlic and olive oil. Because it is made by blending the ingredients in a food processor, this spread is quite easy and quick. It's also delicious! Make a big batch and serve in a big serving bowl along with bread or crackers to spread it on.

Wine Tasting Appetizer Ideas

Josh Dusick is the editor of the Wine Tastings Guide at http://www.wine-tastings-guide.com where you can get information about how to host a wine tasting party, how to serve and taste wine and even about pairing wine and food.

Wine Manufacturing Process

Wine is a product made from fruits like grapes, berries etc by drying them and later fermenting them. When the grapes ferment the sugar in the grapes convert to alcohol. They are available in various colors and textures depending upon the elements present in them. For example, the wine exhibits a reddish color when the seeds and the skin of the grapes are present during the fermentation process. When it is fermented without any quantity of non-juicy parts they turn pinkish.

The three main categories in wine are fortified wine, sparkling wine or table wine. It is known as a fortified wine when a little brandy is added to enrich the alcoholic content. It is termed as still or sparkling depending upon the CO2 quantity. Table wine is available in a very natural form and is not like the other wine.

Wine

Grapes are usually the best ingredients used in the preparation of wine. There is an equal proportion of sugar and acid in them, which cannot be found in any other fruit. High temperature heat is required to dry away the grapes. You must have a thorough knowledge regarding the exact harvesting season. If the harvesting is delayed you may not be able to produce a good quality wine because the level of sugar increases and the acidic extent gets too low.

At the initial stage of processing, the grapes are crushed using a large cylindrical container that inflates the juicy part of the grapes in the large bags that are attached. They are then fermented by heating the juicy part. In the process of heating the yeast that is present helps converting the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Sometimes this solution requires fermentation for the second time due to malic acid present. When the malic acid breaks downs into lactic acid and carbon dioxide, it adds a new buttery flavor to the wine.

The next step carried out is to settle all the particles like yeast cells, or any other material flowing on the top layer. It is then filtered and all the sediments are gathered on the filter. Winery aging is the process where the wine is tightly packed in containers not allowing the air to enter in them for nearly several months and sometimes years. The wine is then transferred in small bottles and sold.

Bottling is done in such a way that it becomes easy to identify the various types of wine. Also colored bottles reduce the chances of damage, oxidation and many other risks.

After buying a wine product it is important to store it in a right place. Usually damp and cool places like underground cellars are more appropriate. There are some underlying principles regarding the storage of wine. It should be stored in a cellar at a temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature fluctuates it will harm the quality of wine. Humidity about 60 % is necessary to keep the cork moist. Low temperatures will slow the process. Wine should be kept away from external sources like light, vibration and strong odors, which are obviously the barriers to the formation of a good quality wine.

Wine Manufacturing Process

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How to Make Wine - Pectic Enzyme - What is It?

If you want to learn how to make wine, one of the first things you should do is learn about all of the different additives and chemicals that are used to make homemade wine. Pectic Enzyme is one of the most misunderstood additives.

This article will explain What is pecitic enzyme, why do I need it and how it works.

Wine

Let's back up a little and talk about grape jelly. MMMM! Everyone loves grape jelly and jam on a hot buttered biscuit. It always has a gooey, almost jello like consistency.

Did you ever wonder where that jello consistency comes from? Well, in jello, it comes from gelatin. But it fruit jams and jellies, a lot of the consistency comes from something called pectin.

Pectin is produced commercially as a white to light brown powder, extracted from citrus fruits, and is used in food as a gelling agent particularly in jams and jellies.

If you want to make your own wine out of grapes, peaches, strawberries or any other kind of fruit - you have to have a way of dealing with the naturally occurring pectin. The reason is that pectin can cause solids in your wine to clump together in a colliodal suspension and you'll end up with cloudy wine that won't clear no matter how long you leave it sitting in the secondary.

How to deal with it? Use something that EATS pectin! Pectic Enzyme loves to eat pectin.

The way to use pectic enzyme when making your own wine at home is to add about a 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of fruit juice before you start fermenting the juice.

While the fermentation is going on, the pectic enzyme will also be eating and dissolving the pectin. This will make your wine clear a lot faster and keep it from having suspended solids.

How to Make Wine - Pectic Enzyme - What is It?

Enzymes? Additives? Chemicals? You don't want to have to start a new research career just to make wine do you? Get a FREE step by step winemaking guide at How To Make Wine. It's 24 pages and gives detailed instructions in plain english and it's an instant download. Get it here: How To Make Wine.

Amarone Wine

Amarone is a special red wine from Italy. Why is Amarone (ah ma rho nay) so special? It is made from Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella grapes from the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Once the grapes are picked from the vine, a portion of them are laid to rest on straw mats for three to four months in a well-ventilated room. This concentrates the flavor of the grapes, lending to the big bold flavors of Amarone. The higher concentration of flavor is also reflected in the sugar content which makes it a higher alcohol yield (approx 15-17%).

So what's it taste like? Amarone is powerful, intense, and has a stunning complexity of vibrant flavors. It is a deep rich crimson color. The depth of color is another attribute that is attained through the drying process. The longer the skins remain in contact with the grape, the more concentrated the color.

Wine

The intense flavors and high alcohol make it a heavy bodied yet well balanced wine. It is packed with rich flavors of raspberry, blackberry, with slight hints of almond and chocolate flavors. The unique straw-mat drying method also affects the tannins (a compound found in grape skins). With its high tannins, Amarone has a long beautiful velvety finish.

Generally, five years is considered an average age time for Amarone. However, whether you consume it young or old, this wine requires breathing to allow the complex flavors to open up. It is best to decant an Amarone for at least an hour before serving. Typically most wine drinkers serve red wines at room temperature, which is not exactly correct. Red wines should be served closer to 60 degrees. A great idea is to place the wine decanter in the refrigerator for approximately 20-30 minutes prior to serving. This will give it a slight chill and the Amarone should be perfect.

Amarone Wine

Wendy Kielar has a passion for wine. She owns Let's Do Wine, a wine and beer making supply store. She provides people with the equipment, ingredients and knowledge to make high quality wine and beer right in their own homes. See Wendy in action at http://LetsDoWine.com in several of her "how to" videos. For more information about wine and beer making visit the website or send her an email Wendy@LetsDoWine.com