The Wine Bottle

You say Shiraz, I say Syrah? Same grape or not? OK, you don’t need wine courses to know the difference.

If you thought yes you are correct What’s their prize Bob? You mean besides a group of steak knives? OK, no ginzus but what about the remainder of the story.

In the early 1800′s when Napoleon was conquering through Europe, one of the battles he fought was in Egypt.

We all know to the victor go the rewards so one of his spoils was a local wine called Shiraz.

He really liked the wine so much that he took vines back to France to be planted but thought the name was too Arabic, so he modified the name to the more correct French sounding “Syrah”

Here is where the syrah vs shiraz story takes a twist. Remember one of the things your mother told you as a child: What comes around, goes around. Well, she was right.

The ending to this tiny ditty is that that a few decades ago, our mates the Australians were studying wine techniques in France and thought that the syrah grapes had potential in their climate, so they took some vines back home

The vines did nicely. But a funny thing happened.

They believed the name “Syrah” sounded too French so they adapted the name back to the Arabic name Shiraz and the rest as one says is history.

So in present times, though the grape is usually called syrah in Europe and Shiraz everywhere else, it’s really the same grape.

The winemaker chooses to call it syrah or shiraz based primarily on the how they decide to make the wine.

The Syrah you get from Europe will usually be a little drier.

The Shiraz from California or Australia is brash, spicy, dramatic, great wine for seasoned red meat. The spice is what truly stands out here. To most people the distinctive flavour is pepper.

So here’s the wine info on Shiraz

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape

Shiraz has a definite pepper flavor

Great wine for foods like steak au poive or in English “pepper steak

This is a really distinct wine that people either love or hate. This wine is the spicy hot wings of the wine world! There is such an obsessed following for this wine that when you try it you can never go back to other wines!

So enjoy the great debate! syrah vs shiraz!

Mark Adams is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine. He currently teaches wine classes helping people learn about wine all though the US.

Wine gift baskets make great gifts and are always looked at with anticipation when someone notices that they have received one. It can be a lot of fun to open the basket and discover what goodies are inside. Wine gift baskets can be given for any occasion and event as they can be tailored for all holidays and celebrations. You also have the option of ordered a gift basket or creating your own gift basket.

If you are ordering a wine gift basket then you generally have a choice to make. You may be able to choose from a preset wine gift basket based on the price.

However most companies are encouraging those purchasing the basket to pick out what they want in the wine gift basket. If you know the individual receiving the gift very well then they may greatly appreciate the time you took to choose the contents of the basket.

You can get very creative with the wines you chose. You can choose the same wine but from different regions around the world as they will all actually taste different. You can focus on a particular wine region and then chose different wines from that area. You can create an aromatic basket that contains aromatic wines, or a basket of dessert wines. The choice is yours.

Besides wine you can pair gourmet foods that individuals may not normally purchase. You can also go for themes and create a dessert basket with lots of sweets and dessert wines or a basket completely of aromatic white wines such as Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Riesling.

If you want to make your own wine gift basket then you will need to gather all the items you want to incorporate, find a container or basket, some tissue paper or stuffing to sit in the basket and clear cellophane and ribbon. For the container you can use an actual basket, metal ice tub or even plastic or wood containers. The fillers of the basket can be practical such as napkins and kitchen towels; they do not only have to be tissue paper or straw.

To assemble your basket you should start with the filler, and then add wine and other items. You always want to go form small to large so you don’t crush anything. The finishing touch is a beautiful ribbon or even a personalized note.

For millennia, wine has been made from only two incredients.  They are juice from grapes and yeast.  Any fruit juice can be used, as a matter of fact, but grape juice is the most frequently used.
Historically wine was the drink of choice because of the sometimes poor quality of the drinking water in so many regions.  Today, of course, we tend to open a bottle of fine wine at times of celebration or offer it as a welcome gift as part of a wine gift basket.

How is wine made?

Since there are yeast spores in the air, wine could be made without effort simply by allowing grape juice to stay in an open container for an extended period of time.  You probably wouldn’t find that so enjoyable, though.

Yeast is a living organism.  In wine making, the yeast feeds off the sugars.  That process is called fermentation.  The action of fermentation converts the sugars in the juice into alcohol with a biproduct of carbon dioxide.  In contemporary times, special types of yeast have been cultured solely for their use in wine making.  The particular strain of the yeast, along with other factors, determines the flavor of the wine.

The wine is removed from the original container and placed into another container in order to mature before bottling.  The yeast stays in the original container.

You probably know that there are green grapes and black grapes and different grapes are used to make different wines.  The color of the wine, however, does not directly reflect the color of the grape.  In fact, grape juice is largely clear no matter the color of the original grape.  The color of wine is determined by whether (and for how long) the skin is allowed to remain in the juice during the fermentation process.

Even though there are very few ingredients, there are many things which influence the taste of wine. First of all, there are many varieties of grapes. Each grape variety will produce different flavors, aromas, and even textures.  In addition, the soil and climate where the grapes are grown drastically affect these variables.  Not only that, but the wine maker can control various things by the technique, temperature and yeast used during fermentation. Other variables such as fermenting or storing in oak barrels will also affect the taste.

It is because of all of these variables that a wine drinker can always notice a flavor difference from one wine to the next.  This can make for an interesting hobby of never-ending discovery.

Tannin is a substance in wine that causes a firm, mouth-drying feeling in your mouth. It is extracted from the skins, seeds and stems of the grapes so red wines will contain more tannin than whites.  White wines will get a degree of tannin when oak barrels are used for fermentation or aging. Eat just the skins of grapes or drink strongly brewed, unsweetened tea for a good idea of what tannin feels like in your mouth.

Clearly, this has been a quick overview of wine, but hopefully it has filled some of the voids in your understanding of this historic drink.

Wine gift baskets are a fantastic gift for almost any adult. Wine gift baskets can be given for any holiday or occasion. It can be a lot of fun to open the basket and discover what goodies are inside. Wine gift baskets can be given for any occasion and event as they can be tailored for all holidays and celebrations. You also have the option of ordered a gift basket or creating your own gift basket

When having a company make your wine gift basket there are normally two options. You can chose a prearranged basket that has already been made and has a price attached to it or you can chose what goes into the gift basket.

However most companies are encouraging those purchasing the basket to pick out what they want in the wine gift basket. This is where you can get creative and even personalize the basket if you know the receiver very well.

You can get very creative with the wines you chose. You can choose the same wine but from different regions around the world as they will all actually taste different. You can focus on a particular wine region and then chose different wines from that area. You can create an aromatic basket that contains aromatic wines, or a basket of dessert wines. The choice is yours.

You could also chose a specific wine region and fill the basket with wine from that area. You can also go for themes and create a dessert basket with lots of sweets and dessert wines or a basket completely of aromatic white wines such as Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Riesling.

You can create your own wine basket by gathering everything you want in the basket. You will also need an appropriate container, stuffing and something to wrap up the basket and some ribbon. You do not need to be traditional with the container as you can use other containers instead of a basket. Instead of traditional straw or tissue paper you can fill the basket with kitchen towels, napkins and other more practical items.

To assemble your basket you should start with the filler, and then add wine and other items. You always want to go form small to large so you don’t crush anything. The finishing touch is a beautiful ribbon or even a personalized note.