The Wine Bottle

A wine cooler, not to be confused with the cheap alcoholic libation, is a variety of fridge that is particularly built with the aim of maintaining the correct temperature of your wine. Not only are you able to store a large quantity of wine in your wine cooler, but it will also keep it chilled so your wine is prepared whenever you are ready to drink it. It also will be much more flavorful if stored at the right temperature vs just in your everyday fridge or at room temperature.

Wine coolers come in all kinds of styles and sizes. There are smaller versions that are built in order to chill wine quick and there are rather massive ones that will enable you to store many bottles of wine at their acceptable temperature. Some wine coolers will even allow you to store 2 different styles of wine completely different temperatures while still remaining in the same cooler.

If you are searching for a cooler that is intended for getting a bottle of wine to the right chilled temperature as fast as possible you will want to go with a smaller capacity kind of wine cooler. These are very useful particularly when you do a lot of entertaining. The cooler will enable you to put a bottle of warm wine into the tiny capacity cooler and it'll quickly chill it to the correct temperature. This disposes of having to worry about the glass breaking in the refrigerator, putting unattractive pieces of ice in your guests ‘ glasses or serving warm wine. The littler capacity wine cooler is ideal for folk who generally have the necessity to chill wine swiftly or you only tend to store a couple of bottles at a time. There is no need to take a position in a bigger cooler if you do not purchase wine by the case.

If you're somebody that purchases wine by the case than you will need to purchase a large capacity cooler. The average large wine cooler stores around 24-36 bottles of wine, but there also are smaller and larger versions available also. The bigger versions vary in size and are frequently available with a double temperature setting. This means that the cooler has a tendency to be split into two, frequently down the center, and there'll be a fresh thermostat for each side. The double wall separating them will prevent the temperatures from having an effect on one another, but will enable you to store different types of wine at the proper temperatures while remaining in the same wine cooler.

Wine coolers are an extremely beneficial way of storing your fave type of wine at the proper temperature. Many folks do not realize that storing your wine at improper temperature can essentially affect the taste. Wine can go on for a fair deal of time when it is stored correctly, but when it is held in a place like your everyday fridge where the temperature changes quite often it can be extremely difficult to hold the maximum flavor in your wine.

Our 32 bottles Premia wine coolers are favored large capacity coolers. For a tiny unit the Avanti countertop wine cooler is highly handy.

Many people with even just a basic understanding of wine know that there are certain “rules” about what is and is not proper when it comes to your menu and your choice of red or white, specifically, red meat means red wine, and everything else means white. But what’s the real difference between these two choices, and how can you tell which is going to be best for your particular menu?

It’s important to remember that wine is just a beverage made when you ferment grapes or other fruits; the fermentation process is when sugars are converted to alcohol. When you make beer, the natural starches in the barley or other grains is much like sugar, and this is what converts to alcohol during that fermentation. Many people assume that any type of wine is just made from grapes, but there are many fruits that can be used, including apples, bananas, strawberries, elderberries, blackberries, and so on.

Wines are named after the fruit they are made from, and when they are made from grapes, it is the type of grape it is made from. For example, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Merlot are all types of grapes. If not named after the grapes, they are named after the area they are grown in, such as Bordeaux, Rioja, Chianti, or Cotnari.

You may not think that there is much difference then between red or white wine; since it’s all grapes, why go so far so as to even make rules about what foods to serve it with? However, think about the difference between coffee and tea. Typically you think of coffee as a “heavier” beverage and tea as something lighter. Coffee has a much more pungent flavor and is typically stronger than tea. You can also compare cola with lemon-lime soda; cola is a heavier drink while the lemon-lime soda is crisper and lighter. In the same way, red wine is typically “heavier” than white, and usually has a much stronger flavor. It is usually more pungent in taste. White wines are usually crisper, lighter, and have a fruitier flavor.

The main reason that certain wines are recommended with certain foods is that you never want the food to interfere with its flavor, and vice versa. You also want something that’s strong enough to complement the flavors of the food as well. For example, people rarely have tea with chocolate; the strong flavor of the coffee is a better fit for the sweetness of the chocolate. Of course, recommendations for wine are not hard and fast rules, and there’s no reason you can’t mix things up and stick with the flavor that you prefer regardless of what you’re eating. Try a few different combinations and see what makes your palate the happiest.

For many, a relationship with wine can often be short lived while others have the patience, the space and inclination to explore cellaring wine.

A wine cellar does not have to be a complicated process, a closet that meets the recommended conditions described below will do. Here’s a brief overview of what to consider in establishing your wine cellar.

Temperature and humidity: Between 10 C and 14 C a wine evolves at an ideal rhythm. Any colder and the wine ages more slowly, any warmer and its evolution is too rapid. Consistency of temperature is the most important element. Consider first the north side or the side of the basement that is entirely underground. The right level of humidity are between 60 and 70 per cent. A humidity control feature is most important with a that refrigerated wine cabinets.

Light: White wines in particular can be very sensitive in direct light. The best cellar should be contained in complete darkness or even shadow. Turning on the light to find a bottle isn’t a problem, but you shouldn’t leave it on for several days. In no situation should neon lights be used in your wine cellar. If your refrigerated wine cabinet has glass doors, make sure they protect against UV rays.

Air quality: Storing wine in areas which are exposed to strong odours is to be avoided e.g. root cellar, heating oil etc. These odours will quickly transfer to the wine. {In general, the area where you store your wine should be well ventilated proposed area for your cellar really needs to have good ventilation}.

Vibration: On the chemical level, wine ages by the creation of long chains of molecules. This process is disrupted by any sudden movement, so avoid handling your bottles roughly or unnecessarily and don’t put your cellar under the stairs or near the compressor, furnace or washer. Make sure that refrigerated wine cabinets have a mechanism to isolate the wine from the compressor vibrations.

Bottle position: Almost all wines should be stored in a downward position ensuring the wine’s consistent contact with the cork, which also keeps the seal tight. Certain types of wine can be stored standing up: ports and sherries (where a composite closure of plastic-natural cork is used); wines with screw cap closures.

Of all the wine types there is no more seductive grape than Pinot Noir, maker of the best red wine. With its brilliant ruby colour, complex aromas of earthy summer fruits and silky texture, Pinot Noir is the grape that many find irresistible. While Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay impress with power and dexterity, it is the subtlety and elegance of great Pinot Noir that can soothe the savage beast.

Unfortunately, the great Pinot Noir does suffers from an ongoing issue. While its greatest wines are pure heaven, there are also many disappointments, and some at ridiculous prices. It seems that there are plenty of winemakers whom think that merely putting Pinot Noir on the label turns a consumer blind as to what is in the wine bottle. All blame cannot be directed to winemakers as as Pinot Noir can be a difficult beast to tame.

Wtih Shiraz, Chardonnay or Cabernet wines generally taste much like grapes from which they are produced due to the grapes robust and sturdy nature. Being a fickle grape in nature, Pinot Noir is limited to producing great wines in only a select number of areas worldwide. And if you grow Pinot Noir in warmer or hot areas, the result is a pleasant red dry wine that probably lacks character. Grow it somewhere too cold, it becomes green and minty, without generosity and flesh. It goes well beyond the climate, as the fragile Pinot Noir grape has be planted in the right soil, the right angled slope and be treated in the vineyard before a great wine is made.

In Australia and New Zealand, while the local Pinot Noir has for many years trailed the best of France, the last decade with increasing vine age and also a greater understanding of the best sites for Pinot Noir seeing the release of some fantastic red wines, some of which are challenging the best in the world. While the cool New Zealand climate sees most wine regions capable of making some pretty damn fine wines, the best in Australia are located near the Southern coastline. If you compare them, Australian Pinot Noir wines can display stronger, riper fruit flavour, while in New Zealand, they benefit from a more earthy almost mushroom type aroma.

In New Zealand, two regions Martinborough and Central Otago, while making distinctly different styles, constantly seem to edge out their opposition. {The still-expanding Otago region produces wines are marked by power and tremendous generosity of dark fruit flavours, that is almost lavish, yet retains some of Pinot Noirs silky delicacy growing Otago region has a reputation for very powerful wines with stong, fruit flavours, yet somehow still retains Pinot Noirs delicate balance}. In comparison, the best wines from the much less expansive Martinborough vineyards are very pretty, pure and perfumed wines with subtle, earthy, spicy aromas, and structure to provide good aging potential. Close behind Marlborough and Waipara are also reliable sources of fine Pinot Noir.

From the Australian corner, while both Tasmania and the Adelaide Hills can produce some remarkable wines, it is the dress circle of vineyards around Melbourne which are the primary sources of the country’s best.In cooler parts of Victoria such as Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula and Macedon Ranges, wonderfully fragrant wines with great subtlety are found and best consumed when aged between 5 to 10 years.

Perhaps Pinot Noir’s greatest attribute is that its wines mould themselves to the winemaker, region, vineyard and vintage like no other. As a result, Pinot Noir is a wine variety of endless variety which you won’t tire of, making it one of the best reds.

In order to develop a taste for wine, keep tasting — and write down as many specifics as you can when you find a wine you like. Is it red or white? What grape variety? Which region? And so on, and given some time you will know the particular qualities that you look for when consuming wine.

Without trying to sound geeky or snooty, but it’s not very useful to try to describe the types of wines you like in such general terms as mild, nonsweet, dry, etc. It is often the case that people say they like dry wines, for example, when they really prefer off-dry. And then, they may find a wine too sweet but it may technically be a dry wine. So it is more helpful to isolate certain can’t-miss characteristics that speak to what you know you enjoy.

You can start with red wine or white wine. Most novice wine drinkers prefer one over the other. Next, think about what type of meals you enjoy. Sometimes, the challenge of food matching can be a considerable influence on whether you like wine or not. This need not be a chore, and it’s fine to experiment, but some things just don’t work. If you really like hamburgers and only drink sweet white wines, that’s going to be a challenge.

And next but not least, is price? It’s difficult to find wines that are more than just quaffable if your spending limit is less than $8 a bottle. If you want to explore more rarefied flavors, try wines from small producers and expect them to be more expensive than wines that are mass-produced.

Often, people simply note down the name and year of any wine that they truly enjoy drinking. If you can indicate just one specific wine that you truly like, it provides a starting point for your wine adviser, whether that person is a columnist, a friend, a sommelier or a retailer.

And lastly but also importantly, ensure you maintain a sense of adventure. Understand that there will be some disappointing wines you’ll come across regardless of how many you drink or your knowledge of wine. Focus on the wines you have liked, what it is about them that makes them a favourite and you’ll continue to pick good from bad wines.

I love the Wine Regions of Western Australian. I especially love the majestic beauty of the Margaret River. Picture, if you can its pristine white beaches that disappear into the horizon. Envisage, if you can, the rolling sand dunes sitting next to a vibrant native forest. See for yourself a western sunset that glitters and shines over the Indian Ocean like a dance. It’s no wonder this amazing place is home to so many praised wine producers. This is a beautiful place that produces some of Australia’s best wine.

The Margaret River region is without doubt one of our greatest fine wine areas boasting over 120 wine producers. Local names such as Moss Wood, Cullen and Leeuwin Estate sit comfortably among the greatest Australian producers. Their wines are now highly sought after both domestically and overseas.

The winemakers here aspire to not only make wines that stand up to the best from Australia but match up as great wines of the world. They deliver brilliance in each and every bottle they produce.

Quality Wines have been coming from Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix, Cullen, Cape Mentelle, Howard Park and Pierro for a long time. They have collectively been responsible for producing the region’s greatest wines.

These guys should be keeping a close eye on the wine coming from Woodlands and the newly revitalised Xanadu wineries. Voyager Estate is another rising star from the Margaret River.

The original vines of what is now Voyager Estate were first planted in 1978, under the name of Freycinet Estate. In 1991, these vineyards were bought and significantly expanded on. The area has since become known as the ‘Golden triangle of Chardonnay’ due to the quality of the wines from producers in the area.

The current releases from Voyager Estate include three absolute knockouts. I recommend you try them all:

1. The Voyager Chardonnay 2006 ($35) has powerful white peach and citrus fruit on a taut and youthful palate with a little creamy leesy complexity and brilliant length. It is one of the best 2006 Margaret River Chardonnays.

2. My favourite, at least for drinking now, is the 2005 Shiraz ($35). The Margaret River is generally not known for making a standout Shiraz, but this is a wonderful example of a dense cool climate Shiraz with clove and blackberry fruit trimmed with hints of wild violets. In the mouth there is such a youthful feel and plenty of vitality that it will only get better over the next decade.

3. The best known of the wines from Voyager Estate is the Cabernet Merlot ($60), with the 2004 release one of their best so far. This wine is really built for the long term with gravelly cassis and blackberry fruit rounded out nicely with some subtle notes of olive and oak. In the mouth there is great generosity of fruit that is currently bound up in its significant structure. In ten to fifteen years it will be a wonderful drop, so keep it sleeping for a while, if you can.

It is human nature really – to stick with the tried and true and shy away from new types of wines. Pinot noir, shiraz, merlot, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, Yarra Valley, Barossa Valley, Marlborough, Central Otago. From wine to spaghetti sauce, it is usually the easier and safer option to take home a wine bottle that has hit the spot some time in the past. We are all built to be at least a little conservative with buying habits and it is a strategy that limits failure.

Take spaghetti sauce, where you’d expect them all to be a little sweet to taste, mixed with savoury tomato paste and herbs. Wine is a obviously in a very different league. With wine, you will find that there are so many different flavours, tastes and textures available. And naturally, the wine’s character comes down to the grape. Sure where the fruit is grown plays a part but grape variety is by far the most important factor in the overall experience from a glass of wine.

That said, wine is a wonderful beverage in that it can also give the consumer a taste of a different country or culture all from the comfort of a lounge chair. A point worth noting is that most (but not all grape varieties with sauvignon blanc one notable exception) taste best in wines from their homeland with varieties such as sangiovese, nebbiolo and tempranillo sometimes miraculous from Italy and Spain respectively. So with such variety to choose from all over the world why taste the same destination or grape every day when a world of flavour awaits from the local off-license or restaurant?

But where to begin? Pinot gris and pinot grigio, an interesting white with a lovely floral, sweet fruit flavour, is a good place to begin. Best known in the wines from Alsace in France, as well as the more delicately flavoured and zesty pinot grigio styles from Italy, it is a grape that is also coming good in the cool regions of Australia and New Zealand with fine wines that compare well with the rest of the world. Semillon is another white wine forever in the background but one that can make world class dry whites that are a little more restrained than varieties such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc but lose nothing in complexity from vineyards in the Hunter and Barossa Valleys. In the world of whites, it is worth discovering grapes such as viognier, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer, and roussanne.

For red wines, there are plenty to sort through including the massive, full-bodied wines from grapes such as zinfandel or durif, or others with a little less density like cabernet franc or gamay. If personality is what you are looking for, sangiovese, nebbiolo and tempranillo seldom disappoint with savoury fruit flavour, rustic tannins and freshness of acidity that make them superb food wines.

Len Evans was quoted as saying that with so many bottles of wine to enjoy in our lives, one should not waste an opportunity to try taste something new and adventurous great Len Evans once said we only have one life to experience so many types of wine and the chance to try something interesting should never be wasted. It is clear that now is time for you to get to your local bottle shop and buy some wines types that you have never tried.

I love the Wine Regions of Western Australian. I especially love the majestic beauty of the Margaret River. Picture, if you can its pristine white beaches that disappear into the horizon. Envisage, if you can, the rolling sand dunes sitting next to a vibrant native forest. See for yourself a western sunset that glitters and shines over the Indian Ocean like a dance. It’s no wonder this amazing place is home to so many praised wine producers. This is a beautiful place that produces some of Australia’s best wine.

The Margaret River region is without doubt one of our greatest fine wine areas boasting over 120 wine producers. Local names such as Moss Wood, Cullen and Leeuwin Estate sit comfortably among the greatest Australian producers. Their wines are now highly sought after both domestically and overseas.

The winemakers here aspire to not only make wines that stand up to the best from Australia but match up as great wines of the world. They deliver brilliance in each and every bottle they produce.

Quality Wines have been coming from Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix, Cullen, Cape Mentelle, Howard Park and Pierro for a long time. They have collectively been responsible for producing the region’s greatest wines.

These guys should be keeping a close eye on the wine coming from Woodlands and the newly revitalised Xanadu wineries. Voyager Estate is another rising star from the Margaret River.

The original vines of what is now Voyager Estate were first planted in 1978, under the name of Freycinet Estate. In 1991, these vineyards were bought and significantly expanded on. The area has since become known as the ‘Golden triangle of Chardonnay’ due to the quality of the wines from producers in the area.

The current releases from Voyager Estate include three absolute knockouts. I recommend you try them all:

1. The Voyager Chardonnay 2006 ($35) has powerful white peach and citrus fruit on a taut and youthful palate with a little creamy leesy complexity and brilliant length. It is one of the best 2006 Margaret River Chardonnays.

2. My favourite, at least for drinking now, is the 2005 Shiraz ($35). The Margaret River is generally not known for making a standout Shiraz, but this is a wonderful example of a dense cool climate Shiraz with clove and blackberry fruit trimmed with hints of wild violets. In the mouth there is such a youthful feel and plenty of vitality that it will only get better over the next decade.

3. The best known of the wines from Voyager Estate is the Cabernet Merlot ($60), with the 2004 release one of their best so far. This wine is really built for the long term with gravelly cassis and blackberry fruit rounded out nicely with some subtle notes of olive and oak. In the mouth there is great generosity of fruit that is currently bound up in its significant structure. In ten to fifteen years it will be a wonderful drop, so keep it sleeping for a while, if you can.

If you're trying to pick the best wine of the month club, you may be absolutely overwhelmed by all the choices out there. From the California Wine Club to The International Wine of the Month Club to so many others that operate locally and online, a wine lover can easily be distracted by all the choices and feel tempted to throw in the towel and just go back to purchasing wine one bottle at a time.

But before you give up on a membership to a great wine of the month club, let us help you decide on what to look for and how to separate the good from the bad when it comes to clubs.

First, find out how long the club has been in business. There's nothing to say that a new club won't do a great job in choosing your monthly wine, but it's usually best to entrust your membership with someone that has been doing this for some time. There are many wine of the month clubs that have been around for ten years or more and these are the clubs that you probably want to stick with.

Also, what are you looking for in a wine of the month club? Do you have a particular preference when it comes to wines such as red or white and would you like to be able to make your own choice in this regard or will you like anything that the club will send your way? Some wine clubs allow you to enter some of your preferences while others simply choose what they feel is best and may just split their choices between red and white, or whatever they feel is best that particular month. How many bottles of wine are delivered per month? Can you opt to a lesser or higher numbers per month or are you limited to a specific numbers by the wine club?

Ask how the wine of the month club makes their options. Far too many simply choose closeout options or mass produced wines. Obviously they are just choosing whatever is cheapest and aren't giving much thought as to how the wine will actually taste. Some other wine clubs personally hand-select each and every month's selection, and this means you'll be getting a higher quality wine every month.

Check out the past selections of the clubs. Look up these selections in a separate guide and see how they are rated. If you can find them in other guides and they are highly recommended then you know that this wine club is making their choices on flavor and quality. If you cannot find an outside review of any of their choices, it may be a warning sign.

And you'll want to see about their policies to opt out of the club. If you join and don't like the first few choices, then what? If you find a wine of the month club that allows you to opt out after a few months then you know your choice will be much safer. You never want to join any wine club that forces you to join for a long period of time. If they do then it is usually because most of their members are not satisfied with the service, price or selections of wines that have been delivered.

It is probably a rare wine drinker that walks into a fancy restaurant and tells the wine steward, “Bring me some of your finest Turkish wines.” The country of Turkey is not typically known as being a producer of fine wines and isn't always given the respect and regard that it deserves because of its wine production. However, once you start to learn a little bit about wines from Turkey, you may find that indeed it would be good if your favorite restaurant began serving this choice!

Interestingly enough, wine drinking was actually banned in Turkey for some 500 years during the rule of the Ottoman empire, but fortunately for us today wines from Turkey have made quite a comeback and are being rediscovered by wine connoisseurs around the world. Also, because the country is now looking to be more competitive economically, wine growers are realizing the importance of producing a product that is palatable to a worldwide audience. What makes them so high-quality?

The Climate of Turkey

One of the reasons that Turkish wines are so high quality is because of the climate of the country. Their warm and dry Mediterranean summers and mild winters make for some of the best grape harvests there are. Even inland away from the Mediterranean, there are pockets of wine producing regions, some more successful in grape growing and harvesting than others.

Grapes Grown in Turkey

There are actually some 1,000 different grapes that are grown in Turkey, but the vast majority of them are used for fruit or raisins. Only about 40 types of grapes are made into Turkish wines. However, these grapes include many local types, including Bogazkere, Kalecik Karasi, Karasakiz, ?alkarasi, and ?k¼zg¶z¼ for the red variety, Emir, Narince and Sultaniye for white wines. With the fourth-largest vineyard area in the world, but with such a small percentage of those grapes for wine growth, it is no wonder that the few wines they produce need to be of the best quality.

Looking Forward to the Future

Despite the one-time ban on wines from Turkey due to religious taboo, they are now becoming more competitive on the worldwide market and because Turkey is looking to compete on a global scale both economically and culturally, the future can only hold good things for their winemakers. While they may have some catching up to do when it comes to being competitive with their nearby countries, it's likely that Turkey will appreciate the natural gift they have of a beautiful climate that is perfect for grape growing and winemaking. Certainly the future holds only good things for those who love and appreciate Turkish wines.