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Wine country

For a lot of people, wine country is virtually uncharted territory. What wines go with what foods, when to drink each kind of wine and what are the best wines; these are mysteries to many people. Of course, it is impossible to know everything about wines, but this article will help uncover some of the mysteries about food wine. Knowing about dinner wines does not have to be obscure knowledge.

The idea that white wine is best with white meats and that red wine goes with red meats is an old idea, but still has validity in today. That is the most basic rule for wine. Another basic rule for food wine is to pair tastes that counteract each other. Each taste of food should be overridden by the wine’s flavor and vice versa. Food and wine together should act as a palate cleanser for each other. Being able to taste the flavor of the wine or food over the other means that your wine is not a good match for that food. It has become more difficult to match wines and foods in recent years because dishes have become more flavorful. In these cases, matching the body of the wine to the body of the food is the best option. Light-weight foods pair best with light-weight wines and so on.

The main determination for food wine combinations is the balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness of both the food and wine. It is pretty easy to figure out what wine should go with what foods by considering the wine and food characteristics. If a sweet food is being served, pair it with a sweeter wine. For bitter foods, a more bitter wine is in order. The best way to determine the acidity of a food is to determine if it would go better with more acid added. For example, adding lemon to a fish means that a more acidic wine should be consumed. Some common white wines that are acidic are: Rieslings, most sparkling wines and white Bordeauxs. Acidic red wines include: Gamays, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses. Sweet white wines include: White Zinfandels, other forms of Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. Sweet red wines can include: Port and Lambrusco. There are not many bitter white wines, but there are some bitter red wines. These can include, red Zinfandels, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons.

So there you have it, an overview about the very basic elements to food wine parings and how to determine which wines should be paired with what foods. The world of wine is very broad, but these simple rules can definitely help keep newcomers to the world of wine on the right track. If you are interested in learning more, then join a wine club or check out some books that cover the subject. You will be glad you did.

We don’t often think of Michigan as a wine producing State do we, but look at the facts:

• Michigan has 13,500 acres of vineyards making Michigan the fourth largest grape-growing state.

• All of this acreage is devoted to juice grapes such as Concord and Niagara.

• About 1,500 acres are dedicated to wine grapes, making Michigan the eighth in wine grape production.

• Vineyard area has increased 24% since 1997.

• Michigan’s 45 commercial wineries produce more than 200,000 cases of wine annually, making the state 13th in wine production. The vast majority of production is from Michigan-grown grapes.

• Wineries are popular tourist destinations, attracting more than 600,000 visitors annually. Some of these wineries also have retail stores where it’s possible to purchase anything from a wine cellar kit to a wine cooler refrigerator.

• Wine production and winery tourism annually contribute $75 million to the state’s economy.

• Three types of grapes are used for wine in Michigan:

• • Vinifera varieties — these are the classic European varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling (the most widely planted white), Pinot Noir (the most widely planted red), Pinot Grigio/Gris and Cabernet Franc; 58% of Michigan’s wine grapes are vinifera. Since 1998, 71% of the new plantings in Michigan have been vinifera varieties.

• • Hybrid varieties (sometimes called French/American hybrids) — these are botanical crosses between vinifera varieties and grapes native to North America. Common names are Vidal, Chambourcin, Marechal Foch and Vignoles; 39% of Michigan’s wine grapes are hybrids.

• • Native varieties — actually close relatives of true native varieties. Common names are Concord and Niagara. Less than 3% of Michigan’s wine is made from these varieties.

• The vast majority of Michigan’s quality wine grapes grow within 25 miles of Lake Michigan. Here, the “lake effect” protects the vines with snow in winter, retards bud break in spring helping avoid frost damage, and extends the growing season by up to four weeks.

• Michigan has four federally approved viticultural areas (AVAs). In the northwest part of the state, near Traverse City, lie the Leelanau Peninsula and the Old Mission Peninsula. This area has a growing season averaging 145 days and an average heat accumulation of 2,350 growing degree days; 51% of Michigan’s wine grapes grow here. In the southwest part of the state lie the Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville appellations, where 45% of Michigan’s wine grapes are grown. This area has a growing season averaging 160 days and an average heat accumulation of 2,750 growing degree days. Each are Region 6 on the USDA plant hardiness zone map.

• Harvest begins for early hybrid varieties at the end of August in the southwest and may extend into November for late-ripening vinifera varieties in the northwest.

• Michigan wines win numerous medals at prestigious competitions every year. More than 16% of the wines entered in the Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition had already won Gold Medals in regional, national and international competitions. A list of winners is available upon request.

• Michigan wineries make many styles of wine, from dry to sweet including Ice Wine, sparkling, fortified, fruit wines and eau-de-vie (fruit brandy).

• Michigan wines are usually “cool climate” – clean, crisp, balanced wines that exhibit real varietal charact.
• Michigan Wines are very popular choices in the offerings of Wine Clubs
  where you set up a monthly subscription to order wine online

Next time you’re savoring your favorite Chardonnay, check the label. It just may not have originated in California!

A wine club is a great way to learn about wine and to sample different wines that you might not otherwise try. Many people appreciate the gift of a wine club membership around the holidays, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving if the recipient is generous with the wine they receive.

So how do you choose a club? Are all clubs the same and are there important things you should look out for when choosing a membership. There are different things that can help you to choose the right one. Everything from cost to wine style will determine what club you choose.

The Cost Of Wine Club

While cost should not be the only thing that you think about when choosing a wine club it is important. If you are just starting to learn about wine it might be a good idea to start with an inexpensive membership. A wine tasting club that allows you to pay as little as $20 a month can still offer you some very decent wines to try.

More expensive wine clubs offers you to try varying ranges of wines and also they offer more bottles of wine each month. So settle on a price range that you are comfortable with and you are on your way to discovering great wines.

Choose Your Wine From Wine Club

There are different types of wine clubs that you can choose from and depending on your preferences you will probably go for a different club than your friends. You can join a wine club that only selects red or white wines. There are some clubs that will only showcase wines from California; others will choose wines from all over the world.

Some of clubs offers a selection of wines that are not commercially available, from small vineyards which are hard to come by otherwise. The choice is up to you and many of these memberships are extremely affordable.

Little Details For Choosing The Right Wine From Wine Club

Paying attention to little details can also help you to choose the right wine club. Long duration of membership of its member shows how excellent its customer service is. Be sure to check if shipping costs are included in your monthly membership fee or if it is counted as an extra. You might also have other benefits to joining a particular club so look around and find the right type of wine club for you.

Treat your wine well, and it will treat you good also. The complexity, boquet, and flavour of a wine will only increase with age. A wine rack is essential to storing wine, but there is no need for it to be over priced. Wine cellar construction can get expensive, so it’s good to keep costs down wherever possible. It’s important that you have a quality wine rack plan before you go any further. You want your wine collection to be proudly displayed, so make your racking system high quality.

Make sure your wine rack uses the most of your avaliable space. Storing the wine in the right environment is crucial to its flavor. You want a consistent temperature with a little moisture to store your wine. Heat and light are wines worst enemies. The flavor and quality of your wine will be wrecked by the sunlight. The best wine storage temperature is in the mid fiftys, keep it from changing too much. Wine is stored on its side to keep its cork from cracking. If you already have your custom wine cellar constructed, then you are well on your way.

A Wine club lets you grow your wine collection over time. Get a wine rack with scalability, as your collection grows, so will your need for space. Even in a small area, a wine rack should be able to store lots of wine. Usually these will hold lots of wine botles. It is also quick and easy to read the wine bottles, which is good if you have a large collection. Metal wine racks and wooden wine racks make excellent choices. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount if you are purchasing in bulk. If you find some free plans for a wine rack, this is one of the best ways to save money.

For a budget option consider building a wine rack at home. It’s a cinch to build your own wine rack, you can feel very proud of what you’ve made. You can find plenty of free info on the internet, and you only need a few basic tools. There are seriously budget wine rack plans that you can find if you look, like under ten dollars.

There is an even cheaper way to go, with just a bunch of wood and bricks you can build a decent wine cellar. Stack the bricks for height, and use wooden planks with smaller wooden dividers for an easy-to-make wine rack. Your wine racks can be as expensive or cheap as you want. Budget wine cellars are very possible, and you can make them yourselves. We’ve got plenty more advice on our website, come check it out.

Wine Of The Month Club Video

If you love to drink the “nectar of the gods” then joining a wine of the month club can provide you with more than just a few benefits. Many people are choosing wine as their hobby because it is considered slightly more refined than “kegger parties” or “making homemade lye soap”.

This is one of the reasons that more and more people are choosing to sign up as members of wine clubs. Whether your wine-loving participation truly makes you one of the cultured elite could be a matter of your own opinion, but hey after a few rounds of tasting several special burgundies does it really matter?

More and more independent vineyards and bottlers are increasing their market share through self-promotion via wine clubs and mailings. If you are considering joining a wine club, I have listed the top 5 benefits for you to read. This way you are able to see that joining a wine club can bring much more to your table than just “a bottle of the good stuff”.

1. Your wine will come in an inconspicuous package.

• Wine clubs all deliver their goods in plain UPS brown boxes so the nosy folks in your neighborhood can’t keep count of how bottles of the living grape you are actually receiving. Now when others grouse about trying to get rid of that nearby ABC store, you won’t become quite as upset.

2. Impress your friends. You’ll be able to amass a wine collection including some harder to find bottles at a low price. You can point to that garage Petite Syrah in your collection and tell friends that it sells at auction for hundreds of dollars (after all, they don’t have to know that you didn’t pay anywhere near that much for that bottle).

3. Make Money. You can take advantage of your collection by hosting a wine tasting at your home! If you were so inclined, you could even charge a fee for the food and drink served at your tasting.

4. Saves Time and Effort. When you’re in a wine club, you’ll always have a stocked cellar. Imagine never having to run out for a bottle at the last minute when friends drop by for dinner!

5. Fool your friends!  Stump the snobs! One of the greatest benefits of joining a wine club is the pranks you can play.

• You’ll know exactly what’s in that bottle, but your friends won’t have any clue! You can have a tasting challenge which you’ll win every time – you know which vintage and which vineyard, after all  – even if your friends can name the grape or grapes, you’ll still have them beat.

• Trick the wine snobs in your life by refilling bottles of the good stuff with some inexpensive plonk from the grocery store. Give everyone else the good stuff.

Then you can watch the wine snobs raving about how wonderful the $3 wine from the grocery store is, right along with everyone else (who are drinking something good). If you can keep a straight face until the bottles are empty, you’ll have a riot once you reveal the prank.

Wine Lovers Gifts

Puzzled about what the top gift ideas for wine lovers are? You may want to find the perfect wine-oriented gift for your favorite oenophile; but unless you’ve already spent a lot of time looking (and maybe if you have), you’re probably at a loss as how to find the perfect gift for the wine lover on your list. Of course, they’d prefer to have their own personal vineyard, but if this is beyond your means at the moment, keep reading for some other great gift ideas for the wine lover in your life.

10 Tempting Gifts for Crushed Grape (Wine) Lovers

1. Well, like I said before, you’re favorite wine lover could use their own vineyard. However, there is another option available if you can’t quite swing the whole vineyard. You can become a part owner in many wineries for a cost. This is definitely worth a look – it may not make you or the recipient rich, but it makes a great gift for any wine lover on your shopping list.

2. You cannot go wrong if you select an assortment of wine glasses as a special gift. This will be a welcome and useful gift that will probably see action immediately. Those huge, deep-bellied glasses for richer, full-bodied wines are also lovely just to see perched on a bar or table.

3. A Purple “Instant Youth” bottle bag. These are always good for a chuckle, with their slogan of “Instant Youth – just add wine”. Of course, you’ll want to put a bottle of something good inside; this will get an even bigger smile from the recipient.

4. Personalized labels. You can order a bottle of Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio with a personalized label; this can feature the design or photo of your choice.

5. One of the best wine gifts available is a wine box or basket. These are available in wood, wicker or even leather. These can be found in one bottle, two bottle or larger carrying capacities. Some of the higher end models include stoppers, corkscrews, napkins and glasses; these baskets are ideal for picnics and outdoor concerts.

6. If your wine lover enjoys games you can dazzle and delight them with a Wineopoly board game. The tokens used for the game include a wine glass, carafe, cheese, grapes and more. You can best your friends and become a grape champ as you challenge them with this game, and you really learn some cool facts about wine as you play.

7. Wine glass charms are always appreciated. These decorative items are collected by many wine lovers and you can even order custom made sets of these wine glass charms from some companies.

8. A wine club membership – this is a sure fire hit with any wine lover. This is a great way to introduce them to a favored vineyard and memberships can be customized to suit even the most discerning palates.

9. Cookbooks that specialize in recipes involving wine are also welcome gifts. You can create a gift basket with a cookbook, a bottle of wine, and a few other small additions. Toss in a wine lover’s apron, potholders, corkscrew and some assorted pastas and cheese to create a unique and lovely presentation that is sure to please.

10. Novelty T-shirts featuring wine-related slogans will always be appreciated by wine lovers; how about:

• Get a Tan with your Tannins…pick your own grapes
• The Wine is Divine but it crushed the poor grapes
• Nectar of the gods…Produced by our soles
• Us Old Vines Have The Best Wines
• Wine is fruit….and they recommend 4 servings of fruit daily