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Showing posts with label wine tasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine tasting. Show all posts

Friday, February 25, 2011

How to Make the Most Out of Your Trip to California Wine Country

How to Make the Most Out of Your Trip to California Wine Country
Are you interested in visiting California wine country?  If you are, you may be unsure as to how you should proceed, in terms of what you should see and do.  With over four hundred wineries and vineyards in the area, as well as an unlimited number of fun activities, perfect for just about every trip, you may be wondering how you can make the most out of your time.  For tips on how you can do so, please continue reading on.
The best way to make the most and get the most out of your next trip to California wine country is to plan ahead. You will want to know what each and every one of your options are.  This should include everything from guided wine tours to overnight accommodations.  Proper planning and preparation are key to having the vacation or trip of your dreams.
In terms of overnight accommodations, you will find a large number of options.  Popular options in wine country for tourists include hotels, vacation resorts, vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, as well as inns.  For starters, you will want to ensure that you make your reservations well in advance, to help ensure that your first choices, like a vacation home rental, aren’t all filled up with reservations.  Secondly, it is important to stay at a place that is conveniently located.  This can help you get most out of your wine country trip by eliminating unnecessary travel.
A big staple of visiting wine country is taking a wine country tour.  When looking to do so, you will find that you have a number of options.  If you are looking to take your own independent tour, be sure to arrange for a designated driver.  You will want to stay safe.  If you everyone in your traveling party wants to drink, a guided wine tour may be in your best interest.  Yes, a guided wine tour will cost extra money, but you are usually provided with travel, either by small bus or van.  This makes is so that you don’t have to worry about ruining your fun or the fun of someone else in your group by requiring that just one person doesn’t get the opportunity to wine taste.
As previously stated, wine tours are a good idea for those who all want to be able to wine taste and without worry.  Before choosing a guided wine tour company, be sure to examine all of your options first.  Many will outline on their online websites which wineries and vineyards their tours stops at, for how long, and the costs of doing so.  The best way to make the most out of your next wine country trip is to get the most value for your money.
If you would like to tour local wineries independently and have arrangements for a designated driver, be sure to examine all of your options, in terms of wineries and vineyards in the area.  Since you have hundreds to choose from, you will want to prioritize.  Which are must sees for you?  Most vineyards have open doors, tours of their grounds, and wine tasting available on a daily basis; however, you may also want to examine other planned events.  For example, if a winery is having an educational class on the making of wine during your trip dates, it may be worth making plans to attend.
In keeping with independent wine tours, you will want to create a map for yourself.  Once you have an idea of which wineries and vineyards you would like to visit, mark them on a map.  Then, what you will want to do is decide on a method of travel.  Try to visit all of the wineries you checked off on your map in an order that allows you to maximize your time.  The best way to do this is to create a set path to follow, namely one that does not result in you backtracking.
Flipsidelife
http://www.multicardkenoclub.com/

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Art Of Wine Tasting

The Art Of Wine Tasting
Even though many just assume that wine tasting is sipping, swishing, and swallowing - many are amazed to find that it’s actually a bit more.  Wine tasting is more of an art, an art that is used to distinguish the taste of fine wines.  Wine can be a tasty and refreshing drink - if the bottle was stored correctly and aged properly.
Wine tasting begins with the swishing.  The reason why wine tasters swish the wine around in their mouths is to get the taste.  Both the front and the back areas of the tongue contain taste buds, although neither one has any distinct sensation in taste.  Taste buds can detect food and liquid that is bitter, salty or sweet, without a problem.  To get the proper taste from wine however, you need to swish it around in your mouth and allow your taste buds and sense of smell to bring out the unique and fine flavors in the wine.
When you have a cold however, the wine can taste very different.  When tasting your wine, your sense of smell has a major impact on the taste.  What many fail to realize, is that over 75% of our taste is due to our sense of smell.  When we have a cold, our sense of smell is affected.  Therefore, when eating or tasting wine with a cold, the taste will appear different.  Wine tasters all over the world will tell you that tasting wine is more about a sense of smell than the actual taste buds.
The art of wine tasting is indeed an art.  Wine tasters do however, follow some general guidelines and rules that judge how great a wine is.  These techniques can help you bring the most out of your wine, providing you follow them and know how to bring out the taste.
The first thing to do with wine is to look.  With wine, you can tell quite a bit about it by looking at it.  You should always start by pouring the wine into a clear glass, then taking a few minutes to look at the color.  As far as the color goes, white whines aren’t white, but actually yellow, green, or brown.  Red wines on the other hand are normally a pale red or dark brown color.  Red wine gets better with age, while white whines get more stale with age.
Next, is the smell of the wine, which you should do in two steps.  You should start with a brief smell to get a general idea of the wine, then take a deep, long smell.  This deeper smell should allow you take the flavor of the wine in.  The more experienced wine tasters prefer to sit back a bit and think about the smell before they actually taste the wine. 
Last but not least, is to taste the wine.  To properly taste the wine, you should first take a sip, swish it around in your mouth, and then swallow.  Once you swish the wine around in your mouth, you’ll bring out the rich and bold flavors of the wine.  After swallowing, you’ll be able to distinguish the after taste of the wine, and the overall flavor.
Once you have looked at the wine, smelled it, and finally tasted it, you’ll be able to evaluate the wine from a taster’s standpoint.  This is the easiest way to determine the quality of the wine, and whether or not it has been properly stored and aged.  As with all things in life - the more you taste wine - the better you will get at distinguishing the unique flavors.

Flipsidelife
http://www.multicardkenoclub.com/

Monday, February 7, 2011

Wine Tasting For Beginners

Wine Tasting For Beginners
Attending wine tasting events can be a great experience and a lot of fun, although a lot of people choose not to attend out of fear - or not knowing what to do or what to expect.  Even though there are no mysteries to wine tasting, there are some things that you should always remember.
During a wine tasting event, women are always served before the men. Some tastings will serve you bottled water between tastings, so you can clean your mouth out and be ready to taste the next wine that is served.  When you take the wine, you should always handle the glass by the stem, to avoid heating it with your hands.  There will also be crackers and other goodies on hand as well, to help you cleanse your mouth between wine tastings.
As you may already know, you can tell quite a bit about the wine by the color.  When you attend a wine tasting for the first time, you’ll notice that the glasses are clear.  This helps you to examine the wine better.  There should also be white tablecloth on the table as well, to help you see the color the wine more clearly.  You should never go by the name of the wine alone, as it can easily fool you. 
You’ll also notice the more experienced wine tastes swirl their wine around in the glass before they taste it.  Although it may look weird, slightly swirling the wine actually helps to bring out the flavor.  Most wines have been aging in bottles for long periods of time, sometimes even years.  When the wine is swirled around in the glass, the swirling will release the flavors in the wine and bring them out when the wine is tasted.
At wine tastings, you’ll need to look at the wine, smell it, then after swirling it around in the glass - taste it.  Smells play an integral part of the process, as you’ll get a lot more from the wine by smelling it first.  Wine has quite an intriguing aroma, which helps to bring out the taste that wine is so well known for.  Once you have smelled the wine, you should allow a few moments to take in the smell and think about the wine that you are smelling.
Last but not least, you’ll want to know how to properly taste the wine.  Your tongue has taste buds in the front and the back, which helps to detect flavors.  Wine is full of flavors, and how you taste it will make the biggest impact.  When you put the wine in your mouth, you should always swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds, and allow the flavors plenty of time to dance on your palate.  Once your taste buds have started to discover the wine, you can think about what you are tasting.  After swallowing the wine, the aftertaste that remains in your mouth should give you even more of an idea as to the type and flavor of the wine.
Before you attend a wine tasting, you should always learn as much as you can about the many different flavors and varieties of wine.  This way, you’ll have a better understanding of what you should look for in both taste and flavor.  Even though you may be new to wine tasting, you should never pass up an opportunity to go.  You’ll get a great experience in the world of wine tasting and get to experience wines that you may have never heard of before.
Flipsidelife
http://www.multicardkenoclub.com/