Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Moscow is fundamental to the success of any aspiring wine producer, representing at least two thirds of all wine sales. It is followed by St. Petersburg, and a handful of other key population centres. With its Vinitrac® Russia study, Wine Intelligence has been among the first to survey real consumer behaviour in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the results of this groundbreaking consumer research are contained in the report.

Earlier this year, Arniston Bay and Kumkani expanded their global footprint and entered this strategically important market despite complicated export procedures. A diverse variety of wine from these award-winning brands will be sold at major retailers in Russia.

 Business development manager, Mark Lester, said early indications are that Arniston Bay and Kumkani wines have a promising future in the Russian market. “Traditionally, Russian palates have leant towards European-styled wines as a result of historic influences on consumption patterns. However as the footprint widens for Russian businessmen and leisure travelers to countries beyond European shores, increased exposure to New World wine producing countries and their wines are bound to have an influence on their buying decisions back home. Simultaneously, the current growth in the number of New World brands appearing on local shelves in Russia along with improved access to disposable income will further contribute to interest creation and increased demand for these wines.”

Source: wine.co.za

Mike Fisher, a founding partner of US investment banking firm Global Wine Partners believes South Africa, with its excellent wine-growing conditions, the beauty of its winelands and competitive cost structures, is well placed to advance from its relative obscurity in the US to the point where it becomes better recognised for its quality offerings.

 In South Africa in November to attend the annual general meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, he was impressed by evidence of the ability to make high quality wines here and also by the local wine industry’s sustainability initiatives, which he considered to be ahead of most of those in California

However, in his view, South Africa was the least known of the major wine-producing regions amongst US consumers. “Go into any grocery store in the US and of the 300 wines on the shelves, you will be lucky to find more than one or two of South African origin.”

 While “not overwhelmed” by most Pinotage he tasted, although there were some notable exceptions, Fisher, who initially trained as a winemaker, found South Africa’s expression of the Bordeaux varietals to be very good. He was also impressed by local Sauvignon Blancs and Chenin Blancs. “South Africa’s reputation as a producer of Sauvignon Blanc is gaining ground. The same could happen with Chenin Blanc but because it is still very much a secondary variety in the US, it will be a harder sell.”

Given a general reluctance to invest during financially uncertain times, he predicted that there would be fewer investment transactions in the international wine industry over the next 12 to 18 months. “Moreover, the large companies have done their consolidating for now and it is not in the nature of the small specialist producers to amalgamate to achieve economies of scale.”

Source: wine.co.za

In an article published on the Destiny magazine website ( destinyconnect.com ), some well-known South African celebrities share their ‘party tricks’ used to entertain guests.

UYANDA MBULI
MD of Agenda Communications, co-owner of Diamond Face Couture, deputy chairperson of Gauteng Films and TV presenter of African Giants, Uyanda Mbuli is a skilled businesswoman and hostess. She loves organising high tea-style get-togethers and suggests you:

-Greet guests with good French Champagne, strawberries and cream.
-Look good, be warm, welcoming, energetic and full of smiles.
-Make your guests feel at home. “My guests are truly welcome throughout my house, from the kitchen to the lounge, although I usually entertain on one of my poolside patios,” she says.

VANESSA CARREIRA-COUTROULIS
Former Miss South Africa, TV presenter, restaurateur and club owner, Vanessa Carreira-Coutroulis is used to entertaining the masses. When entertaining at home, she suggests you:
-Prepare food well in advance so you don’t spend all your time in the kitchen.
-Make sure there’s enough food and drink, and the rest will take care of itself.
-Use loads of flowers but keep things simple to create the right ambience.

EDITH VENTER
Socialite Edith Venter is MD of Edith Venter Promotions. The quintessential party hostess gives these tips for delighting guests:
-Serve delicious food that’s easy to prepare – don’t try to make complicated sauces that go wrong at the last minute.
-Have an interesting guest list that includes good friends, as well as a balance between serious individuals and really “off-the-wall” personalities to encourgae a lot of talk around the table
-To create the ideal ambience, light candles inside and outside your home. The colours and décor should be warm and inviting, and these – together with lovely background music and great cocktails – set the perfect tone.

Source: Destiny Connect

It’s easy for diners to be confident when ordering their favourite domestic beer, or a common cocktail that every bartender knows how to prepare.

Hand them a wine list, though, and all confidence goes out the window. The average diner tends to be less than well-educated when it comes to pairing wine with their meals, or knowing how to serve it.
To avoid turning ordering a glass of wine into a major ordeal, it’s important to educate yourself about the wines available and the things you should or should not be doing to enjoy them.

Ordering out

Few things are more embarrassing than stumbling over the wine list at a fancy restaurant.

Try following these tips you find yourself on the spot.
No red and white rules: The old adage is “red wine with red meat and white wine with poultry or fish.” But feel free to give yourself some wiggle room when it comes to that. A salmon dish can be paired with a red wine just as easily as a steak.
With a broadened variety of wines and blends, the wines have become more complex. They have expanded their capabilities of what they can be successfully paired with.
Weight: Keep the weight your entree and wine balanced so one doesn’t overpower the other.
A thick steak with onions and mushrooms would go best with a heavy red wine, while white fish would be best paired with a light white wine.
Glass half full: Don’t allow your server to fill your wine glass to the top. Instruct the server to fill the glass halfway so you can swirl the wine and oxygenate it to make the drink more refreshing.
No hard alcohol: You’ve heard of no swimming for 30 minutes after eating. Well, don’t try a new wine immediately after downing a martini or brandy. The hard alcohol numbs your palate, making wine tasting impossible. I recommend waiting 20 minutes between cocktails and wine.
Don’t go cheap: In light of today’s economy, it’s tempting to go with the cheapest wine on the menu. These wines have the highest markup. Pick a wine right in mid-range, that way, you’re getting your money’s worth.

Wine at home

Serving wine at home can be almost as nerve-wracking as ordering wine at a restaurant, especially if you have guests. As the host, the success of the meal depends on making good wine choices.

Start with bubbles: No matter what wine you are serving with dinner, give your guests a glass of sparkling wine to help cleanse their palate.
Choices, choices: Offer a red and a white wine with dinner. Each guest’s palate is different, and it may change over the course of the meal, depending on the main course.
Pour early: Pour the wine before your guests sit down to dinner. It gives the wine time to breathe, and plus you won’t be leaning over people trying to pour while they start their meal.
Get smart: Even if you think you have a good grasp on wine, keep educating yourself. Try a different wine every time you go out to eat. Also, keep an eye out for wine tastings and classes.

Source: Press of Atlantic City

The recent Platter tasting method debate has resulted in the Platter guide to set up an open discussion forum about their tasting method .

Wine.co.za reports that against a backdrop of increased interest in its method of sighted wine assessments (ie with the label exposed and the name of the producer known), Platter’s Wine Guide invites the book’s readers, wine producers, retailers, media and other interested parties to attend an Open Discussion Forum on blind versus sighted tasting, and the way forward for Platter’s, to be held in early February 2009.

Sighted tasting has been a feature of Platter’s Guide since its inception in 1980, initially because wineries were visited for tasting (and blind assessments obviously were out of the question) but also after visits were replaced in the early 2000s by “off-site” tasting. (For practical reasons, two very large portfolios continue to be reviewed at their producer’s premises.)

The guide’s publisher, Andrew McDowall, says sighted tasting serves two main purposes: firstly, it promotes more informed and nuanced assessments, resulting in (hopefully) a more readable and informative book. Secondly, sighted tasting supports a unique (in South Africa) aspect of the guide, namely the monitoring of the quality and style of a wine over successive vintages, thereby enabling the guide to offer an opinion on not only current performance but also track record and pedigree.

“Sighted tasting is a valid and internationally accepted approach,” McDowall continues. “Many of the world’s leading wine critics use it, either exclusively or on occasion, in the course of their reviews. However, while sighted tasting historically is Platter’s preferred method, it is not a dogma to which we blindly cling. If change is needed, our track record speaks of our willingness to listen to advice and constructive criticism and introduce improvements as needed.”

A complication, though, is that the local wine industry is far from unanimous in its opinion on the way forward for Platter. In conversation and via the media, many different alternative methodologies are mooted, ranging from competition-style blind tastings through to fully sighted assessments in the presence of the winemaker.

“The lack of industry accord on the one hand, and the need to canvass the views of consumers on the other, suggest that an Open Discussion Forum, which will encourage input from all interested parties, is the best first step in mapping out the way forward,” McDowall says. “The objective is for the Platter team to listen and to learn, but equally for those who call for drastic change to carefully consider the ramifications.”

Source: wine.co.za

Wine Spectator magazine reports that for the third straight year, Americans are expected to drink more red wine than white, thanks to a projected 3 percent increase in red wine consumption in 2008, to 121 million cases, an all-time high according to the recently-released The US Wine Market : Impact Databank Review and Forcast, 2008 edition. White wine consumption is also expected to grow this year, but by a slightly slower 2 percent rate to 118 million cases, while rosé and blush wine consumption is projected to decline 3 percent.

Before 2006, red wine had not outsold white since 1976. A white wine cocktail boom emerged back then, fueling the dominance of white wines until wine coolers had their heyday in the mid-’80s. When cooler sales slowed, the blush wine phenomenon began, driven by white Zinfandel, but sales of red and white wines also began to grow. Increases in the number of working women and the number of legal-age drinkers were responsible for much of that growth. Members of the “echo boomer” generation began reaching legal drinking age in the mid-1990s, adding about 60 million potential new wine drinkers, according to the report. By the end of this decade, those consumers will be in their 30s, the prime target for wine marketers.

Most of red wine’s 2008 growth is projected to come from sales of variety-labeled brands, both domestic and imported, particularly Pinot Noir, which is expected to advance 12 percent, to 9 million cases. Cabernet Sauvignon is also projected to perform well, according to Impact Databank, which is owned by M. Shanken Communications, the parent company of Wine Spectator.

The recent success of red wines can be attributed to the American consumer’s increasingly sophisticated palate, expanding knowledge of wine and willingness to experiment with a wider variety of wine styles. Drinking red wine has also been linked favorably in numerous medical studies to various health benefits, such as a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

Among white wines, Chardonnay continues to lead the pack, except when it comes to imports, where it was once again surpassed by Pinot Grigio. Total Chardonnay consumption is projected to grow 2 percent in 2008 to a whopping 63 million cases, but outpaced by Pinot Grigio’s expected 7 percent gain to 18 million cases.

Meanwhile, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling imports will continue to surge at double-digit rates in the near term. The lone bright spot for blush wines this year is white Merlot, which is expected to advance by a modest 3 percent, while the much larger white Zinfandel category is projected to decline by 2 percent. Some imported rosés have started to come on strong, but from a very small base.

Source: Wine Spectator

The wine buyer for the Shoprite Checkers group, Stephanus Eksteen, is probably one of the most respected and influential individuals in the South African wine market. In a recent interview published in The Times, Eksteen gave a few valuable suggestions for buying and enjoying wine.

Here are some tips:

- Drink the wine you like and know, but in between experiment a little. As consumers we are blessed with having more than 6 000 labels to choose from. So be adventurous.
- When you see a wine on a “special” and it is one you like, go for it. There is nothing wrong with wines on special offer. The retailer may simply be clearing stock or the wine had been offered to him or her at a discounted price.
- Wine is a fascinating and venerable topic. Read what others have to say about our wines and see whether you can discover for yourself all those tastes and smells they describe. It is a most rewarding experience.
- At the same time, try not to get too pretentious about it — just enjoy it.

Read full article: The Times

Wine tasting notes can be misleading and misunderstood. Sometimes consumers expect the wine to taste exactly like the tasting notes suggests. Wine that have a hind of chocolate and caramel do not taste like a Cadbury’s Caramello Bear (South African chocolate bar).

In an article, published on C-Ville.com, J. Tobias Beard said: “Many of us misunderstand the nature of wine language. I constantly run into people who seem to actually expect to find various foods in wine. “Mmmm,” they will say, reading the back of the bottle, “I like chocolate. I’ll buy this one!” Indeed, when confronted with wines that are said to offer a “mouthful of silky-textured cherries, blueberries, plums, boysenberries, earth, minerals, and spiced oak,” people can hardly be blamed if they expect dessert. I tend to advise customers to ignore those descriptions. But why? Doesn’t wine taste like all that stuff? Isn’t that the point?”

Yes and no. Wine language is poetic—a way of describing not what a wine objectively tastes like, but what it was like for the writer to taste the wine. Good wine writing presents an experience, not an analysis.

Granted, wine can taste and smell like all kinds of weird things, some of which I personally have tasted and smelled. Sauvignon Blanc does sometimes smell like cat pee. I used to have a cat that peed on my clothes, so I know that smell. But I have never smelled or tasted any of the following, taken from actual wine reviews: liquefied minerals, animal fur, beef blood, white flowers, or scorched earth.

Maybe you’ll taste all that stuff, maybe you won’t. We all have different palates, after all, and taste is subjective. But modern wine writing has become so fixated on isolating scents and smells that we’re led to believe there’s no other way to enjoy wine. The critics strain to conjure up ever more esoteric descriptions, and the drinker is left to strain for a small hint of “new saddle leather,” lest he be seen as a wine ignoramus.

People really want to know what wines taste like. They ask me all the time, but the only honest answer I can give is to tell them to taste it for themselves, and not to be afraid to wax poetic.”

One of my favorite wines , the Kumkani Merlot / Pinotage 2007, was described as follows on the tasting note:

“Medium to full-bodied red wine. Sweet fruit on the nose with hints of banana and mint. Multi-layered palate with undertones of spice and vanilla. Beautiful balance between primary fruit aromas and secondary oak matured flavours .”

I think this is a soft, easy-drinking wine with a great balanced body. I can’t smell the hint of banana, but I nonetheless enjoy the taste of this wine.

Source: c-ville.com

Wine Spectator magazine reports that Americans are on pace to drink more wine in 2008 than ever before, but this year’s expected growth of 1.5 percent represents the industry’s smallest increase since 2001, the last time the U.S. economy was in a recession.

Nevertheless, retail sales of wine within the United States will surpass $25 billion for the first time this year, and set an all-time high of 306 million cases purchased, according to the just-released The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast, 2008 Edition. The current financial crisis and struggling economy is expected to dampen industry growth, at least in the short term.

The U.S. market surpassed Italy in terms of wine consumption in 2007, and had been on pace to overtake France and become the world’s largest wine consumer within five years, according to the report. That may still occur by 2015.
But as the economic malaise spreads globally and slumping financial markets shrink consumers’ disposable incomes, sales are expected to weaken, particularly in restaurants and bars. Imports, which tend to sell more at restaurants and bars, have outperformed their domestic counterparts every year since 1995, but American wines are now forecast to outpace imports until at least 2015.

While consumption growth has slowed considerably this year, wine has, on average, outperformed beer and distilled spirits for nearly 60 years running, when measured by the growth of servings per person. Americans consumed over 18 billion glasses (5-ounce servings) of wine last year, a five-fold increase since 1950, according to Impact Databank, which is owned by M. Shanken Communications, the parent company of Wine Spectator.
The number of wine servings consumed on a per-capita basis last year reached an all-time high, at over 85 servings annually, besting the previous record set in 1982, during the heyday of the white wine cocktail boom.

Source: Wine Spectator

Wine bloggers and wine tasting club members were full of praise for Kumkani wines and indicated that the quality of the wine was exceptionally high.

In a recent article published on Which Wine Guide the writer, Andrew, is immensely impressed with the Kumkani Triple J Shiraz 2004. Their wine tasting took place in the Camelot Pub in South Cadbury, Somerset (UK).

Andrew from Which Wine Guide writes: “Finally, a revelation from Kumkani, the trading name of a group called the company of wine peopleTM. They are slightly obscure in origin but really know how to make wine at this level. This 04 Shiraz called “Triple J” because the vineyard is hand harvested bunch by bunch three times to get the best grapes – is made from fruit grown in the Stellenbosch area and is simply delicious – long, ripe, complex and spicy it went down a storm.”

I belong to the Vino Veritas wine tasting club, and we recently sampled the Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Out of the selection of Sauvignon Blancs tasted, the Lanner Hill received the highest score. It is therefore no surprise that WINE magazine rated this wine – which was recently named the best Sauvignon Blanc in the country at the SA Terroir Wine Awards – as one of South Africa’s Top 10 Sauvignon Blancs.

Source: Which Wine Guide

Executive director of winemaking at the company of wine people and Kumkani winemaker, Nicky Versfeld.

The Indian wine writer, Subhash Arora , was immensely impressed by the uniquely South African experiences during his past visit. Arora indicated that the African Cuisine dinner, hosted by Kumkani, was one of the highlights of the recent Cape Wine show.

He writes that the company of wine peopleTM who fill in the recently launched Kingfisher Bohemia bottles in India with a red and a white, hosted a Kumkani (which means ‘king’ in Xhosa) dinner at Nyoni’s Kraal (which means Corner), a unique South African restaurant in Cape Town.

Modern African cuisine served with award-winning Kumkani wines at this uniquely South African restaurant with Marimba band in attendance would convince anyone that Indians have definitely influenced the South African cuisine.

It also demonstrated that the company of wine peopleTM has a wide spectrum of wines starting from the low-end Bohemia that they are supplying to the brewery division of Kingfisher, to the top-end award winning wines like Kumkani range.

To make the evening interesting and authentically African, there was an African Priestess who blessed the winemaker in true African style with voice so powerful and language so incomprehensible and scary that he could not resist telling her later that he hoped she did not bless her husband too often!

Subhash Arora was one of the international journalists who attended the Cape Wine Show.

He concluded that the Cape Wine Show certainly enhanced the image of South African wines and the passion of several winemakers and producers to exploit the terroir of their land for a brighter future for their wines.

Source Indian Wine Academy

The 2005 Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon has scored an impressive 91 out of 100 points in a recent tasting by a wine critic from the German firm Genuss 7. In the video, the critic comprehensively discusses his tasting notes and offers much praise for this superb wine.

In addition to winning a gold medal at the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles earlier this year, Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was selected for the annual Cape Winemaker’s Guild action. This is no mean feat as only wines which display technical excellence and maturation potential are selected after an intense screening process.

Wine writers who visited the tasting of the Cape Winemakers Guild were full of praise for South African wines.

The CWG has as its mission to simply advance South African winemaking to the highest possible levels of quality and international recognition. Membership is by invitation only (to be approved by a two-thirds margin) and all members must have been making “outstanding” wine for 5 years. Interestingly, membership resides with the individual winemaker, not with their current employer or estate. Executive director of winemaking at the company of wine people and Kumkani winemaker, Nicky Versfeld, was inducted in the CWG in 1999.

One of the writers from Vinography indicated that although no wine scored a perfect 10 on his scale, the general quality of the wine was good. The writer further indicated that he has a lot of enthusiasm for South African wines, and in particular for a number of the wines that was presented and tasted at the Cape Winemakers Guild. He stated that some of these wines were truly excellent.

One of the wines that were presented was the 2005 Kumkani “Cradle Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon, which won a gold medal at the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles earlier this year.

The writer gave this wine a score of 9 out of 10 and his tasting notes were as follows.

Medium to dark ruby in the glass, this wine has a deep nose of forest floor, black cherry, and tobacco aromas. In the mouth it is lean and clean with primary flavors of tobacco, espresso, and cherry, all of which meld and linger with faint tannins in a nice finish.

Source: Vinography

A (Karoo) Lamb loins Pinotage are probably one the more truly South African dishes. This dish served with the excellent and true South African Kumkani Pinotage is the perfect Heritage Day Dinner.

The recipe

Ingredients
100 ml walnut or sunflower oil
1 kg trimmed lamb loin
100 ml lucerne honey
100 ml wholegrain mustard
8 leaves spinach, cleaned and blanched
salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE PASTRY
200 g cake flour
pinch salt
100 g butter, cut into flakes
1 small egg
50 ml water
extra egg for the eggwash

SAUCE
150 ml red wine
300 ml prepared brown gravy
5 ml pink (or green) peppercorns
15 ml butter
15 ml cake flour
25 ml fresh cream

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Season lamb loins, seal and remove from the heat. 2. Brush each loin with the honey mixed with the mustard. Wrap each loin in 2 spinach leaves. 3. To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt together in a food processor mixing bowl. Form a well in the centre and place the butter and egg in the well. Using the kneading attachment quickly work all the ingredients together, gradually adding the water to form a pastry dough. Form dough into a ball and allow to rest for 1 hour. 4. Once pastry has chilled, divide it into 4 pieces and roll out. Cover each loin in a piece of pastry and brush with a little eggwash. 5. Bake parcels in a 180 ºC oven for 15 minutes or until pastry is cooked. 6. For the gravy, heat wine and add brown gravy, simmering until quantity is reduced by a third. Add peppercorns. 7. Mix butter and flour together and using pea-sized pieces whisk until the sauce is of pouring consistency. Finish by stirring in the cream. 8. Pour sauce onto a plate, cut lamb loin parcel in half and place in sauce.

The recipe was taken from the Food24.

Please visit Health24

Stellenbosch was named as one of the World’s Top 10 wine destinations.

TripAdvisor is the the world’s largest travel community and they announced the top 10 wine destinations in the world, according to TripAdvisor editors and traveler popularity.

This lists includes Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, Champagne and of course Stellenbosch.
Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor added that in addition to supplying some of the finest wines to the world, these destinations offer visitors outstanding hotels, restaurants and wine tours.

This what they wrote about Stellenbosch, Bordeaux and Tuscany.

Great Escape: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Home to one of South Africa’s most visited wine routes, Stellenbosch is the heart of the Cape Winelands region, with more than 100 wine cellars to visit surrounding the culturally rich center town of Stellenbosch.

Geaux Bordeaux: Bordeaux, France
Perhaps the world’s most famous wine destination, the Bordeaux region of France has long been renowned for its vineyards that produce everything from delicious table wines to the most expensive bottles in the world. In Bordeaux, the French passion for food and wine unite for a sensational wine-tasting experience.

Keen on Chianti: Tuscany, Italy
Famed for its reds like Chianti and Montalcino, the Tuscany region of Italy is a delight for the senses. Celebrated not only for its vineyards and its cuisine, its sheer natural and historic beauty make it one of the world’s most sought-after destinations and a magical place to taste the local “vino.”

For the full list: TripAdvisor

The fifth biennial Cape Wine trade show will again be held in the state-of-the-art Cape Town International Convention Centre from 23 to 25 September 2008.

A stone’s throw from the city, international hotels and the famous V&A Waterfront, this spacious venue is only 25 minutes’ drive from the winelands. The entire South African wine industry enthusiastically supports Cape Wine and more than 300 wineries will exhibit over 4 000 wines. Join trade visitors and journalists from all over the world in networking with the South African winemakers and discover the huge variety of wines, from garagiste bottlings and value brands to icons in the making.

Kumkani as well as other brands from the company of wine people™ will be present. Visitors are invited to visit our exhibitions. Other brands from the the company of wine people™ include Arniston Bay , Versus, Thandi and Welmoed

For more info about The Cape Wine Trade Show visit: Cape Wine 2008

South African wine exports to the UK have increased by 26% in the past 6 months.

Mike Dennis reports on the Talking retail website that South Africa is the fastest growing category in the UK off-trade market.

Dennis further states that global exports of South African wine are up 31% by volume from January to July 2008, when compared to the same period in 2007. The UK, South Africa’s number one export market, has seen an increase of 26% during this period, giving the UK a 27% share all South African wine exports.

Jo Mason, UK market manger, Wines of South Africa, said: “It is fantastic to see South Africa performing so well in one of its most established export markets. The country enjoys an enviable image in the minds of UK consumers and the quality and value for money the country offers is clearly having an impact.

Brands with strong African roots are establishing it in the UK wine market. Kumkani is one of the prime examples.

Kumkani is derived from the Xhosa word Umkumkani. Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the world’s most famous Xhosa could aptly be referred to by the word Umkumkani, which means regal.

The Southern Star website indicate that the terroir of the region allows grapes to develop with rich full flavors. These have been captured by the wine making team to create a range of superbly balanced, deeply delicious wines.

Sources:
Talking Retail

www.southernstarz.com

Some basic tips on selecting the help you pick a good bottle of wine.

Traditionally, red goes with meat and white with fish or fowl.

If you are having lighter foods, select lighter bodied wines.

Heartier dishes go with more full-bodied wines. This is because a heavier wine will overpower a delicate dish, and a lighter wine won’t even be felt with a heavier dish.

Consider the way the dish is prepared (grilled, fried, roasted, etc.) and the type of sauce or spice used.

A sweeter sauce needs a more delicate wine than one that has a zesty flavor.

Wine by itself tastes different than wine with food and you want to find some balance between the two so that neither one overpowers the other.

Sweet foods like a honey mustard glaze or teriyaki will go well with off-dry wines to balance the flavor because the sweet sauce makes the wine seem even drier.

Acidic foods like salads or certain appetizers or even fish served with lemon go well with wines a bit higher in acid — not too acidic though.  Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are all good choices.

Big tannin red wines will go great with steak or lamb chops, as the fat in the meat tones down the bitterness of the wine — a good choice would be a Syrah.

When you look at a bottle of wine you want to become familiar with the type of grape used, the year and the estate — you want to know where the wine is coming from.

Estate is used to designate grapes that come from the wine — maker’s vineyards. Reserve should indicate a wine maker’s best product, but it’s often an over-used term. Cuvee means the wine comes from many different base wines.

When you’re ready to taste your selection, start by paying attention to how it feels in your mouth. A full-bodied wine is heavy and rich, while a light-bodied one is feathery. The wine may also feel silky or dense. It can taste earthy (meaning you can almost savor the rich soil of the vineyard), fruity, sweet (due to the presence of sugar), dry or oaky with a vanilla toasty flavor that comes from aging the wine in oak barrels (like Chardonnay).

The aftertaste or the finish is just as important. Does the flavor of the wine last for a long time? (The longer it lasts, the better the quality of the wine.) Is it bitter or sweet?

As always though, what’s traditional might not be for you.  After all, wine has been enjoyed for centuries longer than wine traditions have existed. So don’t be shy. Experiment and find what you like, and you can’t go wrong.

Source: www.cnjonline.com