Understanding Wine Grapes
You will find that one of the easiest ways to get to know your way around wine flavors is through grape varieties. Each grape variety has specific characteristics. In some regions, one grape variety is used to make a wine; in others, winemakers blend several varieties in a single wine. To help you identify grape varieties, below is an overview of each of the major red grapes and their characteristics.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is the big daddy of the red wine world. It is like the Chardonnay, as it is widely planted and distributed.
The result of this is that there are so many versions of this grape. Many people think of Cabernet Sauvignon as being a wine that needs to age, but that is only because the best red Bordeaux need age. Most non-premium varieties are ready to go right away.Under ideal conditions, it produces an aromatic, tannic wine that ages and evolves to be both elegant and powerful. Perfectly balanced Bordeaux is one that has classic notes of black-currants, cedar, cigar boxes, pencils, mint and dark chocolate. Sounds delicious!GamayFor the most part, you will find Gamay produced as Beaujolais.
It mainly grows on the hills in south Burgundy. The aroma of a young Gamay is described as a wave of cherry and strawberry fruit. On the palate, Gamay wines are bright and crisp. They are moderate in alcohol and have very little tannin. Wines from Gamay grapes are ideal for all kinds of foods.MerlotMerlot started out as a Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and has risen to international popularity.
The great wines of Pomerol and St. Emilion in Bordeaux are based on Merlot with Cabernet in the blend. These wines show Merlot at its toughest and most intense. Merlot?s popularity is because it is softer, fruiter, and earlier maturing than Cabernet Sauvignon and displays some of the same aromas along with mint, and tobacco. In general, drink Merlot young.
Pinot NoirAt its best Pinot Noir is beautiful with a seductive silky texture and at its worst, it is heavy or flat. A good mature Pinot Noir has complex flavors of strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, violets, all-spice, tobacco and hay. Pinot Noir is relatively low in tannin and acidity and needs a cool climate to grow. Too much warmth, Pinot Noir can develop baked together flavors, losing its elegance.SangioveseA taste of Sangiovese and you will immediately conjure images of Italy. The name of the grape may not seem familiar, but it is the principal variety behind Chianti, Italy?s most famous red wine.
It is taken very seriously in Tuscany, and you will find it in California, Australia, and Argentina. It is naturally tannic and is best used in a blend, usually with Cabernet Sauvignon. It requires a hot climate in order to produce its required richness and alcohol content. In cooler climates, it tends to have sharp and bitter tannins.SyrahCalled Shiraz in Australia and South Africa, Syrah is one of the greats of southeastern France's Rhone Valley grape. At home in France, it produces wines that are smoky, herby, and austere.
Australian Shiraz tends to be richer, softer with a leathery quality and personally one of my favorites. All Syrah/Shiraz need a year or two from the vintage to hit its stride. Top wines will last about ten years.ZinfandelIt is disputable where this grape originated, but it is indisputably California's grape today, with almost no winemakers in other places producing it. The best Zinfandel is spicy and heartwarming. Other styles range from off white to high intensity sweet wines.
Try a bottle not more than three or four years old, because that's when the Zinfandel character is strongest..
My Book Contains "No Artificial Growth Hormones"
I don't usually get too excited about what I read in the news.
After all, what can I do about it?
But one item I recently saw made me jump up out of my chair.I rushed over to my clever lawyer's office."Look at this!" I proclaimed as I burst into his office.Clever Lawyer said nothing.
His client echoed his words with her ruby red lips.I placed the newspaper on his desk."Happy Guy, what are you doing here?" he wanted to know.
"We don't have a meeting.""Just look at this headline." I demanded, ignoring his irritating obsession with minute details.
"We should take action immediately."Slowly, Clever Lawyer picked up the newspaper and read the headline.
His eyes returned to me. "This says that Monsanto is suing Oakhurst Dairy for labels on their milk reading 'no artificial growth hormones'.
What does that have to do with you?""Don't you see?" I asked incredulously.
"Monsanto makes rBST, an artificial hormone for milk cows.
Fruit baskets > My Book Contains "No Artificial Growth Hormones"
Practice extreme self-care.
At times when life seems to be getting us down or we're going through a period of stress and uncertainty, it's important to take special care of ourselves!- Take time out. If you can get away from your usual environment then do so. Go away for the weekend or even a day ? do something different or something you enjoy and do it just for you.- Spend time with people you care about. Your friends and family know you best and will be supportive and there for you. It's wonderful how you find true friends when the chips are down.- Treat yourself.
Get pampered or whatever allows you to indulge yourself. Book a relaxing massage, get retail therapy, savour a glass of your favourite wine or spend a whole day reading a book.- Look after your body. At times of stress our eating habits change. We're more likely to reach for packaged or convenience foods. Buy fresh fruit and vegetables and provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to be able to deal with the stress.
Your...
Practice extreme self-care.
Fruit baskets > Practice extreme self-care.
Coffee--Everything You Need to Know From Arabica to Zanzibar
With a gourmet cup of coffee costing almost as much as a luncheon sandwich these days, more and more people are making their coffee at home from an "old fashioned" drip coffee machine.
Thanks to Starbucks and the other vendors out there, coffee from a can or a jar just doesn't work anymore.
Coffee has become the second most valuable item of international trade, just behind petroleum.
Worldwide, coffee lovers drink 2.25 billion cups a DAY!
To satisfy that thirst, the world's coffee growers, each year, produce about 6 million tons of green coffee beans and ship them to thousands of coffee roasters around the globe.
People who drink coffee range from those interested only in the caffeine "buzz," to the true aficionado, who, like wine connieseurs, are concerned with color, taste, quality and aroma.For valuable tips about coffee roasting and brewing, information about the latest scientific health studies dealing with coffee, and hundreds of articles,...
Fruit baskets > Coffee--Everything You Need to Know From Arabica to Zanzibar
My Book Contains "No Artificial Growth Hormones"
I don't usually get too excited about what I read in the news.
After all, what can I do about it?
But one item I recently saw made me jump up out of my chair.I rushed over to my clever lawyer's office."Look at this!" I proclaimed as I burst into his office.Clever Lawyer said nothing.
His client echoed his words with her ruby red lips.I placed the newspaper on his desk."Happy Guy, what are you doing here?" he wanted to know.
"We don't have a meeting.""Just look at this headline." I demanded, ignoring his irritating obsession with minute details.
"We should take action immediately."Slowly, Clever Lawyer picked up the newspaper and read the headline.
His eyes returned to me. "This says that Monsanto is suing Oakhurst Dairy for labels on their milk reading 'no artificial growth hormones'.
What does that have to do with you?""Don't you see?" I asked incredulously.
"Monsanto makes rBST, an artificial hormone for milk cows.
Fruit baskets > My Book Contains "No Artificial Growth Hormones"