Still, there are many who feel that the world of wine loving is not as yet open to them. With so many wines to choose among, where do you begin? How do you properly enjoy a red or white and with what meals would they be best?

Let’s look at some very basic tips to maximizing your exploration of red wines.

Don’t spend a ton of money on a bottle of wine. Leave that for later, once you’ve begun to explore beyond the brands and varietals that you like. There are so many wonderful and delicious wines that are available for somewhere between $5 and $8 a bottle, that you really should not need to drop $20 or $30 for a bottle of wine…at least not yet.

Don’t buy local, yet. Often, your local wine store is stocked with bottles from the local vineyard (if there is one). These can be wonderful, or they can be vinegar. It really can be something of a crap shoot. So, unless you live in the Napa valley, or some other area that is renown for its wine-making efforts, stick with something that is nationally or internationally distributed.

Stick with a varietal, for now. In other words, pick a wine that is primarily made from one type of grape, i.e. a Shiraz, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc. Try to avoid blended reds to begin with, though they can be quite delicious. By learning the flavors of the varietal grapes, you’ll better understand what it is about the blend that you like. Avoid flavored wines or coolers that you can get at your local convenience store. These are little more than non-bubbly soda pop with alcohol in them and can lead to a nasty headache as they are hastily made from the least pure ingredients.

Start with a nice Merlot from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or Chile. These vineyards are usually able to balance cost with quality quite nicely. The reason I recommend Merlot is that of all the red varietals, it is the gentlest, and complements a broad menu of meals.

Reds like to breathe. Open the bottle and let it sit for ten minutes or so. This allows oxygen to get at the wine and mature it quickly. For that matter, pouring the wine into the glasses and allowing it to sit for ten to twenty minutes accelerates this process. You’ll find the flavor is much enhanced by this approach.

Reds at Room Temperature and Whites Chilled. A simple rule that does not always apply but is a good guide, nonetheless. Chilling a red removes many of the subtleties of flavor for which you buy the wine in the first place and slows the wine’s ability to mature with exposure to oxygen. Keep them room temperature.

I mentioned earlier that many of the “rules” of wine loving have been discarded, or at least loosened, such as ‘red wine with red meat or pasta and white wine with fish or poultry.’ While these are not bad guidelines, they really are not carved in stone and nowadays waiters and even the seasoned gourmand will not turn up his/her nose at a guest who asks for a red with fish or enjoys a nice, tart Chardonnay with a burger.

Merlot with what? While a Merlot can be a perfect complement for a spaghetti dinner (particularly if you have a nice buttery garlic bread), it can easily sit beside a pork chop or fried chicken dinner. A Merlot is a lovely, non-pretentious start to your journey and should open the door nicely to a journey of wine loving.

OK, Now What? Try a few different brands of Merlot from competing vineyards. Note the differences in style and substance. I’d recommend sticking to those south of the equator to begin with. Once you feel like you’ve tasted a number of Merlots and are acquainted with the differences, then move on to a Cabernet Sauvignon and begin your journey anew. I’d hold off on Shiraz, Syrah, Petite Syrah or Beaujolais until you have a basic appreciation of Merlots and Cabernets, but once you do, then dive in to the heavy, heady, peppery joy of the stronger reds. Once you feel like you really understand and can note the differences of the red varietals, start exploring the blends or the truly excellent California varietals. Good luck and enjoy!

Some experts say moderate drinking during pregnancy is okay, but there are others who believe taking even one drink is like very dangerous for the baby’s health.

The thing that is not debatable is that whatever women eat or drink while pregnant goes directly through your bloodstream into the placenta so literally if a pregnant woman takes a drink — a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail — the unborn child takes the same.

For the unborn child, the alcohol interferes with his ability to get enough oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs. Research has shown that a developing foetus has very little tolerance for alcohol and infants born to mothers who drink during pregnancy can have serious problems. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects which develops in some unborn babies when the mother drinks “too much” alcohol during pregnancy. A baby born with FAS, or even with the lesser Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), can have serious handicaps and therefore could require a lifetime of special care. There is even some research that indicates that women who plan to get pregnant should stop drinking before they even conceive.

The debate raised by the Department of Health is about how much is “too much” because until now it was said that the only safe limit is no alcohol at all. The Department of Health said that pregnant women and those hoping to conceive can safely drink up to two glasses of wine a week without harming the foetus.

Dr Raja Mukherjee, an expert on the disorder who works at St George’s hospital medical school in Tooting, London, called for pregnant women to cut out alcohol completely, and said the UK’s binge drinking habits were of particular concern: “There is an increasing literature of evidence, however, to suggest that binge drinking as well as low doses of alcohol can cause damage.”

The Department of Health said the research cited at the conference had been reviewed in March as part of the government’s alcohol harm reduction strategy, and that the two units a week limit was considered to be safe.

When you are at a wine tasting, you taste the wine with a group of people, sometimes familiar people, sometimes strangers, making it a great opportunity to get ideas from others. Other people will have tried different bottles of wine to you previously and will be happy to share their views on which wine goes with which type of food and how to keep wine at its best once the bottle has been opened.

Wine tastings happen regularly across the country and beyond. They are usually held in interesting locations in city centres, such as art galleries, museums, or other heritage buildings. They often have producers of wine in attendance as well as experts, to guide you through the evening and offer advice if needed.

In addition to wine on offer, canapés or hors d’oevres are often served as well, making for a great night out, discovering new tastes and hopefully finding a new wine to fall in love with.

Not only are wine tastings a great way to get to know a new wine, it is also a fantastic way to meet fellow wine lovers and who knows, by the end evening, you could have made a new friend or two.

Most wine tastings only last for a couple of hours – any longer and you would have forgotten the first wine that you have tried. It is a good idea to make sure you don’t drink too much too quickly, as you will be mixing different types of wine, and you don’t want to end up buying something you didn’t really like, or having a splitting headache in the morning.

Wine tastings are held all over the country, from Bristol to Durham, at Lancaster to Salisbury.

There is bound to be one close to you. In addition to wine tastings, some companies hold wine dinners, where you get to taste wine in conjunction with indulging in a great meal.

Wine tastings come in a couple of different formats. There is a more formal, intimate set-up, which could feature fine wines and more information on a smaller number of wines. There is also the less formal setting where you walk around tasting a larger variety of wines, but this lacks the intimacy and the expertise of the more formal gathering.

If you are interested in wine tastings, why not check out an independent online retailer where you will find more information on this service.

Most likely, when you taste a wine from a barrel it is not ready for release. Barrel tasting provides the opportunity to taste a wine that may be months or years away from bottling and sales. Although the wine may taste good, try to determine what additional aging may do for it. Is the wine balanced or is the alcohol, acidity, oakiness, or fruit predominant?

In April of 2007, we had the opportunity to attend a barrel tasting at Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery in Leon, Virginia. Brad Hansen, the winemaker, led 40 people down a flight of stairs from the spacious tasting room. We entered a large rectangular shaped, barrel aging room with a curved ceiling. Small overhead lights provided subdued lighting. Barrels lined the walls of this room except for two alcoves that had beautiful murals painted depicting scenes from the old world wine country.

In the center of the room a long, wood table was set with wine glasses, cheeses, olives, crackers and water. Brad welcomed everyone and indicated that this barrel tasting was in appreciation of the wine club members. He chose four wines to show us a “picture of what’s going on in production.”

Brad began the tasting with the history of Prince Michel vineyards. He discussed the challenge of the vineyards on the land next to the winery and the direction the new owners have taken. Sixty percent of the Chardonnay crop around the winery was lost due to 16° – 19° weather in mid April. The previous weather was warm and the buds began to swell and leaves began to pop out when they were hit by the very cold weather. The buds turned brown and dropped off. Brad explained that the difficulty in this area of Virginia is that cold air rolls down the mountains and settles right over this area. So Chardonnay vines planted just minutes away are fine. Fortunately, Prince Michel owns or has partnership vineyards throughout the Virginia Commonwealth. They acquire most of the Chardonnay from a vineyard on the Eastern shore. The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay keep the land on the Eastern shore warmer. The recent sub-freezing temperatures around the winery did not affect the Chardonnay grapes on the Eastern Shore area. By having partnership vineyards throughout Virginia the “risk is spread around.”

The first wine Brad offered the group was Petit Manseng. This is a new grape planted for Prince Michel and Brad is very pleased with the first release that will be for sale in just a few weeks. Brad produces this wine in a dry French style. The Petit Manseng grape can produce very high sugar levels and make a very sweet wine. Brad harvests this grape early while the sugar levels are low. We enjoyed this wine. Although dry, it seemed sweet and had a very nice bouquet and a good balance between the citrus fruit flavors, acid and alcohol.

The next wine we tasted was a barrel selected 2006 Chardonnay. This wine will see another eighteen months in the barrel before release. It was out of balance at this point, with too much oak flavor. Brad explained that over the next eighteen months, the dead yeast cells will give the wine flavors and the fruit flavors will become more intense and balance out.

We then tasted a barrel aged Syrah done in the French style. This was a very light Syrah and Brad is thinking of blending it with about five percent Merlot. It will see several more months in the barrel before release in the fall of this year. The final wine tasted was a Cabernet Sauvignon that has a summer release date. Brad explained that he would like to use this wine in a blend of Prince Michel’s Symbius, a Bordeaux style blend.

During the tasting, most people drank the wine and only a few people dumped their wine in the dump buckets. While waiting for a serving of the wine, people frequently visited the table for the cheese, olives, crackers or water. After we tasted the Cabernet Sauvignon, Brad asked the group for questions. There were several questions. Do grape growers know what areas of Virginia grow the best varietals? What characteristics do you look for when blending Symbius? Brad explained that Virginia is new to wine and they are still discovering what areas grow the best varietals as well as experimenting with varietals that may do well in the various climates of the state. He talked about the success of the Viognier grape throughout the state. Brad believes that the Petit Manseng will also be successful. Brad pointed out that the wineries throughout the state produce similar wines. However, they seek their wines to be similar with a difference. “If our wine tastes the same as others, why come here?” Many produce a Bordeaux style blend. However, each of these blends is different. He will blind taste different wines until he comes up with what will make a blend for Prince Michele’s Symbius.

Be sure to check out your favorite wineries or wineries you have not visited yet, and see what type of barrel tastings they have to offer.

There are clones of this popular grape grown all over the world and the wines produced from Pinot gris can vary dramatically, depending where the grape is grown.

Two areas in particular stand out for the quality of wine made from the grape. Alsace in France is the traditional home of the grape, while Oregon in the United States has more recently produced Pinot gris wines of particularly high quality.

In Alsace, it is popular as a full-bodied wine, while in Italy there are some distinguished producers who produce some excellent wines. However, the bulk of Italy’s Pinot grigio producers harvest early to produce less satisfying results.

Pinot gris is often blended with Pinot noir wines to improve their flavor. It goes well with chicken, pork and seafood and remains a very popular choice, with only Chardonnay being more popular.

History

It has been recently discovered that the Pinot gris has an almost identical DNA profile to Pinot noir and that the difference in color is caused by a genetic mutation that is thought to have happened hundreds of years ago.

Earliest records of the cultivation of Pinot gris go back to the Middle Ages in Burgandy, France where the grape is thought to have been known as Fromenteau. Pinot noir was grown here around the same time and the popularity of both spread eastwards over time.

It was popular in Switzerland and Hungary, and was discovered being grown in Germany in the 1700s by the name of Rulander. A number of bad harvests threatened the use of the grape in many parts of Europe but certain strains of the vine proved more resilient and its cultivation continued.

Pinot gris is now grown in almost all of the major wine producing regions of the world, including France, Australia, Germany, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, Romania, Moldova, Belgium, the United States, and New Zealand.

As the list of regions above would suggest, the Pinot gris vine favors cool climates and is known to mature early. This can result in a sweet flavor or high alcohol content, depending how long it is fermented.

The color of the grape itself can also vary depending on the region in which it is grown. It can be found to show a greyish color, or else a pinkish brown.

The flavor of the wine it produces can also depend on where Pinot gris is grown, and of course from the wine making style. In Alsace, they are generally medium-bodied wines, often with lightly citrus flavors.

The German varieties are more full-bodied, while in Italy, where it is known as Pinot grigio, it produces a crisp, light-bodied taste. The newly popular Oregon Pinot gris wines are medium bodied with fruity flavors.

Regions

Alsace

The Alsace region is considered the home of the Pinot gris grape and is different here from anywhere else it is grown. The cool climate and soil of the region makes for a very high quality grape.

Australia

Since its grape’s introduction to the country in 1832, the southern state of Victoria has been producing wines going under the names of Pinot gris and Pinot grigio depending on the sweetness of the wine. Again, the temperate climate there and long autumns suit the grape and Australian Pinot gris wines remain popular.

Italy

Pinot gris is a long established and popular grape in Italy, where it is known as Pinot grigio. It is found growing in the north of the country in Lombardy and Alto Adige.

New Zealand

New Zealand’s cool climate also lends itself to the growing of Pinot gris. On the North Island it is to be found in Martinborough and Hawkes Bay, while in the South Island it is grown in Central Otago, Nelson, Marlborough and Waipara.

Oregon and California

After Alsace, Oregon is probably the most successful Pinot Gris growing region where the wine became quite a hit locally as an accompaniment to the generous amounts of fresh salmon caught in the region.

It was introduced to the region as recently as 1966 and within 30 years all of the main wineries in the region were growing the grape. There are more than 1,797 acres of Pinot gris being grown in Oregon today.

There are also healthy amounts (1,620 acres) of the grape grown in southern and central coastal regions of California. The wine is similar to the Italian Pinot grigio in taste, and often goes by the same name. However, the California variety has struggled to match the quality and the popularity of its Oregon counterpart.

1. The Whites:When your guests first arrive and are enjoying the appetizers a white wine is always the perfect choice. They are commonly lighter and drier and leave the palate fresh for the main entree’. Some of the whites such as the Chardonnay can also be introduced during a rich dinner such as “Coq a Vin”, with its beautiful creamy wine sauce. Another suggestion is the Sauvignon Blanc that is excellent served with a first course salad or shrimp cocktail or even a plate of delicate fish.

When toasting that special event in your life or the life of a loved one the whites are a perfect choice. The more common toasting wine for weddings and anniversaries is of course the more elegant choice of Champagne.

2. The Reds: Now you are ready to serve that special dish you have worked on all day and planned especially for your dearest friends you must choose just the right wine. This is when you go for the full bodied red. One of the most popular is a Merlot. Being a lighter red but still full bodied it is perfect for sautéed chicken, grilled pork or roasted lamb.

The Pinot Noir, while not as commonly served as a Merlot or Cabernet, is a unique blend of plum, vanilla and blackberry. Oregon produces Pinot Noir where the blackberries grow wild and are sweet and juicy. This wine will certainly be a hit.

When hosting a spicy Mexican meal the Shiraz is a perfect compliment with its peppery flavor that brings out the spiciness of your enchilada suiza or chili verde.

Italian food with its hearty and robust tomato sauces requires a Chianti. A Chianti can range in price and quality. You may be able to find one that is rather inexpensive but the quality is perfect for you.

A robust Burgundy would be the red to choose for a fine standing rib roast or delicate filet mignon.

As you can see from the suggestions above you may wish to have both a white wine and a red wine on hand when hosting a dinner. Some guests will most likely pick the wine they prefer and stay with that choice for the entire evening. Another may choose a white for the start of the evening and finish with a red. So always be prepared.

If you are a true wine connoisseur you may want to experiment with your own creations. Producing your own wine at home can be quite rewarding. You can make a variety of fruit wines that would actually be a great addition with most desserts.

A glass of red wine has taken a swan dive and landed not on your tile floor where it is easy to clean up but on to your very embarrassed guest and all over your furniture. It would appear that Murphy’s Law has struck again, but don’t panic, it is possible to get red wine stains out!

The first thing to do (aside from not panicking) when cleaning red wine spills is to remove the excess spillage. If the wine has been spilled on a couch or carpet take an absorbent cloth (something you don’t mind being stained) or paper towel and blot the excess wine, do not rub in any way! The point of blotting it to remove the wine without working it further into the fabric. If it was a piece of clothing that has been spilled on, remove the article and blot in the same manner.

Once the excess wine has been removed it is very important to rinse the carpet, furniture or clothing to dilute the wine before it has a chance to set in. The best method for this is going to vary on what exactly where the spill is. For clothing or other items that are easily removed, pour cold water from the backside. For items such as carpets and sofas pouring water directly onto the stain and blotting with an absorbent cloth immediately works best.

There is a good chance that this will not take the stain out completely. Carpet and furniture cleaner very well may need to be used. In the past I have had much success with Resolve cleaners for carpets, and for laundry there are many stain removers that should be helpful. A little trick my mother taught me which works wonders is Lestoil. I know some of you may be thinking to yourself that you always thought Lestoil was a floor cleaner, but when diluted with water and used as a soaking agent it works wonders on lots of stains including grease (when mixed with hot water) and wine (when mixed with cold water).

Of course even with all your best efforts there is always the chance that the red wine is going to be so stubborn that you need to call in the professionals. Carpets and furniture sometimes are dry clean only but it is still best to remove as much of the stain as possible while it is still wet because this will make it easier for the professionals to remove the remnants.

The key to ensuring effective stain removal is time. Do not let a stain sit for days or weeks before deciding to try to remove it and don’t wait a week before ringing a carpet cleaner because by then it might just be too late and the stain is now a permanent fixture. The same goes for clothing, don’t wait to wash your shirt or pants. I once watched a friend take a shirt out of the washing machine become horrified at the fact that the red wine didn’t come out of her top. When I asked her when she spilled on herself, she told me that it was from a week before. No wonder the stain didn’t come out!

In the end there is always going to be the possibility that the stain has decided that it never wants to come out or it will not come out completely. Taking the proper steps the moment a spill occurs can greatly reduce the chance of a permanent stain. There is no easy way to prevent spills and stains, aside from slipcovers or not serving red wine at social events, so when a spill does happen remember to stay calm, work quickly and to blot.

The bad qualities you may introduce via pairing wine and food in an incorrect form include extra sweetness, bitterness, alcoholic properties and non-desirable metallic flavors.

You can easily adopt several foolproof methods to pair food and wine in correct form. First and foremost, you should remember that the food and wine you want to pair should have similar characteristics. You should think of a porter if you want to have red wine in your lunch or dinner. The reason is that both these items have strong flavors. You should not mix and pair food and wine that consist of characteristics different from each other. Most people try to pair sweet wine with steak and end up getting undesirable results.

Mixing wine and food of different characteristics will prove to be a very bad experience for you. Proper pairing will work towards providing a distinct and pleasant element to your overall wining and dining experience.

Experts believe that wine with citrus taste will go well with chicken laced with butter and garlic sauce. You would simply love the outcome.

You should follow certain rules before starting off to prepare new dishes for wines with high alcohol flavor. High alcohol flavored wines should be combined with barbecued dishes such as barbecued meats. If you happen to pair your favorite wine with light flavored dish, then chances are that wine will overpower the dish. You will end up feeling that you have been just having a glass of wine for so long.

In case, you like wines that consist of a lot of tannin, then you should pair them with dishes rich in salt or protein content.

You can also enjoy desert wine via mixing sweet wine with your favorite dessert that is sweet in moderate amount. Do not look for sweets that have too much sugar content. This will over seventeen your dish.

You should also trust you own instincts prior to combining foods and wines together. Try to figure out what you want to drink and eat. Thereafter, slip some wine and take a bite of the food you have prepared in order to figure out what will suit your taste buds.

You should not go for wine that you don’t like or a dish you have never tried before. Experimenting is good but don’t try to go for anything that may provide you bad taste.

Best food and wine pairings result from a lot of research and experiment. You should learn a lot about wine, different types of cuisines and the results these provide when in combination. You would definitely be able to make great pairs if you make some efforts towards research work.

Now, if you grew up in Italy or France, you’ve probably been drinking watered down wine since you were about four or five years old. Catholics drink wine at mass every Sunday and wine is served with every single meal. It’s common practice and tradition. But in America, drinking wine has been something that’s been reserved for special dates or older connoisseurs. Recently, though, wine has found its way into the dorm rooms and apartments of a younger population.

So, you want to be a part of this growing trend. It’s easier than it sounds, but there’s still a little research that you’ll need to do. You can’t just head down to your local liquor or grocery store and pick up any random bottles of wine that strike your fancy. Do some research online. There are plenty of resources for determining what type of wine you’ll like best. And there are hundreds of different wines. And it’s best to get a range. Get five or six bottles. You’re already trying something new, so why not go all out? Be sure to ask your friends to bring over some wine of their own, too.

Next comes the cheese. Cheese is always a great thing to be eating along with wine, especially if you’ll be trying many different types of wine. You can also try out new types of cheese; there are literally thousands of varieties. Not all of them will go well with wine, but if you do a little homework and get a variety, you’ll do fine. Try looking at health food stores or Farmer’s Market.

You can’t have a wine tasting party by yourself, so be sure to invite a lot of friends, particularly members of the opposite sex if you want to impress them with your new, mature pastime. Make it clear that only wine is to be served. No other alcohol, period. Make flyer invitations. Lay out platters of sliced cheese ahead of time and be sure to have plenty of wine glasses. Drinking wine out of a paper cup just isn’t the same, according to Death Cab for Cutie. For some added fun, have your friends bring over some new music CDs and have an area clear for dancing.

Once you have a wine tasting party, I’m sure you’ll find that this could very well be a new hobby of yours. It may be something that you’ll want to take part in at events and when it comes to the next big date, you’ll be able to impress by knowing exactly what to order.

Basically, a wine cellar is a kind of storage room or storage lot for wines in barrels or bottles. The wines could also be plastic containers, amphoras and carboys. The cellars are generally and prominently situated completely underground. These also have a direct contact with the surrounding soil following small gaps in the initial foundations.

These wine cellars provide the opportunity for protection of alcoholic beverages from prominently and typically harmful external factors. Moreover these provide a constant apt temperature and darkness to the wines. These are also used as modish surrounding for tasting of wine.

Well, the cellar management and wine management systems are reciprocals and dependent on each other. So let us study the various aspects of cellar management in the context of wine management system.

There are 4 basic elements that you need to manage in the wine cellar for elongated and effective storage of wine. These four elements are basically position, light, temperature and humidity. These four aspects need to be taken care off well, so that that every wine that comes out of the cellar tastes fine and people can enjoy it.

Position and Peace

The first thing which plays an essential part in cellar and wine management is the peace and position of the wines. The bottles need to be kept safely in a horizontal manner, so that they are not disturbed in any case. The reason that the bottles should be laid horizontally is that they should always be in touch with the cork and thus get prevented from drying. If the cork dries out, then the bottle would get affected by the bacteria, fungus and yeast, and this would later create off flavors in the wine.

It should be also ensured in the cellar room that the wine remains undisturbed for a very long time. As the time would pass, the wine would age and change itself in the bottle. It would continue to form sediments and these sediments should sink to the bottom of the bottle.

Temperature

Cellar management also requires that an appropriate temperature be maintained in the cellar. The wines in any case should be kept away from extreme cold temperatures and heat sources. The wines should not be stored in freezing temperatures which could cause the bottles to break. The wines should not be exposed to heat above 64F so that wines don’t get cooked up in the bottle and develop off flavors. So there should be maintenance of a constant temperature.

Light and Humidity

Wine should be protected from strong and direct sunlight as it could have an adverse effect on the body and aroma of the wine. Darkness is the best option that should be maintained in a wine cellar. The humidity factor should also be kept in mind and the humidity level should be maintained high to avoid cork shrinking from the outside.