It's great that we're suggesting you not only drink wine - but that you drink a lot of wine! There are proven methods for learning about wine tasting, we'll keep it as simple as possible.
You need a method that will help you remember what you've tasted, how to retain the information gained by your nose and your mouth. You need several wines open at once, but with a common thread such as all from the same grape or all from one region or one producer. This allows you to make comparisons that are meaningful.
To begin - you've chosen your wines, let's say Merlot from France, Chile & South Africa. Open the bottles and pour each taster / guest a glass - do not fill the glass too full.
You now have a Flight of Wines to taste. The order for tasting is : Look, Swirl, Smell then Taste - so
Lift the first glass, tilt over a piece of white paper - you're checking for the age of the wine. If there is a transparent ring at the top - this is a young wine. If it's more dense, it's a more mature wine. Check out the colour, density & life of the wine in your glass - from the start you're looking for something that appeals to you - making choices.
Swirl the wine in the glass - give it a good swirl! This encourages the wine to breathe, which allows the flavours to open up. Stick your nose right into the glass - and take a really good sniff. Think about what you're smelling - spices, flowers, fruits, minerals, smoke, leather. Make notes, it all helps you to remember. Doing this in a group also helps as some people identify what they're smelling quicker - they are just able to put a finger on it straight away. This might help you clarify what you're smelling. After doing this a few times, you'll find that the smells are easier to identify.
Taste - that's take a good sip of the wine, hold it in your mouth for 5 to 10 seconds - sucking the wine through your teeth aerates the wine, which encourages the flavours to develop. You can spit or swallow - you're probably not going to taste a 100 wines - so it doesn't matter. Again make notes.
Then on to the second wine. And - repeat the process. You might want to go back to the first - sniffing and or tasting. Refresh your palate with water or water biscuits.
Your notes should help you identify the smells & tastes that most appeal to you - making it easier to go shopping for a wine you might like. We do regular tastings, not just for wines that we're thinking of buying for D'Arcy Wine Merchants - but also wines from other shops - because we're interested and like trying new wines. Wine tasting should be an on-going discovery of pleasure - but we would say that wouldn't we!!
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The Loire Valley in France is home to some of the best known vineyards & wines in the world, and of course stunningly beautiful chateau, some 300 or more. The river itself, the towns, vineyards & chateau are just part of the reason for this area becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The central part of the river valley, between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, was added in 2000. The area is called 'The Garden of France' due to the vast acreage of vineyards, fruit & vegetable fields that line the banks of the river. People have lived in this area since the Middle Palaeolithic times - Yes, okay, we had to look that up too - about 30,000 to 100,000 years ago!! No wonder the area is referred to as 'The Cradle of France'. So, just a little history to be found here.
Loire wines have a lightness, a freshness that make them so appealing. There is no such thing as a heavy Loire wine, nor a high-alcohol Loire wine. When you consider that the Loire stretches from a source near Beaujolais, 630 miles to the Atlantic it is remarkable that the wines are so consistent in character. The climate here is moderate, it never gets too cold in winter and not too hot in the summer. Vines grow well here because of the river and it's many tributaries, which raise temperatures just high enough and long enough into the Autumn for harvesting.
The countryside in the Loire Valley is beautiful. The grand elegant chateau, historic & ancient cities & towns all set along the meandering river. A special place to explore. And, if you like wine, this is a good place to spend a few days or weeks even, visiting vineyards!
Chateau Chenonceau
The four major wines / grapes in the area are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne (better known as Muscadet) & Cabernet Franc. The Sauv Blanc is where we want to concentrate for this blog.
On a conical hill in the eastern reaches of the Loire, the city of Sancerre dominates the vineyards that tumble down the slopes of pure white chalk. Small villages, packed with wineries, are linked by roads packed with tractors. In the valley just to the east, the Loire River divides Sancerre from its neighbour Pouilly-sur-Loire, where Pouilly-Fumé is produced.
Sancerre
This is the spiritual heartland of Sauvignon Blanc. From here, the grape has spread around the world, bringing its unforgettable grassy and citrus aromas, flavours of grapefruit and gooseberry to millions of wine drinkers. What is it about this grape that has so enchanted wine drinkers? It is the simple, fruity purity above all. It is exuberant, bright, great with food and as an apéritif. Our Sancerre Selection
In the Loire, Sauvignon Blanc is also a grape of terroir, of several different terroirs in fact. Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre should be balanced with Fruit, Body & Minerality.
Across the river, in Pouilly-sur-Loire, Pouilly Fumé is generally richer, a product of the greater amount of clay in the soil. The wines start awkwardly, and only after three years do they start to show their ripe, full-bodied character. One to try : Domaine du Petit Soumard Pouilly Fume
In their different ways, producers in both these appellations craft “serious” Sauvignon Blanc—that is, Sauvignon Blanc that can have complexity and some potential for aging. They are not always inexpensive: Some of the top Sancerres and Pouilly Fumés can sell for upwards of £30, although they are also available for around £16
In Touraine, to the west of Sancerre, the Sauvignon Blanc is for pure, early-drinking pleasure. Touraine Sauvignon Blancs are a good bet when looking for a Sauivgnon Blanc that is going to deliver on quality, taste and price. Our Domaine du Pre Baron Touraine SB at £9.20 is an excellent example.
]]>Vegan wines? A question that gets asked again and again - 'Why are wines not vegan?' Or 'How can wine be anything but vegan?' Surely wine is made from grapes...
We'll try and explain as simply as possible.
The grapes are picked, sorted, de-stemmed and crushed. The juice is then separated from the skin & grape pulp by pressing - either before fermentation (for white wine) or after fermentation (for rose and red wine).
The fermentation turns the sugar in the grapes into alcohol, giving us wine.
At this point the wine is usually cloudy, but most of us want a nice clear wine and definitely no bits such as grape skin or dead yeast cells. So the bits are removed by various methods. Racking, a method which lets the sediment fall to the bottom of the container, then the wine on top is pumped out into another container
Another widely used method for clarifying wine, is Fining. It is this process that makes a wine suitable for vegans or not. Fining agents remove the cloudiness, all the tiny bits of skin etc.. Wine producers can choose from a range of fining agents, which are made from animal or mineral origin. Animal based fining agents are usually egg whites, casein (a protein from milk), gelatine or isinglass (from fish bladders), so of course these would not be acceptable for a vegan diet. Fining agents from a mineral source are bentonite clay or activated charcoal from carbon. Filtration is another option which can be used either with or without fining.
Some argue that as all fining agents are removed from the wine, then the wine is still vegan friendly. However, as the fining agents touch the wine, then vegans need to know that. There are many wine producers in Europe who do not state on their labels whether the wine is suitable for vegans or not - most of them will be, but of course you don't know for certain, either way.
We've been talking about sulphites for years - low sulphite or sulphite free. Whether the wine is organic and or biodynamic, Vegan friendly is another category to add to the label, all part of our lifestyle changes and awareness. Another step to finding the right wine for you.
We have tagged all the wines that we know for certain that are Vegan in our range. If you type Vegan into the Search box the whole selection will appear. This selection is being added to all the time.
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When you read a wine critic's views on a wine, you tend to follow someone you like - who tells it as you like it. Not sure this is objective, but it works for most of us. When tasting in a group there are many variables that get us talking - temperature being just one. Wine served too chilled is worrying - what are they trying to hide? Wine served too warm can be soo disappointing - Oh! and plain wrong. Temperature isn't the wines' fault!!!
I love the term 'dead soldier' when referring to wines at wine tastings. Drinkability should have a strong link to what's popular, and surely the first bottle finished (dead soldier) at a tasting is popular. So a combination of traditional scoring & drinkability is how best to judge wines.
Wine critics' taste large numbers of wines at one time. Scoring, marks, codes are needed to catalogue and remember what you've tasted. There are many ways of scoring - some score out of 100, very American and can be confusing. Janice Robinson scores out of 20 - reckoning that most wines score between 15 and 18.5, but variables creep in?? When given the price we are all hugely influenced as to what we expect - is that fair? Well I expect more from a wine costing £30 a bottle, than I do from a bottle costing £6!
Robert Parker, probably the best known wine critic came up with point scoring for wine in the 1980's, many adopted this approach. Wine Spectator's format of 100-Point Scale is widely quoted, wines achieving 90+ are boasted about - non-achieving wines of 75 or lower are not talked about. Simple? Maybe, maybe not - it's again subjective to that person's palate, or perhaps your palate. Different critics will all score differently for the same wine - so beware, the system is merely a good guide. The system really is designed to judge that the wine is typical for it's region & style.
winefolly.com suggest a good comparison : At a Dog Show, the winning dog is the one that most typifies the breed. If a dog has unique markings or funny legs not typical for the breed, it won't be rated as highly.
Remember that you only really see wines rated 85+ on the shelve, any lower and it's not talked about. But - you might really like that wine. Once again - it all comes back to opening that bottle and tasting it for yourself.
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Memory
Recent research at Reading University has shown that moderate drinking of champagne each week has the potential to help with cognitive functions such as memory. Now - they did do this research using rats....but...we understand there's a willing waiting list of people queuing up to participate, and not just pensioners. Interesting!
Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne NV £35.00
Heart
Champagne is made predominantly from red wine grapes. So just like red wine, sparkling wine contains high levels of polyphenols – antioxidants found in red grapes but less so in white grapes. Polyphenols can lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems. So - drinking champagne regularly and in moderation, has the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Paul Herard Champagne Brut Blanc de Noir NV £21.99
Drunk Quickly
Not sure about this one being good for you - but it's due to the bubbles. It was decided that fizz gets into the blood stream quicker as a result of the carbonation 'rushing' the alcohol from the stomach to the small intestine. Well that certainly gets the party, reception going quicker. Drink water as well as champagne to re-hydrate, that will help with the crash that follows the buzz you get from a few quick glasses of Fizz.
Ayala Brut Majeur Champagne NV £27.50
Skin Care
“Champagne detoxifies the skin with antioxidants and lightening tartaric acid helps even out the skin tone,” says dermatologist Marina Peredo. “For those with oily skin, its antibacterial properties aid in leaving last year’s breakouts behind.” Are we really going to wash in champagne?? And - no-one ever has any left over.
Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne NV £39.99
Less Fattening
Champagne has fewer calories than white wine, well as long as you drink Brut. So a healthy diet option too!
Now that we know Champagne is good for you - will it still feel like such a luxury? Well treating yourself is good for you too - so it all sounds like a Win, Win situation to us.
]]>Rules to follow : You need a place that has consistent cool temperature. Ideally 58 degrees fahrenheit. Bit like the good furniture - you don't want direct sunlight hitting the bottles. So a cool, dark place. Wine is best stored on it's side, and it's best not to move the bottles. So somewhere you don't have to move to get at the Christmas decorations etc..
If you've got a basement - perfect! Use it! If you've converted your basement and put in central heating, then it might not follow the typical basement rules. Basements are usually cool in summer, yes a bit colder in the winter, but the temperature is maintained far more evenly than above ground rooms. So as long as the heating doesn't kick in, your basement is perfect for storing the wine collection. If wine warms up, it accelerates the aging process - not good if the book says suitable to drink in 10 years, you might find you should have drunk that special bottle five years back. If you keep your home cool all year round, then keeping wine in a dark room, or at the bottom of a dark cupboard would be fine too. The cooler you keep the wine, the better - but remember, freezing is not good either!! Humidity is essential too! If the storage area is too dry, then the corks will dry out - just putting a bucket / bowl of water in the room will solve this.
Storage needn't be expensive. Although a Walk In Wine Cellar is on our wish list, we think you can use what you've got for storage. Use any old shelves. We have Ikea shelves, old & battered, covered in paint - then we have a length of 1 inch x 1 inch wood between each bottle. An old chest of drawers would do. If you have space - try pallets. Rapid Racking (rapidracking.com) do a nice chrome shelving system, not expensive and can be added to.
Keep a record of your wines. One of the most popular sites is Cellar Tracker (cellartracker.com). Great for information on your wines, their online cellar management tool tracks your collection, see its value, and much more. Users of Cellar Tracker are managing 60 million + bottles.
Not all wines are to be kept for 10 yrs to achieve maximum potential. In fact most wine producers make wines to be drunk young. Keep these somewhere handily close - in the fridge or on a rack. As long as the wines aren't in direct sunlight or heating and cooling excessively, they will drink very nicely indeed!
Anyone can have a Wine Cellar, and it needn't cost a lot. Save your money to spend on the wine!
]]>......think most of us have had one these, especially when younger and starting out on our wine journey. For most of us the problem is not the wine, but drinking too much wine and not enough water. Drinking wine causes dehydration - this is what causes those horrible headaches at the end of a long night of drinking. But drink a glass of water to every glass of wine and you should be fine! Just be conscious of how much you are drinking and hydrate yourself accordingly.
Unfortunately for some, you don't have to drink a lot to get the headache. So what causes these kinds of headaches and how can we avoid them?
There are three main culprits and solutions, but before we explain them, we want to clear up one myth – sulphites do not cause headaches. While sulphites can cause asthma symptoms, they do not cause headaches.
On to the three major headache-inducing culprits:
Tannins : Tannins are naturally found in the grape skins, seeds and stems. For most of us tannins create no headache at all, in fact tannins are a great antioxidant source. But if you think red wine and particularly the tannins found in red wine, are your headache cause try this quick test. Brew a cup of strong black tea, allow it to steep for five or ten minutes. Black tea is strong in tannins. Drink the tea. If you get a headache - you're susceptible to tannins. Another quick test - dried mangoes or apricots have 4-10 times higher sulphites than wine, if you are sensitive to sulphites try eating these dried fruits as a check. If headaches do occur after the dried fruit or tea test then you probably are sensitive. Avoiding red wine will sort the problem of wine headaches. Remember chocolate, tea and soy are all high in tannins.
Sugar : Alcohol and sugar are two substances that when combined can create a rotten headache. When your body consumes alcohol or sugar, you need lots of water in order to help process the substances. If you are not well hydrated, your body starts to pull the necessary water it needs from other parts or your body, including your head. As the liquid in your head starts to deplete, a headache forms. To prevent this problem, avoid sweet dessert wines and white wines such as Riesling that are labelled semi-dry or sweet (if you enjoy Riesling but don’t want the sugar headache, make sure the wine is labelled as dry). Also to be avoided are cheaper wines, which tend to have more sugar due to the fact that mass producers add sugar during fermentation in order to boost the alcohol.
Histamines : Histamines are chemicals that are released when we have an allergic reaction and can cause symptoms such as a runny nose, dry eyes and a headache. Recent research has found that food and drinks that have been aged, such as dry aged meats and red wines, can cause our body to release histamines and create these allergy-type symptoms. To prevent a histamine headache, simply take a histamine blocker such as Claritin prior to having a glass of red wine.
A quick repeat - for most of us simply drinking too much wine causes the headache and not enough water. Drink more water or stop before drinking too much wine. Don't eat sugary things with wine.
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