Monthly Archives: April 2012

Apr 27 2012
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Wines for a Wedding

As a couple, you want your wedding day to be perfect, from a well-fitting dress to a stunning venue. It should be the memorable day you’ve dreamed of and that definitely includes having a bar stocked with wine.

Whether you are planning for a party of 20 or 200, figuring out which wines to serve, how much to serve, and how much it will all cost is a daunting task.  We have some helpful tips to make the wine selection an easy part of your planning.

Red, White, and Sparkling 

You should absolutely serve a white and red wine if the reception includes a meal or appetizers.  Our white wine picks include the ever popular Chardonnay, being the world’s favorite white wine you can’t go wrong.  And Sauvignon Blanc, it’s a versatile white that goes great with seafood, chicken, and vegetables.  Our red wine picks include Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.  Cabernet is always a hit with red wine drinkers and goes well with hearty meats. Unfortunately a good Cabernet can be rather expensive, so a Pinot Noir is great alternative.  It’s a softer red and more versatile when it comes to pairing with food.  Now when it comes to the bubbly, if you want to save money steer clear from Champagne and try an Italian Processco from the Veneto region.  Its refreshing and would be great for the big toast.  If you want to pair the bubbly with the wedding cake, go with a ‘demi-sec’ bubbly.  It has enough sweetness to stand up to the sweet dessert.

How Much to Serve

It’s always better to have too much wine than not enough.  You don’t want guests grumbling if it runs out before being done with dinner.  You should know that a standard 750-ml wine bottle holds 25 ounces, so it’ll serve five glasses filled at five ounces each.   For sparkling wine, being served in flutes, you’ll get four ounces in each glass serving 6 per bottle.  Now how much wine will your guests consume?  Caterers assume each guest will consume one-half bottle- 2 glasses- every two hours.  You can come up with a rough average based on how long your party will last.  If plan to have a four hour party then plan on one bottle per person.  Don’t worry, it might seem like a lot, but there are other beverages and not every one drinks wine (Shocking, I know).

Procuring the Bottles

The amount you’ll pay for wine depends on the venue you choose and the arrangements you make with them.  Many hotel, clubs, and restaurants will just offer what is available in their bars.  But if those aren’t appealing and you want a specific wine or bubbly, you can ask them to special order it for you.  (Attached with a special fee too!)   Now if the reception is taking place in a independent hall, you can usually bring your own cases of wine.  This will usually lower your alcohol costs, but beware you might be charged a corkage fee per bottle.  The fee covers the staff opening and pouring the wine, and makes up for some of the income lost since you didn’t buy wine from them.   If you are able to bring your own cases, check out mywinedeal.com.

Whether you are looking for great wines to go with your menu or the best bubbly for the toasts, options are plentiful to fit your budget or palate.

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Apr 23 2012
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A Wine Wedding

Wedding season has arrived so this week is dedicated to wine at weddings.  Whether you are planning your own or attending someone else’s,  you bet wine will be part of the celebration.

Brides (& Grooms), why not make it a wine wedding?  We have some ideas on how you can incorporate it before the wedding, during the ceremony, or at the reception.

Before the Wedding:  Sure you can use cork as a place card holder or people can sign a cork for the wedding guest book, but why not use cork for the save the dates.  These ‘its more than a crush’ are beautiful and unique.

The Ceremony:  Instead of unity candles or pouring sand, celebrate your unity with a wine ceremony.  The Rose is a symbol of love and it is the color that will be created when you pour together white and red wine.  The blend is a symbol of the couples love together.

Another idea is a time capsule.  Fill a pretty wooden box with love letters, mementos, a good bootle of wine (& one that ages) and nail it shut during the ceremony.  Keep it in a cool, dry place and open it on a special anniversary!

The Reception: I love, love, love the look of wine barrels used as tables.  You can use them as cocktail tables or tables to serve food and drinks.  Very rustic, chic!

Put wine bottles at each table with a customized wine label.  You can use them for the table number, dinner menu, or just a cute photo of the bride and groom.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, thank all of your of-aged guests for coming by giving them a bottle of your favorite wine.  It’ll top off your fabulous day for all your guests.

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Apr 18 2012
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Go Green by Drinking Green

Lately we have been pondering some ways we could ‘go green’.  We can ride our bikes to work, change to fluorescent light bulbs, plant a tree, or drink green wine.  And no, we don’t mean adding a splash of food coloring to your glass of Sauvignon Blanc. We are talking about eco-friendly wines.  So are you ready to go green with us?

In order for you tree huggers to start drinking green,  let us first help you establish the difference between organic, natural, and biodynamic wines.

Organic - Let’s get one thing straight, organic wine is different from wine ‘made with organically grown grapes’.  Organic wines are made with organic grapes and go along with all organic farming practices, like avoiding use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic wines cannot add sulfites while wine ‘made from organically grown grapes’ permits adding sulfites 100 ppm. (parts per million)

Natural – It is made as nature intended.  Meaning not only do they use organically grown grapes, but there is minimal intervention in the winemaking process.  With no added sugars or yeast, as well as minimal filtration and little to no added sulfites.  Natural wine is a newer technique and slightly more confusing since there is no certified body established.

Biodynamic – Biodynamic farming goes one step further than organic by trying to be in tune with nature.  To keep in tune, they watch the stars and planets to time what they do and/or make their own compost.  Biodynamic vineyards are treated as a self-sustaining organism.

So go ahead pick a green wine and celebrate by sipping back on some eco-friendly vino. But only after you plant a tree, pick up trash, and change to energy saving light bulbs of course!

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Apr 17 2012
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A Day Dedicated to Malbec

Today is Malbec World Day! Another holiday dedicated to celebrating wine? I think we all can get on board with that.  Its time to grab a bottle and celebrate with us.  But first, what do you know about Malbec?

Malbec is a purple grape variety, known as one of the ‘big six’,  used in making red wine.  It originates from the Bordeaux region of France, where they often use the grape for blending.  This grape has a deep, inky color with robust tannins and ripe fruit flavors giving it a jammy characteristic.  It’s also a thin-skinned grape that needs a lot of heat and sun to mature.  Today the two regions you will generally find Malbec are Cahors in South West France and Argentina.

But the real reason for Malbec World Day is Argentine Malbec.  Today, back in 1853, Domingo Faustion Sarmineto, a key political figure, submits a proposal to Argentina government to revolutionize Argentina’s wine industry.  With the help of Michel Aime Pouget, a French soil expert, vines of Malbec were brought over from France to be planted.

Malbec grapes form Argentina can produce flavors of big red and black fruit, black-pepper spice, soft tannins and a bit of earthiness.  And to top it off, Malbec goes great with grilled meat.  So fire up the grill and sip back on some Malbec as you celebrate Malbec World Day with us, cheers!

Go to www.MalbecWorldDay.com to find Malbec events near you!

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Apr 11 2012
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Does size matter?

The other day I was posed a question, ‘Is it true that the size of the indent on the bottom of a wine bottle indicates the quality of the wine?’   After never hearing this before, my search began – Does size matter?  And if not, what does the indent, formally known as the punt, mean.

What I found is that while some believe the depth of the punt indicates quality, there is nothing to prove that this theory is true.  So what’s its purpose?  Here’s what I found.

  1. Tradition -  Back in day wine bottles were made by hand.  They were free blown by using a blowpipe and something called the pontil rod.  Creating wine bottles in this fashion leaves the punt mark.  They left this mark so the wine bottles would not scratch tables or tip over.
  2. Functionality – The punt makes it easier to hold and serve.  Sommeliers can pour with one hand by placing their thumb in the punt and their other four fingers around the base of the bottle.
  3. Added Strength – A solid, thicker base adds strength to larger bottles.  It is especially useful in Champagne or sparkling wine bottles to hold the wine under pressure.  Also, it allows for these bottles to be stacked on top of each other during the second fermentation.
  4. Prevention – If you take an old bottle of red wine from your cellar and allow the sediment to settle, it will collect around the ring of the punt.  This allows you to pour the wine and prevent sediment from ending up in your glass.
  5. Marketing - Push the bottom of the bottle up and you have to make the bottle taller.  Also, it requires more glass making it heavier.  And therefore both will make you think you are getting more.

So why the punt exists today may never be known, but one thing is for sure- its here to stay!

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Apr 04 2012
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Cheers to Opening Day

Yes, baseball is back! The dream of your team making it to the World Series is renewed and maybe it’s finally ‘next year’ for the Chicago Cubs (Eh, probably not). And as soon as those words, ‘Play ball!’ are yelled, the smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs and stale beer will come racing back into our lives.

How about the smell of blackberries, caramel and smoke? Yes, I am talking about the aromas of wine and at a baseball park nonetheless. Wine lovers can finally rejoice! Because now you will start to hear ‘Get your wine here!’ from vendors walking around the park. As baseball parks amp up their food selection serving steak sandwiches, fried calamari and sushi, it just seems fitting to add wine to their venues too.

According to the Associated Press, Aramark, which runs the food and beverage service at Fenway Park, picks its wine carefully. By getting the inside scope of industry trends and running in-depth tasting sessions, they are now serving hot varietals like malbec and moscato along with the usual cabernets and chardonnays.

AT&T park of the San Francisco Giants, Citi Field of the NY Mets, Safeco Field of the Seattle Mariners, and Tropicana Field of the Tampa Bay Rays are some of the other stadiums going along with this great new trend. So Vino fans time to buy your tickets and relax as you watch America’s greatest pastime while sipping on the juice of your choice, cheers!

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Apr 02 2012
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An Early and Growing Appreciation of Wine

How does one “get into wine”?

This may come as a shock, but not everyone enjoys drinking wine. (WHAT?!?) I will allow for a moment of contemplation and relaxation after a bombshell of that nature.

As for me, I was blessed with parents who have a deep affection for wine.  It began when they made a trip out to the beautiful wine country of California.  They found the juice to transform their perspective and immediately joined a wine club or two.  They  went from having milk with dinner 7 nights a week to  sharing the occasional bottle of wine.

And years later it turned into my birthday request. I wanted to spend my 21st in Napa and Sonoma with my family.  This experience allowed me to go from ‘knowing’ about wine to understanding wine.  We can all learn to figure the differences between a Merlot and a Cab by just buying two bottles of equal value and sipping them side by side.  Even an untrained palate would be able to pick up subtle differences. However, spending time at a vineyard, seeing the process of grapes turned into a beautiful bottle and then sipping a glass expands this world of wine into infinite possibilities.

So what if you do not have the time or resources to travel to Sonoma, Napa, Willamette or any vineyard in the States, how should we introduce ourselves into the wine world?

Here are a few ways:

1.)  Tastings – bars, liquor stores or restaurants often hold tasting events. This are a great resource in learning some basics about wine. http://www.localwineevents.com will provide you with some options.

2.) Start of with some basic white and red wines.  White – start with a Riesling or Pinot Grigio.  Red – Pinot Noir or a California Blend.

3.) Throw the idea out to friend, who has a little more wine knowledge, to have a tasting party. Here are some basics for hosting one. (click here) Friends with more knowledge tend to be better teachers.  They understand how to communicate with you in order for you to learn more about wine.

4.) Try going 2 months straight of only ordering wine at restaurants. Be very open about not knowing much about wine and let the waiter/sommelier offer some possible eye opening recommendations.  Always write down what wines you loved and what wines weren’t for you.

Try a few of these and maybe you’ll have a new perspective on wine.

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