10 Great Wine Tasting Tips
1. Try something new and you might be surprised. Let the staff make suggestions. Compare the wines aged in steel to those aged in oak.
1. Try something new and you might be surprised. Let the staff make suggestions. Compare the wines aged in steel to those aged in oak.
2. Take Notes especially if you are gone all day. Most wineries offer a list that will assist you on keeping track. When you get home to your local wine shop, you will appreciate having a cheat sheet.
3. Visit during off season. November through May is an excellent time. You might be only one of the few guests all day, so the staff can give you some extra time.
4. Ask Questions. Winery staff love to be engaged and help educate. They are trained to know a lot about the wines you taste.
5. Eat the crackers. They help you clean your palate and absorb the alcohol.
6. Don't just stick with the big-name wineries. Check out some of the smaller ones in the area.
7. The nose, knows. Try not to use too much perfume or aftershave. The aroma of the wine is half the fun of tasting.
8. Call ahead for large parties. If you call ahead some wineries will even arrange cheese and fruit trays.
9. Be patient. If you prefer to visit during the peak seasons, you will have a great time tasting, but it may take a minute or two for the staff to serve you.
10. To test for a really good wine, swirl it around the glass. Legs or tears are what is left trickling down the glass after swirling. The stickier and longer the legs the better the quality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A synopsis on Chianti Region.
Carneros Wineries And Wines
Although Carneros Wineries are located in both southern Napa and Sonoma Counties, the region has always had its own unique identity. Being a huge Pino...
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A Look at Wine Glass Racks
Any wine collection is not complete without a collection of wine glasses with which to drink the wine. Wine glass racks can store your stemware easily...
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Chianti Region Products we recommend
Forum Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Vinegar - Imported from Spain
Customer Review: Great stuff.
The first bottle showed up broken, and they rectified this situation nicely (of course I didn't need 2 phone calls...just what we ordered). But it's the thought that counts. They went overboard to make sure we were happy.
And the vinegar is a gem. Try it on a steak on the grill!
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Built NY® 32-oz. Tote
Customer Review: highly recommend this Built NY product
I have several other Built NY items, and my good luck with those items prompted me to make this purchase. This 32oz bottle tote attaches nicely to the rolling tote bag that carries my work everywhere I go, and my Sigg 1 liter bottle (which I carry 24/7) fits perfectly into this 32 oz Built NY holder. I just washed my Built NY striped lunch tote for (probably) the 10th time and it still looks like new, so I anticipate this bottle tote will be just as durable.
Customer Review: it's ok
I wanted to carry around my sigg on my belt, so i got this guy. It's ok as long as you aren't wearing a backpack as well. With the location of the belt loop, the bottle sits a bit higher on my waist than I'd like, and gets in the way of the backpack sitting nicely on your back or gets in the way of your arms if you wear it on the side. I know it's made that high to keep the bottle stable, but I think it still wouldn't swing around if the belt loop was a tad bit higher on the holder. And the loop latch thing sucks - awkward and weirder than i thought it'd be. Maybe a cinch top would be better? I do like the material though.
so all in all, it's ok.
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Wine Enthusiast Guide 2004 For Palm & Pocket PC
I purchased this software (2004 version) for an HP Windows-based PDA in Decemeber. Upon installation, I was alerted to the fact that the software was written for an ealier version of the Windows PDA software, and that certain aspects of the software may not function correctly. Sure enough, there were some technical glitches- not too serious, but enough to be annoying.
Emails to LandWare tech support went (and have still gone) unanswered.
In order to try and remedy the glitches, the 2005 upgrade was purchased directly from the LandWare web site. This failed to fix the problems, and the same error message was received upon installation about it being programmed for an earlier windows version.
In addition, the library of wines is incomplete and does not include listings from the actual Wine Enthusiast magazines printed up until the 2005 version was released. This is contrary to Landware's claim of up-to-date listings and reviews.
I just have to reiterate how downright disgustingly terrible LandWare's customer support is. If it were better, it might excuse some of the software shortcomings.
Customer Review: Great Content but Beware Copy Protection and Support
CONTENT - 5 STARS
The Wine Enthusiast's PDA Guide 2004 Edition is an incredibly useful program and very appropriate for a PDA. If you are new to wines, it will guide you through the learning process and help you avoid disappointing purchases. If you like to explore new vintners and new vintages, it's a great tool to take with you when shopping at the local wine merchant. And if you're out at dinner and you're overwhelmed by the wine list, this is exactly what you need to cut through the clutter and pick the perfect beverage.
The reviews are numerous (over 10,000), but brief and to the point. It will easily group wines by variety, price, rating, style and region. You can even use it to maintain your personal tasting notes and cellar inventory.
TECHNICAL - 2 STARS
The Guide has some nice technical features. You can beam information to other PDA users and even store the program on a removable memory card. But because of the small memory footprint it occupies, you may not have to take advantage of that feature. The installation is straightforward.
HOWEVER, the poorly designed copy protection scheme can be a real problem. And unfortunately, the documentation is silent on this. When you install the program from the CD or purchase an activation code after downloading the Guide from LandWare, the program links the Guide, the activation code and the owner's name as listed on your PDA. This is not a problem unless you modify the PDA owner's name. In my case I simply added my middle initial. Any change, even in case, will invalidate the install and cause the program to deny entrance and ask you to purchase a new license. So rather than linking the copy protection to a serial number on the CPU or some other element of the PDA hardware, LandWare chose to link it to a user-changeable field and didn't bother to warn you not to change that field. This is very poor design, not something a technologist would have created. Maybe marketing designed it?
SUPPORT - 0 STARS
I contacted LandWare for assistance and was told the following:
1) The software is licensed to a specific user for one PDA. Aside from the fact this is contrary to their license agreement (installation on one PDA at a time and create one backup copy), my Axim 3i, like most PDAs, is not multi-user capable unless you count handing it from person to person.
2) Initially, they were unwilling to help me because I had not sent in my warranty card. The fact that one had not been included in the sealed CD case I received from Amazon and that there is no way to register online did not seem to matter.
3) Because I had purchased the Guide from a third party (Amazon), and not downloaded it from their site, I would have to fax them a Xerox of my CD and the authorization number before they would try to help me gain access to the Guide and the data I had already entered, even though I had the authorization number and CD I had originally used to install.
4) I suggested in a very nice way that I understood why they had copy protection and that for future releases perhaps they should consider linking the copy protection to something inside the PDA like a serial number or configuration that doesn't change. And if that was not workable, that they at least warn people not to modify the username field on their PDA. I received a curt response that I can best characterize as "Shut up and sit down. We own it and this is the way we do it."
In the end I did a hard reset and reloaded my applications to get the Guide to properly reinstall. And of course I lost all of my tasting comments and cellar data from the Guide.
BOTTOM LINE AVERAGE - 2 STARS
It's great content, but LandWare stumbles on poorly designed copy protection and weak support. The Wine Enthusiast is a great magazine and I am very excited to see them produce this product. I just wish that had chosen someone else to produce and support it.
Caveat Emptor. Know what you are buying and the risks involved.
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Current Chianti Region News
Montegufoni
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:03:29 -0800
We would always like to keep you updated and bring more information about the most luxurious holiday accommodation in Italy. Today I will take you to Montegufoni, one of the gorgeous places of Chianti region. One of the Famous writers said that: “Beautiful places always has some beautiful things”.
Beginners guide to Wine Touts in Chianti
Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:06:31 -0800
The Chianti wine region in Tuscany is one of the world's most spectacular wine tasting destinations. This beautiful region, characterized by its cypress lined country roads and medieval hill topped villages is home to thousands of wineries, from big names such as Antinori and Badia Coltibuono to tiny, family run cellars.
Camera Position Special Edition : Tuscany Workshop Announcement
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:39:20 -0800
I am very pleased to announce that I will be leading a workshop to Tuscany this May. In Search of the Personal: Photographing Tuscany with Jeff Curto Saturday, May 16 to Saturday, May 23, 2009 Casa Cornacchi, Bucine, Arezzo, Italy For more information, visit www.photographitaly.com Enjoy a photographic journey where you will experience many aspects of Tuscany’s remarkable culture, landscape and hill towns and work towards a personal photographic response
The Vancouverite Wine Blog: Prosecco-y Good Times
Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:24:18 -0800
My friend Michelle has been a strong advocate for the simple pleasures of Prosecco - the charming Italian version of the bubbly - for some time. Apparently it has something to do with her Italian/Australian heritage and her ridiculous love of all things champagne, real or otherwise. Let's just say that Michelle has been pushing Prosecco on us even before that tart Paris Hilton started endorsing versions of it in a can. For Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and again this morning, the simple bo
Bike tours in Florence and Tuscany
Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:58:15 -0800
Great day out of the city with a bike tour just south of Florence in the heart of the Chianti wine region.
Wine Sauce
Tags: Chianti Classico
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