Saturday, July 31, 2010

Why We Drink Wine...


Hello Wine Lovers!

Today rather than review a wine I thought I would talk about a few of the reasons people drink wine. Read along and see if you can relate.

Wine can be traced all the way back to 5000B.C. by the Egyptians, so it has been around for a while. How has something survived all this time? We simply cannot stop finding reasons! We drink wine to celebrate and we drink wine when we are having a tough go. To share with friends and family, to close the deal or to celebrate the deal. We drink wine to educate our palates and to broaden our horizons. We drink it to add to our enjoyment of food, to bring out the flavors of food or to enhance food. We drink wine to relax and to reward ourselves for a hard days work or accomplishment. We drink wine to have fun, to embellish a picnic, to share with our neighbors. We drink wine for our health, after all "60 Minutes" showed us all why the French are so happy and healthy. We drink wine to discover, to taste and to remember. Wine is romance, wine is a living breathing thing that changes in the bottle and in our glass. It grows and matures just like we do, it is constantly changing and sharing it's personality with the world.

After it is all said and done, we drink wine for the pure enjoyment of our taste buds.


The next time you open up a bottle of wine I want you to take your time and really discover what is in your glass. Swirl it and look at the color. Smell the bouquet in your glass. Smell again and take a small taste, let it dance on your tongue and cheeks, swirl it in your mouth, close your eyes and think about what it reminds you of. Feel the tannins, taste the fruit and feel the love that went into that bottle of wine.


Don't be intimidated... you either like it or you don't.


Have Fun!

Cheers!

J

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Classic Cabernet from Chile


Hello Wine Lovers!

We certainly are in full swing with the hot weather here in beautiful Chicago! So far it has been a pretty summer! Which leads me to the wine for today's entry...Montes "Classic Series" Cabernet Sauvignon. For around $8.99 a bottle this will not break the bank and give you plenty of punch for the money!

This wine is ruby-red in color with a nose of cinnamon and caramel and flavors of dark fruit berries and a touch of oak, but not over the top, just enough. This wine is from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

This producer makes a number of level of wines from the Alpha M series all the way to a late harvest dessert wine. Prices reflect the same range, anywhere from $8-10 a bottle all the way up to over $100 a bottle. They really got serious in 1987 and started to raise the quality of their wines, which in turn put pressure on all of Chile to raise their levels of quality. Chile has always been know for it's great values but not necessarily for high quality, award winning wines. I realize this is a broad statement, but generally speaking this was the case. Now we all enjoy not only values but quality wines with every bit of finesse that our friends from France produce! Go to your favorite wine shop and pick this up and a few other Chilean wines and I am quite sure you will not be disappointed!


Cheers!

J

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sauvignon Blanc, The Summer Wine


Hello Wine Drinkers!

Here we are in the middle of summer, the weather is nice and hot, the Tour is in full swing (you know the one in France with bicycles) and the World Cup is coming to an end. What better time to open up a summer sipper, a nice crisp, acidic, clean and fresh Sauvignon Blanc. Today's choice is Joel Gott, for around $7.99 a bottle this is another real bargain!

Let's talk a little about Joel Gott and his wines. He started in 1996 when he bought grapes from his longtime neighbor Joe Dillian and made his first wine with then girlfriend Sarah, a Napa Valley winemaker. Their first wine was a Dillain Ranch Zinfandel, which has received great reviews and marked Joel's and Sarah's marriage. They went on to make a beautiful un-oaked Chardonnay, a Cabernet, a Riesling and numerous blends. Their wines are fresh, crisp, elegant and show the regions where they are from well. Whenever you see a Joel Gott wine I feel you will enjoy the wine as well as not break the bank!


Cheers!

J