Perky Pinot

Hello Wine Lovers! Did you miss me? I allowed my Sunday (my usual posting day) to get away from me... dinner guests that came early and stayed late! It was OK, it was my son and nephew with their girls, fun for all. The food was good, the laughs were hard, and the wine flowed ever so freely. I know a certain friend that said he now knew more about cork than he ever needed to know... so this week I am going to talk about how wine is made. I asked myself if I thought I could do this without getting too windy and lengthy... time will tell I will do my best to keep you engaged, here goes... Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented grape juice,the natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients.Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes the sugars in the grapes and converts them into alcohol. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different types of wine, you see, that wasn't so bad now was it? A brief history... Wine's history dates back thousands of years, with the earliest known production occurring around 8,000 years ago on the territory of modern-day Georgia.(the country not the state) It first appeared in the Balkans at about 4500 BC and was very common in ancient Greece, Thrace and Rome. Wine has also played an important role in religion throughout history. The Greek god Dionysus and the Roman equivalent Bacchus represented wine, and the drink is also used in Christian Eucharist ceremonies and the Jewish Kiddush. So basically what this is saying is wine has been a part of our world for quite a long while and it is important to religion as well, who would have thunk it? Now for the wine review, Block 9 Pinot Noir from California, they only make Pinot Noir and this one at around $8 at Wine Discount Center is definitely worth the trip! This wine is smooth and silky with hints of strawberry and cocoa on the nose with raspberries and strawberries in the mouth which leads to a nice elegant finish! Even if you're not a fan of this noble grape, I believe you will enjoy this! Cheers J!

Wine production by country 2007 Rank Country Production 1 Italy 5,050,000 2 France 4,711,600 3 Spain 3,645,000 4 United States 2,300,000 5 Argentina 1,550,000 6 China (People's Republic) 1,450,000 7 South Africa 1,050,000 8 Australia 961,972 9 Germany 891,600 10 Chile 827,746