Sunday 26 August 2012

Wine tasting Tips

Adopting a few wine tasting principles will allow you to enjoy wine more especially wines from the central region of Ital with its abundance of DOC spumante, DOCQ & DOC, reds, white and rose’. Tasting the wine in the right glass, at the right temperature and noting the characteristics will enhance your pleasure.


Wine Tasting

You know each wine has its own personality. So it stands to reason that every wine deserves a glass that enhances its particular characteristics. Typically, a glass of wine must have these characteristics:
  •  A smooth glass will allow for a correct view of the tracks that wine leaves in the arches of glycerol 
  •  A thin and colourless glass will you to observe every nuance of the taste
  •  A chalice type glass wider at the bottom will allow the aroma of the wine to escape upwards
  •  A long stem will allow freedom and scent from the
  •  A crystal glass is best for wine tasting

 Types of Glass for Wine tasting

1. Flute type for all Spumante except those sweet sparkling types
2. Chalice type for sweet sparkling
3. tulip-shaped type for white wines fresh
4. Goblet type – for important fresh white wine s
5. Ballon type for important reds
6. Little broad Chalice for young reds
7. Larger Chalice type for red aged of medium body
8. Small glass types for dessert wines and fortified wines

Before Tasting the Wine

The temperature of the glass must be the same wine. Those for the sparkling wine should be strictly cold and between 5 to 7 degrees. Red wine demands to be tasted at ambient temperatures from 16 to 20 degrees. On the other hand white wine demands a cool temperature of around 6 to 8 degrees. Chilling the wine glass adds to the tasting experience. It is advisable to open red wines half an hour before tasting and for longer period for heavier and full bodied wine.

Tips for Wine tasting

 Do not use detergent for hand washing or automatic dish washing wine glasses. Use very hot water and let them dry naturally. Before you taste the wine do the following. Pour a little wine into the glass, swirl the wine around the walls of the glass and empty. Refill the glass with a full taste of wine. All this is to eliminate unpleasant odours and dust from the glass.

 More Wine and Sparkling Wine Tasting Tips

 Follow these simple steps to enjoy a useful wine tasting experience:
1. The Look of the Wine - use a suitable glass and check the colour and clarity. Tilt the glass away from you from the rim to the centre.
2. Deeper Look of the Wine - Look at the wine's opacity: is it watery or dark, translucent or opaque, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear
3. Bouquet - swirl your glass for ten seconds and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.
4. Deeper sniff - now stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale through your nose.
5. Taste -start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, (alcohol content,, tannin, acidity and residual sugar) the Evolution phase (the actual taste of the wine) and the Finish (or how long does the taste linger on your palate).
6. Record your impressions immediately.
Vino Marche blog has a range of articles on wine from Le Marche region that may be useful to you to read. Vino Marche is a part SEO Synovation internet marketing efforts to promote clients business ranging from places to stay, real estate agency, wine producers and award winning red wines.

Saturday 25 August 2012

Italian Spumante From Le Marche

August 2012. There is a wide range of Spumante wine in Italy especially from Le Marche where the base grape is often Verdicchio but can also be from Montipulciano or Sangiovese or Pinot Noir grapes.  I recommend twelve Spumante wines from the region that are of exceptional quality at a reasonable price.  the region of Le Marche is gaining recognition for the wine making skills and quality of wines that have existed for centuries but are only now being appraised and appreciated in global markets with exports increasing each year. 




The Spumante from Le Marche

(guest writer Max Ford of MarcheRustico and SEO Synovation)

Spumante wines can be natural or aerated. Understanding the difference is very important for consumers particularly in regards to price.  In a spumante natural carbon dioxide, that brings life to the wine, develops through the second fermentation of the base wine. In practice wine yeast is added causing a second fermentation that allows the wine to have bubbles. The second fermentation can occur in two ways:

• in the bottle (classico method) or

• in large containers (Charmat).

The aerated spumante wine is obtained by adding to carbon dioxide. Aerated spumante wines are rare when it does not stand for the quality of the wine. When you look at a spumante the visual examination is the most in the tasting: the length of the bead of bubbles, the number of bubbles, and their shape are important are smaller and better' the champagne.


Types of Spumante Wine:

1. The same Vintage year - said also as Millesimato - grapes of the same variety from a particular vineyard and aged for at least 5 years in bottles or containers.

2. Not the same vintage - said Non Millesimato –same variet of grapes but of different vintages with a shorter aging process.

The Grades Of Spumante Wine:

Dry or Sweet Spumante? - In the last stage of fermentation syrup is added which characterises the spumante. The grades are:


Brut Nature - where the residual sugar is less than three grams per liter. Where you say sugar is zer Brut Sauvage.

Extra Dry Brut - where the residual sugar is less than six grams per liter. This spumante and very dry and goes a treat as a aperitif with seafood.

Brut - where the residual sugar is less than twelve grams per litre. It’s a good drink to start a meal.

Extra Dry - where the residual sugar is less but more than twelve to twenty grams per litre.

Sec, Dry - where the residual sugar is less than thirty five but more than seventeen grams per litre.

• Demi- Sec - where the residual sugar is less but more than thirty-five to fifty grams per litre.

Dolce / Sweet - where the residual sugar is more than fifty grams per litre.

Types of Spumante Wine:

• Blanc de blanc - that is, literally white of white wine indicates spumante from white grapes.

• Blanc de noir - literally white of blacks that wine from black grapes.

• Rose - wine from wine based pink.

• Cremant - added small amounts of sugar in the manufacturing method of the Classic. It makes the champagne thinner.

Major Spumante Wines Prevalent in the Marches:



1. Stefano Antonucci Brut – Spumante Metodo Classico - SANTA BARBARA – Barbara ANCONA.

2. Donna Giulia Brut – Spumante Metodo Classico - (Vendemmia 2007 Sboccatura 2010) FATTORIA LE TERRAZZE - Numana (ANCONA)

3. Umani Ronchi Extra Brut sans année- Spumante Metodo Classico (Sboccatura settembre 2011) UMANI RONCHI – Osimo ANCONA

4. Fazi Battaglia Brut – Vino Spumante- FAZI BATTAGLIA Castelplanio ANCONA
5. Madreperla Brut – Spumante Metodo Classico Cuvée - (Sboccatura 2011) MONCARO - Montecarotto ANCONA

6. Vignamato Rosé Brut - Vino Spumante - VIGNAMATO – San Paolo di Jesi ANCONA

7. Conti di Buscareto Rosé Brut 2011 – Vino Spumante Brut Metodo Martinotti CONTI DI BUSCARETO – Ostra ANCONA

8. Vallerosa Bonci Metodo Classico Millesimato Brut 2008- Spumante Metodo Classico (Sboccatura 2011) VALLEROSA BONCI – Cupramontana ANCONA

9. Cuvée Nadir Brut 2010 – Spumante Metodo Charmat- BELISARIO – Matelica (MC)

10. Primo Brut – Spumante Metodo Classico CASALFARNETO – Serra de’ Conti ANCONA

11. Moroder Brut Rosé 2011 – Vino Spumante - MORODER – Ancona

12. Pink Brut Rosé – Vino Spumante -SILVANO STROLOGO - CameranoANCONA
If you wish to learn more about Spumante wine from Le Marche drop an email to the guest writer Max Ford. If you wish to learn about being an importer of Red, White, Rose wines or  Spumante wines from Le Marche email me Vincent Sandford.  If you wish to learn more about marketing opportunities in Le Marche email SEO Synovation.

Friday 24 August 2012

Merlot - The French Italian Wine

Found almost is every wine producing country on the planet and used predominantly as a softener even in the most famous wines but now gaining ground as a 100% variety, Merlot has gained notoriety in recent years as a popular, smooth, well rounded wine in its own right that easily compliments most meals.


Merlot is a French grape but now found globally. Originally from Bordeaux where it is often used to blend with world’s most famous and most expensive wines. Some of the world's greatest wines are composed almost entirely of Merlot, such as the sought-after Bordeaux wine Chateau Petrus and other blends of Bordeaux superior.

This versatile grape has had an international surge in plantings over the two last decades, with production soaring to new heights in California, South America, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The reasons are well known. Merlot blends very well and is also highly sought after straight varietal. Its finest expression is found in the delicate reds of the Bordeaux appellations of St Emilion and Pomerol.


However, Merlot wines have increased in popularity in recent years with increased production of both blended wines as well as 100 percent Merlot wines. When added to grapes that are tannin and intense and/or acidic, the Merlot can soften and add roundness and fruity aromas to the resulting wine. Merlot is one of the major varieties, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Petite Verdot and some others that are included in the production of the immensely popular Bordeaux-style wines known as Super-Tuscans.

One of the best qualities about Merlot is its ability to match well with all different types of food. Try favourite winter dishes like a beef stew, a roast, baked lamb chops or experiment with chili dishes, rich, Italian-style, red sauced pastas, and even salads. It goes well with an array of dishes and many hosts turn to Merlot for a safe bet! The soft, fleshy nature of Merlot ensures it partners with all foods. The supple sweet fruit characters of some Merlots are best to match with pastas, roasted meats or Mediterranean vegetables and enhance flavours perfectly.


The styles of Italian Merlot wines vary considerably from region to region and from producer to producer. With regard to just pure Merlot (i.e., 100 percent Merlot) wines, the styles of wines produced run the gamut from full-bodied, oakly, international-style wines to those that are varietal, pure and silky smooth with soft textures and classic Merlot flavours.


Indicated below are what I consider to be two of Italy’s best and most inexpensive Merlot wines from the lesser known region of Le Marche in Central Italy. The first vineyards of Merlot were planted in Italy after the grape epidemic “phylloxera” (daktulosphaira vitifoliae of 1855). It is found in large qualities in Veneto but used in all of Italy as a softening agent.

However outside Veneto there are small family wine makers like the Gagliardi who produces small quantities of quality and exceptional 100% merlot wines. A third generation family wine producers since 1940’s are famous for their Italian white wine Verdicchio di Matelica in DOCQ quality called Maccagnano and their DOC Verdicchio di Matelica Selezione. They have three hectares of pure Merlot grapes from which they produce their IGT Merlot and their IGT Ardiale Merlot wine.

Merlot Indicazione Geografica Tipica priced at Euro 8 per bottle is produced with 100% Merlot grapes cultivated in the hills round the Roman City of Matelica about 450 metres above sea level. The wine is ruby red in colour with purple tinge, has fruity wood aromas, soft flavour medium body, and tannin. The wine is matured in French oak barrels, for about one year. The Ardiale Merlot Indicazione Geografica Tipica is priced at 20 euro a bottle , and produced from hand selected Merlot grapes and matured in French oak for two years.


Vini Gagliardi has its wine producing facility close to the center of Matelica in via A.Merloni 5, 62024 Matelica, Le Marche, Italy. Visit Vini Gagliardi producer of Verdicchio di Matelica website.

Vini Gagliardi has recently expanded their  international client base in The Netherlands by attending the well established Italian event called De Smaak van Italie and appointing wine importers.  Assisted by European based web marketing agency SEO Synovation, Vini Gagliardi were able to extend their offerings to the  Netherlands.  For wine tasting and buying contact Wijnen van Vermeer and Il Conte for further information.

Italian Wine Glasses

A good wine yearns to be adored for its looks, its bouquet, and its taste and after taste and therefore, holds so much for the eyes, nose, and mouth.  Tasting is not the same as drinking but follow the tips in this post and your enjoyment will be enhanced.

The Right Wine Glass for the Right Wine

Professor Claus J. Riedel was the first designer to recognize that the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass from which they are drunk. Fifty years ago he began his pioneering work to create stemware that would match and complement different wines and spirits. In the late 1950s, Riedel started to produce glasses which at that time were a design revolution. Working with experienced tasters, Riedel discovered that wine enjoyed from his glasses showed more depth and better balance than when served in other glasses. Claus J. Riedel laid the groundwork for stemware which was functional as well as beautiful, and made according to the Bauhaus design principle: form follows function.

The Perfect Wine Glass For Wine Tasting

He worked with experienced tasters to determine aspects such as:
  • Which sizes brings the appropriate intensity of aromas for different wines
  • Which shapes direct wines to specific parts of the tongue
  • Which shapes and sizes emphasize fruitiness
  • Which shapes and sizes emphasize tannin
  • Which shapes keep Champagne from going flat

The whole approach is not about correcting flaws in certain styles of wines, but of achieving balance in bringing out the distinct characteristics of each style of wine.
Today, you don't have to buy expensive Riedel glasses to enjoy wine but appreciating some of the principles discovered by Riedel will help you enjoy your wine drinking more.

Choosing the Perfect Glass for Your Favourite Wines:

Maxine Ford our Wine Tasting expert give basic tips for choosing the perfect Glass for Your Favourite Wines:
"1. The Glass: should be thin and clear - this is to appreciate the beauty of wine. Get glasses that are not coloured or decoratively chiseled.
2. The Stem or Stemless Tumblers? - You should drink from a stem glass due to three  reasons:
  • Helps the enjoyment from seeing the colours of the wine as  you swirl it around)
  • Keeps your hands from warming up the wine
  • Keeps body odours away from the bouquet of wine for those with veru acute sense of smell."

Typical Wine Glasses for Reds:



 The Bowl: Wide - The bigger flavours in reds need to spread out. The wider bowl also lets in more air, which releases bold aromas and flavours.
The Opening: Wider - Dip your nose into the wider bowl to get a load of more complex aromas.
Tip: When pouring wines, keep the wine level to the lower one-third of the glass. This leaves lots of air and swirl room, both of which enhance the enjoyment of your wines.
Heavy reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, should be served in  a big bowl wine glass with a big opening.
Medium reds like Pinot Noir and Merlot should be served with a  big bowl that narrows a tinge at the opening.


Wine Glasses for Whites:

The Bowl: Narrow - The smaller capacity helps keep temperatures cool longer.
The Opening: Narrower -The lighter aromas waft well in a narrower glass.  White wines with high acidity like Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and  Chardonnay should be served wuth a  bowl with a little room that narrows slightly at the opening.
Medium bodied white wine like Riesling, Pinot Gris, and  Gewurztiminer should be served witht a narrow bowl and a narrow opening.
Tip: If you plan to serve several types of wine but don’t want to shell out the cash for several types of glassware, buy the generic tulip-shaped wine glasses.

The Washing of Glasses:

I recommend always washing your wine glasses in hot water only. Soap can build up inside the glass and affect a wine’s flavours.

Summary

There is no doubt that the shape of a wine glass can play a part in how your senses perceive the wine. All good wine glasses are narrower at the rim than they are at the bowl (the widest part of the glass). This is so that the escaping aromas, the bouquet of the wine, are concentrated through a smaller area, making it easier to smell them as you taste. Also, glasses should have a wine  bowl that you can easily swirl the wine without spilling it.

Minke Oving our wine tasting expert says
"Since the taste buds that register the different tastes are located in different places on our palate, some of the more intricate wine glass styles are designed to direct the wine to the appropriate part of the mouth for tasting that style.
So, do you really need ten to fifteen different wine glasses to be socially acceptable? No, of course not, but there are four basic shapes featured in this post that are good to have in any serious wine consumer's collection."

About the authors

Maxine Ford is a wine expert from Le Marche Central Italy. She lives with husband Francesco and son Michele.  Minke Oving lives in The Netherlands and is a contributor blog writer on various topice including rare wines from Le Marche.




The Super Tuscans

Super Tuscans Wine Region

Tuscany is now identified by its largest and most prestigious wine regions such as Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri Sassicaia, and Chanti Classico. All of those selections and some base wine varieties  as Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, the so-called Super Tuscans that are reconised today and represent an elite group of world-class quality wines. The Super Tuscans

History of Super Tuscans

In the late sixties and seventies wine producers in Toscana/Tuscany started experimenting with non-ingenious French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah which seemed to thrive in the Tuscan sun and soil achieving amazing results.   It was impossible to classify these wines within the DOC and DOCG rules and therefore producers were forced to classified these wines as Table Wine Vino da Tavola.   Now the Super Tuscans are DOC and DOCQ wines with world wine recognition for quality.  It was the English speaking trade that coined the phrased “Super Tuscans” and are usually known by their single name like the first in 1968 called Sassicaia (seen in the image above) by wine producer Bolgheri or followed in 1970 by Tignanello from  Antinori .  Nowadays every reputable wine producer has a Super Tuscan which represents the gem and the pinnacle of his production.
Super Tuscans are the supreme expressions of quality and skill of the wine producer and his oenologist.  The wine can be made with any grape variety, blended with others or produced pure.  The prices tend to be high due to strict and time consuming methods of production, namely harsh pruning to give low yields, slow and cool maturation to release the tannin which gives the intensity of colour and body .  The wines are matured in oak barriques and age well.  Prices are high but can double or triple in time.
Bolgheri and Antinori have been the trend setters for Super Tuscans but others have also followed.  Here’s a list of the most significant ones with the wine producer first and then the name of the Super Tuscan.

Significant Super Tuscans

Antinori – Tignanello

Made under the appellation Chianti Classico DOCQ rules is made from 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and was one of the original super Tuscan.  Produced by Antinori wine Italian wine makers since 1385 and 26 generations later.  Tignanello  from Val di Pesa in the province of Florence is a ruby red in colour, dry, little tannin, elegant and balanced wine.  Best at 18 – 22 degrees and can be served with grilled meat, wild game dishes, mature and spicy cheeses.

Avignonesi – Toro Desiderio

Merlot is a blended grape wine Grapes 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Deep ruby red colour, with inviting aromas of undergrowth, redcurrants and blackberries, spiced with hints of mint and sage.  A lush, long-lasting full-bodied wine with elegant tannins and fresh acidity. Alcohol content is 14.5%.  Ageing 24 months in new French barriques and refinement in bottles for at least  6 months . Serving temperature is 18 degrades.

Badia di Coltibuono – Sangioveto.  

‘San Zoveto’ which later became ‘Sangioveto’,  was the name commonly used in the past in Chianti for the Sangiovese varietal. The Sangioveto di Coltibuono was created to honour a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. It is only produced on better vintages. Some of the most noteworthy are: ‘82, ‘85, ‘88, ‘90, ’95, ‘97, 2001 and 2006. Intense, deep red colour with light pomegranate glints. Delicate aroma with scents of wild blackberries and pleasant, spicy notes. Balanced, full flavoured, with good acidity. Great ageing potential. Recommended serving temperature: 64oF (18°C). Serving suggestions: Ribollita (Tuscan bread, bean, and vegetable soup), pheasant, wild game, and stews, aged cheeses and chocolate.

Bolgheri – Sassicaia is a Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine of ruby red colour, intense , rich, vinous, dry and elegantly harmonious with alcohol content of at  least 12 degrees. Produced in the town of Sassicaia in the municipality of Castagneto  it is aged in barrique for  of two years with minimum period of eighteen months.  It is best served at 18 - 20 degrees with well savoured roast meat and wild games dishes.

Others worth tasting are:

  • Capezzana- Conti Contini Bonacossi
  • Castello Banfi – Summus e Excelsius
  • Fattoria di Felsina- Maestro Raro
  • Fattoria Montelloni - Salamartano
  • Frescobaldi - Mormorello
  • Tenuta dell’Ornellaia – Ornellaia
  • Rocca delle Macie - Roccata

About the Author - Maxine Ford



Maxine Ford is a wine expert from Le Marche Central Italy. She lives with husband Francesco and son Michele in San Severino Marche in the province of Macerata, Le Marche.  Prolific writer on all things wine and is a regular contributer to Wine Tasting