One Thing to Drink, Another to Taste… Hi – Tilt the glass and drink, it’s easy… However, you’ll find discerning the taste of your wine to be a bit more challenging. As you know, understanding and appreciating wine pays off with big dividends. Really savoring your vino adds that extra dimension of enjoyment. The big 3 areas to consider in appreciation are… Appearance, Aroma and...
Read MoreAnimals on Wine Labels? Hi – An earlier eWine newsletter talked about the marketing power wine label design elements have… Many consider the quality of a wine to be relative to its ‘cool’ looking label. Part of the reason for such labeling… from birds, fish and kangaroos, to reproductions of fine art and comic relief, is a move by wine makers to make their bottles more of a novelty, instead of something...
Read MoreWine Extraction part 2… Hi, There are a few primary factors that determine the end result of quality wine… The position and condition of the berries in relation to the liquid… the temperature of the maceration… duration of the maceration and de-stemming. It’s much easier to extract color, tannins and flavor from crushed grapes immersed in the juice, than it is from unbroken berries floating on top. The...
Read MoreBiodynamic winegrowers… Hi – The Biodynamic movement abstains from the use of chemicals and encourages holistic agricultural practices, such a planting according to the phases of the moon (an old farmers approach). And it has gathered momentum and respect from the wine world. Winemakers focus on the earthen soil for the quality of their vines. Biodynamic winegrowers, like organic vintners, avoid chemical...
Read MorePhylloxera, a wine vine killer… Not to long ago the Phylloxera epidemic was a major problem, it basically wiped-out a substantial amount of vineyards on the west coast. Yet, it has become evident that the mistakes made over those several (past) decades have largely been corrected, ironically because of Phylloxera itself. Introduced by vineyards in France, Phylloxera was (is) a form of root rotting of the vines. And, did it ever...
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