Many wine connoisseurs per se like to give their “expert” opinions on pairing wine to people that like wine but don’t necessarily have the time nor the patience to learn about wine. So the way they write about wine or pairing wine with food can in many cases be useless for the public.
One thing we need to learn as “wine experts” is that with the exception of a minority of people that have a passion for studying wine, most people are looking for simplicity. If they have to study the savor of the food and do a research on what wines in the market match that savor, and then when they go to the market or to a restaurant, have to browse through a large number of choices, many of which disappointing in taste to say the least, then what have we done to help these wonderful folks? Not much I say!
We need to learn to keep our ego at home, don’t try to show off that we know about wine, and keep it simple! Give people specific choices, names, tastes, places, etc. They don’t want to know what process was used to mature a grape or a wine and how wonderful the winemaker is in developing his particular type of wine and what flavor, density or spice is contained in a food to determine what “type” of wine would accommodate it well! They just want to know the name of the specific wine to buy for their ribeye steak dinner tonight. A wine that is hopefully not too expensive and it tastes GOOD!
“Please, please, spare me the details, just tell me what wine to buy or order for my dinner tonight. I need to impress my guests!”
Be sure to check our informative and userfriendly ebook “The Right Wine For Your Food” at Tastefully American
A yacht, depending on its size of course, can become a haven for many luxury avocations. One creative and highly pleasurable avocation would be a private wine tasting event.
This event can be organized for an afternoon that is followed by a catered dinner and a party. The following primary arrangements have to be made possibly a month or more ahead of time depending on the size of the event:
-A capable chef or a wine tasting professional to be present all through the cruise.
-The hors d’oeuvre and the dinner fully catered either by an outside organization or an on board personal chef who is already employed by the yacht owner.
-Outside servers or servers that are employed by the owner of the yacht.
-The decision on the theme of the event to determine what kind of wine or wines to be ordered or selected from the cellar.
-Optional arrangement of a live band or any agreed suitable music to make the event more enjoyable.
-A list of selected guests with at least 3 to 4 weeks advance invitation.
Depending on the number of guests this event can require some early preparation, and hiring an event planner would be advisable but not a must. The planning and preparations are quite straight forward and once all the steps and actions are synchronized, everything should come together nicely.
To plan your own luxury event or for more details please send me an email.
I am committed to presenting to you wine enthusiasts some of the best wines in the world without making you go bankrupt.
If you’re familiar with my articles, you know that my area of expertise is French and Italian wines. I am passionate about these wines because after extensive research, I have come to a conclusion, without bias, that still to this date some of the smoothest, tastiest and most impressive wines of the world come from these two countries. For people that disagree with me, no worries, I respect your taste. However, I put you up to the challenge to prove me wrong!
Gevrey Chambertin is a small commune or a small incorporated town in the Burgundy region of France, known for its superior vineyards and wine production representing one of the most famous and superior wines of France. This perfect wine producing area which lays just south of Dijon utilizes its terrain, made up of clayey limestone gravels, to grow some of the best Pinot Noir grapes of the region.
Gevrey Chambertin is considered a noble wine thought of as “Haute Gamme,” a high end wine so to speak. It is a wine that is highly impressive and supreme in taste. Deeply colored, it tickles the senses when drunk. It has a cherry taste that pleases the palate beautifully.
Before the 1960s most wines that were available for consumption world wide were made from organic grapes.
However, due to more demand for wine, and simultaneously the sudden appearance of phylloxera, which consists of any several plant lice that attacks the leaves and roots of grapevines, first discovered in the north eastern of North America and are believed to have been brought maliciously by unsavory and ill-intentioned individuals to destroy the grape plantations of France, the conventional wine era officially began.
The unfortunate reality is that these fighting chemicals eventually enter into the grapes organism and become present in wines that are conventionally produced. Consequently, they can flow easily in to our systems as well. So, we would have limited choices to avoid the intake of these possibly harmful chemicals unless we decide to go organic.
The good news is that the organic wines are under strict regulations of production without the use of any added chemicals or preservatives such as sulfite which is used to keep the taste of the wine balanced. So if you are interested in the health benefits of wine, but do not care for the chemicals, then hop on over to the organic isle and choose from many impressive wines that are produced from organic grapes.
Look specially for organic wines from Spain and Italy, they have impressed me the most!
Nero d’Avola means the black of Avola. Avola is a city situated in the far south western corner of the island of Sicily in Italy. This city is ideal for vine plantation because it enjoys many sunny days during the year and the grape used to make this wine loves its climate and promises to produce some of the tastiest wines of the region.
Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most popular grape and it is used in the region’s best selling varietal wine. It is one of the most important native varieties in Italy. It is often compared to Syrah in Rhone and the Shiraz in Australia, because it holds similar characteristics and taste.
This beautifully pleasing wine is smooth, balanced and settling. It has lots of berry and plum character with soft tannins and lightly jammy finish.
For the superior taste it offers, it is often available at bargain prices which makes this wine an ideal wine for every day consumption. It pairs well with zesty pastas and rich meat sauces. Also accommodates well with many hard cheeses and candied fruits.
Make this wine one of your every day table wines and enjoy its soothing and delightful flavors as often as possible. Wines like this bring a smile to ones face, and smile is what you need these days my friend.
I shop at Trader Joe’s regularly, and I always see people going up and down the aisles looking for a bottle of wine and not knowing what wine to take home. Frankly with the many choices available, and not knowing what’s what, it is not always easy to choose the right wine.
So, I decided to do an experiment one day. One Saturday this last summer, I walked in to one of the Trader Joe’s stores in San Diego, California with a clipboard in my hand, pretending that I am writing down a list of wines I like to get for an event. I walked up to every customer that came to the wine section and started looking at the wines for a minute or two, and told them, without introduction, about how good certain wines were in the section and how they tasted.
Except for a few of the customers, most of them looked at me like I was a god sent. Almost, everyone of them grabbed a bottle or two of the wines I suggested, and thanked me for it. One guy even took 9 bottles of wine and filled up his hand basket. Keeping track of how many bottles people took, my tally read 37 after 45 minutes. I was so gratified to be able to make a difference in some people’s lives by making them a little easier.
If you make regular trips across the country or across the ocean, it is safe to say that on average you spend about 5 to six hours or more on your plane. Obviously not all your trips are business related and you do not need to do work while on the plane every time. If you are financially independent then you do afford yourself more than a few pleasure trips every year.
For example when you are on your way to Rome from New York, why not leave at 12pm New York time and since it would take normally about six hours to get to Rome, then you would arrive at about midnight local time.
Now, planning your intercontinental voyage like this, it would be within the appropriate timing for you to conduct a little luxury 30 thousand feet high private wine tasting event. A by exclusive invitation or VIP event that you are able to spend some memorable time with your close friends or family members.
Inviting a wine expert or a chef who is well versed with food and wine and conducting a food and wine pairing and special wine tasting with some of the most celebrated and best tasting wines of the world in your private or chartered jet; now that would truly be fancy.
For example if I was to do this, as a wine consultant and a Cordon Bleu chef, I would personally make a selection from the wines in my cellar that are fitting for the food served on the plane and bring them aboard. Usually, if you want to make this a six hour event, then perhaps fancy finger foods refreshed or changed every couple of hours would be more in order than a full course meal!
Of course, “sky” is the limit when it comes to ideas!
If you have any questions or like some information on how to organize an event like this, please send me a note using the form above.
I wanted to ask everyone who gets to read this post for a favor! Can I ask you to thinks a little outside the box this holiday season and change your habits on the food and wine you’re going to serve this year.
Most people tend to serve the same kind of food for Christmas as they served for Thanksgiving. Why is that?
Don’t you think, on “the most wonderful time of the year,” we need to do everything we can to make sure our loved ones have the most fun, the best food and great wines. If we can’t do it during the holidays, then when can we do it? This is the time of the year that we get to see all of our family members and close friends all in one place, no matter how far away we live from one another.
So, lets make it a slightly better christmas this year and make it a more festive, and more importantly, a more special christmas by serving a different type of meat, and possibly different types of pastries, pies and side dishes.
I have an idea for you, find out what is your family’s favorite type of food, I mean from what country, and do a little research online or in magazines and see what the people from that country serve for christmas and make that kind of food. Your family is going to appreciate you just for going out of your way and making something different and special for them.
Remember, if you did decide to make this Christmas a special one, you can always consult with me about the best type of wine that would match the food you decided on, for free! Just subscribe to our free weekly wine tips and reviews and then send me your request.
Montepulciano D’Abruzzo is a wonderful and versatile red wine produced in the Abruzzo region of Italy, approximately 80 Kilometer (50 miles) due east of Rome.
This wine is considered and utilized as a house wine in many restaurants through out Italy, and seems to improve in taste and quality every year. This young wine, bottled in the same year it is produced, has an intense ruby red color, with light violet reflections. It features a soft bouquet, considered fruity, and it has a dry, smooth, and well-balanced flavor.
I recently had the 2008 vintage produced by the wine maker Citra, and I should say it was very impressive to say the least. I know, you might say, how could such a young wine be good. Well, it is very good and I definitely recommend it. And once you realize how reasonable the price is on it, then you’ll be really amazed.
My point, believe me, you do not need to spend a fortune to enjoy a good wine; you really don’t, unless of course you want to! And if you are very health conscious, well then pick up a Montepulciano made with organic grapes, I drink it regularly and it is very satisfying as well. Leave a comment if you have any question, cheers!
For a guide on European wines please go to TastefullyAmerican.com
France has always attracted the entire world with all its rich history and heritage. It has always been about the taste with the French people and that is deeply embedded in to their mindset.
Why do the English and specially the English speaking cultures in the world have adopted the word Ooh la la?!! Well, subconsciously that expression has a connotation of taste, high end, chic if you will. The amazement with a class attached to it. Yes that is French.
This sort of class and taste is very notable in the history of cheese making and cheese regions that attracted many nobility, kings, queens, and the members of the higher class.
Our new ebook on the prominent cheeses of France and their fascinating histories are among the latest publications that we will make available to the world shortly. Stay tuned…
Food and wine | Administrator December 28, 2009 | 
Comments (0) 
