Picture Post: Finished Wine Gift Basket

Between finishing this wine gift basket and my birthday falling on #WineWednesday this year, it's been quite a week! As promised, here are pictures of the finished product. For more tips check out my last post here.

How-to: Wine Tasting

There’s a little more to tasting wine than swirling your glass around with a raised pinkie finger. Here’s how to get the most out of your wines and simultaneously look like a real wine connoisseur. 

Prepare: Having the proper conditions for tasting a wine can make all the difference. First, you’ll want to select the proper glasses for the wine you’ll be tasting. Red wine glasses are usually a bit larger, rounder and domed. Here are some examples from Riedel: 

Secondly, ensure that the wine is chilled to the proper temperature. Lighter wines should be chilled for longer. Although many people drink their reds at room temperature, chilling them slightly can result in a better tasting. Here is another helpful chart with recommended serving temperatures: 

Look: It’s tempting to start sipping right away, but first stop and take a good look at the wine. What’s the colour like? Aged wines tend to be darker in colour. Young reds tend to be more vibrant in colour, with mature reds taking on brown hues. Young whites are usually lighter while older whites can be golden. If you tilt the glass, you can also take note of the wine’s legs. Does the wine leave thick, lingering streaks inside the glass, or does it run back down quickly? This will help you determine the body or density of the wine. Finally, a good wine should have clarity and should not be cloudy or dull. Having a white background (e.g. a napkin) can be helpful when judging a wine’s appearance. 

Sniff: Sorry to disappoint you, but we’re still not ready to taste yet. Swirl your glass vigorously to help release the wine’s aromas. If you take a whiff before and after swirling, you will definitely notice a difference. What fruit aromas can you smell? Are there oak, spice, or floral notes? Are there a combination of aromas that result in a complex nose? Most importantly, does it smell pleasing? This is also a good way to tell if a wine has gone off before tasting it: a sour or vinegar-like aroma is never a good sign. 

Taste: Here’s the fun part. Take a sip and let the wine coat your mouth. Let it sit on your tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. What flavours are most prominent? Is it sweet, dry, or somewhere in between? Does it feel light, heavy, “chewy” (this means the wine is high in tannins), or smooth in your mouth? It’s also important to remember not to judge a wine by the first sip: give it a fair chance! On the second sip, you can breathe in through your mouth or “slurp” the wine to add air which releases more of the wine’s flavours. Take note of the finish as well. Is it short, lingering, complex? 

The fun part about wine tasting is that even with these guidelines, taste is an incredibly subjective matter. Try tasting wines with a group: do you pick up on different aromas and flavours? You'll probably have different opinions on the wines too: even if it received a 95 from a wine critic, you might think it tastes awful. So next time you try a new wine, keep these tips in mind!

New Year, New Vintage: Trius White 2012

To kick off the new year, Trius has released the new 2012 vintage of their classic Trius White. 

In the fall, I took a tour of the Trius at Hillebrand winery and tasted Trius White 2011. It was my favourite wine of the day. So, how does the new vintage compare? 

Big House Red 2012 Review: "Criminally Delicious"

Last night I tried Big House Wines' 'Big House Red 2012'.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a huge red wine drinker. I've been told it's an acquired taste, so I've been making a serious effort to speed up the process by continuing to try new reds at every opportunity. 

Happy Winesday!

Over the weekend, my boyfriend Thomas and I had the pleasure of visiting Thirty Bench Wine Makers in Beamsville, Ontario. It’s not quite Niagara on the Lake, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As we drove through the blowing snow, I wondered whether our trip was going to be worth it. 

What's a Winebrary?

Winebrary: it's like a library, full of valuable information, but with books you can drink. No membership card required, and you can be as loud as you like.

I don't know about you, but that's a concept I can definitely get behind.

Wine can be a bit intimidating, especially for those who are just starting out on their wine-drinking careers. Trust me, I know. In May of 2011 I applied for a job at a wine store, with very little wine knowledge and even less experience actually drinking it. You can imagine my embarrassment and panic as I struggled to answer questions like, "What grape varietals are in this Meritage?", and, "What wine should I serve with my curry dish this evening?".

Fortunately for both me and my customers, I've learned a little bit about wine over the past few years. I've had the opportunity to taste more wines than I can count, visit beautiful vineyards across Canada, and learn from people who have earned their wine connoisseur badge after years of experience in the field.

Stay tuned for all things wine-related, including reviews, food pairings, how to's, and more!