Wine Serving Temperatures

Do the proper wine serving temperatures really matter?  I am not talking about whites cold and red wines warmer, I am dialing in a bit deeper.  Did you ever have a glass of wine at a bar or while sitting in a restaurant and felt that the redwine gave you a bit of burn that you usually don't get?  That is likely because this higher in alcohol wine, was served to warm.
Same happens with white wines, they should have a chill, but if it is a wine of any decent quality, it shouldn't be ice cold.  Ice cold wine hides all the sins from the poor making, but even worse, it hides all these great elements and aromas that you paid for in that glass of wine in front of you.

Either way | Temperature does and should matter and restaurants need to do a better job, serving wine at the appropriate Celsius or Fahrenheit.  When guests have to put ice cubes in their red wine to bring it to proper temperature, there is certainly something wrong with that.

Click here to view proper temperatures for the different wines

Wine Temperatures

International Cabernet Sauvignon Day

Cheers to another great invention.  The birth of the International Cabernet Day.  According to some Napa Wineries and the below linked facebook site, it all started about 5 years ago and will be held on the 28^th of August. Little history about the founding of this day.  It all started with a bunch of napa cab winemakers who got together at the ledendary Chateau Montelena to taste, talk and tweet about each others wines.  This get together is celebrating 5 years and turned in a more global happening which is reaching about 100,000,000 people!

International Cabernet Day Facebook page

However if you look at on the nationalwinedays.com website, it is being held each and every year on the 30^th of August.

As it relates to which day to celebrate?  I say – Pick both and enjoy a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

I know that I will certainly say cheers to that.

Cheers to  #CabernetDay

Memorial Day | Weekend cook out

Looks as most of us will have great weather this holiday weekend and after a long run of poor weather who couldn't use it.  What on the agenda?  I am sure plenty of beach and/or pool and soaking in sunshine.  But what do we drink and/or cook?
I am personally a big fan of bbq ribs and burgers as well as Bratwurst for Memorial Day and have some nice Micro Brews with that.  Micro brews such as the Samuel Adams Summer Ale are a perfect fit for a nice, sunny Memorial Day cookout.  For the summer white wine lovers and sippers, have some California Sauvignon Blanc, Washington State Rieslings or Oregon Pinot Gris.  Red Wine only?  Go Monterey County Pinot for its ripe fruit characteristics or Lodi Zinfandels!
Whatever you do, think about inviting some friends and/or family and celebrate this Summer Kick-off holiday weekend in style.
Got extra time on your hand for the bbq?  Make your own BBQ sauce and kick it up a bit by adding some Zinfandel when heating up your sauce.
Grilling burgers?  Switch it up and buy some bison, or use some ground lamb meat!  It takes grilling burgers to a whole new level!

So to sum it up, get out of your every Memorial Day grove, try something different, be adventurous, be American!  Be different! Be with Friends!

Cheers and have a happy and save Memorial Day weekend!

Sangiovese | The Tuscan Sun

What is Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the heartbeat or backbone when it comes to Tuscan wine making.  You find it in your everyday Chianti as well as in the famous Brunello di Montalcino.  The origin of this grape dates back to the Roman times, but was first documented as Sangiovese in 1590.  It has always been home to Tuscany.

Where to find Sangiovese

Sangiovese can be found in many places these days, among them are California, Washington State, Argentina, Chile and even other parts of Europe such as the Languedoc in France and Corsica.  It is however home and best known in Tuscany, Italy.

Grape Lessons Riesling | The Elegant One

What is Riesling

Riesling is one of the world's best white wine grape and was first grown in Gemany in the 15th Century.  Given where Rielsing thrives best, it is easily understood that the hardy wood enables the vines to be very resistant to frost.  Riesling excels is the cooler climates, where it ripen slowly to perfection to either produce dry style Alcasian or German Rieslings all the way to Icewine.

Where to find Riesling

Riesling's home is in Germany along the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Nahe, Pfalz Rheinhessen and Rheingau to name a few. Beyond Germany, the Alsace produces stellar dry forward Rieslings from there famed "Selection de Grains Nobles" and Austria is growing and bottling some nice

Grape Lessons Tempranillo | Spanish Paella or Iberian Pork?

What is Tempranillo

Tempranillo  is a native Spaniard and when when yielded properly, this almost black in color grape, produces beautiful and full bodied red wines.  Although Tempranillo is used in various Spanish growing regions, it is mostly associated with Rioja.  When produced in the traditional style, Tempranillo often has a garnet-hued color to it and its aromas and flavors are tea, brown sugar and vanilla notes while the modern versions display notes of plum, cassis and tobacco with a dark red color and big tannin structure.

Where to Find Tempranillo

Tempranillo can be found in various wine producing regions within Spain, however Rioja and Ribera del Duero are the most mentioned. Both regions display similiar styles and offer a traditional and modern style produced wine as descriped above.

You can also find this grape in Portugal under the name of Tinta Roriz where it is used in the Port (wine) production.

How to Pair

Grape Lessons Zinfandel | The American Grape

What is Zinfandel

Zinfandel can be an easy "quaffer" to enjoy by itself or with cheese and other appetizers.  It can also be a beast!

A beast that is big, is a structured red wine, that needs some red meat to be paired with.

On any and all of the above, Zinfandel is despite its longevity in the US, the most misunderstood grapes thanks to white zinfandel.  Regardless of his Italian twin, Primitivo which has its home in the south of Italy, Zinfandel is originally from Croatia and likely found its way to California during the Gold rush times dating back to the 1850.

California Zinfandel shows great fruit aromatics like blackcurrant, plum and raisins.  Through the oak aging it often picks up some cedar, smoke and white pepper notes and depending