WhiteWine

That Wine Tastes Great, Could It Be The Lighting?

Filed under: Wine

Can lighting affect wine taste? One German study found that drinkers who were served a bottle of Riesling in differently lit environments had different taste experiences. Researchers found that subjects rated the wine as better and more expensive tasting when exposed to the red or blue background lighting versus rooms with green or white background lighting. According to an article in the Telegraph, the wine was described as being sweeter and fruitier in red light than in white or green light. When drinking in the red or blue lit room the subjects though the wine was worth as much as one euro more for the same bottle.

Dr Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel, of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz said in the Telegraph article that more tests are needed to determine why the color makes a difference. One theory is that some colors put people in a more positive mood but it may be more complex than that. The study certainly makes a case for mood lighting in wine shops and tasting rooms as well as in bars or restaurants.

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Tags: riesling, white wine, WhiteWine, wien tasting, WienTasting, wine

Smith-Madrone Re-Released Riesling

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Most wine is released the year it is ready but Smith-Madrone Winery has an interesting approach, it re-releases its older Rieslings. This year the winery is re-releasing its 2002 Riesling. Why re-release? The winery's founder and General Partner Stuart Smith says they do this because "we love how Rieslings age and develop and we want to give people the opportunity to taste what a moderately aged Riesling is like." He says that Rieslings age just as well as Cabernet Sauvignons and can age for 10, 15 or even 20 years adding depth and tonality to the flavor. The 2002 is available for $60 a bottle with a three bottle limit. If you posses a bit more patience, you can pick up the 2008 for $27 and cellar it yourself for a few years.

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Tags: riesling, smith-madrone, white wine, WhiteWine, wine

Natalie MacLean's Thanksgiving Wine Picks

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine goddess and author Natalie MacLean has made her picks for wines for this year's Thanksgiving feast. MacLean, the author of the book Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass also has some simple rules for Thanksgiving wine pairing:

Starting off with a Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine sets a festive note and makes a great aperitif.

Red wine or white wine with the turkey? You can do either. A crisp white like a Riesling or Pinot Grigio works but a juicy red like a Zinfandel also works well (it sort of mimics the berry note of the cranberry sauce). You can also go for the practically fruit juice appeal of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau.

You can also match your wine to the sides, offering other wines such as a buttery Chardonnay to complement the stuffing and veggies or a Sauvignon Blanc to add a little pep to a palate numbed by too many cream sauces. .

She suggests a late harvest wine or ice wine to pair with dessert to add the perfect finishing touch. In my experience, I have found that a Port or a late harvest Zinfandel works well with pecan pie while a late harvest Chardonnay can work with pumpkin pie.

After the jump, her top picks for reds and whites for the table.

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Tags: expire-images:2008-11-18, red wine, RedWine, thanksgiving, white wine, WhiteWine, wine, wine pairings, zinfandel

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Martha Stewart Enters the Wine Business

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

Honestly I'm surprised it took her this long but Martha Stewart is finally getting into the wine business. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. has announced a partnership with E.&J. Gallo Winery to create wines known as the "Martha Stewart Vintage." The first launch of 15,000 cases includes three wines: a 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvingon and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot. The wines will be available in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Phoenix and Portland starting in January and will sell for around $15.

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, gallo, martha stewart, MarthaStewart, merlot, red wine, RedWine, white wine, WhiteWine, wine

Bennett Lane, The Nascar Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We've talked before about the fusion between Nascar and fine living. Check out this article on Bloomberg about Nascar wines and the Bennett Lane Winery, the first winery to back a Nascar racing team. Former race car driver Randy Lynch is now a successful winery owner. He and his wife Lisa started off in th Napa Valley with a weekend house and a small vineyard but then picked up a nearby winery. The Lynches are part of an overall wine drinking trend in the Nascar crowd with the numbers of wine lovers rising steadily and wine now being sold at concession stands.

If you are looking for a light summer white wine the recently released 2006 Bennett Lane Maximus Feasting White wine is a nice choice. It is a blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay, and 2% Muscat. It's a bit fruity but with a nice mineral snap to keep it crisp and refreshing. It sells for $28.

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Tags: bennett lane, maximus, nascar, white wine, WhiteWine, wine, winery

Fat Bastard Maker Refines Their Palate

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I'm no fan of the Fat Bastard wine but I am curious about Click Wine Group's higher-end line called the Global Wine Collection. The wines are aimed meant to appeal to the "Millennials," people 21 to 30 years old. The portfolio continues the group's tradition of innovative naming. The wines include Flying Fish (from the Pacific Northwest), 2up (from Australia) and Mad Dogs & Englishmen (from Spain). Their Clean Slate, a German Riesling from the Mosel-Saar- Ruwer district won a Double Gold medal at the 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition. The Clean Slate sells for around $10.

[via The Daily Report]

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, clean slate, click wine group, ClickWineGroup, red wine, RedWine, riesling, white wine, WhiteWine

Kono Baru Wine, Upside Down Is Right Side Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Don Sebastiani & Sons, the folks behind Used Automobile Parts wine are at it again. This time with wine with upside-down labels. Kono Barú. The upside-down labels represent the fact that the wines are sourced from vineyards in the Southern hemisphere. The initial launch is of six varietals from three countries. A Sauvignon Blanc, unwwoded Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile; a Riesling and a Shiraz from Australia; and a Malbec from Argentina. The Chilean and Australian wines are around $12 and the Malbec is around $16. The line is meant to represent a step up from the bargain-priced wines from Chile and Australia with something a little bit more upscale. The initial launch is around 100,000 cases.

[via Wine Business News]

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Tags: australian wine, AustralianWine, cabernet sauvignon, chilean wine, kono baru, KonoBaru, malbec, red wine, RedWine, riesling, sebastiani, shiraz, white wine, WhiteWine, wine

Tiglat Chardonnay

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Now that summer has officially begun, I've officially switched from sipping red wine to white wine. One of my favorite warm-weather treats is a cool glass of Austrian Chardonnay. My favorite this year is the Tiglat -- which is named after Austrian wine-maker Heinz Velich's oldest vineyard. Planted in 1959, this Chardonnay vineyard is one of the oldest in all of Austria.

At any rate, these old vines create a beautiful wine with good fruit and fine mineral notes. Velich utilizes very strict selection when picking the grape. Half of the wine actually spends 18 months in oak barriques, later to be joined with the rest of the wine in steel tanks for an additional two months. You can order a bottle or a case on-line through Winemonger.com. Price: $54.99

Tags: Austrian wine, AustrianWine, Chardonnay, white wine, WhiteWine

Melusine Austrian Wine

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Wine

The Melusine, an Austrian white made by wine maker Marion Ebner from Gruner Veltliner grapes, is a limited edition high-end imbibe imported by the online retailer Wine Monger.

In addition to the complex peppery flavor, what I love most about the Melusine is the way the wine appeals to my aesthetic sense in addition to my palate. As someone who has been known to buy bottles of wine based on the labels alone -- a problematic criterion, I admit -- the Melusine, admittedly, caught my eye in this regard. The clean, simple silver label, embossed with a small Melusine mermaid screams, sophistication and good taste. With the wax seal over the cork, frankly, this wine feels like a steal at $58.99 a bottle. For fans of Austrian whites, I can't think of a better delight than this wine.

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Tags: austria, marion ebner, MarionEbner, melusine, white wine, WhiteWine, wine