Exploring Wine

There are usually three kinds of groupings that you’ll find on the wine list. Wines may be grouped by the kind of grape, where the grapes came from, and the flavor. Some lists may combine two or more types of groupings.

Let’s look at each of the three kinds of wine lists:

Kind of Grape: The list is mainly organized by the variety of grapes used to make the wine, but if may also include location information. In the US it is common to list type of grape and origin, in Europe most wine lists focus on the type of grape.

By Origin: This kind of wine list is arranged by what country it came from and usually has more particular subcategories, like state and regions. So, if you really like French wine this kind of wine list makes it simple to use. You just flip over to the French section of the list and look for what wines are available. The kind of grape used to make the wine may be listed also. In the United States, the kind of grape is almost always listed but in European countries they just assume you understand which grapes are grown in different regions. [Read the rest of this entry...]

You never have to worry about giving the perfect gift again when you have personalized wine glasses at your disposal. They make wonderful presents for nearly any event, including weddings, Christmas, bridal showers, housewarming presents, birthdays, and more. Both men and women love thesm and you can be sure the personalized versions will always be a hit.

There are a variety of reasons personalized wine glasses are so popular. Even if people don’t drink alcoholic beverages, they’ll still be happy to hold a finely crafted glass or goblet in their hands containing sparkling juice. Just holding such objects provides a feeling of elegance and sophistication that most people love. That feeling is intensified if the object in question is made especially for them.

So how can you find personalized wine glasses, and what makes them so personal? There are a few ways to go about this. First, you could do something as simple as having the name, weeding date, or birth date of the person etched into the glass (or any special saying or quote they love). You could have their likeness etched into it. Or you could have a special glass designed just for them that would look unlike any other wine glass in existence.

You can find companies to take care of creating personalized wine glasses on the Internet or in specialty gift shops at the mall or in your downtown area. When you go in to make your order, be sure to have a pretty good idea of what you want in the way of personalization. If you have a design in mind, sketch it out ahead of time. Also know if you’ll want to buy just one, or several of these objects. Most good shops that do these things will be willing to work with you, as long as you give them enough time between the order and the desired delivery date to do a good job. Once your gift is in the hands of its intended recipient, you can be sure they’ll be delighted, and it will become a favorite of theirs that they’ll use and display proudly for anyone who comes to see them.

Would you really like to impress guests to your home or attendees at your parties? Invest in a crystal wine decanter and watch their expressions change from bland to awe. Using an old-fashioned device like this brings back long-forgotten memories of days gone by, when the wealthy and the gentry would have small, personal gatherings for dinners that ran late into the evening, and usually culminated with a trip to the den for a hearty glass of wine or brandy. The beverage was usually poured for the guests directly from a lovely decanter set on a silver platter. It was elegance and class at its finest. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Believe it or not, a wine glass isn’t simply a vessel in which to hold your drink. It’s far more than that. In fact, it’s almost a magical thing. As astounding as it may seem, the taste of the wine can be altered by the shape of the glass in which it’s held. Those flavors can also be affected by the type of material the glass is made out of. These two interesting connections between drinking vessel and flavor were first discovered in the late 1900’s by Claus J. Riedel, and Riedel wine glasses are still admired and sought after all over the world.

Although the Riedel family had been manufacturing wine glasses since the 17th century, the company and the wine world about 40 years ago. Claus Riedel wanted to invent a drinking cup that would not only look lovely and be functional, he wanted it to actually enhance the joy of drinking wine. Essentially, he wanted to create something entirely unique the world had never before seen. He decided that basic was best, and produced a long, thin glass that was devoid of decoration. Testers universally agreed that the wine seemed to taste better in those simple, unadulterated glasses, and they soon became in great demand on the market.

As Riedel produced more wine glasses, he began to win awards, and even museum curators were asking to display some of his works. As a result, he started making different vessels designed specifically for certain types of wine. He operated on the assumption that certain shapes were better for delivering certain types of wine to the tongue in a way that most enhanced that wine’s flavor. So, for example, he made short cups for port, wide-mouthed ones for burgundy, and so forth. He also created small glasses for all types of wine that allowed the scent of the drink to build up inside, which further enhanced the flavor when it was consumed.

Today, Riedel wine glasses are considered works of art. They’re also considered some of the most desirable drinking stemware to have among those who love the grape. You can still find Riedel glasses in a variety of fine wine stores, as well as online. They’re a bit pricey, but the total drinking experience they provide makes them worth every cent.

Riedel glasses come in a variety of styles and shapes. Amazon’s Riedel Store is a good place to get started with your wine glass shopping.

It’s handy to have a map of the French Wine Regions in mind as you explore the various wines that make them famous.

This map and the others on this site are a start but if you really want to learn more about the geography of French wine, you will need a more detailed guide. A good starting point is the 2007 Michelin Green Guide Wine Regions of France. Amazon has a very detailed description of the 2005 version that is worth reading.

Updated: November 25, 2009

Most people decorate for Christmas in an elaborate fashion. Plenty of others also put up decorations for other, less anticipated holidays, and even hold dinner parties for such events as Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Depending on your family traditions, these decorations can bring back wonderful childhood memories and evoke feelings of comfort. For those families who include holiday wine glasses in their celebrations, even the children can develop cherished memories of those treasured drinking vessels, as they’ll always associate them with feelings of security, family, and love (even if they were only allowed to drink grape juice from them!). [Read the rest of this entry...]