A wine club membership could be the perfect gift for a budding connoisseur. Wine clubs ship different styles of wine – usually red and white varieties – to your house on a regular basis, complete with background history for the wines. A wine club membership is based on different price points – which would allow you to adjust your gift based on your friend or family member’s previous wine experience.

A wine club membership could be the perfect gift for a budding connoisseur.

The original Wine of the Month Club evolved more than 30 years ago in Palos Verdes, Calif. when Paul Kalemkiarian purchased a pharmacy with a liquor store next door. He turned the liquor store into a fine wine shop and renamed it Palos Verdes Wines and Spirits. Soon, he began treating customers to special red and white wines pulled from the shelves each month. These recommendations were made after many varieties of wine were tasted and compared by knowledgeable customers and friends of Kalemkiarian who became the first members of the Wine of the Month Club.

Soon customers wanted to have the special wines of the month delivered. This process first was done by hand, but then through shipping agencies. Eventually Kalemkiarian decided to retire, and sold off his pharmacies and Palos Verdes Wines and Spirits, but he kept the mail order rights and trademarked “Wine of the Month Club” name.

Now his son, Paul Jr., owns the original Wine of the Month Club, sampling hundreds of varieties of wines every week to make sure the best selections are mailed out to members.

A gift membership to the Wine of the Month Club sends the recipient two pre-screened bottles of wine each month, every other month, or once every three months for a year along with a copy of the monthly Wine Letter and newsletter. The newsletter discusses recipes to make around the wines, the wine steward’s thoughts on the wines highlighted that month, characteristics of the grapes, characteristics of the region where the grapes were grown and even the mechanical part of making wine.

This allows your friend or family member to become knowledgeable about wines, their flavors and the grapes that made them. It’s the perfect gift to give them to become a good wine connoisseur.

For more information, visit www.wineofthemonthclub.com.

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Of course one of the problems with buying wine online is that you are not able to taste it before you buy, but if you think about it you are not able to do this anywhere else you buy wine so there is really no difference.

As long as you have a computer and access to the Internet you will be able to shop online for you wine, just make sure that you have a credit card handy because this is usually the only means of payment that these online companies will accept.

There are hundreds of different companies that you can go through if you are looking to buy wine online, so take a bit of time to browse through the Internet to find what you are looking for. To help get you started, I will tell you about a couple of the most popular online wine companies.

Shoppers Vineyard

This is a great place to shop if you want to buy your wine over the Internet. They offer more than just wine, as they also feature spirits, beer, and cocktails. They even have gift ideas so if you want to buy some wine for your family and friends you can do that here as well.

They are an online wine company that is truly committed to providing you with the finest selection of unique wines and quality spirits, and more than just that, they will take the time to ensure that you choose the perfect wine for that special occasion.

They travel throughout the world in order to provide their customers with a superior selection and to ensure they have the most variety possible to choose from.

Sandhill

This is another company definitely worth checking out if you want to buy wine online. They get their wine from some of the most reputable wineries around the world so you know that you are only getting the best of the best which is very important when it comes to wine.

Get the Kit

There are basically two main ways you can carry out your own wine making – through a purchased wine kit or by researching and using actual grapes. A wine kit has been very helpful to individual wine consumers who are looking for a way to save money while enjoying the fruits of your labor.

A personal wine making kit is just the thing a beginner needs when setting on the path to create and taste your own wines. A kit allows you to learn the nuances of making wine before you spend the money to finance an endeavor which uses real grapes. You don’t have to shop for individual ingredients as they are all included in the wine kits.

By the Grape Vine

Wine making is definitely an art and many vintners from around the world travel to cities and other areas with to study a particular variety of grapes. It is these little globular fruit that has the taste buds singing and the vintners scrambling to make the best wines around. The process can be quite different from wine to wine so you will have to learn about the grape itself – growing season, size of growth, taste and more.

One of the first things you do in the wine making process is to stomp or crush the grapes into a fine mush consisting of juice and pulp. Next, you must squeeze the last remaining juice from the pulp before moving onto the setting stage which allows for separation of sediment, a natural occurrence in wine maturation.

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the wine making process is the fermentation stage in which juice turns into wine. Many wine makers add yeast to the wine juice so as to convert the sugars of the wine into alcohol. As the yeast dies, another item is added to the wine mix which turns the dead yeast into what you may know as the sediment which resides at the bottom of a bottle of wine.

Wine making is an art that many vintners have perfected but it will take definite practice at home until you feel comfortable with the entire process. The result of your wine making however is the fact that you can boast to your family and friends that you made the wine everyone is drinking!

Types of Glasses

While there are quite a few styles of wine glasses, three main types prevail: the champagne flute, the wine glass with a large bowl and the wine glass with a smaller bowl. The champagne flute is tall and slender with a long stem and elongated bowl perfect for showcasing sparkling wines as well as keeping the hands on the stem to prevent quick warming of the wine.

Red wines are enhanced greatly by wine glasses with a moderate stem and larger bowl than other glasses. The wider bowl opens up the body of the wine, giving it a chance to breathe to let the heartiness of the grape shine through. With white wines, the wine glasses best suited for them have a moderate stem and a smaller, narrower bowl but not as narrow as the champagne flute. The narrowness of the glasses allows the wine to stay chilled longer while the stem keeps your hands from the bowl to prevent the warming of the wine.

Caring for your Glasses

If possible, you will want to wash your wine glasses by hand as they are delicate and require special attention paid to the rinsing.  The dishwasher may get the glasses clean but due to its shape, there may be some soap residue trapped inside the bowl of the glasses. This residue can greatly alter not only the taste of a wine but also its aroma and structure.

Wine glasses washed with soap should really be washed by hand as you can control the rinsing and ensure no soap residue is left over. Some wine enthusiasts feel that only hot water should be used to clean the glasses as any soap whatsoever, no matter how diligent the rinsing is, will taint the flavor of the wine. Regardless of which way you wash the wine glasses, be sure to hold them up to eye level against the light to check for soap residue, scum or spots.

Once you have washed the glasses, you must be careful in how they are dried and stored so as to prevent water spots from drying on them. The best course of action is to allow the wine glasses to drip-dry first and then polish them up with a soft cloth to create a clear shine. Storing them in your cupboard upright in a dry place until ready for use and then buffing with a soft cloth before pouring wine into them will create a memorable, wine tasting experience.

Traditionally an ice bucket is used to do the job. It seems simple enough, all you have to do is submerge your wine bottle in a bucket of ice and then you can drink it. The problem is that it can be both messy and slow. A good wine chiller can solve this problem easily.

Simple

A very simple wine chiller can sometimes be surprisingly low tech. All you need to do with a sleeve wine chiller is keep it in the freezer and when you need to chill a bottle of wine to slip the sleeve on. Your wine will soon be chilled very quickly. These simple sleeve wine chillers make great gifts.

It is also very useful if you are taking a bottle of wine over to a friends place. All you need to do when you decide to take a bottle of wine over to a friend’s place is put the bottle in the wine chiller so that your bottle of wine will be ready to drink when you get there.

Portable

The great thing about a tabletop wine chiller is that you can take it with you anywhere. They take up little space, just enough so that it can sit comfortably on your tabletop. Some models come with a cord and need to be plugged in to keep your wine chilled. Others allow you to go cordless by providing a battery that can be recharged so that it really is portable.

A wine chiller like this is great if you are dining outdoors and need to keep your wine chilled. Perfect for the summer months or warmer climates where room temperature is above what is normally preferable for a bottle of white or red wine.

Some of these chillers will even come with a temperature gage that will tell you how cool your wine is and when it is ready for drinking. Handy if you are busy setting up dinner and don’t need to worry about when your wine is ready for your guests. It will make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable if you can drink your wine at the perfect temperature.

While wooden barrels have long been used for storing and aging wine, French Oak has been particularly reputed for making wine barrels, its popularity well-established during the reign of Napoleon for shipbuilding. Tight grained wood has been preferred for the purpose of making barrels since a wine barrel of this wood imparts a better degree of oak characteristics like vanilla, butter, and spice flavors than wood comprising looser grain. American Oak, on the other hand, failed to produce good wine barrels for enhancing the wine quality when the first attempts were made to use it for the said purpose. However, it was later figured out that applying the traditional barrel making techniques to American Oak enhanced the quality to a significant extent. These construction techniques were applied to wood from other countries including European countries like Hungary, and the results have been encouraging. The preference for American Oak over French Oak mainly owes to the lower prices the former variety.

Wine Barrel Shapes and Sizes
A wide variety of shapes are available for making wine barrels. Winemaking regions usually have their own traditional shapes for making wine barrels, for example Bordeaux Barrels (from the southwest of France) are quite distinct from Burgundy Barrels (east central France). Similarly, there is also a wide variation in the sizes of barrels and their thickness etc.
Aging in a Wine Barrel
Wine is usually fermented under controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks before placing in wine barrels for aging. While many verities of wine are aged in different barrels, some verities like those made form Chardonnay and Pinot Noir may be aged in the same barrel. To facilitate the process of aging in a barrel, some wine dealers employ used barrels after inserting new, thin, inner staves. There are others who use oak shavings in large sack, like a tea bag, placed in a steel tank to be used as a wine barrel. As a general rule, new barrels are used for imparting greater flavor to the wine contained in them. A wine barrel that is about five years old imparts little taste or flavor to wine and is good for storage purposes only.

Italian Sparkling Wines

When most people think of Italian wine, they think of the lush, robust reds of the Tuscany or the delicate whites of Piedmont. They don’t generally think of sparkling wines, but they should. Italy produces more different kinds of sparkling wines than any other country in the world. In fact, they have been crafting spumantes (literally, sparkling wines) since Roman times, long before Dom Perignon popped his first cork. From the light off dry Proseccos, to the classic Franciacortas, Italian sparklers are varied, tasty, and often quite affordable.

The Making Of Spumante

Most of Italy’s sparklers are produced in the cooler regions of northern Italy, particularly Piedmont, Veneto, and Lombardy. Unlike Champagne, most Italian sparklers are made using the Charmat method. Using this method, the wine’s second fermentation is done in a tank instead of in the bottles, and the resulting wine is bottled young. This technique is particularly suited to crisp, low alcohol drinks, such as Asti and Moscato d’Asti. Generally, sparklers produced this way are best consumed when young and have little staying power.

Franciacorta

Franciacorta is Italy’s sparkling wine star. Unlike most other Italian sparklers, Franciacorta is made using the Champagne method. That is, it is fermented in the bottles, rather than a vat. This leads to smaller, more plentiful bubbles and a more subtle taste. Franciacorta is a name of a place — a region in the Lombardy Lake District. The Franciacorta is made using a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero grapes. It is a dry, somewhat complex product, with hints of almond, vanilla, and yellow ripe fruit. According to Italian law, Franciacorta must be aged for at least 18 months, vintage Franciacorta must be aged for at least 18 months, vintage Franciacorta for 30 months. Drink Franciacorta with risottos, seafood, white meat, and baked fish.

Asti

Asti produces a considerable number of excellent sparkling wines. Asti is a place name, a lovely town, set in the gently rolling hills of Piedmont, in the north of Italy. The craggy, limestone soil there is ideal for growing grapes. In addition to the eponymous sparkler, the wine region of Asti also produces the light and crisp Moscato d’Asti as well as a red sparkler, called Brachetto. Asti has a light, slightly off dry, vaguely peachy flavor, made from 100% Moscato grapes. It has high acidity, which helps to balance its sweetness.

Asti is a non-vintage wine, and since it is best when consumed within one to three years of bottling, it is a good idea to buy Asti from a wine shop that turns its inventory frequently. Asti is ideal paired with Gorgonzola cheese and by itself as an aperitif.

Storing Sparkling Wines

Sparkling wine is particularly susceptible to both heat and light so it is important to keep it in a climate controlled area if you do not plan to drink it for a while. When you are not ready to consume the sparkling wine shortly after its purchase but perhaps a week or two, you might want consider the refrigerator as your wine storage option. If you invest in a wine rack to store your bottles, be sure that your sparkling wines are housed on the bottom racks.

White and Dessert Wines

Wine storage for both white and dessert wines involves protecting them from heat and light sources as over time, they could lose their flavor. Choose a cool place to store your white wines if you do not plan to consume it soon after purchase or choose the refrigerator as your wine storage option if you plan to open it soon. Keep in mind though that white wine tastes its best at cooler temperatures of around 45-50° F or the result might be a muted, less intense flavor. However, while dessert wines can enjoy similar wine storage options, many people prefer the taste of them at room temperature which may be above the 45-50° F mark.

Merlots, Red Wines and Zinfandels

These wine options can be stored in the refrigerator indefinitely but serving them chilled will not enhance the flavor of them but rather detract from it. Red wines in particular are best when served at room temperature so if your wine storage is the refrigerator allow these particular wines to warm up first before consuming.

Wine Racks

Many people who collect bottles of wine invest in racks for wine storage as it is not only easy to keep track of but can actually add to the décor of your home.  When you utilize racks for storage, there are a few rules of thumb for storing sparkling wines as well as the white, red and other varieties. For instance, as mentioned above, sparkling wines should be housed on the lowest racks while white wines should be stored above them. Wine storage for merlots and red wines should be at the top of the rack as heat rises and these are best served when not chilled. Ensure that the area where you store your wines is well-ventilated and does not get direct sunlight for maximum protection of body and flavor.

Port is a fortified red or white wine that is made with the grape varieties that grow specifically in the Douro River Valley in Portugal. As one of the leading wine production locations in the world, Portugal is known for its delicious, rich wine blends, their port wine selection being the most popular of all.

For the most part, this type of wine is blended and aged in the cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia, which is a city that is located just at the mouth of the Douro River in Portugal.

It is usually enjoyed before or after the entrée in a meal, and compliments most foods. A rich blue cheese is probably the best known accompaniment to this wine but certainly not the only one, so have some imagination and mix it up. It also goes very well with fruit and nuts.

Remember

This is not the only kind of wine that you can choose from however, so just make sure that you choose the specific wine that is going to go best with the particular dish that will be served. It can be hard to decide from the multitude of options available to you, especially if you do not have much experience with wine, but you will see how well worth it the effort of choosing the right one is.

If you ever need help choosing a wine, whether it is a port wine or other, one of the best things you can do is take some time and do some research. If you really want to come out of it all with the best possible results, gaining knowledge about the different types of wine is really going to help you out.

Also keep in mind that wherever you shop for your wine there will usually be knowledgeable and helpful employees who will be able to talk with you, figure out what you need the wine for and then help you to decide on the best one for your needs.

It is well worth it to choose the right wine, especially when you pair it with a meal and they compliment each other so well.

The 100 Points Wine Ratings System   

The most widely used rating system for wines by a majority of wine experts comprises a 0 to 100 points scale. Various qualities appealing to the wine enthusiast are judged and rated within a specified number assigned to the category as a whole; thus the aroma and bouquet of wine have a combined maximum credit of 33 points; 33 points for mouth; 10 points for finish; and 24 points for the wine’s overall impression. The total score of a wine is then used to classify the wine as classic or great (scoring 95 to 100), outstanding (90 to 94), good to very good (80 to 89), average (70 to 79), below average or just drinkable (60 to 69), or poor/undrinkable (59 or less). This classification, however, varies from one group of experts to another and the customer should familiarize him/herself with the classification scheme of the rating experts before using their wine ratings for making a purchase.

The Alphabetical Notation Wine Ratings System

Some wine experts disagree with the 100 points scale used for wine ratings on the grounds that it does not signify a wine’s maximum potential or the context of enjoying a particular variety of the wine. They point to the importance of considering the typicality of a wine variety and the expectations for that particular class or variety of wine. Hence they prefer to use an alphabetical notation system for wine ratings. This system classifies wines broadly along the scale ranging from A to F. Thus A represents an outstanding wine, B signifies a good wine, C an acceptable wine, D a poor wine, and F an unacceptable wine. A positive (+) or negative (-) sign is used with a rating alphabet to indicate the quality of a wine within its broad category, e.g. B+ for a higher quality of wine in the good wine class. This system of classification is more subjective than the 0 to 100 scale system but it means more to an enlightened consumer who is keen on distinguishing more than just white from red wine.