Wine Insiders |

The vine has a long record in Southern Italy. Oenotria, the land of vines, is what the Greeks lovingly called the modern ‘Mezzogiorno,’ the southern portion of the Italian boot as well as Sicily. Southern Italy was effectively a Greek colony in the times before Christ, so much so, the South was known as ‘Magna Graecia,’ literally ‘Greater Greece.’ When the Greeks colonized Southern Italy they brought with them one of the markers of civilization: the vine.

To be specific,, the Phoenicians were the first to bring the vine to Southern Italy, but it was the Greeks who brought both viticulture and viniculture, fundamentally a wine-making culture. From that point on wine has been grown in Southern Italy, and its wines were loved by Roman leaders across the Roman Empire, even Julius Caesar himself sung praises of these wines. Southern Italian wine was a well-respected wine well before Barolo or Chianti had been created.

Nevertheless throughout the centuries, wine in the South became less well-regarded and more infamous as it became the number one source of Italian jug wine. Wines from Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia, were utilised to bolster feeble vintages from Northern and Central Italy. They were even employed in some Southern French wines for the very same reasons as their Northern Italian counterparts. What a fall from grace!

At the present time, Southern Italian wine receives the awareness and approval of the market, particularly in the States, where Italian wine is experiencing rare recognition, at least in contrast to French wine. The renaissance of the Mezzogiorno’s wines is due to several factors all stemming from the modernizing of the South’s manufacturing. Grape production has been restructured commencing with huge investments made in the vineyard, thereby making lower-yielding crops normal rather than the aberration, which is a step away from jug wine production.

In wine production, engineering has progressed from the middle ages to the modern age in a short period of time. Refrigeration technology has allowed producers to provide quality white wine, as well as red. The coming of wine consultants and major Italian Groups, for example Gruppo Italiano Vini, Zonin, Antinori, Avignonesi, and Mezza Corona, have contributed to the modernisation of both viniculture and viticulture in Southern Italy. In spite of these changes, or rather because of them, Southern Italy faces a wine identity crisis as producers decide whether to modernise or remain true to the region’s roots.

Nic Haegeli still considers himself pretty new to the wine business, but he presently has many years of experience as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits, an Acton liquor store. With a BA in History and a Master of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never imagined himself working with wine. However, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Therefore it makes sense when you know where he comes from.

Colonial Spirits of Acton would like to invite you to come by our store for one of our many wine tastings. If you aren’t able to stop by the physical store, then please consider our online wine store. Colonial Spirits Delivers anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts!

Posted by wineauthor under Wine Insider | Comment » (0 comments) |

Getting to know about the many wines out there can be an abrupt challenge when you’re forced to consider the money it costs. But, to be honest, this doesn’t have to be the case. It can be the right accompaniment to your dinner if you buy wine that costs five dollars or fifty dollars. All that matters is how it tastes alongside what you’ve cooked and that your wallet stays in tact. Easy.

First thought, where do you know of that people go to get wine most often? If you guessed the grocery store, you’re right. Depending on a wine store can be a pain if you’re looking to not empty your wallet on something unique. Besides, being in the grocery stores helps you to arrange your meal all the faster.

Actually, let’s slow down on discussing the significance of wine prices and look at just what sorts of foods are intended to go with which wines.

Initially, it’s important to identify that there are two basic wine types out there. There are so many grape types involved, but it still results in predominantly two types, which are white and red.

White wines are lower in alcohol content and often smoother in taste. They can come in a wide variety from chenin blanc, to pinot grigio, to chardonnay, to zinfandel. Each of these wines comes with a distinct taste to accompany certain dishes.

In the case of zinfandels, with a specific note to New Zealand produced zinfandels, we find what is a wine packed with spices. Due to this ambrosia of taste, a good course of action is a light, well-seasoned fish, such as tilapia or white fish, rather than swordfish or sea bass.

A red wine will typically yield much higher alcohol levels and display what is thought of to be a much dryer taste, if not bitter seeming. Red wines also have their mixes from merlots to malbecs to ports. Wines of this nature are largely considered better served around dishes run by meat.

For example, ports are satisfying when served alongside red meat. Now this doesn’t exactly mean burgers, which are weighed down with fixings, but more so your good cuts of steak. It’s the heaviness of the port body that complements the rather bloodiness of the meat.

Next we come to price. As stated before that generally has a great deal of influence when buying wine, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. For example, convenient stores will advertise bottles that max out around $10, because they know people aren’t exactly rushing in the door for that reason. Next time you’re around there or the grocery store, look at the selection. In all honesty, you can find a similar appeal in a $6 wine and a $60 bottle. In fact, the French dine with wine at every meal, often settling on what they call “table wines,” which are these cheaper bottles filled with a great taste and the same antioxidant benefits.

So there you have it. Wine isn’t about the high mark up always. Most of the time when you buy wine, you must only concern yourself with what you plan to eat alongside it.

Tiffany is a wine expert who prefers to purchase wine online. You may also be interested in reading more information about cheap wine online.

Posted by wineauthor under Wine Insider | Comments Off |

In the aftermath of the internet explosion onto today’s society, shopping has changed dramatically. Local store are not the first place people search anymore. Catalog shopping has also fallen to the wayside. Most people find that everything can be bought online, for a reasonable price. Clothes, toys, cookware, homes and wine can be sold online. Considering the wide variety and competitive pricing, many enjoy shopping for and choose to buy wine online.

Wine lovers, new and experienced, appreciate different wines that are made. Before the widespread use of the internet, wine lovers would have to go to specialty stores or be limited to what was available on local store shelves. With the internet, the selection of wines available has become almost endless. Wine aficionados can purchase regional favorites, rare or collectable wines as well as more trendy wines.

For those that are new to purchasing wine online, there are 2 types of wine sellers. People can choose to purchase their wine directly from a winery or a wine merchant online. Most people that choose to purchase wine from a winery are those that are looking for a specific wine or a wine from a specific region. Wine merchants are for those that are looking for a variety of options. Merchants are also great for those that are looking for specialty or vintage wines.

Purchasing wine online is not hard to do. With all the expert information available online, there is no trouble in finding an answer  to a question or getting some sort of help. Shopping online is not like shopping in a store, looking for help and realizing there is none available at the store. A resourceful wine lover will gather information from different sites to get knowledge about a new wine or answer the questions that are stopping them from making an informed decision.

Buying wine online can also be a time saver. There are some that look to purchase a specific or vintage wine. Rather than call local wine merchants or going to multiple stores, collectors can go online to find the wine. It is easy to use the different wineries and merchant websites to compare different prices for wines as well. Once a shopper has found the exact wine they are looking for, its easy to compare the price on different websites. The savings can be significant.

Buying wine from a winery or a wine merchant via the internet is a great convenience. Wine merchants normally deal with customs negotiations for their buyers. Regional or local wineries will often include friend charges in the price of the wine. Saving time, money and aggravation is always a great reason for people to buy wine online.

As the world’s population expands, more people are relating to one another as wine lovers. More people are chatting online than in traditional stores. Websites for wine lovers see the need for interactions and have expanded their sites to include some sort of communications board or comment section. With people exchanging knowledge and experience, the amount of information that’s available is constantly growing. There are a lot of friendships that started between cybershoppers and buying a bottle of wine that has last a number of years.

There are many benefits to buying wine online. The convenience of shopping 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is a powerful lure. With expert advice available on almost every website, even novice wine consumers can make an informed decision about wines. The selection of wines available online is almost unlimited with the entire world as a store. With great prices and a huge selection, more people are choosing to buy wine online and learn as they go.

Tiffany is a wine afficionado who prefers to buy wine online. You may also be interested in reading more information about online wine shops.

Posted by wineauthor under Wine Insider | Comments Off |

As someone looking to buy wine, one must be aware that the process comes with a certain amount of judgement. It seems like a bizarre situation to note, but you don’t want to be caught off guard if it happens.

There are a great deal of palettes in the mouths of man, and, to say the least, these sort of differences will never go away. In fact, if anything they will only grow more mature and refined with time. In regard to wine, the specifics of temperature and platter are not to be trifled with. Not at all.

Consider just purchasing wine from a restaurant. Depending on the restaurant there will be certain ways you can order wine. There is by the glass, by the half bottle, and by the bottle. Should you ever find yourself in France, you may also notice they have an additional way, which is through ceramic pots called pichets. A pichet is generally equivalent to about four glasses or so. Therein half a pichet is more than a half bottle, and a pichet is often about the size of a full bottle. Anyway, there are these unique ways to order, but what happens when you do.

In selecting wine by the glass, you’ll appreciate the way the wallet isn’t immediately sacrificed. One should also be aware of the way it’s brought out to you already filled, and not filled before you and the table.

In the instance or ordering a half bottle, and especially a full bottle, it’s a step up. You get exposed then to a step up of service, which serves as a strong introduction to wine culture.

The serve will next carry out a number of glasses, asking the table who would like wine and who is going to pass. Then they will open the bottle, exposing the cork for the table to sniff the bouquet (scent), and to keep.

Once the bottle is uncorked, the server will remove the glass of the wine’s chooser, and their glass only, and administer a small sip. Once there, the taster will take this sip, checking to see if it isn’t going to be an appropriate wine for the diner’s meals.

If yes, the wine is divvied up between the group. If no, then the wine is turned away in lieu of another bottle. However, be warned that a restaurant will have a policy in place that may only allow you to turn one bottle away before being paid for its uncorking or for a whole bottle of wine you didn’t drink much more than a drop of. It’s best not to be particular about it if under a budget.

After you’ve made it through this procedure of wine culture, you’re then free to go about your evening with your regular decorum. However, if you don’t usually buy wine at a restaurant, it can be helpful to know what you’re getting into. Otherwise you may just be offended when the wine is poured to the taster only.

Tiffany is a wine afficionado who prefers to buy wine online. You may also be interested in reading more information about french wines.

Posted by wineauthor under Wine Insider | Comments Off |