Wednesday March 11, 2009 - Wine Cooler-
Sweet Wines for Valentines
SWEET WINES FOR VALENTINES
better than chocolates, more clever than roses
Have you been around the Valentines block and back again bearing the same, tired box of chocolates and dozen red roses?
Guys, have you bought so many little trinkets and baubles and dinners out that they just don't mean anything anymore?
Ladies, have you given him every conceivable romantic version of golf stuff, cute boxers, silk ties, and yourself all dolled up?
It's past time to do something different; something special that you will both enjoy now and in the future, and that can be loaded with so much more meaning. Something unique that tells them you care, and that you took the time to think of something different this year.
This Valentines, give a bottle of great sweet wine.
Not sweet wine like wine that is sweetish and cloying and kind of awful. Not, say, a bottle of Blue Nun (not that there's anything wrong with that). But a bottle of world-class dessert wine, the finest of which are as rare as a yellow diamond and can age for decades.
Don't know a thing about dessert wines? Don't panic. You probably know more than you think, and even if you don't, you're about to find out and it's going to be painless.
Most wine producing countries produce some version of dessert wine, and each can be as different as the culture they come from. Perhaps you have heard of the great Sauternes wines from France? Port from Portugal? Tokaji from Hungary? Ice Wine from Austria? These are but a few examples.
In general, dessert wines are created by using grapes that have been left to hang on the vines until very late in the season (which is why you will also see them called "late harvest wines"). Depending upon the climate, these grapes are then either harvested and laid out to air dry on straw or reed mats, or they have been affected by the noble fungus "botrytis cinerea" (aka "noble rot"), or they freeze and are harvested while still frozen to create Ice Wine.
Straw or reed wines are usually made from grapes that are healthy when harvested, and are then laid out to air dry on the mats for at least three months. In Italy, these wines are called Vin Santo. In Austria, they are called Strohwein or Schilfwein. Because the grapes are healthy at harvest (that is, not affected by the noble rot) they are a bit like an Ice Wine in their taste.
Wines made from grapes that have been affected by noble rot are quite rare because it takes a very special set of climatic conditions to produce them. It must be a warm summer, a mild autumn, and there must be moisture in the form of mists or fog that rolls over the vineyards from a nearby lake or river. For the noble wines from France (Sauternes) and Germany, these conditions do not occur every year. In Austria, there is an area called the Burgenland region around the Neusiedler Lake that creates nobly rotted grapes every year. These wines require several pickings at harvest time, and in Germany and Austria these different harvests produce wines that are different levels of sweetness, the lesser being called Beerenauslese, and the sweeter being called Trockenbeerenauslese. In Austria and Hungary, there is then an even sweeter wine called Ausbruch, which is so labor intensive and rare that a half bottle can cost thousands of dollars. However, there are many Ausbruch wines from the town of Rust (called Ruster Ausbruch) that are ranked as among the best in the world and can be bought for between $30 and upwards for a half-bottle. Two producers of these Ruster Ausbruch wines to look for are Wenzel and Feiler-Artinger. Great producers of other noble sweet wines include Chateau d'Yquem and Chateau Climens (both from France) and Kracher, Velich, and Heiss (from Austria).
True Ice Wines are made when the grapes freeze on the vine, and are harvested while still frozen. Some producers in countries with less strict wine laws create "Ice Wines" by tossing the grapes into a commercial freezer, but these are not seriously considered to be world class. The best true Ice Wines come from Germany, Austria (where they are called Eiswein) and Canada. A particularly great Eiswein for Valentines day would be one made from the Traminer grape, as it is known for having aromas of roses and rosewood. A fine example would be the Heiss Eiswein Traminer 2001, which is truly like having a bouquet of roses in your wineglass.
The final thing that makes giving a great bottle of dessert wine for Valentines a meaningful gift is the way that it speaks to your future together. The best of these wines can be put away to cellar for 10, 20, even 50 years. How wonderful to give your beloved a half-case of six of these wines, one to enjoy right away and the rest to open, say, one every ten years? What other gift can keep on creating beautiful moments like this can? What other gift says I love you and I will be there for you as we travel through this life together? Not a bunch of flowers, which may last a week if you're lucky. Not a piece of clothing or anything of that ilk. And not a piece of jewelry, which may last, but isn't something you keep enjoying together as time goes by. This is the year to do something different. This is the year of sweet wines for Valentines.
About the Author
Emily Schindler is a fine wine importer based in Los Angeles. You can find more of her wine writing, as well as world-class dessert wines, at http://www.winemonger.com
Another short Wine Cooler review
Wine Storage Temperature And Serving Suggestions
The love of wine has existed since the dawn of time. Fossil vines, 60-million-years-old, are the earliest scientific evidence of grapes. The earliest ...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Recommended Wine Cooler Items
Vinegar Sherry Wine-Delouis 6/33.8 Oz Bottle
The Delouis French wine vinegars reflect the marriage of centuries-old family know-how with modern technology. The all natural ingredients are carefully selected to ensure that the products are as flavorful and fresh-tasting as possible. Delouis offers many different flavors as well as sizes to suit all needs.
More product information
The Wine Enthusiast Fusion Stemware Chardonnay Glasses Set of 4
Prodyne Pewter Wine Glass Charms, Wine & Cheese - Silver (W-6-WS)
Just clip these decorative charms to your stems so your guests can always keep track of their own glass. Crafted from fine pewter with lustrous silver finish, they have full detail on each side. Holding ring included for easy storage and to display charms on a wine bottle. Set of 6 comes in an attractive open window display box.
More product information
Diamond Machining Technology Crystal Saver
A little chip in a crystal wine glass is no reason to throw it in the garbage. For a small investment, this Crystal Saver file fixes those sharp points and saves plenty of money in replacement costs. The 4-inch-long, half-round file is coated with a coarse grit of diamonds, one of the hardest known materials. As such, this file is hard enough to repair any delicate material, including other glassware, china, or ceramic goods. A few light strokes over the chip with the moistened file safely smoothes jagged edges. The round side takes care of dips in the glass or ceramic and the flat side sands down sharp corners. The file is embedded in a faceted faux-crystal 4-inch handle that is comfortable to hold during use. DMT claims that other imitations of this product are out there but they created the original and most effective. --Cristina Vaamonde
Customer Review: works as advertised. great crystal file
If you need to file down chipped crystal - this is the only tool I can recommend. Great purchase.
Customer Review: Cheap solution for beloved glass
I have a pint glass I bought on vacation which got chipped somehow. I bought this file and wore the sharp chipped edges of the glass down, and though there's a small dip around the glass's rim from filing, the glass is smooth and usable. Much better than having to throw it away! I recommend this item.
More product information
Oenophilia Alexander 40-Bottle Cellar Wine Rack
Cellar wine rack holds 40 bottles, Perfect for the cellar. Folds flat for shipping. Mounts to wall for stability. 8"L X 15"W X 39.5"H
Customer Review: Functional wine rack.
Works pefectly in our basement... not the heavy finished product as some but a very good value with excellent functionality at a reasonable price.
Customer Review: great wine rack!
I looked and looked at wine racks. This TOTALLY fits the bill. I am now storing 40 bottles on this rack in a closet I turned into a wine cellar! Well, I am not rich, so I guess I cannot afford a wine cellar, so a wine closet will do! Solid, easy to put up comes with screws that you will need-although, the screws are soft and easy to strip-you might have to get other screws-unless you tap it and drill it out first then you should be fine.
More product information
Headlines on Wine Cooler
Goldeneye Pinot Noir Blog
Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:43:46 -0800
Great site about Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Excellent tips for wine lovers.
Wine Merchant Express
Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:24:34 -0800
Are you a total novice when it comes to wines? Do you not know the difference between a Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris? Want to find out the basics such as which goes with what and what goes with which? Check out this site and learn in plain English so that you can enjoy wines too. Also you can buy them and all the accessories you need right here.
The CellarOnline.com - The Best Wines at the Best Price
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:07:14 -0800
TheCellarOnline.com is a family run business dedicated to bring you the BEST wines at the BEST prices. Work with you to find what you are looking for; flowers pinot noir, menage a trois wine, salmon creek chardonnay, lily pinot noir, flowers pinot, anejo tequila, tequila tradicional, ultimat vodka and many more.
A bottle or two of good 100% New Zealand wines
Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:10:31 -0800
Spotted a deep red ruby rabbit on the wine section of the supermarket today. The bottle of Pinot Noir has a matching red rabbit while the one on Riesling bottom is in a cheery yellow.
Wein Neuseeland - Kia Ora Weinhandel - neuseeland italienisc
Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:37:25 -0800
New wine from New Zealand... Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from Gibbston Valley, Pinot Noir from felton Road, Sauvignon Blanc from Highfield Estate and Sacred Hill.
The Wine Vault New Zealand Pinot Noir of the Year 2008.
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:24:46 -0800
After many public and private tasting's, and much thought and deliberation, The Wine Vault has finally decided on a winner for last years New Zealand Pinot Noir of the Year Award.The panel at The Wine Vault tasted 100 great wines from Martinborough, Central Otago, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough,
Italian Wine
Aging Wine
Tags: Wine Alcohol
Labels: Wine Attributes, Wine Bar
0 Comments:
<< Home