The Good Wine Guru

Archive for the ‘Wine Articles’ Category

For anybody that’s ever kept more than about five bottles of wine in their house at a time, the issue of storing that wine can quickly become an issue. Not only do you want your wine to not be in the way, but you want it to be protected against light, heat, and physical damage as well. Because of that, it’s important to have quality wine storage in your home.

While it would be great if we could all have custom wine cellars with expensive cooling units, the reality is that most of us don’t have the space or the finances to accommodate that particular wine storage option. Because of that, wine storage cabinets are the far more practical option for those of us looking to store large quantities of wine.

Wine credenzas are a great option for those looking for an increase in storage space without the option to install an elaborate wine cellar. These large cabinets are appealing on a couple levels as they offer increased storage over smaller wine racks and cabinets, the ability to add cooling units to regulate the temperature, and they’re pretty nice to look at, too.

Speaking from my own personal need to increase my wine storage capacity in my home, a wine credenza is becoming a more appealing option as I live in a townhouse, so a full wine cellar just isn’t an option as I have no place to install it, but my current wine cabinet/buffet just isn’t supporting the amount of wine I’m keeping on hand, but I like having something lower to the ground so I can place decorations and other wine accessories on top. Websites like Vintage Cellars offer wine credenzas in various sizes and in enough colors to match any color scheme, along with enough options to make sure you get exactly what you need and nothing you don’t.

While wine credenzas certainly aren’t the only wine storage option out there, they’re one of the better options for those of us that want increased storage but don’t have a dedicated wine cellar in our future. If you’re in the market for new wine storage I definitely recommend wine credenzas thanks to their versatility, options, and ability to fit into smaller places for those of us that don’t have the option of a walk-in wine cellar.

So September is the grape harvest in Chianti, and in time for that I was sent this lovely email detailing a great path to follow from Florence to Sienna to really take advantage of all of the festivals going on in the Tuscan region.  While I won’t be able to fly out there and take experience this myself, I thought I would share it with my readers and if any of you do take the trip, I’d love to hear about it.

Here’s the email that was sent to me:

The Chianti area has been one of the most important wine producing regions in Italy for over two centuries. It was the family of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Lopold I that began cultivating grapes during the 18^th and 19^th centuries in the region that would become modern Chianti.

The Chiantigiana (SR 222) is one of the most scenic and charming motoring routes in Italy, running directly south from Florence to Sienna cutting through the heart of the Chianti Classico wine zone. The road sweeps around rolling Tuscan hills and past thousands of hectares of vineyards, all producing outstanding Chianti Classico DOCG (the highest classification of Chianti).

The best time of year to visit Tuscany (Toscana) is at harvest time in September, or just before harvest to see the vines bowing heavily with ripening Sangiovese grapes. During September most towns in Chianti celebrate the Sangiovese harvest with wine festivals such as the Vino al Vino held on the third week in September (17-19) in the small town of Panzano in Chianti, where many local wines can be sampled by the glass.

For a truly inspiring tour along Chiantigiana road, make time to visit some of the ancient towns of Chianti and surrounding vineyards. Most vineyards are open to the public, but it’s worth checking before you visit. Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of different ways to share your love of wine with the special people in your life, such as dinners, wine of the month clubs, or trips to vineyards.  However, one way to show your family in friends that you appreciate wine, and that you know they do too, is to send them a wine gift basket.

A Great Alternative

While a fan of wine of the month clubs, a wine gift basket serves as a nice alternative for those looking for a wine gift without a recurring monthly cost.  Also, many gift baskets feature food such as chocolate or cheese that has been specially selected to pair with the wine in the basket, great for the recipient as it gives them to enjoy with the wine that they know will pair well with it.

A Nice Introduction

For your friends that are just getting into wine, there are many inexpensive options out there to introduce them to new wines while avoiding either you or them having to invest heavily in a trip to the wine store, a vineyard, or signing up for the more elaborate wine of the month clubs, which can be very pricey.

Something for Everybody

While there are certainly wine gift baskets that reach a price tag of more than $150, there are just as many quality baskets that can be had for under $40.  No matter what your price range is for gift giving, you can find a wine gift basket to suit your pocketbook.

Always in Season

Wine is always in season, and is a great gift for any season.  Birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day – it’s all a great reason to give the gift of wine.  If the person you’re giving it too appreciates wine, it won’t really matter what the holiday is, of even if there is a holiday.

No matter your reason for sending it, a wine gift basket is a great way to let the people in your life know that you appreciate your shared love of wine.  There are plenty of great places to get a basket to fit your budget, so why not go show somebody that you’re thinking of them?

There are a lot of different tools and accessories available to increase your wine enjoying experience, and while it’s impossible to have all of them, here are ten wine accessories that I think everybody should have.

A Good Solid Corkscrew

Corkscrews can come in a variety of styles, designs, and sizes. Whether you’re a fan of the small hand corkscrew like those used by waiters and bartenders at restaurants or want something larger that sits on your counter, a reliable corkscrew is the first tool that every wine lover should have. I quality corkscrew can make opening bottles of wine easier, and help prevent you from shredding the cork into the wine.

If you want a counter-top corkscrew, make sure it has some weight to it – that means pass on those little plastic ones with the suction cup bases. Something with a solid wood or metal base and a good metal arm is a must. If you prefer a smaller corkscrew, I like one where the actual corkscrew part is long and narrow, and with two leverage points for removing the cork, requiring less energy. If you’re really unsure, find a waiter or bartender you trust and ask them what kind of corkscrew they have.

Read the rest of this entry »

I am certainly not the only writer offering wine reviews.  I’m not even the only one on the internet.  I’m certainly not the most influential wine reviewer.  What I am, however, is honest about the wine that I drink and review.  I say this because I’ve noticed with growing frequency that every time I visit a wine shop there are more and more wines being displayed with numeric ratings.  There’s nothing honest, at least in my humble opinion, about rating wine with a number.  Wine is about passion and enjoyment, and nothing sucks passion and fun out of any situation quite like numbers.

The 100 point rating system was created Robert M. Parker, Jr. some 30 years ago as a way of helping wine buyers decide which wines were the best while avoiding those that just didn’t measure up.  The ratings run from 50 points to 100, with anything above 90 being considered an excellent buy.  While I certainly applaud Mr. Parker’s efforts, I feel as though he’s missed the point of it all.  Now, I will admit that even he will tell his readers to look at more than just the rating of a wine before they buy it, but let’s be honest, what’s the point of having a rating system like that if you’re not planning on having people shop for wine using it as a guide.

When I first got into reviewing wines, I debated the use of a rating system.  I thought about using the 100 point system, but not beholding myself to the Parker ratings (if there were any), but quickly dismissed the idea.  I settled in, for a time, with a 5 star system, with ratings going for zero stars to 5 stars, with varying spots in between (think Star Search with a 3.75 star rating).  For a time this worked for me, but I still felt as though it limited me.

Eventually I abandoned a rating system all together, favoring instead a system where I wrote out my opinions and then simply recommended whether or not I thought people should buy the wine I was reviewing.  I find this method preferable for a couple of reasons.  First, it lets me review the wine both coldly and passionately.  By that I mean that I essentially offer two reviews of a wine – the first being the bread and butter of the wine:  what were the aromas, the flavors, the color, etc.  The second review being my recommendation.  What, if anything, did I pair this wine with?  Did it get better as I drank it?  Was there anything about the wine I didn’t like?  Would I buy it again?  None of those things can be answered by a numeric value slapped on a card placed next to a bottle of a shelf.

There are two fundamental flaws in the Parker method of reviewing wines.  The first is that wine tasting is subjective, and placing a numeric value on anything immediately makes it objective.  I may taste a Riesling that is nothing short of amazing, but if I’m not into Riesling, I’m not going to give that wine a good rating.  Robert Parker is known for being more inclined towards French wine, particularly Bordeaux, and has stated that he rates wines based on how much pleasure they give him, so logic would dictate that it would be unlikely for him to give a Australian Sauvignon Blanc a better rating than a French Bordeaux. 

The second flaw in the Parker rating system is that not every wine is rated.  Wines have to submit themselves to be rated, and more and more of them are deciding to cater themselves to their consumers as opposed to a critic that may or may not give them favorable wine reviews and ratings.  This means that many wines are passed over at stores simply because they don’t have ratings.  That doesn’t mean that they’re bad wines, on the contrary many of them are amazing, but they have decided not to submit themselves to ratings by critics and have instead decided to let real consumers be their critics.

I realize that there is no perfect way to review wine, partially because it is such a subjective thing.  Reviewing wine is no different than being an art critic – what one critic says is crap is haled by the next as brilliant and life-altering.  The only way to know your thoughts on the art (or wine in this case) is to experience it for yourself.  Wine reviewers such as myself are, at the end of the day, just offering our opinions.  The best advice I can give anybody considering whether to try a bottle of wine is to check out some wine reviews, and then buy the bottle.  Worst case scenario is that you’re out a bit of money.  Best case, you’ve found an amazing bottle of wine that you’ll continue to buy for years to come. 

About the Author

George R Perry is the author of The Good Wine Guru, a website featuring wine reviews, wine articles, and suggested wine products.  The Good Wine Guru can be found online at:  http://www.thegoodwineguru.com .

Through the years, I’ve had numerous people ask me the best ways to get introduced to new wines.  There are lots of ways:  go to wine festivals, visit a vineyard and try their wines, visit a wine shop and just pick something out, ask the bartender at your local wine bar to give you something new, or sign up for a wine of the month club.

Wine of the month clubs come in various shapes, sizes, and prices, and because of that they can be a bit daunting.  With that in mind, here’s my thoughts on one wine of the month club in particular:  The International Wine of the Month Club.

Started in 1994, The International Wine of the Month Club uses a 12-person panel headed by educator and industry expoert Don Lahey to ensure that all of the wine they select for their members is of the highest quality.  With memberships that range from 2-12 months at a time, The International Wine of the Month Club, unlike some other clubs that focus on one or two specific areas, offers wine from all over the globe.  From the classic wine making regions like France, Spain, and Italy, to the newer regions of California, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and others, you’re not locked into a specific region or type of wine with this club, making it perfect for those looking to branch out into new wines and new regions.

The International Wine of the Month Club offers three levels to fit varying tastes and budgets.  Those levels are:

Premier Series – $29.95 + s&h

Masters Series – $45.95 + s&h

• one bottle from the Premier series level.
• one bottle from the Collectors series level.
• members may choose two reds or one red and one white.

Collectors Series - $65.95 + s&h

• selected wines retail in the $30-$60 range.
• members may choose from two reds or one red and one white.

Given the range of options offered by the International Wine of the Month Club, I really do recommend this wine club for anybody looking to branch out into new wines and new regions.  With levels that can appeal to every taste and every budget, the International Wine of the Month Club has something for everybody.  

For more information or to sign up for a membership, visit the International Wine of the Month Club at:  http://www.winemonthclub.com or call them toll-free at (800) 625-8238.