8:49 PM

04/21/08 - Wine Cellar

Another Great Wine Cellar Article

Cooking, Food & Wine Tours of Spain

Cooking, Food & Wine Tours of Spain - In a recent issue of Food & Wine Magazine there is a great article featuring Spain's Top Food Critic Jos? Carlos Capel discussing issues like "Why is Spain the world's most exciting food destination right now?" more... As well in this same issue Anya Von Bremzen gives some insider tips on... "Where To Go Next: Catalonia, Madrid, Galicia | Spain"

This year we have many new exciting culinary & cooking holiday and deluxe wine tours for travelers who would like to savor Spain with a Gourmet Appetite!

Starting off your journey you could try a Galician Coastal Cooking, Food and Wine Tour on the Atlantic Coast of Spain. Galicia is famed for it's fresh, abundant Seafood, highly-acclaimed Albari?o white wines and recently new young chefs like; Xose Cannas of Pepe Vieira who was just mentioned in this months issue of Food & Wine. On the Rias Baixas the sea plays an important role in peoples lives, come visit this magnificent coastline from the sea on our Gastronomic Sailing Journey. For an in-depth view of this undiscovered region of Spain try our 8 Days or 12 Days Deluxe food & wine tours. Even if you only have a couple of days in this region you could take a one day wine tour sampling Albari?o white wines of the D.O. Rias Baixas or Mencia red wines of the D.O. Ribeira Sacra. If you are just stopping through, or arriving at one of the ports of call on cruise and have time only for a half-day, we can offer guided tapa tours in Vigo, La Coru?a, Santiago de Compostela and Lugo.

Moving across Northern Spain to the Basque Country, one of the most notable regions for it's dynamic cuisine with top chefs like; Arzak, Berasategui, etc... In San Sebastian you could take a half-day hands-on Basque cooking class in one of the authentic gastronomic societies or a Pintxo tapa tour of the old quarter enjoying the "tasty little bites" in the most emblematic bars and taverns. For more days we could recommend our week-long Basque Country & Cantabian Cooking Holiday. For wine touring you could visit a Txacoli white winery from Bilbao, as well we can't forget to mention the world-renowned Rioja wines of the Basque/Rioja wine region D.O. Rioja which are a "must-taste" if your are in the area.

On the Eastern side of Spain you will discover the delights of Catalan Cuisine!Another region of "Hot" chefs like; Ferran Adria. Either basing your stay in Barcelona or exploring the countryside of Catalonia we have various tours to offer, for example in Barcelona how about a half-day private cooking class with a visit to La Boqueria Market to shop for the special ingredients for your class with a professional chef. Evening or midday tapa tours with a Food & Wine guide are also a lot of fun to wander the city's old quarter. Venturing out from Barcelona for the day you could learn about the Roots of Catalan Cuisine or a private wine tour to one of the regions like; Penedes, Cava, Priorat & Montsant, Emporda-Costa Brava, Coster del Segre or Conca de Barbera. As well you could try a short-break or week-long trip to learn in-depth about the wines with a expert wine guide. Gourmet Culinary Holidays in the Priorat region are also available for short-breaks or week-long stays.

If you are traveling as a group of ten or more you could stay at the Luxurious 5* Read's Hotel on the Balearic Island of Mallorca and learn the cooking secrets of the Michelin-starred Chef Marc Fosh.

In the middle of Spain lies Madrid, the heart and capital of this country which has much to offer for culinary travelers. Learn about Castilian Cuisine with a professional chef for a half-day cooking class or up to week-long cooking vacations. In the evenings or for lunch this is yet another Spanish city where tapa tours are very popular, or try a more "sit-down" gourmet dinner with a commented Spanish Olive Oil tasting in Madrid at a prestigious city centre restaurant. Ribera del Duero, one of Spain's most important wine regions can be reached in a day as a private VIP chauffeur driven tour or joining a deluxe small group tour from Madrid. Or how about a group excursion of Toledo and the wines of Castile Spain. Explore Quixote Land and discover the roots of Spanish Saffron of La Mancha.

Down South in Passionate Andalusia we have various, cooking, food & wine related tours. Leaving Madrid by high-speed train you could join in on a one day or short-break deluxe tour of Cordoba and the Wines of Montilla. In Seville we have two options for private half-day cooking classes. Learn how to make Spanish Tapas in the well-equipped kitchen of the apartment of an expert chef, or an exclusive cooking classes with one of Seville's most prestigious chefs Willy Moya at his restaurant Poncio. Also within reach from the city are day wine tours to Jerez (Sherry), Sanlucar de Barrameda or Ronda as well visits to Olive Oil Mills and Spanish Cured Ham producer. Try a 4 Day or 7 Day stay in Seville and enjoy all these culinary activities. Nearby Seville in the beautiful Andalusian Countryside can be found the 5* Grand Luxury Hacienda Benazuza, where you could learn the original recipes of Ferran Adria in La Alquer?a Restaurant (two Michelin Stars) prepared by chef Rafael Morales, under the management of the "El Bulli" team. In Granada learn about the ancient Arabic influences in the rice dishes of the region by cooking with local women of Granada. Down on the Costa del Sol in Marbella relax, play some golf and do a bit of wine touring.

After this delectable summary of cooking, food & wine tours we offer to Spain, we are also capable of creating a "personalized" culinary holiday just for you! Lets us know your desires and we will do our best to fulfill your appetite for a food and wine adventure in Spain... as well as Portugal!
For more info go to Euroadventures or CityGuide Europe

About the Author

Publisher CityGuide Europe

Wine Cellar and More

A Taste Worth The Wait: One Step Beyond A Good Wine, Villa Bellentani Balsamic

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A wine of this class should be of easy digestion, and easily consumed in moderate quantities, without affecting the head or the stomach. It should be smooth, clean tasting, well fermented, with a certain amount of flavor and

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Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:09:24 PST
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Wine experts are in demand and a slowing economy won't prevent oenophiles from quaffing the fermented grape. One wine consultant told me, "All you need is a good palate for wine."

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Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:09:11 PDT
Palookaville #19 is finally out and finishes a three issue arc of Seth’s Clyde Fans . It’s been ages since the last issue. This would be murder for any publisher out there waiting for a delay like this, this is fine wine and needs time to ferment. Seth creator extraordinaire is the Bordeaux in the comic community, his work a thing of delight.

cocktails and beer and wine

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:10:28 PDT
Ingredients processed cereals, fermented and brewed, mostly barley, hops (those are the hops plant, with the hemp) for the sound to brew distinctiveness of bitterness and malt. The beer is light in the dark ales stouts function of the proportion of malt and barley. As a rule, the darkest color of the beer, the calorie count.

Resveratrol Helps in Destruction of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:40:46 PDT
I know all of yah heard that red wine is good for the heart. Where does red wine made from, from fermented grapes right? But here's a new discovery about whats in a grapes that could help out cure pancreatic cancer.

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Posted by Larry Jackson | 0 comments

8:11 AM

April 21, 2008 - Wine Types

Another Great Wine Types Article

Making Red Wine

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Jim Bruce has been making growing grapes and making wine since 1974. You too can grow your own wine grapes. Interested in growing your own grapes for making wine? You can buy his Tips for Growing Grapes eBook at http://www.grapegrowingbook.com

Harvesting Your Red Wine Grapes - The first step in making red wine is to have the grapes perfectly ready to be picked. They need to be harvested not only at the proper time in their life cycle, but also at the right time of day to ensure the acids and sugars are all at the right balance for the wine.

Red wine grapes should contain enough sugar to be considered ripe and be able to attain the alcohol content you are aiming for. They must also have the right balance of acids. This means "hang-time" on the vine until the grapes have met the proper quality factors. A sugar content of 24 Brix at harvest will give you about 12% alcohol.

De-stemming and Crushing - This step in making red wine removes the stems from the grape bunches, and crushes the grapes (but does not press them) so that the juices are exposed to the yeast for fermenting. This will also expose the skins so they can impart color to the wine while in the primary fermentation.

This step in making red wine can be done manually by squeezing the grape bunches over a grate with holes to allow the grapes and juice to go through while leaving the stems behind. I've used old Coke crates, perforated plates, and other means to accomplish this. (Depending on the type of wine, the stems could be left in for a more tannic flavor or removed). This mix of wine is called must and is put into a fermentation vat.

You can always "stomp" the grapes and remove the stems afterwards - the old fashioned way. There are crusher/destemmer machines that can be purchased if you have a lot of grapes to crush. If you are going to adjust the acidity, this is the time to do this.

Primary Fermentation - The must is held in a vat that can be made of food grade plastic, glass, or stainless steel for fermentation. In whichever container, the sugars inside the grapes are turned into alcohol by yeasts. The yeast used should be specific for red wine. This fermentation process typically takes from 3-4 weeks.

How long the must (juice and grape solids) is allowed to sit, picking up flavor, color and tannin is up to the wine maker. Too long and the wine is bitter, to short and it is thin. Temperature is very important during this stage - it also affects flavour and color.

Punching Down the Skins - Skin and other solids float to the top as fermentation proceeds. The carbon dioxide gas given off by the fermentation process pushes them to the surface of the developing wine. The rising skins are called the "cap" and need to be pushed back down to stay in contact with the must. This should be done a couple of times a day. As you punch down the cap, you will notice that the wine is taking on more color from the contact with the skins.

End of Primary Fermentation(?) - The winemaker must decide if the must has fermented long enough. This will take a few days to a week. Much of this decision depends on how much color you want in your red wine. Generally, the wine has not completely fermented at this time. There still should be some residual sugar that will need to go through further fermentation.

Remove Free Run and Press - At the end of the primary fermentation, the must is put into the wine press. The best quality wine is made just from the juice portion of the must. Many wine makers allow this to run off and save it for the best red wines. The rest of the drier must (now called pomace) is pressed.

Pressing squeezes the remaining juice out of the pomace. If you do it too hard, or too many times, you get low quality wine. You can save the pressings separately from the free-run or it can be combined. This pressed wine will take longer to become clear and ready for bottling.

Secondary Fermentation - The juice, now wine, needs to settle after this ordeal and continue to ferment out all the residual sugars. During this time, the wine should be stored in glass carboys fitted with fermentation locks.

Fermentation locks keep oxygen out of the wine while allowing the carbon dioxide from fermentation to escape. Without them, oxidation will occur and the wine will spoil into vinegar or something worse. In the lack of oxygen, the wine undergoes subtle changes that affect the flavors of the resulting wine.

Malo-Lactic Fermentation - Many red wines need a non-alcoholic fermentation to remove excess acidity. This secondary fermentation will turn the tart malic acid (of green apples) into the softer lactic acid (of milk). A special malo-lactic bacteria is added which allows malolactic fermentation to occur. This is done during the secondary fermentation. Wines are held at about 72F during, or at least at the end, of the secondary fermentation to favor this activity. The yeast that has settled to the bottom during the secondary fermentation also favors this process.

Racking and Clarification - Moving the wine from one container to a new container by siphoning allows you to leave solids and anything that might cloud the wine, behind. This clears the wine and prepares it for bottling. Fermentation locks must be employed with each racking to keep the wine from spoiling. Wine is racked at least once but more may be needed to assist clarification.

Cold Stabilization - During one of the aging stages between rackings and bottling, the wine can be placed in the cold of refridgeration to be stabilized. This cold period will make the cream of tarter settle out of the wine and reduce the acidity further. The wine is then racked off the cream of tartar during the next racking. I suggest you do this early in the racking and aging process of making red wine.

Aging - The wine is stored for anywhere from 9 months to 2 1/2 years to give it the correct amount of flavor. Oak barrels can be used for aging but they are very expensive. Nowdays, when making red wine at home, oak chips are used. The amount of time you age your wine with oak depends on the flavors that you wish. At the end of the aging period, you will be ready to bottle.

Fining or filtering - At the end of the aging period it helps to remove anything that may be making the wine cloudy. This can be accomplished with various fining agents (like sparkalloid), with filtering, or both. This makes the wine crystal clear for bottling and will prevent any sediments from forming during bottle aging.

Bottling - This is done carefully so that the wine does not come in contact with air. Finer wines may be stored for several years in bottles before they are drunk. But I suggest that a minimum of 6 months to a year lapse before drinking.

So there are the steps in making red wine. Properly done, you will have a wine that will not only give you drinking pleasure, but will make you the envy of your family and friends.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Bruce has conducted research on growing grapes at his Rist Canyon Vineyards in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountins. You can find out more about his endeavors at http://www.ristcanyonvineyards.com

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Wine Accessories - The things you need.

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6:58 AM

April 21, 2008 - Homemade Wine

A Homemade Wine Artilce for Your Viewing

A Guide to Wine Racks

It is a clich that wines get better with age. How a wine ages will depend on how the wine is stored. Wine racks are a simple way to store unopened wines for the short-term.

It is a clich that wines get better with age. How a wine ages will depend on how the wine is stored. Wine racks are a simple way to store unopened wines for the short-term.

Never put the wine rack on top of the refrigerator. All wines should be stored someplace cool. Find a spot in your house that stays about the same cool temperature year-round. The basement, so long as it is consistently cool, makes a nice place to store your wines. You could also put the wine rack in an interior closet. These storage places are not glamorous, but they keep the wines taste. Also make sure the wine will not be vibrated, another reason not to keep it on the refrigerator. Dont store the wine next to anything with a strong odor, which could overwhelm the wines flavor. Wine racks also keep the wine bottle horizontal, tipping the wine to the cork. Keeping the cork wet helps the wine keep.

Once you have a place to store your wine rack, you can have fun picking one out. Metal wine racks match any dcor and there are hundreds from which to choose. Metal wine racks have a variety of styles. You can buy classical wine racks made from wrought iron, or more contemporary wine racks made from chrome or steel. Metal wine racks can stand alone, form a table, or be hung. Metal wine racks can cost between $25 and several hundred dollars. Wooden wine racks are just as diverse as metal wine racks. Small wooden wine racks hold three bottles, large wine racks around 50. Wooden wine racks for sale can form a table, be a storage chest, stand alone, or be functional stackable boxes. Wooden wine racks cost between $40 and several hundred dollars. If you cannot afford a cellar and would like to expertly store wines, invest in a freestanding, temperature-controlled wine rack.

Look for different styles of wine racks online or at home stores. You can also build your own simple wine rack. Instructions are available online.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wine Racks provides detailed information about metal, wood, hanging, and wall wine racks, as well as wine storage racks, wine glass racks, wine rack plans and kits, and more. For more information go to http://www.e-wineracks.com and/or visit our affiliate site at http://www.growthink.com.

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