Some Sweet Red Wines You Might Want to Try

If you are not used to the tannic-astringent taste of wine, you might find the flavor of sweet red wine good for you especially if you are keen only on enjoying its health benefits and not on the stimulating effect of alcohol in your head and body. While studies show that stronger grapes deliver more resveratrol and antioxidant benefits than milder or sweeter ones, you can't discount the fact that sweet reds can also be beneficial and less likely to get you hooked on alcohol. For the benefit of mild wine lovers, I will be giving a few types of sweet red beverages that could well suit your non-alcoholic palate. Please note not all of them are made from grapes, but they are equally healthy. You can easily find them in many wine shops and virtual stores.

1. Port

Port wine originally comes from Portugal. It is a sweet red that contains more alcohol than the rest of its kind. It comes in a few types, but the most popular are the tawny and ruby types. They are a strong yet sweet red that goes perfectly well with chocolate.

2. Fruit Wines

A lot of fruits including strawberries and raspberries can be made into wine, but they are rather sweet in taste. These wines, which vary in color from pink to red, are excellent when paired with desserts. Besides being beneficial to your health, these fermented juices can surely make your meal more satisfying.

3. Lambrusco

A product of Italy, the taste of Lambrusco is not far from grape juice although it is a bit stronger. It has a less-tannic yet fruit-forward characteristic that's typical of fine red wines. Lambrusco pairs well with salami, ham, pork, Italian sausages, and pizza.

4. Beaujolais Nouveau

This light, fruity wine of the Gamay grape variety comes from the French region of Beaujolais. It is intended to be drunk while still fresh and young. It's the reason why this sweet red is released and bottled on the same year. Beaujolais Nouveau is best drunk when chilled and paired with ham or fresh radishes and butter.

Even if you are a certified red wine lover, you will still find drinking sweet reds a good way to enjoy your meal even in the absence of fuller-bodied reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. If you are a wine-beginner or someone who wants to take wine easier on your mouth for a change, sweet reds may be the one that will suit you best.

How to Choose the Right Wine For a Gift

Choosing the right wine as a gift

Wine can be a classic gift choice for any occasion; birthdays, anniversaries, retirement, weddings or for thank you gifts. Selecting the right wine can be a difficult task, especially if you're not sure of the type of wine the recipient prefers. Here are a few helpful hints for picking out the right bottle of wine to satisfy even the most scrutinizing tastes.

There are several different criteria to consider when choosing the right bottle of wine for a gift. You'll want to consider the recipients taste, nature of the occasion and purpose of the gift. Budget will definitely come into play, but there are always great wines to be found in every price range. Once you determine the type of wine you would like to purchase, you will want to select a retailer with experts to help you make your selection within your budget.

Selecting type of wine

If you know from the beginning what the recipient's tastes are, then you're in luck. You can skip right down to step two and determine your price range. Not everyone is lucky enough to know what type of wine everyone likes; you may have an idea, but not know for sure. For the later, this advice is for you.
To begin with, if you are looking to be safe, choose a Chardonnay as a white or a Merlot as a red; as most wine drinkers like these 2 types and are not always too particular to a certain taste or style. If you are unsure, consider buying one of each. The pinot noir always makes a well received gift, as do Italian Amaroenes.

You could also try to go a different route and expand their wine tastes by introducing them to a grape, or "varietals," that they might not have tried yet like a Barbara, Gamay or Gewurztraminer. Making these distinctive choices may turn the recipient on to something new. Breaking the mold is always a good way to make a lasting impression.

Champagne for any occasion

No matter what the occasion champagne, or sparkling wine, is always appropriate. Most people enjoy a glass of champagne, but rarely buy it for themselves. There is a vast array of choices, whether it is true champagne or sparkling wine, in every price range. You can choose vintage Champagne or another prestige cuvee. Most bubbly is non-vintage, meaning that it's blended from base wines made in different vintages before it goes through the second fermentation that adds the natural carbonation. Vintage sparkling wines, however, are rarer and made from grapes grown only in the year indicated on the bottle. Vintage champagne and sparkling wine can be an elegant gift but is often priced over $100 a bottle. If you want to go this route, one of the highest review vintage champagnes is Charles Heidsieck 1995 Blanc des Millénaires and can be found for around $100 a bottle. There are also excellent choices that are under $30. Wine Spectator gave Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV 90 points out of 100 and is priced around $20.

Something aged for birthdays and Anniversaries adds an extra special touch

Give a bottle of something slightly aged as a special treat. Very few people have a place to store their wines safely until they gain the mellow texture and more intricate flavors of maturity. Some regions and grape varieties are better known for their aging ability than others. This is true of the pinot noirs and chardonnays from France's Burgundy. You can also choose a gift of an older Cabernet, Bordeaux or Tuscan to put an extra special touch to your gift. Even two to three years can make a difference if the wine has been stored correctly.

Hostess gifts

For the host who likes wine and food and who regularly serves them at the table, a "food-friendly" wine is always welcomed. Affordable, balanced red wine that works with a variety of menu items is a great choice. It also doesn't need to be chilled, which makes it convenient.

Riesling also qualifies as a good hostess gift given its versatility and sheer brilliance in the glass. Not everyone buys Riesling, but most love it when they drink it.

Another choice is to find out what will be served at dinner and pair the wine with the meal. Traditionally, red wines were served with meats, and white wines with fishes and pastas, but this is not necessarily true anymore. Pairings today are now matched by heaviness. For example, if you are serving a red meat but wish to drink white wine, pair it with a heavy chardonnay. If you like red wine but are serving a shrimp scampi, try pairing it with a pinot noir, which is much a lighter red.

Presentation

Sometimes the presentation of the wine can be half the fun of giving it. Here are a few ideas.

Pair their wine for them. Attach a card around the neck of the bottle with a food pairing suggestion. When buying a Shiraz, suggest they uncork it the next time they order in pizza. Have a barbeque lover? A spicy Zinfandel is perfect. Picking up Thai on the way home? Gewurztraminer. The options are endless.

Is this gift for a special occasion? A golden anniversary? Wedding Gift? Milestone birthday? Why not personalize the wine bottle with their "vintage" and some wine "puns" to make the gift even more memorable. Let them know it's their birthday and they should "Wine a little, they'll feel better" or that they are "Aged like fine wine, fruity and complex." Whatever you choose, personalized wine bottles can be designed to fit any occasion and personality.

What to Know About Every Wine You Drink

Many people are willing to try a new wine but when they try to recall it later all they can come up with is a vague memory of what the bottle's label looked like. I can't tell you how many times I've had people walk into my shop and say, "I had this great wine last week. It was white and the label had a blue dog, or a white dog on a bluish background..." No matter how individual a label may seem when it's sitting on your kitchen counter, when you go to the shop all of the hundreds of labels look disturbingly similar. Marketing people still claim that many of us buy wine based upon how the label looks - that may be true and there is a lot of money spent on designing interesting labels - but label design is no way to remember a wine.

Here's how to remember that wine you liked.

As a start, take a moment with your first sips of any wine to notice, really notice how it looks, smells and tastes. Bright or dark in the glass? Clean or intriguing and powerful in aroma? Clear and fresh? Fruity? Tart? Rich and full bodied? Long lasting? Experience the wine briefly with all your senses. Most of what we think is taste is actually our sense of smell. The average human can distinguish about 10.000 distinct aromas and our olfactory bulb feeds those sensations of smell directly into the part of our brain that governs memory and emotion. That's why, on a basic level, we all really enjoy good experiences of aroma and taste.

Look at the label. The design may be interesting or fun but there are three details that are way more important.

1.) What grape type is used to make the wine? Most labels today do indicate the grape or blend of grapes that are used in the wine making. Outside of Europe this is universally true, except in the case of some very unusual blends, but many European wines today reveal the grape type on the front label if not the back label.

There are hundreds, no, there are thousands of different grapes used all over the world to make wine, but all you have to remember is one or two with any single wine. I think of different grapes as having different personalities of aroma and flavor. If you're at a party meeting a lot of new people it may seem overwhelming but you meet and talk with one person at a time. If you run into the same grape again later you can recall that you've met before, especially if you can recall the name. In time, you'll start to recognize each grape's personality and you might start to seek out particular ones that you like.

Practically speaking there are about thirty grape types that are used to make the vast majority of the world's wines. They have names like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Sangiovese. They are all members of the same vine family (genus) Vitis Vinifera. They're like brothers and sisters. They make all the white, red, pink and sparkling wine in the world. Some are closer cousins than others. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon is a genetic offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Some have unusual names but it's no big deal. You can get to know them over time. Just remember, each time you meet one, shake their hand and try to imprint their name on your memory.

2.) Where does the wine come from? All labels will tell you this. And, in the case of those European wines that don't readily reveal the grape type on the label, the place they come from will tell you that. It's not really important that you know that certain European wines are made from particular grapes, because the Europeans don't even think about it themselves. When they drink red Burgundy, from a region called Burgundy in France, they don't think, "Wow, this is great Pinot Noir", even though all red Burgundy is 100% Pinot Noir. A European simply thinks, "Wow, this is good Bourgogne Rouge". In time you can get to know the connections between grape types and European places, but to start, if you are enjoying an Italian Chianti or a Spanish Rioja you can just remember "Chianti" or "Rioja".

The place a wine comes from is important because every wine label carries this information and, if you remember a place name it will help you find a wine you've liked, or another wine similar to one you've liked.

Grapes are an agricultural product and the conditions in which they grow has a lot to do with the finished character of the wine. Cooler places, coastal places and hilltop places often produce more lively, crisp and fresh wines whereas warmer valleys and inland places produce richer, fuller flavored wines. White wines often come from more northerly vineyards or vineyards near water while red wines come from warmer vineyards where the dark grapes can ripen more fully.

Once again, I like the people/grape type metaphor. The location of the grape's growing is like a person's accent, and in time you'll begin to recognize the accent of a wine. Australian accents are very distinctive (mate!) and their wine has a fruit forward, ripe and modernly expressive family likeness. Likewise, Italian wines speak in aroma and flavor with a zesty, muscularity and seem to cry out for a plate of food without any care for what time of day it is.

Closely connected to where the wine comes from is

3.) Who made the wine? This connection is especially close in Europe where the thousand-plus year tradition of wine making has established regional styles that have become encoded into law. Because of this tradition, European wine makers working in specific regions must follow the rules, producing wine made from specific grapes using established techniques. Thus the wines of Burgundy have a definite family likeness, as do the wines of Bordeaux, Chianti, Rioja or Rheinhessen.

Outside of Europe wine making has been going on for hundreds of years at the most. Rules are not nearly as rigid. So, while the connection between place and wine maker is not as established the importance of knowing who made the wine is almost more important because of the relative freedom non-European wine makers have. A California wine maker can choose whatever grape type or types he/she wants to use. They can decide what techniques to use in vineyard and in the winery to make the wine. If you are tasting a wine from a particular California or Australian winery it makes good sense to try and remember the property's name because it's likely that different wines made by the same wine maker will have a family resemblance, just like the wines of specific European wine regions. With all this freedom of choice it should also be obvious that the grape type is more important on New World wine labels because there are no rules governing what grape type is used where.

Now, this does not reduce the number of details that exist in the world of wine. But, with a focus on the three most important details -

what grape type (types) are used

where does the wine come from

who made the wine

you can get to know grapes, regions and wine makers that you like and from there you can learn why you like them. These three details are always included in some form on every wine label in the world It's the law. You can use these details to find a wine in a shop or on a restaurant wine list. The most important reason to know these details about every wine you drink is because they will help you to find that wine again later. In time you will be able to put together the family ties of different grapes and places, to know that white Burgundy is always Chardonnay or that Riesling from Alsace in France is generally always dry and powerfully aromatic. Stuff like that...

Now, you can walk into a wine shop and say, "I had a great white wine the other day. It was a Sauvignon Blanc and the producer was Ferrari Carano". Now, it will be easy to find that wine, if the shop stocks it. And, if they don't they should be able to suggest another Sauvignon Blanc that you may like as well.

What is True Ice Wine?

One would expect ice wine to have a long history in winemaking, but it does not. In fact, ice wine has only been around for about 200 years. The prevailing theory of its "birth" centers on a German winemaker who was surprised by an early frost. He decided to press the frozen grapes anyway, but separated them from the rest of his vintage so as to avoid ruining everything. To his surprise, the resulting wine was pure and sweet.

Ever since, ice wine has been produced to some degree in all wine producing countries of the Northern hemisphere, including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and others.

The difference between ice wine and other dessert wines is that ice wines show a much clearer fruit and varietal character. This is because other sweet wines are made from botrytis ("noble rot") affected grapes, or with grapes that have been laid out and dried. Because ice wine grapes are healthy at harvest, a good amount of acidity remains, which gives the wine a raciness that other dessert wines generally have to a far lesser degree.

True ice wine is that made from grapes that are kept on the vine until the temperature sinks below -19.4 Fahrenheit or -7 degree Celsius. In the U.S., New Zealand and some other regions, winemakers have started producing simulated ice wine by tossing the grapes into a commercial freezer. These simulated ice wines are considered to be of lesser quality and will typically sell at half the price of ice wine made in the traditional way.

Both methods do employ the same basic idea: a grape is made up mostly of water, and since only the water will freeze at these low temperatures, the sweet grape nectar can be pressed from the grapes while the frozen water remains trapped in the skins.

It is essential to harvest on the first freezing night of the year, because grapes left on the vine to go through a freeze-thaw-refreeze cycle can pick up unwanted flavors. Winemakers are often nervous wrecks by harvest time, as they will have spent night after night waking up repeatedly to check the temperature.

"Keeping the harvest workers ready can be a tedious and embarrassing task" says Franz Heiss, head winemaker of the respected Heiss Winery in Austria. He will often have to wake up a dozen harvest workers for the fifth or sixth time, only to see another night pass without the desired temperatures quite being reached.

The best ice wines are clear and vibrant in their flavors and aromas. The aromatic Scheurebe grape has properties that make it a popular choice for use in crafting great ice wine. The stunning 2002 Eiswein by the famous Austrian Gsellmann and Gsellmann winery exemplifies this perfectly.

Traminer is another aromatic varietal that results in great ice wines. Master sweet wine vintner Franz Heiss makes a stunning ice wine from this grape, of which the 2001 and the 2002 vintages stand out. He has also made ice wine with the red grape Blaufränkisch, and the result is a magic rose-colored version with notes of exotic berries. As he explains it: "An ice wine made from red grapes is very uncommon. The freezing of the grapes influences the aromas greatly, and this is especially true when the grapes are red."

In Austria, where the wine laws are the strictest in all of Europe, only ice wines created by Mother Nature are allowed to carry the proud name. So, if Austrian ice wines are then considered to be some of the most authentic and true ice wines, one could argue that an ice wine from Austria's flagship grape, Grüner Veltliner, is the truest ice wine of all. Manfred Weiss of the Weiss Winery in the Burgenland region made a Grüner-only ice wine in 1999 and a cuvee of Grüner and Welschriesling in 2001. He prefers to use Grüner Veltliner for his ice wine because it is resistant to botrytis, so the end result has particularly clean and clear notes.

Finding these great ice wines can be almost as difficult as making them. As the production method suggests, quantities are very limited, and the amount exported to the United States limits availability even more. Add to that the fact that every year around the holidays, most major food and wine publications run a story about ice wine, and what there is to be found on your local retailers shelf is quickly snapped up. There are, however, a few online retailers who specialize in these wines: Winemonger.com is one example, with a wide selection of Austrian wines including a number of ice wines. Or a simple online search of the name of an ice wine maker, such as the ones mentioned in this article, will yield sources. Finding a great, true ice wine is certainly worth the effort, though: there is nothing else quite like this spectacular dessert wine specialty.

The Beauty of Red Wine - A Beginner's Guide

The hit comedy film Sideways is about a road trip in the wine country of sunny California where the two main characters, Miles and Jack, taste copious amounts of red wine while dealing with major life dramas. It's a hilarious film that touched so many people with its dark comedy and truly moving portraits of people dealing with love, pain, and wine-tasting.

But perhaps the greatest thing about Sideways was how it inspired so many people to go out and become connoisseurs of fine wine! According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie made so many of its fans want to buy Pinot Noir (a dry red wine) that sales significantly increased in the US and UK during and after its release. Talk about the effect of movies on people!

If you want to learn a bit more about red wine, dry red wine, and its other variants but feel clueless as to the whole thing, here's a quick wine guide; a red-wine-for-dummy guide if you like!

Why is Red Wine... Er... Red?

Red wine is so colored because of the grape skins involved. There are a multitude of grape types, each as diverse and colorful as the next. You have purple, maroon, deep red, light red--the list goes on. Each variety brings a unique shade of red to red wine and the various colors you can see in wine stores are a direct result of the many grapes used in worldwide wine-making processes. An individual wine's color depends largely on what type of grape was used to make it and how long the skin was left in with the juice before being extracted.

What Are The Different Types of Red Wine?

There are many different types of red wine but they are usually judged by their "body." For example, a light-bodied wine is not too demanding on the mouth and taste buds. It goes well with food that is flavor intensive. A good example of this kind of wine is the French red wine Beaujolais Nouveau.

On the other hand, there is the medium-bodied red wine which is a slightly heavier wine (e.g. Shiraz, Merlot, etc.) but not as heavy and as powerful as a full-bodied wine like French Bordeaux wines and Italian red wine like the Super Tuscans. Full-bodied wines are denser and have a higher alcohol content.

How Is Red Wine Served?

You may have noticed at some parties, tasting events, or formal gatherings that red wine is served in a particular glass. It is said that an oval or egg-shaped glass that narrows as it reaches the top (compared to a slim, tall glass) is the best way to appreciate red wine as it allows the wine to breathe and swirl better. The best temperature to serve red wine is 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve it too hot and the alcohol can be overly emphasized; too cold and it will taste bitter.

Red Wine--What Are The Different Varieties?

There are a number of red wines available from all over the world from dry red wine to full-bodied wine to age-old wine. There is really no such thing as the best red wine--what is tastiest to you should be considered the best. But then there are many red wines that come highly recommended like Californian red wine, Australian red wine, and then of course, every other kind of wine throughout Europe, like Spanish red wine and the ones previously mentioned. In time, you will be able to determine exactly what your type of red wine is. For now, why not sample the many great tasting wines out there like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc... ?

How Healthy IS Red Wine?

Red wine 101 these days will tell you that red wine or dry red wine is actually good for you. There have been recent studies by scientists in the UK that suggest a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon-derived wines will do the heart very good.

So, if you're looking to spice up your meals or simply want to develop a healthier diet, red wine or dry red wine may be just the thing for you. Hopefully, this has been enough information to whet your appetite. Happy wine drinking!