Emilia-Romagna stretches from the Ligurian border in northeastern Italy to the Adriatic Sea. As the name indicates, historically it was composed of two regions, Emilia and Romagna. It may be the only region of Italy named for a road, one constructed by the Ancient Romans almost 2200 years ago. It is one of the most prosperous regions of Italy with strong agricultural, industrial, and tourist economic activity. Its total population is about 3.9 million.

Emilia-Romagna produces a very wide variety of pasta, fruits and vegetables, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cheese, and fresh and cured meats. Two of its biggest stars are a cheese, Parmigiano Regianno, and a ham, Prosciutto di Parma. Parmesan cheese as it?s known in English, was mentioned by the famous Italian author of the Fourteenth Century, Giovanni Boccaccio. We review it below. Parma ham, as it?s known in English, is an uncooked ham that is dry cured for at least ten months. Usually it is served in very thin slices, often as appetizer with melon.

Bologna whose population is about 375,000 is the administrative center of Emilia-Romagna. It is the home of the first university in the Western World, founded in the 11th Century. Bologna is also considered the capital of Italian gastronomy, in spite of its unfortunate association with a low-quality sandwich meat. Another city of interest is Rimini, a resort center on the Adriatic Sea with a population of 135 thousand.

Emilia-Romagna devotes about 178,000 acres to grapevines, it ranks 5th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 125 million gallons, giving it a 4th place. About 57% of the wine production is red, leaving 43% for white. The region produces 18 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 1 DOCG white wine, Albana di Romagna. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. In fact, while this wine was the first white wine to be accorded the DOCG designation in Italy (1987), many feel that Albana di Romagna does not deserve such an award. (I have never tasted this wine, and from the reviews that I?ve read, I?m in no hurry to taste it.) About 21% of Emilia-Romagna wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Emilia-Romagna is home to more than four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, a few more red than white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Malvasia and Trebbiano. The best known strictly Italian white varieties are Albana (source of the DOCG wine) and Pignoletto.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the only widely grown international red grape variety. The best known strictly Italian red variety is Bonarda. The Italian red varieties Barbera and Sangiovese are found elsewhere, including California.

Before we reviewing the Emilia-Romagna wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.

Start with Gelato di Parmigiano, Parmigiano ?Ice Cream?, which includes heavy cream and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, suggested as an appetizer.

A more traditional dish is Scaloppine di Vitello alla Bolognese, Veal Scaloppine all Bolognese, which also includes Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, as well as other local specialties Prosciutto di Parma and balsamic vinegar. For dessert (as if the ice cream wasn?t a dessert) try Torta Bonissima, a Honey and Nut Pie.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Donini Lamberti Trebbiano-Chardonnay IGT 2005 12% alcohol about $8 (liter)

Everybody has prejudices. I approached this bottle with several of them. It seems to me that a liter of wine is usually too big, accentuating quantity at the expense of quality. Given the economics of the wine industry, I am usually reticent to purchase a bottle for $8, which would be $6 for a regular-sized bottle. And finally while Emilia-Romagna is often known for its red wines, it is not particularly known for its white wines, with an unfortunate exception, the DOCG wine Albana di Romagna, discussed above. And now to the actual wine.

The first time that I drank this wine I found that its taste was one of green apples, dominating everything else but still light on flavor if not unpleasant. It didn?t really accompany the food, a breaded chicken cutlet in sweet and sour sauce with potatoes cooked in chicken fat. As the wine aged a bit, (it takes a long time to finish a liter if you don?t care to drink very much at a time) it got better instead of worse. I have read that 3.5 million bottles of this type wine are produced yearly. I understand that it is popular in fish restaurants along the Adriatic Sea. I?d love to find out for sure. Final verdict, not bad for the price.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a cooked, unpressed semi-fat hard cheese made from raw cow?s milk. It is encased in a thin, yellow rind. This cheese is finely grained and very flaky. Its taste is delicate and fragrant, and frankly wasted with a wine of this quality.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is www.theworldwidewine.com. You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.

Are you baffled by the huge variety of French wines and completely lost when it comes to deciding which wine will best suit your needs?

Each of the eight wine producing regions of France specializes in producing wine of a particular type and flavor and this simple overview will hopefully make choosing French wines a little easier.

Burgundy

Burgundy wines are produced from the black Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes and from the white Chardonnay grape.

The Pinot Noir is probably one of the world’s oldest grape varieties and is notoriously difficult to grow. It does however produce some of our best wines which are full-bodied and rich and at the same time can be light, soft and velvety. Pinot noir wines often have an aroma of cherries accompanied by a spiciness that is reminiscent of cinnamon or mint.

The Chardonnay grape is a very popular grape which produces light, delicate dry wines with a distinctive but often difficult to describe aroma conjuring up a vision of apples, peaches or lemons.

Bordeaux

The wines of Bordeaux are based upon the related black Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, found particularly in the Medoc district of Bordeaux, and the black Merlot grape.

Cabernet Sauvignon wines improve greatly with age and are often amongst the world’s truly great wines. With age the distinctive blackcurrant aroma of wines from this grape develops overtones of cedar, violets and leather and the wines, which are characteristically deep in flavor, often become smooth and soft.

Wines made from the Merlot grape are very similar to those produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape but have a less distinctive aroma and flavor.

If it seems strange that white wines should be produced from black grapes then bear in mind that grape juice, whether from black or white grapes, is essentially colorless and it is the skin of the black grape that gives the wine its color.

Rhone

The grape varieties most often seen in the Rhone valley are the black Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes and the white Muscat grape.

Syrah grapes produce intense rich wines which are almost black in color and which have an aroma that is spicy in nature. The Rhone Syrah grape forms the base for many blended wines including the well known Chateauneuf du Pape

The Muscat grape gives rise to intense, sweet wines with a strong and easily recognized aroma. In addition, and unusual for a wine, wines from the Muscat really do taste of grapes.

Loire

The grapes of the Loire include the black Pinot Noir and the white Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris grapes.

The Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown all over the world today and it is very widely used for blending. In the case of the Loire however it is used to make a distinctive unblended dry white wine with a characteristic sharp and aggressive smell.

Pinot Gris wines often display a slightly floral and lightly lemon flavor and, depending upon the ripeness of the grape at harvesting, wines that are either light and tangy or rich, round and full bodied. Pinot Gris makes one of the few white wines that can be said to age well.

Alsace

Although the grapes of the Alsace are similar to those used in the Loire, growing conditions in this region tend to produce wines which bear the characteristics of many German rather that French wines.

The wines in this region are similar to Riesling and the sweeter German wines. Some ros? wines are also produced in Alsace.

Champagne

The main grapes of the Champagne region are the black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and the white Chardonnay.

The wines of the Champagne region can best be described as thin and tart and provide the perfect base for what many believe to be the world’s finest sparkling wine.

Beaujolais

Beaujolais wines are made from the black Gamay and white Chardonnay grapes.

The wines of this region are often light in nature, fresh tasting and with a somewhat fruity flavor. Many Beaujolais wines are also slightly fizzy in nature.

For more information on wine and wine tasting please visit GreatWineTastings.com today.

About Metal Wine Racks

For the best metal wine racks, consider having your wine rack custom made. With a handcrafted wine rack, you can choose the size and form. Additionally, the personal care is taken to ensure your new wine rack will last for decades. Machine made wine racks can fall apart far more quickly. Many stores carry information about metal wine racks that are handcrafted by talented welders and metal workers. Buying a handcrafted wine rack adds beauty to your room while also adding specially designed storage for your bottles of wine.

When you are thinking about metal wine racks there are a few things to take into consideration. Most importantly, you must choose a budget. Even the best metal wine racks can be affordable if you have a price range to help narrow your search. Wine racks can be found for fewer than twenty dollars and go well into the thousands. Having a price range in mind will help eliminate many models that will not suit your needs.

The second most important detail to consider is the capacity you will need. Wine racks can hold dozens of bottles of wine or only one or two bottles. When searching for some of the best metal wine racks, you should know how many bottles you plan to store and if wine glass storage is necessary. If you have plenty of cupboard space for your wine glasses, then you will probably not need additional storage for your wine glasses. Do not forget that to properly store wine the wine holders should slant downward so that the cork remains moist.

Another consideration when choosing the best metal wine racks for your home are the size that will fit your room. If you have a large amount of wall space, you can easily choose a nice hanging wine rack. If floor space if not a problem, the best metal wine racks for you might be a floor model. If you have plenty of counter space, you may want information about metal wine racks designed for your table. Otherwise, you can always choose a model that hangs from your ceiling and uses the open space above your head level.

By choosing from the best metal wine racks available, you are guaranteed to get a quality rack that lasts for a lifetime. Handcrafted wine racks are built to last. Their quality cannot be topped. Do not settle for any cheap model; pick an affordable model that also contains the quality you deserve.

View the best metal wine racks we’ve found at http://www.wine-racks-selection-guide.com

In 2006, there are ten federal holidays. Those are holidays such as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Beyond that, however, are even more holidays (not recognized by the Federal Government) that we celebrate such as: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s & Father’s Day, Halloween, anniversaries, and birthdays.

With so many occasions to celebrate, there is a question that must be answered several times a year: what gift should I give, bring, or send?

With so many different people with such different tastes, it becomes stressful to think of a present every holiday. There is one present, however, nearly guaranteed to make anyone happy. What present could this be? Wine gift baskets.

Wine baskets are appropriate for nearly every occasion, holiday, or event. They are always a nice, appreciated gift which you will find, fits right in with your holiday.

Not only are they a nice gift, but they are easy to pick out, pay for, and send! Similar to how you send flowers, you can send a wine gift basket by getting online and ordering it, or calling in by phone. You can get it delivered to yourself, and then personally give it to the recipient, or you can simply have it sent straight to them!

Wine gift baskets go beyond just wine. You can pair the wine with many different types of accessories such as: chocolate, cheese, cookies, breadsticks, biscuits, crackers, pasta, nuts, meats and more!

While you can simply place an order for a certain amount of money (and have the company choose the basket which best fits your budget), it is encouraged that you decide the composition of the basket. For instance: you could order the same wine from different wineries, or you could order a specific wine and choose the accessories best suited to the recipient’s taste (for instance: if they are a chocolate lover, you could pair your wine with chocolates).

Choosing the composition of your basket makes it more personal, and gives you the chance to show your special concern for the recipient. Wine baskets appeal to a very diverse crowd: people of all ages, social class, genders, locations, etc.

Wine baskets are always a well-responded to as a gift, especially since many people don’t spend money on wine for themselves, but almost everyone enjoys wine. Not only is wine nice for the person receiving it to drink, but the person can enjoy it in other ways as well, by serving or sharing it at something like Thanksgiving dinner. They will keep you in mind and appreciate the tasty gift that they can share with people they love.

So the next time one of many holidays comes up, and you find yourself trying to decide on the perfect present, remember that wine baskets are easy to get, fun to accessorize, and often greatly appreciated by a large assortment of different people.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Fruit and Wine Baskets at http://www.fruitandwinebaskets.com

The holidays have a way of bringing change: people become cheerier, houses become more illuminated, and turkeys start carrying around Rosary beads, fervently hoping that no one notices them. From the family get-togethers to the meetings with old friends, the holidays are a time for love, joy, and kinship. Yet, before Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men can really begin to solidify, one thing needs to be finished: holiday shopping.

Holiday shopping can bring stress upon just about anyone. If the packed department stores don’t unnerve you, a rabid shopping cart to the back of your heel surely will: there’s nothing that increases blood pressure quite like a Wal-Mart in December.

However, there are certain gifts that allow for avoidance of long lines, screaming children, and the Sold Out signs sure to plague the Tickle Me Elmo section of local department stores. One of these is the gift of wine, a gift that represents friendship, celebration, and so much health that it runs a close second to giving a kidney. Because there are a variety of ways wine can be given, it is simply one of the easiest gifts to give and an even easier one to receive. When giving wine, there’s no need to keep the receipt.

Wine Clubs

Enrolling a friend, a spouse, or a relative in a Wine Club is one of the most unique gifts you can give the wine lover. For the wine novice, a Wine Club provides education on and exposure to the different types of wine, all the while teaching the drinker that wine does not necessarily come in a box. For the connoisseur, a Wine Club allows the drinker to keep their cellar full as bottles show up on their front porch with the regularity of a full moon. A Wine Club also indulges members with inside information, special deals, wine secrets and exposure to rare vintages.

What’s more, Wine Clubs are an extremely easy gift to give. The Internet is swimming with a variety of Wine Clubs, clubs that provide quick and easy enrollment. However, when giving the gift of a Wine Club, keep in mind that some are only allowed to ship to certain states. Thus, be sure that you find one able to deliver to the state where the gift recipient resides.

Personalized Wine Labels

Personalized wine labels are one of those rare gifts that combine emotion and practicability: the bottle’s label allows for the conveyance of a personal touch while the bottle’s contents allow for enjoyment of a different sense. A personalized wine label is something that can be held onto: long after the bottle is emptied, it can be kept the way cards, letters, and photographs are stored, all retained with the purpose of sentiment. From giving newlyweds a wine bottle that reads, First Christmas to giving your parents one that reads, Thirtieth Christmas, a personalized wine label invites a plethora of possibilities.

A personalized wine label is particularly great when coupled with wine that evokes even more sentiment. Giving someone wine from a year that is of particular importance or from a region that they hold as special can make a personalized wine label, and the wine inside, that much more cherished.

Wine Openers and Accessories

Wine is a product that has several accessories: it is the teenage girl of the alcohol industry. Because of this, many wine lovers can always use wine devices to supplement their collection. From something as small as a wine opener to something as large as a wine rack, anything to do with wine makes a great gift for both the accomplished wine connoisseur and the aspiring wine connoisseur.

For those who already have everything from a wine charm to a set of Riedel wine glasses, from a wine journal to a wine partridge in a wine pear tree, bottles of a favorite wine make great gifts. Because people who love wine – people who replaced their ice box with a wine refrigerator, people who wash their wine glasses with silk cloths, people who named their first born son Corky – can never have too much, just giving a nice vintage is always suitable.

Miscellaneous Tips

Giving wine as a gift does possess some risks. Not only do you run the risk of purchasing a bottle and accidentally drinking it before you can give it to the recipient, but there is also a slight chance that you will get someone a bottle of wine they don’t find particularly appealing. In order to minimize this risk, be sure to buy the recipient the type of wine they like, not the type you like. If you are buying for someone who loves white wine, try to stay away from purchasing red, no matter how cute the Merlot looks sitting on its shelf.

For instances where you are unsure of what wine a person may like, try giving them a wine basket with a variety of wines or a gift certificate to a wine store.

Port, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are increasingly becoming the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the modern day, establishing themselves as gifts of the wise. Because the holidays bring about so much stress – preparing for the arrival of in-laws, cooking a turkey dinner, watching for poop as reindeer fly over head – wine can help the giver give something easy and the receiver drink something soothing. As a gift, it’s a win-win situation: when it comes to wine, one size fits all.

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

History of Napa Wine:

Napa means a land of plenty. This part of world is full of rivers, migrating birds especially waterfowls and the valley of greeneries with plenty of wildcats, elk, black bear and grizzlies. But the most precious asset of this valley is the winegrapes.The early visitors like George Calvert found the valley’s wine grape productivity skill. He took the initiative to harvest wine grapes in this valley in 1836.The other main pioneers of this project were John patchett the first person to plant vineyard commercially along with Hamilton Walker Crabb,who researched with over 400 species of grape.

The wine grape revolution was further carried by Charles Krug who started the winery business in 1861 and according to the statistics there were almost 150 wineries working commercially by 1889.Some earlier wineries were Schramsberg (founded in 1862), Beringer (1876) and Inglenook (1879).As the life is not always the bed of roses, the rapid growth of wine industry faced the prices crash problem and the phylloxera – a North American species of insects gave a stunning blow to the vintners by attacking the wide areas of wine grape.

Wine Prohibition and its after effect:

The bigger threat faced by the Napa Valley’s wine business in 1920, with the enactment of Prohibition. All vineyards were

Dissipated by the owners and winemakers switched to other businesses for next 14 years. Some surviving wineries were operating on Sacramental wine production. As a whole, the wine market of Napa Valley was flopped down. With the withdrawal of prohibition in 1933, the renaissance of Napa wine commenced with an era of recovery and followed by fabulous growth.

Early Vintners in Napa Valley:

The wine history of Napa Valley witnessed another turning point in early 1940; when a band of vintners meet together to share their own concepts on grape harvesting and wine marketing under a friendly atmosphere with some good food and wine. This group established an association of Napa Valley Vintners, a driving chamber of commerce devoted for the advancement of Napa wine both in the country and abroad.

Napa Wine Growers:

The grape growers of Napa Valley were not so organised before mid-70’s.But things were changed in 1975 when Napa Valley growers joined their hands with the vintners to reach the common goal of advancing the Napa Wine throughout the world.

Charity:

A new face of Napa wine revealed in early 1980’s when the Napa Valley auction was first time sponsored in Meadowood resort. Since then, this vintner?s fraternity-sponsored Napa Valley wine and food festival has become the most successful charity wine event. Participants from different part of the world used to come here and celebrate the fest. More than $60 million fund has been raised for the benefit of health, social affairs and youth programmes.

These days? total 300 wineries are operating in Napa Valley and both the growers and vintners are implementing all the contemporary technologies blended with age-old methods.

Roles played by the Vintners to make Napa Wine popular:

The vintners are a local business group with an effective participation of more than 290 wineries, presenting the heritage of vintners and grape growers – working and wooing for the development of this wine producing region.

The vineyards have been part of the Napa Valley for over 160 years. The first vineyards was planted in 1836 and the Napa town was established in 1848,at that time there were 70,000 vineyards which enhanced to 2,00,000 by 1860.Wines from Inglenook, Charles Krug, Beringer and others received the international fame in the late 19th century.

The original activists of Napa Valley vintner’s fraternity often called themselves as a food-loving and drinking society?. They set their focus more in hospitality and marketing services of Napa wine across the world. It gives the Napa wine a unique face throughout the world.

Problems and Threats faced by the Napa Wine:

In addition to phylloxera attack and Prohibition in 1929 there were some other problems faced by the Napa wine industries; such as the after war effects on the market. That time the industry was running out of capital, human resources and raw materials. These problems were the reason behind the establishment of Vintners association in 1943.

Official Target of Vintners fraternity:

1. Commitment to the future development of Napa Valley’s land, wine and society.

2. Providing a common and unified voice to uphold the interests of the vintners.

3. Meeting challenges threats more actively and invent new ideas to make Napa Wine popular.

Abhijit Dey for http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com Read more about Wines http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com/napawine.htm Copyright 2006 http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com

More and more wineries around the country are offering tours of their facilities and tastings of their products. These tastings are fun for novices and experts alike. You don’t have to travel to Europe to experience world class wine and wine-making facilities. Vintners throughout the United States are producing wines which can compete with any wine from anywhere in the world.

The most widely-acclaimed and successful wine-making region in the United States is California’s Napa Valley. The Napa Valley is just 30 miles long, only a few miles wide, and nestled in Northern California. A number of world famous wineries are located in this region. One such winery which will appeal to race fans and wine fans alike, is the Andretti Winery in Napa, CA. The Andretti Winery was founded by legendary Indianapolis 500 champ, Mario Andretti. Perhaps the most famous and most successful Napa winery is the Robert Mondavi Winery located in Oakville, CA. Mondavi offers tours year-round except on major holidays. Making an appointment is recommended but not necessary.

California isn’t the only place you can visit an American winery. You may not have realized this, but there are also wineries in the Northeast. One such winery is the Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery located in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. Mount Nittany Winery produces a variety of dry and semi-dry whites, dry and semi-dry reds, and sweet and semi-sweet wines. Tours are offered throughout the year. Advanced notice is necessary. Here you’ll learn all about the wine-making process as well as some history of winemaking in the Central PA region.

New York features some of the oldest wineries in the country. The first wine grapes were planted there over 300 years ago! The first serious wine-making operation there began in the 1860’s. One popular New York winery is the Applewood Winery in the town of Warwick, in the Hudson River Valley, located barely an hour away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Applewood Winery produces a wide variety of wines, some of which you’ll find nowhere else as they’re made from unique local ingredients such as Macintosh apples.

Wine makers have set up shop in the South, too. One such winery is the Habersham Winery located just outside Helen, Georgia. The Habersham Winery has been in operation for over 20 years. The Habersham Winery offers tours for groups of 10 or more and requires an appointment. You can visit their gift shop any time, though. Here you’ll find their complete selection of wines, as well as gourmet foods, and local treats.

Another lovely Southern winery is Chrisman Mill in Nicholasville, Kentucky. They produce a number of international recognized, award-winning wines. Come by the winery Tuesday through Sunday and enjoy a sumptuous lunch in the Chrisman Mill Cafe. Enjoy their surprisingly excellent wines and be impressed with their chef’s top-notch cooking.

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a day, a weekend, or even a whole week, travel to a winery or wine-making region and discover the wealth of wine produced throughout the country.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as wine gift baskets at http://www.winegiftbasketsplus.com.

There is already a stigma attached to wine of being a high class beverage and above the ordinary citizen without the added feeling of ignorance when trying to understand and comprehend what the terminology on the labels means. Wines produced in the Americas and in Australia are generally better with this and usually make it clear what type of wine is in the bottle and also name the vineyard from where the wine came. Conversely, the labels on wine bottles from the Old Country have so many different classifications and types along with town names, names of vineyards, and even little pet names from the actual producer of the wine. It is little wonder that the average wine drinker has no clue what he is looking at.

In order to try to make a little sense out of the whole situation and avoid having to drag an interpreter around with us when we go shopping for wine, let?s take a look at some of the things we should be looking for in the label of a wine bottle. First off if we are looking for a high quality French wine we want to see the term, ?Cru?. This signifies that the wine is from the regions of Bordeaux, Alsace, or Burgundy and state that the wine is of a high quality.

Another indication that a wine is of higher quality believe it or not is one that is labeled to have been grown in poor soil and dry conditions. The reason for this is that the vine, when put under these conditions, puts everything into ripening the grape and hardly anything into the leaves which gives you a better grape.

If you see the term ?Methode Traditionelle? on a bottle, mainly in the Americas and Australia it means that the wine is produced in the same way as traditional champagne, it means Traditional Method and will usually be more reasonable in price as well.

Another indicator of a high quality wine is the term, ?Vieilles Vignes, which means old vines. These vineyards that are designated, ?old vines?, tend to have more concentrated juices and the other attributes of the wine tend to be richer also.

Another reference to a high quality wine is the term, ?Estate Bottled?, which means that the wine was grown, produced, and bottled all at the same place which infers that the wine maker oversees every part of the operation and does not contract it out to any other source. This is usually found in French wines, for example Mis en Bouteille au Chateau.

Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Find out about personalized wine bottles at http://www.winebottlespersonalized.com

What is wine fermentation?

In short, it is the complex action whereby the living organism of yeast breaks the sugar down into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The action of the yeast on the sugar continues until the volume of alcohol has reached somewhere between 12.5% to 14%.

At this stage, the yeast organism is destroyed by the alcohol it has produced and fermentation ceases. This is what is known as a natural wine. Most commercial products come under this category until they have been fortified. This period of fermenting in the tub can be a dangerous time. Because of this, the fermentation process should be completed as soon as possible (even at the risk of losing a little of the wine’s bouquet).

Next, we must then keep the brew warm. Our goal here is to bring about ideal conditions in which the living organism and yeast cells can multiply more rapidly. Warmth helps to ensure this. The faster they multiply, the more rapidly they convert the sugar into alcohol and therefore, the sooner the yeast destroys itself.

Do not be tempted to keep a brew hot during fermentation. During warm weather, any odd spot will do for a fermenting brew. Also, a warm spot in the kitchen or in an airing cupboard is as good as any during the winter.

After 14 day of fermentation in a warm place, the wine can be bottled or put into stone jars. This is the time to add the isinglass.

Adding the Isinglass:

Isinglass is not needed to clarify flower or fruit wines made with the recipes given at www.e-homewinemaking.com. These wines will clarify themselves quite readily within a few weeks of fermentation. Nor is isinglass an absolute need for clearing root wines. However, I have found that root wines and wines made from a mixture of roots and fruits, do clear more readily with the help of isinglass. For this reason, some recipes will instruct you to proceed with isinglass and bottling.

When put into wine, isinglass forms an insoluble cloud which surrounds the minute solids in the wine and gradually forces them to the bottom of the bottle.

Besides assisting the clearing process, isinglass helps to solidify the lees, thereby rendering them less easy to disturb while moving the bottles or when wine is poured from a bottle containing lees.

There are many methods of using isinglass, but the one I use myself without fail results is as follows:

Take one quart of the wine and warm it very slowly in a saucepan. Next, crumble 1/8 of an ounce of isinglass over the surface of this wine and then stir with a fork until everything is dissolved. Then pour it into the rest of the wine in a circular motion.

Many people advise dissolving the isinglass in a small amount of water. As we’ve seen, ordinary tap-water quite often contains wild yeast; the very act, then, of using water might well ruin all of our efforts to keep wild yeast out of the wine.

When purchased from a chemist in 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce quantities, the amount required is easy to calculate, and this is usually plenty for one gallon of wine.

When the isinglass has been added, put the wine into sterilized bottles or jars and cover as already directed. The wine must then be returned to a warm place, and kept there until all fermentation has ceased.

If the wine were put in a cold place the yeast might go dormant and the wine would not be able to ferment. If it were later moved into a warm room, or the weather happened to turn very warm, the yeast would become active and start fermenting again. In a warm place, fermentation will not fail.

If you happen to notice that the top half-inch of wine has become crystal-clear, seal the bottles at once! This is a clear indication that fermentation has stopped. Unfortunately, we rarely get this invaluable guide.

When all fermentation has stopped and when no more small bubbles are rising to the top, the yeast is dead. Fermentation cannot begin again unless wild yeast or bacteria get into the wine and start that souring ferment that I’ve previously mentioned. Perfect air-tight sealing at the earliest possible stage of production is critical.

Push the cork down hard and seal with sealing-wax. If screw-top bottles are available, use these if you prefer. Personally, I never use any other kind when I can find them. Remember that the yeast is dead, so fermentation cannot begin again and explode the bottles or blow the corks unless wild yeast or bacteria reach the wine. Screw-top bottles are, then, the obvious choice.

James Wilson owns & operates http://www.e-homewinemaking.com, a site providing wine-making tips, tricks and techniques. If you’re interested in making your own wine, visit http://www.e-homewinemaking.com today and sign up for the FREE wine-making mini-course!

A wine refrigerator may seem like a frivolous expense that only rich people and ?wine snobs? would concern themselves with. But, in truth, if you enjoy entertaining and you enjoy wine, it can be a great addition to your home appliance collection-especially if you are someone who likes to collect and serve vintage wines. A ?wine cooler? as this refrigerator is sometimes called, keeps the wine at an ideal storing and serving temperature. It is a lot less expensive and takes up a lot less space than a wine cellar, so it is affordable for even beginning wine enthusiasts.

Is It Different Than A Regular Refrigerator?

A wine refrigerator is different from your regular refrigerator in many important ways. This is why many people choose to get a special refrigerator for their wine. Your food refrigerator is kept at well below 50 degrees-this is well below the ideal temperature for storing wines. Also the refrigerator in your home is opened and closed several times each day which alters the temperature many times which is bad for wine storage. A wine refrigerator maintains the temperature at the perfect level for wine and it is not opened and closed several times every day.

Size

When you are shopping for your first wine refrigerator you may wonder what size you should get. There are models which hold only six bottles and will fit nicely on your countertop, and also models that hold twenty or more bottles and would not fit on your countertop, but would allow for different temperatures in the different sections of the wine refrigerator for the different types of wines.

Temperatures

To guide you in what temperatures you should store and serve wines here are some basic guidelines: Blush, rose and dry white wines should be stored in your wine refrigerator at around 55 degrees and served at between 46-57 degrees. Champagne and sparkling wine should not be stored at all, but should be served at 43-47 degrees-think of the ice bucket. Light red wines should be both stored in your refrigerator and served at 55 degrees. Full-bodied wines should be stored at temperatures below 55 degrees and served at 59-66 degrees.

What About A Wine Cellar?

A wine cellar is actually a room in your home that acts as a big refrigerator. It does not necessarily have to be in the cellar, but it should be dark and also it should have humidity. A wine refrigerator does not provide the humidity for storing wine that a cellar does. The ultimate wine cellar will have different ?climate zones? for different types of wine and when a connoisseur is storing and serving wine he can bring a bottle from one zone to another to prepare it for serving which you cannot usually do with a wine refrigerator. Although all of this may sound very appealing to some, it is very expensive to carry out. The construction of the cellar itself is expensive and unlike a wine refrigerator, you also need to have the extra room in your home to build a cellar. The refrigerator is much easier to accommodate.

Where To Purchase

When you are ready to buy a refrigerator for your wine there are several places that you can look to for purchase and also for information. You can go online to a manufacturer?s website and get particulars on different makes and models. Many home improvement stores and appliance stores now offer wine coolers as part of their regular inventory. Comparison shop for size and storage capability to find the cooler that will best suit your needs. Don?t let a sales person talk you into something that you can?t afford and don?t need. Once you have found your perfect cooler, celebrate with a glass of perfectly chilled wine.

Written By Author Margarette Tustle. Read more on refrigerators from irefrigerator.com.