October 11, 2016 1:22 pm
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Barrel tasting with a wine club Many wine clubs hold barrel tastings, which are an opportunity for wine connoisseurs to try the most recent vintages and guess how good the wine will be in years to come. At these tastings, you can also meet connoisseurs and learn from them. You may also be able to buy wine futures at a discount, if you find something that’s likely to be particularly good in a few years. How wine is born and grows older It may help to understand the process of wine fermentation and aging. The fermentation itself takes place during... View Article
October 5, 2016 9:02 am
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Napa Valley wines and wine clubs About this time, a tradition well over a century old is being continued, as vineyard workers harvest the grapes that Napa Valley wines are made from. The first wine grapes in Napa Valley were Mission grapes, descended from Spanish grapes and brought to California by missionaries. They were tough grapes that could adapt to almost anywhere, but didn’t necessarily make the best wines. Better varieties of wine grape were brought to California in the nineteenth century, including the Cabernet Sauvignon grape which is as resilient as the Mission grape and has the quality of... View Article
October 4, 2016 8:47 am
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The best vineyards of Napa Valley Soon, the harvests will be over in the best vineyards in Napa. Some of them harvest using machines, while others harvest the grapes by hand. Harvesting the grapes by hand means fewer of them are bruised or damaged in the process. The best vineyards of Napa Valley match different varieties of grape to their particular soil and microclimate to create wines of unique and exquisite aroma and flavor and rich, smooth mouthfeel. There are about 400 wineries in the valley. In the coolest parts of the valley, the best vineyards of Napa grow Pinot... View Article
September 29, 2016 5:34 am
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Wine tastings are common wine club events If you’re a member of a Napa Valley wine club (and why not?) you may be invited to a wine tasting. If it’s outdoors, plan for the weather, especially this time of year. Dress well but comfortably. There’s an art even to handling the glass of wine. Hold it by the stem or base, so your hand doesn’t warm it. Try to look at the wine against a white background to assess its clarity and color. White wines get darker with age, while red wines get browner. Put the glass on a flat... View Article
September 28, 2016 5:28 am
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Joining a California wine club If you’re a big fan of California wines, you should definitely join a wine club. You join one by agreeing to buy a certain number of bottles every year, and the club delivers them to you. They may also send information on the wine and what sort of food it’s best paired with. In the most exclusive wine clubs, you get a higher level of membership by agreeing to buy more wine. Joining should be free, and you should be able to cancel at any time, but be sure to read the terms before joining... View Article