How to Become a Wine Tasting Expert

Becoming a wine expert is not as hard as you might think. What you will need, apart from sheer enthusiasm, is a combination of some straight forward wine skills. These come in the form of an ability to decipher and provide accurate tasting notes, read and fully understand wine labels and at least know what countries around the world produce wines.

First of all, pick your niche such as New World reds, oak-aged Chardonnays or Bordeaux wines (start with what you know or like best) – the list is limitless, so you can start anywhere you like. Then visit your local wine store, and have a good look at as many wines as possible in your selected niche. The staff in the wine store will usually be very helpful showing you how to select wines with certain aromas and flavours, as well as which varieties pair well with which foods. Also keep an eye out for alcohol levels – a high alcohol wine may not always be desirable.

A few pointers to keep in mind:

Read back labels to learn about the wines themselves.
Talk to shop staff or even to other customers for their opinion.
Is the alcohol level high for the wine in question or would you prefer it to be a little lower? (Higher alcohol wines tend to come from hotter countries).
Find out if the weather was good or bad for that vintage – this makes a big difference to the overall quality.

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How to Clean a Thermos Food Jar

Thermos food jars are only as good as they can serve their purpose; otherwise they can be such a disappointment. Pre-heating or cooling your thermos before filling it up could go a long way in ensuring best results, but never use the microwave for this. Always fill it up with hot or cold water before hand and leave it still for around five minutes, after which you can empty and use it as required.

The biggest gaffe one can ever pull is using the dishwasher and chlorine or bleach to clean a thermos food jar. Sturdy stain removers have an abrasive effect on the rubber washers in the covers and the lid. Before you know it, the thermos innards will begin to spill. The dishwasher makes work easier, but it denies you the opportunity to clean the flask to detail.

For best results, use trifling soaps or dishwashing cleansers like Dawn and Ivory in trivial soapy water, and hark back to rinse well before intended usage. Rough rasping cleansers will more often than not damage and smudge the surface and inner linings of the thermos food jars. When this goes on for some time, the thermos could even alter savors of your stored food and beverage. Continue reading “How to Clean a Thermos Food Jar”

A Wine Bar And Restaurant Share The Basic Wine Characteristics You Must Know

Knowing the basics wine characteristics will help you to develop your palate and find favorites. You will definitely have a better chance of getting what you love. A wine bar and restaurant says that classifying wines by their fundamental traits is the best way of learning about your taste.

Wine Characteristics

Sweetness – This is also known as the level of dryness. Human perception of taste begins at the tip of the tongue. The very first impression of a wine is how sweet it is. To taste sweet, you must focus your attention on the taste buds on the tip of your tongue. If your taste buds are tingling, it indicates sweetness.

Acidity – Tart and zesty are the acidity in food and drink. Tasting acidity is usually confused with the taste of higher alcohol. It is indeed common for wines grown in cooler vintages to have higher acidity. These feel lighter weight since they come across as “spritzy”. If you like one that is more rich and round, choose those with less acidity. Characteristics of an acidic wine include feeling gravelly when you rub your tongue to the roof of your mouth and feeling like you can gleek. Your mouth also feels wet or it seems like you just bit into an apple. Continue reading “A Wine Bar And Restaurant Share The Basic Wine Characteristics You Must Know”

How I Found Myself in a Bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken

Well actually, it wasn’t a bucket of KFC, but rather a two piece individual breast and wing meal. You know the special meal that comes in the box with two side dishes; personally I have always been partial to cold slaw and mashed potatoes without the sloppy gravy. And don’t forget the necessary spork and wet wipe napkin to round out the dining adventure.

It was a day like any other, except for the fact that I’m on spring break from school and my husband has been out of town, translation: I have lots of free time. It was nearing lunch time and I decided to treat myself and this day was the day. You see, my husband gets sick from most fast food restaurants, so I eat at them without him and KFC has been a twice a year treat for me when he is out of town. A quick trip around the big block and I was back on my sofa with my box of KFC and a new book by Geneen Roth, Women, Food and God.

I ate my wing first, I hate them because there is nothing to them and quite frankly I just wanted to eat something and it was lunchtime. In just a few minutes there was nothing left of the wing but teeny tiny bones in the bottom of the box. Next I opened the red plastic top of the container of mashed potatoes. I wonder what happened to those small Styrofoam cups; the spork scraping the foam was just like the nails on a chalk board sound, oh I remember it well. Styrofoam vs. plastic, I guess plastic is the lesser of two evils in today’s world. I dipped my spork into the mashed potatoes, they were really bland so I globed on some spreadable butter, and at least that’s what the package said it was, “spreadable butter.” Ugh, still bland. I finished the mashed potatoes anyway. Continue reading “How I Found Myself in a Bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken”

What Is the Hardest Part of Grocery Shopping?

I know that some people actually enjoy the experience of grocery shopping, but I have a problem. Let me explain.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not particularly fond of grocery shopping – for several reasons, some of which include:

I lose a few hours of my time that I could be using for other, more fun, activities like doing laundry or washing dishes.

I have to spend a large amount of my taxed income to buy food that I get to pay more tax on.

I have to lug the groceries from the store to the car, from the cart to the trunk, from the trunk to the house, to the refrigerator, the freezer, and cabinets.

I feel compelled to spend the next half hour cleaning the fridge out before I put the new food in there.

Then I feel guilty about all the food I just threw away from the last shopping trip! Continue reading “What Is the Hardest Part of Grocery Shopping?”

The Truth About Food Dye ADHD Facts

Even though the FDA insists that food dyes are safe the studies say otherwise. Artificial food dyes do contribute to ADHD symptoms such as restlessness and hyperactivity and if food dyes were taken out of the diet, a large percentage of children would not need ADHD prescription drugs such as Concerta or Ritalin.

Food dye ADHD additives that cause reactions are Carmoisine, Tartrazine, Ponceau, Sunset Yellow, Carmoisine, Quinoline Yellow, and Allura Red. For instance Sunset Yellow (also known as Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow) has been known for inducing allergic reactions. It can be found in many products such as any orange, apricot or citrus jam or jellies, marzipan, hot chocolate mix, packaged soup mixes, breadcrumbs, cheese sauces and soft drinks and many other products that are yellow, orange, and red.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest would like the FDA to ban eight (Yellow 5 and 6, Red 3 and 40, Blue 1 and 2, Green 3, and Orange B) of the most common artificial dyes, or at least affix a warning label to products that contain the dyes such as “Warning: The artificial coloring in this food causes hyperactivity and behavioral problems in some children.” And, did you know that food companies are, as we speak, phasing out dyes in foods in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe? At McDonald’s in the UK the strawberry syrup on a sundae is a red color from strawberries and in the US; the red color comes not from strawberries but a coal-derived chemical also known by the name, Red 40. That is insane! Continue reading “The Truth About Food Dye ADHD Facts”

Classic Cheese and Wine Pairings

Cheese and wine go together like…well, cheese and wine! I have a hard time thinking of a better pairing. If you are hosting a dinner party or wine tasting, cheese is an obvious choice as an easy and delicious accompaniment to many wines. Either served as appetizers or as a formal cheese course before dessert, cheeses can enhance the experience of wine in many respects.

But like other foods, cheese and wine pairing can occasionally be tricky, with some pairings heightening the experience of both the wine and cheese and others simply clashing. What is the solution? Stick to some of the classic cheese and wine pairings for starters so that you are sure to have a smash success at your next wine tasting event or dinner party.

As a general rule, try to pair wines with cheeses that are traditionally made in the same local region. Pair like flavors with like, pair sweet wines with salty cheese and balance acidic wines with intense, creamy cheeses. These will become more obvious as you read on.

Champagne and Creamy Cheeses

Champagne and many other sparkling wines tend to be intense with high acidity. This bright, intense flavor pairs well with creamy, rich cheeses. The acidity cuts through the rich, creaminess of the cheese beautifully. Classic cheeses like Brie and Camembert work well. However, for a real treat, try to find the ultra-rich triple-cream cheeses, meaning they have very high milk-fat (around 75% in many cases). Examples of these include Saint-André, Brillat-Savarin, and Explorateur. Continue reading “Classic Cheese and Wine Pairings”

Stadium Tailgating Tips

Football season is for many of us the premier tailgating season. Here’s a list of tips gathered from around the grill to make your tailgating experience more enjoyable.

First of all we’re going to assume that your barbecue party set-up does not include anything as elaborate as a converted 18 wheeler or a grilling school bus. Don’t laugh! If you’re new to the tailgating experience then spend some time wandering around an NFL stadium or big time college football parking lot during a Fall weekend. You will be amazed at just how far some people will go to produce the ultimate tailgating rig. Some must cost as much as a small suburban house!

1. Scout the stadium parking lot. Before packing the car and loading it up for the first time make a dry run to the stadium on a football weekend. Determine which parking lot entrance lot is the easiest to get into and out of. Take notes on street names and alternative routes.

2. Stadium parking lot spots are first come first serve. Instead of getting to the lot in the middle of the night to insure yourself of your choice spot ask some of the other tailgaters in the area what time they usually get there to set up. You should probably subtract an hour or so from what they tell you because if they get the idea that you will be competing with them for the spot in an upcoming weekend they may want to make sure you get there a little late. Continue reading “Stadium Tailgating Tips”

How To Discover The Best White Wines For Your Taste And Budget

Get To Know Wines From the Grapes

White wines add joy to any wine fan’s palate. They are crisp, fruity and refreshing and can be enjoyed by themselves or paired with a wide variety of foods. They are dry or sweet. Anyone can find a white wine they will thoroughly enjoy. The challenge for any new wine lover is how to become acquainted with the different types of white wine. There are so many different labels on the market it makes heads spin. The secret is to start with the grapes.

There are about twelve popular types of grapes used to make white wine throughout the word, and of those, four are the top choices for production and consumption in the United States. New wine enthusiasts should start by acquainting themselves with these four grapes.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is by far the most used grape in the United States and, most likely, in the world. More Chardonnay wine is consumed in the United States than any other type. That is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that there are some outstanding Chardonnays on the market. The curse is that many techniques have been used to produce Chardonnays for the inexpensive and cheap mass markets. That yields some barely palatable wines. Continue reading “How To Discover The Best White Wines For Your Taste And Budget”

5 Top Tips For Matching Food With Wine

The matching of a wine to a particular food is quite a skill, but once your palate develops – all it takes is practice – the task will become easier. Food matching tips from the experts is a great place to start, and get a feel of wine-tasting terminology. An accurate description of a wine will make it much easier to match it up with a food.

Try to match the wine with the dominant flavour of the dish to find a good balance between the two. Here are a few matching suggestions:
- - Foods with a naturally higher acid content, including many fruits and cheeses, will often go well with younger wines which have a higher acidity such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Zinfandel. These wines will also complement foods such as fish, chicken or salads which are frequently flavoured with lemon or vinegar.
  - Highly seasoned dishes flavoured with salt or spice will pair well with lower alcohol, fruity wines like Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, a dry Rosé or Pinot Noir rather than anything highly tannic.
  - Delicately cooked and flavoured food, such as steamed, smoked or poached dishes, will require a delicate match. Again, try Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or Gewürztraminer.
  - Rich, heartier dishes require fuller bodied wines such as Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel or Chardonnay.
  - Sweeter savoury dishes, such as honey roasted ham or pork with a syrupy glaze, will suit a medium sweet or off dry style of wine like Riesling or Chenin Blanc.
  - Desserts and puddings will only successfully match well rounded sweet or dessert wines. The wine needs to taste sweeter than the dish it hopes to complement. Serving anything else leaves the wine in danger of tasting acidic, try Muscat, Vespaiola, Frontignac or a Port.
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