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Articles on Wine Matters:

The Basics of Wine Tasting Accessories

If you love wine then you must also love wine tasting. Wineries attract wine lovers like magnets because they offer the option of tasting new wines and vintages and exposing their sense of smell and taste to another variation of their existing collection. Some wineries even offer free wine tasting opportunities while there are several hotels and restaurants that are regular when it comes to holding wine tasting events. These events allow wine lovers to taste some of the most exclusive wines in the world. Now you might think that all you need to taste wine is an absence of cold and the ability to sip but wine tasting accessories are indispensable for the serious wine taster.

Wine tasting accessories are old companions of wine tasters who use them to analyze the wine for different factors like taste, color, aroma, flavor, and of course quality. Wine tasting accessories typically include aroma bottles and blotting strips that are often accompanied by manuals on wine tasting and recording books where wine tasters note down their assessments of different wines. It must be remember that wine tasting is also something that is learned and nourished through experience and if you are a novice then you will need the manuals. The assessment records are useful in providing feedback to wineries on how they may improve their wines.

Wine tasting accessories are different depending on the nature of the wine being tasted because all wines have a unique composition that cannot be generalized for the taster's convenience. Moreover, wine-tasting accessories comes in different sizes, so some kits will have more aroma bottles and blotting strips. Other tools of their own accompany some wine tasting accessories and they are manufactured using a whole range of materials to suit all preferences and personal tastes. Some wine tasting accessories come in an all-inclusive package that features equipment to test all the three major categories of wine, reds, whites, and blushes.

There are wine tasting accessories that are suitable for wineries and then there are those that are made with the single user in mind. Make sure that you ask for wine tasting accessories when you go shopping to avoid the ones that are meant for wineries. Of course, for those people who maintain a cellar containing hundreds of wine bottles it might become necessary to buy the winery related wine tasting accessories. It must be obvious that personal wine tasting accessories are much smaller and less elaborate than the other type. Personal wine tasting accessories are also helpful when you go to purchase new wine so you can taste it before buying it.

Some wine tasting accessories are even closely associated with certain brands so if you stick to one brand or are about to try a new one, see if you can find wine tasting accessories that are applicable to that brand in particular. This is especially true of the aroma bottles that usually vary by manufacturer. Nowadays, it is quite convenient to acquire specific wine tasting accessories because of the Internet. The Internet provides extensive search options as well as hundreds of websites that are dedicated to good wines and the needs of wine lovers.

James Arthur
07 Dec 2006

James Arthur is a wine consultant for http://www.winestoragecredenzas.net Visit our site for more information on Wine Storage Credenzas.

Organic Wine: Reprieve For The Allergic

When I was a kid, I developed an allergy to peanut butter, something I loved to eat by the spoonful. While others ate it, mixing clumps with strawberry jam and putting it between two slices of bread, I stood by drooling; then, with a sense of defeat, I went to stick my head in my Easy Bake Oven. To me, there was nothing worse than being five years old and having a peanut allergy; it‘s the equivalent to having a wine allergy when you’re over 21.

Lucky for me, I’m not allergic to wine. I’ve self-tested with hundreds of bottles and I can confidently declare that I would definitely know by now. Definitely.. But, many others aren’t that lucky; some people have wine allergies, an allergy that hinders their ability to savor one of life‘s greatest pleasures.. This allergy leaves people with an empty wine glass, an empty wine cellar, and a unyielding impulse to look up to the sky and scream, “Make me allergic to diary, make me allergic to cats, make me allergic to my siblings, but please don’t take away my Cabernet.”

While no one wants a wine allergy, those who have one are forced to take it seriously. This is particularly true if they are allergic to sulfites, compounds often used as a means to preserve wine by helping it to avoid oxidation and spoilage. Unfortunately for those with allergies, sulfites are added to a vast majority of wines. Because of this, checking the label doesn’t just become a matter of hoping to find the best tasting wine, it also become a matter between being well and being ill.

When someone who is allergic to sulfites drinks wine containing this compound, they run the risk of experiencing an allergic reaction - an allergic reaction to wine makes a wine hang over look like a walk in the park. Some people may experience sneezing, or hives, while others may have difficulty breathing and need emergency medical attention. Sulfites can also cause anaphylaxis, the most severe of allergic reactions.. During this kind of reaction, a person’s blood pressure dangerously drops and their bronchial tubes narrow, making it increasingly harder for them to breathe.. If left untreated, this can lead to death in a matter of minutes. For these reasons, many people with sulfite allergies avoid wine altogether: not even the greatest wine in the world is worth compromising health.

However, luckily for those affected by sulfites, organic wine has come to the rescue, wearing a red cape and giving those allergic to regular wine a second chance.

Organic wine doesn’t necessarily mean “sulfite free,” a tidbit of information extremely important to those sensitive to even the most minute levels of sulfites. In fact, wines are rarely sulfite-free; sulfites occur naturally in wine. However, conventional wines go above and beyond the naturally occurring sulfites, adding many more sulfites to their finished product. Organic wine, on the other hand, tend to believe that the naturally occurring sulfites are enough - they don’t want to compound the situation.

The true definition of organic wine depends on where the wine is produced. For wines produced in America, the National Organic Program, the federal agency overseeing the production of organic food, has mandated that any wine claiming to be “organic” must not contain any added sulfites. Wines merely claiming to be made with “organic grapes,” however, aren’t subject to these regulation.. Along these lines, wines that are produced outside the US are governed under their own regulations: these wines generally have added sulfites, but the amount is roughly a third of the amount found in conventional wine. Thus, for those with sulfite allergies, it’s important to read the label very carefully.

Drinking organic wine isn’t just limited to those with sulfite allergies - it’s not a secret club people are allowed into by submitting their medical records.. Many people simply find organic wines better tasting, healthier, and good for the environment.

Organic wine is composed of grapes that are grown in an organic vineyard with organic farming techniques. Essentially, this means that the grapes were grown in a manner void of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides and full of natural fertilizers.. These vineyards also contain cover crops between their vines and work to attract beneficial insects, insects that will feed on harmful pests. Though no scientific provides credence, there is strong speculation that drinking organic wine instead of conventional wine decreases the chance of a hang over. This has led many people down an organic path, a path paved with the healthiest of soil.

Though not widely available, organic wine has recently begun to gain in popularity. Sommeliers are finally beginning to get the hint as bottles of organic Pinot Noir approach, tapping their fingers and impatiently saying, “Ahem.” Still, organic wine remains harder to find than conventional wine - many restaurants do not serve it and some liquor stores have either no collection or one that is minimal.. But, rest assured, there are places to find it, and soon they’ll be more..

Online is a great place to start, booming with shops that will ship organic wine to your house. Organic food stores - such as Whole Foods - have also jumped on the organic band wagon, obviously needing a ride from drinking too much. Along these lines, there are certain liquor stores that do carry a large selection of Organic wines.. To find one in your area, try calling around, doing an Internet search, or going to http://www.wine-searcher.com.

It might take a little research, but you’ll be rewarded once you are cradling that bottle of organic wine in your hands with a straw in your mouth. Then, it will all be worth it…naturally.

Jennifer Marie Jordan
17 Dec 2006

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.