Syrah vs Shiraz

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

You say Shiraz, I say Syrah? Same grape or not? What do you think about syrah vs shiraz?

If you said yes you are correct? What’s their prize Bob? You mean besides a set of steak knives? OK, no ginzus but how about the rest of the story.

In the early 1800′s when Napoleon was gallivanting through Europe, one of the battles he fought was in Egypt.

We all know to the victor go the spoils, so one of his spoils was a local wine called Shiraz.

He liked the wine so much that he took vines back to France to be planted but thought the name was too Arabic, so he changed the name to the more proper French sounding “Syrah”

Here’s where the syrah vs shiraz story takes a twist. Remember one of the things your mother told you as a child: What comes around, goes around. Well, she was right.

The ending to this little ditty is that that a few decades ago, our friends the Australians were studying wine techniques in France and thought that the syrah grapes had potential in their climate, so they took some vines back home

The vines flourished. But a funny thing happened.

They thought the name “Syrah” sounded too French so they changed the name back to the Arabic name Shiraz and the rest as they say is history.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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So in modern times, although the grape is usually called syrah in Europe and Shiraz everywhere else, it’s really the same grape.

The winemaker chooses to call it syrah or shiraz based on the how they choose to make the wine.

The Syrah you get from Europe will typically be a little drier.

The Shiraz from California or Australia is bold, spicy, dramatic, great wine for seasoned red meat. The spice is what really stands out here. To most people the distinctive flavor is pepper.

So here’s the wine skinny on Shiraz

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape

Shiraz has a distinct pepper flavor

Great wine for foods like steak au poive or in English – pepper steak

This is a really distinct wine that people either love or hate. This wine is the spicy hot wings of the wine world! There is such a fanatical following for this wine that once you try it you may never go back to other wines!

So enjoy the great debate!  syrah vs shiraz!

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Malbec Wine

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

Malbec wine is probably a wine that you may have heard of, but probably never tried. But you know what, it’s time you did, because its really very good.

As with most wines it has it origins or at least it’s notoriety as a French wine.

In France, this is because of the colder climate, the wine usually doesn’t ripen fully and usually has a dry and somewhat bitter taste.

That’s why it’s often used primary as a blending wine to add dryness and structure to other wines.

The literal translation of Malbec, if you remember from your high school French is bad mouth.

Doesn’t sound very appealing does it?

Well, here’s where the story get a little more interesting. Several years ago, the Argentine government decided that they wanted to start a wine industry in their country.

Being so close to the equator, they thought the proximity to the ocean, along with their mountainous terrain would be ideal for growing grapes and making extraordinary wine.

And they were right. If you haven’t tried Argentine or Chilean wines or any South American wine for that matter, I would encourage you to try them.

They are really very good and are usually cheaper that American or European wines.

So they took the “bad mouth” vines back to South America. In a very short time the vines and the wine industry started to develop. They found that Malbec exceeded their own expectations.

Today, Malbec wine is the star of their wine industry and Argentina’s leading wine export.

Unlike the bitter French wine, the Argentine Malbec has more of a fruity taste and other berry flavors without the bitterness of its French counterpart is actually more full bodied.

Another thing to remember about all south American wines is that the seasons are reversed. We harvest in the fall.

They harvest in the spring. So each year they will be able to introduce their wines 6 months sooner than the rest of the wine world.

So in the vintage is important to you, remember to keep this in mind.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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Here’s the skinny on Malbec Wine

Always buy the Argentine version

The argentine version has a bold and fruity taste

As a southern hemisphere wine, its always released 6 months sooner than US wines.

There are lots of different wines out there. The fun is to try them all

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Riesling Ice Wine?

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

I have always enjoyed dealing with our neighbors from the great white north. One of the reasons is that I think the Canadians make one of the world’s greatest wines, Riesling Ice Wine

No, you can’t revoke my wine card for that statement, but hear me out, anyway

Obviously their climate is not conducive to making traditional wines. But they have actually adapted several varieties and winemaking styles to their environment. Namely, ice wines.

Canadian ice wines start out usually as riesling grapes and are typically grown in the Ontario region, which is just north of Michigan.

Like sauternes they are left on the vine well into the growing season, but unlike Sauternes they are actually left on the vine through the first frost.

Only then are they harvested. By leaving the grapes on the vine until the first frost, the grapes become very sweet.

The frost shrinks the grape and concentrates their flavors into a thick and syrup like juice. Very little juice comes from the grape, but what comes out is like liquid gold.

The wine is not only sweet, but has a very full body. Kinda like me, I guess…

Because of all the labor in the production process, this wine usually starts at about $25 a bottle.

Because a small amount of this wine goes a long way, the bottle is usually 375 ml or half the size of a regular sized bottle.

If you would like the convenience of ordering your riesling ice wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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This is a wine that a lot of people like in the beginning stages of drink wine. The sweetness is what appeals to them. Later on is when they think of it as a dessert wine.

Serving ice wine is also very easy.  It’s perfect right out of the refridgerator or at about 42-45 degrees.

This wine is not your everyday Tuesday night pizza wine, but if you’ve never had this special treat, I would strongly suggest that you give this wine a try.

If you do, you can die happy!

Whether its Sauternes, riesling ice wine or Port or the many other varieties of dessert wine, give them a try. You may never look at dessert the same way again.

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

How to Make Sangria

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

Sangria.  Just saying the word sounds fun doesn’t it?  Before we learn how to make sangria, let’s learn a little about it first.

Spain claims to have invented Sangria. But I suspect people have been adding fruit to wine since the beginning of wine.

In Latin, the word Sangrial means blood.

I suspect our modern term evolved because somebody long ago in Tuscany, what is now part of Italy, used the wines from local grapes called sangiovese and mixed in a little fruit and called it Sangria and then the term later spread to Spain and then other parts of the world.

Before the age of modern refrigeration and the proliferation of soft drinks, sangria was the perfect easy to drink, refreshing beverage. You could say it was the soft drink of its day.

The beauty of Sangria is that about any type of wine, a little fruit, maybe a sweetner and you have a really great tasting drink.

Today, we think of Sangria as a punch type drink for parties or special occasions. But in reality it can be enjoyed many different ways and in many different styles.

The traditional sangria consists of red wine, usually a Spanish red wine like Rioja. But any red will do.

Several slices of citrus like oranges or lemons and other fruits like apples or pares. Many people will up the ante a little and add a bit of countreau, which is a orange flavored licquor to the mixture. It can be made either way.

The wine is allowed to marinate for several hours and then just before serving, a sweetner like a Sprite or 7 up is added.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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Prefer white wines, never fear, then try sangria Blanco. For those of you who missed Spanish class that day, blanco simply means white. In this case white wine sangria.

The mixtures are the same.

Here are some tips on how to make  sangria even better.

Those old ice cube trays you have stuck way in the back of your cabinets that you haven’t used in years, pull them out and fill them up with the sangria and then put them in the freezer.

When ready to serve simply put the cubes in the sangria. Not only will they cool the sangria, when they melt, unlike ice, they won’t water down the drink.

This is especially important with white sangria. Red sangria can be served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Marinate your Sangria at least 6 hours or overnight if possible.

Always add the sprite just before serving. It will go flat it put in at the beginning.

The typical mixture of wine to sprite is one 750 ml bottle (the regular size) to an 8 ounce can. That’s basically a 3 to 1 wine t sprit ration.

Just scale up if necessary.

Another option is flavored wines.

Flavored or fruit wines can be made just like sangria. For instance strawberry or mango or green apple wines make excellent punches.

Mix with similar fruit to the wine and then add sprite like above and serve.

Whether you’re a Sangria pro or trying it for the first time, you know why this drink continues to be popular after all these years.

Now you know how to make sangria!

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Chianti Wine

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.
Italians have contributed many things to humanity, but Chianti wine has to be at or near the top.

This grape is native to the Chianti region which is in the Tuscany area in Italy.  You may hear this wine called by either the grape or the region.

It’s the same wine.  Sangiovese is the grape and Chianti is the region.  But there are also several sub regions to Chianti, but the most well known is Chianti Classico.

On a recent trip to Tuscany, I saw sangiovese vines in about every square inch of the area.

Ask an Italian about Chianti Wine and they will smile, their hands will start moving, and you will have made a friend for life.  They are definitely passionate about this wine.

If you’re of a certain age, you my remember the wicker covered chianti bottles that were popular in the 70’s.  The style was to drink this very cheap wine and then put a candle in the bottle.

But a lot has changed with Chianti since the days of leisure suits.  Several years ago, our Italian friends decided to establish higher quality standards for the wine to be called Chianti.

Their efforts have paid off.  In recent years the wine has improved greatly and now can compete with the best of wines of France or California.

So if your only memory is of the 70’s version,  I would encourage you to give it another try.

This wine is smooth, but acidic, fruity, but dry.  It’s actually one of my favorite red wines.  The acidity is the key here.

When you first taste this wine you will get flavors of cherry and maybe a touch of strawberry.

But as you finish your sip, you’ll notice a bit more acidity than in most other red wines.

You don’t want the wine or food to be significantly stronger than the other so they won’t overpower each other.  Some foods, like tomatoes have a lot of acidity.

So if you have a wine with more acidity you would pair it with other foods like tomatoes.  So when you hear people drinking this wine with red sauces or pizza, that’s why.

While we’re talking a bit on wine and food pairings remember that usually the traditional wine and food from the same region are a good match.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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So here’s the wine skinny on Sangiovese

Native to the Tuscany region of Italy
Usually called Sangiovese in the US, Chianti in Europe
Acidic finish makes it a great wine for acidic foods like red sauces

Do yourself a favor and try chianti wine.  As an Italian winemaker friend told me…Marco, ita isa likea amore ina bottle!

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

White Wine Types

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

There are many white wine types, but  as you travel down the wine road, most people will like whites before they like reds. Some will never like whites and that’s OK.

But most people will like both white and red and will choose based on the food, their mood or the occasion.

To better understand white wines, let’s first talk about the color. The difference between white and red wines is if the skins are used in fermentation.

Squeeze any grape and the juice is clear.

White wine is fermented only with the juice and the skins are discarded. With red wines, the skins are used in fermentation and the pigments in the skins are what give red wine its color.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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For pink wines like white zinfandel, the skins are left in for just a little bit and then taken out, giving the wine its pink color.

Then why are some wines almost clear like pinot Grigio and some wines like chardonnay almost gold. Three reasons.

One, certain grape varieties are naturally darker than others.

Two, the winemakers process may lighten or darken the final wine

And three, as a white wine gets older, it usually turns a little darker.

Next, lets talk about taste. Lets use some wine words here.

Full body – White wines are typically a little less in body that reds. Because tannins are in the grape skins and most whites are unoaked, white wines feel a little lighter on the tongue than reds

Acidity- White wines typically DO have more acidity than reds. When someone says a wine is crisp, they mean they can taste the acidity. For a comparison, soft drinks use carbonation to create the same taste of acidity.

Although acidity doesn’t sound pleasant, it’s actually what gives white wine its “punch or bite” without this acidity, white wines would have more of a flat taste.

Much like a soft drink that has been left in the refrigerator too long.

A wine that doesn’t have enough acidity would be considered “flabby”

I know how that feels….

We’ll talk more about it in our wine and food section, but a white wine with acidity is great for bland tasting foods.

It brings out the flavor. The reason you put lemon on your seafood is that the acidity of the lemon acts like salt and brings out the flavor

The acidity in wine does the same thing. That’s one reason why white wine and seafood or poultry are such a great match.

Lastly, lets talk about some of the typical flavors and aromas of white wines types.

One of the most common flavors is citrus. Many people will smell aromas of grapefruit or oranges. Green apple and pear flavors are also extremely common.

OK, now that you know some common white wine types, we’ll look at specific varieties in future posts.

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Cheese and Wine Pairings

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

Let’s match some cheese and wine pairings. Who doesn’t like wine and cheese? Life if good, huh!

Well here’s something for remembering how to match cheese and wine.

The darker the wine, the harder the cheese.

The darker the wine, the harder the cheese.

Let’s start with wines first.  We already know that some red wines are lighter and some are darker.

For instance Pinot Noir is lighter, Chianti or merlot are darker and Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are even darker still.

One thing that is very different from chocolate pairings is that while white wines are not well suited for chocolate, they are an excellent match for cheeses.

With white wines instead of the color, lets concentrate on some of the characteristics of the varieties. That will help you make better matches with different cheeses.

If you recall from our wine and food pairing post, all there is to wine and food pairing is similar foods with similar wines.

Pinot Grigio for instance has more of an acidic finish, right? We know that acidity brings out flavor, especially in baked or broiled seafood and chicken.

So that’s use that same logic and realize that pinot grigio would be a great match for bland cheeses like swiss or provolone.

Chardonnay is usually oaked and because of this has a little bit of a nutty flavor. That nut flavor pairs well with any cheese that could be enhanced by salt.

An excellent choice here might be a Parmesan or Asiago cheese. By the way, salted almonds will add a tremendous amount of flavor if you include them on the plate.

Reisling typically, but not always is a little sweeter than most wines. So by now, I presume you’re a little ahead of me here. Sweet wine go well with flavored foods.

How about a flavored cheese, maybe like Gouda? In addition, any type of candied or sugar coated nuts or fruit would be the perfect compliment

With reds, again the darker the wine, the harder the cheese. There’s no need to go into a lot of detail here.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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Lets talk about cheeses.

When I say the how soft or hard the cheese, think of a cheese like brie as the softest of cheeses and then a squishy cheese like swiss, then maybe a cheddar as a semi hard cheese and then finally a parmesan type cheese as the hardest.

Compare your favorite cheeses using this guide at the bottom of the page and you’ll have pretty good idea what wine to pair.

Here’s a couple of tips that will help make your cheese taste better. We all know that the temperature of your wine makes a big difference in how you wine tastes. Cheese is no different. I think most of us eat cheese to cold, usually right out of the refrigerator.

Actually cheese is best at room temperature. Let the cheese sit on the counter about 30-45 minutes before serving and you’ll be fine.

Thin slices always give you a better taste than thick slices.

Cubes or chunks may look nice and be easy to prepare, but it’s worth the effort to thinly slice the cheese.

Like with wine, people have different tastes when it comes to cheese. If you are having a party don’t assume that your perfect pairing of wine is cheese is your guest’s perfect match.

People tend to pick the cheese off the tray depending on what cheese they recognize, rather than if it goes with their wine.

So as the host or hostess, it would be helpful to label the cheese or you could even put a card on the table to say something like try this cheese with…..

Again don’t worry about it.

The fun of wine and cheese pairing is the mixing and matching of different cheeses and trying new things.

Instead of worrying too much, I have made a guide for you to make it really easy.

Wine Cheese

Riesling - Gouda

Chardonnay -  Asiago

Pinot Noir - Brie

Cabernet Sauvignon – Cheddar

Zinfandel – Parmesan

Shiraz - Sharp cheddar

Remember shiraz is a spicy wine, so a spicy cheese like Monterey Jack or even a jalapeno cheese would be an excellent choice.

This chart is not an absolute. They final pairing really depends on what type of cheeses you like and what variety of wine you like.

Remember, the fun is to experiment to find your perfect pairing. So we salute the power of cheese

Enjoy your cheese and wine pairings

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Red Wine Basics

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

Lets go over some red wine basics.  Remember, for most people it takes a while to develop your taste for red wine and most people like white before they like red. So if you try red now and don’t like it, that OK.

Try again in a few months. It’s amazing how your tastes will change even in a short time.

All right, red wines. Color…

Red wines range from light burgundy to almost a dark purple. If you recall from a previous video, we mentioned that the skins are what give red wine its color.

Some grapes, like cabernet sauvignon, have a very thick skin and thus more pigments to make the wine darker.

Pinot Noir on the other hand is usually a very light colored wine because it has very thin skin.

All you need to know is that color is caused by the grape skin.

As wines age, most wines will also darken slightly.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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The body. Red wines have much more body or feel heavier on the tongue that white wines. In part because they naturally have a little more sugar than white wines, which when fermented leads to a higher alcohol percentage than white wines.

Since alcohol is more dense that water, it feel heavier than white wines.

Red wines also tend to be stored in oak. Oak has tannins and some are transferred to the wine making it feel heavier than unoaked wine.

BTW, if you sometimes think you taste vanilla, its because oak naturally imparts a vanilla taste to the wine.

If you taste a smoky, BBQ type flavor, the wine was probably stored in a toasted oak barrel. The winemaker has a tremendous amount of ways to make their wines.

That’s why you sometimes like a variety and sometimes you don’t. You’re responding to the winemaker’s style.

The flavors. Some common flavors in red wines are plums, cherries, black currants and various other berries and maybe even something fun like licorice.

I would encourage you to watch the variety videos first to understand them and then come back and watch them again as you taste each variety.

You could taste any brand you like, but since your are just sampling, the small 187 ml sample bottles may be all you need and you might actually save a few bucks, as well.

OK, this covers some of the red wine basics.  I hope it helps

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Types of Port Wine

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

There are many types of Port Wine.

Port, no, not the left side of the boat…Port is actually the name of a grape from Portugal. Really clever and original name, huh?

Although the name is rather unoriginal the wine is really good.

If we could go back in the great wine time machine a few hundred years to Portugal we would find that the main market for this wine was in England

The ship, loaded down with its precious cargo would sail down the Portuguese rivers toward the ocean and then take a really strong right and then keep going until they ended up in merry ole England.

They problem was that because of the length of the trip and the lack of modern preservatives, a large part of the wine would spoil.

This was very bad for our Portuguese friends. They were stumped. Didn’t know what to do. But to their rescue came a presumed “drunken sailor”.

Knowingly or unknowingly (the story is better if you believe unknowingly) he spilled brandy into some the port wine barrels and alas, the wine lasted until and well after the trip to England.

What he had done was invent “fortified” wine.

Fortified wines are wines that have other alcohol added, usually brandy. This addition props up or fortifies the grape wine. In reality, the preservatives in the brandy also preserve the grape wine.

Think of this concept as a wine mixed drink and you’ll be fine. A word of caution, most people take a while to acquire a taste for this wine. It is very sweet, but also very strong.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

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There are different types of port, the main difference being how long they are aged. Some of the finest ports can be aged as much as 20 years

Discovering port wines can be an adventure all to itself.

So if you want to try something different, give the many types of port wine a try.

Probably even a little too much to cover here but go the wine store and ask about ruby and tawny ports and explore the difference.

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine

Types of Dessert Wine

By Mark Adams

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, author and frequent speaker on wine.  He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.

As a kid who didn’t want to skip the brussel sprouts and go right to dessert? Well, now that you’re an adult, you don’t have to eat them…You can have dessert first!

Strange concept, huh, dessert first? Well it sounds great on paper, but it’s even better in real life. Lets talk first about the types of dessert wine.

What are they and when and how should you drink them? Answer…early and often.

Dessert wines are exactly what you think they are, wines that are thick and sweet and replace your traditional food desserts.

Actually you don’t have to replace the traditional desserts, I say why not have both? But if you have a sweet tooth, dessert wines are for you.

Think for a moment of how we eat a meal. Usually we start off with something light like an appetizer, then something heavier as the main meal and then finish with something sweet, like chocolate or cake or ice cream.

In Europe, they do exactly that. On a recent trip to Italy, I noticed they eat an appetizer, an antipasta or pasta before the meal, then the main meal, then salad or a cheese plate and then usually some type of dessert wine.

We should drink wine the same way. The appetizer wine is actually called an aperitif, then your main wine and of course the dessert wine. Pretty simple when you think about it, huh?

Enough of the soap box stuff, let’s talk turkey. Dessert wines come from grapes that are left on the vine well past the traditional growing season so as much sugar as possible is created in the grape.

Then only the best grapes are picked by hand. These grapes literally go through the ringer. They are pressed multiple times to release all of their flavors and then and only then are they bottled.

Usually you will see this style of wine in half bottles (375ml) because a little goes a long way.

The wine is thick, sweet and strong.

If you would like the convenience of ordering you Dessert wine online, one company that I like is My Wines Direct.  They have been around for years and have an excellent reputation.  There prices are really good and they offer free shipping on all wine and wine gifts at MyWinesDirect.com,

Sauternes

Dessert wines have evolved through the years. Early on you had various European varieties that were sweet but the most popular variety was Sauternes from the Sauternes region in southern France.

As we learned earlier, in Europe they use the region to name the wine, not the variety. So you may be ahead of me here and are asking yourself what variety do they use?

Kudos if you were thinking that BTW. Well, my eager wine expert in training, several different types of grapes can be used but the main grape is called Semillon.

Simply use your best attempt at a French accent and you will be able to pronounce this grape…If you can’t pronounce it, don’t worry, nobody else can either.

If you’ve never had this wine, think of the old Alka Seltzer commercial that said. Try it…you’ll like it!

So here’s to enjoying all types of dessert wine!

Click these links if you’re interested in online wine classes or simply want to learn about wine