The Art Of Wine Tasting

Even though many just assume that wine tasting is sipping, swishing, and swallowing - many are amazed to find that it’s actually a bit more. Wine tasting is more of an art, an art that is used to distinguish the taste of fine wines. Wine can be a tasty and refreshing drink - if the bottle was stored correctly and aged properly.

Wine tasting begins with the swishing. The reason why wine tasters swish the wine around in their mouths is to get the taste. Both the front and the back areas of the tongue contain taste buds, although neither one has any distinct sensation in taste. Taste buds can detect food and liquid that is bitter, salty or sweet, without a problem. To get the proper taste from wine however, you need to swish it around in your mouth and allow your taste buds and sense of smell to bring out the unique and fine flavors in the wine.

When you have a cold however, the wine can taste very different. When tasting your wine, your sense of smell has a major impact on the taste. What many fail to realize, is that over 75% of our taste is due to our sense of smell. When we have a cold, our sense of smell is affected. Therefore, when eating or tasting wine with a cold, the taste will appear different. Wine tasters all over the world will tell you that tasting wine is more about a sense of smell than the actual taste buds.

The art of wine tasting is indeed an art. Wine tasters do however, follow some general guidelines and rules that judge how great a wine is. These techniques can help you bring the most out of your wine, providing you follow them and know how to bring out the taste.

The first thing to do with wine is to look. With wine, you can tell quite a bit about it by looking at it. You should always start by pouring the wine into a clear glass, then taking a few minutes to look at the color. As far as the color goes, white whines aren’t white, but actually yellow, green, or brown. Red wines on the other hand are normally a pale red or dark brown color. Red wine gets better with age, while white whines get more stale with age.

Next, is the smell of the wine, which you should do in two steps. You should start with a brief smell to get a general idea of the wine, then take a deep, long smell. This deeper smell should allow you take the flavor of the wine in. The more experienced wine tasters prefer to sit back a bit and think about the smell before they actually taste the wine.

Last but not least, is to taste the wine. To properly taste the wine, you should first take a sip, swish it around in your mouth, and then swallow. Once you swish the wine around in your mouth, you’ll bring out the rich and bold flavors of the wine. After swallowing, you’ll be able to distinguish the after taste of the wine, and the overall flavor.

Once you have looked at the wine, smelled it, and finally tasted it, you’ll be able to evaluate the wine from a taster’s standpoint. This is the easiest way to determine the quality of the wine, and whether or not it has been properly stored and aged. As with all things in life - the more you taste wine - the better you will get at distinguishing the unique flavors.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Wine Country Gift Baskets

Are you in the process of planning a trip to wine country? Whether your trip involves traveling an hour to the wine country region of California or if your trip requires a cross-country flight or drive,
you are sure to be pleased with your experience. Visiting wine country is not only ideal for great wine tasting and wine education, but it is also a great opportunity to buy wine country gift baskets.

When it comes to buying wine country gift baskets, many vacationers, especially those who must travel long distances are concerned about doing so. Yes, it may be inconvenient to fly back home with bags full of wine baskets, but it is important to remember that doing so is not your only option. If you flew to wine country, instead of drove, you can often arrange to have your purchases, which should include gift baskets, shipped directly to your home or even to your gift recipient. This is something that most wineries shops will do for a small fee or you can handle the shipping arrangements yourself.

Since you do have a number of options, when looking to buy wine country gift baskets and other souvenirs, you are encouraged to do so. In fact, five reasons why you should are outlined below.

1 – Wine Country Gift Baskets Make Great Gifts

Wine country gifts baskets make great gifts, especially for those who are back home. If you have any close friends or family members who either love wine or who would have loved to visited wine country with you, a wine country gift baskets may be the perfect gift.

It is also important to mention the options that you have. When many of us think of wine country gift baskets, wine is often the first thing that comes to mind. While almost all specialty made wine country gift baskets do contain wine, many also have so much more. Other popular items include California cheese, wine jelly, and so forth.

2 – Wine Country Gift Baskets Make Great Souvenirs

Although gift baskets are often associated with Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and gifts for other special occasions, a wine country gift basket can also be the perfect souvenir for yourself. What is nice about this option is that you can choose the perfect gift baskets, such as one that comes with wine and chocolate or one that comes with wine and California cheese. Whether you choose to drink the wine in your basket or save it as a memento of your trip, you should purchase a wine country themed gift basket for yourself.

3 – Wine Country Gift Baskets Are Easy to Buy

Ease of buying is another one of the many reasons why all wine country visitors are encouraged to buy wine gift baskets, either for themselves or those that they know. In most wine countries, you will find a number of gift shops and specialty stores. These locations likely sell wine country gift baskets, along with other specialty California items. In fact, most public vineyards and wineries have gift shops right onsite and many make their own gift baskets. In these instances, you can save time by making your purchases when you are on a wine tour.

4 – You Can Buy Wine Country Gift Baskets Straight from the Source

As previously stated, most public vineyards and wineries have onsite gift shops that sell wine country gift baskets, as well as assortments of other wine related or themed gifts. By making your purchases through onsite gift stores and shops, you are going straight to the source. Although you may not think about it at the time, by buying a gift basket from a local wine country winery or vineyard, you are helping to support the local economy. Even if you are not originally from the area, you should be proud with this.

5 – Why Not?

Finally, the greatest reason why you should buy wine country gift baskets on your next trip to a wine country is because why not? Honestly, you are there and if you traveled a long distance to get to wine country, you may not ever have the opportunity to return again. Therefore, if you can, spend a few dollars to buy a small wine country gift basket. Whether you keep that gift basket for yourself or give it to someone that you know, you will likely not regret your purchase. Read More...

More Than Just Espresso At Starbucks

In recent years the coffee culture in America has exploded, no doubt encouraged by TV programs such as Friends, where the coffee house is the central location for the characters to meet up. Whoever had the initial concept for coffee shop franchises such as Starbucks were onto an immediate winner. The coffee makers in these places are constantly in use and the queues that build up during the lunch break don’t seem to put anybody off. Coffee houses have become the new places

In recent years the coffee culture in America has exploded, no doubt encouraged by TV programs such as Friends, where the coffee house is the central location for the characters to meet up. Whoever had the initial concept for coffee shop franchises such as Starbucks were onto an immediate winner. The coffee makers in these places are constantly in use and the queues that build up during the lunch break don’t seem to put anybody off. Coffee houses have become the new places to be seen, oh and to have a cup of coffee while you are there.

Starbucks, you either love it or you hate it, and if you love it you can’t possibly imagine any other reaction. Where else can you get such a selection of coffee and general hot drink varieties, along with a delectable range of sandwiches and sticky desserts at such reasonable prices? All in ultimate comfort too as Starbucks outlets are filled with comfy sofas and armchairs. Almost every town centre, shopping mall, highway service area or train station now has a handy Starbucks outlet, not just in the US, but all over Europe and a number of other parts of the world.

Perhaps herein lays the problem. The widespread success of Starbucks, and similar coffee shop franchises, has all but obliterated the small independent coffee shops that used to be the main venues for caffeine consumption. In many European cities, Starbucks have bought up smaller independent cafes, traded in them for a while until they have gained a monopoly in that area, and then closed some down, leaving open just the larger outlets, with a higher turnover. Your options for coffee drinking in many towns are now Starbucks or, well, Starbucks!

Some people find it frustrating that wherever you go in the world, you are confronted with the same coffee shop as you have in your local shopping mall or high street. When you visit another country, you want to spend some time soaking up the local culture, rather than the identikit décor of a Starbucks coffee shop which you can see every day at home.

Odd then, that so many who are openly hostile to the Starbucks concept can be caught sneaking a quick gingerbread latte at Christmastime or a double strength espresso to give them the necessary lift on the way to the office. Perhaps, like most of us they are unable to resist the decadent cheesecakes on offer, or maybe they really do value the convenience of being able to buy their favourite cup of coffee no matter where in the world they end up. Read More...

How to buy a good cigar?

The smoking culture has been existent for ages and it has been one of the consistently growing market.
Tobacco is the major product related to the smoking industry. Tobacco is the source of cigar which is one of the must-haves of males and even females especially in this modern times.

History tells that cigar smoking was common in the Latin American region which includes countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua. Same with Cameroon, Honduras, Indonesia and it includes Cuba and the United States of America. These are also areas where a large quantity of tobacco was grown at first.

Christopher Columbus is said to be the first to introduce cigar in Europe. Ages after, cigar smoking has been having this association with masculinity, high social status, liberalism- that makes cigar an interesting part of a special smoker’s habits. In special occasions, it could be a good form of present for a friend, a colleague, a boss, a patner… How do one buy a good cigar for a present?

* Find out stores specifically smoke specialty stores that sell a great selection of cigars including those which are extraordinary. Make sure not to neglect cigar quality.

* Consider the smoking experience of the person you would want to give your present to. This would determine if the size and diameter of the cigar would suit his or her taste. The cigar diameter is directly proportional to the richness of the flavor. Cigars that are bigger in diameter and richer in taste are more appropriate for “experienced” smokers. For “greenhorn” smokers, longer cigarettes with cooler smoke is commendable.

* See to it that the cigar is of good quality and that it is made of one hundred percent tobacco. Some cigars are more of the non-tobacco components like paper, glycerine or saltpeter.

* Refrain from buying a lumpy cigar. Yopu could check out if its lumpy or not by giving it a gentle squeeze. Also check the wrapper. Reffrain from picking cigars that have wrapper discoloration.

* Make your present more special by adding up a cigar cutter or an ashtray that would impress the receiver.

* Give it with sincerity of course.

There is nothing wrong with cigar smoking. Just see to it that it is being done in moderation. Read More...