Gourmet Articles

April 3, 2009

• Oregon Wine

  Oregon has a good base in making wine, recognized by most of the country for its top quality wines, comparable to the quality of most French wines. Oregon has different regions divided and separated by soil quality, amount of sunlight received and the climate of the region. Additional areas cling at the borders of Oregon and Washington/Idaho. Wine making has been a very important part of the pioneer life, as it is the only source of alcohol and inebriation during those lonely times.

April 1, 2009

• How to Taste Wine

  Wine testing is a very heavenly experience for those who glorify and for those who mine wine their life. However, it is not the simple matter of indulging your thirst and outright chugging the whole thing down like water. Wine should be treated like ambrosia: precious liquid that should be served and drunk sparingly and with utmost responsibility. Wine represents art, represents food and drink, represents happiness and culture. In short, wine represents the good things of life and possibly more.

January 26, 2009

• Wine Choice: How to Cater to Good Taste

  If you have ever tried wine tasting you will have found its quite simple. You don't need to be an expert and can even start without any recognized training. Etiquette dictates that the gentlemen should ensure the ladies are always served their wine first. Water at room temperature is normally served at any good wine tasting parties. You might find this strange but the water is used to clean your palate out prepared for the next taste of wine. Make sure that the water you are given is not too cold as this can shock the palate and ruin the taste of your next drink.

December 22, 2008

• Wine and Cheese Gift Baskets are Sure to Please

  My husband and I exchange gifts with several of our neighbors each year for the holidays. It seems that each year it gets more difficult to think of a gift. This year we decided to give them wine and cheese gift baskets. We did not like the pre-made cheese gift baskets that are available in the kiosks in the mall so we decided to create the baskets ourselves.

February 19, 2008

• Wine Trails: New Wine Travel Options

  Did you know that the U.S. is now home to over 6000 wineries? As of this year, all 50 states have at least one winery, and many states have well over 100. And for as great a wine producing state California is, it's certainly not alone in turning out numerous award winning wines just waiting to be discovered.

February 8, 2008

• Wine Travel - A Wine Country Experience In Arkansas

  Over 135 years ago, many German-Swiss immigrants traveled well into the south central United States to stake their claim. And back in the 1870's, the beautiful Ozark Mountain area of northwestern Arkansas seemed an appropriate place to begin. Rolling mountains, while not quite the height or splendor of the Swiss Alps, offered a reminder of home.

• Wine Refrigerators - Five Questions To Ask Before Buying

  With the ever increasing interest in wine, more and more people are seeking the best accessories to go along with their wine collections. State of the art "wine centers" are becoming integral aspects of stylish home decor, as wine lovers move beyond functional to an emphasis on presentation.

• Wine Travel: America's First Wine Trail

  America's long and storied wine making history is rooted in the efforts of European immigrants, who brought their skills to America throughout the 1800's. Long before California and other west coast wine producing states were settled, other areas of the country were busy producing wines from native grape vines growing in the wild. In the 1830's, a group of German immigrants settled in the Missouri river valley, about an hour west of St. Louis near the present historic town of Hermann, Missouri.

• Wine Travel: Now Available Near You On A U.s. Wine Trail

  If you enjoy wine tours and wine travel, you'll be pleased to know that there's a U.S. wine trail within a half day's drive of your home, just waiting for you to experience and enjoy. With over 6000 wineries now active in the United States, many of these wineries are clustered all across the country in small groups in grape growing areas. These groups of wineries are often designated as a wine trail, and are perfect for visiting as a weekend excursion.

February 5, 2008

• Wine Storage: Don't Make These 3 Mistakes

  Several years ago, my wife and I began collecting wine from our U.S. wine trails adventures. At first, we used our basement to store the wine, graduating to a handsome wine rack a few years later. Only after a few bottles didn't meet our taste expectations did we learn the importance of proper wine storage.

January 28, 2008

• Wine Making Kits: Would You Share This Wine With Friends?

  Making wine at home has long been popular, with origins in the United States going back to the 19th century. Wine lovers who immigrated from Europe brought with them a knowledge of making wine, and often did so for personal consumption. There still exists a common misconception that making wine at home is illegal. It's not, as long as you don't sell the wine you make at home.