About Wine

Host a Holiday Wine Tasting Party

2009-11-25T01:32:46Z

The holiday season provides plenty of opportunities to gather with friends and family with good food and good wine. It also offers a chance to turn those gatherings up a notch and host an educational wine tasting to give guests a glimpse inside the world of wine, with a festive holiday flare. Never hosted a wine tasting, but want to learn how to get a friendly, tasting up and running in no time? Find the goods to get your tasting going here.

Host a Holiday Wine Tasting Party originally appeared on About.com Wine on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 01:32:46.

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Wine of the Week: Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2007 (CA) $30

2009-11-24T16:40:42Z

I recently had the chance to try this extraordinary Chardonnay at a lunch with Beringer's Winemaker, Laurie Cook. "Let the fruit drive what you are doing in both the vineyard and the winery," summed up Laurie's winemaking philosophy and is certainly put into practice in this particular Chardonnay.

Layers of rich concentrated fruit make this wine interesting from the get go. On the nose, expect citrus and stone fruit along with warming oak tones. The palate profile continues with the citrus theme, but expands the fruit into opulent lines of apricot and lush tropical fruit. Beringer's Private Reserve Chard is a full-bodied, well-rounded wine with plenty to offer the palate and the plate - definitely a wine to consider for Thursday's Thanksgiving feast.

Beringer's Private Reserve Chardonnay may be purchased direct through Wine.com.

Wine of the Week: Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2007 (CA) $30 originally appeared on About.com Wine on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 16:40:42.

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2009 Thanksgiving Wine Picks

2009-11-19T19:27:50Z

Thanksgiving can be a high pressure event with all of the food prep, guest preferences, wine selections and seating arrangements, but it doesn't have to be!

We'll try to pare down the preparations by offering up a starting point for wine picks and pairings. You will also find that most of the wines fall right under the $20 price point, as a houseful of guests can clip the wine budget fairly quickly. Check out the 2009 Thanksgiving Wine Picks here.

2009 Thanksgiving Wine Picks originally appeared on About.com Wine on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 19:27:50.

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Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!

2009-11-19T00:01:55Z

Yes, it's here again - the third Thursday of November and the "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!' signs (The New Beaujolais has arrived) are out in full force at local wine shops. Beaujolais Nouveau is always the first vintage released, a mere six weeks post harvest, and just in time to be a festive partner at the Thanksgiving table (be sure to serve it slightly chilled). Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the thin-skinned Gamay grape and typically offers little to no tannins, a light-body and red fruit flavor along with a bit of banana in the profile (thanks to carbonic maceration). It is an easy-going, fun wine that doesn't take itself or it's role to seriously - and that is something to celebrate!

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive! originally appeared on About.com Wine on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 00:01:55.

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What to Drink on Thanksgiving: From Beer and Cocktails to Coffee and Wine

2009-11-18T15:55:52Z

Being dubbed the most food-focused day of the year, doesn't stop Thanksgiving from taking a bit of work to match limitless beverage preferences from friends and family members gathered around the table.

About.com Drinks Guides

Thanksgiving beverage pairings

here

What to Drink on Thanksgiving: From Beer and Cocktails to Coffee and Wine originally appeared on About.com Wine on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 15:55:52.

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Wine of the Week: Souverain Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (CA) $20

2009-11-16T00:31:39Z

At a recent winemaker's dinner with Souverain's Ed Killian, I tried the '06 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County's acclaimed Alexander Valley. This is a fantastic Cab with rich, ripe red fruit debuting on the nose and black cherry, plum and a generous dusting of cocoa making its way across the palate. A dense, chewy Cab with stunning structure and well-placed tannin integration, the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers up a concentrated red wine brimming with dark, layered fruit, depth and intriguing complexity.

Cab

Wine of the Week: Souverain Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (CA) $20 originally appeared on About.com Wine on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 00:31:39.

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Wine Labels - Decoded

2009-11-14T18:02:05Z

Reading a wine label can be as easy as reading the alphabet or as difficult as trying to decode a foreign language, it all depends on whose label it is and where it is from. New World labels tend to vere towards the straight-forward, "here's what it is" approach, with the varietal or blend clearly labeled, the producer, where the grapes were grown and the alcohol content right there in plain view. Old World wines have a reputation for "masking" key info., but this is not the case at all. If you know what to be looking for, you can easily decipher the pertinent label information with very little effort. Instead of the varietal being the primary piece of information on the Old World label, it is the location - where the wine is from. Old World wines are heavily invested in their individual terroir, not necessarily the specific grape, though if you know the region, then you will also have a pretty good handle on the possible grapes that made their way into the bottle.

Wine Labels - Decoded originally appeared on About.com Wine on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 18:02:05.

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Thanksgiving Wines

2009-11-09T22:26:45Z

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, there is no better time to start planning your Thanksgiving dinner menu and selecting wines to complement the feast. Historically, the week before Thanksgiving is also a great time to buy wine as many wine merchants run specials on preferred holiday wines.

While the turkey may claim center stage on most Thanksgiving Day tables, if you limit the scope of your Thanksgiving wine pairing to the bird you'll have missed ample opportunity to showcase exciting varietals against the flavor backdrop of an interesting array of tastes and textures, as presented by your favorite family side dishes.

Interested in learning which wines are most likely to bring out the best in your Thanksgiving day menu? Check out key varietals that promise easy Thanksgiving pairing potential with minimum risk and maximum flavor here.

Image Courtesy of Getty Images / Flying Colours Ltd

Thanksgiving Wines originally appeared on About.com Wine on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 22:26:45.

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Wine of the Week: ForeFront Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (CA) $16

2009-11-08T20:21:54Z

ForeFront is a new project by Pine Ridge Winery that offers consumers a wine experience that lives up to the Pine Ridge reputation for stellar quality buoyed by the economy's call for lower prices. To that end ForeFront wines are offered at a suggested retail price range of $16-24, with many merchants staying at $20 and below. Intended to be approachable, everyday wines high on pairing versatility and light on the wallet, the three wines that I've sampled from this project are offering all that and more.

ForeFront Sauvignon Blanc

acidity

Sauvignon Blanc

Thanksgiving

Disclosure: A sample was provided for review. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

Wine of the Week: ForeFront Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (CA) $16 originally appeared on About.com Wine on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 20:21:54.

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Wines of Chile: Carmenere Online Tasting

2009-11-06T03:05:22Z

Yesterday I had the chance to run through a series of eight Chilean wines via an online wine tasting hosted by Wines of Chile. All of the wines were either 100% Carmenere or a blend with Cab or Carignan. The tasting featured eight Carmenere wines each introduced by eight young, dynamic winemakers, who took turns speaking to their spotlighted wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Carmenere

here

Wines of Chile: Carmenere Online Tasting originally appeared on About.com Wine on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 03:05:22.

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