Organic wine is becoming more popular in Australia with better quality wines available and more choice. The reasons are primarily to do with the health benefits and the reduction in environmental impact. Wine that is certified organic means that accreditation has been gained to indicate that the grapes grown for the production of the wine [...]
There are many good reasons to develop your palate and start recognising and appreciating the many different flavours and aromas in wine. It’s a skill that can be learned and improved. With it comes the satisfaction of having the knowledge and experience to recognise wine flavours and be more discerning about what you enjoy and [...]
It’s getting harder to find corks in wine bottles. Screw tops are dominant now which is an interesting development considering that wine bottles have been sealed with corks since the 1600s. So what are the arguments for and against and what has caused the shift?
We’re all familiar with the basic shape of a wine glass, a base, stem and bowl. This basic design allows us to hold the glass by the stem and not transfer heat from the hand to the wine. Also it makes it easier to swirl the glass and to look at the wine without the [...]
The French have a much lower incidence of that scourge of our modern diet and lifestyle, heart disease. The difference between the French diet and the rest of the western world was the volume of red wine consumption. Red wine contains polyphenols which help to keep our arteries healthy even if they don’t sound too [...]
The grapes are hand picked or mechanically harvested, often at night to keep the grapes cool as it’s very important to the quality of the wine that the grapes arrive freshly picked. On arrival at the winery the grapes are destemmed then crushed to break the skins. Red varieties and some whites are left in [...]
Decanting wine is not common place these days. In fact who owns a decanter? In days gone by, before the advent of modern wine making and refining techniques, wines were often decanted. Wine was carefully poured into the decanter ensuring any remaining solids that had settled in the bottle stayed in the bottle. However if [...]
Wine making goes back 8000 years and is thought to have originated in Persia. It is almost certain that wine was discovered by accident due to the natural fermentation of the grapes. Wine was known in all the ancient civilisations around the Mediterranean region. Ancient Egyptians are credited with developing pruning methods and stored wine [...]
Strictly speaking wine is an alcoholic drink made from the fermentation of crushed grapes. Wines can be made from other fruits but are always named as in elderberry wine. The ripe grapes are picked and crushed. Then naturally occuring yeasts already present on the grapes will cause fermentation. The yeast consumes the sugars in the [...]
Wine cellars provide a natural way of keeping wine in a controlled environment, dark with constant temperature and humidity. This is important because all types of wine will suffer if exposed to heat, light, temperature fluctuations, humidity and vibration. The problem is that most of us don’t have access to a wine cellar so how [...]
