The Loire Valley which runs from the Massif Central mountains to the Atlantic coast is one of the best known wine regions of France and the home of the world famous Muscadet dry white wine which is enjoyed by millions of drinkers every year.

Situated near Nantes in western France, the Loire Valley is one of the most picturesque winemaking areas anywhere in Europe. Following the course of the Loire river, the valley meanders from Auvergne and the Massif Central mountains to the Atlantic coast.

The climate varies considerably over the wide area of the Loire valley with relatively mild weather in the west, influenced by the winds coming off the Atlantic ocean, to cold winters and warm summers in the east of the region and history shows that vines have been grown here for many centuries with wine being produced since 380 AD, if not earlier.

The main grapes of this region are the Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon which account for about three-quarters of the regions production as white wine, with the remaining one-quarter being red wine produced from Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes.

The vines of the Loire valley are grown predominantly in limestone and clay soils and production, which is approximately 400 million bottles annually, ranges widely from both sweet and dry whites to ross and fruity reds.

To the east of the region around Pouilly and Sancerre the majority of the grapes used in winemaking are Sauvignon Blanc and these are used to make the delicious dry, white Pouilly-Fum.

Moving west into the province of Touraine the predominant grape becomes the Chenin Blanc, which forms the base of the fruity Montlouis. Some of the superb red Loire wines including Bourgueil and Chinon are also produced here, made mostly from Cabernet Franc grapes.

To the west of Touraine, Anjou-Saumur also produces a white wine from the Chenin Blanc which is famed for its smooth quality and winemakers clustered around Angers produce the well known Ros d’Anjou which was reportedly a favorite of King Henry II of England.

But we cannot leave our brief tour of the Loire valley without a mention of Muscadet which lies at the far western end of the Loire Valley. Producing some 100 million bottles a year, Muscadet is known throughout the world for its pale dry white wine which is best enjoyed when it is fresh and young.

GreatWineTastings.com provides an introduction to the wines of the world and, if you are not sure whether to buy a French red wine or a Californian white wine, then you will find this is the perfect guide to wine for dummy wine drinkers.

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The Champagne wine region of France is not the largest wine producing area in the country, but certainly produces what most people agree are the best wines in the world.

The Champagne region of France is the world’s most famous wine growing region, or at least the region which produces the world’s most famous wine.

Lying some one hundred miles to the north-east of Paris, the Champagne region’s 75,000 acres of vineyards are in fact divided into three main wine growing areas; the Cte des Blancs, the Valle de la Marne and Montagne de Reims.

The largest of these three areas, the Valle de la Marne, is a predominantly chalky area with a thin layer of topsoil which provides perfect drainage for the vines and also an excellent base which reflects the heat of the sun to help ripen the grapes. The finest vineyards in this region are also situated on ground which is high enough to escape the frost of the winter months and low enough to be sheltered from the searing heat of the summer.

The Montagne de Reims, which lies on a forested plateau south of Reims, is also an excellent area for growing vines with a deep layer of crustaceous chalk under a thin layer of topsoil which provides perfect conditions for growing grapes. This area boasts several Grand and Premier Cru wines.

The Cte des Blancs lies on a ridge to the south of Epernay where the chalk subsoil is excellent for producing Chardonnay of the highest quality.

Mention should also be made here to the newest of the Champagne region’s wine growing areas, the Cte de Szanne, which has only been producing wine since the 1960s but which is proving a considerable addition to the region and yielding a very high quality Chardonnay.

Finally, attention must be drawn to one of the northernmost areas, that of Montagne, which enjoys an almost unique micro-climate and producing some of the best Champagne in the world.

One very important thing to remember about Champagne is that it is not a wine in itself, but a blend of several different wines. Accordingly, the great wine houses of Champagne hold many millions of gallons of wine from various different vineyards throughout the Champagne region which are then blended to produce the finished product.

It is thus the blender’s art which produces the truly great Champagnes and the manner in which blending is carried out remains a closely guarded secret known only to those working in the great Champagne chateaux.

GreatWineTastings.com provides an introduction to the wines of the world and, if you are not sure whether to buy a French red wine or a Californian white wine, then you will find this is the perfect guide to wine for dummy wine drinkers.

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A brief guide to picking the perfect wine rack for your home. Do’s and dont’s when selecting a wine rack all in a handy essay.

For many people starting out, it can be a very difficult and oftentimes overwhelming experience picking out the perfect wine rack. While there are many things to take into consideration when deciding which rack is perfect for your needs, deciding which rack to use to store your collection should never be a cause of stress.

One of the first things to consider when choosing a wine rack is whether you want to store your wine in a vertical or horizontal rack. While some prefer a vertical rack because it allows the labels to be easily viewed, wine stored on these types of racks are more likely to have the cork dry out and shrink causing air to enter the bottle and contaminate the wine. It is for this reason that horizontal wine racks are the most popular choice.

The second and third factors to take into consideration when picking a wine rack are the material it will be constructed of and the style of the rack. There are a variety of styles of wine rack, the most conventional being wall mounted, counter top, hanging and free standing. The most common wine racks are made of metal or wood. If metal is your preference, you can select Vintage View wall mounted wine racks, counter top wine racks, or custom made wrought iron hanging or free standing wine racks. While metal wine racks are commonly made from wrought iron, wooden wine racks are available in an array of finishes. The most frequently used woods used to construct a wooden wine rack are maple, mahogany, and walnut, however pine and redwood are also often used. Choose from single or double finished wall mounted wine racks, free standing wine racks such as Wine Cubes, Waterfalls, and Curved Corner Racks, or counter top racks such as the Pyramid wine rack.

The last thing to consider before purchasing a wine rack is the size of the rack and the cost. Wine racks for personal collecting can cost anywhere between $20.00 and $1000.00, it all depends on the size, style and finish. Even though there are a few things to consider when purchasing a wine rack, the variety of racks out there means that finding the perfect rack for your wine collection is simply a matter of knowing where and what to look for.

Finest Wine Racks
Finest Wine Racks offers a variety of quality wine racks and excellent customer service to help you pick with perfect wine rack for your home.

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Most people could quite easily name some of the wine regions of France but would have difficulty in naming any of the wine growing areas of Germany. Despite this, Germany is a major wine producer and boasts some of the world’s finest wines.

When you think of the wines of France the names of the various wine growing regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy immediately spring to mind and yet surprisingly few people could name even one of wine growing regions of Germany. However, most people will have enjoyed one or more of Germany’s world-class wines, especially if they are lovers of white wine.

There are five main wine regions in Germany:

Baden

Baden is the most southerly wine growing area of Germany and lies close to the Black Forest and extends south from Heidelberg down to Lake Constance. It is not the largest of Germany’s wine growing areas, but it is perhaps its most famous.

The soil in this region is quite varied, ranging from a mixture of gravel and limestone to clay and volcanic stone, and the area supports the Pinot Gris, Gewrztraminer and Riesling grapes as well as the perhaps not so well known Gutedel and Mller-Thurgau.

Mittelrhein

Mittelrhein is a quite small wine producing area running south from Bonn along the banks of the Rhine for a distance of about 100 kilometers.

This area, which boasts a largely clay-like slate soil, supports predominantly Riesling, Mller-Thurgau and Kerner grapes which have a delightful acidity and produce a number of sparkling wines which are simply the best in the world.

This region is also famous for the wines produced around Bacharach, a village named after the Greek god of wine Bacchus, which has been producing wines of the finest quality since the Middle Ages.

Rheingau

Rheingau is one of the oldest of Germany’s wine regions and is situated between Lorch and Hochheim on the Main River.

The wines of this region, which once graced the table of Queen Victoria, have been developed and perfected over hundreds of years by the inhabitants of the region’s many monasteries and cloisters and today the oenological institutes of the region are rightly recognized as some of the finest in the world.

Rheinhessen

Rheinhessen, is the second largest wine growing region in Germany and lies between the Rhine to its north and east and the Nahe to its west.

The region supports a variety of different soils and micro-climates and has several wine producing communities such as Bingen, Mainz and others. The area is especially well known for its distinguished Portugieser red and the ancient Silvaner.

Pfalz

Pfalz is Germany’s largest wine growing area and is bounded by France to its east and south and by Rheinhessen to its north. The region boast some of world’s finest chalk, marl, and clay soils which support a number of grape varieties including Kerner, Morio-Muskat, Mller-Thurgau, Silvaner and relatively new red from the Dornfelder which produces a wonderfully complex and full-bodied wine.

Winemaking within the Pfalz region has been developed to a very fine art and the area rightfully stands at the pinnacle of winemaking.

GreatWineTastings.com provides an introduction to the wines of the world and, if you are not sure whether to buy a German white wine or a South African red wine, then you will find this is the perfect guide to wine for dummy wine drinkers.

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Don’t stress out or waste time choosing your next bottle of wine. Follow this guide and your selection will be made a whole lot easier.

You can go about choosing a holiday wine in many different ways. However, with the stress of the holidays already a huge burden, why add more stress when trying to choose a wine. You should make choosing a holiday wine as simple as possible.

Start out by telling yourself that you do not have to be perfect. Your guests are going to appreciate the fact that you just took time to consider a wine instead of choosing whatever you happened to grab off the shelf. You can be assured that even if your wine isn’t the amazing, awe inspiring choice that you desired your guests are still going to be happy. That is all that really matters, isn’t it?

Still, you want to choose a good wine. Choosing a bad wine can really cast a shadow over your whole affair. You will notice that things are not perfect and that can ruin your whole holiday since you are trying so hard to make it a wonderful occasion.

It is time to rest easy. You can choose a wine that will not disappoint, even if you are no wine connoisseur. There are some basics that you can keep in mind to help you with your choice. By knowing the basics you will take away the stress of choosing the perfect wine and be able to be more assured that you will make the right choice.

There is an old stand by in wine that comes in quite helpful. It is that red wine suits red meat and white wine suits white meat. Basically you can use this as a good starting point. If you are serving beef then check out the red wines and if you are serving turkey then check out the white wines. However, do not get lost in this alone.

You need to read labels because your ultimate goal is going to be to choose a wine that compliments what you are serving. You do not want something that is too powerful, nor do you want something that will be washed out by what you are serving. You should try to find out a little about your wine options and see what flavor best compliments what you are serving.

You may even find yourself choosing a couple different wines because you find a couple that you think will work wonderfully with your meal. This will give your guests the ultimate choice. That is always a nice option at a holiday dinner table. After all, everyone has different taste. What you think is perfect may not be another person’s idea of perfection. Having a couple options leaves the door open that you will have something that will suit each of your guests.

You should be able to take the two basic pieces of advice above about the type of wine and the idea of complimenting tastes and choose a good holiday wine with confidence. Just remember that having the perfect wine is nice, but having a wonderful time is much more important. So, have fun with your guests and just enjoy the good wine you have chosen.

wine gifts
Corkscrews and wine openers

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Follow this guide to giving the gift of wine.

Wine makes an excellent gift. It is timeless, classic and tasteful. It works for almost any occasion and is, perhaps, the perfect adult gift. You will surely find many occasions to give wine as a gift. Of course, you may need a little guidance in figuring out how to give wine as a gift.

Wine is a popular gift for many reasons. Here are some to think about:
-It is easy to give.
-It can fit into almost any budget.
-It has universal appeal.

Let’s look at these for a minute to help you understand why you should give the gift of wine.

It Is Easy To Give

Wine is easy to give because it comes pre-packaged. It is a compact gift, too. People will usually look at wine as a nice gift, too. They realize thought went into it and they appreciate it. Additionally, it is a useable gift, so you know it won’t just be another gift that the recipient can not use.

It Can Fit Into Almost Any Budget

There are so many options of wine you can choose that you can buy a bottle that fits right into your budget. You can buy some really nice wine without breaking the bank. As long as you a little abut wine you should be able to find one that is not too expensive for you.

It Has Universal Appeal.

The majority of people will be quite happy with wine as a gift. There are so many types of wine that choosing one that is right for the occasion and the recipient should not be difficult, either.

Now that you know why to choose wine as a gift. Here are some ideas of how to choose good wine gifts:

-Choose wine from the recipient favorite restaurant. This will give you a good chance of choosing one they like to drink if you do not already know their preference.
-Buy their favorite wine if you know what it is.
-By a wine with a unique name or a name that will mean something to the recipient.
-Choose a wine from a country the recipient has visited or is interested in.
-Buy a collectable wine.
-Choose a wine with a unique bottle.
-Design a custom label for the wine bottle.
-Buy a wine from a special year.

To give wine as a gift you can try some of these creative ideas instead of simply handing the bottle over:

-Add a bow to the bottle.
-Put it in a decorative sleeve.
-Make it a part of a nice gift basket of complimentary cheeses.
-Make a gift set and include a couple beautiful wine glasses.
-Include some reservations to a wine tasting with the bottle.

You should give wine as a gift in a creative manner. Make it something to remember instead of just another bottle of wine. You should put thought into it and really choose the wine carefully and then present it in a meaningful way. Wine makes a perfect gift, but it can be made so much better when it is given with a little thought behind it.

wine gifts
Rabbit corkscrew gift set

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Many people use wine ratings to help them choose wines. These rating systems can be confusing because there is no standard for how they rate wine or even what factors they use to rate the wine. Since there is no main standard recognized by the industry, you have to take it upon yourself to review the rating system you are using.

There are several wine rating systems in use that are quite popular. Below is a brief explanation of two popular systems: The Wine Advocate Rating System and The Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine. As you can see by the names of these rating systems that some systems rate only specific types of wine.

Basics to Know

The main thing you have to recognize about rating systems is that they are very biased. One person usually writes the ratings, and they are solely based upon his or her specific tastes. So, the only way to get real use out of a rating system is to find one that suits your tastes.

You need to start by reading wine ratings and then tasting the wine yourself. Then you can see if you agree or disagree with the rating. Do this for a variety of ratings and try out a few different wines that each system rates. Eventually you should find a rating system that matches with your tastes. You can then use that system to help you choose new wines.

The Wine Advocate Rating System

The Wine Advocate Rating System is written by Robert Parker and runs from 50 to 100. The ratings are based upon the color, appearance, aroma, bouquet, flavor and overall quality of the wine. Anything over 80 is considered very good and anything over 90 is considered excellent.

Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine

The Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine is a magazine that rates wine from 90 to 100. It uses a star system to rate wine.

A rating of 80 to 86 is good but there is a note that it varies.
A rating of 87 to 90 gets one star.
A rating of 91 to 94 gets 2 stars and
A rating of 95 to 98 gets 3 stars.

Each star is representative of how good the wine is, but the ratings number system is still used to distinguish between those on the low end of the spectrum. For example, a two star wine with a rating of 94 will be better than a two star wine with a rating of 91.

As you can see, rating systems vary greatly in many aspects. You alone can decide what makes a good rating system. Everyone is different. Even once you find a good rating system you may disagree from time to time with the ratings. Only you can really rate wine and how it tastes to you, but rating systems can be a handy guide when you are looking to try something new or choose a good wine for a special occasion.

Gift For Wine Lovers
Amazing Surprises for Wine lovers

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Wine Guide is dedicated to providing quality information on the subject of enjoying wine.

Here you will find helpful reviews, informative information and tips and much more. This site is in the format of a ‘weblog’ so that each time I post new information, it will come to the top of the front page. This means that you can check back here frequently to see new updates to the information found here.

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