Napa Valley Wine Tour is Incredible Gift

If you want an outstanding gift for that special wine lover, perhaps you should think about combining a gift of travel with their love of wine. A wine tour to the Napa Valley in California would fit the bill very nicely. With it’s enjoyable weather and gorgeous scenery, the Napa Valley is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year. There are many wineries located in this region of California which makes it an ideal vacation spot for a wine enthusiast.

Although the region is renowned for producing many fine wines, the Napa Valley is only about 30 miles long. Concentrated in this small area are over 200 wineries. Many of these have been family-owned for several generations and produce some excellent wines. Because of the abundance of small wineries, there is a huge variety of wines produced in this area.

Wine tours were originally created more as a promotional tool for the small wineries to call attention to their wines. These tours grew in popularity over time and have resulted in a significant sideline and business for the wine growers. It has grown to a huge industry with millions of tourists visiting each year.

Wine tours give wine lovers a chance to see the wineries from all aspects, from the growing grapes to the production of the wines. Most of the wineries offer individual tours but there are also organized tour groups that visit several wineries across the valley. These tours not only let the wine enthusiast see some of the finest wineries, they also often are able to purchase the wines at bargain prices right at the wineries.

Napa Valley tours give wine lovers a chance to observe the wine making process from beginning to end and are sure to be very educational. Many of the wineries also have wonderful eateries tucked away where you are served excellent meals that you can enjoy with your wines. Fantastic scenery, sunny skies, gourmet meals and fine wine… truly a wine lover’s dream gift.

Many tours can be arranged through your local travel agents, whether you live in New England or Florida. Before seeing your travel agent, you will need to decide on a budget for your wine tour gift. Once you know that, then you can make decisions on what your gift will include.

Often you can get a great rate on inclusive packages that cover the flight, hotel and tour all in one package. Price will be determined by what you include in your wine tour gift. Hotel and transportation are two things to consider when choosing the package. By doing a bit of research, you may find it is less expensive to pick a hotel just outside the actual valley but provide transportation to the wine tour’s starting location.

If you truly want to give a very special gift, consider giving a Napa Valley wine tour. Anyone getting this as a gift will be getting a chance to experience world class wines while enjoying lovely scenery and fine foods. The memories created by these experiences will last a lifetime and they will always appreciate you for giving this incredible wine gift.

Technorati Tags : wineries wines valley tours

California Red Wine Gift Suggestions

Although California has an outstanding reputation for fine white wines, don’t overlook some of it’s red wine offerings. The climate, soil conditions and proximity to water make much of California highly suitable to growing wine grapes. There are three very nice red wines that are produced in California that you should consider when giving a gift of California wine.

Merlot is a thin-skinned red grape that originated in Italy in the early 19th century. California has dedicated well over 50,000 acres to growing the Merlot grape varietal. For many years, Merlots were primarily used as a blending wine but the proper vintage can be enjoyable on it’s own.

Some of the highest quality Merlot grapes are grown in California, mainly in the Sonoma and Napa Valley wine regions. The excellent soil conditions in those areas help to produce Merlots that are delicious stand alone wines. The variety in soils can produce Merlots that range from a smooth, velvety wine to wines that are more similar in composition to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Merlots are low in tannin which creates a smooth, easy-to-drink wine that has a low acidity level. This is due partially to the thin skin of the grape as well as to it’s earlier ripening stage. It lends itself to a huge variety of flavors such as black cherry, plum and current as well as tangier notes like bay leaf and bell peppers.

Merlot tends to be less intense than other red wines and so is easier to pair with different food combinations. It is worth noting that Merlot should be served slightly colder than other red wines. Room temperatures bring out the best in other reds but Merlots can develop unpleasant notes if it is allowed to get too warm. Chilling for just a brief time will help to keep this wine at it’s best.

Another red wine that is rising in popularity recently is the Pinot Noir. Traditionally this varietal is difficult to grow consistently as it is delicate and mutates easily. This can result in undesirable qualities in the wine produced from these grapes. This difficulty contributes to the somewhat higher prices of fine vintages of Pinot Noir but the quality is well worth spending a bit more.

Pinot Noir wines are lighter in color than many other red wines and are one of the most delicately flavored reds. An aromatic wine, you will often find wines with notes of cherries, berries, spices and even violets. Due to it’s delicate flavor, you will want to pair Pinot Noir with less spicy foods so that the flavor of the wine will not be covered.

Another red wine produced in California that makes a lovely wine gift is the Cabernet Sauvignon. Because the demand is so high, some vintages can be a little on the expensive side but if you search you should find a reasonable California vintage. This red wine ages very well, developing a rich complexity and wide depth of flavors. Although it may cost a bit more, this wine will make a very impressive gift.

Technorati Tags : wines california merlots merlot

Wine Glasses – Gift That Combines Form with Function

The popularity of wine has led to a veritable plethora of accessories to go with it. Any type of wine accessory will be a welcome and useful gift for a wine lover. In this article we will talk about the most basic and necessary accessory item: wine glasses.

Wine glasses are an essential accessory for any wine drinker. A good set of glasses will not only be beautiful to look at but will enhance the wine tasting experience. The shape of the glass is very influential on the taste and aroma of the wine served so it is key to purchase the correct glasses for the type of wine being served.

Red wines benefit greatly from being served in glasses that have a wide base that somewhat tapers to a thinner lip. This shape provides ample room for the wine to breathe while the narrower top holds the flavor and bouquet in for the drinker’s enjoyment. Cabernet, Merlot and Bordeaux are three suggestions for wines that should be served in this type of glassware.

White wines do not need to breathe as long as red wines so tend to have narrower bowls than the red wine glasses. Because white wines are usually best served chilled, the design helps keep the wine cold by not exposing as much surface to the air. Some white wines that are served in this type of glass include Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.

Champagne glasses, also called champagne flutes, are taller with thin, narrow bowls. The goal of these type of glasses is to prevent much aeration so that it stays attractively effervescent and stays chilled. There are also sherry glasses that are smaller than other wine glasses but these are less commonly used than the other three styles.

An important facet of wine glass design is the stem. Although it has become more popular to use stemless glasses for wine drinking, a true connoisseur of wine tasting will never use these. The stem is actually made to be able to hold the wineglass for a reason. Holding the bowl of the wine glass will change the temperature of the wine which will negatively impact the flavor of the wine.

Wine glasses come in a large variety of price points to fit into any gift giver’s budget. This will mainly depend on the quality and material used in making the glass set. Obviously, a standard glass will be less expensive but you will generally not find as much in creative designs as you would with higher end materials.

Hand blown glass is a bit higher priced and much more delicate when used in wineglasses. Designs using hand blown glass however can be very beautiful. Wine glass sets made from hand blown glass are lovely decor accents when properly displayed in an open wine rack.

You can also purchase crystal wine glass sets for a very elegant and sophisticated gift. Crystal wine glass sets can be very ornate and opulent. Crystal presents your wine in the best possible way, adding sparkle and elegance to the table.

No matter which that you choose, a wine lover is sure to appreciate a gift of good wine glasses. This is a wine gift that can combine the best of form and function.

Technorati Tags : glasses glass wines served

Corkscrews – Necessary Tool for the Wine Lover

Cork has been used to fashion bottle stoppers for thousands of years. Historical records and artifacts show that cork stoppers for wine jugs were used as far back as 500 BC. The early Romans also used cork stoppers that they then coated with pitch to make a watertight seal.

Cork stoppers prevented air from getting into the wine bottle. Over time, people noticed that wine improved with age. This improvement made aged wine more valuable. People began collecting and storing wines instead of just drinking them outright. This made cork stoppers even more necessary.

Unfortunately, cork has one drawback in that it tends to break apart easily. Cork stoppers were only driven in partway for a long time so that they would be easier to pry out of the bottle. Until someone figured out a way to get the cork out easily, stoppers were not a practical way to completely seal a bottle.

If the cork was driven all the way into the bottle, trying to pry it out would result in pieces of cork floating in the wine. Not only is this unattractive and messy, true wine lovers will tell you that it spoils the delicate flavors of the wine. To truly make it feasible to properly collect and store fine wines, it was imperative to have a way to remove the cork easily and in one piece.

While we’re not sure exactly when, at some point in the early 17th century someone came up with an easier way to pull the cork out of a bottle. Referred to as a “steel worm”, soldiers had a metal tool that they used to draw bullets and wadding out of their muskets. Someone had the brilliant idea to use that tool to draw out a wine cork.

This was the birth of the most necessary of wine accessories, the corkscrew. Originally called a bottlescrew, the tool is made of metal that is shaped in a spiral fashion with a point on one end. You insert the point into the cork and screw it down into the cork. Once it is in deep enough, you can just pull the cork out.

A good corkscrew uses leverage to pull the cork cleanly, easily and in one piece. Unfortunately, this can be tricky for many people. If you don’t have the tool in far enough, the cork can break. Not only does this make it difficult to remove the remaining cork, you could end up with little bits of cork falling into the wine bottle.

The latest answer to the problem of uncorking wine is the rabbit corkscrew. This version of the corkscrew is much easier to use. The rabbit corkscrew has a lever which puts the screw in and draws out the cork. This lever eliminates the guesswork and prevents the problem of broken corks.

Although wine bottles are now found with metal or plastic stoppers, true wine lovers swear that only cork is used in fine wines. Wine with other stopper materials are still looked down on as inferior or cheap. If you need a gift for a genuine wine lover, you’ll never go wrong with a good quality corkscrew.

Technorati Tags : stoppers bottle corkscrew easily

Wine Decanters – Elegant Wine Gifts

It has become common knowledge that you should open a bottle of red wine at least an hour before serving in order to let it breathe. However letting the wine breathe in it’s own bottle isn’t doing any good at all. The wine needs contact with oxygen to improve the flavor and aroma. Very little surface of the wine is exposed to the air while in the bottle.

That’s why true wine connoisseurs will always use a wine decanter, especially for younger red wines. A decanter is a container for wine or other spirits and is often quite decorative. The key to a good decanter is the amount of wine surface that gets exposed to the air. Therefore, a red wine decanter needs to have a wide base. White wine does not need to breathe as much as red so decanters for white wine do not have to be as wide.

When you decant the wine, you should maximize the aeration effect by pouring it slowly against the side of the decanter. This and the traditional swirling in the wineglass will help the oxygen really permeate the wine. An hour is not enough time to breathe for many red wines. Especially young wines tend to be more harsh and can benefit greatly from being decanted several hours before serving.

Another benefit of decanting wines is that it separates any sediments from the wine before they end up in your wineglass. Sediment develops naturally over time as wines age. Although aged wines do not need to breathe very long, decanting will help ensure that the wines clarity and brilliance remain unmarred by any deposits. You will need to pour slowly and don’t decant the last ounce. You can strain that last bit later and use in cooking for wonderful flavor.

When choosing a wine decanter as a gift, you will find yourself confronted with a lot of choices. They are available in designs to fit every decor style as well as in a wide range of prices. Therefore you will need to consider your budget as well as the tastes of the person you are giving the decanter to.

For a very tasteful and elegant gift, one company stands above the rest. Variedly is a glass making company with over 250 years of history behind it and has a well-deserved reputation for the highest quality glassware. In 1990, the Riedel Glass Works bought another very old glass company from the Spiegelau family. That company had been making glass for almost 500 years.

Riedel continuosly creates innovative designs as well as classic timeless styles. All of their decanters are optimized to enhance the wine drinkers experience whether created from hand-blown glass or fine crystal. Some of their decanters are so elaborate or unusual as to almost qualify as art.

Decanters make a lovely wine gift as they combine the finest elements of form and functioning. Any wine lover on your list will appreciate your thoughtfulness in presenting them with a useful wine decanter.

Technorati Tags : decanter wines glass breathe