Wine tasting (often, in wine circles, simply tasting) is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards. Modern, professional wine tasters (such as sommeliers or buyers for retailers) use a constantly-evolving formal terminology which is used to describe the range of perceived flavors, aromas and general characteristics of a wine. More informal, recreational tasting may use similar terminology, usually involving a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation.  The results of the four recognized stages to wine tasting –

appearance
“in glass” fragrance
“in mouth” sensations
“finish” (aftertaste)
– are combined in order to establish the following properties of a wine: complexity and character

potential (suitability for aging or drinking)
possible faults
A wine’s overall quality assessment, based on this examination, follows further careful description and comparison with recognized standards, both with respect to other wines in its price range and according to known factors pertaining to the region or vintage; if it is typical of the region or diverges in style; if it uses certain wine-making techniques, such as barrel fermentation or malolactic fermentation, or any other remarkable or unusual characteristics.

Whereas wines are regularly tasted in isolation, a wine’s quality assessment is more objective when performed alongside several other wines, in what are known as tasting “flights”. Wines may be deliberately selected for their vintage (“horizontal” tasting) or proceed from a single winery (“vertical” tasting), to better compare vineyard and vintages, respectively. Alternatively, in order to promote an unbiased analysis, bottles and even glasses may be disguised in a “blind” tasting, to rule out any prejudicial awareness of either vintage or winery.

Football and beer go together like baseball and hotdogs, but what about football and wine? Traditionally, wine has been benched on Sundays. But if you prefer to serve your guests something a step up from a can of suds, a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon on a chilly, fall afternoon can score a touchdown with your friends.

Kim Caffrey, football fanatic and senior wine educator at Beringer Vineyards, shares her winning strategy for scoring big with wine on football Sunday:

Evaluate your Players

First, look at the wines available to you and what each one has to offer. Some traditional favorites are Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is a versatile white wine that combines both citrus and ripe pear flavors with a soft, rounded body and hints of spice that make it a good match-up for a variety of foods. Merlot, a popular pick, has a good fruit pop with silky raspberry and black cherry flavors that make it a great all-purpose player. Cabernet Sauvignon is the linebacker on this team, with a big, bold taste that can stand up to the spicy, rich flavors of football snacks. But don’t forget about “the ringer,” something no one will expect but that is sure to win applause, like the Shiraz-Cabernet from Stone Cellars by Beringer. This team-up of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon has the deep, black fruit flavors of Cabernet combined with a kick of spice and red currant from the Shiraz — it’ll be a favorite for Sunday afternoons.

Select your lineup

Second, you need to look at the food you will be serving and select wines that will support the team well. The flavors of the food and the wine should interact together, not overpower each other. Don’t worry if you have Buffalo wings and nachos on the menu, there are wines that will still pair nicely. Wines with good fruit flavors, soft tannins, and a medium-weight body are very versatile and can pair with a variety foods. The rich sauce and spiciness of the buffalo wings would play well with something like a Cabernet Sauvignon or the Shiraz-Cabernet mentioned above. I also suggest expanding the menu for a variety of different foods that complement wine. For example, there are lots of fun dips that are delicious and easy, such as a spinach and mushroom puff pastry footballs with a Merlot or a cheesy crab dip with a Chardonnay.

Make the necessary plays

Once you have your wines and foods selected, the last step is the seamless execution of the two for a crowd-pleasing victory. When determining how much wine to buy, figure that there are five glasses to a bottle. For football parties, I recommend easy magnum-sized bottles, which are double the regular size (ten glasses per bottle). Come on, it’s football — a game where big always means better. And a magnum-size wine bottle is made to last through the game.

Kim Caffrey’s Favorite Football Party Recipes

Spinach & Mushroom Puff Pastry Footballs Pair with Stone Cellars Merlot

Makes 18 appetizers:

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped

1 large shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 ounces fresh Chevre goat cheese

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon

3 tablespoon olive oil

5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and drained

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

One package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

One egg, slightly beaten

In large skillet over medium heat, saute onions and shallots in olive oil until slightly tender. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute until very tender (approximately 10 minutes), stirring regularly. Add spinach, crumbled goat cheese, tarragon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Incorporate goat cheese and spinach well. Remove from heat.

On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry sheet into a 12 inch by 12 inch square. Cut into nine 3 inch by 3 inch squares and glaze edges with egg. Place a heaping teaspoon of the mushroom/spinach mixture in center of each square. Fold each square in half diagonally forming a “football” triangle shape. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, seal edges with a fork and glaze tops with egg. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes in 400 degree oven. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve, or freeze and reheat at 350 F as needed.

Crab and Artichoke Dip Pair with Stone Cellars Chardonnay

1 onion, chopped

1 package of frozen artichoke hearts

2 tablespoons garlic

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup of parmesan

2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 pound of crabmeat

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil an 11-inch gratin or other shallow baking dish.

Cook artichoke hearts according to package instructions, then drain well and finely chop. In a heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and golden. Stir in artichokes and transfer mixture to bowl.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour to create a roux, stirring until a light brown hue develops, approximately 3 minutes. Add half-and-half, constantly whisking until it thickens and slightly boils. Reduce heat and simmer, continuing to whisk for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in artichoke mixture, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and crabmeat. Place mixture in baking dish and bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Dip can be prepared (but not baked) one day ahead and chilled, covered.

The connoisseurs of wine say that to find out a good wine is to smell and taste it. Not is the case with the wine racks. It is much harder a task than that for you get to know the insulation, humidity and temperature that your wine needs besides the ambience that your wine drinker needs and lot other things.

Because of the specific requirements of the wines in terms of the humidity, etc the wine racks can be only few types in the texture although they may vary in terms of the design, the space they tae and the number of wine bottles they can hold.

For building your own wine rack the first thing that you should be sure of is that whether your walls have sufficient insulation otherwise you will lose nearly all of your good wine. A good insulation ranges from R11 to R19 depending the outer temperature, as basement cellars may need more insulation. After having an optimum insulation the next thing you should consider for building your own rack is the material. The options available are redwood, lattice, country pine and mahogany. Redwood offers a soothing look to the bar while the country pine allows an artistic environment. You can also have metal ones but they require extra care and not much can be offered in terms of designs.

For each bottle there should be a 4 to 6 inch breathing space that will help in not only easy accessibility but also for cleaning purposes. You shouldn’t forget to keep the width of the rack at least 2 inch more than the length of the wine bottle although we advise around 15 inch for a single racking. There are many designs and most of them in different geometrical patterns but the best out of them is the rectangular one which is quite safe.

If you are thinking over some color, although it all depends upon the color of the walls and other surroundings, we recommend the dark ones. They give a more romantic and elegant look. Redwood and the mahogany generally do not need to be painted.

There are certain precautions that need to be considered. There should be no electrical installations where you are preparing to have your wine rack. The lighting system at the ceiling is called the can lighting and it should be around 15 inch from the wall for a single deep racking and around 28 to 30 inch for double deep racking. The doors and the windows of the bar should be properly installed so that they maintain insulation of inside from outside. The rack should not interfere with the door, window or any type of switch.

Besides the above ones there are certain racks called as counter top racks meant for a few bottles ranging from 1 to 12 and generally they are suited for a small gathering and are best kept on a table. Similarly there are certain racks which are rightly called hanging racks for they hang to the ceiling or the wall and they serve the purpose of both a show piece and a functional small rack.

Wine making is an easy, cost-efficient way to stock up on your favorite vintages. Although the wine-making process is fairly simple, it’s important to follow the steps carefully to ensure you don’t miss any elements. These steps will be crucial to the success of your batch.

Once you’ve decided to make a batch of wine, the first thing to consider is the equipment needed. The following is a list of the wine making equipment required to make a basic batch of red wine:

• Large nylon straining bag
• Cloth (any kind will do)
• Large pail (with a lid)
• Hydrometer
• Thermometer
• Acid titration kit
• Clear, bendable plastic tubing (a half inch in diameter)
• Two, one gallon glass jugs
• Corks
• Hand corker
• Fermentation lock and bung
• Wine bottles (between 5 and 7)

After you’ve assembled the necessary equipment, just follow these easy steps and you’ll produce a great batch of wine in practically no time at all:

1. Prepare the Produce – First, inspect the fruit to ensure the grapes are ripe and free of insects or other contaminants. Put the grapes in the straining bag and measure the sugar level using your hydrometer. A hydrometer can be purchased at any wine making store. The sugar density should be 22 ideally. Also, remember to remove the stems from all grapes in order to make your wine smoother and sweeter. Finish this step by transferring the ingredients into the jug.

2. Adjust the Juice – This is a crucial step in the wine-making process. You must measure the acid content using your titration kit. The ideal level is 6 to 7 grams per liter for red wine and 6.5 to 7.5 per liter for white wine. You’ll want to regulate the sugar level by measuring it with your hydrometer from time to time. Sugar levels should remain at 22 for both red and white wines. The fermentation should remain around 70-degrees-Fahrenheit for basic red wines. Abiding by these temperatures will ensure that the process goes smoothly.

3. Rack the Wine – Insert your clear plastic hose into the wine jug and attach it to the opening of the other (empty) sanitized jug. Siphon the wine from one jug to the other in order to keep the wine in a completely sanitized container. Next, fit the jug with a bung and fermentation lock. This step may take some time, but it’s important to be slow and careful so you don’t stir up the sediment. Let the wine sit for an extended period of time (some people choose to wait weeks or even months).

4. Bottle the Wine – Bottling your wine is the easy part. Simply siphon your wine from the jug into your wine bottles. Be sure to leave about 2-inches at the top of every bottle, otherwise it will cause overflow when the cork is inserted. To cork your wine bottles simply insert a cork into the hand corker, position the corker over the lever and insert.

5. Drink and Enjoy!

First dates are nerve wracking enough without having to worry about what wine to choose to impress your new friend!

One of the great things about wine on a date is that one bottle is a defined amount, normally about five glasses. If shared equally it is unlikely that you will fall off your chair drunk after half a bottle of wine!

However, there are some other social sins that can be committed whilst choosing wine on a date.

Getting Started

First, you need to decide whether you want white, red, rosé or sparkling wine. This is perhaps the most important decision. As a general rule, red wine is more of an acquired taste and it can be harder to select a good red. Therefore, when you do not know your companion’s tastes it may be wise to steer clear of the red wine section.

Sparkling wine can make you appear a little pretentious or if you go for a cheaper version, a tightwad; so this is usually best avoided. If you are not sure whether your companion likes wine at all, rosé wine is often a safe option as it often lacks the sharpness that people commonly dislike in wines.

How Much to Spend?

Remember more money doesn’t always mean more quality. If you are very new to wine, go for a house white. A house white is unlikely to be extremely imaginative or unusual, but is almost always perfectly drinkable. For this reason it is a safe, middle of the road option.

If you want to impress, look for something other than the house white. Keep away from extremes until you know your companion a little better, so don’t go for bone dry whites. Instead, opt for a fruity dry wine that appeals to those who like both dry and medium whites.

Whilst neutral wines may seem like a bit of a cop-out, bear in mind that you simply want a drinkable wine that does not offend.

If you are really not sure what to choose, why not offer your companion a choice of glasses as an aperitif while you have a beer or spirit. This way you can judge your companion’s taste. Even if they select a spirit, you can still get a measure of whether they prefer sweet or dry wines.

Of course, you could always give your companion the choice.

Canadian wine has been made for over 200 years. Early settlers tried to cultivate Vitis vinifera grapes from Europe with limited success. They found it necessary to focus on the native species of Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia along with various hybrids. However, the market was limited for such wines because of their peculiar taste, which is often called “foxy.” However, this became less apparent when the juice was made into Port- and Sherry-styled wines. For a period of time in the 1800s the export of these affordable wines to England made Ontario one of the largest wine exporters in North America.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the temperance movement and later consumer demand for fortified and sweet wines, hampered the development of a quality table wine industry. However, during the 1960s consumer demand shifted from sweet and fortified wines to drier and lower alcohol table wines. At the same time, there were significant improvements in wine making technology, access to better grape varieties and disease-resistant clones, and systematic research into viticulture.

After the repeal of alcohol prohibition in Canada in 1927, provinces strictly limited the number of licenses to produce wine. The nearly 50-year moratorium on issuing new winery licenses was finally dropped in 1974. During the same decade, demonstration planting began to show that Vitis vinifera could be successfully grown in Canada. Others found that high quality wines could be produced if Vitis vinifera vines were grown with reduced yields, new trellising techniques, and appropriate canopy management.

In 1988, three important events occurred. They were: free trade with the United States, the establishment of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) standard, and a major grape vine replacement/upgrading program.

During the 1990s, Canadian vintners continued to demonstrate that fine grape varieties in cooler growing conditions could potentially possess complex flavours, delicate yet persistent aromas, tightly focused structure and longer ageing potential than their counterparts in warmer growing regions of the world.

Canadian wines have a less than 50% share of the Canadian wine market, making Canada one of the few wine producing countries where domestically produced wines do not hold a dominant share.

While there are many small Canadian wineries, the domestic wine market has long been dominated by two companies, Vincor International and Andres Wines. In 2006, Vincor International, which had grown aggessively in previous years by acquiring wineries in California, Australia and New Zealand, was itself acquired by Constellation Brands, a U.S. based company and one of the primary consolidators of the global wine business.