Wine Tasting Ideas

When it comes to wine, there’s a lot

more that meets the eye beyond just “red” or “white”.  With our culture shifting towards

eco-awareness, there’s now a mushrooming rise of eco-friendly wine and

wineries.  There are three

categories of eco-friendly wines: sustainable, organic, and biodynamic.

“Sustainable”

wines are produced with grapes grown with few to no chemical, fertilizers,

pesticides, or herbicides.  This

eco-friendly method nurtures the soil naturally.

On the other hand, “organic”

wines are grown in organically certified vineyards and are made without added

sulfites.  

“Biodynamic” winemaking goes way beyond organic and sustainable wineries.

With biodynamics, the farm is viewed as a living system. The soil is treated

with complex compost preparations  that

free of chemicals or pesticides, but which include quartz, yarrow flowers, stinging

nettle, and more.

As taste Fortune taste tests have

concluded, Biodynamic

winemakers claim to have noted stronger, clearer, more vibrant tastes in their

wines. 

Once you have in mind which wines you want to sample or stock up on, the

next comparably important consideration is how you’re going to store your wine.

The trend these days to switch out bulky expensive-to-run refrigerators for portable wine coolers, an

eco-friendly, energy efficient way to chill your wine.

Storing Wine

There are three basic

types of wine cooler storage devices:  wine bottle coolers, wine bottle coolers,

and wine cellars.

If you're a beginner, you may want to consider a wine bottle cooler, which

also works great for dinners and smaller events.  This way you can have

the bottle temperature maintained while you and your guests dine.  This is

a particularly key table setting item if you and your guests plan on lingering

around the dinner table for the evening.  A wine cooler also adds a level

of sophistication to any dinner or cocktail party.

If your collection is a little larger, then consider a wine cooler that comes

equipped with wine racks to prevent your bottles from clashing together and

breaking.  Wine coolers have advanced a long way and most (such as NewAir

wine coolers) now also come with multiple thermoelectric independently

controlled temperature zones for both red and white wines, touch screens, sleek

lighting with glass doors, casters for mobility, as well as a wide variety of

styles for various space needs, plus an ability to house anywhere between 14 to

32 bottles.

When buying a wine cooler, you should be aware of the specific differences

between a wine cooler and a wine cellar. If you have aging wines or long term

wine storage needs, then you may require a more sophisticated wine cellar rather than a

wine cooler.  Yet even with either a wine

cellar or wine cooler, the wine bottle option is a must have if you plan on

entertaining.

But above all, remember that wine is for enjoyment. Salu!