A Featured Chardonnay Wine Article

Storage Is Key For Wine Collections

Storage is absolutely key to the success of any wine collection. Anyone who enjoys collecting fine wines will want to look for the best available wine storage options. There are many different ways to properly store wine, but regardless of which wine storage solution is ultimately chosen it will critical to keep the storage conditions constant.

A constant temperature of constant 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit must be maintained within any wine storage space. The wine storage should be as far away from the main area of the house as possible, and there must also be plenty of ventilation in the selected area. The wine collection must not suffer too much vibration and any light sources should be kept to a minimum. Absolutely no sunlight should be permitted to reach the wine storage area.

Of course a wine cellar can be used for wine storage or a special cooler can be built. Wine racks are, predictably, a necessary part of any wine storage solution. Wine racks can be made of metal or wood, and the wine storage chosen is primarily a matter of personal taste. While both kinds of rack building material are attractive to look at, the metal racks tend to be more flamboyant and stylish while the wood racks are often considered more classic and traditional in style.

It may be preferable to choose racks in order to have them match the rest the chosen wine storage solution. These final choices will be influenced to a certain degree by whether or not the wine cellar is intended to be shown off to friends and colleagues. If it is, then the wine storage solutions will need to appear more coordinated.

Either way it's not a bad idea to look into wine racks and other wine storage options that will all look good together. This helps to create a wine storage area that looks like it belongs to a professional wine collector. It's not difficult to accomplish, but it can cost a bit of cash.

Temporary wine storage options are, customarily, a little simpler. Immediately prior to serving a wine it will probably need to be chilled, depending of course on what kind of wine it is. In order to store wine for chilling, look into cool wine storage solutions. Available in many department stores or wine stores, wine coolers are easy to find. Even the Internet is an excellent resource for finding these types of wine storage options.

About the Author:

Donald Wilson contributes articles to several popular Internet magazines, on family and home and home living issues.

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Headlines on Chardonnay Wine

Barolo Italian Restaurant in Pacifica Opens Newly Constructed Private Wine Room for Corporate and Special Events (wallstreet:online AG)

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:18:28 PDT
Upon entering the restaurant, guests are enveloped by the elegant, yet lively atmosphere. Rich bamboo

Private Wine Room (Photo: Business Wire) (InfoBolsa)

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:19:10 PDT
01/05/2008 10:00:00 Business Wire Upon entering the restaurant, guests are enveloped by the elegant, yet lively atmosphere. Rich bamboo floors and custom made imported white oak cabinets store a hand selected collection of Italian and California wines that stretches the full length of the room.

Barolo Italian Restaurant in Pacifica Opens Newly Constructed Private Wine Room for Corporate and Special Events (Centre Daily Times)

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:27:02 PDT
Upon entering the restaurant, guests are enveloped by the elegant, yet lively atmosphere. Rich bamboo floors and custom made imported white oak cabinets store a hand selected collection of Italian and California wines that stretches the full length of the room. Painted in an evocation of classic modern Earth tones accented with sage and yellow floor to ceiling drapes. The butcher block candlelit ...

Blue Spoon's wine event full of flavor (The Capital Times)

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:34:16 PDT
PRAIRIE du SAC --At the Blue Spoon Cafe's Top 100 recent wine-tasting event, the 48 oenophiles didn't have to wait long for the best sip of the evening: A rare red wine from the South of France kicked off the event. Mike Boss, director of operations and development for this Blue Spoon and its Middleton location, had secured what reportedly were the two last bottles of Clos des Papes 2005 ...

George Bush Even Alienates People Who Like Him

Thu, 01 May 2008 07:31:52 PDT
by Jeff Siegel* It's not only progressives, environmentalists, and U.S. working men and women who are fed up with President George Bush. So is much of the world's wine industry. The reason is the weak dollar. European, Australian and other foreign winemakers are livid because it has raised the price of their wine in the U.S. by as much as 20 percent. In other words, New Zealand wines that cost $15 last spring are at $18 and $20 this spring. But they aren't the only ones. U.S. winemakers, faced

Heading for the Italian Wine Frontier: Marche in May

Thu, 01 May 2008 07:33:00 PDT
Italy's wine frontier is an area known as Le Marche. Pronounced mar-KAY, nearly everywhere in Europe has a place that has long been seen as a borderland, a place between. In Italy, Le Marche is that place, and it shares borders with the Republic of San Marino, four Italian regions (Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Tuscany, and Abruzzo), and the Adriatic. (check out the map here) During the Renaissance, the region was constantly under siege from rival noble families who wanted to annex the territory to th


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A Aging Wine Artilce for Your Viewing

I Love French Wine and Food - Reviewing The Whites

I recently finished a wine tour of Italy?s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with food, and at least one imported Italian cheese. I enjoyed the experience so much that I plan to repeat it, but only after doing something similar for France and perhaps a few other countries. I am happy enough with Italian wine to continue to drink it for the rest of my days, but there are other wine-producing countries out there, and other wines to drink. I am going to give you a bit of a report on the white wines I encountered on this wine tour, but only after a quick summary of Italian white wines, as if such an endeavor was possible. Look for a similar article on Italian red wines.

You wouldn?t be alone if you immediately think red when the subject of Italian wine is raised. In spite of extreme variations in climate, soil, elevation, and other geographical conditions, every single one of Italy?s twenty regions produces white wine. Of course the percentage varies widely from 84% in the central region of Latium to 9% in the southern region of Calabria. Many of the best-known Italian white wines come from northern Italy.

But the reality of Italy wine is more complex than first meets the eye. Who would have thought that Sicily, a southern Italian region if ever there was one, produces almost as much white wine as red wine. Considering that Sicily holds first place for Italian wine production that?s a lot of white wine. In fact, Sicily?s annual white wine production is greater than the total wine production of all but five Italian regions. Not all of it is good. But not all of it is bad, and in fact some Sicilian white wine is excellent.

In chronological order we tasted a white wine from the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, the central region of Umbria, the southern region of Campagnia, the central region of Molise, the northern region of Friuli-Venezia Giuli, the southern region of Sicily, the northern region of Veneto, and finally the northern region of Tuscany while describing its neighboring region of Liguria. I was unable to find a Ligurian wine.

These eight wines varied in classification from basically unclassified table wines to IGT, DOC, and DOCG. In short all Italian wine classifications were represented. IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which may be translated as Typical Geographic Indication, in other words a wine that typifies its specific location. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.

The wines varied in price from $6 (actually $8 for a one-liter bottle) to $20. Interestingly enough they all contained from 12% to 12.5% alcohol. They were all 2004 or 2005 vintages. In contrast, the grapes used varied widely, including both international and strictly Italian varieties. Some wines included multiple grape varieties, others did not. And now for the question that you?ve been waiting for, what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which? Read the articles.

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Aging Wine in the news

April Delights Here At Beauty & Style Channel

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:46:42 PDT
*Image © Dexie J. Wharton / Style It Less. May is almost here but before we get to to it, let’s reminisce what has happened here at Beauty & Style Channel in the month of April. Have some Martini, wine, or shots with lemon and salt on the side, have fun perusing the beauteous and stylish abode under b5media.. Aging Fabulous admits to having a beauty products wish list miles long. Banging Bags is in possession of her new Dolce & Gabbana handbag. Beauty Bento Box loves Olay body I

Chewing the fat with Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford of Clif Bar Family Winery

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:35:14 PDT
Last Thursday night at the Wine 2.0 Spring Fling at Crushpad in San Francisco (photos here), I chanced to meet Linzi Gay, Marketing Director of Clif Bar Family Winery. I was glad to meet her and get an advance taste of the Clif Bar wines she was about to pour. After all, I had just days before received four bottles of wine from this winery, plus an invitation to schedule an interview with Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, the husband-and-wife team who own Clif Bar Family Winery. A quartet of t

In hard times, Bodega Norton excells (Miami Herald)

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:23:51 PDT
After years of drinking more wine, and more expensive wine every year, Americans are reacting to the economic downturn by drinking at least as much, but cheaper wine, shop owners say.

April Roundup - Beauty & Style Channel

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:59:40 PDT
I’ll admit that I don’t get a chance to read all the blogs I want to (heck, sometimes I don’t even have a chance to write mine) so I love this collection of links. It gives a picture of all the interesting topics we’re chatting about here in B&S. May is almost here but before we get to to it, let’s reminisce what has happened here at Beauty & Style Channel in the month of April. Have some Martini, wine, or shots with lemon and salt on the side, have fun perusing the beauteous and styl

BAROLO Restaurant in Pacifica, California (www.barolopacifica.com ... - Business Wire (press release)

Business Wire (press release)

BAROLO Restaurant in Pacifica, California (www.barolopacifica.com ... Business Wire (press release), CA - 3 hours ago ... wine list featuring Barolo vintages and other sought after selections that complement the innovative cuisine, in addition to the outstanding dessert ...

Charity wine tasting is Sunday - Daytona Beach News-Journal

Charity wine tasting is Sunday Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL - 6 hours ago Featured will be wine samples, flatbreads provided by The Grille at Riverview and dessert from MonDelice French bakery. There also will be a silent auction ...

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Wine Cooler For Your Reading Pleasure

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Bascilicata Region

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Bascilicata region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Bascilicata is the instep of the Italian boot. This hilly and mountainous region is located in the southwest corner of Italy on the Ionian Sea. Parts of Bascilicata have been settled since the Stone Age. It was conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Normans. When the pirates came, the local inhabitants were forced to flee into the interior. Historically the region is quite poor. Its population is slightly more than 600 thousand.

Agriculture products include barley, citrus fruit, corn, potatoes, oats, olives, and tomatoes. While meat is relatively scarce, more and more sheep, pigs, goats, and cattle are raised. There is some industry including a major FIAT (automobile) factory. Tourism is becoming more popular, in spite of, and perhaps in part because of a lack of infrastructure.

Bascilicata?s administrative center is Potenza, a city of about 70 thousand. It is known as the coldest city in Italy and sometimes has snow. The city of Matera has at least two reasons to be proud. In September, 1943 it was the first Italian city to rise up against the German occupation. And Matera contains a prehistoric settlement, caves that have been occupied by people for at least 9 thousand years. In some places, the streets are actually rooftops. Parts of this area are now classified as a World Heritage Site.

Bascilicata devotes about 60 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 17th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is less than 13 million gallons, also giving it a 17th place. About 73% of the wine production is red, leaving 27% for white. The region produces two DOC wines, Aglianico del Vulture, reviewed below, and Terre dell Alta Val d?Agri. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Only 2.4% of Bascilicata wine carries the DOC designation. Bascilicata is home to about two dozen major and secondary grape varieties, half red and half white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Malvasia and Muscato. The best-known strictly Italian white variety is Malvasia Bianca di Basilicato. Virtually no Bascilicata white wine is exported to North America.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are international red grape varieties that compose the Terre dell Alta Val d?Agri DOC wine. The best-known Italian red variety is Aglianico, which may have actually originated in Greece.

Before we reviewing the Bascilicata wine and Italian cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Acgua e Sale, Soaked Bread with Sweet Onion, Tomato, and Basil. Then try Grano con Rag? de Maiale, Savory Pork Ragout.
For dessert indulge yourself with Grano Dolce, Plump Wheat with Pomegranate, Chocolate, and Nuts.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Cantine di Palma DOC ?Il Nibbio Grigio? Aglianico Vulture 2000 13% alcohol about $14

Let?s start with the marketing materials. ?Medium ruby in color with aromas of dried berries, leather, figs, dried flowers and spice. This medium-bodied wine has a rustic style, it?s quite assertive on the palate with some dusty tannins. It would be great with lamb chops or braised pork ribs and could reward 2-3 years further cellaring. (August 2005).?

This was a wine that I was rooting for, prior to opening the bottle. It is a hard life for many people in Bascilicata; perhaps that?s why the residents live longer than in most other Italian regions. But I didn?t have to cheat to like this wine. Interestingly enough, my supplier has dropped the price by $2 a bottle, which may be a first for the wines in this series. I might buy a half case and taste it over the years. And now to my review.

The first pairing was with meat balls and potatoes. The wine had a fine nose. It was quite full-bodied, and tasted of tobacco (I?m not a smoker) and cherries. While the wine was very pleasant it was shorter than I had hoped. It was quite enjoyable on its own.

My reactions were basically the same when tasting this wine with beef ribs, except that the wine was moderately long. It was easy to drink but not light.

Then I drank this wine with a grilled rib steak in my spicy, homemade barbeque sauce that included ketchup, Dijon-style mustard, horseradish, fresh garlic, and black pepper. The accompaniments included potatoes cooked in chicken fat (a specialty of a local supermarket) and a tomato and red pepper salsa. The wine was really excellent. It held up well and tasted of dark fruit and tobacco.

I didn?t have any Bascilicata cheese so I had to settle for two other Italian cheeses. Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep?s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. Even though it was getting a bit long in the tooth, the cheese intensified the Aglicano?s fruitiness. Montasio is a cooked, full-fat, semi-hard cheese made from cow?s milk and aged for several months. It has a pungent smell and a strong, pasty taste. It comes from the Friuli-Venezia Giuli of northeastern Italy. This time the wine and cheese pairing was not as successful, but the combination was still satisfying.

Before giving my verdict, which I believe you can guess, I do have one final comment. In spite of what I have read, this wine is not very tannic. I would not recommend keeping it until 2020, or even 2015, as some others suggest. But I do recommend buying it now, and even storing it for a few years.

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Wine Cooler in the news

Folding Linen

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:36:15 PST
Video how to fold linen into a wine cooler

Wine Cooler Refrigerators - Which Wine Cooler is for You

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:42:53 PST
Geez, a big variety of wine coolers. They appear to be pretty good prices too. Might take you some time to make a decision with all those choices.

Utah: Liquor drinks could pack more powerful punch

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:58:17 PST
The same state that's on a path tobanishing wine coolers from grocery stores and requires anyone whoenters a bar to have a paid membership is now considering offeringstronger liquor drinks so Utah won't appear so odd to the rest ofthe country.

BOREA wine cooler - Stainless Steel & Acrylic

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:19:54 PST
Each Magpie creation is a celebration of life, a perfect blend of form, functionality and comfort. Be BOREA wine cooler using stainless steel, or combining steel with bone china or glass, the purpose has always been to delight our customers with somethin


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