Mountain Garden and Vineyards, Iran by Asiatravel.com

March 12, 2010 – 7:56 pm
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For Bookings: www.asiatravel.com For More Video: book.asiatravel.com The Culture of Iran is a mix of ancient pre-Islamic culture and Islamic culture. Iranian culture probably originated in Central Asia and the Andronovo culture is strongly suggested as the predecessor of Iranian culture ca. 2000 BC. Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, with Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the 2nd millennium, and the language of religion and the populace before that. The Sassanid era was an important and influential historical period in Iran as Iranian culture influenced China, India and Roman civilization considerably,[167] and so influenced as far as Western Europe and Africa.[168] This influence played a prominent role in the formation of both Asiatic and European medieval art.[169] This influence carried forward to the Islamic world. Much of what later became known as Islamic learning, such as philology, literature, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, architecture and the sciences were based on some of the practises taken from the Sassanid Persians to the broader Muslim world.[170][171][172] After Islamicization of Iran Islamic rituals have penetrated in the Iranian culture. The most noticeable one of them is commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali. Every year in Day of Ashura most of Iranians, including Armenians and Zoroastrians participate in mourning for the martyrs of battle of Karbala. Daily life in …

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Perfect Equipment For First-rate Fruit Wines

March 12, 2010 – 6:24 pm
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Wine Making Equipment: Perfect Equipment for First-rate Fruit Wines

Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages that are made from different ingredients other than grapes and have a variety of flavor. They are usually referred to by the main fruit ingredient, strawberry wine and raspberry wine for example, since the word wine is generally defined only from the fermented grapes. Fruit wines are also called non-grape wines. Making fruit wines is just as popular as making red and white wines. Its fame made it possible for fruit wine making equipment packages to be marketed. so it is a Perfect Equipment for First-rate Fruit Wines.

Making fruit wines involves only a few processes such as the preparation of the fruit, pasteurization of the juice, wine fermentation, and the aging process. Fruit wine making equipment has the basic materials that facilitate the process and in turn produces a fruit wine with a characteristic flavor and at the same time unique.

Standard Fruit Wine Equipment Package with us!

The standard fruit wine making equipment package has all the basic equipments in making fruit wines from your fresh fruits, juice, and grapes. The kit principally has a 7.9-gallon for the primary fermenter that is complete with both the lid and airlocks. For the secondary fermentation, a 5-gallon “better bottle” fermenter carboy is included. To transfer the wine into the bottles, a siphon hose and Hose clamp is provided. Other materials includes racking tube and bottle filter, carboy stopper and carboy brush, a stick-on thermometer to monitor the fermentation temperature, a sanitizer, a 23-inch plastic spoon, a wine hydrometer, a book on making wine by famous wine makers, an acid testing kit, and a small coarse straining bag.

Deluxe Fruit Wine Equipment Package

The materials in the Deluxe Fruit Wine Making Equipment Kit contain almost the same equipment as the Standard Fruit Equipment Package but with additional materials. The additional materials are the following:

▪ Twin lever adjustable Italian corker,
▪ Two cases of 750-ml bottles, and
▪ 30 pieces of wine corks

The Standard Fruit Wine Equipment and Deluxe Fruit Wine Equipment are just two of the many packages that provide the needed wine making equipment in making your own unique, aromatic and flavorful wine at home. The equipment is just starters for they can be expanded into a business. The use of kits first is very practical because it is comparatively cheap and risk-worthy. People who want to make wines as a hobby into a small business can use the kits as way of understanding how the processes work. When they get to the point where they know what it takes to make the kind of wine they want, they can get into the business side of wine making.

Fruit wine making equipment kits are available in supermarkets and in other places. You can even find the necessary equipment on the Internet, saving you the time and effort from going over to the supermarkets. You can just log on to The Grape and Granary website to avail of your own efficient fruit wine making equipment set.

The Standard Fruit wine making supplies available at http://www.thegrape.net/

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Acidic Monday notes

March 12, 2010 – 5:12 pm
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: Brady and I share another bottle of the infamous french red wine.

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Copain Monument Tree Pinot Noir Review

March 12, 2010 – 4:29 pm
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So I’ve been saving a specific bottle of wine to enjoy with my wife since my first trip to Napa and Sonoma after starting Uncorked Ventures, a Copain 2007 Monument Tree Pinot Noir.

I believe I’ve talked a little about Copain before in this space, but I am a fan of much of the wine they make and their winemaker Wells Guthrie. He has a rather unique style for the area and has really been at the forefront of pushing other winemakers to attempt to control the alcohol levels in their wine. Much of the wine that Copain makes ends up with alcohol content 1-2% lower then the competition. They’re able to do this by being very careful about where they source their grapes (usually colder climates) as well as how/when the fruit is harvested (middle of the night when possible to control heat transfer during fermentation).

From a business to business perspective I appreciate the way that they’ve treated us as a start up and as a consumer I greatly appreciate the fact that their wines occupy a range of prices starting at around $20 for their Tous Ensambles series. I do believe they leave some money on the table on a number of their wines which are sold in the $40-$50 range-which are consistently great values many scoring 90+ ratings from Parker and the Wine Entusiast.

Ok so about that Pinot…..as good as I remember it. In fact maybe a bit better given the 6 months or so of rest as well as the thirty minutes of decanting (yeah, yeah I know not ideal). On the nose it’s hard to pick up individual flavors, but it definitely is a dark berry type of smell. On the palate it is noticeably brighter then you’d imagine with cherry being the predominant flavor-the structure of the wine is quite good and really shows Wells ability as most Pinot’s don’t hold up this well.

Overall at around $50, to me it is a clear buy. I am an unapologetic Pinot Noir fan (both because of the flavor profiles and the story of the grape itself) which comes sometimes much to my business partner and father in laws dismay, but I will be interested in comparing this Pinot to some of the more highly hyped Oregon versions.

Lastly I would be remiss if I did not mention where the Monument Tree moniker comes from. Monument Tree is a vineyard about a two hour drive north of San Francisco. Since Copain aims to trim alcohol levels they source fruit from both the Central Coast of California (think on the ocean just north of Santa Barbara) as well as some of the cooler valley’s north of SF. As you can see Monument Tree vineyard is named after a redwood tree which still stands in the middle of the vineyard.

Mark Aselstine is one of two Proprietors of Uncorked Ventures. UCV provides three different wine club membership options as well as many different wine gift services. I hope you’ll consider joining one of my wine clubs in the future!

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Petite Sirah/Syrah 2

March 12, 2010 – 3:25 pm
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If you happen to be expecting for that one store you can reckon on, to take concern of all of your wine shopping needs, Nick’s wine corner is the spot for you. Touting a vast array of wine tags, Nick’s wine corner has it all. If you happen to take a thorough caring for Petite Sirah or Syrah wines, you can be for certain to detect legion superior labels at Nick’s wine corner. Another fringe benefit of purchasing Petite Sirah or Syrah wines from Nick’s wine corner, is that you will have a bargain price, which others can rarely touch. At Nick’s wine corner, you will watch an refined pick of Petite Sirah and Syrah wines to opt from, and more often than not you are in all probability to notice just what you are searching for.

And if you like Petite Sirah and Syrah wines, you will utterly enjoy this one, the 2005 Adelaida Cellars Version Proprietary Red Glen rose Vineyard Paso, volunteering an A-one mix of Syrah that will leave you cheery. This is a composite wine that has galore levels to it; the wines odors include those of cherries, fig, plum, forest floor, earth and underbrush, to render it that clear equilibrium. This is a extraordinary blend of Syrah, and involves to be fully enjoyed over the incoming five to six years. The 2005 Adelaida Red Glen Rose is defiantly one superfine brew, and if you like classic Syrah blends, this has to be the unflawed wine for you to take home.

Are you more into the Spanish mode of Petite Sirah and Syrah? Best, in that instance you will not mind vexing out the 2005 Bodegas Hijos De Juan Gil Juan Gil Jumilla. This is one wine that is just a simplistic and well equilibrated Spanish delicacy. The Bodegas Hijos has a comparatively contemporary way, but at the same time, the feeling of leather, and notes of game are what save it well razed and founded. This wine is drastically red, and comes together with a kind of galore consistency. Chocolate, kirsch, black berry and cola flavors are what make up for its flavors.

Purchasing Petite Sirah and Syrah wines online can be easy if you take already designed out what type of uniformity you are looking for, or perhaps which texture of wine you prefer, and so on. That can establish the option procedure exactly a quiet gentler for you. At Nick’s wine corner, you will be conditioned to checkout the up-to-date releases from your most cherished wine tags, so you are substantially mindful and up to rush. At Nick’s wine corner you can also take advantage of the many discount rates and sales on offer. Such as the twenty percent off on this 2005 Luca Syrah Altos De Mendoza, thanks to the winter sale at Nick’s wine corner. This specific Luca is intimately strong and thick, full of plum, fruitcake, licorice and raisin flavors. An extremely pleasing wine, that is somewhat chewy to add to the experience, and the echo of raisin’s are what persist till the end of the impression.

Petit syrah (sirah?) a vast array of wine tags, available at http://www.nickswinecorner.com

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Sauvignon Blanc, Episode 4 Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course

March 12, 2010 – 3:25 pm
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The first 8 minutes of Sauvignon Blanc, Episode 4 Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course www.jancisrobinson.com www.jancisrobinson.com to buy the full five-hour set of the multi-award-wining tv series Jancis Robinsons Wine Course. The fourth episode of Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course – a beautifully filmed tour of the world of wine presented and written by Jancis Robinson and based on dozens of stunning locations in four continents. Each of the ten half-hour programmes is centred on a major grape variety or theme but provides a complete wine education including how wine is made, tasted, stored and enjoyed. See more at www.jancisrobinson.com – updated daily and the only place you’ll find all of the Oxford Companion to Wine and all of the World Atlas of Wine maps online For my money, the site worth paying for is www.jancisrobinson.com’ – LA Times survey of wine websites A 2-disc PAL version of the DVD is available from Amazon UK. It is distributed by B-motion of Holland in Europe.

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Pair Some BBQ with a chardonnay

March 12, 2010 – 3:25 pm
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Summer is BBQ time. With Father’s Day, July 4th and summertime in general, many Americans enjoy traditional BBQ. At Naperville’s Ribfest, pork BBQ ribs are king. If you are a little “porked out,” grilled chicken and fish are a welcome change. A wine that pairs well with both of these is Chardonnay. This can be a great patio wine while enjoying backyard grilling with family and friends this summer.

Wine Facts

Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted and successful white wines in the world, and is recognized as one of nine classic grape varietals. Chardonnay grapes prefer cooler climates. Chardonnay offers appealing flavors of tropical fruit, apple and butterscotch and has a creamy, full-bodied style. Quality Chardonnay is briefly aged in oak barrels to impart a creamy richness and a long, pleasing finish. Wine makers must be careful about the length of time the wine is in contact with the wood, as an “over-oaked” wine can loose its fruit flavors and balance, and taste unpleasant.

Chardonnay’s major growing areas include California and the Pacific Northwest, Chile, Australia, France, Italy and South Africa. The major difference is the “old world” style French Chardonnay tends to be leaner, crisp with mineral and apple notes, while American Chardonnay tends to be big and oaky with vanilla and butterscotch notes. As American tastes have shown preference for a lighter style of Chardonnay, American winemakers have moved away from their reliance on oak and are using stainless steel vats, resulting in a crisper, more food friendly wine.

The Wine Spectator’s July issue reports that the 2007 vintage of California Chardonnay is outstanding, with the Northern California regions (Napa, Sonoma, Carneros) all receiving 96 out of 100 points. They described this vintage as “Ripe, complex, balanced and age worthy wines.” This is great news to share and hopefully encourages you to try some 2007 Chardonnay soon.

Food Pairing

While Chardonnay is widely planted and consumed, it is not a food friendly wine for several reasons. Chardonnay’s flavors tend to be complex, so it pairs best with simple dishes and sauces. Chardonnay tends to have a lower acidity level, which does not cleanse your palate after a sip. California Chardonnays present additional food pairing challenges, as they tend to have a toastier oak flavor and higher alcohol levels.

So why the popularity? The rich, buttery character of shellfish pairs beautifully with Chardonnay’s buttery taste (think Lobster). In general, seafood, shellfish and chicken offer a simple flavor profile that will not compete with Chardonnay’s complexities. And Chardonnay’s bold flavors can stand up to a rich sauce that might accompany your entrée.

We suggest that you consider trying both “old” and “new world” styles of Chardonnay. When charcoal grilling or smoking meat, a toasty California Chardonnay can compliment the smoky flavors of your BBQ.

An unoaked, stainless steel aged Chardonnay will pair well with light summer salads or fish and chicken dishes that are cooked on a gas grill. The wine label may specify either unoaked or unwooded Chardonnay — or ask your local wine merchant for their suggestions. It always comes down to personal taste preferences.

Directionally, Americans have moved away from heavily oaked Chardonnay and are now seeking out less oaky versions. The good news is more quality unoaked Chardonnay is now being produced worldwide.

Bill’s Wine Picks (with suggested retail prices)

Oak levels in descending order

Foxglove, Central Coast, CA. — Light oak $12

Columbia-Crest, Columbia Valley, WA. — Medium oak $8

Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma, CA. — Heavy oak $9

Un-Oaked Chardonnay

Yalumba, South Australia $9

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, CA. $13

Elderton, Barossa, Australia $13

The Wishing Tree, Western Australia $13

Wine of the Month

Foxglove Chardonnay

The Varner Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California consistently offer one of the of best values in the marketplace. Robert Parker gave the 2007 vintage 90 points and described this terrific medium-bodied cuvee as offering tropical fruit, pear and mineral notes. The good news is that 25,000 cases were produced, which should make this wine readily available. This wine should be consumed within 2 years, $12.

Bill Garlough is a Level 1 Master Sommelier and an owner of My Chef Catering in Naperville, IL, the winner of the U.S. Chamber’s 2007 Small Business of the Year award. Bill can be reached at My Chef or bgarlough@mychef.com

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Wine Kit Equipment: For Superior Standard and Deluxe Wine Production

March 12, 2010 – 3:25 pm
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Wine Kit Equipment: Wine making is a fermentation process that manufactures alcoholic drinks. Today, there are many enthusiasts that are interested in making their own wines at home. They not only produce standards that are popular but also high quality wines that are comparable to commercial ones. This process of home wine making is possible with the use of wine making equipment kits.

There are two commonly used wine making equipment kits. These are the Standard and Deluxe Wine Equipment kits. They include the basic materials needed for starting the wine making process at home.

Standard Wine Equipment Kit

This wine making equipment is a package that includes all the basic equipment for making six gallons of wine. The kit comprises of:

▪ A 7.9-gallon primary fermenter with both the lid and airlocks provided
▪ A 6-gallon “better bottle” fermenter carboy as the container for the secondary fermentation
▪ A stick-on thermometer to monitor the fermentation temperature
▪ Carboy stopper and carboy brush
▪ Bottle filter and racking tube
▪ Hose clamp and siphon hose
▪ A sanitizer
▪ 23-inch plastic spoon
▪ Wine hydrometer

Deluxe Wine Equipment Kit

The deluxe wine making equipment kit provides two selections – the package for making white wines and the package for making red wines. The kits contain the primary equipments in making the wines and a DVD instruction video for the process.

Besides the apparent popularity of wine making equipment, many people still consider them outlandish. They have many questions that have to be answered provided that they also want to make their own set of wine. But for those who truly love consuming wine, and get a feeling of fulfillment brewing their homemade wine, then this is for you. The first question should be, “what are these equipments?”

The wine making equipment kit for white and red wines is basically the same. They will differ in the fermentation process and thus produce different products. The kit has the following components:

▪ 7.9-gallon primary fermenter with lid and airlock
▪ 6-gallon “better bottle” carboy for the secondary fermenter
▪ Bottle filler
▪ Hose clamp and siphon hose
▪ Wine hydrometer
▪ Racking tube
▪ Carboy stopper and brush
▪ EZ clean sanitizer
▪ 23-inch plastic spoon
▪ An instruction book on homemade wine making
▪ A deluxe twin lever Italian corker
▪ Bag of 30 corks
▪ 750-ml wine clear bottles
▪ Stick-on thermometer for monitoring fermentation temperatures
▪ A kit containing a variety of juices, additives, and yeast
▪ Wine bottle labels
▪ Heat shrink capsules

The use of wine making equipment kits to make your own wine at home is necessary. These kits are portable and slightly smaller and comparatively cheap. In comparison to buying the materials for making wine individually, choosing the wine making equipment kit is more practical and cost-worthy. The use of kits is an inexpensive and risk-worthy way to learn to make your wine of choice. It comes in variety of shapes and even includes instructions, and sometimes books and videos, on how to make the wine

If you want to avail of the packages, it is available online. You just visit The Grape and Granary website. Online marketing of the product saves time and energy. The kit will provide the essential wine making equipments. They are not only handy but they also produce flavorful and aromatic wines.

The use of wine making equipment wine making equipment kits to make your own wine at home is necessary. learn more at http://www.thegrape.net/

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James Angrove gets a record price of $1.95 million for an Okanagan vineyard!

March 12, 2010 – 1:15 pm
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James Angrove was able to get a record price for his vineyard!  He was the managing partner in an Okanagan vineyard and was misaligned during the economic downturn by some partners with an objective to take advantage of the weak economy.  Hostile partners with a goal to take the property, refused to agree to continue to participate in the funding of the business.  Luckily James was able to get the best price for the land with a sale price of $1.95 million in this weak economy!

James was able to deliver a fair deal to all involved by ensuring this price was paid.  He got the best price for the best return for all the partners and contractors.  If a lower price had been accepted, the contractors and other people involved in the development of the vineyard would have been left out in the cold.

James also owns another property which is closer to the lake where he is now building his winery.

Thanks James for sticking up for us!!

I understand that he will plant this spring.  He has another 5 acres to plant and he is going to do Merlot, Shyrah and I think Petit Verdot.  His vineyard location is right down by the lake and also has an amphitheatre.  Next year he is planning to begin building a $2 million house on the property as well.  This could be good for all of the contractors in the region as business is a bit slow right now.

We need vineyard developers like James in the area, because he brings in new funding to projects and helps with the change over from an orchard region to a vineyard region.   These vineyard and winery owners spend a lot more money than the orchardists and that is good for the local economy.   I understand he is looking to buy a few more vineyards and orchards in the area.  He seems to build the top vineyards in the area.  All metal posts, GSP, 2 wire irrigation and he contours with more than production in mind.  His last vineyards were contoured to maintain the beauty of the landscape.  He has a good vision.

Signed – A Supplier

 

 

 

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Chardonnay and Merlot Wines

March 12, 2010 – 12:02 pm
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Chardonnay is a white wine made from a green skinned variety of grapes. The flavors associated with a Chardonnay are terroir and oak. It is considered to be a neutral wine, light in flavor. Many of the places around the world known for producing Chardonnay include France, Burgundy, Champagne, North America, California, Australia, Italy, and the New World Wine Regions.

There are many types of Chardonnay from dry still wines and sweet late harvest wines. If a Chardonnay has not gone through a malolactic fermentation the wine will have an apple flavor. The harder the malic acid is when it is converted through fermentation it will have a more buttery flavor.

The oak is also charred to a certain degree which introduces a toastiness flavor. Many wine tasters mistake this flavor to the grapes but it is from the charring of the oak. Some of the flavors that Chardonnay can taste like due to the charring of the oak include coconut, cinnamon, cloves, spice, smoke, cream, caramel, and vanilla.

When Chardonnay is fermented it also affects the flavor of the wine. For instance, the colder the fermentation process is the more fruity the wine tastes. These flavors include mango and pineapple. Some wineries also use yeast that is specially cultivated which gives the wines an aromatic quality.

Chardonnay is the most difficult wine to recognize in a blind tasting because there is not a distinct universal trait or style that is directly applied to the wine. There are many different flavors, blends, and more. Not all Chardonnays have a smoky note to them either.

Merlot

Merlot is made primarily from the Vitis vinifera species. The many wines associated with a merlot include the Bouchet, Bouche, Petit-Bouchet, Petit-Cabernet, Petit-Vidure, Vidure and Sauvignon Rouge. The origin of the wine is from the Bordeaux grape. It is also thought to be produced from a mutated grape from Biturica. Merlot is a red wine. The word is French and means many kinds of thrushes.

Merlot is produced in France, Italy, California, Romania, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Croatia, Hungary, and more. The role of Merlot is to add body and softness. Some blends have a sweet taste and it is most commonly noted for the balanced acid levels.

Scott Wells writes for http://MakeChristmasCrafts.com where you can learn to Make Christmas Crafts just in time for the holiday season.

http://www.Gingivitiskiller.com

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