Wine Trivia - Burgundy (Wine Wino)

Burgundy is a wine region in central France - not a color and not a red wine. It really is a misunderstood term since many people don't event know there is a white Burgundy. It is an imported wine only since it refers to the region in France rather than to a varietal of grape. The principal grapes here are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but with several different domains (areas) such as Chablis and Beaujolais.

The climate is temperate and unreliable but does not usually frost. Because of past revolutions, properties are sometimes split into small vineyards, sometimes as small as two rows, this makes the purchasing and blending of grapes very important.

A fine red Burgundy is made of 100% Pinot Nior and a fine white Burgundy is made of 100% Chardonnay. Both are beautiful wines and well worth the adventure of tasting. Expect to spend upwards of $30 to $40 a bottle and considerably more for the premier collectables.

One that lists ‘Premier Cru’ on the bottle is of finer quality and one which lists ‘Grand Cru’ is of the best quality.

Now What? (Wine Wino)

You already bought the kit…
Want a reason to use it?

The Wino Club™ is a Wine Tasting Club Starter Kit that goes beyond a normal wine party kit. It includes all of the materials and instructions to start a monthly wine tasting group with up to 40 friends.

So you have received a box for a gift or gifted one to yourself. Now what?

If you’re asking us that question then you probably have not read the instructions inside your box… but that’s o.k.. You can start by picking a day that works for you in the next 4 weeks. Don’t push it out further than that because then you’ll forget that you even have the kit and your club will never get started. Trust us – just commit to a day, pick your wine and then invite your friends.

A tip on picking your wine for the first party… you can go with our suggestions each month and then print out the newsletter for your members for tasting tips at www.thewinoclub.com/newsletter.html . Afterwards, we highly recommend that your club members subscribe to the newsletter themselves since it is free!

Make sure you have your members sign up to host a month. We find that they are more compliant after the tasting!

After your first meeting log into our site at www.thewinoclub.com and post your party comments on our blog or email us some photos of your group and we’ll post you up.

Thank you so much for joining The Wino Club! We know you’ll love it!

Sincerely,

Darcy Jones & Stacy Nelson
Owners and Original Winos

P.S. Don’t have a Wino Club kit? What are you waiting for – fun doesn’t just make itself you know? Go buy one right now and start your journey of wine and laughter with friends at www.thewinoclub.com.

Syrah – Hurrah (Wine Wino)

O.K. - cheesy rhyme. We know. But it’s finally a new year and the winter chill is in the air. So when we think about comfort soups and stews, we automatically thought of serving up some earthy Syrah or Shiraz.

This is a funny wine varietal because it has two very distinct styles – that of the Old World wines and that of the New World wine. We could spend our time right now discussing the merits of both types of wine. The debate would be long and lengthy and would be bound to offend someone (and we’re strictly non-confrontational here). So forget it. We won’t tell you which one is better. But we will tell you that they are different.

Old World Syrah comes from France, primarily from the Northern Rhone (Hermitage and Cote-Rotie). A trick to identifying Old World wines, especially those from France, is to know your regions. If the red wine you are picking up comes from the Northern Rhone, Syrah is the red grape grown there even if it does not list Syrah on the label. Shiraz is the New World equivalent of Syrah and comes from Australia, South Africa and California.

You will notice that in the Cheat Sheet for Syrah / Shiraz, there are two lists that don’t look like the same wine. You could schedule two separate parties for each because they differ so greatly. If you are really adventurous go for it in one evening.

Now – have you picked up your party kit yet? Better log in now to buy it today so you can start your own tasting club this month. We’ll see you at www.thewinoclub.com!

Sincerely, Darcy & Stacy

Syrah / Shiraz Quick Tasting (Wine Wino)

This wine has a heavy pigment, high tannin, high alcohol and definitely needs time to mature. It is all about HERBS and SPICE.

For Old World Syrah, look for some of the following scents and flavors when tasting:

Spice
Lavender
Black Pepper
Musk
Mole Sauce
Game

For New World Shiraz, look for some of the following scents and flavors when tasting:

Blackberry Jam
Vanilla Bean
Baked Earth
Smoked Meat
Chocolate

Don't forget to check out this month's tasty food pairings for this wine on our newsletter available at www.thewinoclub.com.