Hello Vino! Cool App for Any Wine Lover

By: Cresta

I recently downloaded an app to my iPhone so that I have notes handy when I’m in the wine aisle or out at a restaurant. Hello Vino is a great app for any wine lover, with many options to choose from. You can download the app for iPhone or Android, and it’s FREE.

You can choose a wine:

• To go with a specific meal or food.  Select the food – from pizza to cheese to dessert – and Hello Vino will provide suggestions on the best wine pairing.
• For an occasion. Whether it’s a gift, special holiday or a tasting party, get suggestions on the type of wine you should consider, including at least three specific recommendations.
• By taste preference. The app selects the best wines to fit your taste, whether that’s red, white, pink. Dry, fruity, sweet.
• By country, then by region. Know that you prefer wines from Argentina? Tap that and Hello Vino provides different regions to choose from, then at least three specific recommendations.
• There’s also a section dedicated to Holiday Wines and Gifts.

This app includes a search function so that you may search by brand name, food pairing and taste preference. There’s also a wine label image recognition function (but you must purchase label scanner credits to use this). The My Wines tab allows you to save favorites, as well as wines that you’d like to try (Wishlist). There’s also a Reviews tab with two-minute audio reviews of select wines. Give the wine a thumbs up and save it to your shopping list. Share the wine on Facebook or Tweet it. Each wine highlights tasting notes and includes an average price.

You can download this app from the iTunes App Store and the Android Market. Or visit www.hellovino.com.

Did You Know That ALDI Sells Wine?

By: Cresta

A couple of weeks ago I received a special delivery. ALDI sent three bottles of wine to my doorstep. Nicely packaged in a re-usable grocery bag, each bottle in its own padded wine sleeve.

The press release that accompanied the delivery touted ALDI’s line-up of award-winning international exclusive wines, all at bargain prices.

I didn’t even know ALDI carried wine. According to the release, selections include Beverage Testing Institute 2011 World Wine Challenge Winners, Wine Spectator Best Values and Wine Enthusiast Best Buys. Here’s what I received:

• Walker Napa Valley Red Wine from California (World Wine Challenge Winner)
• Gonfalone Chianti from Italy (Wine Spectator Best Value)
• Landshut Riesling from Germany (Wine Enthusiast Best Buy). This is the only one I’ve tried so far. It was a seriously sweet wine, but I was in the mood for sweet at the time. Well-balanced, vibrant acidity, a distinct peach flavor. Pretty good.

Most of ALDI’s wines are priced at $4.99 or less. I checked ALDI’s web site and only select locations carry wine – most of the Ohio stores do.  

Excellent PR idea, by the way. Great way to build awareness and word-of-mouth.

Wine gadgets that work

By Angela

Of course for Christmas I got some wine and wine gadgets. One of my new favorite toys is the wine pump sealer from Brookstone. This is the greatest wine vacuum pumps of all. There’s no air pumps or no extra gadgets. All you do is attach the wine sealer on top of the bottle and you pump the top a few times and your done. It lasts at least 5 to 6 days it’s awesome and the wine tastes better after you reopen the bottle. Click here for the link to the wine pump page.

Another Christmas gift I received (well I got it last year for Christmas) was the Vinturi deluxe red wine aerator. The deluxe set came with a stand, the aerator, and a filter. This is the answer to everyone’s prayers who doesn’t have time to aerate wine for and hour or 2. You put the filter inside the aerator part and then you put it on the stand and have your glass underneath it. (look at the picture below) It aerates wine one glass at a time and its taste like the wine has been breathing for an hour. I would suggest purchasing the filter and aerator (they come together) and not the stand. When it was on the stand it leaked some of the wine. If you hold it over your glass and pour the wine through it then there is no spilling or splattering. This is the greatest invention for wine lovers. Click here to view the aerator web page.

Last but never least is the Ravi instant wine refresher. This gadget chills your wine to the perfect drinking temperature (reds and whites). It chills the wine not the bottle and you don’t have to worry about pre-chilling your whites before you serve them it does it for you. You put the pourer on top of your bottle and you have the perfect temperature to drink your wine. Click here for the Ravi web page.

I hope these gadgets work for you as they have worked for me.

Cheers,

Angela

Another Flavorful Selection from the Wine Club

By: Cresta

Hello everyone. Happy New Year! Hard to believe it’s 2012.

One of the latest picks from our wine club, Vino Volo, was Paso del Sol Carmenere 2010 from the TerraMater Winery in Chile.

I had never tasted a Carmenere so I decided to do a little investigating. I learned that the Carmenere grape was thought to have all but died out more than a century ago. However, it’s making a comeback in Chile, where in the 1990′s much of the “Merlot” was found to be Carmenere. This varietal produces darker, richer, riper reds than Merlot, with more spices and coffee flavors.  

This wine has a deep red color. Aromas of intense fruitiness with hints of chocolate. It is full-bodied and fresh with tastes of blackberries and other dark fruits. It is smooth and easy to drink. We had it with dinner the other night – grilled steak. It was delicious. A great pairing. This wine is best if you open it one hour before you intend to drink it.

I definitely recommend this one, and I look forward to sharing some of this year’s wine club picks with you. 

Champagne 101

by Angela

There are a lot of different sparkling wines out there in the wine world and which one is the right one for your celebratory New Years drink?

First off not all sparkling wines are champagne. The only sparkling wines that are actually champagnes are the ones that come from the region of Champagne in France. (unless you’re one of the few California wineries that have been around for over 50+ years that got grandfathered in…whatever) Everything else is sparkling wine.

Different countries have different names for their sparkling. Spain calls their wine Cava, Italy calls theirs Prosecco, and you might also see Spumante.

What is the difference between all of the different types? Let’s break it down:

Champagne is a dry sparkling wine usually made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and/or Pinot Meunier grapes.   The different types are Cuvee, Extra Dry, Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noir, Rose, and Brut.

• Cuvee means means blend usually the perfect blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes or another grape has been added
• Extra Dry isn’t the driest. It means semi-dry sparkling
• Blanc de Blanc means white of white which is 100% Chardonnay grapes
• Blanc de Noir means white from dark. Champagne is pressed from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a mix of the two.
• Rose is using the dark grapes and the skins get left on for a small part of the fermentation period which makes it a rose color
• Brut is the driest Champagne you can get

With all that said, most sparkling wines are going to be a little on the dry side. Most Prosecco, Cava, Rose, and extra dry  Champagnes will have the same dry consistency like a Chardonnay but will have a hint of sweet at the end. California sparkling wines and Brut tend to me more drier like a red wine.

• If you’re a Riesling/Moscato/Sweet Red drinker you’re most likely going to like an Asti Spumante, a Sparkling Moscato, Pink Moscato, or Moscato de Spumante.
• If you’re a Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Noir (or a light red) drinker you’re most likely going to like a Prosecco, Cava, Cuvee, Rose, Extra Dry
• If you’re a Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Syrah/Dry White Wine you’re most likely a Blanc de Blanc, Brut, Brut Rose, Blanc de Noir

I will be hosting a free wine tasting at Liquor City Bakewell today and tomorrow from 4 – 8 and we will be tasting Champagnes, Sparkling wines, and Moscato. Stop on by during those hours anytime and I’ll help you choose the right sparkling for you.

Cheers,
Angela