4:17 PM

Please don't treat this as an average piece of writing on Bronco Wine . A lot of effort and hard work has been put to get this end product!

Another Great Bronco Wine Article

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Piedmont Region

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

Piedmont is located in the northwest of Italy. It borders on France and Switzerland and is surrounded on three sides by the Alps. The name Piedmont means the foot of the mountain. Piedmont is one of the most industrialized regions of Italy. It is considered the best organized region of Italy for wine tourism. Its population is about 4.4 million.

Piedmont was originally settled by the Celts. It was conquered by Hannibal and reconquered by the Ancient Romans. Piedmont was ruled by the French Savoy family for almost five hundred years. It was a center in the fight to unify Italy. Victor Emmanuel II, the king of Piedmont and Sardinia, became the first king of modern Italy in 1861.

Agriculturally Piedmont has it all. For example, meats include beef, kid, lamb, rabbit, and veal. Game includes hare, partridge, pheasant, and venison. Donkey meat stew is a local specialty. Another specialty is grissini, breadsticks that are a yard long. The region makes nine protected varieties of cheese. About the only food that seems to be a bit short is fresh fish, with the exception of trout.

Piedmont's capital and largest city is Turin, a city of nine hundred thousand that is the capital of the Italian automobile industry and the site of the 2006 Winter Olympics. This city was the first capital of united Italy (from 1861 to 1865) and remains to this day the world capital of vermouth.

Piedmont devotes over one hundred forty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 6th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about ninety million gallons, also giving it a 6th place. About 70% of the wine production is red or ros? (only a bit of ros?), leaving 30% for white. The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG wines. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior Almost 56% of Piedmont wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Piedmont is home to four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, somewhat more red than white varieties.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Muscat (in particular Moscato Bianco) and Chardonnay. The best known strictly Italian white varieties are Arneis, Cortese, and Erbaluce.

International red grape varieties are not important in Piedmont. It is the center for Nebbiolo, felt by many to be Italy's noblest red variety, the base of Italy's world famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Other Italian red varieties include Barbera, Brachetto, and Dolcetto, some of which are grown elsewhere.

Before reviewing the Piedmont wine and 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 Cipollata Rossa Monferrina, Spicy Robiola Cheese and Scallion Spread.
For the second course try Tasca Ripiena, Veal Stuffed with Salami and Scallions. For dessert indulge yourself with Budino Freddo Gianduja, Decadent Hazelnut-Chocolate Pudding.

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
Sur? Rosso Barbera d'Asti Villa Giada 2004 Andrea-Faccio Viticoltore (Winemaker) DOC 13.5% alcohol about $10.90 plus tax

Unlike the other wines in this series, I purchased this bottle while on vacation in Seattle, Washington. Frankly I thought that I was drinking the cousin of a $40 bottle of wine. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the equal of some $40 bottles. While three other Italian grape red varieties are authorized to a maximum of 15% in the Barbera d'Asti DOC, this particular wine is 100% Barbera.

I found the wine very powerful, perhaps too strong for pasta. Its tastes included tobacco, leather, cherry, and black cherry. An Italian wine site states: "An imposing wine that is always rather severe but richly and exquisitely perfumed and with a flavor that couples strength with finesse." I agree except that I didn't find it severe. I also drank it with a marinated, barbecued rib steak. The wine cut through the steak's grease. Once again the flavors came out well.

Gran Padano is a classic Parmesan-type cheese made for a millennium in northern Italy including the Piedmont region. It is a cylindrical, cooked, semi-fat cheese which matures slowly. It has a grainy consistency and may be sliced or grated. Its taste is fragrant and delicate. I tried this wine with grated Gran Padano cheese on toast with a somewhat spicy Moroccan tomato and pimento based dip.The combination was excellent; I felt that both the wine and cheese flavors were accentuated. The term mouth-filling came to mind.

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is www.theworldwidewine.com . You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.

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Baccharis Dry Creek Valley Syrah

The 2000 Baccharis Syrah is grown in the Dry Creek Valley's renowned Bradford Mountain Vineyards. The wines from this region are noted for their focused structure and balanced acidity. The Baccharis was made more in a European style of Syrah, with 12 months of oak aging to add vanilla and spice aromas. The palate shows a lush and powerful wine with earthy notes and explosive blueberry flavors which meld into a long lasting finish. This dry red wine from California is one of the best values we have found in a while. Our allocation was small so don't miss out on this blockbuster Syrah. BCCS00 BCCS00

Price: 34.99 USD

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8:02 AM

Ever wonder how come you never got to know so much existed about Bronco Wine ? Now you got to know, utilize this knowledge well.

Another Great Bronco Wine Article

Virginia Wine Tasting

Living the Good Life
By Jim Bogaty- Owner Veramar Vineyard

In Virginia winery tasting rooms, learn how to taste wine

A wine tasting tutorial
Do you think people who visit winery-tasting rooms know a lot about wine? Well some do, but most don't. No matter, that's not a hindrance to enjoying wine. The local wine establishments welcome you to visit their tasting rooms. Go out to the winery and meet the winemakers. DO NOT fear visiting a winery. The winery wants you to taste their wine and if they are good, they will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable in their tasting room. Hospitality is everything.

Few things are more intimidating than wine tasting. You may feel that you lack the knowledge and experience to properly taste wines. First thing that any wine taster should do is relax! This is a very personal experience. There are few absolutes in wine tasting or few "right" or "wrong" perceptions. The ultimate evaluation of any wine is Do you like it! Remember, wine is supposed to be fun.

Here's how it goes at most Virginia local winery tasting rooms: The visitor settles in. A small amount of wine is poured - usually a series of whites to start, then a series of reds. Dry wines to begin, then sweeter wines to finish. For the most part, whites are light and easier to taste. Reds tend to have more complex, heavier flavors; you don't want to overwhelm your taste buds by tasting them first. Drink some water or have a cracker after tasting a wine to cleans your palate in order to better appreciate the next wine.

How do I taste wines? Its as simple as 1-2-3.

There are three aspects to tasting any wine. 1 Color- 2 Smell - 3 Taste

First color
First step is to look at the wine in the wine glass. OBSERVE color and clarity. Wines should be clear rather than hazy. When you look at a wine it is important to take your time. Disregard everything you have seen in commercials and movies, 99.9% of that is wrong. Lighting is important, because you cannot observe the colors of a wine in a dark room. Bright sunlight is best. Set the glass on the tasting bar on a white napkin. Do not hold your glass up and look from underneath. The colors behind the glass will influence your impression of the wine's color. Look down at a slight angle into the wine glass. Note the subtle colors. Is it a ruby red? A plum red? Is it a pale straw gold color? Does it have hints of green? Taking time to really look at your wine will enhance your pleasure. Wine color is affected most by: the age of the wine, grape variety, whether or not the wine spent time in oak. White wines vary from clear to deep golden brown, and gain color as they age. Red wines range from ruby to brick. As they age, they lose color and begin to brown. Also, observe the body of the wine by the way it coats the sides of the glass. If the "legs" trickle down slowly, it has more body. If it falls down in sheets, it has less body.

Second smell
The second step is to swirl the wine in the wine glass. Swirling the wine increases the surface area exposure to the air and helps release the wine's bouquet or aroma.
What is the very first thing you think of when you smell a wine? Sniffing the wine from the glass will release smells which can be described as Fruity, Savoury, Dairy, Nutty, Spicy, Mineral, Sugary, Woody, Floral, Herbal.Younger wines have a fruity bouquet whereas older wines tend to have a savoury and spicy bouquet. While different people will smell different things in the same wine, there are characteristic smells generally found in specific varieties. Be sure to smell the wine several times. A wine with great complexity will offer different aromas each time, as well as several scents at one time. There are hundreds of smells in wine!

"Off smells" include:
Sherry - the wine has oxidized from age or improper storage.
Vinegar - the wine contains excessive acetic acid.
Cork/Mustiness - a defective or inferior cork has affected the wine.
Sulfur - the wine contains excessive sulfur dioxide.

And third the Taste
The final step in tasting is to actually take a sip of the wine and swirl it in your mouth. Different parts of the tongue register different tastes. Roll the wine across your taste buds, keeping in mind that a balance of the following characteristic is ideal:

Body - Fullness or thinness. A function of both alcohol and glycerols.

Fruitiness - Intensity is a function of the variety, growing conditions and winemaking techniques.

Sweetness is tasted at the tip of the tongue. The wine can be medium, dry or sweet. - Comes from the wine's fruit flavors as well as any fermented grape sugars left in the wine. If there is no perceived sweetness, a wine is "dry".

Acidity is tasted on the sides of the tongue. White wines have more acidity than red wines. Acidity provides tartness to the wine. Gives the wine crispness and freshness, without which the wine is flat and sour.

Tannin is tasted at the back of the tongue and tastes bitter like a strong cup of tea that makes your mouth fur up (that slight 'pucker feeling'.) - The bitterness you taste comes from grape skins and seeds. It is essential to the finish of a wine. Most obvious in reds.

Alcohol is sensed at the back of the throat and gives a warming sensation. The higher the level of sugar in the grapes before fermentation, the higher potential alcohol the wine will have.

After swallowing, notice the aftertaste. EVALUATE THE FINISH - Savoring. Concentrate on the wine's finish (the sensation and flavors left in your mouth after swallowing. Did you like it? Why or why not? What did you notice about the body? How long did the impression/flavor linger? How long does the wine stay in your mouth? Finish is a term that describes the length of time you can taste the wine once you have swallowed. A crisp, clean and lingering finish is a mark of a good wine.

So please go visit the local tasting rooms at the wineries. Here are some for wineries for you to try; Veramar Vineyard www.veramar.com, Piedmont, North Mountain or Breaux. Visit Virginia Wine Country on the web at http://www.virginiawine.org for a complete listing of Virginia wineries.

There you go and there you have it. Go to a local winery tasting room so you can continue your journey in the world of wine with a better understanding of how to taste wine.

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