Buying wine should be fun, like shopping for a new outfit for that special occasion. Unfortunately, even something fun can sometimes become frustrating. As great as your corner liquor store is, shopping for wine online provides advantages that roaming the brick and mortar store just can’t match. The following are some of the benefits of buying wine online.

There’s Always A Better Selection

No matter how well stocked the wine store across the street is, there is always going to be a better selection of wines online. If you have a craving for something besides Merlot or Chardonnay, then it’s probably a good idea to do your shopping online. Your local liquor store is probably not going to have a large selection of those less common wines that you enjoy. This is especially true if your tastes are more refined and you are in the mood for a smoky Nebbiolo from Italy. Chances are you’ll find this gem and others like it online.

There Are Better Prices

Continue reading →

Being easy to clean, hygienic, durable and cost-saving storage alternatives, stainless steel wine barrels are getting popular among the wineries. Comparing with traditional wooden barrels, they are more beneficial with their stable chemical and physical attributes.

Barrels are probably the oldest form for wine storage and still play a vital role in wine production process. Until the advent of stainless steel tanks, fermentation and aging in oak barrels was preferred for the premium wines. But taste and aroma of wine gets affected negatively, so the wineries started to find new alternatives for the oak barrels to store the wine. In this regard, stainless steel barrels appear to be the best alternative being durable and cost effective.

Aging of wine is a significant part of wine making process that can change the taste of the wine. The wineries are now becoming more conscious about the type of barrels the wine is stored in. Being less expensive to maintain and long lasting in use, steel wine barrels have emerged as the most preferred option for wine storage. When comparing with wooden barrels, they don’t erode quickly, hence they are not required to be replaced as often. As the steal is impervious to oxygen, it helps to minimize wine oxidation without changing the taste of the wine. Using stainless steel, the barrels can be manufactured in a variety of shapes and designs, quite difficult to do with wood or cement. Additionally, steel barrels facilitate the dry and cleaning storage and don’t affect the wine aroma.

Durability and inertness are the admirable features of stainless steel making it the suitable container for wine. Oak barrels, have a short life span, while the stainless wine barrels can be used for a longer period of time. With steel barrels, there is no need for the coating of paraffin wax, glass or epoxy resin and they can control the temperature smoothly during the fermentation, due to the heat-transfer property. Comparing the cost with oak barrels, steel barrels are more affordable options. The steel is neutral and doesn’t affect the taste and aroma of the wine stored in it. So, they are quite useful for the experimental batches of the wine which need neutral storage containers.

Continue reading →

During the September long weekend, I embarked on my first journey to beautiful Napa Valley Wine Country in Napa County, California – a haven for wine drinkers and foodies alike.

After a tiring volleyball tournament weekend in San Francisco, we rented a car and embarked on our journey. We traveled up and down the hilly streets of San Fran, through Lombard Street’s multiple zig-zags, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and through to the notably gorgeous Napa Valley for the day.

The drive to Napa was unforgettable: endless hills of vineyards that glistened and sparkled in the Californian sun (some vineyards attach silver shimmering cards to their vines to keep birds away). We visited the Robert Mondavi Winery where the green fields of vines were stunning, the vineyard’s architecture was classical seaside Mediterranean, the walkways were deeply serene, and the 2005 Moscato D’Oro was like honey to our lips.

So the next time you’re in California or the surrounding area – don’t forget to take the unforgettable journey through to Napa Valley and Sonoma County for some of the best wine the New World has to offer.

Continue reading →