Thanks to this darling blog, I was approached in the fall about doing some writing for the International Wine Accessories blog. And (drumroll please,) ... here is my very first post! I'm a real, paid blogger now! Whod've thunk!?
Goodness, January 16th came and went and I forgot to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Chicago Uncorked! It's been quite a year. I haven't been as great about posting lately as I'd like, but here we are- I'm back, and in honor of the 1 year anniversary, I'm going to do a recap of some of my favorite wine-related news stories, new items to hit the market, and other fun stuff. Here goes!
1. The trial and conviction of Rudy Kurniawan. If you haven't followed this story, you should. It is fascinating, and sort of taps into a little bit of what I was talking about in my "cult booze" post. The guy basically forged very pricy wines, and made a hell of a lot of money doing so! 2. Wine for Cats. I love my cat, and I have been accused of being a bit of a cat lady, but even I am not crazy enough to buy her her own special wine. (Though I confess, I'm still a little curious.) 3. This video, courtesy of my friend Amber. I really DO want to try it, but think it is best done sober, so it may not be on the table for my next Wines of the World group. 4. The discovery of this awesome ancient wine cellar in Israel! Archaeology meets enology! Love it. 5. The news that wine is on the rise! People are getting on board, and craft wineries are taking off! 6. I want to try this cool product. Apparently, you can just sort of needle on down through the cork, suck out some wine, pull the needle out, and it is as good as never opened. The possibilities! As a single gal, I love it, but also, think of how many high-priced, aged wines could be sampled without ruining the whole bottle! 7. And some news I don't love so much- we're potentially facing a global wine shortage! Nooooooooooo! China! Get your own wine! (good thing I'm essentially a wine horder, eh?) I think that about covers it. Did I miss anything? Do you have any cool/useful/funny wine related stories or products to share from the past year? Happy Birthday little blog! And thanks to those of you who've kept reading! So I know I've mentioned I'm pretty wild about rose. Rose, in my humble opinion, is great year-round and with almost any food.
I also love thinking about the care that goes into making it! Most rose is made by taking red wine grapes (truly, almost any red wine grape can be made into rose, though it is usually the lighter bodied, fruitier ones) and then depending on how much color and flavor is wanted, processed one of the following ways:
At this point, the pink juice will be fermented, usually to dryness, and processed much as a white wine would be. Hopefully, reading that list helps you realize just how much care a winemaker has to exert in order to get a good rose! You can't just set it and forget it with this one. If you know what color and flavor profile you want your wine to have, you have to keep checking the juice as you go along- making sure it doesn't get too dark or bold. Once it slips too far, you've got red, and can lose the delicacy and lightness associated with rose. Some the roses I've liked best have been made from Syrah, Cinsault, Gamay, Grenache, and even Pinot Noir (which isn't always my fave as a red, but lends itself to a light, earthy rose.) You'll notice I didn't go into the pink moscatos, white zinfandels, and other overly-sweet abominations... This is because I think they've given rose a terrible reputation, and I don't like them! My choice! Go find a nice bottle of rose, chill it, and as you sip it, think about all the care and love that went into its creation! Mmmm! | Wanna receive updates in your inbox?
AuthorI'm a wine-loving actress in the Windy City who holds certificates in Enology and Viticulture from Washington State University. I also own a hilarious cat. ArchivesOctober 2014 CategoriesAll |
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