Wine Tips:

White Wine Recommendations: Some of the best whites wines for the money are coming over from New Zealand; There are also some excellent inexpensive French white wines from the Loire valley; Italian Pinot Grigio's are still a great bargain, despite growing popularity. Finally, Vinho Verde a Portuguese wine is usually inexpensive and is a refreshing wine to drink especially in the hot summer.

Red Wine Recommendations: French Burgundy wines are truly great, but unfortunately they are expensive; Italian Barolo wines are also usually great red wines, but again quite expensive; However, Italian Chianti's are much improved from the old straw days and often reasonably priced.

When trying wines from different regions of the United States - try some of the local varietals.  For instance, try a Chambourcin or Chancellor (red wines), Vidal or Seyval (white wines).  These grapes grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region and usually produce a quality wine at a price that is almost always less than the locally grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Chardonnay.

Simple rules: With white wines the younger the better and most red wines should be at least 4 years old (wine ratings by age) and only a few red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, & Pinot Noir) last more than 10 years.  Once opened, red wines should be finished within a day or two, while white wines can last a few weeks in the refrigerator.  White wine is usually served in a small wine glass that has a long stem which allows a person to hold the drink without warming the wine.  Serve red wine in a larger and wider wine glass and leave at least one quarter of the glass empty to allow the wine to breathe. Also most red wines will benefit from a slight chilling before serving.

When is comes to choosing Champagne or Port wines, there are some good alternatives.   However, the best Champagne wines usually come from the Champagne region of France and the best Port wines usually come from Porto region in Portugal!

When tasting wines my recommendation is to sample the dry wines before tasting any sweet, semi-sweet, or dessert wines.

What wine to serve with a meal: Most white wines work will compliment most any food, whereas choosing red wines can be a lot more complicated, however dry red wines with chocolate or strong cheeses is very rewarding!

Store wine in the coolest and darkest part of your house, possibly a closet. The worst place to store wine is on top of the refrigerator, where heat and vibrations can wreak havoc

To avoid headaches, for every glass of wine your drink, drink 1 glass of water!

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Useful Wine Links:

1. WINE LOVERS PAGE - The oldest, largest and most popular independent wine-appreciation site on the World Wide Web.

2. PALATE PRESS - A modern on-line wine magazine.  Including wine reviews, lessons, products, tours, basically... all things wine.

3. WINEX MAGAZINE - Online site for one of the more trendy wine magazines.

4. WINEANSWERS.COM - Provides quick, helpful information on all aspects of wine enjoyment.

5. WINE ANALYTICS - Probably the best source for getting industry data on wine

6. A few of my favorite wineries: Gazela; Jamesport Vineyards; Sauvion; Nobilo Wines; Osbourne

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