Other Wines

Rose Wine: is made from red grapes but the juice and skin are in contact with each other for only a few hours. They are served chilled and are also popular in warmer weather.

Champagne/Sparkling Wine: Champagne was first made by accident in the 1700’s! True Champagne is made in the Champagne region of France. All other sparkling wines or Champagnes are made in the method used by the region. Champagne is made by trapping carbon dioxide(a natural byproduct of the winemaking process)in the bottle.

Champagne and Sparkling wines are primarily made with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grapes.

Brut and Extra Dry denote the dries Champagnes. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine and Asti is Italian sparkling wine.

Boxed Wines: In the past, boxed wines have had an image problem, however they are growing in popularity in the United States for several reasons.

• Quality—these wine makers pick high quality grapes to make their product.
• Value—One 3 liter box of wine is equivalent to 4 glass bottles of wine
• Longevity—Boxed wine lasts for up to 4 weeks.
• Environmentally Friendly—Boxes produces 90% less waste than glass bottles
• Convenience—Boxed wine is portable and unbreakable

Consider the alternative of boxed wine for your next event or outing!

Organic Wines: For a wine to be labeled “Organic” and bear the USDA organic seal, it must be made from organically grown grapes and give information about who the certifying agency is. A wine in this category cannot have any added sulfites. It may have naturally occurring sulfites, but the total sulfite level must be less than 20 parts per million. What seems to further complicate the subject of organic wine is the subject of sulfites. Sulfite or sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in wines. It has strong antimicrobial properties and some antioxidant properties. The health effects or consequences of sulfites are debatable though a small percent of the population does suffer a sensitivity reaction to them. A wine can make the claim,“Sulfite Free” or “ No Added Sulfites - Contains Naturally Occurring Sulfites”, but if sulfites are added and the total sulfites in the wine are above 10 parts per million, it must make the statement, “Contains Sulfites.” A wine that makes the claim Sulfite Free must have no detectable sulfites. There is some controversy about whether it is really possible for a wine to have no sulfites, but no detectable sulfites means that current ATF analysis is not sensitive enough to detect the presence of sulfites at such low levels. No Added Sulfites means that the winery did not add sulfites to the wine but there may be naturally occurring sulfites in the wine that occur as a byproduct of fermentation. –from Organicconsumers.org

Wine Pairings: Pairings are suggested through out, however, use your instincts and your tastebuds to guide you. A firm set of rules does not exist, and the best pairings are found through personal trial and error.