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to Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw - the Tri-Cities of Michigan Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania Riesling, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir |
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Wine - what a beautiful word. Europe is home to thousands of vineyards producing a vast number of different wines. Grape growing areas are located in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Austria. Wines are also produced in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and even England. Tasting wine is the only way to know if it agrees with your buds. From the myriad of labels offered in wine shops and stores, buying wine is a hit or miss game - something like buying a cat in a sack. The wine recommended by someone else is not always the one you would choose, and is sometimes one that you would prefer to spit out, except that you have already invested $20 in the bottle. You don't get your money back after you pull the cork. Your wallet and your taste buds suffer, not to mention the loss of the enjoyment you were expecting. Wines from vineyards throughout Europe can now be delivered to your door right here in central eastern Michigan. Through a unique home wine tasting program, you can select your favorites in the comfort of your own home, at your convenience. Can you beat that? Your place with your friends - not an hour's drive away to a winery. Wines which you like can then be fulfilled from a State licensed premises and delivered to your door. No hassles and no guess work and no driving after the tasting and no hauling wine around. How does a wine tasting play? A wine tasting can be done for one person or for dozens, at your home or office, afternoon or evening, weekdays or weekends. It's your call. For a home wine tasting 6 to 16 makes a good group. Just invite your wine loving friends over for an informal party. Even beer drinkers fall for some of our crisp and fruity white wines. I'll bring the wine, 6 to 10 bottles, and pull the corks. Then I'll present the wines with a short introduction, reading the labels and explaining what all those foreign words mean. Preparing for a wine tasting party is too simple. Just set out some glasses and napkins. That's it. Nothing could be easier. Many hosts also lay out cheeses and crackers for their guests and some encourage their guests to bring a cheese or appetizer, sort of a potluck affair. Try to avoid strongly flavored cheeses and appetizers because they can mask delicate wine flavors. A home wine tasting event is a very economical way to learn more about wines and have a really good time with your circle of friends. There is a nominal fee for samples brought to a wine tasting, about $5 per bottle. This is a 75% discount from the retail price, truly a great deal. If you discover a wine or two that you like, these quality wines are available in case lots of 12 bottles per case. This is ideal for laying wine away for the coming years. It's an asset that will improve in quality and in value, more than you can say for some other investments. And you always have some wine on hand for those special occasions or when you are invited over for dinner. Typical prices are circa $235 per case, including taxes and charges. This works out to around $20 per bottle. Delivery is free and usually takes 3 to 10 days. We deliver every other Tuesday in the Tri-Cities area. So, we do all the heavy lifting, from bringing the sample bottles and uncorking them to delivering your favorite wine to your doorstep. What could be more convenient or a better time saver for busy families? How do you find out more and reserve a date for your next wine tasting party? Send an email to wine@enjoy-europe.com Serving Michigan's Tri-City area Bay City, Saginaw, Midland The Proper Care of Wines You wouldn't store your milk on the kitchen counter or your bananas next to the fireplace. The same goes for wine. Wines keep very well and improve over the years when properly cared for. - It is important to lay wine on its side for long term storage. This keeps the cork from drying out. If the cork should dry out, air can enter the bottle and help turn your beautiful wine to bitter vinegar. - Keep wine at a constant temperature in a cool dark place. If you don't have a basement in which to house your wine cellar, leave it in its box on its side and put the wine on the floor of a closet or under the sink. - Do not disturb your wine or "check it out" until you are ready to drink it. Wines mature in the bottle and some throw a sediment of acidic crystals. You definitely do not want this stuff in your glass. If you wish to display your wines in a designer rack in a warm well-lighted place - kitchen or living room - display the bottles you have already enjoyed. Fill the empties with clear or colored water and recork them. Nobody will notice, or care, unless it's a burglar who broke in to steal your precious wines. A Brief Overview of European Wines Wine has been made for thousands of years. Records of wines and vineyards date from the earliest times of recorded history. After water and milk, wine is the oldest beverage known to man, and the best of the three. The wine producing areas of the world generally lie between latitudes 30N and 52N and between 30S and 40S. This includes most of southern and central Europe, and many other areas around the word. We'll focus here on Europe since Europe is what this web site is all about. France. Think France and you automatically think wine. France has 12 major wine producing areas. The most familiar are Bordeaux and Burgundy, but there is also Rhône, Alsace, Languedoc-Roussillon, and others. Best known red wine grapes are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, and Pinot Noir. The whites include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chablis. Germany. Germany has 13 distinct wine producing regions. Some of the areas are Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, and Nahe. The major grapes used in German white wine production are the Riesling, Kerner, and Silvaner. Blauer Spätburgunder, the German name for Pinot Noir, is the grape of some red wines. Italy. Italy produces more wine than any other country, and has an almost endless number of wine regions. Well known wine producing areas include Piedmont, Lombardy, and Tuscany. Red and white wines are produced from a large number of grapes, perhaps 1,000 varieties. Red wines include Barbera, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese. The Trebbiano grape is the source of much of Italy's white wine. Another red, Primitivo, is very similar to California's Zinfandel, and some say that it is the same grape which was brought to California in the mid-1800s. Spain. There are about 40 wine regions scattered throughout Spain. The best known include Rioja, Navarra, and Aragón. Major red wine grapes include Tempranillo, Grenacha Tinta, and Graciano. Viura is a major white wine variety. Portugal. Vineyards are located throughout Portugal. There are three levels of appellation with approximately 45 regions. Major regions include Vinho Verde, Dao, Bairrada, Setubal Peninsula, and Alentejo. Popular white grapes are Alvarinho and Loueiro. Red wine grapes are Baga and Tinta Roriz. Portugal is also known for its fortified wines, namely Sherry, Port, and Madiera. Austria. Austria is a significant wine producing nation even though it is not known as such because very little of its wine is exported. There are 4 major wine areas in Austria - Niederosterrich, Burgenland, Steiermark (Styria), and Wien (Vienna). These areas include 15 named wine regions. White grapes are Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), and Rülander. Major red wine grapes include Zweigelt, Blauer Portugieser, and Blaufränkish. |
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The Wine Card Wines come and go every season. Every grape, region, and vineyard is subject to the weather will of Mother Nature. Grapes, like all crops, require the right temperature, rainfall, and sunshine -- and all at the right times in the growing season. Since the weather is never the same, the grapes and consequently the character of the wines will be different every year. Thus, this page is a "work in progress" and will remain so forevermore. What wines are available for wine tastings? Altogether about 200 labels are in the program. Here is a representative list of wine currently available for your home wine tasting. Many more are also available so when you call to make your wine tasting reservation, please let me know which wines you appreciate the most. Note that all of these wines are very young and will probably be in someone's wine cellar before the next crop is in the vat. Our three most popular wines over the winter are now sold out. Reds: Merlot, Pays d'Aude, France 2001. Cabernet Sauvignon, Languedoc, France, 2001. Merlot, Cabernet, & Tempranillo blend, Navarra, Spain, 2001. Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France, 2000. Primitivo, Puglia, Italy. 2001. Whites: Riesling Auslese, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany 2001. Semillon, Bergerac, France, 2000. Chardonnay, Burgundy, France, 2001. Pinot Grigio, Veneto, Italy, 2000. Silvaner, Franken, Germany, 2001. Faberrebe Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2002. |
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Weather information and sites. What's a dollar worth? Euros for dollars The euro and current exchange rates in Europe. |
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