RagusaRagusa is the most southern province of Sicily and the whole of Italy, situated in the Val di Noto. It’s a city of great tradition, dating back to Greek times, unfortunately completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and completely rebuilt in a beautiful baroque style right after it. The city is now divided in Ragusa Superiore, newly built after the earthquake, and Ragusa Ibla, build on the site of Ragusa before the earthquake, and the most attractive part of the city. Of course, there is not only Ragusa to visit. The towns of Scicli and Modica are beautiful, with much of the architecture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. They were important towns during the historic “Reign of Two Sicilies.” Like Ragusa, many of the buidlings are in the Late Baroque style. These are the highlights, but most towns of the Val di Noto are worth visiting. These three cities can be included in a south of Sicily tour, together with the province of Syracuse, and including Syracuse itself, Noto, where the famous Caffe’ Sicilia is located and you can try one of the best cannoli of whole Sicily, and three natural reserves on the east coast, where natural wonders meat the sea: Del Plemmirio, Cavagrande del Cassibile and Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari. Cerasuolo di VittoriaOf course it is also a place of great wine culture, and in this case Cerasuolo di Vittoria (where Cerasuolo is a type of red color, while Vittoria is a city west of Ragusa) is the king of the surroundings and together with Etna wines they compose the top tier of nowadays Sicilian wines. Here the wine production is ancient, dating back to the 6-7th century B.C. when the greeks populated the area. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria is made with Nero d’Avola for 50-70% and Frappato for 30-50%, both of them typical sicilian red grapes. The wine produced within an even more restricted area can have the Classico addition. The birth date of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the same as the birth date of the city, when the founder of the city Vittoria Colonna Henriquez-Cabrera gifted a hectare of land to the farmers if they seed another hectare with vines. In 1974 it obtained the DOC status, and in 2005 the DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita, the highest level of classification in Italian wine). COS and Arianna OcchipintiTwo wineries are representing the Cerasuolo and the territory they are stand on at their best: COS and Arianna Occhipinti. COS is the acronym of the surnames of the three founders: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti e Cirino Strano. In 1980 these three young guys rented from the father of Giambattista Cilia 3,5 ha of vines grown in alberello style and the old family winery. The first vintage produced 1470 bottles, and since then they made a great job in improving year after year. In 2000 they were already using amphorae for the aging of wines, and they kept the line until this day. Their best Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the “Delle Fontane” which in the vintage 2012 gave a great result. It was aged 18 months in big wood barrels and other 18 months in cement tanks, red ruby color, at the nose fruity notes of cherry, blackberry and currant, scents of roses and spicy touch, while on the palate is fresh, elegant and Mediterranean, with adorable tannins. Arianna Occhipinti story is much more recent, in 2004 Arianna, niece of the Giusto Occhipinti owner of COS, bought 1 hectare on the Strada Provinciale 68 (County Road 68), the name of the county road that goes from Catania to the coast (SP68 is also the name of her entry-level wines). This is an important detail for Arianna cause she is since 2015 president of the Road of the Wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria and she really believes in the future of this wine and its territory. She studied Enology in Milan but came back to acquire that 1 hectare for the love of her land. The winery now owns 22 hectares, mostly Nero d’Avola and Frappato, but also Albanello and Zibibbo, two local white varieties. The top-level is the Cerasuolo di Vittoria ‘Grotte Alte’, aged at least 32 months in 25-hectoliters Slavonian oak barrels. In the 2014 vintage, it has an intense ruby red color with garnet shades, at the nose is fine and fragrant, with details of sea spray, sour cherries and oriental spices while on the palate it is intense and elegant, soft and round with a persistent and salty aromatic finish. For more on Sicilian wines, you can attend a wine class! https://www.vinology.com/class/wines-of-sicily/ The post Wines of Southern Sicily appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Via https://www.vinology.com/sicily-wine/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wines-of-southern-sicily3843193
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Good wine takes time. The grapes must be at peak ripeness, ideally coming from mature vines with smaller, more flavorful yields. Hand harvesting, the best way to ensure quality, is much slower than harvesting with a machine. The grapes must be pressed, fermented, aged, bottled, perhaps aged again. Then it makes its journey to its final destination. By the time it’s ready to be opened around your dinner table, you’ve waited long enough. Younger wines especially can be tightly wound—without any equipment, they can take two to four hours to open up. And sure, you could sit reverently around a decanter for hours while the wine opens up. For an elegant evening at home with a long-cooked dish, it may even add to the sense of grandeur. As you’re stirring your truffle risotto, you can glance longingly at the wine, anticipating its final beauty. Swirl the decanter, wait again. How poetic. But, not every dinner requires longing and pageantry. Sometimes, you just need a delicious bottle of wine to serve on a Wednesday night with a BLT or takeout tacos. For that sort of occasion (i.e. most of them), pull out The Adjustable Wine Aerator, which does the same work as a decanter in just minutes. Unlike many other aerators, this one uses integrated aeration intake which keeps the nuisance of tubes out of your wine and keeping the process utterly simple. More importantly, that means that there’s no wine dribbling out the side and onto your hand or table. Just set the aerator anywhere from zero to six hours, pour your wine into the aerator perched over a wine glass, and prepare to drink wine at its peak. The article This Adjustable Aerator Will Decant Wine in Minutes appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/picks/best-wine-aerator-2020/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/this-adjustable-aerator-will-decant-wine-in-minutes Even a global pandemic can’t dampen interest in the pink wine juggernaut. According to VinePair’s internal data, rosé is off to an earlier than usual start to its strongest seasonal period, with a 19 percent increase in reader interest this March compared to 2019. That interest comes off the back of four years of solid growth. According to Nielsen data, off-premise sales of pink wine increased almost 300 percent between January 2016 and January 2020, starting the decade with a value of over $576 million. It’s a remarkable success story, and one that looks set to continue based on the increasing diversity and elevated quality of wines VinePair recently tasted for our annual rosé ranking. This year’s list encompasses bottles from mainstay regions like Provence and southern Italy, with fresh additions from throughout the Mediterranean, including Spain and Greece. There’s also a strong selection of domestic offerings, many of which can be purchased and shipped right from the wineries. Winery-direct sales are particularly resonant right now, as much of the country is sheltering in place; it’s a sales channel we expect to see grow in importance moving forward in the new normal. The number of bottles tasted for this year’s list surpassed 100 labels. With a staff panel of tasters, we hotly debated our selections and rankings based on drinkability, mass appeal, quality, and value for money, with prices taken from wine-searcher.com or the winery itself, in the case of direct to consumer (DTC) offerings. On the topic of price, the top 25 bottles of 2020 offer further proof of the value offered by the rosé category: More than half of the bottles on this year’s list deliver change from a crisp $20 bill. At least 10 come in at $15 or less. Here are VinePair’s 25 best rosés of 2020. 25. Ehlers Estate Sylviane Rosé 2019This Napa Valley wine uses the traditional Bordeaux red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, and delivers a concentrated, full-bodied rosé. The nose and palate evoke strawberry jam and yogurt, while subtle tannins make it an ideal match for a range of dishes, from ingredient-packed salads to grilled fish to roasted white meat. Average price: $32. 24. Dominio de Eguren Protocolo Vino Rosado de la Tierra de Castilla 2019A Spanish rosé made from the nation’s superstar red variety, Tempranillo, this wine blends red fruit notes with easy-drinking acidity and just a hint of complexity. For less than $10, it’s a winning combo and the type of bottle you can buy a couple of cases of to get you through summer. Average price: $8. 23. King Family Vineyards Crosé Rosé 2019This 100 percent Merlot from Virginia is vibrant, fruity, and well-balanced. With notes of sweet watermelon and tart grapefruit, it offers the perfect match to lobster rolls or a stacked chicken sandwich. Mainly available online from the winery, this is a great reason to start ordering DTC. Average price $22. 22. Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli Rosé 2019The lightly effervescent Txakoli wines of the Basque Country in Northern Spain are sprightly, refreshing, and always offer a fun drinking experience. This bottle is a wonderful, strawberry-rich example that’s ideal for aperitivo hour. Average price: $21. 21. Les Chemins de Bassac Isa RoséThis Southern French rosé wine is all about complex, savory character. Dried herbs lead the nose before a jolt of juicy strawberries and tart cherries arrive on the palate. This is a robust rosé that will comfortably pair with stinky aged cheese and cured meat platters. Average price: $15. 20. Cambria Estate Winery Rosé of Pinot NoirA 100 percent Pinot Noir from California’s Santa Maria Valley, this is a lively, fruit-forward rosé. Generous acidity lifts its ripe watermelon and plum core, while hints of white pepper add a dash of nuance. Average price: $25. 19. WillaKenzie Estate RoseThis Oregon rosé smells like a breakfast bowl, with aromas of strawberries, honeydew melon, and yogurt. The palate has a slightly creamy texture, but a fragrant mint note helps cut through the richness. No food needed here, this is a wine to savor on its own. Average price: $21. 18. Diora ‘La Belle Fete’ Rose of Pinot NoirA big, bold rosé from Monterey County, CA, this wine showcases the weightier side of Pinot Noir. The palate serves rich doses of ripe red berries, but there’s more than enough acidity to keep things lively. Serve with fruit platters at brunch or a sizeable cheese plate as the sun goes down. Average price: $13. 17. Saget La Petite Perriere Pinot Noir RoséAn affordable Loire Valley rosé, that’s full of character and sealed with a screw cap, this is perfect picnic wine. The aromas recall tart stone fruits and wild strawberries, while the palate is fruity and refreshing with a hint of minerality. At well under $20, this is a bargain. Average price: $13. 16. Château des Ferrages Côtes de Provence Roumery Rosé 2019Made from Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah, this is archetypal Provençal rosé. It’s light and acidic, with subtle red fruit defining the nose and palate. Mineral notes and a touch of savory character add depth and keep things interesting. Average price: $16. 15. Gran Moraine RoséThis Oregon Pinot Noir pours a delightful cotton-candy hue. The nose is floral, while the palate offers concentrated fruit (mainly sour cherries) and light tannins. Avoid serving too cold or you’ll miss out on its interesting textural character. Average price: $32. 14. DAOU Vineyards Rosé 2019This Paso Robles blend bears all the hallmarks of classic French rosé. Strawberry and watermelon lead its fragrant nose followed by hints of cherry and yogurt. The palate is crisp and refreshing but not lacking in depth. As it opens up, savory tropical fruits enter the fray, leading to a world of pairing opportunities. Average price: $21.
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John BoothHi I am John Booth,36 years old from California,CA,USA,working in Whole Seller market,we supply different types of Beverages to the market.Here I am sharing some special tips about it. Archives
August 2021
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