There's Now Proof That Eating Cheese Makes Wine Taste Better

Snacking on cheese can increase the aroma of wine and decrease the duration of its astringency.

Confirming what we've suspected for years, a group of researchers have found that eating cheese alongside your vino can make the wine taste even better.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Food Science, tasked locals from the wine-loving town of Dijon, France with the tough job of snacking on cheese in between sips of wine and giving feedback on the sensations they experienced with every taste. Each of the wines, which included Pancherenc, Sancerre, Bourgogne, and Madiran, was evaluated alone and then in between bites of a variety of cheeses.

Following the taste test, the researchers at France's Center for Taste and Feeding Behavior came to the conclusion that none of the cheeses tested—which included epoisses, compte, Roquefort, and crottin de chavignol—had a negative effect on the taste of the wine and the preferences of the drinker. In fact, the sipping sensations were improved for a number of the wines when snacking was thrown into the mix. The cheese was shown to increase the aroma and decrease the duration of astringency for both of the red wines tested, and boosted the aroma of another. The only wine that wasn't impacted was Pacherenc, a sweeter variety.

"We learned that the duration of the perception of astringency of a certain wine could be reduced after having cheese and that the four evaluated cheeses had the same effect," lead author Mara V. Galmarini said in a press release. "In short, when having a plate of assorted cheeses, the wine will probably taste better no matter which one they choose."

Beyond making dairy lovers everywhere happy, this data could also encourage marketers to take into account how one food or beverage's profile changes by the addition of another. And if nothing else, it's a great excuse to eat more cheese—something we support wholeheartedly.

(h/t International Business Times)

Article and images sourced from http://www.foodandwine.com/news/theres-now-proof-eating-cheese-makes-wine-taste-better?xid=soc_socialflow_facebook_fw

Swirling and Sipping in Style: 7 Homes With Their Own Wine Caves

To help comfort you on a frigid winter night, or bring a “wow” factor to your backyard barbecue, imagine emerging with a special bottle of wine from your very own wine cave.

These seven Western properties, from Scottsdale to Sonoma, are designer examples of putting wine in its proper place. Within these temperature-controlled walls—wine should ideally be stored between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit—are sweet spots to store your wine until it’s time to uncork a bottle.

But a wine cave can also double as an event space for all your home entertaining needs. Cheers to that!

9889 E. Honey Mesquite Dr, Scottsdale, AZ

Price: $1,995,000
What’s a good match-up with wine? How about a home theater? That’s the idea behind this five-bedroom, five-bathroom home where leather burgundy chairs (reclining, natch) and a chandelier bring man cave to wine cave.
Perfect pairing: A macho Napa cabernet sauvignon and “Die Hard” for movie night.

Scottsdale, AZ

2286 Decade Ct, Riverside, CA

Price: $1.3 million
There are quite a few places to enjoy wine procured from the temperature-controlled wine cave—note its cheery red walls—in this four-bedroom, five-bathroom home: by the infinity pool, in the rotunda living room, or in front of the fireplace in the master suite. Pair the wine with whatever you whip up in the chef’s kitchen, complete with warming drawer and five-burner stove.
Perfect pairing: Stave off a hot day by the pool with a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc.

Riverside, CA

3673 Butterfly Ln, Placerville, CA

Price: $799,000
About as cool as the “mini vineyard” on the 9.91-acre property is the wine cave in the three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom contemporary home. The 1,000-square-foot cave skews Old World, with its ivy covering and curved wood doors. Though long and narrow inside, there’s plenty of space to store cases of your favorite vintage and perhaps even the wine you make.
Perfect pairing: A Bordeaux red to match the cave’s Old World atmosphere.

Placerville, CA

18595 Lomita Ln, Sonoma, CA

Price: $12 million
Close to town (the Sonoma plaza is just 2 miles away) yet private, this five-bedroom estate has all the wine country goods: a saltwater pool, a syrah vineyard, a kitchen with Viking appliances and Vermont soapstone counters, a barn, and, of course, a wine cave. Sip some wine while you play on the bocce court, or host dinners in the wine cave.
Perfect pairing: Try some zins, which are crafted just up the road—it’s a great way to support your neighborhood.

Sonoma, CA

6420 Harbor Lights Ln, Avila Beach, CA

Price: $2.39 million
San Luis Obispo is an emerging wine country destination along the Central Coast. This four-bedroom, French Country–style estate features a wine cave and a chef’s kitchen. The temperature-controlled wine cave holds 650 bottles and a full dining set.
Perfect pairing: Pinot noir from a local winery and Santa Maria–style barbecue.

Avila Beach, CA

300 Alta Loma Dr, Angwin, CA

Price: $1.9 million
The design of this three-bedroom Napa Valley home mimics the French countryside. It features a limestone wood-burning fireplace, handcarved antique doors, a courtyard, a garden studio, a guest cottage, and a wine cave. The property spans 2 acres, which means there are plenty of alfresco spots to sip wine.
Perfect pairing: Champagne, naturally.

Angwin, CA

———

3380 Hidden Valley Ln, Fairfield, CA

Price: $1.3 million
Tucked in a gated community, this Spanish Mediterranean–style home (with three bedrooms and seven bathrooms) boasts not just a wine cave but also an outdoor pool, a wraparound balcony, a waterfall, and a rock fireplace. Bonus: The cave is big enough to house a small group for dinner. Constructed entirely of brick, the cave has built-in shelving.
Perfect pairing: In keeping with the home’s Mediterranean style, try grillo, a white wine from Sicily.

Fairfield, CA

Article and images sourced from http://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/seven-homes-with-wine-caves/

A Shortcut to Decoding Wine Labels

© Martin Poole / Getty Images

 

What seems important on a wine label can vary drastically, depending on where the wine is from, if it’s a varietal, whether the winemaker is going for aesthetic or information—or just straight up girl power shock value.
Good news for you: there’s really only a handful of essential things you need to know on any wine label. Yes, getting into Old World wines, terminology can get a bit more complex, with Chateaux and Cru levels printed alongside etchings of old castles. But if you pay attention to these elements on any wine label, you should have a decent sense of what you’re in for, besides just intoxication.

Wine Maker or Winery:

Usually the easiest to spot, but not necessarily the most important at first—unless you’re seeking out a particular wine maker. Good to know, though, especially if you want to remember who made the delicious/terrible wine you just bought. Hard to miss on a New World Label; on an Old World label, there may be a bit of decoding.

Appellation:

The long and the short of it—where the wine was made. It could be as big as a state, e.g. California Chardonnay, or as specific as an actual vineyard in a particular region in a particular country. In Old World labels you’ll see terms like “Appellation Controlee” (AOC) and “Denominazione della Origine Controllata” (DOC), denoting that these are legally regulated areas of wine production. Don’t let the terms scare you. It’s still just all about that place.

Varietal Name:

If the wine is a varietal (as in one-grape) wine, the name of that grape should be pretty prominent on the label—but only if it’s a New World wine. Think of a California Cabernet Sauvignon  or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. (It’s not required to list the varietal, but many producers—wisely—choose to do so.) Bear in mind that in the U.S., only 75% of the wine’s actual content has to come from the varietal listed. (Don’t worry, the rest comes from other blending grapes, not, like, Welch’s.)
If the wine is a blend, especially an Old World blend, you may or may not see what went into it, but your best bet is to check the back label. That’s where they’d print the blend if the winemaker chose to make it known, though they don’t have to.

Vintage:

If there’s a date listed on the wine label, that means it’s a vintage wine—meaning all the grapes were picked in that year. Vintage is easy to spot, since it’s one of the most readily recognizable things on any wine label, no matter how complex. Important if you hear that 2005 was a good vintage for French Burgundy (and you have plenty of cash on hand).

Alcohol Percentage:

Always good to know the percent of alcohol by volume, or ABV, of the wine you’re buying. You might find it somewhere on the front label, but (especially with Old World wines) you can also find it on the back label, often next to the bottle size, which, unless you’re going magnum, should be 750ml. Unlike beer, wines must have the ABV printed on the label.

Sweetness Level:

This matters when you’re buying wines that can have residual sugar content and/or sweet iterations, like Riesling and Champagne. In Champagne, the scale goes from Extra Brut (driest) to Brut, Extra-Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, and Doux. Point of confusion: “demi-sec” means “half-dry,” but it can actually taste moderately sweet.
Another place it’s good to know sweetness terms: Riesling. New World Rieslings keep it pretty simple with terms like Dry (meaning the least sweet), Semi-Dry, Semi-Sweet, and Sweet. But once you get into German and Austrian Riesling, you’ll find a multi-syllabic step-ladder from least to most sweet: Kabinett, Spatelese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein. A good shortcut for dry Riesling, look for “Trocken” on the label. Another shortcut: Austrian Rieslings tend to be dryer than their German cousins.

Article and images sourced from http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/drink/shortcut-decoding-wine-labels?xid=soc_socialflow_facebook_fw