oak barrel
Tips on Wine Tasting
There are a few simple steps to tasting wine; following them can make your enjoyment so much more pleasurable. Sure, wine is there to be enjoyed and drinking it shouldn’t be a task or a challenge, but should provide simple satisfaction. However, there a few steps you can take to help increase that satisfaction and help to release the flavours of the wine.
Color can play a large part in recognising a good wine. The wine should always be served in a clear glass so that you receive a true picture. Being able to clearly see the rim and central color of the wine can give an indication of its age. The way the wine sticks to the side of the glass when swirled around will give and indication as to the alcoholic strength of the wine. While swirling the wine around, take a few short sniffs, your first impression will be the strongest.
The Wonderful World of Wine Barrels and Creative Ways to Reuse Them!
Wine Barrels have a specific purpose when created, most obviously to hold and allow wine to age. Aging in oak barrels enriches the flavor and contributes to the character of the wine. It can impart a smoother, softer, richer feeling on the palate. The science behind the barrel is actually quite fascinating, as subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) differences in each barrel can affect the end product of our vino. Wine will take on a different personality and quality depending on the type of wood/oak used, as well as the process by which the barrels are constructed, and also whether or not the oak is new or has already experienced use. A well-made vino so-to-speak will have just enough oak to give it added complexity without suppressing other flavor elements, whereas too much oak will overpower the more delicate scents and flavors, actually making the wine less complex. Each time a wine barrel is reused, the wine will extract less oak flavor, until the barrel is practically void of its oaky contribution. The life span of a wine barrel averages around 3-5 years for these primary purposes, and then the barrels may be sent on to make liquors such as brandy, sold to various artisans or dealers, or often even sold off as firewood.
In my opinion, a new type of fun begins when the wine aging process ends! Wine barrels can take on a new and exciting life after their initial purpose has been fulfilled. There are gorgeous wine racks, wine cabinets, and all kinds of furniture out there today crafted from recycled wine barrels. You could build shelves for your wine books, or how about hardwood floors-how cool! And what personality wine barrel parts would lend if incorporated into wine cellars, tasting rooms, kitchens, or perhaps unique artwork. Use them as large pots and fill with vines or flowers, or how about using the old barrels to collect or store rain water? There are so many imaginative and inventive uses at present and the scope could be endless with all of the creative minds out there. One of my favorite recent news pieces was on how the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is using old wine barrels to successfully breed hornbills – quite a home and romantic breeding venue if you ask me (or better yet, the hornbill!)
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