A wine festival, including vintage festival french fête fête des vignerons or the vendanges, is a recurring event that deals with wine, winemakers and vineyards. In some wine regions of southwest Germany called dependent early celebrations with new wine, their respective dates of the beginning of ripening, even Bitzlerfest.

Characteristics

As a rule, wine and wine festivals are celebrated there, where wine production. They usually take place on weekends, often in the autumn months of September and October, and may take several days. Even in areas where no wine is grown, are sometimes called “wine festivals ” organized, then here is not of “Wine Festival  is mentioned. It is not uncommon for music bands or singing groups organized halls and tent parties, whose only reference to the wine, is that in addition to other beverages and wine are offered.

Germany

* Backfischfest in Worms
* Castle and Wine Festival in Wachenheim
* Deidesheimer wine Kerwe Deidesheim
* German wine festival in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (with the election of      the German Wine Queen, the wine and the largest village Haiselscher Winzerfestzug)
* Dürkheimer sausage market in Bad Dürkheim
* Eselshaut hard in Mußbach
* Autumn in Fellbach Fellbach
* Fixed the spring whites in Landau in der Pfalz
* Billy goat auction in Deidesheim
* Heilbronn Wine Village in Heilbronn
* Autumn and Wine Festival in Radebeul
* Kändelgassenfest in Großkarlbach
* Almond Blossom Festival in Gimmeldingen
* Moselfest in Winningen
* Rheingau Wine Festival in Wiesbaden
* City wall hard in Freinsheim
* Wine Village in Stuttgart
* Wine festival in the Middle Mosel in Bernkastel-Kues
* Christmas Market in Mainz
* Wine Festival in Greater Umstadt

Austria

* Feast of the 1000 wines in Eisenstadt

Swiss

* Fête des Vignerons in Vevey

The storage environment plays a crucial role in the proper storage of wine. Whether you have an extensive wine cellar or a makeshift room in your basement that can serve as a cellar, this has little effect but the overall condition of the environment is important. Remember that almost every aspect of storing wine should be controlled and monitored as closely as possible and not just left in the back of an ordinary refrigerator.

First of all, the storage environment should be a cool, dark place. Allowing sunlight to penetrate your wine bottles, especially if you have clear bottles will make your wine develop an unpleasant smell. Of course once this happens, it is close to impossible to reverse this condition and when that special occasion arrives that requires you to open that bottle of wine, it will be too late.

The temperature also plays a crucial part as the taste and quality of the wine is largely dependent on this. Remember that almost everything in a storage place must be controlled and temperature must be one of them. Monitor the temperature and avoid sudden changes. The temperature must be constant for the entire duration of the wine storage.

You must also avoid moving the wine bottles. Shaking the bottle, even through just changing its position, can affect the wine. Even during shipping, wines need to rest after the transportation for it to settle and regain its taste and quality.

For businesses, it is important to keep the wine storage place as controlled and monitored as possible. If you are storing large numbers of wines at home, such as wine wedding favors that you intend to give away soon, have a makeshift space in your closet or an allotted space in your fridge, depending on the temperature required, where you can store the wines safely and properly.

Acidity, bouquet, body, crispness, and sweetness are some of the important characteristics that are considered during wine judging. Usually, wines that have the most desirable characteristics come locations that are advantageous.

The wines with the most highly appreciated characteristics come from Italy. The region of Tuscany produces excellent wines, and they’re renowned for this. When it comes to the quality of their excellence, the key is the combination of location and ancient culture.

Excellent wines are also produced in France and they’re also known worldwide for their consistency. Champagne, Provence, Bordeaux, and Burgundy are among the few top regions for growing wines in France.

When it comes to their reputations, each region bases it on the quality and style of their wines. The quality of French wines is determined by the methods of production used to ensure the quality characteristics that have made French wines distinguishable from others.

Because of countries investing highly in the study of aspects of wine making such as growing and bottling, there’s a surge in production of quality wines in countries like the USA, Australia, and Argentina.

While judging the desirable characteristics of wine is complex and confusing, most wine aficionados agree that the variety of the grape is a key factor. Labeled by wine judges as “varietal character,” the flavor of the grape used in a specific wine is a considered to be a positive characteristic.

In describing the characteristics of wines, an entire language of wine is used. It helps wine growers, wine lovers, and judges communicate with each other although when heard for the first time it seems to have a poetic quality about it.

Full-bodied, robust, and aromatic are words that are elementary to a wine enthusiast. The fun in discovering the various wine characteristics is to sample wines from around the world and see if you can match the characteristics to the wine.

Before automatically looking for your regular brand however, we advise you to try some of the local wines and spirits that Cyprus has to offer. If you have ever been to the Limassol wine festival then you will know the extensive range of quality wines that are locally produced. Cyprus has a large vine growing and wine producing area, in particular in the Limassol region. The tradition of wine making in Cyprus can be traced back many thousands of years, and it is claimed that Cyprus was the first wine maker in the Mediterranean. There is a wine museum in the village of Erimi that gives an interesting insight into the wine making history of Cyprus, and many wine companies offer wine tours and tastings. Dionysus (also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by the Romans) was the mythical Greek god of wine. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one’s normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine. You may see / hear the name of Dionysus in this region quite often, unsurprisingly.

Some Cyprus wines made from old, traditional grape varieties have achieved awards in International wine competitions, as have generic wines produced from International and cosmopolitan grape varieties. Often the widely planted local grape varieties are blended with International varieties to enhance body, flavour and complexity.

One of the most famous and favoured wines of Cyprus is Commandaria, the history of which goes back to the 12th century, when it is claimed that Richard the Lionheart enjoyed it greatly at his wedding in Cyprus, and he pronounced it “The wine of kings and the king of wines.” Commandaria is a sweet dessert wine made from sun-dried grapes, which can be seen laid out in the sun on the foothills of the Troodos mountains.

Of course its not only wine that Cyprus produces, but also spirits such as Zivania, which is produced by distillation of grapes. Zivania is protected under EU regulations as a product unique to Cyprus, and is also used by locals for medicinal purposes such as rubbing it onto the chest to help with winter caughs and colds. Brandy is also locally produced, and it is a fine drink on its own, or as often used to make Cyprus’ famous ‘Brandy Sour Cocktail’. Ouzo is another famous and traditional Cyprus drink, which is produced by double distillation of selected dry wines, together with seeds of anise.

Cyprus also produces some excellent beers due to the mild climate that produces rich wheat, which is used to brew high quality light beers (lager beer).

If you use an RSS reader (try Google’s if you need one), you can bring content from many different wine sites directly to you. Here are just a few of the top ones:

• Wine Spectator’s News
• eRobertParker.com – includes recent topics at Mark Squires BB
• SF Gate – the San Francisco Chronicle’s website has a great wine section
• NY Times – Wine section
• Woot Wine – One week, one wine for sale
• Wine Library TV – Get Gary’s high energy wine videos
• Premier Cru – New inventory as its added
• My own JJBuckley.com - New inventory as its added

The retailer feeds are great. If you pay attention to your aggregator, you can often scoop new wines right when the retailer adds them to inventory before the general public finds them.

Did I miss any feeds – please add a comment with a link.

The country stretches over 550 km in north-south direction with an average width of about 150 km. The borders Portugal to Spain to be determined by mountains and rivers. The interior is largely mountainous. In the west and south, the mountains fall into a large, intensively farmed coastal plain from out. The climate is largely dependent on the level of the region. High temperatures prevail, especially in the Mediterranean-influenced south. North of the Duero, the average annual temperature about 10 ° C, between the Tagus and Duero 15.6 ° C and in the valley of the Guadiana 18.3 ° C.

From the first steps of Portugal as an independent nation, founded in 1143, testified by countless Romanesque churches and castles and medieval villages. Only much later was to become an independent Portuguese architecture, namely the Manueline style, a late form of Gothic, in the 15th and 16 Century unfolded to its full glory. The tile jewelry played, especially from 17 Century, and was also a significant role in the churches, palaces and town houses to stay.

The American actor John Malkovich is an avid fan of Portugal. He owns not only a house but is also co-owner of a disco in the north. He recently finished filming several films in Portugal.

Lisbon

Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese), located at the mouth of the Tagus in the Atlantic Ocean,
now offers an exclusive blend of nostalgia and modern city design. Even a view from Lookout Point Santa Luzia on the roofs of the Alfama district and the Tejobucht enough to stand out from the ‘ville blanche, “the” white city “to be drawn into the spell. And who is a little more time can be and the streets and lanes of the 600,000 inhabitants metropolis roams, will visit its many historical buildings and on the Rossio, the main square of town, or on the adjacent Praça da Figueira is in one of the classic coffee houses, his first impressions are only confirmed.

East of the Praça do Comércio, in Rua dos Bacalhoeiros for example, we find the palm-fringed Cebolas the Campo. Here is the Casa dos Bicos. This exceptional property, with its pyramid-shaped stones, 1523, was built by Brás de Albuquerque, the illegitimate son of the then Viceroy of India, Afonso de Albuquerque. He had to decorate the facade of the Italian-style palace built needle with pointed stones that resemble polished diamonds. Click here for map of Lisbon …

Something from the history of Portugal and its wines

In ancient times, brought Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and vines on the Iberian Peninsula. In the long Muslim domination of 8 to 12 Century viticulture stagnated, however, came in spite of the wine ban is not appeased. In the 12th Century, founded the Cistercian Order in Portugal more than 100 monasteries and affected viticulture crucial. King Dinis (1279-1325), nicknamed “Lavrador Rei” (King of the farmers) promoted agriculture and wine so successful that could be built with the proceeds of a commercial fleet and thus the basis for the rise to world power was created.

When the English were at war with France, dried up the source for wine and England sought compensation. Douro was to find and so was able to flourish because of the good sales market for wine production. The most famous wine of Portugal, port wine, was discovered at that time. The English King William III. rose in 1693 as high tariffs on French wines that the English wine merchant based in Portugal. Learn more about Port wine here soon.

Today, in a cultivated area of 261 000 hectares annually produces around seven million hectoliters of wine. To 30% of whites and 70% produced rosé and red wines. The most famous Portuguese wines are well-Madeira, Port and Vinho Verde. However, in 1942, created by Mateus Rosé Sogrape and similar products such as Fonseca Lancers of around 40% of the Portuguese export volume for some time that the status has expired. Viticulture is an important industry in Portugal, about 15% of the population live on. Because of the climate, the country is ideal for wine growing, because of the wine growing northern part has abundant rainfall and long, lovely summer. The floors are mostly made of granite and slate.

Portugal is the “Land of the 500 indigenous varietals” that were once largely cultivated as a mixed set. Only in the 1980s was (mainly because of EU regulations for quality wine regions) began to create pure varietal vineyards. The most important red varieties are Alfrocheiro, Aragonez (Tinta Roriz), Baga, Bastardo, Castelão Francês (Periquita, Santarém), Sousao (Vinhao), Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francês (over 25% of vineyards, the most widely grown variety), Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira Preta (Tinta Amarela). The main white varieties are Alvarinho, Arinto, Azal, Encruzado, Esgana Cao, Fernão Pires (Maria Gomes), Loureiro and Treixadura.

IWA

Independent Portuguese wine producers have joined together under the name of Independent Winegrowers Association (IWA) to a new export association. The goal is to make such as the diversity of native varieties and outside the country known. Among the founding members of the association include Joao Pedro d’Araujo (Casa de Cello), Nuno Araujo (Quinta de Covela), Pedro Araujo (Quinta do Ameal) and Luis Lorenco (Quinta dos Roques).

Portugal’s leading cork producer in the world

Another important export items in addition to wine corks. Portugal is the world’s largest producer. Approximately seventy-five percent of the world’s ten billion Korkstoppel produced annually from the country on the Iberian Peninsula. Already in ancient times knew the Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans used the cork. For the closure of their amphorae but mostly they used earplugs made of terracotta (burnt earth = unglazed clay) which they attached with string and then seal with paint, clay or pitch. to the rediscovery of the cork is attributed to the monk Dom Perignon (1638-1715), who allegedly experimented with the production of champagne to have.

In Portugal, the cork goes back to about the year 1700, the first processing plants were built probably around 1770 in the area of Porto. At this time was the famous Vintage Port, a place in bottle maturing in casks of port. To transport the bottles had to be closed, which caused a large demand for corks with it. Today there are approximately 20,000 workers who earn their living by, among many large families who for generations in some way are connected with the cork. The area planted with cork oaks in Portugal is about 30 percent of the total global arable land. Every year about 150,000 tonnes of cork is produced.

The statutory provisions

The first legal action in Portugal in the regulation of 20th May 1927 and were eventually settled updated 1988th In addition there are 1991 in the European CE-Liège Korkverband the major European countries joined the Cork, to be examined in production conditions and the impact on the quality of the finished corks scientifically. Important part in this program it is published in 1996, “International Code of Practices Bouchonnieres,” a pioneering work on good manufacturing and processing of wine and champagne corks. Cork is in addition to Portugal for example produced in Spain, Algeria, Italy and Morocco.

Prefabrication

Cork is a natural product and is made from the bark of the cork oak Quercus suber. Color and appearance of the Korkholzes provide useful data on the origin and the duration of post-harvest storage. Only a sufficient thickness of the cork guarantees the required diameter of the bottle stopper. Therefore, the strength (thickness) of the cork plate by 5 mm above the value of the desired Korkdurchmessers lie. The board should also have nine years rings (growth years).

The most important task that a cork has to fulfill, can be described briefly:

A proper seal can be ensured.
Sterility must be provided.
The quality of the cork must be uniform and consistent flavor neutral.
The quality of the wine must be maintained through the cork.

Up from the cork stopper for the wine, it goes through a complicated procedure. The cork can be stripped as soon as possible on a truck loaded and transported for further processing in the production facilities in northern Portugal. Thus, the risk of infection by a bark storage is reduced in the forests and protected the precious cork from theft.

Before the first cooking the material must be at least 6 months of good ventilation and low ground contact in the store outside. The first washing process, the stack of plates are immersed in water for one hour at approximately 100 ° C. The Korkholz be removed unwanted substances. The wash water must be of sound quality and must be changed frequently.

The now more or less flat plates are mounted to stabilize the moisture content in the lobby of the company for another 3 weeks. Too high or too low humidity makes it difficult to punch the cork. Depending on quality, the strips of cork, either mechanically or, punched for high-quality cork by hand.

The processing of the cork

Since the research of Hans Tanner at the Wädenswil Research Station in Zurich is known that washing can lead to chlorine-containing alkaline solutions to the unwanted Korkton (Zapf taste) the wine. If this procedure is still required by French and Australian importers and explicitly practiced so in Portugal still so in the meantime, but new methods have been developed that are based primarily on the basis of hydrogen peroxide, because the consumer wants light cork.
In the company LUSO-SUICA in Pacos de Brandao, a joint venture between Switzerland and the Portuguese cork Chaillot JADC, the hand-stamped, subject to a controlled, high-quality cork Peroxidwaschung. After the final sorting out the cork and air conditioning the work towards Switzerland, where held at Chaillot in Allamand nor the sealing and final inspection in the laboratory.

CTCOR

Instrumental in promoting quality at the processing plants of Portuguese cork is the safe, opened in 1991 Korkforschungszentrum CTCOR (Centro Tecnologico da Cortica). Learn more about this …

Workmanship of cork are:

Green wood
Worm or ant holes
Fractures or cracks
woody or bulbous bodies
less than 4 annual rings

By sealing corks are technically upgraded. The previously used paraffin is used today in Korkbehandlung barely. For this set the most Korkhersteller emulsions based on plastic, so as to achieve a surface treatment in natural cork. This means that the corks are processed free of dust and with good sliding and seat characteristics.

When pressed cork is a “cork substitute,” which is made from crushed and binders. In the colmated cork cork at least be visually improved by adding a Kolmatage of cork powder and binders to the “jointing” is used. The cork has no pores and thus shows no gas diffusion. The sealed with cork bottles should be stored upright. The corks may otherwise weaken and lead to extensions.

Alternatives to cork

Meanwhile superior wine, the cork to be replaced by alternative bottle closures. Some use the relatively new plastic plugs. Swiss wine producers are pioneering the use of screw caps. Winzer Peter Querbach of Oestrich-Winkel (Rheingau-D) developed several years ago the “Stainlesscap”, a now patented bottle cap system, which is hidden under a cap, a stainless steel cap. Brand-new got to talk a glass closure, which reminds of a handle corks, taste neutrality guaranteed, and reusable.

Want to learn more about the benefits of cork in the wine, please click here …

Want to learn more about the origin of Korktons (Zapf taste) in the wine, please click here …

The Swiss are world champions in Cork Recycling

Every two months, plays out on a Zurich attic strange: Seniors – they call themselves “Free evergreens” – gather to sort thousands of corks and free of metal parts and waste. Their voluntary work thanks the Swiss have the unquestionable reputation, world champion in the cork to be recycled. Natural cork has a very long life, to recycle it, is an ecological and economic absurdity. A tree can be peeled before the age of 25 years for the first time (for industrial use), for bottle cork is the bark suitable for the first 45 years. Other times this can be done in ten-year intervals, about 15 times can be a tree bark.
In Switzerland, the cork factory Näfels on the specialized grinding of used corks. The unimposing cork bottle stoppers emerge as an insulating material for house construction and use natural products for craftsmen and chemists – the senior’s thank.

The quality levels and regions of the Portuguese wine

Respect for age or maturation of a wine it is descriptions such as Verde (no aging), Maduro (old or matured in barrels), reserva (red wines three years old – one of them in the bottle, white wine a year – six months in bottle) , Garrafeira (such as Reserva and higher alcohol content) and Velho (red three white wines age two years). Doce or adamado means sweet (see above all the other terms). The wine quality levels are based on the wine-law of the EU. The Vinho de mesa equivalent to the German or Austrian or the French table wine vin de table. The appellation system is divided into three stages. The lowest level is Vinho Regional (VR). This country wines appropriacy the French Vin de Pays, but have in Portugal a very special quality importance. The quality level of IPR (indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada) was introduced by the EU accession and corresponds to the French or Italian VDQS IGT. The highest level of DOC (denominação de Origem Controlada) includes quality wines protected regions and corresponds to the Italian DOC, DO Spanish and French AOC. The areas by region:

Alentejo (DOC)
* Alentejano (VR)
* Borba (Sub-area)
* Evora (Sub-area)
* Granja-Amareleja (Sub-area)
* Moura (Sub-area)
* Portalegre (Sub-area)
* Ridondo (Sub-area)
* Reguengos (Sub-area)
* Vidigueira (Sub-area)

Algarve (VR)
* Lagoa (DOC)
* Lagos (DOC)
* Portimão (DOC)
* Tavira (DOC)

Azores (IPR)
* Biscoitos (IPR)
* Graciosa (IPR)
* Pico (IPR)

Beiras (VR)
* Bairrada (DOC)
* Beira Interior (DOC)
* Dao (DOC)
* Lafões (IPR)
* Tavora-Ravosa (DOC)

Douro (DOC)
* Porto e Douro (DOC for port wine)

Extremadura (VR)
* Alenquer (DOC)
* Arruda (DOC)
* Bucelas (DOC)
* Carcavelos (DOC)
* Cartaxo (IPR)
* Colares (DOC)
* Lourinhã (DOC)
* Obidos (DOC)
* Torres Vedras (DOC)

Madeira (DOC) (more about it here ..)

Ribatejo (DOC)
* Cartaxo (IPR)
* Ribatejana (VR)

Terras do Sado (VR)
* Arrábida (IPR)
* Palmela (DOC)
* Setubal (DOC)

Trás-os-Montes (VR)
* Chaves (IPR)
* Plan Alto Mirandês (IPR)
* Valpacos (IPR)
* Varosa (IPR)

Vinho Verde (DOC)
* Rios do Minho (VR)

According to Statistics Austria, the vineyards in Austria from 1999 to 2009 by about 6 percent has fallen to 45 586 ha, especially as more and more winemakers to give up the wine as a sideline. Who wants to live on wine production needs, according to calculations by the statistician about 10 ha to 15 ha of vineyards. The number of vineyards where the rate stood at about 20 200 is a massive decline. Since 1999, nearly 40 percent of the winery abandoned

England. For many, the epitome of a culinary disaster area. Fat sausages and beans with tomato sauce. For breakfast. A wheat bread spread called Marmite and mint sauce on the meat – no, the island state is not blessed with a truly epicurean highlights. And aside from a Jamie Oliver, who has dedicated it observed in Mediterranean cuisine, and the little-known in this country Nigella Lawson, is devoid of the island nation hardly renowned cooks and chefs.

Not so in the realm of wine: the most important and influential wine writers in the world come from England, with one exception. The exception: If the American Robert Parker, coughing, jumping the prices of Bordeaux wines to new heights. Apart from this have on the wine market, however, the British writer is in charge.

Above all, Hugh Johnson, the wine comes from the classic: “The big Johnson” and “Young Johnson”. One of the most renowned names of Wine Writers Guild include the Master of Wine Jancis Robinson and Michael Broardbent – the latter author of the “Oxford Dictionary of wine.” A colorful personality on the other hand Oz Clarke, a former actor (among other things, with a supporting role in the film “Superman” from 1978). The victory of the World Wine Tasting Championship 1985 was the starting gun to his career as a wine expert and made it the flagship wine professionals from the BBC. Added to the list of unusual wine writers, last but not least, Stuart Pigott, a Briton living in Berlin, writes in German and has established himself with books about the German white wines are a name, and many enemies.

The power of trade

However, the British tipple of wine and not just write about it. Mount Olympus, the wine expert who has the Institute of Masters of Wine, also based in London and of the approximately 280 Masters of Wine 180 members come from England. Furthermore, control center of London wine trade: “A dominant role in trade play the London auction houses, sold the wine for centuries, and whose commitment to the wine trade has developed,” says Jancis Robinson from News Network. Unlike France, Italy and other wine-producing countries, England had always been looking over the horizon of the surrounding seas also addressed. For the United Kingdom with its own wine production is the lowest of the world rankings – even Kyrgyzstan produces more liters of red juice. Conversely, import – apart from Germany – no country a comparable amount of wine.

Robinson: “Historically, England, a trading nation with a long history of wine imports, which won over the centuries a considerable knowledge of wine was.” The British Empire has developed a finely interwoven network of trade and built up a strong naval fleet beyond question. Not only to protect the network but also to make it further. Trading power and the combined knowledge of wine was not to be underestimated as a consequence of the presence of exercising power over the make of the wine.

Kickstarter

So it was for example the English, who later helped one of the glorious wine regions on the jumps – the Bordeaux. In the late Middle Ages, the English possessed the future epicenter of the large drops and developed wines that were matched to the English palate – and the blueprint for today so acclaimed Bordeaux style. If necessary, the dealer, but also invented completely new wines – such as the Port wine from Portugal. Also, the British made the champagne presentable: Where the French sparkling water, the initially saw as a fault in wine production, he met with the British penchant for big – the vile thirst of the British established a drink today is absolute luxury.

The choice of which wines should be imported, meet the dealers, however, less on marketing methods, rather than after, with whom the British Empire was at war, just walk. Thus, even Napoleon knew the love of the British to French wine. In order to demoralize them in the war, he turned them off the wine tap. What the British turn are not impressed: it sought to ease other wine-country and founded a further own wine culture – they invented in Sardinia, the Marsala.

So much for history. The influence of English on the world of wine, however, is undiminished. The nation’s culinary peculiarities not only combines the most knowledge about the greatest wines in the world and has had the most influential journalists spoke on the topic. The country without its own wine is still wine trade as the dominant nation and therefore has to love a great influence on the style of the wines we drink.