No one is particularly fond of washing dishes, with many people reserving it for times when the tower of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink begins to resemble the Tower of Pisa. But, for those who have a collection of wine glasses, particularly crystal wine glasses, washing dishes correctly becomes essential in preserving the glasses ability to fully do their job. Non-Crystal Wine Glasses Non-crystal wine glasses are not as high maintenance as...more
Israel is a nation possessing a rich past. The turning pages of history find it at the center of the Bible, while present day finds it at the center of conflict. A country known for many things, wine is not necessarily one of them. Going into a liquor store and requesting the finest bottle of Israeli wine isn't something many people do. The reason for this is because wine, until recently, wasn't something Israel brought to the table, proudly...more
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Apulia region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.Apulia is the heel of the Italian boot. It is located in the southeast corner of Italy on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Apulia was frequently invaded by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Among its many rulers were the Byzantines, Goths, Lombards, Normans, Spaniards, and Turks. Its moment of greatest glory was in the Holy Roman Empire of the 13th Century, when majestic Romanesque cathedrals and palaces were built. When the Phoenicians and Greeks first arrived in Apulia they found native people living from farming. Apulia produces nearly half of the olive oil in Italy. Other major agricultural products include grain, fava beans, vegetables, pasta and rice, seafood and fish, cheese, and meat, especially lamb and kid. The region has some industry, in particular chemicals, petrochemicals, iron, and steel.Apulia's administrative center is Bari, the biggest city in southern Italy, whose population is slightly more than 325 thousand. Bari is a university city, with a historic old town. Taranto and...more
Even for the avid wine drinker, deciding on a bottle of wine can be a daunting task with so many varieties of wine on the market today. Wine labels don't help either with the various terms in foreign languages and the small print. Sometimes reading a wine label makes you feel like you need a secret decoder ring, but rest assured that this is not to...more
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.Trentino-Alto Adige is located in the center of Italy's northern border. It touches both Switzerland and Austria. Among its tourist attractions...more
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.Veneto is located in northeastern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. The region is mountainous with all kinds of water; rivers, lakes, lagoons, and of course, canals. In its heyday, during the Renaissance (Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries), the Venetian Republic ruled a large part of northern Italy, and was a major player in the world of commerce and culture. Veneto's present population is about 4.5 million. Veneto's capital, Venice, is one of the world's top tourist destinations, claiming 60 million visitors a year. Its attractions are too numerous to list here. Venice's neighbor, Padua, is the oldest city in northern Italy. Padua was the home of the famous astronomer Gallileo Gallilei. The metropolitan region encompassing these two cities has over 1.6 million people. Another city of interest is Verona with its numerous Roman and medieval monuments.Agricultural products include cattle, corn, wheat, sugar beets, and of course grapes. With all the water you can be sure that fish and seafood abound....more
When most people think of school, they are usually transported back to their elementary school days, a time of crayons, grumpy cafeteria ladies, and tennis shoes filled with playground gravel. Because they are taken back to a time of youth, people...more
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Sicily region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.Sicily is the football kicked by the Italian boot. It is...more
If you love wine then you must also love wine tasting. Wineries attract wine lovers like magnets because they offer the option of tasting new wines and vintages and exposing their sense of smell and taste to another variation of their existing...more
The Rioja region in Northern Spain is situated in the Rio Ebro valley, it's northern border being bounded by the Sierra de Cantabrias mountain range and it's southern by the Sierra de la Demanda. The resulting geographical location creates...more
It's important to do some homework and learn exactly what's entailed before undertaking the hobby of winemaking. It is not something that can be simply plunged into and then learned along the way. Without the vital research required to have the...more
One of the most rapidly growing trends in the world of wine seems to be with the rise in popularity of ice wines (or eiswein in German). This is interesting because these wines have been around for almost 200 years yet have not had much time in the...more