Celebrate the Season with a Cabernet from The Devil’s Cellar

Halloween isn’t just for kids! It now ranks as America’s all-time favorite holiday. And 2016 proved to be the most celebrated Halloween ever – more than 171 million Americans (up 14 million from 2015) took part in the festivities. Of those, 34% hosted a Halloween party. Casillero del Diablo is promoting its Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon as the "Official Wine for Halloween" – and why not? With a name like The Devil’s Cellar, this Cab promises to entice every ghoulie and guy at the party.

Underground Cave

But a good ghost story is always appreciated this time of year and Casillero del Diablo comes through. Legend has it that when vineyard owner Don Melchor de Concha y Toro discovered his wines had been stolen from his ancestral home in Chile in the late 1800s, he spread a rumor that his darkest cave was haunted by the Devil himself. This added to the legend that the wines had been stored in hell but were made in heaven. The story spread, and today The Devil’s Cellar is the number one tourist attraction in Chile.

Wine Review:

The Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 pours dark red in the glass with black cherry, chocolate and tobacco on the nose. The wine is medium bodied with good tannins and a nice acidic balance. Cerise, plum and tobacco are on the palate with a hint of chocolate on the finish. Pair with grilled burgers, steak and some chocolate Halloween candies.

The Official Wine of Halloween comes in a HalloWine gift box that adds to the allure. Casillero del Diablo wines have maintained a steady following through the years for offering consumers dependable wines at good prices. Retailing for $11 nationwide, this Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 may be just the trick to make your Halloween guests feel that they’ve been given quite a treat.

~ Joy

My new book The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide is out on bookshelves nationwide. Click here for book information.

Feline Wines

Just when I think things can’t get any weirder – they do. This week, Apollo Peak Wine made news with its cat wines. Under the caption “Why Drink Alone?” this “feline snack wine is designed to entice even the most picky cats.”

MosCATo

Denver-based Apollo Peak reports that the wine is non-alcoholic, (Animal-lover hope so!) and made from a blend of water, beets (for coloring), and catnip - all grown on the Colorado farm where the wine is created. The company began making cat wine in November 2015 to create a niche for wine-loving cats, and their owners.

Pinot Meow

Apollo Peaks currently offers two types of cat wines – Pinot Meow and MosCATo. And yes dog lovers, do not despair. There is also a dog wine in the works.

Walter CronKat

I don’t know about you, but even though I love wine, my cat has never expressed an interest it in. Zilch. Nada. None. So, do we really need a wine for cats? Or dogs?  I’m thinking – no. Cute idea for a gag gift, or for that special cat-lady in our lives, but my Walter CronKat will just have to make due with water and an occasional splash of milk. Some things are best left alone – and wine is one.

~ Joy

16 Wine Trivia Questions in Honor of National Trivia Day

National Trivia Day was Monday, January 4, but I just couldn’t pass up the chance to delve into some wine trivia as a way to celebrate the New Year.

Test your wine knowledge and see how many of the answers you know.

Amphora

1. When were the first wines produced?       

       

Around 6600 B.C.

2. In the ancient world, what type of vessel held wine?         

An amphora

3. How long does it take for a grapevine to produce grapes?

Three to five years 

4. How many grapevines make up an acre?  

Around 400

Grapevines

5. One ton of grapes will make how many cases of wine?    

 

Around 60 cases or 720 bottles

6. How many grapes are in a bottle of wine?

600 – 800 grapes

7. How much wine is in a single barrel?   

              

60 gallons, 25 cases or 300 bottles

Grapes

8. How many pounds of grapes does one bottle contain?     

About 2.8 lbs

9. A vintage wine is crafted from how many year’s harvests? 

One year

10. A non-vintage wine includes grapes from how many harvests? 

Two or more years blended together

Corkscrew Patent

11. When was the corkscrew first patented?

1795 in England

12. What temperature should white wine be served at? 

49-55º Fahrenheit

13. What temperature should red wine be served at?  

60-68º Fahrenheit

14. How many calories are in a 5 ounce glass of dry red wine?

About 110

15. What is the difference between a sparkling wine and Champagne?

Sparkling wine is any effervescent wine not grown in the Champagne region of France.

16. What are the top three U.S. states for wine consumption?        

California, New York, and Florida

Alright, you've earned a glass of wine.  Cheers to the New Year!

~ Joy

Eau de Wine

In this blog we’ve talked about pairing wine with food, wine with chocolates, and wine with cheese. Now it’s time to consider pairing wine with perfume!

Fragrances of Wine offers a line of custom scents created by Amy Mumma, a wine consultant, and Richard Asfour, a perfume expert. The fragrances are based on the essence of four types of wine: red, Rose, white and sparkling. The perfumes sell from $85 to $125 per bottle.

Noir – This perfume brings to mind ripe berries, cherries, figs, spice and everything nice.

Rose de Provence – Just as the name implies, the essence of wild roses floats through the air with a subtle hit of lavender, violet and jasmine to create a lingering aroma.

Blanc - The floral notes of orange blossom, orchid and honeysuckle mingle with amber undertones for a nice, light scent.

Sparkle - This treasure-trove of sparkling wine notes reminds you of an effervescent vino, and life's celebrations.

Another wine perfumery is Kelly & Jones.  When Jones noticed how her vanilla perfume intermingled with the notes of a Chardonnay she was drinking, she decided to create fragrances that would play off different types of vinos. The Kelly & Jones Wine Notes Collection highlights five perfumes influenced by wine.

Cabernet – A whiff of vintage leather, peppercorns, black cherry and tobacco intermingle to create an intoxicating perfume.

Merlot – The crafting of rhubarb, red currents and mission fig mixed with candied violets gives a subtle yet rich aroma.

Chardonnay – Delve into the aromas of crème brûlée, toasted oak, vanilla blossom and honeydew for a sensuous scent.

Riesling – A combination of peach and pear mixed with raspberry leaf and bergamot teases the nose.

Sauvignon Blanc – This scent offers the freshness of green apple, grapefruit and star fruit blended with the camellia flower. Seductive!

According to Jones, “Fragrance and scent are intertwined, so a wine fragrance is just a natural progression of this link.” The Wine Notes Collection sells for $84 for a 1.7 fl oz/ 50 ml spray bottle.

DIY

If you’d rather concoct your own vino scents, check out sites such as these for wine fragrance oils that can be added to make bath oils, soaps, lotions, perfumes and candles.

Nature’s Garden provides wine fragrance oils available in Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Merlot and Shiraz aromas. For the more alcohol-adventurous, there’s also Absinthe, beer, and Amaretto oils available.

Brambleberry offers vino fragrance oils like Berrywine and Champagne that can be used in soaps.

Crafters Choice has numerous wine fragrance oils including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Galactic Grape.

Now you can have your wine, drink it, and continue the olfactory adventure with a scent that reminds you of your favorite vino. Scent-lute!

~ Joy

Celebrate Wine Tourism Day

Get ready – the third annual Wine Tourism Day will be held this Saturday, November 7, 2014 in North America!

Wine tourism is growing in this country as casual wine lovers and wine enthusiasts visit regional and state wineries and share their finds with friends on social media. There are hundreds of great wineries out there but most of us will never know about them because their wines will never reach distribution. This is one way to get the word out.

There are over 7,500 wineries in the U.S, Canada and Mexico with 205 appellations in the United States along with 40 in Mexico and 38 in Canada. Winery visiting opportunities are endless for the casual oenophile. And sharing that information on Facebook and Twitter will help make more people aware of these little known wine regions and what they offer.

Events are planned at wineries, restaurants, hotels and other wine businesses throughout North America. Many wineries and wine shops will hold special tastings to encourage customers to come out and celebrate. If you can't make it to a winery this weekend, plan a dinner later in the month and have everyone bring a favorite bottle of a regional wine they've purchased. Share stories of your visit, and enjoy!

Stay up-to-date on the latest about Wine Tourism Day with news from Twitter https://twitter.com/winetourismday and

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WineTourismDay.

And this Saturday, pop the cork on a local wine to celebrate the day in the best possible way.

~ Joy

Celebrating Autumn with Hot Mulled Cider

Today is National Hot Mulled Cider Day – one of my favorite beverage holidays. There’s just something cozy about a steaming mug of apple cider out by a bonfire on a windy autumn evening.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider Recipe

1 gallon apple cider

½ cup brown sugar

6 whole cloves

1 tsp whole allspice

Dash of nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick for each mug

Heat the ingredients to boiling and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Or, double the recipe and place in a large slow cooker and let it simmer all evening.

You can also add a shot of bourbon or spiced rum to each drink for an extra autumn kick.

Cheers!

~ Joy

Imbibing to Music

(A short sabbatical is in order - So, for the next few weeks, we'll take a look back at some older posts: This one is from 2012 about the affects of music on wine drinking.)

 

Music is said to have charms to sooth a savage breast, but did you know it could also influence what wine you buy?  And, it can also affect how that wine tastes to you, depending on what type of music is playing.

Numerous studies in the past twenty years have indicated that music and wine are closely linked, and that music can heavily influence a person’s decision about which wine to buy.  Wine, it seems, echoes our surroundings and our feelings.  This may be part of the reason that professional wine judging events are held in silence; to give the judges a chance to “hear” the wine and interact with it.

A study on the type of music played in grocery stores and how that influenced  what wines were purchased was administered by Adrian North and colleagues in 1997 at Leicester University.  Nearly 80% of shoppers in the study purchased the type of wine that corresponded to the kind of music playing in the background; When French accordion music was playing, 77% of wines purchased were French.   When traditional German music (Oomph music) was heard, 73% of the wine sold was German. But when 44 of the store customers were asked if they believed the music had affected their choice, only one person said yes.

The results of this study suggested that you would be 3 to 4 times more likely to purchase a wine that matched the music playing in the store as a wine that did not match it.

Stores and restaurants have known for quite some time that playing classical music will influence shoppers to purchase more expensive wines, and to spend longer in their establishments, thereby purchasing more wines and food.

The pace of the music can also influence how quickly and how much you drink.  Reports have shown that when faster, upbeat music is played, restaurant and bar patrons drink more alcohol, wine and beer.  But when slow, mournful music is heard, drinking slows, sales decrease, and the restaurant or bar gets (depressingly)quiet.

The rationale for this music-wine connection says that playing happy music with a happy wine, (Chardonnay or Muscato) will open it up more, making it more enjoyable. Chardonnay may be perceived as being confident and fresh when paired with pop music. 

A darker, moodier wine (think Cabernet or Syrah,) paired with low, brooding music will make both seem darker and morose.

Simply put, music can change our perception of the taste of the wine.  If the music and the wine have the same basic feel or values, they will pair well together and compliment each other’s vibe.

That means  music may help the wine seem even smoother or fruitier when paired with certain songs.  If paired poorly, the wine may test harsh or astringent.

Clark Smith, winemaker at Diamond Ridge Vineyards, has been testing these theories and drawing some interesting conclusions. According to Smith, “Red wines need either minor key or they need music that has negative emotion. They don't like happy music. With expensive reds, don't play music that makes you giggle. Pinots like sexy music. Cabernets like angry music. It's very hard to find a piece of music that's good for both Pinot and Cabernet.” “Red wines need either minor key or they need music that has negative emotion. They don't like happy music. With expensive reds, don't play music that makes you giggle. Pinots like sexy music. Cabernets like angry music. It's very hard to find a piece of music that's good for both Pinot and Cabernet.”

Adrian North (of the grocery–music study mentioned above) has also done a scientific study into the  wine-music correlation at of Heriot Watt University in England.   His latest research shows that background music influenced the taste of the wine by up to 60%.  Of 250 students studied, the results showed that the music did effect the drinker’s perception of the wine on a consistent basis.  Again, Cabernet lends its self to moody, heavy “powerful and heavy” music and a Chard responds better to “zingy and refreshing” songs.

North’s study offers four types of music, a song suggestion and the wine to pair it with.  Here are just a few examples:

Wine                           Type of Music             Song & Artist                          

Cabernet                  Powerful & Heavy     Won’t Get Fooled Again-Who

                                              

                                         

Syrah                       Subtle & Refined         Canon –Pachelbel                 

                                                          

Merlot                      Mellow & Soft           Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy        

                                                           

Chardonnay             Zingy & Refreshing         Atomic – Blondie

                              

Want to try it yourself? Clark Smith offers a one-hour recorded seminar called Mysterious Resonances. “By utilizing brain scan technologies that enhance our understanding of music, Smith demonstrates how harmony in wine and music are linked”. The cost is $9.99  and the seminar is available at http://store.payloadz.com/details/972771-video-educational-mysterious-resonances-pairing-wine-and-music.html

The wine-music connection is intriguing.  It may someday encourage winemakers to recommend music selections on their wine labels to pair with their wines - A sort of balance in harmony.  Wine and music, just another way to enjoy!

~ Joy