Vanessa Wines!

Thanks To Everyone That Supported Our 2-Year Anniversary!

What a fun day! Kevin & Co. was great and it was great to see familar and new faces. Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate! Especially since the weather wasn't so nice!

How to clean your wine glasses

Arlene, a wine associate at our store, received an interesting phone call about a month ago. The woman who called said our wines at the store always tasted great, but at home they tasted "funny". The woman was not a huge wine drinker, but started to be turned on to wine after doing a wine tasting with us. Arlene, who is knowledgeable in all aspects of wine, asked her how she was cleaning her glasses. She found out that the woman was using dish soap to clean her glasses, which can leave a soapy taste! The woman took Arlene's advice and low and behold, the wines tasted like they did at our store!

Frankly, I think a lot of people don't know how to properly clean their wine glass. Here is the deal...this is what Arlene recommended to the woman with the funny tasting glass.

Many "serious" wine drinkers only use very hot water to clean their glasses and especially their decanters. I personally have only used hot water for some time now. Every day dishwater detergent is pretty bad and can leave a soapy taste. Washing your dishes in a dishwasher is actually better than washing with harsh dishwater soap as long as your dishwasher detergent is not harsh.

I just purchased "Stem Shine" from Wine Enthusiast and I am pleased with it. For those of you that feel like they need soap for something to be clean, this is a good bet. I will probably start carrying it in the store.

I also bough a drying rack, but seriously..the glasses still get spotted.!The best bet is to wipe them dry with a lint free or micro-fiber cloth.

Cleaning a decanter is the same. I also strongly recommend using a product like Stem Shine or just hot water followed by cold water for a decanter.

Bottom line-No dish soap, dishwasher is ok, hot water followed by cold water or a product like Stem Shine is the best!

Off To Napa Soon!

I am so excited for my upcoming May girls trip! Jeanine, Laurie (high school girl friends-grew up in Waukegan) are heading to Napa Valley! Any suggestions on where to go? Laurie and I want to check out Del Dotto (Stan has been there and we have some amazing wine from them but are running out!). But, we are open for suggestions!

Picture of Laurie and Jeanine from my mom's 75th birthday party last June.

Are You A Closet Zinfandel Drinker?

Do you secretly like White Zinfandel? It may not be your fault. New research shows the type of wines you like may be a result of how many taste buds you are born with!

Tim Hanni, one of the first two Americans to pass the prestigious English Masters of Wine Exam, believes that your wine preference is physiologically linked to the number of taste buds in the tongue. He goes on to break it into three categories: Hypersensitive, Sensitive, Tolerant.

Hpersensitive people have the most taste buds and are highly sensitive to bitter and bold flavors. These people have a more difficult time finding wines that they like.

Sensitive people have less taste buds, but still have a sharpened reaction to flavors.

Tolerant people (like me!) have fewer taste buds and tend to like everything!

This is important to the wine industry not only for selling to consumers, but also on wine judging. Should a judge be required to take a test to find out what type of taster they are? The number of taste buds in their tongues could affect the judging.

Also interesting is the role your culture plays in your tastes. A Hypersensitive taster tends to dislike broccoli and chili peppers. But, if you were born in a household that cooked with chili peppers, you may tend to like them.

And then we have the role that MARKETING plays in our tastes. Who has determined that a White Zin is a lesser of a wine? Yellow Tail Shiraz sure has seemed to be the wine of choice in the last few years.

If you are really interested in this concept there is an on-line test at www.budometer.com that you can take. You can find out what category you fall into and find suggestions on wines that match your pre-determined palate.

For example, a hypersensitive person should try Rieslings, French Chardonnays, New Zealand, American and French Pinot Noirs.

Sensitive tasters can try Sauvignon Blanc, from the US and Chile, Viognier, Syrah and Merlot

If you are a tolerant taster you can go for heavy Cabernets, Amarones, Brunellos and Red Zinfandels.

So, what do you think? Will the wine industry shift their sales and marketing after discovering this new information? Or should it be taken with a grain of salt? (by the way..hypersensitive and sensitive like their salt!)

Back from Houston!

I went down to Houston to visit my friend Robin over the weekend. Talk about the best weather!

She found a similar winery called Salud!winery. They do the same thing we do. You can check them out at www.saludwinery.com. It was fun. There wines were good, but I think ours are a bit better. I brough some home to compare. My suitcase coming home was packed with wine and shoes (we did some shoe shopping as well. I went to Houston with 4 pairs of shoes and came back with 7 pairs!)

Anyways, I got to hang out at Salud on Saturday night and on Sunday. They are able to sell by the glass and serve food. One of the bar tenders Courtney, started this organization for survivors of breast cancer to have resources to get there life back on track. It is based around the concept that single, divorced or widowed cancer survivors can get back their life. Her mother experienced this being divorced. Please check out her web site www.pinkdoornonprofit.org. I think it is a great thing she is doing!

Now about wine...So I just finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess. They drink a lot of wine (and ale) in the books and I got curious on the origin of wine in England and did some research. Here is the down and dirty of English Wine History:

• It is said that Julius Caesar. They are not sure that wine was ever originally grown in England
• They are certianAround the time of the Norman Conquest vines were grown and wine was made.
• By the time Henry the VIII received the throne there were 139 vineyards in England and Wales, 11 of them which was owned by the Crown.
• The 18th and 19th century there was documentation of experimenting of growing grapes and making wine, but nothing after the first World War.
• After the Second World War, two men Ray Barrington Brock and Edward Hymans were the inspiration for the re-establishment of the English wine industry.

Modern day there is not much recognized substance around English wine. With Italy and France so close I think I would just hop on a plane for Europe for the weekend and enjoy wine from the wine countries!

Snow Day!

So, I am back blogging. Today is so bad..the store is closed. There is no way I could drive or would want any of my employees driving!

First a few things going on with the store:

• If you can get a copy of North Shore Magazine, we have a great article written on us! I am very happy with the media we are getting!
• If you are getting married soon, check us out at SAVE THE DATE Wedding Show at the Westin in Wheeling on Sunday the 10th.
• Need Valentine's Day ideas? We are doing a That's Amore Wine Tasting of 6 Italian Wines for $6.00. Whether you need a place to take your sweety or want a girls night out it is something different to do.

Now for some fun wine stuff. Lindsay (employee) and I were talking about "wine myths" the other day, so I though I would share some fun facts!

# 1- You Need To Decant Red Wine. This one is TRUE and FALSE! It really depends on the wine. Decanting originated from back in the old days before filtering. The sediment would get on the bottom of the bottle, so decanting it helped clear the wine. I personally find decanting opens the wine up especially if it is a heavy cabernet. But, how different is it vs. swirling your glass very well?? 

#2-The More Legs On The Wine, The Better The Wine. FALSE! The more legs does mean the higher alcohol, but not quality.

#3 -"Reserve" Wines Are Better Quality- FALSE. There is currently no standard on the word RESERVE. Most winery's will pick there best wines, but what does that mean? It is exclusive to the winery, not to any other government standard (this applies to US, not Europe)

#4-The Older The Wine, The Better! -FALSE. First, it is a matter of taste, and everyone's tastes are different. In reds, tannins (that bite that you get from the skins and seeds of the grape) will disapate with age, but you may like a more tannic taste. Most wines on the shelf today won't change much after a few months. It is hard to determine when the wine has reached it peak. And, how is the wine being stored? That influences the aging as well. Basically, buy your wine and drink it!

#5-Red Wines Give A Headache Because of Sulfites. TRUE and FALSE! All wine do have sulfite. Even "sulfite free" wines contain it because it is a natural occurence in fermentation. However, white wine contains more sulfite than red wine. Red wine has the skins on during fermentation that give it natural preservation, so most red wines have less added sulfite. If you think you have a reaction to sulfites eat some dried fruit. Dried fruit contains a high, high level and much more than a glass of wine contains. If red wine gives you a headache but white doesn't, it could be the tannins. Or, in my case because I tend to drink more red wine than white wine in a sitting!

Great Customers!

So, yesterday, one of my customers Brian, brought me a 2004 Chimmney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon. I mentioned it was one of my favorites that I tried at a wine tasting at the Botanic Gardens hosted by Binny's over the summer. He came across one and brought it to me! How sweet was that!

This wine is from the Stags Leap District in Napa Valley and is completely complimentary to the Stag's Leap style. Blackberries, black currant and even chocolate notes! It has a strong finish. You can hold it, but it is very drinkable now! It runs about $45.00 depending of course where you purchase it.

Getting Ready For Italy

So, we are almost set. We have a villa, but we are a bit in trouble for our first night. We can't find a hotel in Florence. Of course we haven't contacted every hotel, but so far the ones I have-nada available (actually, "nada" is Spanish, "nulla" is Italian..) Youth hostiles at age 37 is not an option!

Picture of Stan and I in Florence 2005.

So, here are the wines I am excited about! We had a CARNIVALE party in February at the store (everyone needs to RSVP next year-it was a blast), so I am pretty well versed. The rumor is that Italian wines have less or no sulfite (no added-sulfite is produced naturally during the fermentation process) but I have read articles that say even Italian wines in Italy have added sulfites.......Anyways, about the vino!

First decision-rosso o bianco? (red or white?). Usually the best bet is the vino della casa (house wine). Or do you feel like spumante (sparkling).

Then there is a DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) wines that are basically guaranteed by the goverment that they have come from a official wine producing area and meets certain standards. A DOCG (G for Garantita) means it is high quality, another government rating.  Honestly, the last time we were in Italy we drank a lot of table wine. Believe me all of their wine is SPLENDIDO!

So, we are going to be in Tuscany! Here are some of my favorite wines. You can buy them here...I even carry a few at my store, but unless it is in February for CARNIVALE some are by request only!

1) Chianti- we all know Chianti! Chianti is actually 70-90% the Sangiovese grape and often rounded with Cabernet, Merlot or Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir as we know it).

2) Brunello di Montalcino- the ruby red wine of Tuscany! It was actually developed in the 18th century when Biondi-Santi vineyards were hit with a fungus and the only grapes that survived were Sangiovese Grosso (Big). First wine to be grante the DOCG standard. Brunello is 100% Sangiovese, aged for 4 years. A five year is a riserva (reserve). A younger, more fruit forward version is Rosso di Montalcino

3) Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano-flavors of violets, fruits and damp soil. Cheaper than Brunello, but much more versitile.

4) Have you heard of the SUPER TUSCANS? They are made primarily of Cabernet and Merlot and a splash of the Sangiovese grape. The two most famous are Sassicaia and Ornellaia, promduced in southern Tuscany.

This is the end of my blog for today! The most important phrase to remember is, "Un bicchiere di vino rosso per favore!" (oon bee-key-air-ay-dee-vee-no-roh-soh-pehr-fah-vohr-eh) or translated "A glass of red wine please!"

Starting Out!

So, this is soooo new to me. I hate at 37 (almost 38) that I don't really know that much about blogging. My web designer keeps recommending it to me.  I just hope there is a spell-check feature! Why do I want to blog?....I thought it would be great to have a place to talk about wine...all kinds of wine. I love my store and I love my wine and so many wines, I wanted a place to share all the information without any intimidation!