VinNobles.com, the recently launched online wine retail and lifestyle services, is proud to announce the addition of Kathy Morgan, MS to its growing team of Sommeliers. Morgan, a recipient of the coveted Master Sommelier title in 2010, becomes the third Master Sommelier to join the VinNoble.com team, which seeks out iconic, hard-to-find bottlings for its members via weekly online flash sales.
Morgan joins the VinNobles.com team that includes Barrie Larivn, MS, Michael McNeill, MS and Sommelier Christian B. O?Kuinghttons.
?I?ve always gotten a thrill out of being able to connect wine drinkers with wines they may not be aware of or that surprise them and VinNobles.com gives me the opportunity to do this on a scale I?ve never before had access to,? said Morgan. ?I?m looking forward to being a resource for VinNobles members and helping track down and give members access to unique and important wines.?
Most recently the Sommelier at Citronelle in Washington, DC, Morgan has a very distinguished career that includes developing award-winning wine lists and heading the wine programs at the city?s Occidental Grill, Tosca and 2941. Morgan is also a consultant, a judge at wine competitions, and a writer. She is one of only 198 individuals worldwide to have earned the title of Master Sommelier since the Court of Master Sommelier instituted the MS program in 1969.
?Kathy is a dynamic, bright and deeply knowledgeable wine professional who will bring her sense of adventure to the VinNobles team,? said Barrie Larvin, one of the Founders of VinNobles.com and recipient of the Master Sommelier title in 1970. ?Our members can look forward to memorable interactions with Kathy and to discovering unique and highly desirable wines through her efforts.?
About VinNobles
VinNobles is a wine lifestyle and retail provider that focuses on giving its membership access to offers of iconic and hard-to-find wines, as well as to educational and lifestyle benefits that can be found nowhere else. Founded in 2011 by an experienced team of wine, food and hospitality professionals, VinNobles is located on the Internet at: http://www.vinnobles.com, on twitter @vinnobles and on Facebook at facebook.com/vinnobles.
Summer has just begun, and already heat and humidity fill the air. We are all thinking of cold drinks to cool us down in order to make summer a more enjoyable time. With the warmth and humidity that summer supplies, dining and entertaining should be casual and outdoors. As Floridians, we have already experienced spring showers and downpours of the last couple of weeks. A cool, crisp wine can be a fantastic way to savor the moment, especially if paired with the right food. So, follow a new rule and stay away from those heavy Chardonnays that can turn your tongue annoyingly furry. This year, for a change, you could look for a White Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero Blanc) or White Merlot (Merlot Blanc). Red wines are consumed at room temperature and are heavier bodied and contain tannins. The chilled white wines, on the other hand, provide a clean, sweet acidity that can cool you off and brighten your day. Indulge yourself with a nice fruity Sauvignon Blanc, an aromatic Torrontes from Argentina, or a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio. The Pinot Gris from Germany and Oregon, and the Chenin Blanc from South Africa also provide a much-wanted relief from the summer’s heat. The most versatile white wine of all is the Riesling. Please read the label carefully, as they can be very dry to very sweet. These days they are made everywhere, including Florida. Florida has a collection of fruit wines made from tropical fruits such as mangoes, guava and lychee. These fruit wines can be used to create exotic martinis. Choose white wines from recent vintages, as they will be fresh and better priced. Select crisp, light, and fruity white wines to sip and pair them with various salads, seafood’s, and chicken. Summer whites are all about acidity as that is what keeps the wine light on the palate. For example, lemonade is sweet and acidic, making it the perfect summer refreshment. Wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Grigio emulate similar thirst-quenching effects. These wines can range from a very sharp acidity to a more mild tartness, so try several varieties to see what fits your taste and preference.
Whites – sweet: Moscato d’Asti has the bouquet of roses on the nose, and peach nectar on the palette. It pairs well with seafood specially shellfish, fresh cut fruits and chocolates. Riesling is aromatic with apple, peach, and pear at the forefront, mixed with delicate floral undertones and often honey and spice on the nose. This wine pairs well with spicy Asian foods. Gewürztraminer is fruity and aromatic, perfect with spicy food or Asian salads.
Whites – not sweet: Pinot Nero Blanc, a medium bodied wine is round, has mild juicy fruit flavors, and is very easy to drink. Replace your Chardonnay with this one for the summer of 2009. Merlot Blanc is light bodied, crispy, and fruitier than the red Merlot. Drink it chilled with your lunch or dinner. Torrontes comes from Argentina with a lot of floral notes on the bouquet and very light on the palate. It pairs well with Asian and Indian food, especially sushi. Pinot Grigio is acidic with hints of ruby red grapefruit and Meyer lemon layered with aromas of white peach. It goes great with poached salmon, grilled vegetables, seared scallops in a cream sauce, or curry. Sauvignon Blanc has hints of clean, citrus fruit, and green herbs. It works well with white fish, salads, vegetables, and pasta with earthy ingredients like mushrooms and herbs.
Reds: Malbec is rich with hints of berry, plum and herbal freshness. It pairs well with grilled meats, and grilled portobello mushrooms. Petite Sirah has the effusive aromas of butterscotch candy, strawberries, blackberry, and some spice. Experience mouth-filling, jammy blackberry, black pepper, and some chocolate as you sip this wine. This wine pairs well with barbecued steak, ribs, cheese, and other robust foods. If you are grilling this summer, use it. This wine will let you really enjoy your grilled creations.
Antoney Manipadam is the owner of Cork&Olive Lake Mary. He is a certified Sommelier (US Sommelier Association), and is pursuing Master Sommelier Certification.
Antoney Manipadam is a Certified Sommelier, pursuing the Master Sommelier Certification. He Owns and operates Lake Mary Cork&Olive;, the best wine store in Lake Mary, Florida. Website:
Wine in its simplest form is fermented grape juice. Then, why do they vary so much in price and taste? Have you ever found yourself in front of a bewildering amass of wine bottles at your local wine store trying to select the right one for a special occasion? So, how do you unravel some of the mystery behind it to make your holiday shopping easier?
If you are an avid wine drinker, you could spend some time trying to understand wines. You could become the wine expert that everyone seeks advice from. First, learn how to read the label on a bottle of wine. Typically, most French wines are not labeled by varietal i.e. Cabernet, Merlot etc., however, most of the new world wine is labeled by varietal. New world wines are produced outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe.
The new world includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. Old world wine regions are Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Each one makes vastly different styles of wine even within their own borders. The term “old /new world” is used to describe general differences in cultivation and winemaking philosophies. In old world regions, tradition, the role of unique pieces of land, and the climate are more important versus in the new world, where science and the role of the winemaker are more often emphasized.
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, and is almost 80% red, and is a blend. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Typical top-quality Chateaux blends are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc & 15% Merlot. This is typically referred to as the “Bordeaux Blend.” Burgundy is one of France’s main wine producing areas. It is well known for both its red and white wines, mostly made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, respectively. Beaujolais & Beaujolais Nouveau are red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. Beaujolais Nouveau is the most popular. It is fermented for just a few weeks. It is officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November. This is a heavy favorite, served at harvest celebrations and at Thanksgiving.
Antoney Manipadam is a Certified Sommelier, pursuing the Master Sommelier Certification. He Owns and operates Lake Mary Cork&Olive;, the best wine store in Lake Mary, Florida. Website:
As you host, or join celebrations of this season, consider some of the following suggestions. The trick to choosing great wines for your holiday party is to find something you had and liked in the past. Have more than one bottle on the table to choose from — at least two reds and two whites — with a taste variety and grape variety. Find a few wines that are crowd pleasers and are easy sipping wines. Today everyone is aware of the health benefits of red wine, and people keep asking for the red wines, more than white. Don’t shy away from offering sweet reds, sparkling reds, light reds, and really great reds.
Main course reds and whites: Gewürztraminer and Riesling are fragrant and fruity white wines which will work well with a Thanksgiving meal. Pinot Noirs and Zinfandel are red wines with a lot of fruit and balanced tannins that will complement the varied flavors of turkey and its many side dishes.
In December, holiday tables often feature red meats, such as filet mignon or roast beef. If that’s true for you, reach for full flavored red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is great with meat and cheese because of its complex flavor. Try a Cabernet from Chile or a Bordeaux style blend from California. Lamb lovers might try a glass of smooth, earthy Cabernet Shiraz blend.
And with your desserts and pies, Sparkling Moscato D’ Asti is a good choice. I would also recommend a nice port wine with dessert. Wine can make a dessert extra special. Lightly sweet, white dessert wines pair well with pumpkin pie. This is because pumpkin pie tends to have a savory edge, and is not overly sweet. Make sure the wine you serve is sweeter than the dessert you are pairing with.
Try to complement a slice of warm apple pie with an extra dry sparkling wine or demi sec. Extra dry actually means that the wine is a little sweet while the demi sec indicates that it is even sweeter.
Add wine to your celebrations this year. Remember that wine consumed with your food actually helps improve overall health. The key however, is to enjoy wine in moderation. One to two glasses of wine a day is a healthy habit with your meals.
There are side effects to wine too. It is not for everyone. You can get migraines, and, put on weight as wine is calorie packed. This holiday season enjoy it responsibly. Here are some tricks to cutting the calories. (1) Think before you drink. (2) Start with a nonalcoholic beverage to quench your thirst. (3) Reduce calorie and alcohol content by making a wine spritzer. (4) Plan ahead: Save some calories during the day.
“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” – D.M. Dellinger
Have a fantastic Holiday season. May all your hopes and dreams come true this holiday season. Cheers!
Antoney Manipadam is a Certified Sommelier, pursuing the Master Sommelier Certification. He Owns and operates Lake Mary Cork&Olive;, the best wine store in Lake Mary, Florida. Website:
Led by a team of Master Sommeliers, VinNobles is the newly founded wine flash site that puts the emphasis on well vetted, hard-to-find, iconic wines, rather than simple discounts. Beginning with weekly offers, VinNobles will give wine lovers access to small production wines from around the world that have been sources by a team headed by Master Sommelier Barrie Larvin.
VinNobles, located at http://www.vinnobles.com, is a response to the company?s extensive research and surveys of wine lovers that showed an intense desire for access to unique wines and wine experiences as much as discounts. VinNobles will initially deliver weekly, time-sensitive ?flash sale? offers to focus attention on its selections of wines, while providing members with access to a social media-driven and highly interactive website to give wine lovers one-of-a-kind access to winemakers, wine educators and its impressive team of Master Sommeliers.
?It?s absolutely clear that today?s most active and enthusiastic wine buyers crave much more than discounted wines,? said Barrie Larvin, the head of VinNobles team of Master Sommeliers and former Wine Director at the Rio Hotel where he built one of the most celebrated collections of wine in the world. ? ?Experience? is the watchword of today?s most adventurous wine buyers and our goal at VinNobles is to provide our members with one-of-a-kind wine experiences along with wines they can trust have been vetted and procured by a sourcing team every bit as enthralled by the diversity of the wine world as they are.?
In addition to Larvin, the VinNobles team of Master Sommeliers includes Michael MacNeill, MS?two-time national champion of the ?Best Sommelier in America? and Kathy Morgan, MS?former Wine Director of Washington, D.C.?s Michel Richard’s Citronelle.
With plans to quickly add Wine Club options, regional member wine events and networked events to their menu of offerings, VinNobles? current use of the flash sale model is meant not to take advantage of the new trend toward this method of marketing but rather to use it as a method of focusing VinNobles members? attention on the wines sources by its team.
?Using a flash sale model, we can provide members with ongoing and in-depth experiences surrounding our wine offerings,? notes Gil Gardner, VinNobles chief operating officer. ?While the flash sale model does promote urgency, we think its real value is in providing a perfect format for exploration, education and interaction.?
In its second offering available Friday, November 10, VinNobles is giving members a selection of wines from Baxter Winery, a Mendocino-based artisan producer of small batch bottlings that have been extraordinarily well received by critics and wine lovers, but are very difficult to obtain due to their small production.
?The Baxter wines epitomize exactly the kind of access to hard-to-find, high quality artisan wines our team is determined to give our members,? said Larvin. ?These kinds of wine provide wine lovers with a unique experience and satisfy the growing demand for authenticity and diversity.?
A “connoisseur” – according to Oxford – is an “expert judge in matter of taste”. For sure you know what you like and dislike, so already that makes you a judge. As for being an expert, you have “to have special knowledge of or skill in a subject”. OK, this might require a bit of work but I can assure you it is much easier than most connoisseurs would have you believe.
Realize first that the key to being an expert in wine is to know precisely what aspects to look for in any bottle you uncork. The average novice has a vague idea at best. Consequently, despite the fact that both persons have the same discerning abilities, no matter how much wine the novice drinks, it won’t improve his ability to judge properly.
So what we will do here is to spell out in plain English the basic but quintessential virtues that make for a good bottle of wine. I think this will help you evaluate every glass of wine and form an expert opinion with ease. I am going to take you through just three fundamental areas of appreciation, namely Typicity, Quality and Age-worthiness. Mastering them is all that stands between you – a wine novice – and you – a wine connoisseur.
Style and Typicity
The style of wine from Bordeaux will and should be different from Napa Valley or Chile, otherwise wine would be a terribly boring hobby. No one style rules supreme in the wine domain. Typicity which describes how accurate the rendition of the style that the wine is supposed to manifest, is very important quality.
An average wine connoisseur is familiar with about 30 styles of wine. It doesn’t take long for a novice to achieve that. All you need to do is to taste a lot. Your palates have excellent memory even if your mind struggles to find more Giga bytes to store a lot of facts and figures. Very soon, when you open a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, all your senses will automatically receive a download of tasting expectations. And even if the wine tastes very good it would be a disappointment if it doesn’t reflect the quality of its roots. So questions like “Are Australian wines better than French?” are really missing the point.
Quality
With the topic of style down pat, we can take a look at quality of taste. It is actually quite easy. I just need your mind to zoom in on five key areas. Your senses will then render an expert opinion on whether the stuff is good, bad or ugly. The five areas are:
Consistency
Intensity
Vigor
Balance
Finish
Consistency is about tactile qualities that leave a rewarding palate impression, not about flavors. Wine writers like to use the term Body to describe the weight of a wine. Full-, medium- and light-body describe how heavy and light a wine feels on the tongue. But size isn’t everything so in addition to body, we’re also looking for texture of smoothness and silkiness. The great Burgundy wine of Chambertin is well known for its remarkable combination of a full body and a velvety texture.
The flavors of a wine might come in low, medium or high intensity, much like the volume of music played on a stereo. Great wine comes with an appropriate level of intensity just high enough to capture your undivided attention yet not excessively so as to drown out everything else. It is such deft touch that separates the great Australian wine – Grange (Hermitage) – from many expensive baubles out of the same region.
Vigor comes from acidity without which the wine would taste dull and flat if not downright boring. Great chefs often squeeze a splash of lemon juice to finish off a dish. The presence of the same kind of fresh acidity adds crispiness to a wine making it taste racy with a bit of welcomed levity. The great Italian Barolo from Piedmont are endowed with this quality and so are some of the lovely Sauvignon Blanc white wines from New Zealand.
Balance is the quintessential quality of a great wine. A wine is out of balance if one component sticks out like a sore thumb. Most frequently encountered flaws that throw a wine out of balance are excessively high alcohol which makes the wine taste overly dry and astringent (“hot” in wine jargon) and in white wines especially Chardonnays, excessively woody (“oaky” in wine jargon) and buttery which effaces the fruit flavors in the wine. The great Château Lafite-Rothschild is benchmark for balance par excellence.
The word “finish” refers to the length and quality of the aftertaste. In a long finish, flavors linger on for nearly a minute. But length isn’t everything if the aftertaste fails to maintain its balance. Some long finishes fall apart giving way to a distinctly sour or bitter impression. Length doesn’t always bring satisfaction.
Age-worthiness
To achieve greatness a wine must first undergo the arduous challenge of time. Most wines are not made with greatness in mind. For them, time is an insidious revelation of their mediocrity. For the best of breeds, age imbues in them depth and complexity of flavors. That distinguishes the wine from the merely good. Knowing this, fastidious connoisseurs relentlessly scour the town for old vintages pricey as some old bottles could (and should) be. Novices on the other hand go for brand names and sometimes settle for wines that are far too young to drink, rarely getting their money’s worth. After all, it is the ability of wine to improve with age that positions it above all the other beverages.
By now, you have endued yourself with more than enough knowledge to be your own expert judge on every bottle you drink. If you feel lacking a bit in exposure and experience, then just drink and drink and drink some more. But drinking the same stuff over and over again won’t help. Best advice is for you to refrain from ordering the same wine night in and night out. Your time is best spent with a new fancy every evening. Promiscuity is inextricably married to connoisseurship. Even if you can’t divorce yourself from the “usual” at least be adventurous with different vintages of the same wine. Every year produces a different version of the same wine. This too is part of the myriad of fascinations that the world of wine has to offer.
Whether you are an assiduous restaurateur, a gregarious hobbyist or just a raver with a penchant for the finer things, wine is certainly an affair worth pursuing. This is one relationship which allows you to define all the rules. It can be a languid sidekick or you can take it seriously with a lot of respect and understanding. Ultimately it probably won’t love you back and it certainly won’t stop demanding more of your time, attention and alas, money. If this sounds like a raw deal, then perhaps this is one affair you should sidestep.
But imagine if that’s not a problem for you, what else in life can offer an reward so prodigious as something different and exciting to look forward to every single night?
Tim Drake is resident wine journalist in Asia, contributing to magazines and broadsheet in wine and the lifestyle that this beverage has created for the modern world.
Master of wine is one of the most difficult titles to earn; it requires immense hard work, time and effort. The title is awarded by The Institute of Masters of Wine of U.K. The wine makers need to submit the essay and the remarks which were made after tasting the exquisite wine. In addition to this, the candidates need to have a mentor who is an expert in the wine making profession. These candidates need to have some of experience so that they can get the hold of the position. Further the task becomes easier if you have acquired a diploma education in wine and spirit education from the wine and the spirit education trust, a premier organization which is associated with The Institute of Masters of Wine.
Things which you need to have to become a master of wine: In order to become a master of wine, it is important to understand that you need to possess immense knowledge about wine and the wine making industry. With regard to the industry it is important to understand about the sales, distribution, marketing, packaging, regulations and above all the production of the wine. As you get selected for the program then the candidates have to pass four examinations and they also need to clear the three blind tastings in the course of their final examination. It would be a big achievement if the candidate gets a green signal in both the levels of the examination at one stroke. However incase you do not clear one of the section then you can have a second attempt in two years period of time. As the candidates get through both the examinations then they have six months period of time to formulate a synopsis of their thesis which has to get approved by the education and examination board of the Institute of the Masters of Wine. One interesting fact that you need to know about this course is that it is almost self guided. The interested candidates have to take their own initiative and increase their awareness on the wine industry and its dynamics. Further they need to be really accustomed to the different products, smells and facts behind the preparation of the wine. The examination and the courses are offered in U.K, U.S and even Australia.
History
The grand title of wine master has existed since 1953, but the program has not been always open to all. In the initial 30 years of the program it was open only to the importers of U.K, merchants and the wine retailers. During the eighties, it opened for the people who were intending to survive professionally through the business of wine. The first American who achieved the title of master of wine was only in the year of 1987. At present there are 264 people who have acquired this tough degree and they are spread across 22 different countries. Around eighty percent of them work and reside outside U.K.
Shijina is a SEO copywriter for . She has written various articles like , Napa tours, Tours of wine country, Wine country sightseeing bus tours, Napa valley, California wine tours and more. For more information visit our site www.winecountrytourshuttle.com. Contact me mail at winecountryshuttle@gmail.com.
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Jeannie Cho Lee says she wonders sometimes if her life as a certified wine expert wouldn’t be easier if she were a gray-haired man with heavy glasses.
