The Bible talks about an interesting usage for the Apple; it says that the Apple could refresh the one who is sick with love. The Noble Quran does not mention the Apple but it talks about the fruits in general. The Quran says: for those who merit Paradise, i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise, they have different kinds of fruit therein and, therein, they have whatever they ask or call for, they have whatever they desire or wish for.
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The Apple in the Bible
In the Bible King Solomon says in his Song:
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women.
As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with grape-cakes; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love.
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me!
Upon reading this Biblical song, one may ask if the Bible is a book that teaches the religion or a book that teaches the private hot issues happening between men and women!
In the Noble Quran, the great Prophet King Solomon does not say such a song.
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Song of Solomon 2:1-6 in four different versions of the Bible:
New International Version
1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
American Standard Version
1 I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.
2 As a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.
3 As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banqueting-house, And his banner over me was love.
5 Stay ye me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am sick from love.
6 His left hand is under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me.
King James Version
1I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
Young’s Literal Translation
1As a lily among the thorns,
2So [is] my friend among the daughters!
3As a citron among trees of the forest, So [is] my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit [is] sweet to my palate.
4He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me [is] love,
5Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I [am] sick with love.
6His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.
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The Apple in the Quran
The Noble Quran does not mention the Apple but it talks about the fruits in general. The Quran says: for those who merit Paradise, they have different kinds of fruit therein and, therein, they have whatever they ask or call for, they have whatever they desire or wish for.
Verses 36: 55-58 talk about the fruits in the afterlife for those who merit Paradise i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise.
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The meaning of verse 36: 55
Indeed, this day which is the Day of Judgment, those who merit Paradise i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise are busy; they are delighting in pleasures; they are not tiring with anything wearisome, as there is no toil in Paradise; they are blissful and rejoicing in comfort.
The meaning of verse 36: 56
For those who merit Paradise, i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise, they and their wives are in pleasant shade; in other words, no sunlight affects them. They and their wives are on thrones reclining; reclining upon couches (the word couches in Arabic is pronounced as “Ara’ik”, which is the plural of ar?ka. Ar?ka is a bed inside a curtained canopy, or the bedding therein on thrones reclining)
The meaning of verse 36: 57
For those who merit Paradise, i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise, they have different kinds of fruit therein and, therein, they have whatever they ask or call for, they have whatever they desire or wish for.
The meaning of verse 36: 58
For those who merit Paradise, i.e. the inhabitants of Paradise, Allah, the Lord of the worlds will greet them with the word “Peace”; they are greeted with the greeting of peace! In other words, Allah, the Merciful Lord will say to them, ‘Peace be on you!’
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Verses 36: 55-58 of the Noble Quran in four different translations:
Verse 36: 55
QARIB: indeed, the companions of the garden are this day busy in their rejoicing.
SHAKIR: surely the dwellers of the garden shall on that day be in an occupation quite happy
PICKTHAL: lo! those who merit paradise this day are happily employed,
YUSUFALI: verily the companions of the garden shall that day have joy in all that they do;
Verse 36: 56
QARIB: together with their spouses, they shall recline on couches in the shade.
SHAKIR: they and their wives shall be in shades, reclining on raised couches
PICKTHAL: they and their wives, in pleasant shade, on thrones reclining;
YUSUFALI: they and their associates will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on thrones (of dignity);
Verse 36: 57
QARIB: they shall have fruits and all that they call for.
SHAKIR: they shall have fruits therein, and they shall have whatever they desire
PICKTHAL: theirs the fruit (of their good deeds) and theirs (all) that they ask;
YUSUFALI: (every) fruit (enjoyment) will be there for them; they shall have whatever they call for;
Verse 36: 58
QARIB: peace, a saying from the most merciful lord.
SHAKIR: peace: a word from a merciful lord
PICKTHAL: the word from a merciful lord (for them) is: peace!
YUSUFALI: “peace!” – a word (of salutation) from a lord most merciful!
====================================
Back to my question unto the smart and interested reader:
Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?
Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil
? Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology,
? Head of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit, Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt,
? President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors,
? Member of the Egyptian union of Writers,
? Published some 60 Medical Articles,
? Supervisors for 79 PhD theses,
? Supervisors for 111 Master Degree theses,
? Co-Chief Editor of the Egyptian Journal of Lab. Medicine,
? Honorary President of SPIC-Egypt (The Society of Practitioners of Infection Control – Egypt)
There’s a lot of talk about wine bottle refrigerators online these days and many people are wondering what the big deal is. Do you really need a special fridge just for your wine? What if you only drink red wine? Isn’t your regular fridge good enough? If you’ve been wondering just what is the point of all this wine fridge talk, then let’s answer some of those questions and get it out there.
Do you really need a wine bottle refrigerator? The answer is no. Not if you aren’t particular about your wine. You see, wine fridges are designed specifically for those who appreciate a good bouquet. Those who can taste the difference in the subtle nuances of a bottle of wine that has been treated well and one that has been agitated too much and exposed to light and vibrations.
Wine refrigerators are for those who cherish wine and care about the presentation. For everyone else, the regular fridge is just fine for shoving your wine into. There’s no reason to worry if you don’t care about slight flavor changes and just want to serve a bottle of wine.
Wine bottle refrigerators are carefully designed and built to avoid vibrations. The cooler has a damper on it to keep things nice and smooth running so the wine won’t be jarred or vibrated, something that can actually change the flavor of the wine and break it down on a minute level. Light also affects the wine and so in a regular fridge, you are going to have an issue with this since it is constantly being opened and exposed to bright light. With a proper cooler, you won’t need to worry about this.
Other reasons a specifically designed fridge is a good idea is that you are essentially mimicking a wine cellar. Since most people don’t have a real wine cellar these days, it’s a good idea to have something that is similar in a smaller size. You might not be able to dig out a cellar in your basement, but a wine fridge can do the trick and keep your wine, red or white at the correct serving temperature and ensure that it is at its best flavor.
Your wine, if it matters to you, should be cared for correctly. For the average person who is only drinking the wine to be posh or get drunk, a wine bottle refrigerator isn’t important and the fridge will do just fine. However, if you want to be sure that your wine is chilled to the correct serving temperature (even red wine should be slightly cooled), then a wine cooler is a good idea.
Are you serious about your wine? Then a could be an excellent idea. Find out more on my wine cooler page and learn which cooler would be best for your situation.
Well first off I want to tell you I usually don’t do all this online eBook stuff. I always think of it to be scams and rip offs but my friend convinced me so much to give this one a shot I thought why not. After tasting his beer I wanted to try it out for myself!
The eBook goes into great detail about every aspect of what you need to know. It goes into ingredients, good environments to make beer in and even shows you why usual homemade beer tastes so bad. The secret way to store your beer and stop it from spoiling has been a “beer saver” for me, allowing me to make vast quantities of beer at a time and not worry about having to drink them all before they spoil. The eBook goes into detail about proper storage and drinking responsibly as well.
If you’re sick of going to the pub and paying sometimes up to $8 for a pint then this guide is for you. For very little money you can start making your own beer, in turn saving you money. For mere pennies you’ll have your own brewery in your garage, shed or even your main house.
Like I said at the beginning I was skeptical buying this guide but I am so glad that I did. It taught me everything I needed to know and tells of closely guarded secrets I’d never have even imagined before for getting the best possible taste and colour.
So if there is anyone out there sick of high prices for lager and wishing to start making their own, this is definitely the right guide for you. Whether you want to make a few pints worth a month or a few kegs a month this guide will tell you everything you need to know.
If you’re looking for some more information about then check it out .
Zinfandel was for many years somewhat of a mystery grape, as far as its origins are concerned. Recent research in Croatia and at the University of California at Davis, using DNA profiling, has proved Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak. While it had been theorized that Zinfandel’s genetic twin, the Italian Primitivo, was the source, this grape also originally mutated from Crljenak. Further research may indicate the very first plantings migrated from Albania or Greece.
In April, 2002, the announced they are considering ruling Zinfandel and Primitivo synonymous for use on wine labels. Producers of California Zinfandel will probably object, anticipating that Italian producers with a bountiful supply would then be able to undercut the market with inexpensive Primitivo wine labeled "Zinfandel".
Nearly as versatile as Chardonnay in the number of different styles of wine produced from it, Zinfandel only achieved widespread popularity in America, starting about 1980, as a pink, slightly sweet wine. In fact, this popularity so outstripped all other forms, that many fans think that there is actually a grape called "White Zinfandel" (there isn’t)!
Zinfandel as a red wine can be made light and fruity, much like French Beaujolais, or lively, complex and age worthy, like Cabernet or claret. It can also be made into big, ripe, high alcohol style wines that resemble Port. Zinfandel is also a component of most California "jug" wines, since it is the most widely planted red wine grape.
This vineyard proliferation can be attributed to zinfandel’s hardy nature. Adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates, its vines tend to be vigorous and productive. Zinfandel also has a frequent tendency to set a second crop.
The clusters are compact and full and the berry stems (peduncles) somewhat short. These factors make Zinfandel somewhat susceptible to bunch rot and some types of mildew. Water management is particularly critical to raising Zinfandel. Under stress from lack of moisture, it is prone to raisining. It also ripens more unevenly than most other varieties and it is not uncommon for green and raisined berries to occur within the same cluster. This tendency to can be aggravated by poorly-timed irrigation. Uneven ripening also means that machine-picking is impractical and a Zinfandel vineyard may often require a few passes, days apart, to harvest all the fruit with the same level of maturity.
Because of its vigor, generosity and resistance to vine disease, many zinfandel vineyards exist that are 75 to 100 or more years old. Zinfandel aficionados believe these "old vines" produce the best wines, because the older vineyards set smaller crops and the grapes tend to ripen more evenly.
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The undisputed king of red wines, Cabernet is a remarkably steady and consistent performer throughout much of the state. While it grows well in many appellations, in specific appellations it is capable of rendering wines of uncommon depth, richness, concentration and longevity. Bordeaux has used the grape since the 18th century, always blending it with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and sometimes a soupçon of Petite Verdot. The Bordeaux model is built around not only the desire to craft complex wines, but also the need to ensure that different grape varieties ripen at different intervals or to give a wine color, tannin or backbone.
Elsewhere in the world-and it is found almost everywhere in the world-Cabernet Sauvignon is as likely to be bottled on its own as in a blend. It mixes with Sangiovese in Tuscany, Syrah in Australia and Provence, and Merlot and Cabernet Franc in South Africa, but flies solo in some of Italy’s super-Tuscans. In the United States., it’s unlikely any region will surpass Napa Valley’s high-quality Cabernets and Cabernet blends. Through most of the grape’s history in California (which dates to the 1800s), the best Cabernets have been 100 percent Cabernet. Since the late 1970s, many vintners have turned to the Bordeaux model and blended smaller portions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot into their Cabernets. The case for blending is still under review, but clearly there are successes. On the other hand, many U.S. producers are shifting back to higher percentages of Cabernet, having found that blending doesn’t add complexity and that Cabernet on its own has a stronger character.
At its best, unblended Cabernet produces wines of great intensity and depth of flavor. Its classic flavors are currant, plum, black cherry and spice. It can also be marked by herb, olive, mint, tobacco, cedar and anise, and ripe, jammy notes. In warmer areas, it can be supple and elegant; in cooler areas, it can be marked by pronounced vegetal, bell pepper, oregano and tar flavors (a late ripener, it can’t always be relied on in cool areas, which is why Germany, for example, has never succumbed to the lure). It can also be very tannic if that is a feature of the desired style. The best Cabernets start out dark purple-ruby in color, with firm acidity, a full body, great intensity, concentrated flavors and firm tannins.
Cabernet has an affinity for oak and usually spends 15 to 30 months in new or used French or American barrels, a process that, when properly executed imparts a woody, toasty cedar or vanilla flavor to the wine while slowly oxidizing it and softening the tannins. Microclimates are a major factor in the weight and intensity of the Cabernets. Winemakers also influence the style as they can extract high levels of tannin and heavily oak their wines.
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It was 2:30 in the morning at the Wine Library Lounge and the last guests have bid their farewells. Sam sat down on a small corner table to fill out the sales report. With him was a half-empty bottle of 1979 Chateau Fonplegade, a lovely Grand Cru Classe from St. Emilion. This one was from a collector’s series featuring Van Gogh’s “Route aux Cypress” on the label. Earlier in one of the private rooms of the Wine Library Lounge a party of three had polished off three delicious Burgundy 1er Crus from vintages in the 70s. Prudently, they decided to quit after finishing half of the fourth and last for the night. The host was a compellingly elegant woman in a slender red business suit. In a stylish gesture of generosity, she said to Sam. “Please remove the bottle at once before I force my guests to help me finish it.”
Life as a sommelier is full of perks when the guests you serve have the style and the finesse. Sam gets a kick out of serving guests who know how enjoy the game. They get to enjoy the evening so much more than the others.
The Ch. Fonplegade was exactly the kind of company Sam needed after a hard-working evening. Wine guys – sommeliers to students of the old school – are frequently regarded as necessary evils. It is unfortunate but often true that a sommelier is perceived by customers as an obstacle to overcome because they can get what they want.
C’mon, tell me one, please?” She asked with the desperate charm of a whinchat.
Sam’s good side completely dominated the man tonight. “There was this gentleman the other evening. He came in very late with a lovely lady as his date. He opened doors for her, removed her coat and pulled her chair – the works. It’s the game – one of those things that make it fun to be a woman. He did it so well and she was soaking it up. You can see it in her eyes trying to hide her adoration of the man. Then I presented him with the wine menu.” Sam paused for a sip.
“What?” She exploded grabbing his hands with a fierce squeeze. Sam went on to explain.
There aren’t any logical explanations to why some customers feel intimidated about wine. Dining out is a game. Wine makes it more fun to play the game. As a paying customer, you want to get the most out of your money. That should include the full treatment which we don’t get if we don’t learn how to play the game.
Selecting the playground
Ordering the wine
Inspecting a bottle
Giving serving instructions
Tasting and approving the wine
Drinking and conversing
Corkage, tipping and BYO etiquettes
Let’s look into these components one at a time.
The Ch. Fonplegade was exactly the kind of company Sam needed after a hard-working evening. Wine guys – sommeliers to students of the old school – are frequently regarded as necessary evils. It is unfortunate but often true that a sommelier is perceived by customers as an obstacle to overcome because they can get what they want.
An eager young waitress sat down timidly in front of Sam. Ordinarily she and her little dimple on her left cheek would have been woofed away. Tonight, she even got a small glass of the wine. She took that as a cue for permission to speak.
“Sam, you’ve been a wine guy for a number of years. I’m sure you have some stories cellared in that wisdom chest inside your head. C’mon, tell me one, please?” She asked with the desperate charm of a whinchat.
Sam’s good side completely dominated the man tonight. “There was this gentleman the other evening. He came in very late with a lovely lady as his date. He opened doors for her, removed her coat and pulled her chair – the works. It’s the game – one of those things that make it fun to be a woman. He did it so well and she was soaking it up. You can see it in her eyes trying to hide her adoration of the man. Then I presented him with the wine menu.” Sam paused for a sip.
“Our suave Cary Grant froze into a bronze statue. He just sat there forever staring at the menu without so much as a word or a hint that he was still breathing. Now what could cause someone like that to stop dead on his tracks?” Sam paused and looked into those big young shinny eyes.
“What?” She exploded grabbing his hands with a fierce squeeze. Sam went on to explain.
There aren’t any logical explanations to why some customers feel intimidated about wine. Dining out is a game. Wine makes it more fun to play the game. As a paying customer, you want to get the most out of your money. That should include the full treatment which we don’t get if we don’t learn how to play the game.
Learning the game is a lot simpler than most beginners might think. But let’s get one hang-up out of the way right now. You don’t need to learn French. Whew! And this game is definitely easier than singing or dancing. Every component of a little game is an opportunity for the player to have fun. Once you know the game, they won’t be obstacles anymore.
Selecting the playground
Ordering the wine
Inspecting a bottle
Giving serving instructions
Tasting and approving the wine
Drinking and conversing
Corkage, tipping and BYO etiquettes
Let’s look into these components one at a time.
Selecting the playground
Divers and skiers are just as zealous when it comes to choosing a venue to satisfy their thirst for thrills and discoveries.
Wine enthusiasts shouldn’t settle for anything less either. The fun and thrill of dining out is to experience something that we don’t get at home. If the wines served in a restaurant are stuff that you find in the neighborhood wine store, you have probably picked the wrong restaurant. Good food can take you half way there at best.
A good restaurant always offers wines that are not readily available on retail. They do so by investing in and maintaining a cellar to collect and age many bottles of the wine.
Reading the restaurant’s wine menu may not be as engaging as reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but it shouldn’t feel like re-reading The Goblet of Fire (book 4 for those who is one generation behind) for the 18th time. A great restaurant is obliged to offer a wine selection so wide and deep that it will keep you intrigued for endless return visits.
Word of Advice
Make an extra effort when choosing a dining venue. Not all are tuned in to the wine culture. Call up ahead to ask. If you stumble into a wrong one, don’t be shy to walk out. There are better places for you to spend your money.
Ordering your wine
Reading, for many of us is a pleasure best savored in privacy. Reading a wine menu is a pleasure to wine lovers. Poorly trained wine staff tends to crowd the scene with unwanted attention and worse, importunate suggestions.
Feel free to firmly fend off the “Would you like red or white?” and the “We have wine by the glass also.” A simple “Please check back in 10 minutes” would do nicely. Occasionally, that doesn’t work. Then it calls for a “Please bring me some water chilled to 15 degrees. Then add a twist of lime without the peel.” This will buy you 10 minutes of private reading pleasure, I hope.
Many restaurants are pressured by wine merchants to sell their wine. That’s why we often get these lines from even the bus boys: “We highly recommend this great Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile” or “This Napa Valley Zinfandel is the most popular wine in town today.”
It is perfectly acceptable to ask questions about any wine on the menu, as long as your line of questioning leads to the deliverance of a verdict in the foreseeable future.
Advice to the prudent
Spend 5 minutes to browse the wine menu and get a general feel for what kinds of wines the venue has to offer. Then turn to the food menu and decide what you will eat. After that, let the sommelier return to discuss wine and food pairing before ordering your wine.
Inspecting a Bottle
The process of inspecting a bottle of wine serves an indispensable purpose – to allow the customer one last chance to change his mind before the restaurant puts the wine on the bill.
The procedure is simple and quite standard.
Wine waiter: presents you with a bottle of the wine that you ordered, showing you the label with a few words, not of praises, but of the pertinent details of the wine. The words are to assert that the wine is indeed the one that you ordered.
Guest: examines the details of the wine mainly for purpose of authentication. Things to look for are (1) name of the wine, (2) name of the producer/shipper in the case of wines from Burgundy and Rhone for example, and (3) vintage year. You only have to nod your head to signify your approval, not of the wine but of the bottle only.
Wine waiter: thanks you for your acceptance and asks you for permission to uncork the wine.
There. No pain at all. More to follow so please read on.
Advice to the novice
Giving Serving Instructions
This paragraph is optional. Those readers taking the beginners’ course are welcome to jump to the next section.
Are you still here? Welcome.
Selecting a wine is just half of the ordering process. Most people give up their basic rights of ordering the way they prefer their wine to be prepared and served. Leaving it up to the sommelier is acceptable if you know them well. Otherwise, go the extra yard and give specific instructions.
Here are the fundamental parameters to wine preparation and services on which you can base your instructions.
Temperature at which you want the wine to be served
Do you wish the wine to be kept in an ice bucket or a wine cooler?
Decant, double decant or serve straight from the bottle
Types of wine glasses you prefer
Sequence of services when you order more than one bottle
Help yourself or let the waiter do the pouring
How much wine (e.g. less than half full) to pour into your glass
Any decent restaurant will be wiling and able to accommodate requests within those parameters. If you are unlucky meet with stiff resistance on this front, it will only be poetic justice for you to walk out or at least, reject the wine. Why should you pay for inadequate facilities and a complacent service attitude?
Advice to the discerning wine lover
Do not assume that your instructions are followed. More often than not they are not. Don’t be shy to complain or even threaten to reject the wine if your instructions are not followed.
Selecting the playground
Golfers travel around the world just to play courses that catch their fancy. Divers and skiers are just as zealous when it comes to choosing a venue to satisfy their thirst for thrills and discoveries.
Wine enthusiasts shouldn’t settle for anything less either. The fun and thrill of dining out is to experience something that we don’t get at home. If the wines served in a restaurant are stuff that you find in the neighborhood wine store, you have probably picked the wrong restaurant. Good food can take you half way there at best.
A good restaurant always offers wines that are not readily available on retail. They do so by investing in and maintaining a cellar to collect and age many bottles of the wine.
Reading the restaurant’s wine menu may not be as engaging as reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but it shouldn’t feel like re-reading The Goblet of Fire (book 4 for those who is one generation behind) for the 18th time. A great restaurant is obliged to offer a wine selection so wide and deep that it will keep you intrigued for endless return visits.
Word of Advice
Make an extra effort when choosing a dining venue. Not all are tuned in to the wine culture. Call up ahead to ask. If you stumble into a wrong one, don’t be shy to walk out. There are better places for you to spend your money.
Ordering your wine
Reading, for many of us is a pleasure best savored in privacy. Reading a wine menu is a pleasure to wine lovers. Poorly trained wine staff tends to crowd the scene with unwanted attention and worse, importunate suggestions.
Feel free to firmly fend off the “Would you like red or white?” and the “We have wine by the glass also.” A simple “Please check back in 10 minutes” would do nicely. Occasionally, that doesn’t work. Then it calls for a “Please bring me some water chilled to 15 degrees. Then add a twist of lime without the peel.” This will buy you 10 minutes of private reading pleasure, I hope.
Many restaurants are pressured by wine merchants to sell their wine. That’s why we often get these lines from even the bus boys: “We highly recommend this great Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile” or “This Napa Valley Zinfandel is the most popular wine in town today.”
It is perfectly acceptable to ask questions about any wine on the menu, as long as your line of questioning leads to the deliverance of a verdict in the foreseeable future.
Advice to the prudent
Spend 5 minutes to browse the wine menu and get a general feel for what kinds of wines the venue has to offer. Then turn to the food menu and decide what you will eat. After that, let the sommelier return to discuss wine and food pairing before ordering your wine.
Inspecting a Bottle
The process of inspecting a bottle of wine serves an indispensable purpose – to allow the customer one last chance to change his mind before the restaurant puts the wine on the bill.
The procedure is simple and quite standard.
Wine waiter: presents you with a bottle of the wine that you ordered, showing you the label with a few words, not of praises, but of the pertinent details of the wine. The words are to assert that the wine is indeed the one that you ordered.
Guest: examines the details of the wine mainly for purpose of authentication. Things to look for are (1) name of the wine, (2) name of the producer/shipper in the case of wines from Burgundy and Rhone for example, and (3) vintage year. You only have to nod your head to signify your approval, not of the wine but of the bottle only.
Wine waiter: thanks you for your acceptance and asks you for permission to uncork the wine.
There. No pain at all. More to follow so please read on.
Advice to the novice
More frequently than we might think, waiters fail to bring you exactly the wine you ordered. Ask for the wine list when the bottle is presented. Compare what you see on the label to the data on the wine list to make sure what you see is indeed what you have ordered.
Giving Serving Instructions
This paragraph is optional. Those readers taking the beginners’ course are welcome to jump to the next section.
Are you still here? Welcome.
Selecting a wine is just half of the ordering process. Most people give up their basic rights of ordering the way they prefer their wine to be prepared and served. Leaving it up to the sommelier is acceptable if you know them well. Otherwise, go the extra yard and give specific instructions.
Here are the fundamental parameters to wine preparation and services on which you can base your instructions.
Temperature at which you want the wine to be served
Do you wish the wine to be kept in an ice bucket or a wine cooler?
Decant, double decant or serve straight from the bottle
Types of wine glasses you prefer
Sequence of services when you order more than one bottle
Help yourself or let the waiter do the pouring
How much wine (e.g. less than half full) to pour into your glass
Any decent restaurant will be wiling and able to accommodate requests within those parameters. If you are unlucky meet with stiff resistance on this front, it will only be poetic justice for you to walk out or at least, reject the wine. Why should you pay for inadequate facilities and a complacent service attitude?
Advice to the discerning wine lover
Do not assume that your instructions are followed. More often than not they are not. Don’t be shy to complain or even threaten to reject the wine if your instructions are not followed.
Tasting and approving the wine
Armed with your permission, the sommelier will proceed to uncork your bottle of wine. This should be performed in your presence as a rule. It shows that the bottle you approved is the same one that is being opened.
You are then given the right to taste and then decide to approve or reject the wine. Here is the protocol.
Wine waiter: asks for permission to uncork the wine. He opens the bottle (see Giving Serving Instructions) and sets the cork down in front of you.
Guest: Examine the cork or simply wave the waiter to pour the wine. Some corks have a stamp of the wine’s name on it. This will make it easier to authenticate the wine. Most of us just skip this step but there are those who like to pick up the cork and smell it. Don’t.
Wine waiter: pours a little bit – about 1/10 of your glass – for your tasting.
Guest: examine the color, twirls the glass a bit and drinks the wine. Now come crunch time. You make the all important decision – to accept or to reject. Let’s say you accept. A nod would do.
Wine waiter: thanks you and asks you if he may be allowed to serve now or let the wine breathe for a while first.
Guest: if you want it to be served, indicate to whom the wine should be served first, usually the guest of honor – your date, not the hunk seated at the adjacent table!
Wine will then be served as per your serving instructions. In the absence of specific instructions, house rules prevail. That’s pot luck. It’s not too late to double back to the previous section on Giving Service Instructions now.
Under what circumstances can a guest reject a bottle of wine?
Bottom-line is you can say “take it away” if the wine is bad. This means one of the following conditions applies:
. Wine is in poor health – disgusting odor, color completely faded
. Wine tastes like vinegar – wine is oxidized
. Wine is a fake – not the kind you ordered.
You cannot reject a wine just because you don’t like it.
Drinking and Conversing
Drinking is a rather personal thing. Some like to drink in large gulps between long intervals. Others like to take tiny sips incessantly. I know many who get the best of both worlds – large gulps in hardly detectable intervals.
Myths surrounding drinking are plenty and free. Bash them. Smoking is one of those. Unless you are paid in high six figures for tasting wines as a profession, you puff away while consuming a simple New World merlot. Food and wine pairing, on the other hand is serious business and should not be brushed off quite so quickly. A wrong decision here can mean the difference between lust and disgust.
An integral part of wine appreciation is talking about the wine. Sharing opinions and impressions about the stuff you drink is more than acceptable. It is expected and notoriously fun.
Feel free to step into the shoes of a Robert Parker and plagiarize about body, concentration, extract, length and depth if you are in that mood. Be more illusive if you like and whip up a soufflé of obscurities with words like character, distinction and finesse. You can even stretch the imagination with phrases like “a gallantly pathetic effort”. But would you go so far as one woman did? “This wine attacks the palate like a gust of cold ocean breeze against a freshly shaven leg”.
It is perfectly acceptable and indeed a chic gesture to beckon the sommelier for an earful of your comments. I have served wine in more than one occasion and I tell you that nothing gave me more pleasure than to listen to the comments of the guests. The efforts made to articulate their ecstasies were most flattering. Of course, I am a much better listener when offered a glass of the wine that caused all that excitement in the first place.
I remember one time when I was confronted by an attractive lady with a direct question. “Denny, what are the qualities of a good wine?” I could have answered that in two dozen ways involving a balanced mixture of bad poetry and overused jargons. Instead, what came out of my mouth was a mere “Big and long”. So much for poetry but that answer was exactly what was pictured in my mind.
Advice to the timid
Don’t hold back. This is the time for the poet in you to surface. Nothing you say can possibly be wrong, as long as you don’t break the golden rule – don’t short change yourself with anything not original. You are the only connoisseur that matters.
Corkage, Tipping and BYO etiquettes
We’ve all been held hostage by a custom called “corkage” which of course means that restaurant has the right to charge you a fee for bringing in your own drinks (can also apply to food). Is it fair? Certainly, but only as long as it is a consistent policy and the restaurant has a wine collection robust enough to satisfy our appetites for discoveries. Otherwise, they should quietly put up with bottles marching through their doors.
But let’s look at it from another angle. If we dine out, why burden ourselves with unnecessary chores like bringing a bottle of wine? Isn’t it more rewarding to hold the hand of your date rather than the neck of a cold hard bottle of Vega Sicilia?
BYO (Bring Your Own) etiquettes start and end with one basic rule. If you have to bring wine into a restaurant, the bottle should be in one or two classes above those that the restaurant has to offer. Don’t even think about bringing something that is readily available in retail shops. Putting it in another way, your BYO wine should be something that would cause the sommelier to misbehave all evening long hoping to get a sip of your wine.
Tipping is a matter of style and character. It transcends the basic obligation of rewarding the serving staff. It touches on the realm of a self-expression of satisfaction, a sigh of relief that the best has just transpired.
When in doubt tip profusely. When you do that, don’t forget to let the establishment hear all your constructive complaints. Nothing beats two-way communications even in a one-night relationship like this.
Advice to the frequent diners
Dining out is a just another form of shopping. First rule of shopping – when in doubt, ask, ask and ask again. One thing you shouldn’t do is to take a chance on anything that might ruin your evening. The average person has less than 50 memorable evenings in a year. Sadly more than half of them will turn out to be false alarms. A few great evenings will make it into your hall of fame. This might be one of them.
So there you have it.
Wine appreciation is much, much more than satisfying our cravings for good fermented grape juice. The interactions with the wait staff, the painful struggle to decide what to order for the night, the stories of mistakes and the occasional rare finds to share with wine friends are all part of the wine lifestyle.
We make an effort to learn the game not because we play to win. There are no scores in this game and there are no winners or losers. But beware. Don’t get to be too good at it. You might just wake up one day and find yourself with a new hobby for life.
Sam finishes his 79 Ch. Fonplegade. Big eyed waitress with a tiny dimple gets the empty bottle with a Van Gogh label to decorate her apartment. Another day in the life of a sommelier fades away. In the background, the song echoes “There before the grace of you, go I.”
Comments and questions can be sent directly to the author at this email address Wine@Yats-International.com.
Wine does not only come with accessories. It comes, more importantly, with food. A drinking party will not be complete without food. Or, to correct the sentence, a drinking party will not be complete without pairing it with the right food. Without the food fit for your drink, the party will surely be ruined because the visitors will not be able to enjoy the drink. So, try to know the secrets in correct wine and food pairing.
• Foods that are rich in spices require full-flavored wines. • High-acid wines are better paired with acidic foods. • The key in wine and food matching is balance. Do not allow the taste of one overpowers the taste of another. Foods rich in texture match rich and full-bodied wines. • Red wines are a great match to pasta with red sauce, and red meats. • Because garlic and vinegar, and other overpowering spices do not go with any wine, make sure that the foods you will serve are not too intense with these components. • Those pasta and seafood with cream sauce should not be paired with red wines. • Adding salt to food is useful in softening the bitterness and sharp taste of some wines. • Foods that are sour and with a great amount of acidity, when paired with wine, will not taste as such; but, will rather have rich flavor. • Foods that are sweet, when matched with wine, will taste bitter. This goes also with flavorful foods. • Spicy food will produce exaggerated bitterness in wine. But, adding salty or sourness to the food will counter this result. • Foods that are bitter will decrease the wine’s sweetness; it will also enable the wine to become more alcoholic. • Savory food will improve the sweetness of the wine. • Asparagus is a vegetable that is known to have a very strong flavor; thus, ‘killing’ the taste of the wine. So, do not attempt to serve food with this vegetable or else, your wine will be nothing. But, if you still insist, steam then grill the asparagus; thereby, reducing the grassy taste. • Salad with vinaigrette dressing dulls the flavor of the wine. • The higher the alcohol content of the wine, the higher the possibility of decreasing the palatability of the food. • If you have old wines, do not match it with foods that have delicate flavors. • Desserts that are sweet must be less sweet than the wine. • To make sure of a happy drink, if you have more than kind of wine, you ought to have more than one meal.
Your food and wine should match. It is not enough that you have both. You have to be sure that when these foods and wines are served, they satisfy the taste buds of the people attending your party. This way, you will be able to bid good bye to visitors that have happy faces because they enjoy both your food and your wine.
Harrison Fray is a long time gift consultant. She has years of experience with helping other fulfill their gift giving wishes. Harrison can assist you in deciding which will best fit his personality. He can help you pick out perfect for your guy friends also. Stop by to see what Harrison recommends.
There are many different theme parties to choose from. You have your off the wall Halloween based themes like Jason’s Manor and the Adam’s Family, to your more typical pool party theme. Of all the theme parties there may only be one champion and in my book it is the Mexican fiesta.
Planning a Mexican party is much like planning any party. It all starts with creating a checklist. This you will use to make sure all your party goods are checked off the list. Write everything down. I mean everything. This includes, all the way down to the purchase of napkins and how much it costs. The reason for this is to keep yourself budget conscious and have an accurate table of all your party items. The last thing any host wants to do during their party is to have to tell their guests that they will have to run to the store real quick to pick up this and that. The checklist is the party planner’s tool for eliminating any such hassle.
The Mexican party is a great choice of theme. There is always much dancing to be had and everyone singing along to the music, when on many occasions they have no idea what it is they are singing. The Spanish language is a beautifully sounding dialect especially when put into song. So expect dancing, and even more so, encourage it. This will bring out the laughter, create memories and possibly even develop lasting relationships. There is something to be said about parties with dancing. It is like a party at a new and intense level of celebration. So it is important to make some room for your guests to dance. Turn the music up loud and let it slowly take over the room. If no one decides to dance, be the first, you certainly won’t be the last.
Besides the song and dance, the food and drink and the traditional Mexican dress there is plenty of other reasons to want to have a Mexican fiesta. Think of how your house would look with all the colors of Mexico hanging off your walls, curtains and draped on your tables. There is many different things you could add. If you wanted you could take up an interest in different types of cactuses and maybe red hot chili peppers. Or maybe even a few hanging piñatas that the kids would love to bash into tiny little bits to get at all that wonderful candy. You could easily turn your house into a Mexican fantasy world and do it relatively cheap. Even your menu could be done on the relative cheap side, and done quite well.
Think about planning a Mexican party not only for yourself, but for all your friends and family as well. They will love it. The history of America speaks for us all, even those just below the border. Our southern cousins certainly know how to party. The word fiesta is familiar and for good reason. It means day of rest, but somehow for many it really means time to party. For anyone who has never been to Mexico and doesn’t know it’s history Cinco De Mayo is a very popular holiday. It marks the day when Mexican forces overran the French on May 5, 1862. It is much like the Fourth of July. They both represent days to celebrate life, freedom and happiness.
A Mexican theme party is also a great way to showcase your hosting skills. There is much that goes into creating a successful party and this will be no different. The only thing different about your last party and this one is everyone will be dancing and singing. Is that reason enough to begin planning a Mexican party. I think so!
James Craven is a party planning expert with more than 20 years experience. For more great tips on , visit .
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: