KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Ice wines (or Eiswein in Germany) are dessert wines that are made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine.

Only the healthiest of grapes are strong enough to remain in good shape until the right weather provides the opportunity for a freeze…or an ice wine harvest. In some extreme cases this may not happen until Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question:

By Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Every country has their own regulations pertaining to appellation distinctions, wine classifications and the information that can be put on a wine label. In the United States we have AVA’s. The term “AVA” is short for American Viticultural Area. They are specific geographical areas that are both recognized and defined by governmental regulators as a wine growing region.

AVA’s were first established in 1973 and the regulations governing them were finalized in 1978 by the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco and Firearms. By 1983 these regulations become mandatory.

In order to apply for “AVA” status one must provide proof of Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

This is defiantly not a simple “yes” or “no” answer since the preference of one wine over another is subjective to each individual. Of course the level of knowledge an individual may have regarding wine certainly makes a difference. Those who know a thing or two about wine will be more particular about what they are drinking and better at detecting the nuances of the different styles and qualities of wine. There are a few tricks of the trade when producing inexpensive (typically below the $20 range) wines to mask imperfections such as Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

A Shiraz is a Shiraz is a Shiraz…unless of course it’s a Syrah…and in that case it’s a Shiraz.

Whether you’re talking about a Shiraz or a Syrah you’re speaking about the same grape. So why is the same variety referred to by two different names? To begin with, Shiraz is the name the Australians use exclusively for this grape. It’s believed that this grape’s origins come from Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Question:

Thanks for your suggestion on serving red wine over the holidays – we enjoyed the change and quite frankly our friends are bigger red wine fans than white anyway.  There seemed to be one topic of discussing though we all had questions about.  We were all wonder what exactly tannins in wine are anyway?

Answer:

First impressions…

Tannins in wine have been described (most commonly by novice wine drinkers) as making wine difficult to drink.  And not surprisingly so, since tannins are typically known for producing a “dry, puckered and fury” sensation in your mouth.

So what exactly are tannins and where do they come from?

For many wine drinkers tannins still appear a mystery and are often used in a broad manner to describe red wines.  I myself have come to the conclusion that to truly understand the full spectrum, character and structure of these polyphenols one needs a certain degree in bio chemistry. 

However since we are only addressing the tannins that are found in wine I will (without a degree in bio chemistry but with great confidence) describe these tannins in the most simplistic terms.

So to begin with tannins are Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

With the holidays just around the corner we’ve had so many questions regarding what types of wine should be served to compliment the feast, especially from those who have very large groups of guests to entertain for.

When entertaining large holiday dinner parties of 50 or more guests it doesn’t take long to find yourself in a quandary as to which style and price point of wine you should serve along with your meal. True, you want to provide your guests with the most wonderful experience, not only the food but also with the wine that accompanies it.  On the other hand however knowing that one bottle of wine alone will typically serve 2-3 people it might not be that economical to serve bottles of wine in the $30 or more range as well it might not be practical to serve up bottles from your French Bordeaux collection. 

Questions regarding food pairings and which styles to serve such as white or red have been filling up our inboxes at a rapid pace so we’ve decided to Read More…

Posted under Holiday wine questions and tips, KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, Recent wine news

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Question: What does it mean when it says “Old Vines” on a wine label?

Answer: When you see the words “Old Vines” on a wine label it typically means that the wine you’re about to drink has been made from grapes produced from vines that are at least 

Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Question: I heard that it takes at least 200 grapes to make a bottle of wine is that true?

Answer:  Well, I’ve always heard the number “600” thrown around but truthfully  the answer can certainly vary on this one because the amount of grapes used for a bottle of wine (and we’ll 750ml for the sake of this answer) is based upon Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, Recent wine news, wine basics

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Question:

When a wine is described as “fat” does it mean that the amount of calories per serving are a lot more than other wines?

Answer:

One might think that would be the case but it’s not so.  When it comes to wine whether it’s described as “Fat” or “Phat” it’s all Read More…

Posted under Recent wine news

KEZW Studio 1430 “The Restaurant Show” Listener Question

By: Darcy Kramlich of Love to Wine

Question:

What is Champagne actually made out of?  Is there a Champagne grape variety?

Answer:

Champagne is often used as a generic description for sparkling wines however, this is incorrect.  True Champagne is a sparkling wine however not all sparkling wines Read More…

Posted under KEZW Studio 1430 "The Restaurant Show" faq's, wine basics