Tag Archives: Wine

Five books to take you from wine bluff to wine buff

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 15th November 2013:

Languedoc wines at Apero, Ampersand Hotel

Wine can often seem like a daunting and complicated subject. When it comes to wine, not only do you have to use your brain but you also have to use your senses to experience it. That’s all before you get to the multitude of questions that seems unfathomable to the average Joe.

Who decides a year is good for vintages? What does it actually mean when a wine is corked? When is the best time to drink your wine? Where can you really get value for money wines? Why does a Chardonnay from France and one from Australia taste so different? How do you tell if a wine is dry or sweet by looking at the label?

Of course the best way to learn about wines is by tasting them with a guide but if you want to quickly brush up on facts to impress your friends, here are five wine books you will need:

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Five historic wineries in Languedoc-Roussillon

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 6th November 2013:

Chateau Pennautier, Pennautier

The Languedoc-Roussillon might be full of avant-garde winemakers but it’s also filled with historic sites with vineyards that can be traced as far back as the 12th Century to the Cistercian movement. These days they are often family owned estates where wine is just a small part of the property.

But if you like history and culture with your glass of wine, here are five stops you must not miss:

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Four modern wineries in Languedoc-Roussillon (and where to find their wines in the UK)

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 1st November 2013:

Château de l?Hospitalet, Narbonne

Earlier this year I wrote about the innovations in the Languedoc-Roussillon and how it was a wine region to watch out for if you’re looking for great wines at great prices. But what if you wanted to visit the region to really get into the heart of it?

Here are four suggestions for wineries that are open to visitors and, more importantly, produces some really great wines.

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Reduced alcohol wines: The taste low down

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 17th September 2013:

Miranda Summer Light

You may have seen in the news recently that health ministers want to take the alcohol out of our wine by re-categorising the alcoholic beverage.

At present, the minimum strength of still wine is 8.5%ABV (there are some exceptions to this) but their campaign aims to reduce this to 4.5% – closer to that of beer.

The reason? As strange as it might sound, they are concerned about the alcohol consumption of the middle classes.

But lower alcohol wines are not without benefits.

Read more at Yahoo!