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Wine Blends - Wine of the Week

Posted Aug 31st 2009 3:00PM by Gretchen Roberts
Filed under: Wine

2005 Domaine Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-Du-Pape. Photo: K. Todd Storch, Flickr

Gretchen Roberts writes the wine blog Vinobite, has passed the introductory course at the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying for her sommelier certification this fall.

Like most 20- and 30-something Americans who didn't travel to Europe as high school or college students, I discovered wine by the varietal: Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay. Eventually, I branched out into Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Varietals, or wines made from one type of grape, were easy to understand. I could read up on the flavor profile of the grape -- Merlot is soft, fleshy and fruity, with hints of violets and sometimes a note of green pepper -- and find those notes in the glass.

Then I traveled (virtually) to Europe and discovered blends: Rioja. Bordeaux. Chianti. These wines are made from a blend of grapes -- and learning about them was like learning a new language. They're labeled by the place, not the varietal, mostly because Europeans are adamant about the importance of terroir. Well, that and the fact that it would be awkward for the maker of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to list all 13 grapes in its blend.

After the jump, five blends I adore.

Continue reading Wine Blends - Wine of the Week

Making oil from wine? Or bread?

Posted Jun 20th 2007 2:01PM by Jonathan M. Forester
Filed under: Nuts/seeds, New Products, America, Health & Medical

I've heard of making oil... and making wine, but making oil from wine? Or bread? I ran across this article and it seems that a while ago a chemistry professor asked his students to come up with as many products as they could from the agriculture waste from the wine industry. They came up with over 40 products, including cooking oil rich in vitamin E and polyunsaturated oils derived from the grape seed. I had heard of grape seed oil before, but never really thought about the process of how it is made.

The difference in these new products from other grape seed oils, is that the oils are collected from specific varieties of wine grapes and not mixed. So they are producing the first varietal grape seed oils made from premium chardonnay, merlot, and riesling grapes which are grown in Eastern Washington state, then cold pressed into extra virgin cooking oils.

The company, Aprs Vine, has plain varietal and infused varietal oils like "Chardonnay Provenal, a chardonnay oil infused with a fragrant mixture of herbs, including tarragon and rosemary; Riesling Citron Vert, a very light oil infused with lime; and Merlot Chipotle, a richer, more complex oil that tastes like scotch, infused with chipotle peppers, for a spicy finish."

An added benefit from the process is that they are also making merlot and chardonnay grape seed flours as well. After the oil has been extracted from the crushed seeds, they are then made into a "fragrant, healthy flour full of antioxidants" that can be mixed with regular flour and used for baking.

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Making oil from wine? Or bread?

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