Category: Wine and Spirits

Tips For Selling Wine

In the world of wine, the Internet has drastically changed the business and landscape for a lot of industries and manufacturers. Retails and wineries alike are using the Internet to sell their unique wine to the public, reaching more people than they ever could before. For the public, the Internet provides a lot of options for buying or even selling wine.

The key to selling wine is knowing the conditions of the bottle, such as how it was stored, how old it is, and the price you are asking for the wine. Age worthy wines are normally the best selling, as they all have one thing in common – all can be held for quite a long time. These types of wines are high in demand, some dating back to the 1940s. They are still selling strong today, some even going for an high as $5,000 dollars a bottle! If you have any bottles of age worthy wines, you should hang on to them for as long as you can – then sell them for a hefty profit.

Vintage Port is one of the best age worthy wines. Being a fortified wine, Vintage Port brands can age for nearly 100 years or more. The big names include Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca, among others. Port wine is very popular these days, with people buying and selling it to rake in the profits. As long as you take care of the bottles and store them properly, they can bring in a lot of money.

Fine Italian wine is also great to have, as they are normally bought and sold online. You can store these types of wine for several years, as they still provide great taste. Top California Cabernet is another type of wine that sells great, although it can be hard to get. If you buy the right type of Top California wine, you can sell it for 2 – 3 times the price you paid for the bottle.

If you are looking to sell wine, online auctions are a great place to start. By using an online auction, you can list your wine that you are selling, and get the current prices on wines that you are thinking of selling as well. If you look around on the Internet, you can find some great auction web sites that will allow you to sell wine. There are several out there, giving you plenty to choose from. When you find one that you like, make sure that you look at the prices and how things work – before you decide to use it to sell your wine.

Another great place to go online are wine message boards. Most wine message boards offer a buying and selling area as well. Almost all message boards are free to join, although you should become active with your postings to gain trust on the boards. Members of the boards sell their wines to each other. Selling is done privately, which eliminates any type of transaction fee.

Proper storage is also important when selling wine. Not only for the seller, but the buyer as well. In order to sell wine, the wine needs to be stored properly, with the proper temperature. If it isnt, the wine will be nothing but mere vinegar once it is opened up.

All things aside, wine can be a very profitable hobby, providing you do things right. If you have a passion for wine and a passion to succeed – selling wine can be very profitable. When selling wine, you should always put quality first. Money will come with time – although you should always think about the quality of the wine – and not just the dollars and cents.

The Right Temperature For Storing Wine

Although position is important when storing wine, temperature is the most important storing factor overall. Even though you may not have the ideal conditions for storage, you should always have the optimal level of temperature. The temperature when storing your wine is very important, as it affects the overall quality, flavor, and longevity of the wine. Most wines need to be stored for long periods of time, which is why the temperature is so very important.

The temperature for storing wine should always be between 50 and 65 degrees F. When stored in this range, the wine will develop quite nicely. In the days before refrigeration, wine was stored in underground cellars and caves. When refrigeration came along, it quickly became the easiest and most preferred way to store wine, as it allowed you to maintain the same desired temperature.

In this day and age, science plays a major role with wine making. Science has proved over the years that aging is actually a chain of chemical reactions that occur over time. Depending on the temperature, the chemical reactions can either be good or bad. Chemical reactions all have unique energy factors that need to be met for each individual reaction to happen. If the temperature isnt right, the chemical reactions in the wine wont occur.

If wine is stored in direct sunlight or in a hot area, the increase in temperature can result in a chemical reaction that can damage both the flavor and the quality of the wine. Wine that has been damaged from heat will normally turn brown due to the oxidation. When this happens, the flavor and quality of the wine wont be any good. Wine that is damaged from heat loses all of its flavor and color, making it virtually impossible to drink – or sell.

Colder temperatures on the other hand may slow the aging process, although it can also prevent the wine from getting the chemical reactions it needs as well. Lower temperatures may not affect the quality or taste of the wine, although it isnt recommended. All bottles of wine, until they have been opened, should be stored in a location with a temperature above 50 degrees F. This way, the wine will be in the proper temperature for storage and able to get the chemical reactions it needs.

You should keep any open bottles in your refrigerator, as the average temperature is normally 41 degrees F. You shouldnt keep bottles that you havent opened in the fridge, as the temperature is much too cold. If you follow the above tips when storing your wine, youll find the taste to be spectacular. Storing wine will always raise the value and add to the taste – providing you store it the right way.

The Pros And Cons Of Beer

Although beer is a drink that contains alcohol, the alcohol alone doesnt make it dangerous to your health. Drinking beer excessively is what leads to hangovers, headaches, and the more severe healthy problems. If you drink beer in moderation and avoid getting drunk, you wont experience any problems with your health.

One of the most common things people say about beer, is that it makes you fat, hence the term beer belly. As a whole, beer contains little to no fat, and there are plenty of beer diets out there that you can use to stay thin. The infamous beer belly is caused by consuming too much alcohol, which affects the bodys ability to burn fat. Even though beer can indeed lead to a beer belly if you drink too much of it, if you drink in moderation you should be fine.

Even though beer is low in sugar, it can affect your blood sugar levels. Beer contains alcohol, which can drop the natural level of sugar in your blood, leading to low energy levels. If you drink too much beer, youll get really tired and go right to sleep. Alcohol in beer will also lower insulin levels as well, which makes it perfect for non diabetics, as it will reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis.

In the past, research has linked beer with reducing the risk for heart disease. Beer contains no cholesterol, although it does have antioxidant qualities that can reduce LDL oxidation, with may help reduce your risk of heart disease. Beer is also an excellent source of fiber, stemming from the malted barley. Beer can also help to reduce stress, if you drink it in moderation.

To get the health benefits that beer provides, you should drink one beer a day. You shouldnt drink any more than this, as it can easily lead to health problems. Alcohol will thin out your blood, which will protect your heart and reduce the risk of strokes as well. In the past, research has even shown moderate consumption of alcohol can help with improving your memory as well. Then again, if you drink it excessively, it can destroy brain cells – the adverse effect.

Beer is also nutritious, although it can destroy your levels of vitamin C as well. Beer is a great source of fiber, as well as other minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and several B vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12. Beer contains high levels of these vitamins, along with other minerals that are actually good for your body. Although it offers plenty of B vitamins and other minerals your body needs, it will also destroy your vitamin C – which is why you never want to drink too much of it.

When it all comes down to it, beer may contain over 95% water, yet it is still a diuretic. Due to the fact that beer contains alcohol, it will always be a diuretic. When you drink beer, you should avoid drinking too much and never, ever, drink beer instead of water. Beer can dehydrate your body fairly quickly, which is one of the biggest cons to drinking beer. Although beer does have several health benefits, they can easily be hindered by drinking too much. To stay on the safe side and avoid headaches and other health effects of beer, you should always drink responsibly, never drink too much – and always drink a few glasses of water when you are drinking beer.

The Process Of Manufacturing Wine

Wine, which is a drink we all know and love, is produced from fruits such as grapes and berries by drying and then fermenting them. Once the fruits ferment, the sugar within the fruit will turn into alcohol. The wine will display a different color, taste, and aroma depending on the type of fruit that it was made from.

Wine is divided into three main categories – fortified, sparkling, and table. Wine is known as fortified when a bit of brandy is added into it to enrich the alcohol. Wine is deemed as sparkling when it has the right level of C02. Table wine, the third category, is wine in its natural form – which is different from any other type of wine.

Normally, grapes are the preferred ingredients for making wine. They contain an equal amount of acid and sugar, which cant be found in any other type of fruit. When drying the grapes, a high amount of heat is needed. To use grapes with wine though, you need to know the exact harvest season. If you dont pick the grapes during the right time, your wine will suffer due to the level of increases in sugar and a lack of acidic extent.

During the beginning stages of wine making, the grapes or other fruit is crushed by a large cylindrical container that will deflate the juicy parts of the fruit into large bags that are attached to the machine. Next, the juicy part of the fruit is fermented through the use of heat. During this part of the process, present yeast will help to convert the sugar into alcohol. Once the sugars start to break down into alcohol, the wine will get a buttery flavor.

Next, is the settling. Settling involves the yeast cells or any other type of material flowing near the top of the wine. Once it is at the top, it is then filtered with all sediments being gathered on the filter. Aging is next, which is where the wine is tightly packed away in special contains that wont allow any contact with air for months – sometimes even years. Once the wine has been aged, it is transferred into smaller bottlers then shipped out and sold.

When the wine is bottled, it is done in a way that makes it easy to distinguish the several types of wine. Colored bottles are preferred, as they will greatly reduce the risk of oxidation, damage, and several other possible risks. The bottles are also labeled according to their manufacturer and brand as well, which makes it easy for you to select the wine you are interested in.

Once you have bought a bottle fo wine, you should always make sure you store it in the right place. The most appropriate places to store wine is the basement, underground cellars, or anywhere else that is damp and cool. No matter where you store your wine at, you should always make sure that temperature stays around 55 degrees F.

Never store the wine in an area where the temperature fluctuates, as it can harm the wine. A humidity level of around 60% is also important, in order to keep the cork moist. If the temperature is too low, it can also harm the wine. When you buy your wine, you should always make sure that you store it in the right location. Wine that is properly stored and taken care of can be truly amazing once you drink it – making it more than worth the time and effort.

The Flavors Of Wine

Although the four main flavors – sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all your tongue is really capable of tasting, the long lasting impression that wine leaves in your mouth is far more complex. When you drink or taste wine, your taste buds and your sense of smell are involved, adding to the way you interpret wine overall. The flavors, aromas, and sensations that wine is comprised of provide the interaction that you taste when you sample wine.

Sweetness is something that wines are well known for. With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol. The grapes and yeast that were used to produce the wine will leave behind various sugars, which your tongue will be able to quickly detect. Once your tongue detects these various sugars, the stimulation of sweetness from the wine will be ever so present in your mouth.

Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue doesnt really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol. Even though the tongue doesnt really taste alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth. The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and therefore intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine. After you have samples a few types of wine, the alcohol level can easily have an effect on your taste buds, making it hard to distinguish other drinks that you may have.

Another flavor is acidity, which will effect the sugars. With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming. Once you taste wine that contains it, the flavor of the acidity will be well known to your tongue. Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste. With the right levels, acidity will bring the flavors of the grape and fruits alive in your mouth – providing you with the perfect taste.

Yet another effect of flavor are tannins, which are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits. If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel, and bring in the sensations of the other flavors. Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste. Tannins are essential for the taste of wine – providing the wine has been properly aged.

The last flavor associated with wine is oak. Although oak isnt put into the wine during the manufacturing process, it is actually transferred during the aging process, as most wines will spend quite a bit of time in oak barrels. Depending on how long the wine is left in the oak barrel or cask, the ability to extract the flavor will vary. Most often times, wine will be aged just enough to where the oak taste is visibly there – and adds the perfect sentiment to the taste.

Although there are other flavors involved with the taste of wine, they arent as present as those listed above. The above flavors are the most present in wine, and also the flavors that you need to get more familiar with. Before you try to taste wine or distinguish flavors, you should always learn as much you can about the components responsible for the flavors. This way – you will know more about what you are tasting and youll truly be able to appreciate wine.