WINE TESTING

There are 3 major components to wine tasting:



1.Appearance/Color



2.Bouquet/Aroma



3.Tasting



We start with appearance and color. The appearance of a wine can tell you a few things about the wine. Three areas the taster might look for are: clarity, depth, and liveliness. Clarity is whether a wine is clear or transparent. The opposite of this would be hazy or cloudy. Depth is more focused on the color of the wine. The colors are usually described as dark, medium, or light in color. The liveliness of a wine might be described as bright, vivid, flat, or dull. Rich colored wines might be an indicator of rich flavors. However, this is not always the case. The most important thing that the taster may detect from a wine’s color is whether it is going bad or not. White wines tend to turn brown as they age. Red wines tend to turn lighter as they age. The best way to observe the color of wine is to hold the glass against a white background and observe the top edge of the wine.

Next and perhaps the most important part of wine tasting is the bouquet and aroma of a wine. Humans can sense hundreds of aromas through smelling. Tasting a wine only allows for 4 different types of tastes. Bouquets can provide more distinctive differentiating qualities of a wine than taste. The aroma wheel (used by many wine experts) lists the following as the primary aromas to describe wine.





•Fruity



•Vegetative



•Nutty



•Caramelized



•Woody



•Earthy



•Chemical



•Pungent



•Oxidized



•Microbiological



•Floral



•Spicy



From each of these main categories, there are hundreds of additional descriptors.

In order to get the true bouquet of a wine, the taster should begin by swirling the wine in their glass. The taster should be using a big bowled glass to allow for swirling and to allow for the taster to be able to put their nose right in the glass after swirling the wine. To properly swirl the wine, the taster should place the glass flat on the table. Hold it by the stem and rotate it in a controlled circle swirling the wine. This will aerate the wine. Then it is time to take a big sniff. Put your nose right into the glass. I frequently suggest doing it a couple of times before you move on to tasting. Experts frequently refer to the smell or bouquet of the wine as "its nose." Enjoy this aspect of tasting. Take notes on what you smell before you move on to tasting the wine. Capture the moment of the bouquet. If the wine is inviting based upon its bouquet, the pleasure of its taste will only be enhanced.



To taste the wine, take a medium sip of it. People can detect 4 basic tastes. They are sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. Most wines have flavors of the first three and are generally not salty. Once in your mouth, the taster should swirl the wine around so that it coats the front, back, and side of their tongue. This is when professional tasters refer to the wine on their palate. This allows you to sense the various flavors of the wine. Some professionals tend to carefully draw in some air as they are tasting the wine. This is again for aeration of the wine. Once you have had the wine in your mouth for a few seconds and have taken your notes on the flavors, you may swallow or spit the wine out.



When tasting the wine there are many descriptors you might experience. But each of these will fall into 3 basic categories. Again, they are one of the following:



Sweetness



•Sweetness is the opposite of dry.

•Off-dry is in the middle. It has a touch of sweetness.

•Sweet is sweet. It just depends on how much sugar is in the wine.

Acidity



•White wines are generally more acidic than red wines.

•Acidity is often an indicator of dryness.

•Acidity is indicative of the level of crispness.

•Non acidic wines are fat or flabby.

Tannin



•Tannin comes from the skins, the seeds, and the stems of the grapes.

•It causes the drying out feeling in your mouth at the end of the taste and in the finish.

•Too much tannin sometimes causes a bitter taste.

Describing the flavors of wine can vary from taster to taster. What really matters are the flavors that you taste and enjoy. You should note the flavors you like in the wine and those that you don’t. These would be good things to know so you could inform a sommelier or wine manager of what you like and don’t like in a wine. This way they could help you make a good choice when purchasing a wine you are not familiar with.



When tasting a wine the taster can sometimes feel the weight of the wine in their mouth. This weight or body of the wine is another descriptor used in wine tasting. Wines usually have 3 primary descriptors for weight. A wine could be light or thin. A light bodied wine is said to have the consistency of skim milk. A wine could be medium bodied and have the consistency of whole milk. Finally, a wine could be full bodied and have the consistency of half and half.
The feel of the wine is a little different than weight. Feel could be described as soft, smooth, and silky on one extreme and of course, harsh, rustic, and heavy at the other extreme.

RESORT OF THE DAY

Island Hideaway at Dhonakulhi Maldives, Spa Resort & Marina

The Island Hideaway at Dhonakulhi Maldives, Spa Resort & Marina is a new luxury boutique resort situated on the privately-owned uninhabited virgin island of Dhonakulhi, North Maldives, Indian Ocean. The resort was opened on 1st August 2005 with 6 types of spectacular guest villas. Our marina is the first of its kind in the Maldives. The Island is a haven of peace, tranquillity and serenity. The Island Hideaway is one of the very few resorts (currently 3) in the Haa Alifu Atoll.

length of some 1.4 kilometres on each side, a width of 500 metres and land area of 234,000 m²




Island Hideaway at Dhonakulhi is unique in its reef formation, the reef system it sits on having a natural channel splitting it in two distinct parts, and thereby forming a natural harbour for the marina. In addition to coconut trees, banana trees, the Island is covered by uniquely rich dense bushy vegetation.

Salad Of The Day

Ingredients


220g rindless bacon, cut into 3cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
Rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
Salt and pepper
1 large shallot, finely sliced
400g can chickpeas (Edgell brand), drained and rinsed
2 punnets grape tomatoes, halved lengthways
1 cup continental parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Method


Cut 220g rindless bacon into 3cm pieces. Cook over a medium heat for 7 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Add 2 garlic cloves, crushed, and toss well. Drain on paper towel. In a medium bowl whisk 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar, finely grated rind of 1 lemon and salt and pepper. Add 1 large shallot, finely sliced, 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 2 punnets grape tomatoes, halved lengthways, and 1 cup continental parsley leaves, roughly chopped.

Serve with grilled salmon, barbequed prawns and calamari

This chickpea salad makes a great side dish, or light lunch, and can be prepared in less than twenty minutes

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water
Pecan and Gingersnap Layer: (optional)
1/4 cup (25 grams) pecans, toasted and ground
1/4 cup (25 grams) crushed gingersnap cookies
Pumpkin Filling:
3 large eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Maple Whipped Cream:
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
 http://www.joyofbaking.com/

Resort Of The Day

Alimatha Aquatic Resort,Maldives

Alimatha Aquatic Resort is located in Felidhe Atoll, an area famous for its abundant fish life and Scuba Diving. A paradise dream in real life, with more than 1 km of white beaches and aquamarine lagoons.

Alimatha is located on the eastern reef of the Felidhe Atoll, 40 miles north of the international Airport 'Hulhule', 20 minutes by seaplane from the airport and 90 minutes by speed boat.

Beach bungalows & over water bungalows accommodate . Bungalows line the white sand beach, while over water bungalows are built on columns over the lagoon.
There are lots you can do here in Alimatha Aquatic Resort. You can  go night fishing. Windsurfing during your stay here in Alimatha Aquatic Resort will be a great idea. The lagoons around the island are perfect for windsurfing

There is a water sports centre offering lessons and instructions and equipment hire facilities here at Alimatha Aquatic Resort so you do not have to worry about not knowing how to windsurf, here is your chance to learn now and I’m sure it will be an experience you will never forget.


Other activities you should try out would be scuba diving, canoeing and even beach volleyball too

Distance From Airport: 64 km
Number of Rooms: 260
Location: Vaavu Atoll

More infor http://www.alimatharesort.com/

How to Serve Rose Wine

There are three main kinds of rose wine: blending (a combination of red and white wines), saignee (a byproduct of red wine), and skin contact (where crushed red grape skins are kept in the young wine for several days to impart their color). No matter which method is used (though blending is quite uncommon), rose wine tends to be similar in taste to white. Easy to serve and light to drink, rose is gaining popularity in North America with wines such as California White Zinfandel

1

Chill the rose wine in the refrigerator. A bottle of wine cools at four degrees Fahrenheit every 10 minutes. Since rose optimally should be served at 50 to 56 Fahrenheit, a bottle that's at room temperature should be chilled for about 2 hours and 15 minutes before it's ready to serve.

1.2

Remove the wine from the refrigerator and peel the aluminum seal off the top. Insert a waiter's corkscrew and turn it clockwise until it is almost completely inserted into the cork. Place the foot on the top of the bottle and lever out the cork until it makes a slight hissing sound.

2.3
Pour the rose into the white wine glass. Fill it 3/4 high in the glass. Roll the bottle when you've finished pouring to keep any drops from spilling on the side of the glass.

3.4
Swirl the wine in the glass to release the bouquet. Take a small sip and swirl it in your mouth to taste it.

4.5
Place the cork back in the bottle and put it back into the fridge if there's any wine remaining. Rose can be stored for up to three days in the refrigerator.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7190014_serve-rose-wine.html