Kathiey's World

What is Port Wine? Recently, I bought a white port at a local vineyard.  It was super sweet and rather tasty.  I found I needed to sip it rather than drink it the way I enjoy my white wines. This wine lasted me a long time because it takes a while to sip a bottle of port. I later read that if an opened bottle of port is kept in a cool, dark place, it can last 4-6 weeks.  Fast forward many months, and I decided to open another bottle of Port.  Much to my dismay, I did not like it, and it is going down the drain.  My untrained palate could only recognize the overwhelming flavor of almonds, and I did not like it. Port is a fortified wine. It is sweeter and higher in alcohol content than standard wines because of the added Brandy. Below is a definition of port wine I found on Leaf TV. "During fermentation, the producer adds brandy to the wine. The brandy's high alcohol content stops the sugars in the wine from fermenting into alcohol, leaving port with a much higher...

 I do enjoy wine.  Do I know a lot about wine, and have I been drinking wine for decades?  The answer is no and no.  That being said, you have to start somewhere, so let's start with your basic wine tasting.  As a beginner, I am looking for a process to help me better taste my wine. As I research wine tastings, I have found 3, 4, and 5 steps to wine tasting.  There are three main factors: visual, smell, and taste.  Other steps you could add are swirl and spit, and you can also include savor.  I would love to get to the point where I was an expert at all 5, but that will not happen anytime soon. As far as the "spit" portion of the wine tasting, I would prefer to "dump".  Meaning I want one of those containers to pour my leftover wine into rather than having to spit.  I was never into spitting unless something was so offputting that I had no choice. The Wine Tasting 1-The Visual -Take a good look at your wine.  Look at the color and t...

Here is a new wine I have recently discovered.  It is called Gruner Veltliner.  What is it you ask?  I am not sure so let's find out. The other day I saw there was a food truck rodeo not too far from home so I decided to go.  My truck of choice was called Mr. Cheesesteak.   I don't remember the last time I had a cheesesteak so decided to get a cheesesteak sandwich.  As luck would have it there was a wine and beer shop right beside the event so I decided to check it out.  I bought a bottle of Gruner Veltliner.   Just what is Gruner Veltliner?  Gruner Veltliner is a white grape most widely known in Austria.  It is a dry white wine. I looked up how to pronounce Gruner Veltliner, and it is in the YouTube video below.  One site said some folks just say "Gruner" to avoid mispronunciation. According to the Wine Folly Site... "The primary fruit flavors in Grüner Veltliner are lime, lemon, and grapefruit. There is also a green and herbaceous...

I enjoy pairing different foods with wine.  Do I have any knowledge of how to do so?  Nope.  I will go to google to figure out which wine I should pair with spaghetti. My grandkids have told me that I make the best spaghetti in the world.  Considering I am using canned tomato sauce, a bit of hamburger, and dried pasta I buy in the grocery store, that is quite a compliment.  My secret ingredient is adding just a touch of sugar to the sauce, which cuts the acidity of the tomato sauce.  So what type of wine is suggested to serve with your basic spaghetti?   I have found after reading several articles that the best wine to serve with spaghetti has to do with what ingredients are in the spaghetti. If your spaghetti has an acidic red sauce, it is best to serve it with an acidic wine.  The types of whites suggested are Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Pino Grigio, or Riesling.  The reds suggested are Merlot, Shiraz, Nebbiolo and Zinfandel.  I always add ...

 It is Wine Wednesday.  Let's visit a winery tasting room in Chimney Rock, NC. Last week I was with my daughter and her family in the Asheville area of North Carolina.  You know my motto "You must visit a winery in every town."  We visited a winery, not in Asheville but Chimney Rock, a short drive from the Asheville area.  We went to Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Bistro. Several years ago, I stayed in Chimney Rock, and at the time, they were in the process of constructing this building.  So I went to the Burntshirt Vineyards in Hendersonville, NC . As we drove up to the Tasting Room and Bistro, I was impressed with the facility. It is beautiful. Here is a quote from the website... "Located on the Western edge of Lake Lure, just up the street from Chimney Rock State Park’s entrance, and directly below the popular local event spot The Gathering Place, our Tasting Room & Bistro is a must see addition to Chimney Rock Village." There is seating insi...

Happy Wine Wednesday Everyone.  Today let's answer the question, Can wine go bad?  Yes, it can, and here are some tell-tale signs that this has occurred.  Let's take a look at the signs... There are three things people look at to tell if their bottle of wine has gone bad. One is the appearance of the wine, the second is the scent of the wine and the third is the taste. The Appearance of the Wine A change in color may indicate a problem with the wine.  The wine may begin to darken.  White wine may turn a brownish color and red wine can begin to brown or darken. A change in opaqueness may occur.  A bottle of wine that starts out clear and turns cloudy may be a hint that your wine has gone bad.  If the wine develops tiny bubbles and it is not a bubbly wine something may be amiss with your wine.  Here is what Chaumette says about those tiny bubbles that should not be there...      " Also, if you notice any tiny bubbles in the beverage ...

 Happy Wine Wednesday, Everyone.   How long does an open bottle of wine remain drinkable? Today we will take a brief look at how long your wine remains drinkable after opening.  This is just a general overview because the answer has a lot to do with what type of wine you are drinking and what you do with your bottle after opening.  The general consensus is that it can last 3-5 days after opening.  Remember that the enemy of your opened bottle of wine is oxygen, so you want to decrease the wine's exposure as much as possible if you plan to keep leftover wine.   One helpful hint I found on several sites is to re-cork your bottle between pours.  This re-corking limits the wine's exposure to oxygen. Here is a helpful chart I found on Wine Folly.  This gives you a general overview of how long wines last after opening.  Again, remember, it depends on the type of wine that you are saving.  Here is a helpful chart from Wine Folly I have never bo...

On occasion, I attempt a wine tasting. Why do I say attempt? It is because I have no idea how to do an official tasting. There is no time like the present to attempt a wine tasting, so here goes. I had come across an article about Rodney Strong wines, so I decided to do a tasting on their 2019 Chardonnay. I found in my research that you should look at and describe how the wine appears as well as the scent and the taste of the wine. A bit of history on Rodney Strong ... "Our story begins in 1959, when Rodney Strong envisioned Sonoma County as a special place for producing wine. A true pioneer in Sonoma County, Rodney Strong led the way for the future of Sonoma County winemaking. Rodney Strong Vineyards was the 13th winery bonded in the newly discovered Sonoma County wine industry." My Wine Tasting Color and Clarity  - Clear, pale yellow in color. Scent/Aroma/Bouquet  - My guess is pear and apple but I have no idea Taste -  now that I taste it I would call it lemony or citr...

Did you know that acid is one of the components of wine?  I did not realize that until I found articles on acid reflux and GERD exacerbated by wine.  No one wants to think about heartburn when enjoying a glass of wine, but sadly, this is a problem for many.   Over the last few months, I have noticed that I have mild heartburn symptoms at night after one or two glasses of wine.  I drink white wine, and according to many experts, white wine is full of acid, more so than red wine.  This leads me to do some reading to find out what to do if we have this problem. Water is considered neutral with an acid level of 7.  According to Unraveling Wine , the wine levels for wine are 3-4 on the acidity scale, with lemon juice being 2 and coffee being 5.  White wine tends to be more acidic than red, and the sweeter wines are even more so. The list of the least acidic white wines according to Unraveling Wine are... Chardonnay Gewurztraminer Grenache Blanc Fiano Marsan...