Posts Tagged ‘Wine’

How to Bid on Wine at Auction

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Following are a few rules to follow if you are biding on a wine auction:

1) Check the Source - The older the wine the more important it is to find the source and how its been kept.

2) Get Answers - Deal with a wine specialist and find out all you need to know before you make the purchase.

3) Buy Original - It is hard to fake a Chateau’s imprint. Buy wines in its original wooden case by looking for “OWC” in an auction catalog.

4) Do a Taste Test - When buying a case, ask to sample a bottle and make sure that its color, aroma, taste and physical condition fulfills the expectations of the wine. Examine the wine like you would a piece of art. If you discover the wine is spoiled after making the purchase, you could work a fair settlement with many reputable auctioneers.

Wine: Selecting a Spanish Wine for Your Paella

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Although many paellas are based on seafood, red wines are generally more appropriate because of the complex and assertive flavors found in Paella. For delicate flavored paellas, however, such as scallop and mushroom paella, I highly recommend a dry Albariño white wine from the northwest region of Galicia.

For relatively light seafood paellas try the outstanding white wines from Rueda in Castile, like Marques de Riscal, or a Catalan white such as Juve y Camps Penedes Ermita D’Espiells. For more strongly flavored seafood paellas (black squid for example) a light bodied rioja wine; Vina Cumbrero and Remelluri are great choices. Poultry, rabbit, pork, and lamb paellas also stand up well to red Riojas.