try www.wineaccess.com – I like them a lot. They have over 50,000 wines on that site.

Wineaux Weekly – Introduction to the Wines of Bordeaux

Friday Monkey Wine U.S.

Check this website … http://www.fridaymonkeywine.com/merlot.htm May Have information on reviews and SUCH.

Wine Vault Radio: Mills Reef 2007 Cabernet Merlot & Old Mout Boysencider 25-6-10

The taste will probably be closest to a California rich earthy Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, Cab is often used to blend with the Sangiovese grape to soften it and give more balance.

If you can find it, Tenute Marchese is pretty easy to drink. Monte Antico is under $15 and this last vintage is pretty easy drinking as well. Also look for blends that are labeled as such. It’s a great way to taste a softer version of the Sangiovese.

Cheers!

SANGIOVESE !

There are two Super Tuscans. Both from the Chianti region, that are absolutely fantastic and very inexpensive,
1. Carpineto’s “Dogajolo” at approx $10 – $12
2. Monte Antico Toscana Rossa also $10 – $12

Both are classified as Super Tuscan wines and both will compare to many $50 Chiantis.

The Gorgeous Vescine winery – Chianti Classico wines

If you liked that then you will love this.

Beouf Bourguignon (Red Wine Beef Stew)
2 lb Beef rolled rump roast*
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
2 tbl Olive oil
2 tbl Vegetable oil
1 x Clove garlic
1 1/4 cup Dry red wine
1 1/2 cup Water
1/2 sm bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp Salt
2 sprg parsley
3 slc bacon,diced
18 sm white onions
3 tbl Tomato paste
1/2 tsp Dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp Ground pepper
2 tbl Butter or margarine
18 sm mushroom caps

Heat oven to 325′. Coat beef cubes with flour. Heat oil in Dutch oven.
Brown beef cubes in hot oil. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove garlic and fat. Add wine and enough water to just cover the meat. Stir in bay leaf, salt and parsley. Cover and bake 2 hours.
Fry bacon just until lump. Add onions; cook until light brown. Stir bacon and onions into beef cube mixture. Cover andb ake until beef cubes are tender, about 40 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, thyme and pepper. Cover and bake 10 minutes. Melt butter in 6-inch skillet. Cook and stir mushrooms in butter until tender; arrange on top.
*NOTE: Beef bottom round or boneless chuck eye can be substituted for the beef rolled rump roast.

Healthy Vegan Red Wine Cabbage Recipe Video

oh you know the usual…. the urge to feel younger, prevent cancer…. the run of the mill spill these days…. Honestly… This is something not alot of people have covered anywhere. I can say though that is an interesting product type. I did find an interesting article about it that you should read first.

Resveratrol Supplements

Mendoza is the main wine region in Argentina. About 65% of all Argentinian wine is produced in the Mendoza province. Mendoza accounts for even a higher percentage of the Argentinian wine exports. With the Andes in the west, most vineyards in Mendoza are at altitudes of 600 to 1100 meters. With just 200 millimeter (~ 8 inches) of annual rain, irrigation is a must.

A lot of different grapes are used in the Mendoza region. But lately, Malbec has become the most important grape for quality wines from Mendoza. According to some sources, Malbec, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were introduced in Argentina from Bordeaux in 1868. According to some other sources, Malbec was introduced in Argentina already in 1852.

The name Malbec is supposed to come from the Hungarian peasant who introduced the grape in France, although far from everyone believes this is correct. Despite being one of the allowed grapes in Bordeaux, Malbec is not much used nowadays in the region. Malbec is known under a lot of different names and is in many places blended with other grapes. In France, Malbec is only used in Cahors but is generally called Auxerrois rather than Malbec. Due to Argentina’s success with Malbec, some winemakers in Cahors have started to call their wines Malbec. Other places, for example Chile, have started to use Malbec but so far not with the same success as in Mendoza. More than 70% of all Malbec wines are made in Argentina.

One reason for the decline of Malbec in France is because it is sensitive to frost. This is not a problem in Mendosa. In Mendoza Malbec has the right environment and the quality of the wines is good. Malbec wines are not classified as great wines but many of them are good wines and offer very good value for the money.

Chianti wines have long been associated with the squat bottle in a wicker-cane base. Unfortunately, the wine was generally of poor quality. But lately, the producers in Chianti have significantly improved the quality of the wine.

Sangiovese is the main grape in Chianti. The name of the grape is supposed to come from sanguis Jovis, meaning the blood of Jupiter. Sangiovese has a number of local names as well, the most well known are brunello, morellino and prugnolo.

In 1713 the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III, established the boundaries for the production area of Chianti wine as well as a production code. This is supposed to be the first time in history that a law is defined around wine production.

In 1932, the Chianti area was completely re-drawn by ministerial decree. The new Chianti area became much larger and divided in seven zones: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rufina. The old Chianti zone was just a minor part (about 15%) of the new Chianti Classico zone.

Many see this expansion of the Chianti zone as the beginning of the deterioration of the wine. A lot of producers wanted to make fast cash using the popular Chianti label, quantity become more important than quality. Sangiovese was blended with white grapes, creating a thin and unbalanced red wine.

In 1966 the Chianti area was granted DOC status. Unfortunately, this forced vineyards to use white grapes in their red wines, preventing them from producing good quality wine. In the 1984 the Chianti region was upgraded to DOCG status.

But some of the producers found a way around this problem. In the 1970’s so called Super Tuscans started to attract attention. In order to produce good wines, the vineyards had to go around the strict DOC regulations, the solution was to downgrade their wines to IGT wines.

In 1996 Chianti Classico was recognized as an independent DOCG appellation. This meant that Chianti Classico could now be up to 100% sangiovese. No longer can white grapes be used. Thanks to the success of the Super Tuscans, many producers prefer to keep their wines classified as IGT rather than the more prestigious DOCG. The black rooster (Gallo Nero) appears on the neck labels of many Chianti Classico wines.

 Back in 1855, the famous classification of Bordeaux wines was finalized. All the first growths (cru in French) were from Haut-Medoc, with the exception of Chateau Haut-Brion of Graves. And in 1973 Château Mouton Rothschild (also Haut-Medoc) was promoted from a second growth to a first growth vineyard.

Normally, Medoc refers to the geographical area on the left (west) bank, north of Bordeaux. But Medoc on a label on a wine bottle refers to the northern part of the Medoc region, the part north of St-Estephe. The area from St-Estephe and southwards belong to the more prestigious Haut-Medoc appellation.  Six of the communes in Haut-Medoc – Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, Moulis and Listrac - have their own appellation, and these are some of the most famous and expensive wines in the world. Wines from the other communes are sold simply as Haut-Médoc.

Pomerol is a relatively new star, the most sought after Pomerol wines are nowadays amongst the most expensive Bordeaux wines. Geographically, Pomerol is a small appellation but with many small vineyards. Pomerol is also the only major appellation without any classification.

St Emilion is supposed to be the oldest wine growing area of the Bordeaux region. The Romans established the first vineyards in St Emilion. It is a charming town that has been classified as a world heritage site. Like its neighbour Pomerol, it is a little bit too cold for Cabernet Sauvignon, most vineyards focus on Merlot and Cabernet France.