The history of the Codorníu family goes back to the middle of the 16th century. In Spain, cava production is closely linked to that of Codorníu. The first cava was produced in 1872 by Josep Raventós i Fatjó. He had visited the Champagne region, in France, where he investigated and learned the Champanoise Method. He then used these techniquest to produce his first bottles of quality sparkling wine with its own identity. This is when cava was born.
After taking over the family business in 1885, Josep’s son, Manuel Raventós became convinced that the family’s sparkling wines had a promising future. After seeking the advice of leading French wine producers he decided that Codorníu should devote itself exclusively to the production of sparkling wine by the traditional method.
The Codorníu winery is located in Penedès, Catalonia.
Codorníu is the oldest and largest cava producer. They have a variety of bottles available, including Codorníu Original, Codorníu Pinot Noir and Selección Raventós
Since 2,200 BC the word has been getting out about the health benefits of wine. But it’s only in recent years that scientists have been able to determine the chemicals that are doing all the good work. No longer considered an old wives tale, or something the alternative health community is fixated on, the health benefits of wine have gone mainstream.
The substance that is given most of the credit is resveratrol, found in high concentrations in the skin and seeds of grapes – particularly those used for red wine. Studies indicate that resveratrol has anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-coagulant, anti-bacterial. anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer effects. Wow! That’s a lot of health boosting power.
But remember these benefits only come to moderate drinkers (typically defined as one glass for women daily and two glasses for men). Heavy drinking can have a negative impact on our health. And of course you’ll only get the health benefits if you couple your red wine with a healthy diet and exercise.
Here’s a toast to your good health!
What is white wine?
The majority of white wines are created from white grapes. We say most since there’s a handful of exceptions. Wine actually gets its coloring from the skins as they soak in juice.
Given that this is the case, it’s possible to produce white wines from black grapes by careful extraction of the juice and keeping skins separated. The famous example of this is Champagne. It’s made from a grape blend that includes Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir (black grapes).
Apart from color, not letting the stems and skins soak into the juice reduces the amount of tannins in the wine also. There is a mouth drying quality to tannins that cause wines to feel firm with in the mouth Sometimes however, white wines are allowed to ferment (age) in oak-wood barrels. These oak barrels will release some tannin into the wine, but not so much as in the average red wine.
Rosés are White!?
Believe it or otherwise, a blush (another name for Rosé), is deemed as a white wine. They are produced by letting skins to soak for short periods only prior to extraction. A good quality rosé should be refreshing and delicate, but not cloyingly sweet.
Some of the finest rosés are produced from the Granche grape. Rosés have gotten a bad wrap as a result of some of the very cheap and sweet varieties in the marketplace. Do not let this stop you from discovering some which are genuinely delightful and worth savoring.
Prime White Wine Varieties:
Chardonnay – This is the most popular white wine in the world. It’s normally aged in oak and has a butter-like flavor.
Chenin Blanc – A common wine to the French Loire Valley. It’s very acidic and ranges from extremely dry to super sweet.
Gewürztraminer – This is the most aromatic of all white wines. The aromas are spice and floral.
Muscat – This variety of white wine is the only one that smells like grapes. It can have a number of styles and is popular as a sparkling wine.
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris – Features a wide range of styles from sweet to dry to spicy. Oftentimes they posses a hint of honey.
Reisling – A white wine low in alcohol content yet strikingly acidic. Most are extremely sweet, but some can be dry too. Clare Valley in southern Australia is renowned for its Reisling.
Sauvignon Blanc – Designed to be drunk young, these wines are the most pungent and tangy of the wines.
We can all clearly see that red wine is well… Red – but why so? It’s coloring is derived from an extensive variety of grapes that range from reddish to deep purple, and even vivid blues. These grape varietals give way to wines that are classified with descriptive colorings like garnet, dark red, almost black, ruby red, light red, opaque purple, maroon, deep violet, and the list continues. It’s the skins of these grapes that are the key factor behind this scope of wine colors. The skins come into contact with the grape’s juice throughout the fermentation process, this allows the dispersion of both tannins and color. The particular red color of any given wine depends upon the type of grape used and the time length that the pigmentation in the skin is in contact with juice. There’s about 50 main varieties of red wine that are commonly presented in the wine market today.
Styles of Red Wine
As with every wine, the winemaker in question has the “say’ in the wine style that he produces. In saying that, red wines are usually categorized by their “body-type”. For instance, one could say that a particular type of wine is “light-bodied”, and this refers to how it feels in the mouth and its tannin structure. Light-bodied wines have less tannins and less of a presence for the taste buds. Such wines tend to be in less demand as accompaniments for flavorsome foods. One example of a red wine with a light body is one produced from the Gamay grape, such as Beaujolais Nouveau, a young-farmed French wine. Medium bodied red wines feature more tannins that the mentioned Beaujolais Nouveau, but doesn’t have anywhere close to the “pucker” power presented by an Italian Super Tuscan or a potent California Cabernet Sauvignon. Usual example of medium red wine include: Shiraz, Merlot and Chianti.
Red wines with full-bodies boast the greatest tannin levels (and greatest alcohol levels too). Tannin is also an antioxidant that brings about some of the red wine benefits for health. Fine examples of red full-bodies wines are California Key Cabs, Italian Super Tuscans and French Bordeaux. Generally speaking, lighter-bodied wines have a tendency to feel similar to water within the mouth. In full contrast, a full-bodied wine feels much heavier, more alike milk, and this results mainly from the greater tannin (and alcohol!) content.
Key Varities of Red Wines
The key varieties of red wines that you are most likely to come across are: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Shiraz, Syrah, Malbec, Sangiovese, and Grenache.
Oftentimes, you’ll hear red wine being referred to by their regional names. For instance, a “Bordeaux” is wine variety from France which is made mainly from three varities of grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. If you go for Italian wine you will frequently see Chianti, which is made with Sangiovese grapes, or see Barbaresco and Piedmont’s Barolo wines (both sourced from the Nebbiolo grape). Malbec is the Argentinian red wine super star and is gaining traction as a worldwide super star also.
There’s more than 200 cellars doors on the doorstep of Adelaide. Adelaide is truly the wine-making capital in Australia. You have most likely heard about the Borossa. There’s so much exploring to do, including Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and more!
Southern Australia features 16 different
wine growing regions. Two or more of these regions are usually grouped together. It is almost like it was designed just to make it easier for us to do a serious winery tour! Here is a brief rundown of the wine capital of Australia.
Adelaide and the Adelaide Plains
The Penfold wineries are found in Adelaide and Adelaide Plains. You will discover the Australian National Wine Center in Adelaide. It is a fantastic place to learn more about wine. You will find tasting rooms and cellar doors around and in Adelaide city, giving you lots of opportunity for wine tasting.
Adelaide Hills
Just a brief drive from the city center of Adelaide, the Adelaide hills are an awesome place to spend some time checking out cellar doors. Should you get “taken’ with any particular cellar door, then camp out on the lawns or by a fireplace in the afternoon.
Barossa
A combination of 2 wine regions create the Barossa. Each region has its own specialty wines. Eden Valley’s reputation for outstanding Reisling spreads the whole country. The Valley of Barossa features some of the best Shiraz on the planet.
Clare Valley
A little bit further north of Barossa is Clare Valley. Clare Valley is infamous for its Reiling and you will surely know why when you try some. You can bike the length of the Riesling Trail and stop off at each cellar door and try out some of this awesomely made “drop”.
Fleurieu Peninsula
Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Southern Fleurieu and Currency Creek are the wine regions that make up the Fleurieu Peninsula, which is south of Adelaide. You will be spoilt with the choice and array of fantastic cellar doors. Keep your eye out. You might discover a “brewery door” too!
Kangaroo Island
Stop off at the cellar door of Kangaroo Island or at a distillery for some tasty liqueur. When you’re on Kangaroo Island, you will be close to a winery that will make your taste buds happy
Limestone Coast
Padthaway, Wrattonbully, Coonawarra and Mount Benson are found on the Limestone Coast. Limestone coast is renowned for its great, hearty wines, courtesy of its terra rossa soil, a special kind of soil that give a unique flavor to grapes because of layers of limestone. You will want to taste the wines produced in Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate, Hollick Wines in Coonawarra and Zemma Estate. Try additional white wines from Mt Benson Estate Premium Wines, Padthaway Estate Winery, Russet Ridge and Cape Jaffa.
The Riverland
Surrounding the Murray River is area of The Riverland. It’s home to loved and well-known wineries. Check out Benrock Station Wine, Angrove’s Family Winemakers, the Wetlands Center and Berri Estate. There’s is a special Riverland food and wine trail map that helps you discover some of the fantastic wines in this area.
Southern Flinders Ranges
The wine region of the Southern Flinders has some surprising wines. Areas such as Bundaleer Wines, Bartagunyah Estate, and Remarkable Wines have an exquisite variety of wines that you can taste.
Dry white wines and red wines are commonly requested at retailers and restaurants alike. Most wine aficionados are usually willing to pass up on the sweet wines of the world, particularly sweet reds and whites, for the total-palate pleasing texture of dry wines. Whilst the majority of both white and red wines come in dry-styles, there’s numerous factors that define how effectively dry wines display themselves on the palate.
Sweet Wine Vs Dry Wine
The term “dry” with regards to wine may seem a little confusing initially, wine is a liquid made mostly of water after all, so then what does “dry” actually mean for wines? When a wine is referred to as dry, it essentially means that it is “not sweet”. In wine terminology dry describes a wine that is the opposite of sweet. Even so, sweet is a genuine taste which your taste buds can quantify, dry describes more of a textural and tactile phenomenon perceived by the palate.
Fermenting Factors: What determines a wine as dry or sweet?
So how do wine makers establish how dry or sweet a wine is? It is during the fermenting process, where a grape’s sugar content is transformed into alcohol. Should a vintner want to create a dry wine, then he/she allows the fermenting process run through to completion, fully transforming all the sugar into alcohol. If a winemaker is aiming for a sweet or semi-sweet (off-dry) wine, then he/she will cut the fermenting process short. There’s 2 ways that a winemaker can shorten fermentation. The first is putting the brakes on fermentation by turning down the heat, to slow things. Fermentation requires a consistent, warm environment, when temperatures fall so does the rate that sugars turn into alcohol. The second method to stop fermentation short, is by adding more alcohol, a technique called fortification. If a wines fermentation process if brought to an early finish, the non-converted sugars (termed “residual sugars”) stay with the wine to create a sweeter taste.
Dry Wine Detection
2 aspects play a fundamental part in the palate’s perception of what is “dry” in a wine. They are tannins and acidity. Even though acidity is present in both white and red wines, it presents easier in white wines. It’s initially detected through salivation. When you taste the first sip of white wine with a decent acid base (test a Sauvignon Blanc for instance), you mouth will start to water immediately. With red wines that have a decent tannin content, the mouth drys out a little with the first taste. Both acidity and tannin structures of wines speak “dry” to the palate. As a side note, tannins are antioxidants that produce the health benefit of wine.
Dry Wines and the Fruit Factor
When people refer to the fruit character of a wine, they are actually referring to the secondary aromatic flavors of wine. The distinctive fruity qualities of wines, from the lightest to the most lush, from the mango to citrus of white wine, and the fig-like to cherry properties of red wine, is what is behind the “fruit factor” of wine. However, it is important to state that the acidity and tannins in wine can kill off the fruity flavors, should they become proportionally to strong. Some associate “sweet” with “fruit”, this can be a slippery slope, since every wine should possess some fruit character, but the majority of wines are not categorized as sweet-style. If the tannins of red wine are light, then the fruit can seem “forward”, more noticeable for the taste buds, the same applies for low-weight acidity. Thus, red wines that contain less tannin, created from thinner skinned grapes such as the Gamay variety or the Pinot Noir, oftentimes appear more fruit since their fruit character doesn’t have to compete so readily with tannins. Likewise, a white wine with lower acidity might push the fruity flavors to the front and therefore appear sweeter as a result of less acidity, yet when you assess the numbers, the amount of sugar is still fairly low.
If you are like many people, you may think that nutrition is really a challenging thing to do correctly, or that a nutritious diet is pricey and bland. To the contrary, not merely is the right diet essential for your wellbeing, but it may also be tasty and affordable. Continue reading to discover how (and you can drink wine!) with these follwing tips.
As you can tell, the right diet does not mean eating raw veggies and tofu at every meal! With a few basic changes for your grocery list, you’ll have a delectable and wholesome glass of red wine each day and still be ok!
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