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Nero d’Avola means the black of Avola. Avola is a city situated in the far south western corner of the island of Sicily in Italy. This city is ideal for vine plantation because it enjoys many sunny days during the year and the grape used to make this wine loves its climate and promises to produce some of the tastiest wines of the region.

Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most popular grape and it is used in the region’s best selling varietal wine. It is one of the most important native varieties in Italy. It is often compared to Syrah in Rhone and the Shiraz in Australia, because it holds similar characteristics and taste.

This beautifully pleasing wine is smooth, balanced and settling. It has lots of berry and plum character with soft tannins and lightly jammy finish.

For the superior taste it offers, it is often available at bargain prices which makes this wine an ideal wine for every day consumption. It pairs well with zesty pastas and rich meat sauces. Also accommodates well with many hard cheeses and candied fruits.

Pizza, being a simple dish from southern Italy goes well with simple fruity wines from the south like Nero d’Avola. You can drink it with pizza Margherita or pizza with sausage. However, this wonderfully agreeable wine is versatile and can be drunk on its own as an easy drinking aperitif.

Make this wine one of your every day table wines and enjoy its soothing and delightful flavors as often as possible. Wines like this bring a smile to ones face, and smile is what you need these days my friend.

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Oster 4208 Inspire Electric Wine Opener with Wine Chiller, Stainless SteelAt the touch of a button, the Oster Wine Opener easily opens up to 30 bottles on a single charge. The stylish and ergonomically designed soft-grip handle will fit into the palm of your hand for a firm grip. Also includes a foil cutter to remove wine seals and a recharging base for convenience.

If lush landscapes, timeless elegance and plenty of good food and wine are top of your list for your perfect wedding venue, then consider some of the historic wine estates of the Western Cape, South Africa. In and around Cape Town there are a variety of beautiful estates to choose from, some producing world-renowned wines, others with smaller production levels, but all of them offering a stunning backdrop for your big day.

Whether you’re a local Capetonian looking for the perfect venue within easy reach of your home, or are coming from afar and choosing Cape Town for your destination wedding, a wine estate wedding venue could be the answer. Here are some of the major advantages that come with:

Beautiful setting

The Cape Winelands are blessed with stunning scenery. Vineyards stretch over undulating hills with a backdrop of dramatic mountains. Some of the oldest wine estates nestle against Table Mountain itself, with majestic trees shading the buildings, historic Cape Dutch architecture, lush greens of trees and vines topped by blue skies and creating a wonderful backdrop for your wedding photos as well as creating a wonderful atmosphere for ht e whole wedding.

Great food and wine

Many of the wine estates have made a name for themselves with their restaurants, offering excellent food as well as the choicest wines from their vineyards. All this makes catering for your wedding a pleasure and very easy to co-ordinate. If you are local to the area, it makes sense to visit each estate that you like the look of, to check out the restaurants and sample the wines before settling on your final choice, especially if the food is a top priority.

Easy access

Most of the Cape Winelands estates are within very easy reach of Cape Town itself. Some like Constantia Uitsig are actually within Cape Town on the back slopes of Table Mountain, that are still fully operational vineyards within the city, and the many wine estates in the Stellenbosch area are only 30-40 minutes drive from the city, making for easy logistics when you are catering for a number of guests. Some of them also offer boutique accommodation on the estate itself, ideal for the bridal party and guests from further afield.

Ideal all year round

While beach weddings are very seasonal and vulnerable to weather changes, wine estates work whatever the weather. Winter weddings can be comfortably accommodated in spacious rooms, often historic dining rooms and halls with roaring log fires, while in summer the ceremony and reception can be held outside on shady verandahs or on wide expanses of lawn shaded by mature trees. Most venues are very adaptable with both inside and outside catering arrangements possible and there is always a back-up plan for bad weather.

All in all if you want a beautiful location for your wedding, to wow your guests and create beautiful lifelong memories of you day, a wine estate in South Africa could be your ideal wedding venue.

Wine clubs are quickly becoming one of the most popular enrollment and gift activities associated with the food and beverage industry. A wine club is not a “set in stone” arrangement and they are available in an enormous number of styles and options. There are clubs dedicated to California wines and there are those that focus entirely on Champagnes or Sparkling wines. The choices are almost limitless, but it is a good idea to investigate some of the wine club reviews before making a choice.

Even though most wine clubs use a panel of experts to make their monthly or seasonal selections there may still be some issues with the club’s choices, so it’s important to do your own research or read reviews. Wine club reviews analyze the following areas:

Quality of Wine

This is, of course, a major factor in the success of any wine club. If the members receive unpopular or “clearance” items they will probably not enjoy their membership as much as those who receive specially selected vintages. Unfortunately there are some clubs that do utilize discounted bottles and vintages as a portion of each month’s shipment. This is usually quickly and easily identified by the critic who will comment on every single selection.

Additionally, any critic is going to have some good knowledge and background about the type of wines the club has promised and will be able to let potential members know if the vintages selected match the criteria of the club, or its standards. For example, if a club promises the best California “boutique” wines, a knowledgeable expert will be able to point out any discrepancies in the selections.

All of these factors can affect the overall quality of the wines delivered to the members. Generally, the wine club reviews will itemize the traditional characteristics of wine on a bottle by bottle or vineyard by vineyard basis. Most reviews rely on the classic “gold star” system to identify how well the club performed.

Wine Education

One reason that many people decide to enroll in a wine club is for the newsletters and printed information that accompanies their monthly or seasonal shipments. Generally they will discuss the grapes, region and particular vineyard where the wine was produced. This is not all “fluff”, but is intended to educate the member about the wine industry and its practices.

All of this is important because it can really help to train their palette and enable them to recognize things like bouquet, flavors and aromas. For instance, you might purchase a bottle of wine that was aged in oak. It could have a very distinctive flavor, but as a novice you would not be able to say, “oh, it is the oaky overtones that I am detecting”. A good wine club will provide such training, and a good wine club review will praise the club for delivering these materials.

Additionally, a wine club review should scrutinize the club’s educational materials for food pairing information. Wine is not always intended to be sipped without the benefit of food and many people are unaware of the best food and wine pairings. A wine club review should indicate if this information is included along with every shipment.

Value

Any wine club review should let the consumer or potential customer know if the wines and educational materials come at a reasonable value. For example, if a club makes a habit of delivering substandard vintages, the wine club review should be able to identify this fact and alert a consumer to the lesser value of such a membership.

Additionally, it requires the comprehensive knowledge of an expert to know if a certain type of wine club is actually providing a valuable service to clients. For instance, a club dedicated to enhancing the value of a cellar will offer premium cellaring vintages at a good cost. A wine club review will point out if this is true or if it fails to meet such clear cut terms.

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The Wine BibleTHE MOST COMPLETE WINE BOOK EVER. A must for anyone who loves wine, whether they are a pro or an amateur. Thorough, authoritative, and entertaining. (Robert Mondavi, founder and chairman emeritus of the Robert Mondavi Family of Wines)

"The most informative and entertaining book I've ever seen on the subject." (Danny Meyer, co-author of The Union Square Cafe Cookbook)

The essentials: The romance and intrigue of Burgundy of sauvignon blanc and the surprising elegance of Spain's top Riojas. Italy, one of wine's most enchanting and ancient homelands. What makes a great wine great? The reason behind Champagne's bubbles. The precise and food-friendly wines of Germany. California, wine's Camelot. The lip-smackingly good wines of Australia. The complexities of Port revealed. How a vineyard profoundly affects a wine's character.

Plus, matching wine with food - and mood. The secrets of professional wine tasters and how to expand your wine-tasting vocabulary. And everything else you need to know to buy, store, serve, and enjoy the world's most captivating beverage.

The shimmering elegance of Veuve Clicquot, affordable luxury in a glass, page 185.

Ravishing, elegant, and rich, Petrus in Ingrid Bergman in red satin, page 156.

Some wines are like people... they get better as they get older, pg. 64.

Sherry, the world's most misunderstood and underappreciated wine, page 437.

Organic wines have become increasingly more popular in the last decade, especially with the advent of eco-friendly practices.

Organic wines are made from grapes that are cultivated under organic, or biodynamic, conditions. Biodynamic practices ensure that the product to be consumed is free of chemicals, preservatives and other additives that are either manually added or transported into the grapevines through the soil.

Regular Wine vs. Organic Wine

Wines are often brewed from grapes that have been fertilized with synthetic products, which result in toxic elements in the fruit and high levels of sulfites that could be potentially allergenic to the consumer. Preservatives are often added to maintain the wine for a longer period of time, and stabilizers such as clarifiers are employed to rid the wine of solids that can be unappealing in appearance and taste.

A great wine can be made, however, avoiding all of these additives, and preventing the use of fertilizers that can leave traces of harsh chemicals in the final product.

Organic wine growers generally select specific cultivars that are particularly resistant to disease, in order to plan for the success of their organic harvest. The better, and healthier a plant grows, the less chances that you will need to apply any external influences other than natural methods to ensure it’s proper growth.

Nevertheless, even if choose the most pest resistant grapevine out there, you are still under a risk of getting an infestation on your vine. If this is the case, there are several organic solutions that will preserve your efforts in obtaining a biodynamic product.

Organic Pest Control Practices

To treat diseases and other pests, organic winemakers and grape growers utilize natural compounds that are made of mineral or biological elements. There are natural soaps and oils that can be used to treat a grapevine for disease and insect infestation. These same oils can be used as natural odor repellents for birds and other large animals that can compromise the integrity of your grapevine.

For fertilization, and even though it’s seldom required for grapevines, natural choices include various types of animal manure, including bat guano, which is known to be a powerful organic fertilizer. Other organic methods include the application of organic, used ground coffee beans, and/or organic crushed eggs that add necessary calcium and other important minerals to the soil.

Fertilization is also achieved successfully by organically treating weeds. Instead of spraying weeds, mulching and mowing is the typical organic practice. This allows for not only a natural method of weed removal, but for the needed fertilization of the soil to keep plants nourished and strong.

USDA Regulations for Organic Wines

USDA regulations explain the definition of an organic wine, as (1) a wine that has been brewed from grapes grown in biodynamic conditions. (2) a wine that has been prepared of organic grapes that present naturally occurring sulfite quantities lower to 20 ppm and (3) a wine that has no added sulfites, preservatives or synthetic additives. If a wine has been made from biodynamic grapes, but it doesn’t qualify for naturally occurring sulfite levels, it ought to be labeled as a wine “made from organic grapes.’

Organic grape growing is fairly simple, and very similar to the regular wine making process. If you appreciate organic practices and wish to go green, have a go at it. It’s easy Not to mention fun, and rewarding.

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Metrokane 6119 Rabbit Wine Bottle Stoppers 2-Pack in Multi-Color (Colors Selected Randomly)These re-usable wine stoppers slow down the oxidation process that occurs after opening a bottle of wine, and allow you to extend the life and enjoyment of your wine. And their happy colors and shiny stainless tops make them downright irresistible.

Each package includes a set of 2 wine stoppers. Colors are chosen at random.

Minimum order quantity: 2 x 2-Packs (4 Stoppers)


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