discount-wine-delivery-blog

Don't Hurt Yourself Trying To Find A Great 2008, Oregon Wines Win

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:18:22 +0100

Vintners all over Oregon are finally opening their 2008 vintage, and word is that this could be one of the best years ever. Phrases like "best of the best" and "what the willamette Valley is all about" tell the tasty story of a fantastic 2008 season.

The Willamette Valley is what Napa used to be. Untouched soils, light rains and sunny southern exposure with very few frosts which can destroy a vineyard. As the prices flew up in Napa, developers had more sway than the vineyards, and prime soil was capped with concrete and asphalt. Now most wines from Napa are bound to be more easily found on the discount wine delivery list than the premium list.

While prices did hit a high in 2007 as the real estate boom hit its final maximum, the local land development laws known as the "Urban Growth Boundary" made it impossible for the same mistake to be made in the beautiful Willamette Valley.

SInce the first vineyard set up shop, the Willamette Valley quickly became a world-renowned location for premium white wines. World class soils and creative vintners made their own mark on the wine world even before some of their best years came out. As a traveler I've seen these wines delivered around the US and meet with great fanfare in all my experiences.

With 2008 just being corked, this seems to mark the culmination of 30+ years of excellent marketing strategies, macro-economic shifts in their favor, as well as fantastic weather, soils and vintners working together towards a common excellence. While the vineyards in the Willamette Valley compete in the true sense of the word, they all have unique product offerings and do not take business away from the others, but add to the overall number of choices available from the valley.

Can we expect the Willamette Valley to be the "New France" of wines? In many senses, it already is. While American culture is almost universally abhorred in the rest of the world, the culture of the Pacific Northwest including Oregon, Washington, and Alaska meets with good response almost universally. This makes it very easy for wine makers from the PNW to send wine delivery packages all over the globe and meet or beat local and other imports.

Add to this "positive culture" a community of caring wine makers in a wonderfully suited wine growing region, and you've got a winning mixture.

Make sure you don't miss a 2008 from an Oregon vintner, and don't expect this is to be the last of the great wines from Oregon!

Is Wine Bad For You?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:01:12 +0100

There's been so many studies done on wine and its health effects its hard to know what to think anymore. But there's another study that just came out to add to the plethora of information on the popular subject.

A recent study was done on the effects of alcohol in general on people's bodies. Three groups of individuals were studied, one group that completely abstained from alcohol, one that drank in moderation, and one group that drank to excess regularly.

While preconceived ideas would lead many to believe that those that abstained from alcohol completely would live the longest, this study does not support this idea.

The study found that those who drank in moderation lived longer than either of the other two groups. Those who drank to excess on a regularly basis lived the shortest lives, and those that abstained completely lived longer than excess drinkers but not as long as moderate drinkers.

While the specifics of the study would have to be analyzed, specifically the types of lifestyles that these groups of individuals had, the results are surprising and potentially have far reaching consequences.

The researchers themselves have a potential variety of reasons that this would be true. From social interaction to potentially beneficial chemical reactions coming from the moderate drinking of alcohol, they firmly believe in the efficacy of the study.

Wine itself was not specifically studied, but the moderate and "excess" drinkers all had wine in their diet, so it was specifically included.

Should this affect the way you look at drinking? I would say that it definitely should. If the study is generally true, then there is no reason that you should feel bad getting discount wines delivered. And actually, you should feel good about it if you are able to stay in control of your alcohol consumption.

Ever Thought About Culture Objectively?

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:12:53 +0100

Although here in the states we like to think we have all the keys to life; is it really so? We've got our own little culture here, and whether it is productive or not is completely up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is that there are lots of different ways to live life.

While here in the states we have some hard and fast rules on drinking alcohol, in other countries like France these rules are far different.

We seem to take for granted here that 21 is the age for people to start drinking, but is this a cultural construct or a truly effective age to start consumption of alcohol?

Back to France and we can see kids as young as 7 starting to drink wine with their dinner, albeit in a watered down fashion. Parents happily get their children involved in the nightly ritual in a way that can be handled by their young bodies. While this may seem "wrong" in our culture, it seems to actually pay some smart dividends.

France's rate of alcohol abuse is far lower than that of the states, and this one fact alone should be enough to make us sit back and take a second look at our cultural constructs.

What is our real purpose with our laws on the consumption of alcohol? Isn't it simply to help protect ourselves from the insidious abuses that can come from this beverage? And if that isn't the goal, what is?

Sometimes it seems like we are so enamored with our own self constructed ideas and laws that we aren't even willing to take a second look at the regulations that we ourselves have created. This seems like an even worse abuse than of the abuse of alcohol; the abuse of control.

But back to wine drinking; is it truly something to be avoided, or something to be controlled? Wouldn't the practice of allowing younger and younger adults to drink bring about a new burst in sector of discount wine delivery?

Although we don't allow "child labor" in this country, we happily let children take jobs as young as 14. Does this not make them part of the workforce; and by extension adult in their own ability to choose their path in life?

I won't pretend to know the answers to these questions. I only ask these questions so that we may all be willing to examine our culture objectively so that we are able to move our communities forward in a productive way. And isn't that really our goal?

Use A Decanter To Make Cheap Wines Taste Good, Great Wines Taste Amazing

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:13:19 +0100

While there are multiple ways to allow for your wine to breathe before drinking, one of the quickest and easiest ways is to use a decanter. These simple and ingenious devices will make every red wine taste better, and can even improve some select whites.

Some recent comers to the market have started to push out plastic decanters in an attempt to lower the cost of these useful tools. Buyer beware: plastic can very easily seep into your wine, not only affecting the delicate taste of your favorite vino, but potentially adding health complications that are nothing less than insidious.

Many of these products come directly from China, where attention to quality control seems to be about 5 steps below the attention to the bottom line. Everything from baby formula and children's toys to drywall from China has been found to have toxic chemicals as a basic ingredient.

If you are looking to better your wine, not to poison yourself, I'd suggest looking for a quality glass decanter from a nation that has some resemblance of regulatory structure to prevent such issues.

Every wine is different, and even every vintage will have distinct characteristics that may either call for the use of a decanter, or may also preclude its use. Although you will be able to find some basic guidelines as to which wines should be run through a decanter, your best bet will be to speak to your local wine professional about your specific bottle.

One thing can be said without exclusion, that your discount wines will taste far better than they have ever have before. Although you may be able to create the same effect with your discount wines delivered by simply corking the bottle and letting it sit, this is highly time consuming and may take more logistical planning than you are willing to get into just to drink a couple glasses of wine.

All things being equal, a decanter is one of the least expensive ways to improve the taste and quality of the wines that you enjoy. Although you'll never be able to turn a year old wine into a 20 year old vintage by simply running it through a piece of glass, you will be amazed at the difference this simple device can make.

Starbucks To Offer Beer And Wine, What's Next On The Menu?

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:13:39 +0100

In a recent statement, Starbucks announced that it would be serving beer and wine at one of its locations in Seattle. Starbucks has "learning lab" stores throughout their system to test new products like this and will be testing their new line at a newly revamped Seattle location.

Starbucks so far has a pretty solid lock on the addiction of thousands of people for their daily caffeine addiction, and looks to add to that with the addition of beer and wine to their menu. The one line they haven't so far crossed is the addition of liquor to their collection; and that would definitely change the possibilities when stepping into your local Starbucks.

Imagine yourself in line at your local Starbucks when the barista asks you, "Would like an extra shot of espresso, an extra shot of tequila, or both?"

I might be making too many assumptions, but that's probably a line we don't want to cross as a society honestly. The ubiquity of the Starbucks cup as a caffeine container would suddenly have far reaching consequences on the street and most specifically at the office.

Or maybe we'd just go back to the days of "no more than 3 cocktails at lunch" but that would be "no more than 1 shot in the morning and 2 at lunch". But seriously, do we want to cross these lines again?

Starbucks can do whatever they want as a company, its their business; quite literally. But as a business proposition this one seems like a loser. By diluting their product offering they lose the essence of what they are. Beer, wine, and coffee don't really go together that well anyway; maybe wine and coffee if you want to cater to the booming avant guard sector in Seattle.

In my opinion Starbucks should stay well clear of the beer and wine market simply because they have no credibility in that market. Their coffee is definitely in the high price category for coffee (compared to local shops) and to be able to charge corresponding prices for their beer and wine they are going to have to build their credibility from scratch. One little misstep, such as trying to sell discount wines or moving into completely different areas like wine delivery, will end all their movement into this buyer's market.

Although I don't think much of Starbucks' plans, it does give me one bit of good tidings. That the next time I walk by a Starbucks on my way to a local coffee shop I can start asking the people coming out if they've started serving umbrella drinks yet.

American Vineyards Beginning To Be Paved Over In Name Of Profit

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:14 +0100

Starting a vineyard has always been risky business; only for the most committed of individuals with a taste for adventure and a healthy belief in their own good luck. The United States hasn't always been known for its great wines, but in the last 30-40 years a unique culture arose that is now reaching its greatest test for the young industry.

With the recession in full swing, American wine makers are being hit from just about every angle from foreign competition to shrinking profit margins. Add to that a couple of lackluster harvest years in 2008, 2009, and now 2010; and American wine looks to be on the ropes.

The real estate boom was almost certainly the strongest in California, and that has may real estate developers pushing out to the suburbs to fill the demand for cheap housing. This has pushed many developers towards vineyards that have been less and less profitable as of late.

But this has taken its toll on the whole culture; where vineyards used to be are now parking lots and commercial towers. As this progress develops, the whole fertile area might be paved over in a bid to put up ever cheaper housing options. It seems as if nothing can stop this boom; not even dropping the price and margin of their product down to discount wine levels.

Oregon, a relative newcomer to the world market, has also seen its own share of problems. With local sales dipping and the price of export increasing, profitability is dropping accross the board. More consumers are opting for discount wines delivered to their homes over buying a $25 bottle in a restaurant, which is affecting commercial demand.

The majority of sentiment for wine related businesses seems a "hold it through" attitude; that in a few short years the engines will be kicking again and it will have been worth the wait out. Those that don't have this optimistic attitude are largely on their way out; looking to sell their piece of land while the price is still stable.

American wines barely got their feet on the ground by the end of the 20th century, but it seems as if it may have been the great peak. After 2001 the next vintage that holds a name is 2005; and from that point on the story seems like a slow decline into oblivion. Let's hope, for our own taste buds, that my bleak vision doesn't come to be reality and that we can continue to get great American wine delivery.

"Harvest Of The Century" In Texas; Early Frost In Wisconsin

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:46 +0100

In wine, its all about the grapes, or more appropriately its all about the weather that can either make or break a grape harvest. This year's grape harvest has a lot of variability throughout the world and isn't likely to be called the next "2005" for harvests. But the market for wine seems to growing fast with new services like discount wine delivery adding to the overall demand so its not likely that much wine will go to waste.

The UK has had a fantastic year, with a warm spring, early summer, and now sunshine into September has created a bumper crop. This year looks to be near perfect and there will be some great wines to come out of the vineyards in Devon.

In the US things were more mixed. Cooler temperatures and wet, heavy fog stalled the harvest in Sonoma into late August with some vineyards practicing selective picking during early August. An "average" harvest would be in early August, so these grapes aren't quite the quality. Other known vineyard locations in California such as Napa and Paso Robles have also been affected and have experienced the same late harvest.

One place in the US that has had great harvest is in Texas where conditions were near perfect for a great Gewürztraminer vintage. It is being trumped up by the local media as the "Harvest of the Century" which may be an exaggeration but does tell on the quality and quantity of the crop. I can only hope that a few of these vintages make their way around as discount wines delivered so that we can all have a taste!

Another top notch harvest was had in New York where an early harvest was possible due to a hot summer and appropriate rainfall. The growing New York wine culture will be pleased by the harvest and subsequent vintage wines that come from this year!

An early frost in Wisconsin has struck the state's largest vineyard and dropped the harvest about 15% from last year . A frost before harvest also doesn't bode well for the quality of the grapes, but most of that drop in quality is in the grapes that are thrown out .

All in all the year seems mixed across the board, and you'll have do to a little research on a bottle before you buy it if you want to get the highest quality out of a 2010.