Food and Drink Articles

Going wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara? Leave all your planning, mapping and driving hassles behind. It’s all about relaxing and enjoying the wine country experience, right? The following Santa Ynez wine tour companies offer variations on that theme. Maybe there’s one just right for you.

Wine Edventures offer daily tours which feature a knowledgeable guide who will enlighten you about the area and the wineries you are visiting. You can even request a private tour customized to your own wine experience level.

Plus, they have tours which focus on a specific AVA. You can reach them at 805-965-9463.

Another wine tour company is Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours. They’ll take you past orchards and through gorgeous vineyards. The jeeps hold five to seven people and are covered with a canopy so you won’t get sun burnt. Guides let you know about the local history and other information on the natural aspects of the beautiful scenery. The tours include visits to four wineries, plus a gourmet picnic. Call 805-646-3201 for more information.

Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours take people on half-day or four-day trips through the Santa Ynez Valley. Enjoy the fresh air, the exercise, wine tastings and gourmet picnic lunches. You tour guide will show you the way. To find out more, call 888-557-8687.

For a different mode of travel, try wine tasting by trolley. The Santa Barbara Trolley Company gives tours for 10 to 32 passengers, and each tour comes fully narrated. They’ll even treat you to champagne and hors d’oeuvres. This is a great way to visit wine country with a group. Your guide will take you to about four wineries, stopping for lunch along the way. They can be reached at 805-965-0353.

The Santa Barbara Adventure Company gives Santa Ynez wine tours to four people or more by van. Your guide will take you wine tasting at three to four wineries. A barrel room tour is included at the first one. Call 805-898-0671.

If you’d rather forgo a narrating guide, you can just let a chauffeur drive you around in a limo. Limousine Link is a company that can provide wine tours in stretch limos, passenger vans, mini coaches and other vehicles. Their tours can be personalized to your specifications. Choose the wineries you want to visit and cruise the Santa Ynez Valley in comfort and luxury. Their number is 805-564-4660.

If you need a place to stay in or near Santa Ynez, the Danish town of Solvang is close by and a good base point for your wine touring.

Often when people bring up wine in a conversation or a thought, much thought is usually given to where the wine came from. When you study the name of the wine, such as burgundy or champagne, you’ll find a log about the origin of the wine. Burgundy for instance, we all know comes from France, same as burgundy. There are many wines in your local wine store out there - several of which come from France.

In the olden times, peasants made the wines in France, and they also drank it themselves. Wine making is very old in France, which is really no surprise as French wine is some of the best in the world.

New world wines own the ingredients that were used in the label, while French old world wine is labeled with the location. In doing so, the French definitely left a bit of a romantic buzz when you purchase any of their wine.

Most wine enthusiasts all over the world consider French wine to be the best. Wine lovers from all over the world would rather buy French wine over any other. There are several various kinds of French wine available, giving you plenty to choose from. This way, you can drink and compare wine based on aroma, taste, and even the texture.

The thirteen different regions in France have literally thousands of vineyards that produce wine, making the possibilities for French wine endless. France is also known for having the ideal location for growing grapes, including the ideal soil conditions and vineyards that are very close to the water. The weather in France is always good, making it one of the best locations in the world for wine.

French wine varies from the most common types that you can find virtually everywhere that sells wine, to the rare vintage, which can be very difficult to come across. If you are seeking one of the more rare types of French wine, your best chance would be to use the Internet.

You can find thousands of different types of wine, including rare French wine. Rare vintage French wine is extremely hard to find, even sometimes so online. You can always seek your vintage by looking at wine forums including the many different wine websites.

All in all, French wine is simply a cut above the rest. Some other wines may use the same ingredients and methods in production, but they don’t taste the same as those made in France.

Once you taste a wine that was made in France - you’ll know it. The wine from France is all about the quality and a taste you’ll simply never forget.

Gin is a juniper berry-flavored grain spirit . The word is an English shortening of Genever, the Dutch word for juniper. The origins of Gin are rather murky. In the late 1580s a juniper-flavored spirit of some sort was found in Holland by British troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Dutch War of Independence. They gratefully drank it to give them what they soon came to call “Dutch courage” in battle. The Dutch themselves were encouraged by their government to favor such grain spirits over imported wine and brandy by lack of excise taxes on such local drinks.

A clearer beginning was a few decades later in the 1600s when a Dr. Franciscus de la Boë in the university town of Leiden created a juniper and spice-flavored medicinal spirit that he promoted as a diuretic. Genever soon found favor across the English Channel; first as a medicine (Samuel Pepys wrote in 1660 of curing a case of “colic” with a dose of “strong water made with juniper”) and then as a beverage.

When the Dutch Protestant William of Orange and his English wife Mary became co-rulers of England after the “Glorious Revolution” drove James II from the throne, he moved to discourage the importation of brandy from the Catholic wine-making countries by setting high tariffs. As a replacement he promoted the production of grain spirits (”corn brandy” as it was known at the time) by abolishing taxes and licensing fees for the manufacture of such local products as Gin. History has shown that prohibition never works, but unfettered production of alcohol has its problems too.

By the 1720s it was estimated that a quarter of the households in London were used for the production or sale of Gin. Mass drunkenness became a serious problem. The cartoonist Hogarth’s famous depiction of such behavior in “Gin Lane” shows a sign above a Gin shop that states, “Drunk for a penny/Dead drunk for twopence/Clean straw for Nothing.” Panicky attempts by the government to prohibit Gin production, such as the Gin Act of 1736, resulted in massive illicit distilling and the cynical marketing of “medicinal” spirits with such fanciful names as Cuckold’s Comfort and My Lady’s Eye Water.

A combination of reimposed government controls, the growth of high-quality commercial Gin distillers, the increasing popularity of imported rum, and a general feeling of public exhaustion gradually brought this mass hysteria under control, although the problems caused by the combination of cheap Gin and extreme poverty extended well into the 19th century. Fagin’s irritable comment to a child in the film Oliver -”Shut up and drink your Gin!”-had a basis in historical fact.

Starting in the 18th century the British Empire began its worldwide growth; and wherever the Union Jack went, English-style gins followed. In British North American colonies such celebrated Americans as Paul Revere and George Washington were notably fond of Gin, and the Quakers were well-known for their habit of drinking Gin toddies after funerals.

The arrival of the Victorian era in England in the mid-19th century ushered in a low-key rehabilitation of Gin’s reputation. The harsh, sweetened “Old Tom” styles of Gin of the early 1700s slowly gave way to a new cleaner style called Dry Gin. This style of Gin became identified with the city of London to the extent that the term “London Dry” Gin became a generic term for the style, regardless of where it was actually produced. Genteel middle-class ladies sipped their sloe Gin (Gin flavored with sloe berries) while consulting Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management (a wildly popular Victorian cross between the Joy of Cooking and Martha Stewart lifestyle books) for Gin-based mixed drink recipes.

The British military, particularly the officer corps, became a hotbed of Gin consumption. Hundreds of Gin-based mixed drinks were invented and the mastery of their making was considered part of a young officer’s training. The best known of these cocktails, the Gin and Tonic, was created as a way for Englishmen in tropical colonies to take their daily dose of quinine, a very bitter medicine used to ward off malaria. Modern tonic water still contains quinine, though as a flavoring rather than a medicine.

In Holland the production of Genever was quickly integrated into the vast Dutch trading system. The port of Rotterdam became the center of Genever distilling, as distilleries opened there to take advantage of the abundance of needed spices that were arriving from the Dutch colonies in the East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Many of today’s leading Dutch Genever distillers can trace their origins back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Examples include such firms as Bols (founded 1575) and de Kuyper (1695).

Belgium developed its own juniper-flavored spirit, called Jenever (with a “j”), in a manner similar to that in Holland (which controlled Belgium for a time in the early 19th century). The two German invasions of Belgium in World Wars I and II had a particularly hard effect on Jenever producers, as the occupying Germans stripped the distilleries of their copper stills and piping for use in the production of shell casings. The remaining handful of present-day Belgian Jenever distillers produce Jenever primarily for the local domestic market. Gin may have originated in Holland and developed into its most popular style in England, but its most enthusiastic modern-day consumers are to be found in Spain, which has the highest per capita consumption in the world. Production of London Dry-style Gin began in the 1930s, but serious consumption did not begin until the mix of Gin and Cola became inexplicably popular in the 1960s.

Gin production in the United States dates back to colonial times, but the great boost to Gin production was the advent of National Prohibition in 1920. Moonshining quickly moved in to fill the gap left by the shutdown of commercial distilleries, but the furtive nature of illicit distilling worked against the production of the then-dominant whiskies, all of which required some aging in oak casks. Bootleggers were not in a position to store and age illegal whisky, and the caramel-colored, prune-juice-dosed grain alcohol substitutes were generally considered to be vile.

Gin, on the other hand, did not require any aging, and was relatively easy to make by mixing raw alcohol with juniper berry extract and other flavorings and spices in a large container such as a bathtub (thus the origin of the term “Bathtub Gin”). These gins were generally of poor quality and taste, a fact that gave rise to the popularity of cocktails in which the mixers served to disguise the taste of the base Gin. Repeal of Prohibition at the end of 1933 ended the production of bootleg Gin, but Gin remained a part of the American beverage scene. It was the dominant white spirit in the United States until the rise of Vodka in the 1960s. It still remains popular, helped along recently by the revived popularity of the Martini.

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Don’t let is rest without anything to do for much time. A nice way to do this is to brew your own home-made beer. It can be done by a major share of the population with ease and still enjoy every word of praise for their effort. Brewing your own beer is for sure one of the elusive hobbies that few chance upon, but enjoy immensely when they do.

It is easy to get those kits that are needed for making your brew. They can be found at any liquor shop or online. These kits range from under $50 to over $100. It is ultimately your choice and your choice of brew.

People are on the constant hunt for something useful to do to add meaning to the time they spend once they have retired. They can find a very constructive pastime in brewing. The best part is that you need not be scared of the resultant brew’s taste.

Beer brewing is a whole bundle of limitless fun. You can derive a lot of joy from trying your own brews and find how they taste. The beer making kit has a lot of influence on the type of beer you will end up making. You can make a heavy brew or a light one based on your preference. Each of these kits will result in a slightly different flavor. It is up to you to try every flavor you can brew and taste each of them.

Setting up a room for storing all the beer brewing materials is real fun. This room can be set up either in the garage or in the basement. This is the place where you will be creating your beer. The door of this room will be the gateway to your happy brewing zone. This will be really interesting because you will be able to try various things you have always wanted to.

Once you complete this fascination process of brewing you beer, give every member of your family and all your friends a taste of it. Every word of their appreciation will feel like honey to your ears. Before you do this however, taste the brew and make sure it is similar to beer in taste. It might not be the best brew you have sipped, but it is surely the one that made you the proudest.

If I could made Chianti, what would I do? How would I make it? What style, thick and concentrated, thin and light, or somewhere in-between? Would I include non-traditional secondary grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot? “Certainly not! That would be most sacrilegious.”

Number one, in molding what many consider to be a real, true classic Chianti, “you never ever ever allow, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah or any grapes that are not native or traditional to the Chianti Classico zone. The secondary grapes to the primary grape Sangiovese (75-100%) should only be; either Canaiolo, Colorino, Trebbiano, or Malvasia Bianco, with any of these grapes being added singly or in a combination. The percentage of white grapes allowed since 1984 is a maximum of 6% as opposed to the once ridiculous about of 30% in the sixties and seventies. The allowance of up to 30% white grapes was the major factor in bringing about the bad reputation to Chianti during those years when quantity of wine made (bulk)was favored over quality in smaller numbers of production in much of Italy.

Luckily there were producers like the Antinori family who started making great wines in the Chianti Classico zone which could not be labeled under the Chianti D.O.C. but as Vin di Tavola (the lowest designation, though these wines were of Superior quality), in the wines; “Solaia” which was made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon with about 20% Sangiovese and “Tignanello” which was made of 100% Sangiovese in its first vintage and added a percentage of Cabernet (15-20%)after that. These wines along with “Sassicaia” from the Tuscan coast of Bolgerhi helped to elevate the wines of Tuscany by making top quality wines and inspiring other producers to do the same. So, the act of making exceptional quality wines in and around the Chianti region which were not Chianti’s but Super Tuscans, was the factor that sparked the beginning of better and better Chianti’s over time.

The last two dates (1984 and 1996) that changed the laws governing the production of Chianti, forced producers to make better Chianti. These laws which allowed producers to completely eliminate white varietals from Chianti and not allowing more than 6% white grapes was the main factor to improving quality in the wine, while at the same time allowing up to 15% of other varieties such as Merlot or Cabernet and the allowance of making a Chianti from 100% Sangiovese, thus allowing a Chianti that is not a blended wine, if a producer chose to make it this way. These two new amendments gave way to radically changing what a Chianti was if made solely of Sangiovese. The Chianti’s that are made of 10 to 15 percent Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon would not be the same as well and would lose much of their the general character of “True Chianti”. I must admit that at the time the laws first allowed the addition of these International varieties, I was quite excited and thought that this was a great thing for Chianti, but it wasn’t long before I changed my mind about allowing the addition of these varieties.

As I tasted these wines and at the same time started learning a great deal more about Italian wine, I soon discovered that the Chianti’s that had either Merlot or Cabernet tasted completely different. “They didn’t taste like Chianti!” They didn’t have the wonderful rustic characters of a true Chianti. They taste more like wines from California instead of having the characteristics from the “Terroir” of where they come from; “Chianti Classico”, “Chianti Rufina”, “Colli Sienesi”, or “Colli Fiorentina”. Fortunately most producers making Chianti do not put Merlot or Cabernet in the bottles they label Chianti, most use Canaiolo or Colorino as the secondary grape. Wine estates that grow Merlot, Cabernet, or Syrah, generally use these varieties to make “Super Tuscan” wines which are much more profitable as they can get much higher prices on the wholesale and retail markets for these wines.

To myself and other Italian Wine Geeks, if wine has Merlot or Cabernet in it, it’s a “Super Tuscan” not a Chianti and should be labeled as such as these grape varietals used, even in smaller percentages of only 5 to 10 percent are still powerful enough as to substantially change the character of what is supposed to be “Chianti”. These wines become something else, they become “Super Tuscans” and should be labeled as such (as far as I’m concerned)and not as Chianti which as the laws stand now they can be called Chianti. I am on a personal crusade to have the laws changed once again, which would eliminate non-native varietals from the Chianti blend.

One of the new parameters of making Chianti is that it can be made solely of 100% Sangiovese. This is the other part of laws governing Chianti which should be changed. As in its long tradition, Chianti was always a blend of grapes with Sangiovese making up the greatest part of the mix. Chianti was and always should be a blended wine, it should not be allowed to be made solely of Sangiovese, then again it’s a Super Tuscan not Chianti if you have a truly traditionalist mind towards Chianti. Chianti, when it was originated in the 1870’s by the Baron Bettino Ricasoli was a wine made of a blend of native grapes of the region of Chianti. The original Chianti made by Ricasoli was a blended wine made mostly of Sangiovese as the primary grape with small portions of Trebbiano and Cannaiolo. Until the lastest laws of 1996 which laid down the parameters of how Chianti could be made as a blend and it can also be made of purely 100% Sangiovese. Chianti made of just 100% Sangiovese is not quite true Chianti as well. I love Sangiovese. It is my favorite grape varietal in the World, but as well, Chianti was always a blended wine with Sangiovese as the primary grape varietal.

Chianti was a blended wine for well over 100 years. With the latest laws, Chianti can be a made purely of Sangiovese. Some wines that are made of 100% Sangiovese and are known as Super Tuscans are; “Prunaio”, “I Sodi San Niccolo”, “Cipresso”, Le Pergole Torta among many others. They are wonderful wines that fall into the Super-T category as any wine made in the Chiati Classico Zone should be. Chianti should always be a blend, even if it is only 1% or 2% of another native grape, which should be Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Trebbianno, or Malvasia Bianco, or Malvasia Nero. The white varietals should not exceed more than 2% of the blend. This is how the new laws governing the production of Chianti would be laid down if it was up to me and others who are traditionalist and want Chianti to always adhere to its original form. “Real Chianti!” The wines should have fairly low yields of grapes harvested, but not so low as to produce super-concentrated rich wines that are more like blockbuster California Cabs or Super Tuscan powerhouses. This is not what Chianti is about. Chianti should be a have a certain amount of concentration and at the same time maintain its wonderful rustic character with Cherry and Sour Cherry flavors dominating with a touch of spice and earthiness. Chianti should be an easy drinking medium to lower-scale-full-bodied wine. Chianti should always maintain the tradition of being a blended wine with Sangiovese making up the great the majority of its physical make-up. It should never be solely made from 100% Sangiovese but contain at least 2% of one, two, or three of the traditional native sub-varietal grapes of Chianti Classico and never Merlot, Cabernet, Syhrah or other International variety.

If I could set these laws as the new DOCG laws of Chianti Classico the laws would never have to be changed again. The laws, the way they are set today are a little too broad. One thing that is good in the way the laws stand now is that they do allow for a proper Chianti to be made, and most Chianti’s are made in this manner, but at the same time they allow for non-native varieties and the allowance of 100% Sangiovese. These last two regulations must be changed for all Chianti’s to be “True Chianti”. It is as simple as that! So, let us hope that one day in the near future, these laws will be laid down and every single bottle labeled Chianti is actually real, true Chianti that lives up to this great wines history and origins.

Chianti Classico. What is it? First off, the area came first, the wine Chainti Classico is name after the area it comes from, which is Chianti. The Chianti Classico is the most famous. It stretches from just a few miles south of Florence at its most northern tip and runs down almost 30 miles to Castelnuovo Beradenga at its most southern point. As Chianti grew in popularity and fame, a number of other regions where Chianti can be made developed. Some of these areas are Cooli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colli Arentini, and Rufina. None of these sub areas have ever gained anywhere near the fame as thee original Chianti Classico Zone. The Chianti Zone of Rufina, just outside Florence is the most prestigious zone apart from Chianti. These Chianti’s are of the highest quality. Three very well know producers in this area are Frescobaldi, Selvapiana, and Rufino and although the zone of Rufina is not as well known as the Chianti Classico zone, the zone of Rufina does have thee most famous Chianti of all, Rufino’s Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale (Gold Label).

So in closing, let us say that we hope the laws that govern the making of Chianti Classico will be changed some day. I think it is sure to happen. It would be best if it happens sooner than later, that in the making of Chianti, there shall be no Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syhrah or any other non-native or non-traditional grape varieties of Chianti Classico. Also the laws should be changed to eliminate 100% Sangiovese Chianti’s, Chianti should always be a blend.

The region of Chianti Classico is one of the World’s most beautiful wine regions, if not the most beautiful. It is enchanting, filled with castles, all forms of wine estates from small and simply to big and majestic. The beautiful rolling hills of Chianti are filled with Cypress trees that dot the crest of many a hill, along with rugged stone farm houses and the wondrous rows Sangiovese vines lining the gently sloping hills.

Chianti is relatively untouched or spoiled by any type of ugly modern structures. The Chiantigiana road is still the ancient one built by the Romans and its pavement blends in perfectly with its untouched surroundings. Chianti is filled with lovely little towns like Castellina, Gaile, Greve, and Radda where you will find the famous Dante quoting butcher Dario Cecchini. You can visit and stay in beautiful wine estates like Fattoria Valle, Castello Verazzano in Greve where the explorer Giovani Verazzano is from. You can stay at the beautiful estate of Vignamaggio where Gioconda lived and was painted my Michael Angelo. She is “Mona Lisa.”

Chianti, it’s not just a wine. “It’s a Place, a very beautiful place!”

A LIST of TRUE CHIANTI’S made primarily with Sangiovese with small amounts of native sub-varities such as Canaiolo, Malvasia Nero, Colorino, and Ciliegiolo and not containing any Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syhrah, or any Intl. Varieties.

Written by Daniel Bellino Zwicke NY,NY

On of the Foremost Authorities of Italian Wine

Monsanto “Il Poggio” Chianti Classico Riserva

Castello Verazzano Chianti Classico

Castello Brolio Chainti Classico Reserva

Frescobaldi Chianti Classico “Nipozzano” ?????

Vignamaggio Chinati Classico Riserva “Mona Lisa”

Rufino Chianti Classico Riserva “Ducale” (Gold Label)

Selvapiana Chianti Rufina

Badia Coltobuono

Tocai is an aromatic dry white wine that is made from the grapes of the same name. It is grown in the Fuilia area of Italy and it is named after small eccentric glasses it is served in Italian taverns. The glasses are small and look like juice glasses. The grape is also sometimes known as Sauvignon Vert which translates to mean “green wine.” It is also grown in Chile and France. The name is pronounced Toe-Koi.

Tocai is not to be mistaken for a Hungarian wine called Tokay. These two wines are very different and in fact the Hungarian wine maker sued the Italian wine maker to exclusively own this name and lost. There is also a Japanese saki type wine known as Tokei. Tocai is quite different and is strictly grown in Italy.

This fussy and eclectic grapevine only grows in certain types of cool climates. It is rarefied because it is vulnerable to disease, much like Pinot Noir, and it often will rot if not grown near Fruilia. This is one of these wines that suffer if the crop is too big so most growers only keep a couple of the vines on their vineyards. The harvest for Tocai grapes is small each year. This is why the wine it creates is expensive and also very much prized by wine tasters.

The wine it creates is a pale yellow and often is strongly aromatic of pears, citrus and wild flowers. The beverage also has a clean, slightly crisp finish that is very fresh and dry on the palate. It is a sharp, yet perfumed wine that is quite strong. It goes great with sushi, Japanese food, grilled clams, and shrimp. This wine is usually of a very high alcohol content - 14%. It is also of a slightly thicker consistency than most wines. This means too that it stands up well to spicy cuisines such as New Orleans, Chinese, or Thai food.

Tocai is drank as a fancy wine in North America but in its native Spain this is a very pedestrian beverage that is drunk regularly the same way that we drink orange juice in the morning. The locals that drink it tend to eat it with humble foods including omelets, cheese, pork, and beans. It also pairs exceptionally well with chicken, fish, and pork. It is a serviceable cooking wine as well and excellent for frying up garlic onions.

The grape is usually harvested young which means midsummer. It is drunk young which means that it is not usually aged for long or at all. It grows best in sunny locations with well drained soils and in climates that have cold nights. That is why it grows so well in the mountains in Chile.

Other names for this thick and oily dry wine include Tocai Bianco Tokay Italian, Blanc Doux, Sauvignon à Gros Grains, Sauvignon de la Corrèze, Trebbianello, Sauvignon Vert, Sauvignonasse, Malaga. His wine is often mixed with Tokay, Tokay d’Alsace, or Tokaji which is a wine that is indigenous to Hungary.