Christmas In August, And Celebrating With Indian Food And Riesling!

I sometimes buy myself a birthday present, and usually it is something that I’ve been wanting to buy for a while, but didn’t want to spend the money. This year I wasn’t going to get anything, but after my birthday was over, I thought “Hey, why not”. Today my package arrived, and I’m like a kid at Christmas, so excited, my very own Ravenscroft Crystal Bordeaux Glasses. Jay! Can’t wait to try them. They came in a very nice gift box, so for those of you looking for a great gift for a wine drinker, Ravenscroft is a very nice choise.

I tried a new recipe for an Indian dish, and it came out so good I made the statement; the best dinner I’ve ever made. Basil Chicken in a Coconut Curry Sauce. It is amazing! I absolutely love the spices they use in Indian cooking.

Lately I have become somewhat a Riesling fan. Specially since I discovered how nicely it pairs with spicy food. I really wanted a Riesling with this dish, and had to run out and get one. The selection they have in the stores around here is not great, and when you limit yourself to what they offer chilled? You are lucky to find two bottles to choose from. When I saw the 2011 Woodbridge Riesling, a Robert Mondavi Winery (I’m a big fan) in the fridge, I was relieved. In my eyes, you can’t go wrong with a Mondavi wine. And I was right. A bit too sweet for me to really enjoy by itself, but paired with the complex, spicy curry dish, it was outstanding, a match made in heaven.

I am really looking forward to trying my new glasses. I didn’t use them with the Riesling because I had another glass that I thought would benefit that wine more. But I think I know wich bottle that will get the honor, and it is one that I got for my birthday. I just have to figure out what to cook with it. I’m putting a little pressure on myself here lol. Cheers!

We Put Some Wine Glasses to the Test, and WOW!

Ever since I started my webstore Fine Wine Glasses And More, I have been wanting to do a taste test with different wine glasses. And I have heard about how much the glass can enhance a wine. Finally last night we had a chance to do this. Using our favorite Cupcake Red Velvet, we were testing some new Cachet Tulip 19 oz glasses (You can see the glasses by using this link http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/catalog/item/8603146/9493913.htm) And comparing with a smaller thicker glass, probably around 6-8 oz and not very wide.

All four of us did the test, and I absolutely could not belive it. What a difference…. if I didn’t know it was the same wine in both glasses, I would have thought someone was trying to trick me. The Cachet Tulip glass made the wine much rounder and smoother tasting. Awesome!

These glasses are also very elegant looking, with the long stem and thin glass. You can check out these glasses, and many more at www.finewineglassesandmore.com

After this eye opening experience, I will definitely be doing more testing. Would be fun to see how a glass would affect a Cabernet or a Pinot. I know that they suggest a wider glass for Pinot Noir and Bordeaux. So stay tuned for more fun tastings. Cheers!

Bordeaux in New York City!

Went to a Bordeaux wine tasting in New York a couple of days ago. We had to fill out a questioner when we signed up, so they could “match” us with the right Bordeaux. The event was called Bordeaux Matchmaking. Must say I got a tiny bit confused at times, when some of the questions seemed to have nothing to do with wine…. do you like to travel? Starting to think that they were trying to match me with people, not wine.

When we got there, it was a really nice setup. You received an envelope with the number of the table that you would be tasting from. They had 10 tables, and we got 4 tickets to use at our table. Then we were told that we could swap tickets with other people, and taste from other tables, and that way we would be interacting with other tasters to get to know them….. another clue that we were not just being matched with wine….

Then, when I exchanged my first ticket, I was extremely surprised to get a full glass of wine. I was expecting a little in the bottom of the glass, like most wine tastings. needless to say, after using my 4 tickets, I was a very happy wine taster. Glad I took pictures of the bottles I tasted, otherwise there is no way I would be able to remember the fancy French names of the Bordeaux wines.

Well, they were better at matching me with wine than people… Absolutely loved the wines on my table. They were all nice and smooth, medium to full-bodied. And after some research, the prices are between $9 and $17. Didn’t really get to pair these wines with food (the hors d’oeuvres were tiny, and far between, left the party hungry) But I would imagine these wines would pair well with a lot of different food, especially red meat.

I’m very glad I went to this tasting, it was quite an experience, with great wine and atmosphere. But I’m just wondering what the idea of the event was. There was very little promotion of the wines, and they didn’t sell anything there. The event was free, and when the complimentary tasting was over, hardly anyone went to the bar, because they already drank 4 glasses of wine…. With a 150 people attending, that would be close to 150 bottles of wine….. hmmm….doesn’t seem like good business.

I was looking forward to trying Bordeaux, my experience with the French wines so far has been very good. And in my mind French wines seem very exclusive, and should be enjoyed in the right setting. What I mean is, don’t have a nice French wine with a take out burger…. So, that they served the wine in plastic stemless wine glasses was wrong. It takes away some of the glamour of the wine experience. I would have prefered to drink my wine out of Ravenscroft Crystal handblown Bordeaux glasses. Check out these glasses http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/catalog/item/8603122/9498188.htm

and for other gift ideas visit us at www.finewineglassesandmore.com.

Overall this was a fun event, and I would go again. I love the City, and look for any excuse to go, there is just something fascinating about this place.

Cheers!

Going Sparkly for the Holidays!

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy bubbles. I prefer seltzer water over plain water, and soda over juice. I do enjoy a cold beer now and then. There is just something refreshing about the bubbles. I don’t drink a lot of Champagne, but when there is something that needs to be celebrated, nothing makes a statement like a real sparkly Champagne.

Even when I was a little kid, my Mom and Dad used to give me a glass of Champagne on New Years Eve. Just a small glass, so me and my sister could toast the new year. And back in Norway, everyone has fireworks. The sky was lit up for at least an hour around midnight.

What really bothers me is the glasses that some people use for Champagne. They use those really wide, shallow glasses with short stem. Now you are pretty much forced to hold the glass itself, wich warms up the Champagne. And with the wide shape, the bubbles escape, what’s the point then?

I like a stem that you can hold on to, and a slim tall glass that will preserve the bubbles. We have some amazing Champagne glasses at www.finewineglassesandmore.com. Don’t let your bubbles escape. Ravenscroft Crystal has hand blown glasses that will compliment any Sparkling Wine.

Check out our selection http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/sparkling_wine_glasses.html

Cheers!

Which Wine goes with Thanksgiving Dinner?

It all depends on what you are serving, and what you like. Let’s say you are having turkey, well most people in the United States are probably having just that. A lot of people would say white wine, because it is white meat, but let’s think about this. Ok, you have the white meat, but also dark meat, and the stuffing, that can be very rich. You also have the gravy, the greens and don’t forget the cranberries. My favorite would be Pinot Noir. It goes excellent with food, not too bold like a Cabernet can be. It would go great with white meat and dark meat, as well as the cranberries. A Pinot Noir would even pair well with certain kinds of fish.

To pick the right Pinot, I can give you a couple of tips. If you like a wine that is a little bolder and makes a statement, I would go with American. Oregon is well-known for having great Pinot Noirs, or California as well has lots of excellent Pinot Noirs to choose from. If you like a little smoother and lighter wine, I would suggest a French Burgundy or maybe a New Zealand Pinot Noir. Burgundy France, is where Pinot Noir comes from, and in France the cuisine is very important, so they would never have a wine that would overpower the food.

If you, or someone at the dinner table, doesn’t like red wine, then I would suggest a Chardonnay. There is a lot of great Chardonnay’s out there, but I would probably try to stay away from the very sweet ones. Chardonnay also stems from Burgundy France, and is also known as, White Burgundy.

Now we got the wine picking done, better make sure we got the right glasses. We don’t want to serve our great wine in beer jugs, right? A Pinot Noir needs air, you want to be able to let it breathe, and you should have room to swirl without spilling, that means you need at least a 20 oz glass. Even a Chardonnay glass is a little roomier than a regular white wine glass between 12 and 20 oz.

Ravenscroft crystal makes some gorgeous hand blown glasses. Visit our website and check out our products. We currently have a Special on our Ravenscroft Burgundy glasses, for Thanksgiving. OVER 30% OFF REGULAR PRICE. http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/catalog/item/8603122/9498220.htm We also carry the Chardonnay glasses, and so much more. So please come and visit us, we have lots of gift items for the Holidays, www.finewineglassesandmore.com.

Less than a month away, times really do fly. Before we know it, it will be summer again. O well, let’s try to enjoy these cold months. I know I am, for some weird reason I even hope to get some snow this winter. Imagine the pretty picture of fresh snow on the trees, and all over, while you are inside looking out with a glass of your favorite wine in your hand……

Cheers!

Launch Time!

Jippi, finally there. The website is done! I am so excited and very proud of my very first website. Please come and visit at www.finewineglassesandmore.com.  You can choose from a large inventory of wine glasses. We offer well-known brands as Ravenscroft Crystal, Alto, Chef & Sommelier and others. I am a wine enthusiast myself, so it’s my dream to make this web store as good as it can get. And I’m aiming to please the snobbiest of wine snobbs. I would absolutely love some feedback, good and bad. So please email, fb, tweet, comment in any way you prefer. And just remember the Holidays are coming, and we might have the perfect gift on our website.

By the way it’s Wine Wednesday so cheers!