Hi
(members name)
, Oliver here, your Vino Club Secretary,
Got any celebrations coming up over Easter? Yes, then open a bottle. No? Then open a bottle anyway. The weather might be a bit off but let's hope your favourite wine isn't corked? Anyone like whisky - we have a cracking competition to win a great trip to Scotland, and if you win you can take five friend along as well.
In this latest newsletter there's some other competitions to go in for and some useful tips on wine that should be familiar to most. Any of your own Do's and Don'ts about wine, please let us know.
And, of course, a very happy Easter |
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Win a Whisky Weekend for you and five friends at DRUMMUIR CASTLE, Scotland
The Classic Malts Selection comprises eminent single malt whiskies like Talisker, Dalwhinnie, and Lagavulin. Become a friend of the classic malts, and as well as a chance to win a weekend at Drummuir Castle to learn about them with expert Charlie MacLean, you'll receive a threadbound Classic Malts guide giving free entry to 11 distilleries, free copies of The Quaich magazine - written by industry professionals - and chances to acquire special bottlings.
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"Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy." - Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), the Scottish bacteriologist credited with discovering Penicillin in 1928. |
Do's |
Dont's |
Decant cheaper red wines into a decanter of room temperature, introduce as much air as possible into the wine. |
Never insert the corkscrew through the seal, always cut-off the seal 3 to 4 mm below the top of the bottle. |
Chill cheaper wine, (the cheaper the wine, the cooler it should be served). |
Don't chill aromatic & sweet wines too long (Riesling Gewurtztraminer), they loose their perfumes if chilled for more than 2 hours. |
Warm wines slowly, leave at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. |
Don't chill Chardonnay, good Burgundy or Rhone whites for more than an hour, they start to loose their attractive nuttiness. |
Dry neutral wines & tangy Sauvignon Blancs take more chilling, up to 2 to 3 hours in a refrigerator. |
Don't change a wines temperature rapidly. (for example: In front of a fire or in the freezer). |
Ensure that the glasses are at room temperature for red wines and cellar temperature for whites. |
Don't use coloured glasses, the clearer & thinner the glass the better. Always observe at the colour, tones and clarity of the wine, |
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"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it." - Anonymous |
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There are some 20 million acres of grapes planted across the world; grapes are ranked as the worlds number 1 fruit crop thanks to this number. There are some 10000' varieties of wine grapes which are grown across the world. It takes some 4 years before a newly planted grape vine will be ready to be harvested and the grapes made into wine.
Wine Facts
France annually produces 550 million cases of wine
Italy annually produces 495 million cases of wine
Spain annually produces 385 million cases of wine
United States annually produces 245 million cases of wine
Australia annually produces 110 million cases of wine
South Africa annually produces 100 million cases of wine
Chile annually produces 65 million cases of wine
There are approximately 75 grapes in a cluster
1 grape cluster will make approximately 1 glass of wine
It will take 4 clusters of grapes to make 1 bottle of wine
Growers can expect some 40 clusters from every vine
1 vine can produce enough grapes for up to 10 bottles of wine
It takes approximately 1200 clusters of grapes to fill 1 barrel with wine
1 barrel is equal to 60 gallons
60 gallons can fill around 25 cases
1 acre of planted vines can produce 5 tons of grapes
5 tons of grapes is enough to fill 332 cases of wine
( Source: Wineguides.co.uk)
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[at his first sip of champagne] "Come quickly! I am tasting stars!" - Dom Perignon |
UK Wine & Spirit Industry key facts:
- Consumer expenditure on Alcoholic Drinks was about £41.3 billion in 2006, representing 5.6% of their total expenditure
- Consumer expenditure was 19 billion on beer, 14.5 billion on wine and 7.8 billion on spirits in 2006
- UK excise duty is £1.33 on a bottle of still wine (75cl), £1.71 on a bottle of Sparkling wine (75cl) and £5.48 on a bottle of spirit (70cl at 40% abv)
- The UK alcoholic drinks industry contributes £14 billion to the Exchequer per year
- In 2004 UK per capita consumption was 26.2 litres on wine, 2.52 litres on spirits and 123.9 litres on beer
- Employment is the UK alcohol and associated industries is estimated at 1.5 million people which is about 5.5% of the UK active population.
Office for National Statistics, Consumer Trends & Monthly Digest, 2007 |
(Source: The Wine and Spirit Trade Association)
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I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food." - W. C. Fields |
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Have an eggcellent Easter ,
Oliver, Vino Club Secretary |
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