How to choose a glass

	Marilyn in a glass Glasses must have their curves in all the right places. The bowl must be round to help aerate the wine and let its aroma develop. It must also taper inwards towards the top, to stop its precious essence escaping. Crystal clear Keep glasses plain, simple and colourless you don't want to hide a prized claret, you want to enjoy it in every sense. A slight pattern or fluting can make Champagne more intriguing, but leave it at that. Easily lead The brilliance of a wine is further highlighted by good quality lead crystal. You can tell the quality by the number of facets that are reflected and how thin the glass is. Upholding standards One size can fit all when it comes to wine tasting and smaller glasses are usually favoured. There is one style of glass recognised as the benchmark, the ISO (international Standards Organisation) glass. The stem is about 5cm tall and the bowl 10cm (at its broadest 6.5cm wide).
	One size does not fit all Austrian glassmakers Riedel would agree. They live to reinvent the glass. They maintain that you need a different glass for every grape, style and, even region. Form most definitely follows function, and their glasses are also very pretty. Living it large The larger the glass, the more exposure the wine has to air, thus awakening the hidden aromatic depths and balancing the tannic power and the fruit. The younger (and more closed) the wine, the bigger the bowl that is required. Tongue service First impressions are lasting especially where wine is concerned. Give your wine a head start by putting it in the right receptacle the distinctive curve on the lip of a Riedel Riesling or Pinot Noir glass guides the wine to the tip of the tongue, where fruit and sweetness is picked up, balancing the varieties' naturally crisp acidity.
	Central administration Again from the gospel according to Riedel, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon glasses should encourage the flow of the wine to the centre of the tongue, to balance the fruit and acidity. Magic flutes Chuck out your Champagne coupes: they make wine lose its fizz and let the aromas wane. The flute a tall bowl, tapered in at the top is the only way to drink fizz. And lead crystal glass not only looks good but encourages bubbles a wide, tapered bowl keeps them small and in several streams, released slowly. Plastic fantastic Principles can be relaxed when the setting calls for it. Let the glass match the occasion: plastic flutes at Henley and Badminton will do nicely. Just get the wine right: persistent aromas and some sweetness help keep the character from fading as the wine warms and aromas are lost from outsized cups.

Wine styles

Macedonia produces all styles of wine - dry and sweet, still and sparkling, red, white and rosé. Well-known international varieties such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as indigenous grapes like Vranec, are used to produce wines that are always uniquely Macedonian. When experts are asked to describe the wine style nurtured by Macedonian winemakers from their specific terroir, the most frequent answer received is ‘fruit-forward style'. Macedonian wines are inviting, pleasant and delicate, with a flavour that lingers on the palate. They are a living proof of our winemakers' progress towards balance and a sense of moderation. Macedonian wines abound in concentrated fruit and aroma. The wonderful climate of warm weather and sunny days, and the excellent harvest conditions, allow us year after year to have ripe and healthy grapes to make our wines from.

Macedonia in particular has a long tradition of wine production.Grape seeds have been found dating fromNeolithic period (about 4000 BC). Moreover, grape seeds more or less resembling the varieties suitable for wine production have been found in the same region in an area where artificial irrigation was in use. These seeds date from 3000 BC. It is generally believed that the first area of vineyards in Macedonia were cultivated as early as 2800–2200 BC.The rich Macedonian wine tradition began already at the time of Philip II and Alexander the Great of the Macedonian royal family who appreciated good wine. During the Roman Empire this tradition continued, and Macedonia - part of the Eastern Roman Empire until the seventh century - was one of the most important regions for grape cultivation in the Empire. Grape growing continued after the arrival of the Slavs and was freely developed until the fourteenth century. During the period of the Ottoman Empire (1350-1918), winemaking was kept alive in Macedonia's abundant monasteries.

In the Christian religion God is presented as the keeper of a vineyard and the church as his vine. In the rite of the Holy Communion the faithful drink wine in representation of the blood of the Lord. The Orthodox Church has made St. Tryphon guardian saint of vines and vineyard workers, thereby assimilating extremely ancient beliefs concerning vegetation and fertility. This saint had for centuries been extremely well-known and venerated in the vine-growing regions of Macedonia.

Italian wine-Marchesi di Grésy

The 2001 Langhe Nebbiolo Martinenga does not come in contact with oak. It presents very good value (at Euro 10.5 at the estate): a nose of strawberry and cherry, with a hint of flower; a palate of cherry and fur, balanced.

The 2001 Merlot is a new product. It tastes of the international style as you would guess: very well made, technological; a nose with much burnt oak, lead pencil, fruit; the burnt flavour encumbers the silky mouthfeel.

Barrels at Marchesi di Grésy

1999 Barbaresco Martinenga is very nice (even when I came back to it at the end of the tasting): a nose with mint, rose, plum; the palate is harmonious, with fruit, prune pit, and balance

1997 Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga smells of peat and kirsch; the palate is Barbaresco-typical, tannic and yet harmonious

1996 Barbaresco Cayun Martinenga smells of liquorice, fruit brandy, kirsch; the palate is evolved, fine, fresh, with a strange note on the finish; the aftertaste is a bit hard

1986 Barbaresco Cayun Martinenga is splendid - it smells of rose, leather, mushroom, toffee, rhubarb tart; tannins are velvety, the mouthfeel is fine, the alcohol is much less felt than in the younger Barbarescos

charming wine bottle holders

Sulfite Free Wine - Fact or Fiction?

Totally sulfite-free wines would be an accident of nature, however wines that are low in sulfites or free of added sulfites do exist. According to Department of Viticulture and Enology Professor Roger Boulton, Ph.D. (University of California at Davis), fermenting yeasts will produce SO 2 from the naturally occurring inorganic sulfates in all grape juices. The fermenting yeasts present on all grape skins generate naturally occurring sulfites in amounts ranging from 6 to 40 parts per million (ppm) thus, making it is impossible for any wine to be completely free of sulfur dioxide.

Adding Sulfites to Wine Prevents Spoilage and
Preserves Its Natural Flavor!

Freshly pressed grape juice is naturally prone to spoiling. To prevent this, European winemakers pioneered using sulfites in wine-making 200 years ago. Most viticulture experts today concur that some sulfites must be added during the wine-making process to make consistently stable wine. Added sulfites inhibit spoilage, stop oxidation (browning) and safeguard wine's natural flavor. In reality, sulfite free wine would likely be undesirable for consumption.

Legally, conventional wines in the U.S. can contain up to 350ppm of sulfites. However, for Organic winemaking, the USDA has adopted standards that limit the use of sulfites to 100ppm in all finished products. Regular analysis by the local BATF laboratory shows that our French Wine Online red wines average about 40ppm (20 to 60) while white wines and sparkling wines average about 70ppm (50 to 90). Federal law requires wine containing 10ppm or more of total sulfites to state contain sulfites on the label. This does not mean that a lack of this notice implies sulfite-free wine.

Can You Enjoy FWO Wines Without Experiencing Side Effects? - Most Likely!

The FDA has stated that about 0.4% of the population is considered highly allergic to sulfites. According to Dr. Vincent Marinkovich, an allergist and clinical immunologist who has performed extensive research on SO 2, sulfites pose no danger to about 99.75% of the population. The highest risk groups are asthmatics, and only about 5% of them are allergic to sulfites. Many people, however, are considered sulfite-sensitive. Even for moderate wine drinkers, the average level of sulfites found in conventional wines can cause side effects like heartburn, burning sensations, hives and cramps or flushing of the skin. For them, wines produced from organically grown grapes are an especially good choice since they contain minimal amounts of sulfites that will in most cases lie below their threshold level.