Posted on May 16th, 2012 by Chris, under Wine Accessories · No Comments
If, you’re anything like me, and love different types of Wine from all over the World, from every corner of the globe, then a Wine Map and anything related to crushed grapes will certainly catch your eye and take your interest!
I tend to find the old styled Wine Maps a bit general and dull and although they’re fascinating and full of useful information, I find they’re bit hard to navigate and a bit ‘old school’. That’s until I came the across the modernised and highly informative, colour coded De Long Wine Maps.
The husband and wife team of Steve & Deborah De Long have extensively researched the key Wine areas of the World, making the maps easy to use and navigate, putting a fun element into it also! They have produced a variety of different wine maps, covering the most popular and interesting wine regions of the World, with many more to follow or so we’re led to believe. The famous California wine region in the USA, the traditional wine producers of France, the sprawling Spanish and Portuguese Iberian Peninsula and the second largest wine producing country in the World, Italy.
They look fantastic in both an office and restaurant environment, whether you’re serving up some traditional Italian food with a lovely bottle of Chianti, or like to keep tabs on your favourite French Wine region. Equally, you could use the maps for travel purposes, as a research tool before heading off on a Wine Holiday! They’d certainly make a great gift for any wine novice or enthusiast in your life, or even if you love the country you’re buying for.
Posted on May 9th, 2012 by Chris, under News · No Comments
Date: Wednesday 2nd May 2012
Venue: The London Art House in Islington, London (a Johannsen Recommended and Conde Naste Award Winning Venue)
Roll Call:
- Dr George Dodd – Director of Science & Technology – The Aroma Academy
- Alan Gordon – Director – The Aroma Academy
- Kim Lahiri – Sales & Marketing Director – The Aroma Academy
- John McCheyne – Society Ambassador – The Scottish Malt Whisky Society
- Daniel Busch – Organiser of Whisky-Live, Spa – Belgium
- Juan Carlos Arias – Johnnie Walker Brand Ambassador – Venezuela
- Chris Wellman – Managing Director – Wineware Ltd
As this event was timed from 10.00am until 5.00 pm this would seem, at first glance, to indicate a very involved and technically demanding day. How wrong could I be?
The entire day was enthralling, exciting and most of all, fun. The other attendees, other than those from The Aroma Academy were all there, as I was, to further their knowledge in the aromas associated within the whisky world. Whisky is a subject I have become intrigued with in the last year or so and how better to get to know more about the subject than a day long Whisky Aroma Master Class with none other than Dr George Dodd and Alan Gordon, the founders of The Aroma Academy.
Their knowledge of their subject is unrivalled and definitely opened everyone’s eyes, minds and more importantly their noses to the fact that smell is around 95% of what we taste. This fact makes you want to learn more and I am definitely booking again for the more advanced second day when it’s available. The entire subject of whisky (or gin, or wine) aromas makes you want to delve deeper and deeper to see what lies below to get to the final aroma of what you know in your memory but can’t quite name – this class points you in the direction to help you do this and the rest is up to you and, with practice, it can be done.
Although it is an involved subject, it can be fun matching the aromas to your favourite whiskies and if anyone cannot enjoy this experience then you’re definitely in the wrong frame of mind!
I thoroughly recommend the Whisky Aroma Nosing Kits and especially the one day Whisky Aroma Master Class should you get the chance to attend!
http://www.aroma-academy.co.uk/
Posted on May 2nd, 2012 by Chris, under Wine Glasses · No Comments
The Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations are just around the corner and therefore popping corks and sipping Champagne is going to be the order of the day and will be a highlight for many.
One question we always get asked regarding Champagne Glasses is, ‘What is the difference between a Champagne Flute and a Champagne Tulip?’
The obvious answer is the shape. However, it appears it isn’t all about shape and form as I’m just about to explain.
The Champagne Flute, with its straight sides gives a more streamlined look but also offers a smaller surface area for your Champagne than the tulip. This is all very intricate as most servers would fill any type of champagne glass too full for the drinker to appreciate the fine aromas that the champagnes produce.
The Champagne Tulip is quickly becoming the favoured one of the pair, but again once again it is often filled too full. The tulip, with its far rounder shape allows the aromas to build in the bowl. One thing that happens, and we’ve all done it, is to smell the champagne the minute it’s been poured and quickly settled down. The mousse or bubbles are still popping and all we really smell is carbon dioxide. Let the champagne settle for a little while and then ‘nose’ it and the aromas and complexities will be far more rewarding than the earlier nose full of gas! Only fill the glass half full as this is far better to appreciate the champagne than a completely full glass.
I personally prefer the rounder Champagne Tulip as the aromas offer so much more. It is even said that a lot of experts in the Champagne world are beginning to work their way from these two traditional glasses above to a more ‘normal’ wine glass shape as the bowls are so much larger and the aromas therefore get much more complex and beautiful. The adverse point of this is that an everyday wine glass will not have an effervescent point notched in the bottom of the bowl, as most champagne glasses do, to promote a seemingly never ending flow of bubbles.
The easiest way to answer the question ‘What’s the difference between a Champagne Flute and a Champagne Tulip’ is this – try your Champagne in both and take your pick! But remember, when you’re raising a glass to mark the Queen’s 60 years on the throne this June, you can impress your friends with a piece of very simple knowledge!
