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Archive for August, 2010

An Exciting Wine: Chateau Musar





Established in 1930 in the basement of an ancient 17th century fortress, Château Musar is just as much the project of a family members as the living testimony of all the civilisations which may have tread its land.

After having a prolonged stay in France, Gaston Hochar returned to Lebanon and then created Château Musar in the cellars in the ancient ‘Mzar’ castle in Ghazir, looking over the med coast.

What started out as being a leisure activity quickly started to be a passion; a passion influenced by an initial encounter with well-known wine maker Ronald Barton when he was stationed in Lebanon during ww2.

 The particular wineries associated with Château Musar can be found from an height well over 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) inside Bekaa Valley in which the vines are sheltered because of the surrounding mountains running parallel on the Mediterranean and beyond shore. They include one hundred and eighty hectares and produce a limited yield around 35 hl/ha.

The actual Bekaa Valley is almost ice together with ailment free, with extended gentle summers, wet winters with an annual rain fall of 500mm, and an average temperature of twenty five degrees Celsius .

The actual red wine are made from a blend of different grape varieties, mainly: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and also Carignan. The particular vines are usually grown using a gravely ground with a limestone base. The make up may differ from one yr to the next, offering Château Musar a different personality as well as identity each and every year.

The white wines are made of a fuse of Obeideh and also Merwah, that happen to be indigenous to the Bekaa Valley and also Mount Lebanon. Based on the story, Obeideh and Merwah were taken back to European countries aided by the Crusaders and are the likely forefathers of Chardonnay and Semillon respectively.

Château Musar creates just about every effort at creating totally natural wines, permitting each one acquire its persona. Château Musar firstly attained global recognition in the Bristol Wine Fair in Great britain in nineteen seventy nine, where the wine media as well as prominent critics including Michael Broadbent declared it “the discovery of the fair”.

No doubt Serge Hochar’s strong individuality as well as dedication in his values have given much inspiration for the countless enthusiastic followers of Château Musar across the world.

In recent years, Musar has been a part of events such as the “Dîner des 30″ organised through Champagne Louis Roederer in honour of the thirty very best bottles of wine of the world.

Invited to the New York Wine Experience, Musar annually attends the London Wine Fair and Vinexpo just about every 24 months.

The way paved by the wine from the land of “milk and honey” consequently allowed Lebanon to stick to the actual OIV – the “Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin”- in 1995 while using collaboration of other Lebanese wine producers.


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Do Alcohol, Beer and Wine Contain Gluten? – A Guide of Dos and Don’ts

Once one has been identified with gluten intolerance, they tend to stress about how their alocohol consumption is going to be impacted. All of us loves to relax with a fine beverage each and every once and awhile, but fear of gluten content may have you turning your head at an alcoholic beverage. Any distilled alcoholic products are gluten free, however one can find others out there too. You can just check the ingredients on the drink to determine if it contains gluten or not, however for a fast guide, the refreshments on the next paragraphs have been tested to contain absolutely no gluten at all.

Furthermore there is great news! There are 2 classics in the shot world that have proven to be entirely fine to consume. Vodka and Tequila. When you plan on chasing them by using some other sort of alcohol, make certain that it too is gluten free. Rum is undoubtedly yet another gluten free classic, as well as selected forms of whiskey. If you’re a enthusiast of gin, you should really be just ok with making it your cocktail of choice. Mead can be a beverage produced from honey through a distillation operation, and it too is absolutely good for a gluten free life.

Two other favorites on the acceptable list are champagne and sherry for those of us that are fanciers. Thankfully, a favorite for nautical aficionados, brandy also makes the list and appears on the safe list. All wine beverages are absolutely good to consume as well, and even wine coolers like Boones can be acceptable to consume. While using coolers, nonetheless, you really have to make sure that you don’t drink any malt drinks because those do comprise gluten. Check over the container attentively. You may also drink cider, grappa, and kahlua for those who desire to.Wood Chuck happens to be an apple cider favorite of mine that is naturally gluten free.

For blended cocktail lovers, a martini might possibly be all right if it’s made with the proper ingredients. Other popular cocktails that make the trusted list include extra dry martinis and club vodka martinis. Should you can’t get enough of your margaritas, Jose Cuervo and Mr. & Ms. T have both been approved for ingestion. Numerous food preparation alcohols do the job as well, but you do want to verify the ingredients to be certain. Ouzo and kirshwasser are also great for a gluten free diet program, together with cognac and Armagnac. In short, you are able to drink alcohol for people with a sensitivity to gluten. You just need to be cautious about just what kind of alcohol it is. Gluten Free Beer is a struggle to come by, especially in restaurants. Alcohol and wine should offer you a lot more options.


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The Importance of Yeast within Wine Making

Man has been drinking homemade wine for many thousands of years. Ever wondered exactly how wine is made? Do you realize that wines could be made at house? Actually, wine utilized to become made at home till somebody came up with the wonderful concept of mass generating wine and selling it to others to enable them to appreciate great wine with minimal hassle.

We all know wine is created from fruit. Exactly how then is it various from grape juice? Is wine just glorified grape juice? Definitely not! The presence of alcohol in wine makes it totally different from grape juice.

Where does the actual alcohol come from? Is it added towards the wine? When we talk about alcohol, we aren’t referring to whisky or ale. We’re talking about the chemical spirit alcohol. Grape juice gets its alcohol content material from fermentation.

Fermentation is the procedure of interaction of yeast, which is really a single celled living organism, with the sugar in the grape juice. Alcohol and co2 are the by-products of this reaction. This reaction continues until the alcohol content material becomes so higher that the yeast dies off because of the alcohol it created. The yeast sinks towards the bottom and is removed. What began as grape juice and yeast has now become wine. This wine should be filtered and stored before it can be consumed.

Had man not recognized what yeast was and what it could do, we would happen to be sipping grape juice instead of refreshing wine!

Yeast is also discovered naturally. In this form, it is called wild yeast. The wild yeast that sticks towards the skin of the grapes gets mixed with grape juice to initiate fermentation. Hence, wine could be made even without manual addition of yeast. However, there is no certainty that the wine would be to your liking. Adding processed yeast particularly made for making wine helps you control the taste of wine. Relying on wild yeast is really a bit of a gamble.

The manual addition of yeast is not a basic process. You can’t buy just any yeast and add it towards the grapes. Numerous people who make wine at house choose the yeast that’s utilized in making bread as this yeast will lead to fermentation and alcohol production. However, utilizing yeast strains that happen to be created specifically for wine is preferable as it offers the following benefits:

- You know how the yeast will behave. That’s, you know how much alcohol it produces, how lengthy it should be stored and also the taste it creates. This is possible because the yeast is manufactured after repeated testing and experimentation.

- Should you want wine with a high alcohol content, you are able to opt for those strains which are resistant to alcohol. Since yeast dies during the wine producing process, a greater resistance will allow the yeast to survive for a long period of time. This will result in wine with a high alcohol content.

- If you don’t intend to store the wine for a long period and should you wish to consume it quickly, you are able to opt for yeast that reacts with sugar. This yeast will create lots of alcohol fast.

home wine making is really a fruitful exercise should you follow the right procedure and have the right tools and materials. You are able to then proudly share your home made wine with friends and family.

There is a great deal of sell satisfaction when you produce your own homemade wine and people really appreciate drinking it with you


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On the Trail of France’s Best Wines

The Alsace wine road travels between Marlenheim near Strasbourg and Thann near Mulhouse and is a popular and attractive way to discover this eastern region of France whilst learning and enjoying the food and wine produced here.  The route covers over 100 miles from north to south and runs between the eastern edge of the Vosges Mountains and the River Rhine.  Driving through distinctive and unspoilt villages, this is one of France’s smaller wine producing regions but it has some splendid scenery and of course produces some very fine wines.  The route is well signposted and at each place of particular interest there are waymarked paths which take you through the vineyards to discover the cellars and diverse landscapes of each winery.  Rent a bike or travel on foot into the countryside with a picnic, or stop stop for lunch at one of the inns or wineries followed by a tasting session, these are days to relax and genuinely enjoy the slow pace of life and the beautiful French countryside.

Travelling through 27 very beautiful and important villages gives you the chance to stop on your journey to try over 50 of the local wines classified as ‘grand cru’ from the Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Muscat and Gewürztraminer grape varieties.  On top of the attraction of wine and vineyards the route passes picturesque villages with ancient black and white houses,floral balconies and medieval castles. A typical example of these traditional communities is the epicentre of the wine making region, the village of Eguisheim. 

Eguisheim dates back to the Middle Ages which is evident from the winding narrow streets, its black and white buildings and the remains of the once fortified castle.  As far back as the 4th century the area became well known for its wine which was found on the tables of royalty in both England and Holland.  Eguisheim is also popular because all varities of Alsatian grapes are grown here so if you are short on time or you would rather not travel the whole route, you can experience all the regions wines in one location.

 

Eguisheim Hotels

If you would like to stay here, the hotels in eguisheim come in a great many shapes and sizes in a mixture of French and German styles.  Two hotels which are considered to be good value for visitors on the wine route are the Hostellerie Des Comtes Eguisheim and the Hotel Saint Hubert Eguisheim. 

Hostellerie Des Comtes Eguisheim prides itself on its intimate atmosphere and gastronomic delights.  The 14 non smoking guest rooms are clean and bright and feature TV, telephone, hairdryer and net access for visitors who like to keep in touch.

Hotel Saint Hubert Eguisheim is a modern hotel set  amongst the vineyards with striking views of the Black Forest.  With just 15 en suite guest rooms  the hotel offers is guest’s personal service and facilities such as TV, telephone and mini bar heated indoor swimming pool and sauna.

The Alsace wine route is a very picturesque way of discovering the beauties of the border region with Germany, and a totally different experience to the other wine producing areas of France.


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