I was so eager to, again, join my ancestral family in Croatia and work, side by side, in the vineyards with them to pick the crop of their livelihood.

“Berba” began earlier than usual this year due to a summer of very hot temperatures and little to no rain for 3 months. Usually, “Berba” starts October 1st – 10th. This year, it began September 18th. I arrived September 20th at 2pm. I was met at the airport and taken to Nezic Winery where I would stay for the next  2 weeks. I insisted on going to the vineyards after my meal of smoked ham, fresh cheese, homemade bread, tomato/cucumber salad and Tomindar. This is my favorite Nezic wine.

Everyone was in the vineyards and I hastily ate so I could join them. I had no fatigue or jet lag, probably due to my eagerness to get to the vineyards! My cousin, Dragica, who was preparing dinner for later, insisted I take a nap and rest. I wouldn’t hear of it. I was in the vineyards for only a couple of days last year and I wanted to fully participate. I was driven by car to 1 of  the 4 vineyards that Nezic winery owns. This was the only time I was driven by car. Typical transportation to the vineyards is a good, old fashioned tractor ride! Days began with a  large tractor pulling a large wagon with empty boxes and several workers and ended with several trips during the day with boxes loaded with  grapes.

Croatia is a beautiful country, from its people to its culture to its landscapes. The hills are steep and the paths unpaved…and the amphitheatre settings awe inspiring!

What an especially spirited event this year as the harvest was so bountiful due to the perfect grape growing weather. I’ve never seen such quantity and quality in a harvest before!  Some of the bunches were so big it took two hands to hold! I would delight in finding a bigger and better bunch multiple times throughout the day! Mother nature’s knowing is perfectly evidenced by the interlocking and interweaving of vines to support such heavy bunches. It was challenging to locate where to cut the bunches of grapes. The vines are so closely bound that often, following a vine would take you to the bottom, not the top of the bunch. The grape bunches used  much area to find support from the vines. I was outsmarted multiple times by the grapes. I’m certain this was Mother Nature’s way of reminding me that “you can’t fool Mother Nature”.  The vines and its fruits were a live work of art, recapitulating the wisdom of nature’s balance.

By the 3rd day in the vineyards, I considered myself an expert. I learned how to assess where the central vine was amongst its tributaries and with one snip, had four to five to sometimes eight to nine bunches. These robust grapes hung beautifully for easy clipping.  Marveling at the beauty of this fruit of the vine, we clipped and cut and filled box after box of fresh, robust, juicy grapes.

Did I mention that eating the grapes while harvesting was mandatory? We got nourishment and could comment on the quality of the taste! This particular vineyard produced a variety of grapes for TOMINDAR, a blended wine. After a couple of days, I was able to identify the different varieties by taste!

I spent 5 straight days in this one vineyard along with several other adults harvesting grapes. It was hard work, very hard work as clipping the bunches of grapes must be done manually and must be done carefully. Most of the vines are 50-75 years old! When a vine is diseased, it is promptly removed and replaced with a new vine.  Standing on steep hillsides, bending, kneeling, whatever it took to harvest the grapes, we did! Needless to say, I had a sore tired back and very dirty, sticky hands. Yet, when I stood up for a stretch and looked around, I was invigorated by some of the most panoramic views ever!

Of course, we ate well as my cousin, Dragica, would provide a lunch that was hearty, fresh and very nutritious. She baked everyday. Our meals, whether in the vineyards or at home, always offered desserts and not only one! Cheese strudel (my favorite), apple strudel, cherry strudel, kolache, raspberry cobbler, a chocolate gourmet cake with icing dripping down the sides topped with fresh cherries and more!

We usually took a 2 hour lunch, then back to work till 6:30 or 7pm. We had warm, sunny beautiful weather throughout “Berba”. The tractor ride home was scenic and the sense of fulfillment accompanying the large load of grapes was so satisfying!

Once home, a different type of work ensued. The grapes are unloaded in a machine that separates the stems from the fruit. This must happen right away, not after dinner or after a rest. Grapes are fragile and require delicate care, and of course, its a reciprocal relationship. We care for the grapes and the grapes offer us a tasteful, quality wine!

We do not have the beauty of the vistas in the wine cellar. We have boxes of grapes, machinery and huge oak barrels. A few of these barrels are over 50 years old and hold over 300 gallons! This work is laborious. Once the stems are removed, the grapes are placed in the wine press. This automation squeezes the juice out of the skins and, within an hour or two, the juice is transferred in the oak barrels to begin the fermentation process.

Now, we get to eat dinner, drink wine, sing and go to bed as morning comes quickly and the grapes are waiting!

Thank you for your interest!

Please post any questions or comments.

Cheers!

Winedivine

Here’s the rest of our Wine Glossary for 2009!

Remueur   A French term for “riddler,” the person in a Champagne house who   turns the bottles each day.

Reserva   A term that means a wine has extra aging; found on European wines.

Reserve   A term found, sometimes, on American wine labels. It has no legal significance, it is usually a better quality wine.

Residual sugar   An indication of how dry or sweet a wine is.

Riddling   One step of the Champagne making process in which the bottles are turned gradually each day until they are almost upside down with the sediment resting at the neck of the bottle.

Riesling   A white grape grown in Alsace, Croatia, Germany and California.

Ruby Port   A dark and fruity wine blended from non-vintage wines.

Sancerre   A dry white wine from the Loire Valley region of France.

Sangiovese   A red grape grown in Tuscany, Italy.

Sauternes   A sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France.

Sauvignon Blanc   A white grape grown primarily in the Loire Valley, Graves and Sauternes regions of France, Washington State and California.

Sec   A sweet style of Champagne.

Sekt   A German sparkling wine.

Semillon   A white grape found in the Graves and Sauternes regions of France.

Short-vatted   A term for wine fermented with the grape skins for only a short time.

Silvaner   A white grape grown in Germany, Alsace and Croatia.

Solera system   A process used to systematically blend various vintages of Sherry.

Sommelier   The French term for cellarmaster or wine steward.

Spatlese   A white German wine made from the grapes picked later than the normal harvest.

Spumante   An Italian sparkling wine.

Stainless steel tank   A container used to ferment some wines because of its capability for temperature control; it helps maintain fruitiness, especially in white wines.

St-Veran   A white Maconnais wine one step above Macon-Villages in quality.

Style   The characteristics of the grapes and the wine.

Sulphur dioxide   A substance used in wine making as a preservative.

Suss-Reserve   The unfermented grape juice added to German wine after fermentation to give more sweetness.

Syrah   A red grape grown in the Rhone Valley region of France.

Tafelwein   A German table wine.

Tannin   A natural compound that comes from the skins, stems and pips of the grapes and also from the wood that wine is aged in.

Tavel   A rose wine from the southern Rhone Valley region of France.

Tawny Port   A Port that is lighter, softer and aged longer than Ruby Port.

T.B.A.   Abbreviation for the German wine Trockenbeerenauslese.

Tempranillo   A red grape grown in Spain.

Thompson seedless   A white grape grown in California and usedto make jug wines.

Trebbiano   A white grape grown in Italy.

Trocken   The German term for “dry.”

Trockenbeerenauslese   The richest and sweetest wine made in Germany from the most mature grapes via the process of  “Noble Rot.”

Varietal wine   A wine that is labeled by the predominant grape used to produce the wine, i.e., a wine from Chardonnay predominantly would be labeled “Chardonnay.”

V.D.Q.S.   An abbreviation for Vins Delimites de Qualite Supericure; a classification of French wine, one step below A.O.C.

Veronese wine   The wines from Veneto, Italy; Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave and Amarone.

Village wine   A wine that comes from a particular village in Burgundy.

Vin de Pays   A French classification of wine one step below V.D.Q.S.

Vinho Verde   A white Portuguese wine.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano   A high quality red wine from Tuscany.

Vins de Table   Ordinary French table wine.

Vintage   The year the grapes were harvested.

Vintage Champagne   Champagne made from 100% of a particular vintage.

Vitis labrusca   A native grape species in America.

Vitis vinifera   A European grape species used to make European and Californian wine.

Vouvray   The white “chameleon” wine from Loire Valley region of France; it can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet.

Wood Port   Ruby and Tawny Port; they are ready to drink as soon as you buy them.

Zinfandel   A red grape grown on the coast of Croatia and California.

Keep the questions and comments coming!

Cheers!

Winedivine

Start your holiday shopping now.  Many of our products are handmade and take 1-2 weeks to make. Don’t wait until the last minute for that personalized wine barrel or your favorite wine sign or your wine tasting table…

We offer free shipping on most of our products (excluding select Wine Racks, Wine Stands, Wine Barrels and Wine Barrel Furniture.

Please contact us with any questions or comments!

Here goes the P’s and Q’s of Wine Speak!

Pale Cream Sherry   A type of Sherry made from Pedro Xi Menez and Fino Sherry.

Palomino   A grape used to make Spanish Sherry.

Petit Chablis   Ordinary French Chablis Wine.

Petite Chateau   Lesser known chateaus that produce good quality wines for reasonable prices.

Petite Syrah   A red grape grown in California.

Phylloxera   A grape louse that kills the vines.

Pinot Blanc   A white grape grown in Alsace.

Pinot Meunier   A red grape grown in the Champagne region of France.

Pinot Noir   A fragile red grape that is difficult to grow; it is found in the Burgundy and Champagne regions of France and California.

Pouilly-Fuisse   The highest quality white Maconnais wine.

Pouilly-Fume   A dry white wine from the Loire Valley region of France.

Pouilly-Vinzelles   A dry white Maconnais wine.

Premier Cru   A wine that comes from a specific vineyard in Burgundy, france which has special characteristics and bears that name.

Proprietary Wine   A wine that is given a name like any other product and marketed as such i.e., Riunite or Mouton-Cadet.

PX   An abbreviation for Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Qualitatswein   A German term meaning quality wine.

Qualitatswein mit Pradikat   A quality German wine with distinction.

Wishing You Joy throughout this Holiday Season!

Cheers!

Winedivine

www.WineBarrelsForYou.com

1.  COLOR- The best way to see the color of a wine is to drink from a clear glass and have a white background. A white napkin or linen tablecloth would serve this purpose well. Look for these colors:

WHITE WINE                            RED WINE

Pale yellow-green                        Purple

Straw yellow                                Ruby

Yellow-gold                                 Red

Gold                                             Brick red

Old gold                                       Red-brown

Yellow-brown                              Brown

Maderized

Brown

Our perception of color is subjective. One may describe a white as pale yellow-green while another may see gold!

White wines, as they get older, gain color. Another reason a white wine may have more color may be due to the different grape varieties. For example, Chardonnay is usually a deeper color than a Riesling. Aging in wood barrels also results in a deeper color.

Red wines lose color as they get older. Be aware as you assess color that different people have different perceptions. As you enjoy your fruit of the vine, share with your fellow aficionados your perceptions.

2.  SWIRL- We swirl wine to aerate the wine- to allow oxygen to get in the wine and offer you the bouquet. Here’s the academic explanation: swirling releases the esters, ethers and aldehydes combined with oxygen to yield the bouquet of the wine. If you want to impress someone, repeat the previous sentence amongst wine enthusiasts!

3. SMELL- Once the bouquet is released, what does the wine smell like? What type of “nose” does it have? The “nose” is the word that wine tasters use to describe the bouquet and aroma of the wine. Many people do not spend enough time on smelling the wine or discerning the color of the wine. The idea of identifying the “nose” is to come up with your own characteristics of the wine. Following is a short list of words commonly used to describe wine:

acetate      earthy      off

aftertaste   finish      oxidized

aroma        flat          herbaceous

astringent   fresh       rich

austere      grapey     seductive

burnt         green       short

balanced    hard        soft

big-heavy  hot          stalky

bitter          legs        sulphury

body          light        tart

bouquet     maderized  thin

bright        mature     tired

character   metallic   vanilla

corky        mouldy     woody

delicate     massive    yeasty

developed nutty         young

You may be more likely to recognize some of the defects of a wine

through your sense of smell.

Here’s a short list of some of the negative smells in wine:

SMELL WHY

Vinegar                               too much acetic acid in wine

Sherry                                 oxidation

Cork                                    wine absorbs taste of defective cork

Sulphur (burnt matches)      too much sulphur dioxide

Sulphur dioxide is used for many reasons in wine making. It kills bacteria, prevents unwanted fermentation and acts as a preservative. A good wine will never have the smell of sulphur. Sulphur may create a burning or itching sensation in your nose.

4. TASTE- Taking a sip and swallowing is not tasting wine. Tasting is something you do with your tastebuds; and you have tastebuds on both sides of your tongue, underneath your tongue, on the tip of your tongue and all the way to the back of your throat!  Most people take a gulp and bypass these important tastebuds!

When tasting wine, be aware of the most important sensations of taste and where they occur on your tongue and mouth. You can perceive 4 tastes:

SWEET, SOUR, BITTER and SALT- but you can smell  over 150 different scents!

SWEETNESS- found on the tip of the tongue. The tip of your tongue is very

sensitive and will detect sweetness right away.

FRUIT and VARIETAL CHARACTERISTICS- found in the middle of the tongue.

ACIDITY- found at the sides of the tongue and cheek area. It is most commonly present in white wines.

TANNINS- found in the middle of the tongue. Tannin often exists in red wines or wood aged white wines. It dries the palate to excess when the wines are too young.

AFTERTASTE- this is the overall taste that lingers after you taste the wine. Pay attention to how long  it lingers.  A high quality wine will often linger 15-20 seconds.

Everything we reviewed thus far- color, swirling, smelling, tasting- happens in 30 seconds!

5. SAVOR- After you’ve tasted the wine, savor it.  Focus on your experience and ask yourself these questions:

• Is it light, medium or full-bodied?
• If white- how was the acidity? Too little, just right or too much?
• If red- is the tannin too strong or astringent? Is it pleasing? Or is it missing?
• How long did the aftertaste last?
• Did you like the wine?
• Is the wine worth the price according to your taste?

The definition of a good wine is a wine that YOU enjoy. Do not let others dictate taste to you! Simply follow these basic rules and your wine tasting experiences will be YOURS!

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!

Cheers!

Winedivine

www.WineBarrelsForYou.com

Malvasia   A white grape grown in Italy.

Manzanilla   A type of Sherry.

Massive   A wine of great power, concentration of flavor and length.

Mechanical Harvester   A machine used on flat vineyards that shakes the vines to harvest the grapes.

Merlot   The red “softening” grape grown primarily in the Bordeaux region of France.

Methode Champenoise   The method by which Champagne is made.

Microclimate   A term that refers to an area that has a climate within a climate. While one area may be generally warm, it may have a cooler “microclimate” or region. 

Mosel   A region in Germany that produces a light-style white wine.

Mousseux   The term for all French sparkling wines that are not produced in Champagne.

Muller-Thurgau   A cross between the Reisling and the Silvaner grapes of Germany.

Muscadet   A light dry wine from the Loire Valley of France.

Must   Grape juice.

Nebbiolo   A red grape grown in Piedmont, Italy, which produces some of the finest Italian wine.

“Noble Rot”   A mold that forms on the grapes that is necessary to make Sauternes, and the rich German wines (Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese).

Non-vintage Champagne   Champagne made from a blend of vintages (more than one year’s crop); it is more typical of the house style than vintage. Champagne.

Nose   The term used to describe the bouquet and aroma of wine.

Nutty   Aromas of nuts, either general or specific (almonds, walnuts), which can be found in wines such as old Tawny Ports of Sherries, but also to a lesser extent, in dry whites, especially those from Meursault.

Official Classification of 1855   A classification drawn up by wine brokers of the best Medoc wines of that time.

Oaky   The aroma of oak which may develope when a wine is aged and/or fermented in oak barrels. Easy to discern in Chardonnays from Australia.

P’s and Q’s on your next wine Glossary!

Cheers,

Winedivine

Many opinions exist about the benefit of aerating or “letting the wine breathe” before serving it. There is no doubt that some red wines do improve with breathing, yet this is the exception. Your own experience should serve as your guide.

If you are in a restuarant, have your red wine decanted or poured in your wine glass so you can swirl. Little air contacts the wine by simply removing the cork. Yet, this is common in restuarants!

How to decant a bottle of wine:

1. Completely remove the capsule so you can see the wine clearly as it passes through the neck.

2. Most red wines are bottled in dark green glass, making it difficult to see the wine pass through the neck. Light a candle to illuminate the wine as it passes through the neck of the bottle. You can use any type of light, a candle keeps it simple and romantic!

3. Hold the decanter firmly in your hand. You may also use a carafe or glass pitcher.

4. Hold the wine bottle in your other hand and gently pour the wine into the decanter while holding both over the candle at an angle that allows you to see the wine pass through the neck of the bottle.

5. Pour in one smooth motion until you see the first signs of sediment.

6. Stop decanting when you begin to see sediment.

Questions and comments welcome!

Cheers,

Winedivine

Whether you’re dining out or in, the enjoyment of eating and drinking is always enhanced by table linens, silver, fine china and glassware. Your choice of a wine glass can detract from or enhance your wine tasting experience! Wine glasses that are tinted with color or decoratively etched or embossed are not really suitable for wine drinking. The color of wine is as much a part of the pleasure as its bouquet and flavor. Is your white wine golden, amber, hay colored or greenish? Is it clear? Does it have sediment or crystals? Does your red wine offer you garnet or ruby hues or purplish tones? Is it free from sediment? Is it leggy? Is it clear? Wine glasses that obscure or alter the color of wine detract from the wine itself! The most appropriate wine glasses are clear and have a bowl large enough to swirl. Swirling allows for aerating the wine or letting the wine “breathe”.

Many theories exist about whether wines improve or do not improve with aeration. I know that not all but some wines, indeed, do improve with aeration.

The perfect size glass for a red or white wine is about 10 ounces. A wine serving is typically 5 ounces, therefore a glass this size allows for swirling and development of the wine’s bouquet as it is only half full. Glasses less than 10 ounces are too small for swirling. Larger glasses, 20 or 24 ounces, can be too big and too awkward to drink from.

A variety of shapes are available and your preference should guide you when selecting wine glasses for your home use. Shapes are usually designed according to the character of the wine. Some shapes are better suited for particular wines than others. A glass that narrows at the top helps to concentrate the bouquet of a white wine and also helps to keep it chilled. Larger bowled glasses are best for red wines for aeration and to capture varied jewel tones.

Port or Sherry is best served in smaller, narrow glasses with a straight shape. Four to six ounces is best for these types of wines.

There are a variety of styles, lines and versions of wine glasses available. Do some reading and experimenting with wine glasses and you’ll find that some shapes and sizes enhance particular wines!

Wine glasses do make a difference in your wine tasting pleasure!

As you celebrate with family and friends, may you enjoy your favorite glass of Cheer, or perhaps you’ll review our ongoing Language of Wine Glossary:

Jug wine    A simple drinking wine.

Kabinett    A light, semi-dry white German wine.

Landwein    A German table wine; one step above Tafelwein.

Liebfraumilch    An easy to drink white German wine; it literally means “milk of the Blessed Mother.”

Lodge    The English term for a Port firm.

Long-vatted    A term for a wine fermented with the grape skins for a long period of time to acquire a rich red color.

Luxury Champagne    The highest-quality French Champagne.

Macon Blanc    The most basic white wine from the Maconnais region of France.

Macon Superieur    A white wine from the Maconnais region; one step above the regional Macon Blanc in quality.

Cheers!

Diana

www.WineBarrelsForYou.com

Some of us may not have had the traditional Father yet many of us had a prominent male figure in our life; maybe an uncle, grandfather, family friend or coach… someone who made a difference and was there for us. 

Maybe your Father has a passion for wine making or is a wine enthusiast. Unique gifts for Father’s Day are available at: www.WineBarrelsForYou.com. 

Here’s a warm and fuzzy memory of my father that comes to mind as I type. We were sent home from school early on the day President John F. Kennedy was shot. I was 6 years old and in the first grade. It was dramatic as we watched our teacher and principal exchange words, cry and hug. Our teacher, Miss Evans, announced we’d be excused from class immediately and should go directly home. “A terrible thing has happened, the President has been shot!” I was a bit overwhelmed by the adults’ reactions as we were lined up and walked out of school. I was scared. It was clear this was terrible!

My twin and I were holding hands and walking the 6 block walk home when I noticed a familiar figure walking up the steep hill we were walking down. I wondered if this person knew the President was shot. As this figure came closer and closer, I realized it was my Dad.

We (my twin and I) began to run towards him, and he towards us. It had been upsetting to see teachers crying and distressed…we wanted our daddy! As we connected, our father swept us up in one grand motion. Oh, the safety of a hug from a big, strong dad. We were ok…everything was going to be ok… 

Share your favorite memory….

Remember these? We’ve all heard them and probably use them with our own kids!

• I’ll play catch after I read the paper.
• Don’t make me come down there!
• Don’t ask me, ask your mother.
• Stop crying or I’ll give you a reason to cry.
• The early bird gets the worm. Rise and shine!
• If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?
• How many times do I have to pound that into your head?
• What part of NO don’t you understand?
• I don’t care what other people are doing! I’m not everybody else’s father!
• Two wrongs do not make a right.
• Don’t use that tone with me!
• Am I talking to a brick wall?
• Don’t make me stop the car!
• What did I just get finished telling you?
• My father used to tell me… .
• Go ask your mother!
• Just wait until I get you home!
• Is that a threat, or a promise?
• If I didn’t love you so much I wouldn’t punish you… I would let you do whatever you wanted.
• You should visit more often. Your mother worries.

Share your Father’s favorite saying… 

Happy Father’s Day to all Men who Love!

Diana

www.WineBarrelsForYou.com

Browse our favorite things and…pour a glass of your favorite wine and look over a continuation of our language of wine glossary:

Gamay    A red grape used to make Beaujolais wine.

Gamay Beaujolais    A red grape grown in California. 

Garnacha    A red grape grown in Spain that is related to the Grenache grape of the Rhone Valley of France. 

Garrafeira    A Portuguese word that signifies higher quality and longer aging. 

Gewuztraminer    The “spicy” white grape grown in Alsace, California and Germany. 

Graves    A basic dry wine from the Bordeaux region of France. 

Graves Superieures    A dry or semi-sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France; a step above a regional Graves wine. 

Grand Cru    A wine that comes from an excellent vineyard, which has the best soil and slope conditions in Burgundy; one step above a Premier Cru. 

Gran Reserva    A Spanish wine that had extra aging. 

Grassy   Smelling of hay or a freshly mown lawn. Found in wines made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape, especially from cool climates. 

Grenache    A red grape of the Rhone Valley region of France.

Halb-trocken    The German term meaning “semi-dry.” 

Hectare    A metric measure that equals 2.471 acres. 

Herbaceous    Related to grassy, but more precisely, the scent of various herbs. Can be found in red or white wine. 

Hermitage  A red wine from the northern Rhone Valley region of France.

Your comments and questions are welcome!

Cheers!

Diana