luni, 30 aprilie 2012

Best temperatures for the wines

          The hot summer is surely and quickly coming with temperature which are in Romania near the 40 degrees Celsius. No one would like to drink hot wine, and neither hot water at this temperature! The question is how long shall we chill the wine, until what ideal temperature?
          There are some prescriptions you should remember (ideal temperature for wines to be served!)

easy white wines with high acidity                        8-10 degrees Celsius
white, aromatic,roze wines                                  10-12 degrees Celsius
easy red wines                                                    14-16 degrees Celsius
red heavy wines                                                   16-18 degrees Celsius
prestige red wines                                                18-20  degrees Celsius
            At these above mentioned temperatures the qualities of the listed wines are better  enhanced, and the imperfections hidden. On professional wine tasting in Romania or elsewhere, the temperatures are slightly different from the above table. 

             The best chilling is made in the refrigerator or in the cellar (ideal); for the quickly chilling in restaurant the most used method is the cooler, but you, or the personal, shall observe the forming layers, having different temperatures! If you don't pay attention  to this simply fact, the main guest getting the first glass will receive the hottest wine, which is never the best. So, please, before serving a cooled wine always slightly shake the bottle! And you don't need tranportation anymore !

             Another golden prescription applying not only in Romania, is to serve the wine not very cool in winter, neither very hot in summer. French specialists used to recommend letting the wine chambree (to the room temperature), but this thing is only o.k in April or September; May is already too hot! Professional tasters use also to say "every wine with its temperature, and every taste with its temperature!" Important to remember that over 20 degrees Celsius due to slight evaporation not all the hidden flavors are to be discovered, and under 4 degrees Celsius is almost impossible discovering  the flavors and the tastes.


            Keep in mind the speed of heating: when in a room with 21 degrees Celsius every cooler wine wins a degree Celsius every 3 minutes. Many times we can make this speed bigger by simply taking the wine glass between the hands!

             What about heating a wine? The most modern method is the microwave oven, but you can't control very exactly the final temperature! Also, always remember that wine is a living drink and the microwaves kill all the useful germs! So better use the old method of heating by another vessel, where the water reaches the temperature we need, nevertheless this method requires much more time!


miercuri, 25 aprilie 2012

Tips and tricks for the right pairing of wines and food

Nothing new under the sun, I can hear you. Who is this man thinking he can teach us pairing food and wines? We know to do this pairing, there is no problem, there is nothing easier on Earth! Sorry to insist, but a normal intelligent man has always something to learn, and admits it. And I am sure you are such intelligent people!

You received even from myself some tips and tricks for the right pairing of wine and food on many other occasions. But, you know, taking part to so many professional wine tasting in Romania makes me to forget the normal wine afficionado as you are, and as I am ( I still hope that a wine afficionado is not alcohol or food addicted! At least we in Europe use to think like that!)


But let's go back to our sheeps! How would you pair a desert, a cooked liver, a salt cheese? These are open questions, applying to normal people who cellar more sorts of wine (this is the real wine afficionado in my opinion). And these are the tips and tricks:

1. Never forget that a red wine is richer and heavier than a white one. Keep the red for the heavy dishes, but keep in mind that this mix between good food and excellent wines leads to obesity, when repeated. So, always strive to live healthy and never forget your morning gym!

2. The sweet dishes are to be completed with an easy white wine, the best is the medium dry Riesling, and avoid the Muscat Ottonel, which is simply too sweet.

3.The cheese, if is salty and spicy, must be currently paired  with a medium dry Merlot. The saltier and spicier the cheese, the drier the wine, keep in mind.

4. The jelly duck liver is a heavy meal, but not the heaviest you know. This is in my opinion to be paired with a sweet red Cabernet Sauvignon.

5.Always pair the fish with a white dry wine, e.g. Aligote which is my favorite! About chicken (you guess, an easy dish must get is white) I recommend a sweet Chardonnay

I still have many other tips and tricks, but I keep them for another occasion (not for myself, as I wanna share with you from all my heart). A special mention: you get all the above named wines as presents when taking part to the wine tasting in Romania! And I am waiting now for your feedback, hoping that all these tricks are useful to you.


miercuri, 18 aprilie 2012


The Big Romania Wine Tasting Tour with 10 % discount in May



 I have worked out a big surprise for the wine afficionados: a bigger Romania Wine Tasting Tour. Comparing to my previous wine tour ( attention pls, April discount will soon be obsolete!) I added a few wineries, and I left the dinner to the option of the tourists! But I strove to keep further a good quality of services, wines and lodging.  So, it lasts longer, more wineries, costs cheaper. You have much for paying less! Special offers for honeymooners!




This program takes 8 days / 7 nights and is designed for both the tourists and the specialists in oenology, because of the link between Romanian medieval art and stepping into the universe of Romanian wines.

The tour covers the main vineyards in Romania and offers the opportunity to taste its most famous varieties, recognized worldwide: Muscat Ottonel, Feteasca Regala/Alba, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris/Noir, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grasa de Cotnari, Tamaioasa Romaneasca. The tour can be scheduled in any period of the year, by car/ minibus/ bus/ coach, covering the main tourist areas of Romania.
Day 1Departure from Bucharest .
Transfer Bucharest – Murfatlar (3 hrs). Wine tasting program and visit to the Murfatlar vineyard - these wineries, with total capacity of processing and storage over 350.000 hl wine/year, are famous thanks to the joining of the valuable grape varieties: Riesling, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Neagra, Muscat Ottonel, Babeasca, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot with the modern equipment and technology, plus the professionalism of the specialists. Optional, lunch.
Transfer Murfatlar – Constanta city (1 hr).Lodging at Best Western Savoy Hotel **** in Mamaia - an international famous sea resort near Constanta
Day 2 Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant in Mamaia . Transfer Mamaia resort – Niculitel vineyard, passing through Tulcea town. Wine tasting program and, optional, lunch at Niculitel vineyard - one of the pearls of the Romanian wines where the climate is a factor determining the successful vinegrowing and high quality of the noble wines in this region.You will taste sweets of wines.
Visit to Niculitel Basilique is the oldest building of this kind in Romania and its architecture is unique in Europe.  

Transfer Niculitel – Focsani city.
Lodging at Unirea  Hotel *** in Focsani






Day 3  Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant in Focsani.
Wine tasting at Odobesti vineyard Odobesti vineyard 
It is the first vineyard in Romania - since the 17 th century. Its royal vinery hosts one of the biggest vinacoteques in Romania.Panciu vineyard this is the only place in Romania where the wine is processed after Champagne method. Wine tasting and, optional, lunch at Panciu vineyard .Transfer to Iasi city . Lodging at Traian Hotel **** in Iasi

Day 4  Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant in Iasi .
City tour of Iasi, visiting The Palace of Culture it is an impressive construction built in Neogothic style between 1906-1925, on the ruins of the ancient palace of the Moldavian Rulers. It hosts in 365 rooms one library and 4 museums: of history, ethnography, art & polytechnics.
Three Hierarchs Monastery built as the French architect Lecomte de Nouy said this is 'one of the most interesting and curious religious edifices in Europe'. Built between 1637-1642, it is famous for its beautiful stone decoration and The Metropolitan Church .
Wine tasting and, optional, lunch at Cotnari vineyard it is famous for its high quality wine, confirmed by numerous medals. According to the legend, the first vine stocks of this vineyard were planted in the 15th century by the Moldavian Ruler Stephen the Great. One can taste in this region the following sorts of wine: Grasa de Cotnari, Catalina - Voievodal, Tamaioasa Romaneasca, Francusa, Feteasca Alba  Transfer to Piatra Neamt - a touristic town in the valley of Bistrita river, one of the most picturesque areas of Romanian Sub-Carpathian hills .Lodging at Ceahlau Hotel *** in Piatra Neamt .                                                                                 

 

Day 5  Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant in Piatra Neamt .
Transfer to Poiana Brasov resort (235 km), crossing over the Eastern Carpathians through the spectacular Gorges of Bicaz .
On the way, optional, stop for the lunch at The Red Lake – a beautiful touristic resort nearby the only natural dam lake, moulded because of a mountain fall in the 19th century .
Lodging at Casa Viorel Hotel **** in Poiana Brasov resort
Day 6
Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant in Poiana Brasov .
Wine tasting and, optional, lunch at Dealu Mare vineyard .
Arrival in Bucharest

Pax
Rate / pax (EUR)
2 - 3 pax
881 €
4 - 7 pax
638 €
8 - 15 pax
592 €
16 - 22 pax
519 €
> 23 pax
493 €
For booking mail at dorugiu@gmx.net and keep in mind that spring is the best season for visiting Romania. 

duminică, 15 aprilie 2012

Romanian myths and legends about wine


In Romania there is a long tradition about wine making and wine, lasting from proven 4000 years ago. For a Romanian living in Bucharest or other big city these traditions make no sense, they have only historical significance.

Losing traditions is one of the major arguments against globalization, and I would like to reveal all these hidden myths for a better understanding of Romanian art civilization.

First of all, when greeting a guest the Romanian show a lot of joy and hospitality, they give bread, salt and wine.

Second, wine is related since the times before Christ with fertility (remember Dyonysos and his huge long lasting celebrations!). Today, by every wedding ceremonial held in an orthodox church there is a ritual for the bride and her groom to drink more times from a  glass of wine, and eating from a slice of bread. Further, when the bride reaches the new home, she must rotate three times around a table with a glass of wine and a bread. The money donations for the young couple are collected on a slice of bread drenched with wine, hoping in a miraculous multiplication of the amount!


Wine is widely used by the orthodox church during almost all its rituals. Even a baby reaching its first oblation  receives a few drops of wine on his lips.

Similarly, by the funerals, be sure to find a bottle of wine in the coffin to be drunk in the after world. The priest splashes the coffin and the dead body with wine; it is forbidden to drink hob a nob, and before drinking be sure to a few drops on the ground in memoriam.



sâmbătă, 14 aprilie 2012

The Decalogue of a trained wine taster (10 Commands for really enjoying the wine)


1.Wine is really a living drink. Avoid moving too much the bottle before opening. Don't drink the wine immediately after bringing it from the cellar. Allow him some time to relax, in order that all its component come back to their natural state.


2. Don't hold the wine longer than two hours in the refrigerator, and never forget him near heating sources.

3.Avoid the  contact of the wine bottle or wine glass with your hands; due to the temperature of your hands the wine loses its flavor.

4.The young wine is to serve colder than the old one. If one wine is too cool, keep it 10 minutes in a heated room and it will be ready to serve.


5.Serve a red wine usually to the room temperature (18 degrees Celsius), and a white wine cooler, at 8 Degrees Celsius. On the contrary, an easy red is to serve at 10-12 Degrees Celsius.

6.Pair the white wine with appetizers, fish, sea fruit, or the spicy heavy dish and keep the stronger red wine for special occasions. If you have more several dishes on your list and want using only a sort of wine use a dried rose and you won't be wrong.

7. Keep in mind that only a few selected wines are becoming better as the time goes by. The normal ones have a limited time to be drunken.


8.Before serving a red wine keep it a few days at 10-12 Degrees Celsius.

9.Don't mix the wine with juices, soda, ice, water as it will lose everything he has to say to your taste.

10.Never boil the wine.

joi, 12 aprilie 2012

That calls for celebration! The Orthodox Easter


 Next Sunday, the 15th of April there is a big celebration in Romania, as in the all orthodox world: the Easter. Hard to explain in a few words the magic of this word, and the attraction it exerts among all the people on Earth. Simply because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the chance we needed and deserved as human beings on this wonderful planet! It is really our salvation and rescue, and we should enjoy it literally! That is another reason to rise a glass of wine for your health!


I wish you all from all my heart to stay healthy and lucky and wealthy. May the Holly Spirit be with you and drink a glass of wine for this unique celebration. Enjoy life, love and wine and come along here, it would be really fantastic to know together in this life we have.

Life is like a glass of wine, and you should enjoy it drop by drop. Rise the glass and say with me:" Hristos a inviat"! (Jesus Christ came to life again!)

marți, 10 aprilie 2012

Wine tasting for honeymooners
Usually, a normal person, doesn't think to go on wine tasting during the honey moon. I don't agree this, as I made myself my honey moon on tasting, 22 years ago. It was really great, and if you think deeper you'll understand why!

A lover enjoys life, and a wine taster does the same thing! That mean, that this very important thing really match together. Not only me, but also other pairs of lovers experienced this unusual combination and found it to be fantastic indeed.

First of all, get a little room somewhere in the vineyard. Must be comfy, and not necessary isolated. I can arrange the stay in the Romanian vineyards, no problem, you are in the right hands! Further, go every day for a wine tasting during in the neighborhood. Walk or run through the vineyard, lie on the grass and simply feel the energy of the Earth. Open all your chakras, it is simply fantastic. Enjoy every minute, enjoy your lover, enjoy the life and the Universe!

I would recommend for the honeymooners that the man drinks(or tastes) mainly red wines, and the bride mainly white wine. It has much to do with the yin and yang principles!
Believe, it is nothing more romantic! My marriage still holds, as we have the good start! And the happy honeymooners from April could get a special surprise, an orthodox church ceremony!
 

joi, 5 aprilie 2012

Do's and don'ts to a wine tasting


These things apply not only to Romania, but to any tasting, and consist in a certain ettiquette, well known by the  professional somelliers and tasters.
1. Try to avoid mixes between red and white wines.
2.If you can't avoid mixes between red and white wine, start with the white ones, as the red are richer and much more difficult to eliminate!
3.Eat during the tasting; eat a slice of cheese after any wine.
4. Do not eat very much and very spicy during the tasting, as is dangerous for your taste.
5. Don't get drunk during tasting. To avoid that, never swallow the wine, spit it. Ask for a spit tool, if you can't see any around, or spit simply on the floor after politely asking permission from the organizer.
6.Don't look to the label, as suggestion works!
7.Don't taste and drive. Even when spitting the wine, through tongue absorbtion the wine will go into your blood.
8.Don't smoke during the taste, and don't chew gums.
9.Write all your observations, as you must be silent, and discuss them only afterwards with the organizers and the other participants.
10.Don't try to be politely to your host if you find a bad wine. He will be grateful to you if you make any good suggestions.

Respect all the above things, but be relaxed and open minded during the tasting
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