Christmas Celebrations with Fattoria di Monte Maggio

Wine Trends That Have Changed the World in 2016

Wine only improves with age. And with the year 2016 almost coming to its end, we see how this year has improved and enhanced the luxurious element that is wine.

Wine Trends of 2016

• Public Interest

Apart from sommeliers and wine connoisseurs, more people are becoming interested in wine now than ever before. 

In fact, this popularity has grown so much that winemakers are regularly updating their own websites on the internet so that customers can learn more about the wine they buy.

• Wine Technology

Apart from wine apps and wine pictures, users are now actively seeking ways to order wine and learn about the production process. And from local winemakers to quality Italian vineyards in Italy such as Montemaggio, all are taking the right measures to provide high quality products online to meet their customers’ demands.

• Millennials are getting Interested

The wine world is slowly but surely working its way to the millennials and they are responding!

The millennial market is very unique when it comes to consumer behavior since they want exclusive, healthy wines that would otherwise be hard to get. And because they’re more interested in value rather than brand, winemakers are experimenting in every way to give them what they want.

It also helps that now; millennials are becoming more interested in healthier organic red wines instead of the usual bottles.

• Anything But Local

Inflated pricing on luxury items are giving people the chance to try Italian wines. Italian red wines, especially ones made in Tuscany, have now become quite affordable, thanks to the many wine lovers who come to Italy to experience wine in its glory. 

• Source Matters

Before, wine was such a luxury that many would be thankful to even find a good bottle of their favorite red in store. However, thanks to consumer demand, wine has become quite mainstream, and now, people want to know where their wine comes from.

Folks interested in wine want to know the background; whether it is organic, biodynamic, and everything from the ingredients to the packaging process. Today, they want to know more than what they read on the label.

Buying Quality Wine

As the year 2016 proceeds to its final months, we urge you to use the upcoming holidays to really experience wine at its best. Italian vineyards like Montemaggio offer beautiful Italian wine so people can learn more about the beauty of it. And thanks to their offer of delivery on direct sales of wine, customers can also enjoy authentic Italian wine even after they’ve gone home.

So use this opportunity to make the best of a great wine year, and give yourself the chance to welcome 2017 by toasting with a glass of the best Italian wine on offer!

Why Origin Matters when it comes to Wine

If you’ve always preferred to enjoy Italian wine rather than wine from any other region, your love for only quality elixir isn’t to blame.

As much as flavor; ‘origin’ also plays a huge role when you want to buy and taste wine. In fact, as more and more regions continue to delve into the wine industry, consumers are becoming more curious as to how origin differentiates one wine from another.

And here, we discuss how each origin of wine produces numerous results.

Why Wine Makers are Concerned

As the earliest step of wine making, the origin of wine sets expectations for the raw material, quality and reputation of the product. This is what allows customers to make their decision since they determine the quality and flavor accordingly. In fact, in many cases, customers do not buy wines from origins they do not recognize.

As such, the winemakers who want to sell their wine try to make sure that their favorable wine origins are displayed prominently so that the customers can make an easier decision.

What does a Wine Origin Promise

Now we’ve spoken about quality and reputation. However, there are some other factors that also come into play when we talk about wine origins.

Terroir

The definition of terroir has evolved over the past few years in terms of wine. The terroir of a wine now refers to the the influence of the wine’s surrounding culture, climate and terrain on the flavor.

Every location adds a different aspect to the wine taste. Factors such as land, air, water and even the weather affect the wine grapes in their own way, and that is something that many winemakers use to their advantage to enhance the flavor. It is that flavor profile that speaks about the professionalism of the winemaker and how they used that location to make the wine even better.

Consumption

You may have noticed that the prices for wine vary largely when in terms of origins. If you find a particular wine expensive, you may want to consider looking up products from other vineyards within the same region. This can often help you enjoy the same taste, but for a lesser price.

This is especially useful for wine lovers everywhere since regions like Chianti, Bordeaux and Napa Valley among others do produce a significant amount of top-class wines. In fact, vineyards in Chianti such as the Montemaggio Vineyards attract a large number of wine connoisseurs by producing quality wine but selling it at an affordable price. Since this affects their reputation in a very positive way, the vineyard ends up making more and gains more lovers of wine through such customer-friendly service.

The origin of wine has many social effects. And thanks to the sense of curiosity on the consumer’s part, wine regions are gaining the attention they need to be more dedicated to their work. Such focus on the origin of a particularly favorite wine attracts customers to those locations; thereby helping those countries improve economic growth through a continuous stream of visitors.

Finding the Best Italian Wine

Vineyards like Montemaggio offer beautiful Italian wine experiences so people can learn more about the beauty of it. And thanks to their offer of delivery on direct sales of wine , customers can enjoy authentic Italian wine even after they’ve come home.

If you want to enjoy Italian wine in its finest state, visit the Montemaggio vineyards and use this opportunity to understand how the origin of wine can help you enhance your palette.

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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5 Wine Rules You Should Break

Wine is one such glorious beverage that can liven up any meal and any moment in time.

But somehow, along the way, wine lovers have become a bit stilted in their efforts to enjoy its beauty  because of some rules that have worked their way into our knowledge.

These rules have become so stubborn that we simply cannot enjoy wine without them.

We are to tell you that these rules are nothing to stress about. If you want to enjoy wine, there is no right or wrong way. We dispel some of the rules surrounding wine drinking. So, pour yourself a glass of wine and read on about the 5 rules we want you to break.

Wine Rules You Shouldn’t Believe

1.     Rosé is Strictly a Summer Beverage

Any full-bodied wine is great all year round, so Rosé definitely makes the cut. Although softer wines like Rosé may not seem like the drink to have during the harsh winter weathers, pairing it with a hearty meal will go greatly with the overall frosty ambiance. Often, if Rosé has a fruity bouquet, it can be paired with classic winter dishes for a wonderful combination of flavors.

The best Rosé you can choose is one that doesn’t offer too much sweetness that it would cover the palette. Your ideal choice can be the Rosé di Montemaggio from the Montemaggio vineyards.

2.     You May Only Decant Fuller-Bodied Red Wines

Wrong. You can also try decanting white wines as well as champagne. The oaky blends of white wine can enhance the flavor, especially if it is chardonnay based.

Decanting wine allows the blend to warm up, thus improving the flavor. Since you can’t serve complex white wine too chilled, i.e. out of the fridge, you can decant it to bring out the aged oak taste of the elixir.

3.     Only Pair White Wine with Fish

Many wine lovers, who love to experiment, use wines like light red with food that one would normally pair with white, just to test if the flavor will carry. And in countless instances, it does. Of course, you cannot pair all Italian red wines with all kinds of fish, but by choosing a wine that has fewer tannins and some acidity, you will be able to balance out the light and earthy flavor with that of the fish.

4.     Expensive, Fancy-Looking Decanters are Essential

Not necessarily. The purpose of a decanter is the function, rather than the design from which it decants the liquid. So it honestly doesn’t matter if you’re using a $2,000 exquisite glass decanter or a beer bong. Whatever it may be, you can create a decanter from any household bottle that can contain 750ml container of liquid (the same size as that of an average wine bottle).

5.     Chardonnay is too Sweet for a Serious Meal

Chardonnay wines from cooler climates allow the grape to retain acidity and minerality. As such, they produce a lesser oaky flavor than your average bottle of chardonnay.

Vineyards such as Montemaggio produce beautiful wines with less oak and give a lean, dry and mineral-driven taste that allows many to celebrate the flavor without misbalancing the taste of food, especially that with a lot of spice.

So now that you know which rules to break, browse through Montemaggio’s collection, buy the right organic wine online and experiment with your palette to discover the many ways in which wine can be enjoyed.

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How To Cook With Wine - Professional Edition

Wine, as a cooking ingredient, offers a cacophony of flavors.

Compliant with sweet, sour and spicy delicacies, wine increases the taste of the dish with its complex blend of body, acidity, notes and other subtleties. But it’s not every wine that gives food that perfect touch.

Preparing food with wine is not for those who prefer quick fixes in the kitchen. It can only work if you know how the wine will complement the flavor of the food. That is truly something that only professionals in the gastronomical field can experiment with.

So to help you understand the concept of cooking with wine, we contacted the professional winemakers at Montemaggio, one of Italy’s beloved vineyards, to provide us with their wisdom.

Understanding Wine Components

Wine is concocted with sugar, tannins, minerals, esters and many other components, each of which can show up on your plate.

Now, the acidic characteristic of wine though does disappear with cooking, proper balance in ingredients can allow the subtle flavor of your wine to shine.

For instance, if you have a recipe that calls for its good share of lemon juice or vinegar, cut back on the amount so it makes room for the acid in the wine.

Which to Choose – Red or White?

Cooking wines, such as sherry or your usual chardonnay, are readily available in supermarkets. But if you really want to have a wine extravaganza, choose the type of wine you would serve your meal with. However, first consider which wine will work perfectly with your choice of cuisine.

For instance, if you are looking to use wine with fish or a vegetable dish, choose a dry, crisp white wine since it is the most versatile styles of wine. Although if your recipe uses onions, carrots or tomatoes and is bound to have a hefty share of sugar, opt for a full-bodied and less white wine which will allow the flavors to integrate properly.

If you are cooking with meat or any indulgent ingredient though, using red wine will work in your favor, especially if it is red Italian wine.

However, when doing so, be careful of tannins, since it can become harsh when concentrated in any reduction sauces.

Rule of Thumb When Cooking Wine

According to many wine enthusiasts, the best way to find the right pairing of wine is to go with the land of origin.

For instance, if your recipe calls for ingredients that have its origins from the same place as your wine, you will definitely get a boost in flavor, since it will be naturally matched.

Montemaggio has received its fair share of wine lovers over the years because of this.

With the recipes originating from the same land as the wine, people get to experience the real harmony between food and wine.

So if you are a true oenophile who wants to taste wine at its finest, pack your bags and plan a visit to the Montemaggio vineyards to experience the ultimate tasting in Tuscany.

Cooking with Red Wine

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Breakfast Wines – How to Choose the Right Taste

Yes, you heard it right. Breakfast wines; the truly magical concoctions that bring about the taste of the summer months with every drop you take. Now, although it may seem strange that wine should be consumed with breakfast, the truth is that as a slightly less boozy drink, millions around the world consume it with their morning meals.

The Breakfast Balance

The main problem with having the perfect wine is finding one that complements the taste of your breakfast. Let’s take an example of the egg, which is the most common ingredient in the global breakfast kingdom. When cooked and consumed, the egg tends to coat the inside of our mouth with its taste. This coating causes our taste buds to become less receptive to newer tastes, which is why we often consume citrus juices so that the flavor cuts through the eggy film.

This is why when choosing wine; we must make a choice for the drink that allows us to enjoy our meal without overwhelming our senses.

Which Wine to Choose?

You may think that with a full-bodied wine, you’d feel too groggy to go about your day. However, your choice of wine depends on the breakfast you will be having. For instance, if you are having a lazy summer morning, you can easily choose to have a soft, chewy crumbling muffin with a slightly chilled glass of organic Chianti Classico red wine.

Since we all know how beneficial organic red wine is, having just one glass in the morning will actually brace you for the day ahead and pull you away from the post-sleep cotton-y feeling. You can choose to drink a lighter-intensity red wine with meaty breakfasts or fried food so that it cuts through the oiliness of the meal.

Though, if you want to have an acidic alternative, you can opt for a glass of light chardonnay. Full of aroma with notes of butter and a balance of good acidity, this wine can easily accompany your freshly cheesed bagel. Moreover, you can also choose rosé if you are in the mood for something fragranced and lighter. Both these wines are light and higher in acid and will easily cut through the taste of any heavy breakfast you are consuming alongside pancakes, French toasts, waffles and any egg-y treats that might coat your mouth with their flavor.

Breakfast with wine is not as strange a concept as you may think. With the right wine from a good source such as the Montemaggio vineyards in Tuscany, a healthy breakfast to set you straight and the will to have the best of everything possible, you too can choose to transform your morning meal into a luxuriating experience altogether.

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Wine Books – Choosing the Right Guides for the Right Taste

For a true wine lover, the most important requirement when learning about wine is to pay attention to how the taste affects you. Is it a more subtle and earthy taste, or would you rather like a more crisp and sharp tinge that will tantalize your taste buds? Knowing your wine is important; and along with focusing on taste, the best way to learn more about it, is to have something to guide you.

Wine books can provide you with a lot of information if you’re looking to brush up on your wine studies. And from beginner’s guides to directories filled with factoids and stories, the right wine guide can give you all you need so that you can be the wine legend in your circle. However, there are still some factors that go into choosing the right wine guide which we are going to discuss here, courtesy of Montemaggio, the organic wine estate in Tuscany.

What should you choose if you’re New to the Wine Game?

Wine guides aplenty focus on the beginner’s aspect of the wine game. For example, the Famous “Wine for Dummies” might not seem like the most appealing candidate in comparison to the other aesthetically pleasing books out there. But if you’re looking for useful information, this is your best bet. Written by Ms. Ewing- Mulligan, this book can provide you with the right guidance since the author is the head of the International Wine Center. And from information about the right way to store your Italian Red wines to food pairings, the guide has it all.

When choosing your wine guide, always go for one which is not only educational, but also trustworthy. As said, Wine for Dummies might seem like your average guide; but it is a lot more than what it seems. Wine guides have to be more than just aesthetically pleasing and fact-filled, and should present the right amount of information without intimidating the reader.

What should you buy if you’re An Oenophile?

Oenophiles or connoisseurs of wines do not need a wine guide to complete their wine education. However, that doesn’t mean they do not welcome it whenever they can. Wine is an evergreen element, and with more wine makers presenting the world with different flavors of wine, seasoned wine lovers cannot say no to more knowledge about their favorite subject.

One such book on wine which is favored by many is “Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink like the World's Top Wine Professionals” written by Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay. As an exquisite encounter into the lives of sommeliers, this book explains different aspects of the wine community and explains the different recommendations from those who are considerable names in the wine industry.

Another wine book that has to be a staple for all lovers of wine is that of “The Oxford Companion of Wine” written by Jancis Robinson. Although it may seem like a very formal subject; this 840-page tome is chockfull of technical data, list of varieties, maps, historical anecdotes and an A-Z format for convenience. The book has also been hailed an immensely useful source of data for all those looking for a mega wine encyclopedia for their collection.

Wine brings you one of the most intricate tastes from nature. And whether you’re a lover of simpler tastes or the best Tuscan wine you once had at the Montemaggio Vineyards, using the right guides to pinpoint your own taste can help enjoy the best wine experiences.