Merkin Vineyards’ Post

Duck breasts might be pricier than chicken, but they are so easy to make and are a great choice for a fancy dinner for guests, when time is short. Our Low FODMAP Duck Breasts with Peaches & Red Wine is very straightforward. https://lnkd.in/e2S8_At9

As summer draws to a close, it's time for the grape harvest! 🍇 Summer has come to an end and we are entering the season of golden leaves, a brisk breeze in the morning, and all things pumpkin-flavoured. However, autumn also marks the beginning of an age-old French tradition. Les vendanges, the wine harvest, is a time of physically demanding work. Here at #Domainedebarbossi we still collect the grapes by hand before pressing and fermenting the juice under strict supervision. It can take up to two weeks to hand-pick all the grapes. There’s an art to deciding when a grapevine is ready to be picked. A few days too early or too late can make a difference to the end result. Unsurprisingly, taste is the best way to measure if a grapevine is ready to be picked. Grapes should be sweet in taste and show no sign of becoming shrivelled, which happens when they begin to overdevelop. Grapes should also look colourful and plump. Once the decision has been made to pick the grapes, the harvest needs to happen quickly. Grapes keep best in the cool so picking is best done in the very early morning or, if it’s hot during the day, at night. Once off the vine, they should be taken as quickly as possible to the grape presses or kept in a cool place. #wineharvest #winelover #vineyard #collectionbarbossi

Have you ever felt in a wine aromas similar to those you might find in a varnish? Well, this is not in itself a defect of the wine (although in large quantities it can be a problem), and there is even a name to describe this type of aromas: barnyard. So, in today's glossary we will tell you the basics about this type of aromas, also known as ''earthy''. #vinerra #earthy #barn #barnyardaromas

Legendary vintage, and as it clocks on to 77 years, the colour is a soft tawny with a gentle ruby blush through the core. Gorgeous earthy aromatics, white truffles, chamomile, dried flowers, incense, black tea. There is earthiness on the palate, with grilled cumin, cured leather, melted tannins, the remembrance of raspberry fruit, all delivered with gentle persistence. You'll find traces of history everywhere - the label says Haut Pomerol (meaning from the central best quality plateau), a mention that they kept until the French appellations agency told them to stop at some point in the 1950s. Inevitably there will be bottle variation (even in shape, not just contents), but this bottle was with the original cork and still tasted great. Unmoved from Libourne cellars since bottling. Weather wise in 1947, Pomerol saw a late spring and classic budbreak followed by a more difficult fruit set, then a hot summer with storms, and weather that stayed hot right through harvest, meaning naturally high alcohols. Hard to say when this will entirely fall away, but right now you are going to find huge amounts of pleasure. Olivier Bourotte and his wife Germaine Audy owners at the time, second generation after Jean-Baptiste Audy. 97/100 Come see the rest of this incredible vertical, with Clos du Clocher from 1947-2020, on the site today. #insidebordeaux #pomerol #pomerolwine #winetourism #visitbordeaux #vinsdebordeaux #maximelis #wineart #artandwine #vinsdepomerol #closduclocher #audynegociant #winecritic #subscribercontent #newcontentthursdays #wineeducation #winehistory

https://lnkd.in/gHh8Wukj If you've ever pondered a trip to Prince Edward County (PEC) for a wine excursion, I am sure reading this will convince you to start the car and go. Here's my latest article, in Good Food Revolution, about my time at Élevage in PEC

Legendary vintage, and as it clocks on to 77 years, the colour is a soft tawny with a gentle ruby blush through the core. Gorgeous earthy aromatics, white truffles, chamomile, dried flowers, incense, black tea. There is earthiness on the palate, with grilled cumin, cured leather, melted tannins, the remembrance of raspberry fruit, all delivered with gentle persistence. You'll find traces of history everywhere - the label says Haut Pomerol (meaning from the central best quality plateau), a mention that they kept until the French appellations agency told them to stop at some point in the 1950s. Inevitably there will be bottle variation (even in shape, not just contents), but this bottle was with the original cork and still tasted great. Unmoved from Libourne cellars since bottling. Weather wise in 1947, Pomerol saw a late spring and classic budbreak followed by a more difficult fruit set, then a hot summer with storms, and weather that stayed hot right through harvest, meaning naturally high alcohols. Hard to say when this will entirely fall away, but right now you are going to find huge amounts of pleasure. Olivier Bourotte and his wife Germaine Audy owners at the time, second generation after Jean-Baptiste Audy. 97/100 Come see the rest of this incredible vertical, with Clos du Clocher from 1947-2020, on the site today. #insidebordeaux #pomerol #pomerolwine #winetourism #visitbordeaux #vinsdebordeaux #maximelis #wineart #artandwine #vinsdepomerol #closduclocher #audynegociant #winecritic #subscribercontent #newcontentthursdays #wineeducation #winehistory

A nice range of harvest options due to the acidity - stand alone or blended as either the primary or secondary, it will stand up or complement your wine. Very versatile

In the old days of history, #brewers used "Gruit,", a mix of various bitter herbs and flowers in the wort for enhancing and maintaining the equilibrium in the taste. #Gruit refers to, a mixture of various bitter herbs and flowers that were traditionally used in brewing before the widespread adoption of hops. These herbs and flowers, such as dandelion, burdock root, marigold, horehound, ground ivy, and heather, were added to beer to impart bitterness and other flavors, as well as to act as a preservative. Gruit was commonly used in brewing before hops became the dominant ingredient in beer production. In those times, the rulers and government used to charge heavy taxes on the people who used to make Gruit, and to skip that taxation people were looking for an alternative and it was then they tried adding hops to the wort to balance the bitterness & sweetness. Later on, they also found out that #Hops also has antibacterial properties that helped to prevent beer spoilage and give them a greater lifespan & leading to their widespread adoption in brewing. #beer #gruit #hops #beerinhistory #beerinvention #dvksp #dvkspgroup #beforebeer #gruitbeer #beergarden #beertography #beerstagrammers #beerstagram #beerlovers #craftbrewing #malt #craftbeer #brewing #brewery #brewers #brewerylife #brewer

February 16th II International Syrah Day Any day is a great day to celebrate wine, but February 16th is to celebrate Syrah. Syrah is one of the darkest red grape varieties, and as in any grape will taste different depending on where the grape was grown. Syrah is made from a noble black grape variety. As this grape ages it gains complexity, subtlety and elegance. So if you find a Syrah produced from one of these wine growing regions, make sure you grab them up. ** Northern Rhone region, France ** Barossa Valley, Australia ** California.

Tassie is known for quite a few things – including its wine, of course. Our hardworking wine producers only have one chance a year to harvest their precious grapes after tirelessly managing them across the year through whatever the season brings (sun, rain, hail, frost, drought, floods – sometimes all of the above). This year the wine grape harvest broke a few records (applauses at the end); • The 13th largest region by volume, yet the 5th most valuable (up from 10th most valuable last year) • A textbook-perfect season which will produce around 14 million bottles of delicious Tassie wine, up 36% in volume on the previous vintage. • Wine grape prices averaging $3,674 per tonne, up 9% on last year In summary – the best Tassie vintage this year! Read the full report at https://lnkd.in/gCtwKbh2