California:

for more information see California

Grape varieties:

Oregon-Washington

(for more information

see both states

New York

(for more information see New York)

Texas

see TX wine region

Virginia

se Virginia

Other Parts of the USA

Grape varieties:

South Coast / San Francisco Bay - Sierra Foothills / Central Coast / Southern California / Mendocino / Central Valley / Lake County / North Coast / Anderson Valley / Santa Cruz Mountain / Santa Clara Valley / Russian River / Paso Robles

Zinfandel / Cabernet-Sauvignon / Pinot Noir / Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Syrah / Petit Syrah / Grenache / Gamay / Carignan / Barbera / Nebbiolo / Sangiovese

Chardonnay / Riesling / Gewürztraminer / Sauvignon Blanc / Chenin Blanc / Muscat Blanc / Sémillon /Colombard

North Willamette Valley /South Willamette Valley /Umpqua Valley / Rogue Valley / Columbia Valley & Walla Walla

New York City Area / Fingers Lakes / Hudson River / Long Island / Lake Erie & Chautauqua

(for more information see New York)

The Texas wine grape industry has been thriving, on and off, since the 1600’s. In 1650, Father Garcia de San Francisco y Zuniga, the founder of El Paso, planted vineyards for the production of sacramental wine. He planted the Spanish black grape appropriately named 'Mission', as did most padres who established missionary outposts

Virginia’s wines continue to garner national and international awards

New England / New Jersey / Pennsylvania / Maryland / North Carolina / Georgia /

Arkansas / New Mexico / Missouri Michigan / Tennessee / Ohio / Minnesota

Aurora / Baco Noir / Catawba /Cayuga White / Chambourcin / Chancellor / Chelois / Concord / Cynthiana / De Chaunac / Delaware / Dutchess / Elvira / Isabella / Léon Millot / Maréchal Foch / Melody / Miagara / Norton / Ravat / Seyval Blanc / Vidal Blanc / Vignoles / Villard

wine region:

The canton stretches

from Lake Neuchâtel in

the north, where it

borders the canton of

Neuchâtel to Lake

Geneva in the south,

bordering the canton

of Geneva, Haute-

Savoie (lake border

with France) and

canton of Valais. On

the Jura ranges in the

west, the canton

borders the French

départements of Ain,

Jura, and Doubs. In

the east, it borders

canton of Fribourg and

canton of Bern. The

total area is 3,212

km²

The canton is the second largest producer of wine in Switzerland. Most of the wine produced in the canton is white wine, and most vineyards are located on the steep shores of Lake Geneva.

La Côte along the western shores of Lake Geneva, centring on Féchy and Mont-sur-Rolle, with appellations like Vinzel, Perroy and Aubonne to either side.

The Lavaux area, stretching from Lausanne to Vevey and Montreux, won World Heritage status on the strength of its ancient vineyards, spectacular lakeside setting and alpine panorama across the lake. It has the most famous vineyards in the canton: Dézaley. Impressively situated on steep, terraced hillsides, it rises up from the lake between Epesses and St. Saphorin.

The vineyards of Villeneuve at the eastern end of the lake mark the beginning of the Chablais area, which extends to Yvorne and Aigle and to the hillside vineyards around Bex. Northern Vaud boasts names like Bonvillars, Côtes de l'Orbe and Vully around Lake Neuchâtel.

even if the first documentation, we have, goes back to the year 1276, it is certain that the grape was previously imported either from the Cinque Terre region (Liguria), or from Spain or Greece.

Powerful and full-bodied, with a rich, heady bouquet and a crisp clean taste that lingers long on the palate, a golden-hued wine that both warms and inspires. "Vernaccia is really a red wine made from white grapes,"

is the only grape permitted in the Condrieu wine in the Rhone valley

Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due toterpenes which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines.

There are also many other powerful flower and fruit aromas which can be perceived in these wines depending on where they were grown, the weather conditions and how old the vines were (Wikipedia)

In 1979, Virginia had just six wineries, and a little over 15 years ago a total of 29 wineries were producing 75,000 cases of wine. By 2001, the Commonwealth's wine industry had grown to 75 wineries, producing more than 285,000 cases of wine. And the industry continues to expand.

wine region

West Switzerland

comprises the cantons of Geneva and Vaud,

(see above) 

Neuchâtel, Fribourg,

Bern and Jura.

It is the largest wine-growing region of Switzerland in terms of quantity of production and extent of the region. The area profits from the climate of the big lakes (Lake of Geneva, Lake of Bienne, Lake of Thun) regulating the temperature and storing the heat. The amount of rainfall increases from West to East towards the Alps.

The diversity of the conditions of the soil in this region is striking: there is moraine, gneiss, clay, limestone and a variety of minerals which provide the wine with its individual character.

The most popular cutting system, with only a few exceptions, is the Gobelet-cut.

The largest part of the white wine production is Chasselas with Riesling-Sylvaner in second position. Some vinyards have started cultivating other types of vine: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Aligoté, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon, Muscat, Kerner, Findling, Sylvaner and Auxerrois. The range of red vines is less varied: Gamay and Blauburgunder

                                            Auvernier/Lake Geneva

Austrian

German

Hundertwasseer Haus

Rathaus

Settlements along the Danube near what is now the City of Vienna can be traced back to the 5th century B.C. These were of Celtic origin - as is the name Wien, derived from the Celtic "Vedunia" meaning "river in the woods". The Romans established the garrison camp Vindobona in the 1st century AD. Remainders of the Roman camp can be seen at Hoher Markt and at the underground station Stephansplatz. Vienna began its rise in importance in the Middle Ages when it was made the residence of the Babenbergs and the city walls were raised in 1200. Vienna would become the capital of the Habsburg Empire and remain so for almost seven centuries.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).

In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1815 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew drastically.

Today its imperial past is still visible in monumental structures such as the Imperial Palace (Hofburg), the Schönbrunn Palace, the buildings along Ringstraße, and many other sites throughout the city.

The fall of the monarchy proved a turning point in Vienna's history. In 1922, the city was made a province in its own right.

In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. Between 1938 (Anschluß) and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.

After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern block

Unperturbed by the nearby existing Iron Curtain, Vienna continued to build on its international role during the Cold War years. It became a UN seat and was chosen as headquarters for the OSCE.

Parkring 1888

The Ringstrasse Era was not only an era of urban renovation and beautification, but an era of new, liberal ideas, which changed the way of life of all Vienna residents. Though most of the buildings constructed were designed for the middle and upper classes, the lower classes benefitted from the new water supply, the newly constructed parks, called the "the lungs of the metropolis" by Mayor Kajetan Felder, the new gas lighting,

Currently, Vienna is made up of 23 districts, of which the Ringstrasse and the enclosed old city is number one. Electric trams run along the Ringstrasse and an underground subway system, the U-Bahn, runs underneath it. The area enclosed by the Ringstrasse is closed to all motorized traffic, making the Ringstrasse area the premiere tourist destination in Vienna.

The Leopoldsberg

Grinzing is known for its numerous Heurigens, a wine-drinking locale special to Vienna. Other attractions include the Pfarrkirche.

Next to Grinzing are many wine villages, incorporated also into Vienna.

The Wienerwald with its hills and mountains surrounds this part of Vienna,

with the famous Hoehenstrasse and the Cobenzl. The Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg are part of the Wiener Wald. and are the most popular destinations for day-trips from Vienna, offering a view over the entire city.

is a traditional Viennese dish. It is believed to have originated in Constantinople, where meats were breaded with gold flakes in an opulent display of the nobility's wealth. Food historians say the Venetians adopted the dish and popularized it throughout Italy. Then the common folk adapted the dish by substituting the gold flakes with golden breadcrumbs.

"During the Austrian occupation of Northern Italy," saiys Rudi, the chef/owner of Rudi Lechner's, "field marshal Radetzky, who so loved the dish, is credited with bringing it home with him to Vienna. It was during the Habsnurg's rule that the dish became popular in the Empire, and made it what it is today."

Wiener Schnitzel is supposed to made only with veal.

In Europe. veal is very expensive and the dish is sometimes made with pork.

However that dish must be listed as Pork Schnitzel on the menu it's against the law to call it Wiener Schnitzel.

   Recipe

Wine tasting breaks down into 4 basic steps:

1) Color of the wine

2) Clarity of the wine, when viewed against a light source

3) the nose (smell) of the wine

4) Taste

A special variety is BLIND TASTING, where the labels of the bottles are hidden, to make a more objective tasting (not being influenced by great names)

Austrian

German

Württemberg's vineyards line the slopes of the Neckar River and its tributaries.

Stuttgart is its major city.
With nearly half of its vineyards planted in red varieties, it is the largest red wine region in Germany. Trollinger, Müllerrebe (Pinot meunier), Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), Portugieser and Lemberger make very fruity red wines.

Württemberg's white wines - Riesling, MüllerThurgau, Kerner and Silvaner - have
vigorous, hearty taste. Württemberg wines can rarely be found outside this region, as the majority are consumed by the indigenious population.
Wines: strikingly fruity, hearty, powerful, distinctive earthy finish

1) Beer brewers classify yeasts as top fermenting and bottom-fermenting. Top-fermenting yeasts are so-called because they form a foam at the top of the wort during fermentation. They can produce higher alcohol concentrations and prefer higher temperatures, producing fruitier, sweeter, ale-type beers. Bottom-fermenting yeasts are used to produce lager-type beers. These yeasts ferment more sugars, leaving a crisper taste, and grow well at low temperatures

2) Yeast is used in baking as a leavening agent, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide. This causes the dough to expand or rise as the carbon dioxide forms pockets or bubbles.

3) Yeast is used in wine making where it converts the sugars present in must into alcohol. Yeast is normally already present on the grapes, often visible as a powdery film (also known as the bloom or blush) on their exterior. The fermentation can be done with this indigenous (or wild) yeast; however, this may give unpredictable results depending on the exact types of yeast species that are present. For this reason a pure yeast culture is generally added to the must, which rapidly predominates the fermentation as it proceeds. This represses the wild yeasts and ensures a reliable and predictable fermentation.

amount of wine produced in vineyard or estate, and is usualle expreesed in hectolitres per hectare. Yields may be influenced by the winemaker, who may perform a green harvest to reduce the quantity in cutting the more unripen grapes from the vines.

Low yields are associated with increased quality

Austrian

German

Austrian

German

he Great Grape Mystery
The origin of this grape is quite mysterious. While there are some distant cousins to Zinfandel, no one really knows where it comes from. Recent DNA tests indicate that Zinfandel is most related to Primitivo, an Italian grape in the Puglia region (where Salice Salentino is made). An important link in this mystery is Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian immigrant who planted over 300 different varieties and over 100,000 cuttings of grapes in California, supposedly brought Zinfandel from Europe. Haraszthy was living the American Dream by starting his own winery in Sonoma, Buena Vista, and made wine in the late 1850's.

Zinfandel wines exhibit a variance of flavors also, ranging from bright berry fruit, to dark blackberry and cherry flavors, and often with spices like white pepper.

For more information look up ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers)

Viennese

German

Austrian

German