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Happy Summer!
It's summertime! That means it's time for sangria! I adore sangria. The fun is in inventing new recipes. Take some fruit you love, a wine that seems to match, and toss in a random liqueur. Grand Marnier? Midori? Who knows what will be best until you try it! Highly recommended. Let me know your favorites!

Sangria Recipes

Lisa's Origami Cranes!

If you tune into the Today show Wednesday morning, they have their final big Wedding episode -

Lisa's Origami Cranes

The origami cranes you see on the set are made by me!! Bob and I just drove them out to New York City today and got to see the set being constructed. It then rained after we left - I hope the little cranes held up well!

Lambrusco?
Someone wrote me this week asking about lambrusco, if it was good for new wine drinkers. It's amazing how some wines end up with a bad reputation because of some cheap wineries. I really do feel that every wine (yes, including white zinfandel) can be made well - and can be quite tasty when it is. The key is to talk with your local wine shop owner and tell him or her what you enjoy. That way they can point you to wines in the same range of flavors.

You can't trust what any external person says is "perfect" - because their taste buds could be completely off from yours! Yes, the Exorcist may be a perfect horror movie, but I just can't watch it. I do, however, adore Pride & Prejudice, which I'm sure people can't stand to read and watch :) It all comes down to personal taste! Do random tastings at wine shops and restaurants, learn to identify a few wines you like, and then expand from there! That's the fun of it.

Balloon Glasses
I was having a discussion with an older family member recently about balloon glasses. Remember those awful giant round glasses they used to serve "fake chianti" in at restaurants? The glasses did little for the flavor, but they did hold a lot.

My relative's claim is that restaurants stopped using the balloon shape to cheat us out of the volume of our wine serving. She said the old glasses made you feel like you were getting a lot. However, I feel the new glasses are normally much better for getting a flavor out of the wine - they're more towards the Riedel shape (if not actual Riedel in a fine restaurant). So to me, this is a great improvement.

I've talked with restaurant owners who say they switched because the old glasses were simply not great for tasting a wine in, and the more they can get a consumer to love the glass of wine they've ordered, the happier their overall experience. They want the wine to taste as superb as it can.

You would think if it was a volume issue that restaurants would go with a "slightly smaller balloon glass" so that we were still getting the balloon, still getting a "big visual impression" with a little less wine in it. By going to the more properly shaped glasses, if anything it looks like you get less wine per pour because of the shape.

What do you think? Do you want to go back to the balloon glass days? Do you want a Riedel style glass, but filled with more wine? Do you want one giant glass of wine, rather than getting two one-after-another, poured fresh for you?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Ice Cubes in Wine
Just a reminder as it heats up in the Northern Hemisphere that you normally don't want to dilute your wine with water - but on the other hand, drinking a too-warm wine can destroy its flavor just as badly! I definitely suggest you get your hands on some plastic ice cubes. You can find them at jut about any party store. Yes, they might look silly, but your choice is looking fine or drinking a tasty wine. I'll go for the tasty wine every time :)

Wine and Weight Loss
I've gotten several questions from dieters who think wine is low carb or low fat. Remember, wine has ALCOHOL in it - and alcohol itself is a prime source of calories!! There are four fuels your body knows how to burn - fats, carbs, proteins and alcohol. In fact, the body tends to burn alcohol first. So if you drank your daily energy requirements in alcohol, and then had a lean chicken sandwich which broccoli, the calories of that "healthy meal" would go right onto your thighs. You need to drink any alcohol in moderation if you're trying to lose weight. For me it's a fine balance - I want to lose another 5 pounds, but food tastes SO much better with wine. So I try to eat healthy and kick up the exercise a bit, rather than missing out on my wine with my meals.

Have a great week, and enjoy your summer!!

-- Lisa Shea
WineIntro.com

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