Factors to Consider When Planning a Wine Country Trip

11:59 AM | 0 comments |

Would you like to take a trip to wine country? If you are a wine drinker, if you would like to learn more about the history of wine, or if you are just looking to have a good time, a wine country trip may be perfect for you.

When looking to plan a wine country trip, you will see that you have a number of different options. For that reason, there are a number of important factors that you will first want to take into consideration, before making your travel plans. These factors, when taken into consideration, can help to ensure that your next wine country trip is perfect.

Perhaps, the biggest factor to take into consideration, when looking to plan a wine country trip, is your intended destination. Did you know that there are a number of areas in the United States that are commonly referred to as wine country? These areas include parts of Northern California, Woodinville Washington, and the Finger Lakes Region of New York. Typically, when you examine wine country online, like when looking for lodging information or maps, you will find that wine country is used to describe the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley regions of Northern California.

Your intended dates of travel should also be another factor to take into consideration. Did you know that wine country tours are increasing in popularity all across the country? They are. For that reason, you may want to carefully choose your travel dates. To see wine country in full swing, most recommend coming in late spring and summer; however, it is also important to remember that these months are peak seasons for wine country tourism. One of the easiest ways to avoid the crowds is to avoid Saturday tours.

Weather is another factor that you should take into consideration, when looking to plan a trip to wine country. As previously stated, wine country is often used to describe a number of locations that are known for their production of fine wine. While most wineries are open for visitors all year round, California is the best for tours. You may find limited activities during the wintertime when visiting the Finger Lakes Region of New York, Woodinville Washington, as well as other smaller wine country areas.

How you plan to get around is another one of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration. Since most wineries have wines for visitors to sample, you may end up with quite a bit of wine in your system at the end of the day. For that reason, you will want to seriously examine your method of travel. In California, there are a number of guided wine tours that provide you with transportation and some other areas have these tours as well. Another option is to have a member of your traveling party be the designated driver. This may not be fun, but it is safe.

The above mentioned factors are just a few of the many that you will want to take into consideration, when looking to plan a trip to wine country. Another one involves deciding which activities you would like to participate in, as well as which wineries you would like to visit. In wine country, especially in California, there are so many wine activities, events, and festivals for you to choose from.

Guide to the Basics of Winemaking

11:57 AM | 0 comments |

Before you begin your first batch of wine, it is a good idea to understand something of the background of wine and the basics of winemaking. Today there are certainly many kits which can be purchased which will walk you step by step through the process of winemaking. Even so, you may find that you enjoy and appreciate the results all the more for understanding the background of each step.

Wine is produced by fermenting grapes that have been freshly harvested. While many people today have taken up an interest in winemaking, the actual process of making wine has remained relatively unchanged over the years.

As we all know, yeast is essential to the fermentation process as part of making wine. Yeast actually grows on grape skins and then begins to automatically ferment the grape juice as the grapes are crushed. This begins the process of turning the grapes into wine. The combination of grape skins and grape juice is known as the must. When the mixture is in this phase of immersion it is known as maceration. This is one of the most important stages of winemaking, especially when making red wines. The actual color of red wine is obtained not from the juice inside the grapes but from the color of the grape skins. The juice inside all grapes, regardless of the skin color of the grape, is actually clear. In order for red wines to obtain their dark color they must extract the color from the skin of the grape. This is why black grapes are commonly used for the production of red wines. Conversely, light colored grapes are used for the production of white wines.

During the actual fermentation process, the natural fruit sugar that is contained within the grapes undergoes a conversion process into equal parts of carbon dioxide and alcohol. As this process continues, heat is released. It is for this reason that stainless steel fermenters that can be temperature controlled are commonly used for the production of rather delicate white wines. This prevents the wine from ‘cooking.’

The ripeness of the grapes and the sugar content contributes to the level of alcohol that is produced during the fermentation process. The time at which the fermentation process is stopped can also contribute to the alcohol level as well.

The dusty look of grapes, frequently referred to as their bloom, is produced by yeasts. The skins of grapes contain what is known as vinegar bacteria. Once exposed to air, vinegar bacteria can spoil new wine quite quickly. As a result, it is necessary to eliminate wild yeasts in order to avoid ruining the taste and the aroma of the wine. Winemakers use a centuries old process of utilizing sulfur dioxide to kill the vinegar bacteria as well as slow the growth of other bacteria and molds in the wine. Sulfites can also help to cease the browning or oxidation of wine as well as preserve its flavor.

Generally, the amount of sulfur dioxide that is used in the winemaking process is quite small. Typically, only between 60 and 125 parts per million are used. It is important to understand that even if no sulfur dioxide is added to the wine, there will still be some sulfites present in the wine due to the fact that they will be produced from fermenting yeasts. This is why all wines that are purchased in the United States contain the label “Contains Sulfites” on the bottle.

How Many Calories in a Latte?

9:12 PM | 0 comments |

Although coffee beans contain mono-unsaturated oils, coffee itself is virtually calorie-free; an 8 ounce cup of coffee brewed from grounds only has 2 calories.

All the calories in a latte come from the extras -- the milk, sugar and syrup which mask the bitter taste of caffeine.

At Starbucks, a 16 ounce grande latte has two espresso shots or 3 ounces of espresso as its base. Picture that lying at the bottom of your mug. The other 13 ounces is steamed milk.

What kind of milk you choose makes a huge difference. A cup (8 ounces or 250 millilitres) of skimmed milk contains 80 calories, low fat milk 120 calories and whole milk 160 calories.

Then consider sugar. Each serve contains 15 calories. By itself, not a lot, but one sugar per coffee every day totals 105 calories for the week. Two coffees a day totals 420 calories per week, the equivalent of running for 60 minutes!

If you add flavored syrup, one pump equals 20 calories. Three pumps are added to a 12 ounce (1.5 cup) coffee drink, 4 to a 16 ounce drink (2 cups), and 5 to a 20 ounce (2.5 cup) drink. So flavored syrup alone adds a whopping 100 calories to a large drink.

Then what about the cream? At Starbucks a whipped cream topping is about 130 calories. Or for every tablespoon (15 ml) of cream add 52 calories, for every tablespoon of sugar add 48 calories.

Look at the difference in calories between plain coffee, lattes and lattes made with different types of milk:

1 rounded teaspoon dry instant coffee powder - 4 calories
8 ounces instant coffee - 4
1 ounce espresso coffee - 1
8 ounce brewed coffee - 2

For 8 ounces or 1 cup:

Latte with fat free milk - 86 calories
Latte with whole milk - 146

10 ounce Dunkin Donuts brewed coffee - 15 calories
10 ounce Dunkin Donuts latte - 120
10 ounce Dunkin Donuts mocha swirl latte - 230

For 12 ounce servings:

Regular coffee with no cream and no sugar - 10 calories
Regular coffee with cream and sugar - 110
Cappuccino - 120
Latte - 200
Mocha with whipped cream - 310
Starbucks white chocolate mocha frappuccino - 370

Notice how the more elaborate the beverage, the greater the calorie count.

14 fl oz Coffee= 1 3/4 cups:

Latte with skim milk - 110 calories
Latte with low fat milk - 150
Latte with whole milk - 180

16 ounce McDonalds brewed coffee - 2 calories
16 ounce McDonalds latte - 180

16 ounce Starbucks brewed coffee - 5 calories
16 ounce Starbucks cafe latte - 220

How many calories in a Starbucks Cafe Latte?

Nonfat milk - 160 calories
Soy milk - 210
Whole milk - 260

And the flavored Starbucks lattes:

Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte - 160 calories if no whipped cream.
Vanilla Latte with whole milk - 240 calories and 80 from fat.
16 ounce Gingersnap Latte with nonfat milk - 220.
Eggnog Latte - 510 calories and 29 grams of fat for a grande with whole milk and whipped cream. A tall made with nonfat milk and no whipped cream, 270 calories and 8 grams of fat.

But, according to Starbucks, a tall 12 ounce Caffe Latte or Caffe Mocha skinny containing sugar-free syrup and nonfat milk with a dash of foam, contains only 90 calories.

Dunkin Donuts flavored lattes:

Caramel creme iced latte - 260 calories
Iced caramel swirl latte - 240
Iced caramel swirl latte with skim milk - 180
Iced latte - 120
Iced latte lite - 80
Iced latte with skim milk - 70
Iced latte with skim milk and sugar - 120
Iced latte with sugar - 170
Iced mocha swirl latte - 240
Iced mocha swirl latte with skim milk - 180
Mocha almond iced latte - 290
Medium Pumpkin Latte - 330

How many calories in a Chai Tea Latte?

Grand sized 16 oz made with whole milk - 320 calories
Grand sized 16 oz made with 2% milk - 260
Grand sized 16 oz made with nonfat milk - 210
Starbucks made with 2% milk - 120

If you enjoy an occasional milky concoction, savor it because its calorie content could pass for a small meal. But if it forms part of your daily routine, remember there is always a price to pay; every calorie you eat or drink contributes to your weight loss or lack of it.

For ways to get your caffeine fix and reduce the calorie count, visit How many calories in a latte or for something completely different, read about natural gas heater examples for your house.

Great Coffee With French Press

7:08 AM | 0 comments |

The French press style of coffee making produces very rich, aromatic and tasty coffee. It uses very coarsely ground coffee that basically steeps in the brewing water for several minutes allowing all the flavours to fully extract from the coffee grinds. Because of the filtering system there is always some sediment which some people don't like.

A French press coffee maker has two parts: a straight-sided container usually made of glass, and a filter-plunger that pushes through the water to filter out the coffee after it has steeped. This plunger also serves as the lid. There are some models of French Press that are insulated which is good for keeping things hot while it steeps.

To brew coffee with a French Press, you should pre-heat the carafe while you boil your water. When ready, empty the carafe, add your coffee, and then add your brewing water. You may wish to stir the coffee grinds around to be sure all of them are in contact with water. You should now put the plunger/lid on the pot to help retain heat. DO NOT press it down yet, it needs to steep for about four minutes (a little more or less depending the coarseness of the grind).

Once you feel the coffee has brewed enough, slowly depress the plunger trapping the grounds on the bottom. Do not force the plunger. If it doesn't want to go down, simply lift the plunger up slightly and try again. The filter can jam on grinds that are too fine. Just take your time and it will work.

Despite what some may say, it is usually best to decant the coffee into an insulated serving pot. If you leave the coffee in the French Press it will remain in contact with the grinds and keep brewing. This will quickly ruin your coffee. The other main reason to pour your coffee off is to keep it warm. French Press pots are not well insulated and coffee cools off very quickly.

Play with the brewing time and grind coarseness until you get the taste that you like best. Once you've done that you will have some of the tastiest coffee anywhere.