May, 2007 Greetings from Wines by Jennifer! We've been fielding many common questions over the past four years about wine tasting at Wines by Jennifer, so we thought "why not develop a basic 'how-to' manual about wine tasting?" After all, an educated wine consumer is our best customer. So with that in mind, this month we're proud to debut Wines by Jennifer's free wine tasting e-mail course entitled "5 Days to Expert Wine Tasting", provided free to all new and existing Wines by Jennifer News subscribers. Here's a brief excerpt from the course to give you a "flavor" of what it's all about:   There are five basic steps to tasting wine. In this 5-day course, we will break down one step each day and get you on your way to becoming an expert wine taster in no time! The five basic steps in order are: 1. Sight 2. Swirl 3. Sniff (Smell) 4. Sip 5. Savor Today, we'll start with Step 1, "sight". Sight is an often-overlooked step in the wine evaluation process. Taking the time to observe what you see in your glass can help you determine many things about a wine. To begin, hold your glass over a white background (with adequate lighting), tilt the glass at a 45* angle, and begin to examine the wine. Among the things you should be noticing: -Is the wine clear and clean, or is it cloudy? A clear and clean wine is usually an indication of good wine making, while a cloudy wine could be an indication of faults in the wine. -What is the wine's color? In white wines, a younger (two years or less) dry white wine will usually be pale yellow with light green highlights around the edges. A sweet white wine is typically more straw to golden in color. White wines will deepen in color as they age, so by the time a dry white wine is four years old or so, it will shed its green tints and become more yellow or golden, then finally amber-brown. For the reds, a young red will range from deep purple to red in color. As reds age, they begin to lose their color, turning more to a brick red or mahogany-brown color.   No matter what your level of wine tasting experience, we're confident you'll find the information valuable. (And if you agree, please refer your friends to our website so they can subscribe to Wines by Jennifer News and receive the course, too!) Remember, however, that there's no substitute for "hands-on" tasting experience. Of course, the best place to find that is in our very own Tasting Room, where you'll find a brand-new lineup of six wines each week for you to taste for only $8, along with expert commentary on the wines from our Tasting Room staff. Until next month, Happy Mother's Day to all and enjoy the newsletter! Back to top	Inside This Issue: Upcoming Special Events Upcoming Tasting Room Selections Wine Club Wine of the Month Cellar Club Wine of the Month Recipe of the Month Featured Artist Pinot's "Fun Wine Factoids" Wine Trivia Contest Featured Customers Featured Testimonial Recommended Resources The Last Sip Past Newsletters     (Click on the photos to open in a new window)
Pinot's "Fun Wine Factoids"   The lip of a red wine glass is sloped inward to hold in the aromas of the wine. Dom Perignon, the Benedictine Abbey cellar master who is generally credited with inventing the Champagne-making process, was blind. The term Fume Blanc, originally coined by Robert Mondavi, is another name for Sauvignon Blanc. A thief in wine terminology is a tubular glass, plastic or wooden instrument for withdrawing a sample of wine from a cask or barrel. 15.5% of the world's vineyards are in Spain, making Spain the number one ranked country in the world in terms of area covered by vineyards. Back to top	Let us host your next Private Party at Wines by Jennifer! We'll design a party that is perfect for you: Wedding Engagements Wedding Ceremonies Birthday Parties Special Holiday Parties Company Gatherings Client Entertaining Rehearsal Dinners Bridal Showers Luncheons & Dinners And Much More!
Wines by Jennifer Wine Trivia Contest Submit the correct answer by May 31st and win a free wine tasting compliments of Wines by Jennifer. In the event of multiple correct answers, the winner will be chosen by random drawing. Where was the first commercial United States winery located? (Congratulations to last month's winner, Karl Yehle, who was drawn from several correct respondents who all knew that the grapes used in French Champagne are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Munier.) Back to top	Arbonne Health and Wellness Products now available at Wines by Jennifer! Simply ask Jennifer if you are interested in learning more about this wonderful line of health and wellness products. Take charge of your health and well-being and treat yourself right. You deserve it!
Wines by Jennifer Featured Customers Sue and Roger Lange Sue and Roger have been loyal Wine Club members with us since Day 1. We're sure they are familiar to many of you, because very few events at Wines by Jennifer are held without them. It is a rare Tuesday indeed when Sue and Roger are not in the shop shortly after 5:00 PM to do their weekly tasting in the Tasting Room. They even plan their weekly dinner menu around the wines they purchase from that week's tasting table. Thanks, Sue and Roger, we're very grateful to have you as customers and friends! Back to top
Featured Testimonial Dear Jennifer, I just prepared a meal for a family birthday party in Parkville. I had worked out a menu which had several courses, including a roasted buffalo rib eye. Your selection of Castoro Cellars Fume Blanc for the appetizer course, Napa Girl Cabernet for the main course and Selak's Ice Wine were all perfect choices. I just wanted to let you know that the guests were all very impressed, as was I. It also really helps to have your choices magnify the dishes I present to my clientele. I also wanted to say that you meet a much needed niche in the area. Thank you! Sincerely, Mark Webster Chef/Owner, Chefskills101 President, Greater Kansas City Chefs Association www.chefskills101.com (Submit a testimonial about your experience at Wines by Jennifer and if we select it for inclusion in a future newsletter, you'll win a complimentary wine tasting at Wines by Jennifer.) Back to top
Recommended Resources "An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France" Clive Coates, MW The product of 35 years spent traveling around the French vineyards by Englishman Clive Coates, a highly distinguished and respected wine authority, this book occupies a prominent place in Jennifer's wine library, and deservedly so. Although primarily a reference book, it also provides for interesting, albeit sometimes dry, reading in general. In this comprehensive study of the wines of France, every single appellation is discussed, along with corresponding maps showing the villages of each one in full detail. Coates also examines the best growers in each area, with star ratings for the very top estates. Coates has been officially recognized by the French government, which recently awarded him the Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite. His books are widely considered the classic works on their respective subjects. From 1985 - 2005, Coates was also the publisher of The Vine, his independent, award-winning fine wine magazine. Back to top
The Last Sip   "Wine from long habit has become an indispensable for my health." - Thomas Jefferson   That's all, folks - see you next month! Back to top

Past Newsletters

2004	2005	2006	2007
March	January	January	February
April	February	February	March
May	March	March	April
June	July	April
July	September	May
August	October	June
September		July
October		August
November
December

Viewing past newsletters from 2004 - 2006 will require Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free from the Adobe website.

Back to top