How to Make a Bellini Cocktail

If you’re looking for the perfect drink to enjoy throughout 2016, keep reading. The Ideal Wine Company reveals how to make a Bellini Cocktail.

Really refreshing

If you celebrate New Year’s Eve like a lot of us here at the Ideal Wine Company do, we bet you have a lot of Champagne stored at home right now. This is the perfect drink for ringing in the New Year, but if you don’t consume every last drop, what should you do with your extra Champagne?

You might want to use it to craft a few sumptuous Champagne cocktails! We’d suggest you try making a Bellini Cocktail – a delicious fruity drink that packs a big punch. The Bellini was invented at the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice during the 1930s or 1940s, according to About.com, and has gone on to become popular with wine enthusiasts across the world.

How to make

The great thing about the Bellini Cocktail is that it’s really easy to make. You won’t need much either – just Champagne, a peach, a blender and a Champagne flute. Then you should follow the five steps listed below:

·        Prepare the peach: The first thing you need to do is remove the stone from your peach, and cut it into small pieces.
·        Puree: This is the really important bit. Take the small chunks of peach, put them in the blender and blend at a high speed until pureed.
 
·        Spoon in: After this you need to place about four teaspoons of the peach puree into the Champagne flute.
 
·        Combine: Here’s where the Champagne comes in. Slowly top up the glass with Champagne until it’s about three-quarters full. You should wait for the bubbles to settle and stir vigorously with a bar spoon, after which you need to pour more Champagne into the glass until it’s full.
 
·        Garnish: If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could add a garnish – although it’s not traditional to do so. You might want to opt for orange, lemon, or even lime to give your finished cocktail an extra kick.

Which Champagne?

It’s really easy to whip up a Bellini Cocktail, but you need to pick the right Champagne to make sure it turns out to be a success. You should buy the Krug 1988 form the Ideal Wine Company today if you want to ensure you have the perfect Champagne on hand to craft killer Bellini Cocktails! 

Which Wine-Related Terms Most Confuse the Average Consumer?

The results of a new survey have shown the Ideal Wine Company team that consumers find certain wine-related terms extremely confusing.

Special language

To become a wine enthusiast is to enter another world. Wine has its own language and you need to understand certain terms to figure out which vintages best suit your tastes and preferences. Some of the words and phrases that are commonly used by wine industry insiders are very specific, so they can be hard to understand if you don’t have extensive knowledge of wine-making.

Consumer misunderstanding

The Drinks Business recently reported that a poll commissioned by Taste4 has indicated that there are certain wine-related terms that consumers just don’t understand. ‘Tart’ – a word used to describe a more acidic wine, led the pack. In total, 32% of respondents didn’t know its real meaning; as many as 11% thought it was used to describe a “cheap, brash wine unsuitable for respectable company.”

Meanwhile, only 23% of respondents understood what the word ‘terroir,’ which is used to describe how environment influences the taste and flavour of wine, meant. According to The Drinks Business just 20% of people questioned by Taste4 knew that when you say “a wine has legs” you’re referring the droplets of wine that form in the glass, which are used to indicate its alcohol content.

Tom Laithwaite of Taste4 commented on the results of the survey. He said: “The way we drink wine has become more casual, informal and leisurely, but the language wrapped around it hasn’t moved with the times. People want to learn more about wine and discover new tastes without being confused or awkward when buying it or talking about it with their friends.”

Wine glossary

That’s exactly why you should check out the Ideal Wine Company websites Glossary Page. It breaks down the vital wine-related terms you need to know to ensure you buy the right Ideal Wine Company product for your tastes and preferences, to ensure you have a fabulous drinking experience!

Five Gifts to Give Wine Lovers This Christmas

We’re getting close to Christmas, so you might want to start thinking about what gifts you’re going to buy. Are there any wine lovers in your family? If so, the Ideal Wine Company is on hand to help you out; here are five gifts to get wine lovers this Christmas.

Corkscrew

It may seem really basic. The person you’re buying the gift for may already have one. But you can never have too many corkscrews. If you’re working with a tight budget, buy your wine lover a corkscrew – they’ll thank you the next time they're looking for one!

Wine book

If they're passionate about the process of wine making, why don’t you buy them a book about it? Perform a quick Google search and you’ll soon see that there are a tonne of wine-related book out there. We’d suggest you go for The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil – this 910-page tome is the best-selling wine book in the US!

Wine glasses

Wine glasses break really easily, so if the person you’re giving a gift to is a wine enthusiast, they’re always going to need new ones. Remember that the shape of a wine glass matters, as it can affect the quality of the drink. Make sure you buy the type of glasses that work best with the kind of wine the person you’re purchasing them for likes to drink!

Decanter or aerator

Is the person you’re buying for a fan of aged red wines? If so you might want to get them a decanter this Christmas. You may also want to point them towards this Ideal Wine Company blog post, so they know how to use it! If they prefer younger reds you should get them an aerator instead, because you can’t really decant them. The aerator mixes air into the wine, exposing it to oxygen and causing the aeration process the vintage needs to shine!

Bottle of wine

The most obvious thing to buy for a wine lover this Christmas is a bottle of their favourite tipple. You should base your purchasing decision on their preferences – if they like dry reds, for example, get them a dry red. The Ideal Wine Company provides a wide range of stellar wines. If you purchase the Chateau Petrus 2001 from us today, you’ll be able to give your loved one a gift they’ll really treasure this holiday season!  

US Wine Consumption to Grow Significantly by 2025

New statistics have made it clear to the Ideal Wine Company team that US wine consumption volumes are set to grow significantly by 2025.

Largest wine market

The US has become the largest wine consumption market in the world. Figures quoted by The Drinks Business show that American wine enthusiasts drank 339.6 million cases of wine in 2014. This equates to 13% of international wine sales, which hit 2,635 million cases last year.

Consumption growth

A new Wine Intelligence report, titled “Future Wine Consumers in the US Market,” has shown that the country’s wine consumption market is set to expand. Market analysis forecasts indicate that US wine consumption will grow by 11.3% from 2014 to 2018, to hit 377.9 million cases.

Furthermore, the Wine Intelligence report found that the amount of “regular wine drinkers” in the North American country will increase significantly from 2015 to 2025. At the moment this number stands at 93 million. By the end of the next decade it will climb to 109 million – 44% of all US adults.

Most valuable market on earth

The chief operating officer of Wine Intelligence, Richard Halstead, commented on the results of the report. He said: “Whether one likes it or not, the fortunes of the world wine industry are indelibly linked to the behaviour of the American wine drinker over the next decade.”

The chief operating officer went on to note: “The USA is the most valuable market for wine on earth, and our report shows that changing population and cultural norms are likely to mean that it will consolidate its top ranking over the next (few) years.”

Try Californian wine

The USA may be set to expand its wine consumption numbers significantly by 2025 because they’re so good at making our favourite tipple. The state of California is particularly known for making excellent red vintages. If you want to see why the Golden State is known for making fantastic wine, why don’t you buy the Screaming Eagle 1993 from the Ideal Wine Company today! 

The Health Benefits of Mulled Wine

We’re getting closer to Christmas, so you might want to whip up some mulled wine in the next few weeks. If you’re looking for a red vintage you can use to make a fabulous mulled concoction, you can always buy the Vega Sicilla 1999 from the Ideal Wine Company!

If you purchase this bottle, you’ll be able to create a deliciously spiced mulled wine that explodes with flavour the minute it hits your taste buds. Not only does mulled wine taste amazing, but a recent article from the Evening Standard has revealed it can be pretty healthy too. Here are five health benefits of mulled wine:

Anti-inflammatory properties

A lot of people like to add a stick of cinnamon to mulled wine to provide it with that “Christmas in a glass” flavour it’s so famous for. This spice contains anti-oxidants which boast potent anti-inflammatory qualities. This means that mulled wine can reduce swelling, as well as restore normal tissue function.

Detoxify your body

Nutmeg is another popular ingredient for mulled wine. This spice has a number of properties which boost the overall physical health. Specifically, nutmeg detoxifies your liver and kidneys. This allows mulled wine to help your body recover from toxins that are commonly found in alcohol, drugs, pollution and food.

Heart disease prevention

A range of studies conducted in the year 2000 confirmed what many people have long suspected – drinking red wine (moderately) can lower the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Our favourite tipple contains anti-oxidants which raise the level of good cholesterol in your body; this can significantly reduce the risk of clogged arteries and ultimately, heart disease.

Keeping bones strong

Moderate red wine intake has been shown to increase bone mineral density, therefore mulled wine can help lower the risk of osteoporosis.  Recent research indicated that women who drank one to three glasses of alcohol per day had greater bone mineral density, measured in the hip region of their thighbones, than heavy drinkers and non-drinkers.

Slowing signs of aging

Red wine contains a high concentration of antioxidants called polyphenols, including resveratrol. These anti-oxidants have been shown to help combat the damaging free radicals that play a role in aging and age-related diseases – so drinking mulled wine can make you look younger!

Reasons to drink mulled wine

As if you needed another reason to indulge in a glass or two of deliciously spiced mulled wine this Christmas! The red wine and spices that are key ingredients of mulled wine not only taste fantastic, they can also improve your overall physical health as well!