How To Taste Wines

Learning how to taste wines is a straightforward adventure that will deepen your appreciation for both wines and winemakers. Look, smell, taste - starting with your basic senses and expanding from there you will learn how to taste wines like the pros in no time! Keep in mind that you can smell thousands of unique scents, but your taste perception is limited to salty, sweet, sour and bitter. It is the combination of smell and taste that allows you to discern flavor. Here's How:


Look: Check out the Color and Clarity.
Pour a glass of wine into a suitable wine glass. Then take a good look at the wine. Tilt the glass away from you and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass (it's helpful to have a white background - either paper, napkin or a white tablecloth).


What color is it? Look beyond red, white or blush. If it's a red wine is the color maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red, brick or even brownish? If it's a white wine is it clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber or brown in appearance?


Still Looking. Move on to the wine's opacity. Is the wine watery or dark, translucent or opaque, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear? Can you see sediment? Tilt your glass a bit, give it a little swirl - look again, is there sediment, bits of cork or any other floaters? An older red wine will often have more orange tinges on the edges of color than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker, than younger white wines when comparing the same varietal at different ages.


Smell:
Our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine's aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds (this helps vaporize some of the wine's alcohol and release more of its natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.


Still Smelling. Now stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale through your nose. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus? A wine's aroma is an excellent indicator of its quality and unique characteristics. Swirl the wine and let the aromas mix and mingle, and sniff again.


Taste:
Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish.


The Attack Phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The Attack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels,acidity and residual sugar. These four puzzle pieces display initial sensations on the palate. Ideally these components will be well-balanced one piece will not be more prominent than the others. These four pieces do not display a specific flavor per se, they meld together to offer impressions in intensity and complexity, soft or firm, light or heavy, crisp or creamy, sweet or dry, but not necessarily true flavors like fruit or spice.


The Evolution Phase is next, also called the mid-palate or middle range phase, this is the wine’s actual taste on the palate. In this phase you are looking to discern the flavor profile of the wine. If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody flavor like oak, cedar, or a detectable smokiness. If you are in the Evolution Phase of a white wine you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more floral in nature or consist of honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.


The Finish is appropriately labeled as the final phase. The wine's finish is how long the flavor impression lasts after it is swallowed. This is where the wine culminates, where the aftertaste comes into play. Did it last several seconds? Was it light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium-bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream)? Can you taste the remnant of the wine on the back of your mouth and throat? Do you want another sip or was the wine too bitter at the end? What was your last flavor impression – fruit, butter, oak? Does the taste persist or is it short-lived?


After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Did you like the wine overall? Was it sweet, sour or bitter? How was the wine's acidity? Was it well balanced? Does it taste better with cheese, bread or a heavy meal? Will you buy it again? If so, jot the wine's name, producer and vintage year down for future reference.

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The Lebanese Flag

National Flag of Lebanon
Country: Republic Of Lebanon


Lebanese Flag Description:
The flag of Lebanon consists of two equal-sized red horizontal stripes that are placed at the top and bottom of the flag. In between, the Red stripes is a White stripe that is equal in size to the Red stripes. In the middle of the flag and White stripe there is an image of a Green Cedar tree.


The Lebanese Flag Meaning:
The Cedar tree is a prominent feature of the Lebanese flag. It has been used as a symbol by the Maronite Christians of Lebanon since the 18th and 19th centuries. The tree represents peace, immortality and tolerance. The Red stripes symbolize martyrdom and self-sacrifice, and the White represents the snow-capped peaks of Lebanon's mountains. Historically, Red and White have symbolized the Kayssites (Red) and the Yemmenites (White), who were opposing clans within the Lebanese territory between 634 and 1711.


The Lebanese Flag History:
The Lebanese flag was adopted on December 7, 1943 after gaining independence on November 22, 1943. Lebanon was created by France in 1920 and the Lebanese flag is based on the French tricolor. The Cedar tree was placed in the White of the French flag. When Lebanon claimed independence from France they got rid of the French Blue and changed the stripes from vertical to horizontal. A Green Cedar tree on a White base was used as a Lebanese flag after Ottoman (Turkish) rule came to an end in the region at the end of the First World War, in 1918.


Interesting Lebanese Flag Facts:
Some flag manufacturers have made the Cedar tree Green and Brown, but Lebanon's constitution states that the tree should be Green only.

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Born to be...

The Ministry of Stress

Have you ever noticed that the news is always full of depressing information? Political scandals, poor economic recovery, crime, global warming, and more? It seems that the press just can't spread bad news fast enough, and now with instant access via technology, we are exposed to it at lightning speed and finding it increasingly difficult to avoid. It's easy to blame journalists for cranking out and exposing us to all the gloom and doom, but the fact of the matter is that if there was no demand for such negativity, there would cease to be a need to supply it, especially in such unrelenting quantities.


So why does negativity spread so quickly and what can we do to keep the "goo" from getting on us? Negative energy has momentum. Positive energy does not. While negative energy carries forth on its own until something or someone stops it, positive energy needs to be constantly regenerated.


Consider this workplace scenario; one worker whispers to the other at the water cooler, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty," and proceeds to fill the coworker on the latest news. Now as you're reading this, I'm sure you're automatically assuming that the news is negative in nature. Something like, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she got caught kissing Joe in the supply room and Joe is married." You most likely weren't thinking the news would be something along the lines of, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she gave $1,000 to a children's charity last week." You can just about bet that if the news is negative it will spread beyond the water cooler and make its way through the office in very little time. If, on the other hand, the news is positive, it is unlikely that the subject of Betty's contribution to charity is going to be the topic of conversation amongst the other employees. Why is this so? It's because it is the nature of negative energy to spread. Its momentum carries it forth and lowers the energy of everyone in its path. Like fire, the flames of negativity are perpetuated from person to person through gossip, lying, unkind words, deeds, negative thinking, and more. One of my friends used to own a restaurant. He once told me, "I do my best to keep my customers happy. If someone likes my restaurant, they might tell one other person. If they don't, they'll tell ten people." Such is the momentum of negativity.


While negative energy gets carried away by its own momentum, positive energy must be regenerated, and sometimes this can be challenging and difficult, especially if you're spending a lot of time around negative people.


So what can you do to generate positive energy? Here are several quick ideas to get you started.


• Give someone a sincere compliment. How many times have you thought something nice about someone, their look, their smile, what they're wearing, the good job they did, etc., and not said anything? Don't keep that positive energy to yourself. Share it with the person. You might just make their day.
• Be patient in traffic. I know, it may be hard to play it cool when someone cuts you off or makes some other thoughtless move while driving, but two wrongs don't make a right. When you don't engage with the energy of the bad driver, you are not only putting a stop to their energy affecting your day, but may possibly prevent an accident while doing so.
• Treat yourself with kindness. For some people, this is very difficult. You most likely wouldn't want to be friends with someone who spoke to you the way you speak to yourself. Next time you think of how fat your thighs look, consider that there are many people in the world that would give anything to have two working legs, fat or not.
• On the subject of turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk, get in the habit of counting your blessings. Right now, on your fingers, count five or more things that you are grateful for. It will pull you out of your negative state of mind in no time at all.
• Exercise and eat healthy food. Exercise brings oxygen into your cells and revitalizes them. Fresh, organically grown food has a strong life-force that in turn will feed your body and affect the way you feel. Have you ever noticed that people who don't take care of themselves seem to be more negative and complain more negative than those who do? Well, there's a reason for that! The negative energy that comes with not exercising and eating junk food perpetuates itself and makes it even more challenging for people with poor health habits to become healthy. Those who experience the positive results from exercising and eating right must make a conscious choice to do so every day. That positive energy must be regenerated for their good health to continue.
• Avoid negative people. This may be easier for some than others. Negativity is contagious, and spreads like wildfire. Put the fire out by not joining in by perpetuating gossip and judgmental comments. Instead, concentrate on sharing positive observations and feelings with others. You'll feel better being part of the solution rather than the problem.
• Spend time in nature. Take a walk, sit outside, go to the beach, relax under a tree. There is nothing like the beauty of nature to soothe the soul and remind us that goodness resides in a bird, a leaf, and a flower. Just the pleasure of noticing and being a part of nature can shift our energy from negative to positive.
• Use a psychic vacuum cleaner. This is easy and fun. If you feel negative, or have spent any time in the company of negative people, you may feel what I like to call "slimed." To get the goo off of you, simply picture a giant vacuum cleaner sucking all the negative energy off you. Feel the negativity leave you, filling up the vacuum cleaner as it does so. When you feel all the negative energy is gone, send the vacuum off to the sun to be burned up and neutralized by its purifying fire. Once the vacuum has done its work, picture a rain shower of white golden light washing you off and filling you up with light and positive energy.
• Use a shielding technique when forced to be around negative energy. Simply imagine yourself surrounded by a golden white light, almost like a force field around you. You can do this around your body, your home, and even your car. It will help strengthen and protect your own personal aura and negative energy will find another, more available place to be.
• Keep your surroundings orderly and peaceful. Feng Shui strives to create a soothing, nurturing environment and can do a great deal to help create a supporting, positive atmosphere in your home.
• Use therapeutic-grade essential oils. Essential oils and aromatherapy have been used for centuries to heal and uplift the body, mind, and spirit. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are free of chemicals and when diffused and inhaled increase the positive energy frequencies of the human body.
• Appreciate the moment. Instead of fretting over the past, and worrying about the future, enjoy the gifts of the present.
I'm sure you can think of other ways to generate positive energy. These are just a few ideas to get you started. If you remember that negative energy is like a virus that is spread through thoughts, words, and deeds, you will be able to keep yourself from getting infected by choosing to stay positive, protected, and healthy. If everyone did that, what a wonderful world it would be!

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