Love It and Drink It Blog

Imagine for a moment that you have a beautiful bottle of 1982 Lafite Rotschild (valued at $4,349!). As you uncork it, you anticipate the cinnamon-spiced exotic notes of herbs and black currants delighting your palate and dancing across your tongue. You pour a glass, take a sip, and thrill to the taste of...vinegar?

Fortunately, this scenario is complete fiction. Why? Because that incredibly expensive bottle of wine contains sulfites. 

What Are Sulfites and Why Does Wine Contain Them?

Sulfites, also known as sulfur dioxide, are naturally occurring and an added preservative found in wine and many other foods and beverages. 

Naturally occurring sulfites are antimicrobial agents produced as a byproduct of yeast metabolism during fermentation. 

Sulfites added by vintners during the winemaking process preserve freshness and keep the wine from oxidizing

If you’ve ever ordered wine in an upscale restaurant, your first taste may have been poured by a wine sommelier (pronounced suh-muhl-yay). Sommelier is French for wine steward. But that’s a bit deceiving. A sommelier is so much more than a fancy name for a waiter or waitress. What’s more, a sommelier’s expertise goes beyond knowing one must serve white wine with fish and red wine with beef. 

What is a Wine Sommelier?

A sommelier receives professional training in every aspect of wine service, food, wine pairings, and wine storage. In addition, they develop wine lists for restaurants, train staff on wine service, and work with chefs to develop menus featuring complementary food and wine pairings. Above all els

Who says you have to go out for cocktails when you can just as easily (and affordably) make at home? Even if the most bartending experience you’ve ever had is pouring wine from a bottle, these five drinks will have you thinking about a career in mixology. 

Most of these classic cocktails contain no more than three or four ingredients--many you probably already have in your cabinet. And if you have the bare bar essentials like a cocktail shaker and an ice cube tray, you’re ready to stir things up.

Whiskey Sour

Sweet, tart, and impressively classy, bartenders have been making this whiskey drink since 1862. With just four ingredients, it’s simple to mix and tasty to drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. bourbon whiskey
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• Orange slice or co

If you’re dieting or trying to monitor your sugar intake for health reasons, you may think you have to forgo the occasional glass of vino because of the sugar in wine. Think again! Not all wines are loaded to the brim with sweeteners that will wreak havoc on your system. In fact, there are many varietals (red, white, and sparkling) that contain little sugar, allowing you to maintain your dietary goals. 

The trick is, knowing which ones to sip and which ones to skip.

Why Does Wine Contain Sugar?

Understanding the fermentation process is key to determining which wine has the least amount of sugar. As wine ferments, yeast turns naturally occurring sugars into alcohol. The longer a wine ferments, the lower the levels of sugar and the higher the alcohol content. 

Dry wines, such as pinot noir, chardonnay, and brut Champagne, average 1 to 3 grams of sugar per 5 ounce pour. Sweeter wines, such as a riesling or zinfandel, can contain a

Given the surprising variety of liquors and cocktails, you might be surprised to learn that there are ultimately only seven core spirits from which they're made. Each of these distilled spirits has its own unique flavor, and each one features slight variations in the distillation process. Learn them, and you'll have a much better sense of how to mix the perfect drink. 

What's The Difference Between Alcohol and Spirits? 

All spirits are alcoholic, but not all alcoholic drinks are spirits, also referred to as hard liquor.

These drinks tend to have a higher alcohol content than other alcoholic beverages and are made via distillation. Working with a fermented liquid as a base, distillation essentially separates the drink by boiling and condensing it, increasing the alcohol content as a result. While modern distilleries use a little more complicated process than "just boil it," the process is still roughly the same.

What Are The Different Classifications

Whether you’re attending a dinner party or just looking for a delicious weeknight wine, it can sometimes feel like a scavenger hunt to find the best Moscato wines under $10. Fret not! There are ways to find popular Moscato wines that don’t break the bank! 

What is Moscato Wine?

Moscato wines are known for their sweet flavors that often have hints of orange blossom and peaches. Other fruit flavors include mandarin orange, sweet Meyer lemon, ripe pear, and honeysuckle. The name itself is Italian for Muscat Blan, which is a type of wine grape.  

The Muscat family of grapes has over 200 grape varieties that have been used to produce wine around the world for centuries. Both the grape varieties and the wines themselves range in color from white to yellow to pink to black. 

American Whiskey is known for its rich taste, quality, and the nostalgia a single sip can conjure. The history of whiskey in America is deep, and it has become a vintage drink that many enjoy. The history of whiskey is detailed and winds alongside this country’s history, including wars, prohibitions, rebellions, and more. Just as whiskey ages and adds character, each era of its existence has added character to the drink’s charm. 

What is the History of the First Whiskey in America?

The history of whiskey begins in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It was in the eastern United States in 1791 when whiskey started its journey into the glasses of Americans. It was brewed as a rye-based product and eventually taxed by the president, which led to the famous “Whiskey Rebellion.” The people of Kentucky and Tennessee began to brew American whiskey as they could procure the necessary materials. 

Corn was plentiful in this area, and as the main ingredient of whis

There are so many recipes that call for dry white wine for cooking. If you think about some of your favorite pasta sauce, chicken, and soup dinners, many suggest using one of many types of white cooking wine to bring out the natural flavors of the food. We’ll look at some of the different dry white wines for cooking and factors that may help you determine which is best for your needs. 

Why Dry White Wine for Cooking

When looking at different recipes that call for wine, using a dry white wine is usually preferred. There are many kinds of white wine, but the most versatile is a crisp, dry white wine. There are several reasons for this. Oaky white wines may turn bitter when cooked, and sweet white wines tend to carmelize when deglazing a pan. 

Wine -- like other ingredients -- transforms when cooked. As it mingles with the other ingredients and flavors, the subtle nuances of its flavor may blend with others. For this reason, it’s appropriate to use a mod

Wine and cheese pairings are iconic. There is just something extraordinary about combining the flavors of aged cheese and a great glass of wine. Many people know that wine and cheese are a famous couple, but knowing where to begin can be challenging. A simple guideline to keep in mind when matching wines and cheese is that you should try and pair bold flavors with other bold flavors.

If you’re sampling a hard, aged cheese with a challenging rind, you probably shouldn’t pair that with a subtle and easily overpowered wine. Bold flavored cheeses should be paired with bold flavored wines. Whether you’re taking your first steps into the wide world of wines and cheeses or looking for new roads to travel, here is a look at some great wine and cheese pairings to explore.

Hard Cheeses

The flavor of hard cheese is typically classified as sharp. These chees

If you’ve ever been to a wine tasting event, you’ve probably heard wine (usually red wine) described as “tannic.” You may even hear health professionals discussing wine tannins.

While the dictionary of words you can use to describe wine is relatively large, “wine tannins” or “tannic” are perhaps the most important words to know.

Here’s an overview of what tannins in wine are, how they affect you, and their side effects.

What Are Tannins in Wine

If you drink red wine, you’re probably familiar with a dry sensation and a lasting bitterness. The tannins in the wine are responsible for this sensation.

Scientifically, tannins are natural polyphenols found in various plants, bark, and fruit skins. Therefore, it’s the fruit skins that often give the wine its tannic characteristics.

The ratio of tannins to acidity (along with a few other factors like alcohol concentration and glycerol) defines the structure of a wine. Therefore, a wine typically desc