It’s a stainless steel thermometer that wraps around a 750ml wine bottle that indicates the wine temperature.  A reference guide of wine types are also printed on the thermometer to show you which ones are to be served at certain temperatures.  At $8.95, it’s an affordable piece of wine gadgetry for wine enthusiasts and wanna-be wine snobs.

Get yours at Crate&Barrel

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) Italian vintner Stefania Pepe is a supporter of biodynamic agriculture and even massages her grapes before turning them into wine.

She believes gentle massage gives the grapes a good feeling and also ensures that only ripe grapes are used in the wine.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, but I believe you have to make wine special. You have to imbue it with love and energy. I give my grapes my love and my energy,” she said during Italy’s Vin2009 expo.

“It’s not all analysis. It’s not all chemicals. Only love can make my wine,” the 43-year-old insisted before demonstrating how she gently massaged the grapes on a wooden board.

Pepe, who is five-months pregnant, is also enthusiastic and eager to convert others to biodynamic wines.

“Wine is made in the vineyard,” she said, repeating a common adage among winemakers who note that great wine starts with the best fruit.

Biodynamic agriculture is based on the ideas of the Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner, who reportedly was a tea-totaler and never drank wine or spirits.

Supporters of biodynamic agriculture consider the farm as a living system. They use special methods, including burying cow manure in cow horns in the fields and using compost that includes Chamomile and Yarrow flowers, to enhance the soil to produce wines that are stronger, better balanced and have more vibrant tastes.

Its critics say biodynamic methods produce wines that are similar to those produced using organic farming methods.

Pepe’s winery in Abruzzo, Italy was among the more than 200 that were part of Vin2009, which was sponsored by the Italian government to retain and gain more market share in the United States. By the end of November 2008, Italy had exported more than $1.2 billion worth of wine to the United States.

Like many of the wine makers, Pepe was looking for a U.S. importer for her 10,000 bottles of Pepe Rosso, a plumy, jammy red she guarantees will have 20 years of life.

Pepe started in the wine business as a child in her father’s winery stepping on grapes. When she was 18, she bought her first vineyard and, after working in France at Chateau Margaux, she returned to Italy to make her first vintage at the age of 23.

At first, she ignored her father’s method of using concrete vats to ferment the wine, instead insisting on barrels. But after that first vintage she noticed that some of the wine tasted more of wood than of fruit.

“So I went back to my father and apologized. He definitely understood,” she explained.

Pepe still stomps on some of the wine she makes today.

“You know, this way, the grapes are actually gently pressed, not like some hydraulic machine. And also the hard, unripe grapes they won’t crush under foot. So it’s really better for the wine,” Pepe said.

She built her winery 30 feet underground so that she could use gravity at every stage in the wine making process.

“When the grape is pressed, the juice runs down. When you need to keep the temperature cool, you have nature keeping it cool. We bottle by hand. There is no filtering. Everything I do, I do to be in harmony with nature.

“And it shows in the wine,” she said smiling. “I believe that a single person can do one thing to make the word a little better. This is my one thing.”

(Reporting by Leslie Gevirtz; editing by Patricia Reaney; For the latest Reuters lifestyle news see: www.reuters.com/news/lifestyle))

The 2nd Annual New York Wine Expo is less than a month away.  Wine lovers out there better get your tickets fast.

The Grand Tasting is the centerpiece of the New York Wine Expo. It takes place in the Special Events Hall at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to sample over 600 wines from around the world and meet the winemakers who produce them. Top winemakers and winery principles are on hand to speak directly about their wines and the wine making process as well as answer any questions you may have.

It’s easy to find your favorites as you navigate through the various countries and wine regions grouped together on the show floor. Taste the wines you know and love and find new favorites to add to your repertoire. You will also find the latest wine accessories and food companies at the Grand Tasting.

Your Admission To The New York Wine Expo Includes:

• As you walk into the Grand Tasting, you receive a souvenir glass that is yours to keep.
• You will also receive a 4-color glossy show program outlining all the exhibitors that are present and where to locate them, plus schedules for the guided tastings/seminars along with other show facts.

Grand Tasting

Friday Tickets (2/27/2009, 6PM – 10PM):  $75.00 through February 20, $85.00 at the door

Saturday Tickets (2/28/2009, 2PM-6PM):  $85.00 through February 20, $95.00 at the door

Sunday is reserved for trade only

Purchase tickets here

Very rarely do I recommend a wine.  In fact, this might be my first wine recommendation.  My friend Stewart brought over a bottle of Stag’s Leap Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2005 to my most recent dinner party.  He liked it so much that he actually bought a case to drink on special occasions.  This cab is a Napa Valley wine and during this time of the year, you might have better luck finding a 2006 vintage over the 2005 vintage.  From the website:

“Focused and complex, the wine opens with aromas and flavors of black fruit—blackberry, currant, and plum—that slowly give way to layers of nutmeg, rosemary, grilled game, and warm pie crust. This firmly structured and full-bodied wine gains depth and richness through the finish. Enjoy this wine with filet mignon with green peppercorn cream sauce or braised veal shanks with green olives and capers.”

I’m not a wine connoisseur, but when I can’t stop drinking a certain type of wine, then I figure it’s pretty good.

Retail price is $55.00 per bottle.

Stag’s Leap

On a trip to Vermont last Autumn, I had the pleasure of sampling the wines from Boyden Valley Winery. How amazing is it that the Winery is run and operated by the fourth generation of Boydens! There’s something about knowing that the 8000 grapevines and 100 acres of maple trees on the property have been cared by and nurtured by members of the same family for the past 100 years. It’s no wonder, then, Boyden Valley Winery has gotten their winemaking techniques down pat, producing balanced wines clean to the palate from locally grown fruit.

One wine that stood out in particular was the ‘Big Barn Red’. It’s described as “a bold, heavy, dry Bordeaux style red wine from Frontenac grapes” but I found it to be light and juicy. Other wines that caught my attention include the Glogg Spiced Red Wine (a mulled spice wine made from a Swedish recipe and served warmed), the assortment of fruit wines (Cranberry and Blueberry and Maple Apple, oh my!) and their blackcurrant dessert wine, Cassis.

Decent wine… in Vermont? Yes, it’s true!