 |
| Wines From Asia |
|
| Wines From Russia? |
|
| The Russians are generally credited
with having first made Vodka, which is a word meaning "water".
The Poles and other eastern Europeans might contest this claim, but
in any case it is mentioned in Russian texts as early as the 14th
century. Americans were a little slow learning to appreciate the crystal-clear,
nearly flavorless liquor until 1934, when the Schmirnoff family methods
were brought to the states. In spite of the current popularity of
the Vodka Martini, it's an often overlooked fact that the traditional
martini was made with gin, and until the 1980's, vodka was still primarily
used for mixing. This has changed quite a bit, with Americans now
voraciously showing their appreciation of the Russian and eastern
European penchant for flavoring vodka with pepper or citrus, and drinking
it on the rocks or "neat". Main Wine offers all the Russian
Vodkas you'd expect, as well as a broad selection from many other
countries. |
| Wines From Japan? |
|
| Japan produces a number of fine beers,
even whiskey, but we're going to focus on Sake, a uniquely Japanese
beverage. There are many mis-conceptions about sake, owing to the
fact that it's often referred to as "Rice Wine". The process
of producing a fine sake is actually a bit trickier than producing
wine, as it requires that two processes, saccharification (which turns
the starch in the rice into sugar) and fermentation (which changes
the sugar into alcohol) occur simultaneously, and in perfect balance
with each other. This is a process that is difficult to monitor with
modern technology, and the finer sakes are still the result of the
skill and intuition of the Toji, or brewmasters. Another interesting
difference between sake and western libations is that typically the
food is selected as a compliment to the sake. Depending on the sake
and the occasion, it may be drunk either cold or heated, with the
ritual surrounding the traditional consumption of heated sake making
for a real bonding experience. Main Wine stocks a full selection of
Sakes, as well as a number of fine Japanese beers. |
|
|
