The theater isn’t worried about any drunken patrons as there is a two drink maximum currently being enforced by the servers who deliver the drinks right to the customer’s seat. Prices are kept reasonable with a bottle of wine local beer costing $4.50 while a glass of house wine will set you back $4.99 while the whole bottle is for $22.18.

Oakville, SilverCity theater, Ont. Are set to follow suit, provided their liquor licenses go through. While Ontario will be the second province where the pilot program will be launched.

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Napa and the rest of California can be expensive during tourist season; tastings cost as much as $50 per person. For the budgeted traveler, the Sonoma County is a better alternative where tastings are mostly free on under $5. The rural western side offers a glimpse of the rural side of the County. Ninety minutes from the golden gate bridge the rural country side is criss crossed with winding back roads through vineyards making getting lost both imminent and a welcoming possibility. The County offers more than just vine yards and prides itself on its diversity. From cheeses to apple orchards it has a lot to offer for the entire family.

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Currently two wines are being marketed by Dr Norrie; a chardonnay and a shiraz. The wines available in the Australian market under the name of “Wine Doctor” are endowed with resveratrol levels of 100 mg/L. This is about 70 times of that found in normal “whites” and about 15-20 times that of a normal “red”. Though certainly beneficial in the long run, Dr. Norrie stresses that benefits will only realized through “moderate consumption”.

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The worst hit, are the vintages of 2005 “the first growth” like the Chateau Lafite Rothschild which was described as an “exceptional vintage” owing to the perfect combination of rain sunshine and warmth. Some vintages have almost halved in prices seeing a steady drop in prices the Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion one such particular wine.

If the taste fine wine is what tickles you’re fancy and you never had the heart to splurge huge amounts on them now is your time to buy.

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Crushpad which is a self proclaimed “combination of wine industry veterans and technology industry refugees that want to liberate winemaking from the stereotype of the 5th generation wine family living on the chateau with the Golden Retriever.” provides budding winemakers and wine enthusiasts a chance to make and market their own wines with the help of their in house facilities and experts.

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French Champagne like all other wines comes with its own terms, which may confuse the novice. A particularly confusing term that is used with champagne is “dryness”. French champagne ranges from Extremely dry or “extra brut” to “doux” which is just an indicator of the sweetness of the wine, an “extra brut” will have no sweetness at all while a “doux” shall be extremely sweet. A general order of sweetness would be extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec, demi-sec and doux.

Many sparklers are a blend of more than one vintage, the single vintage ones are generally rarer and more expensive. Another thing to consider while purchasing a wine is the process involved in making the wine. Methode Champenoise which is an imitation of the process used in France is widely held as the only technique for complex and fine champagne.

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According to Brix, a lot of trial and error went into the development of the final product because during initial tests both the products were fine on their own, but did not lend themselves well to pairings. Therefore the company has developed a blended range because it says that one product could not go with all wines. The pairings based on coca content are given below:

Milk chocolate is designed for lighter reds and dessert wines, while the chocolate itself is described as creamy and spicy.Dark chocolate is the most versatile of the lot with an option of pairing it with the lighter cabs or the heavier pinots.

Extra dark is designed for the deepest of the reds with a high coca content do stand up to the massive tannins found in these wines.

All the wines come with suggestive pairings on their covers.

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Leib Family Cellars, North Fork Pinot Blanc 2006, $17
A crisp wine with delicious peach and apricot flavours, with food or on its own.

Spy Valley Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand 2007, $19
With a mixture of floral aroma’s and stone fruit, peach and apricot flavors this is a good winter wine

Revolution Viognier, McLaren Vale, Australia 2007, $19
The French versions sell in excess of $50. Excellent price for a excellent winter wine.

Johann Donabaum Gruner Veltliner Weinland, Wachau, Austria 2007, $18
The signature grape of Austria makes this a very food and palate friendly wine.

Crossroads “Destination Series” Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand 2007, $16.
A great cheap chardonnay period.

Red Wines

Melipal Malbec Mendoza, Argentina 2005, $18
A dark, rich, wine perfect for the holiday foods. 
One version in a one liter paper board tetra pack comes for $14.

Walter Glatzer Zweigelt Riedencuvée, Austria 2006, $17
The perfect party wine.

Descendientes De Jose Palacios Bierzo Petalos, Spain 2004 $18
A fresh wine with a big wine feel to it. Goes well with food.

D’Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre, McLaren Vale, Australia, $9
Not high on quality but still a crowd pleaser at a fraction of the cost of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Heller Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Cachagua, Carmel Valley, California, $15
A refreshing wine which manages to be bright and less weighty rather than dense and heavy.

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Some believe that global warming is responsible for the thriving industry in the northwest. According to a 2003 study by Gregory V. Jones, a professor and climatologist at Southern Oregon University, average temperatures have risen by over 2 degrees in 50 years in major wine producing regions and are expected to rise another 2 in the coming 50. The northwest according to the professor has never been more suited to wine production.

Further climate changes which seem imminent have done nothing to dampen the spirits of the local winemakers, who assert as winemakers being more flexible and more resourceful. Although the wine industry in the state is only about 30 years old, it does not show any signs of slowing down, coupled that with the tourism and hospitality the industry appears to have a rosy future in front of it.

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At the recently concluded two-yearly Vinitech trade fair, France’s biggest wine industry equipment event, underlined how the industry was racing to cut costs and innovate. From using oak chips instead of traditional barrels to soil turners which turn the soil burying weeds eliminating the need for traditional weed killers. Another area which received a lot of focus was the use of commercial yeasts to speed up the fermentation process essentially putting the wine on the market sooner than traditional methods.

However on the other end of the market winemakers are pushing luxury and exclusivity in order to boost sales like come barrels made from a specially fine grained wood, bound with orange leather, and decorated with a Swarovski crystal, the barrels come at 1,150 euros, more than double a normal barrel.

About 40,000 people attended the show, according to the organizers.

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