It's time to bid farewell to our spiked egg nog and greet this new year with appreciation for some finer spirits. New Hampshire Wine Week, or sometimes Winter Wine Week, supported by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, is actually a season-long wine tasting celebration.

Official festivities kicked-off mid-last week and will continue into March through the beginning of spring. The pinnacle NH Wine Week event is the NH Wine Week Spectacular on Thursday, January 26^th in Manchester. This event, as always, will benefit the Easter Seals NH in their mission to help individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives.

I am no wine expert, by any means. I appreciate a good Chianti for flavor and nearly any white wine for fragrance (though I don't usually imbibe the dryer pours). I have been to a couple of wine tastings, they can be pretty fun! If you're a novice wine drinker, here are a few basic vocab words to get you started! The Chicago Wine School has a great full list! See below for some upcoming NH Wine Week Events near you!

Aroma: the portion of the smell of a wine derived specifically from the grape variety, as opposed to that portion of the smell derived from other sources.

Balance: a balanced wine is one whose constituents--sugar, acids, tannins, alcohols, etc.--are evident but do not mask one another. A young red wine--tannic and acidic-- is not considered balanced because these two characteristics mask the other flavor elements of the wine, which, given time, may display themselves.

Bananas: very young wines--tank samples, wines that have undergone a very cold fermentation or freshly bottled wines--will often smell like bananas.

Clean: having no off-odors or off-tastes.

Dry: a dry wine is one without noticeable sweetness. Technically, a dry wine retains little or no sugar after fermentation.

Finish: the sensual impression -- long or short, strong or weak --that lingers after you have swallowed a wine; a.k.a. "aftertaste".

Flat: a wine without acid tang.

Flowery: an indeterminate fragrance akin to flowers in general.

Fruity: a pleasant fragrance from ripe grapes made into wine; a berry-like quality akin to fruits in general.

Full: see big, a full-bodied wine.

Grapey: similar to fresh, also applied to wines which smell and taste like fresh-picked grapes.

Here are some NH Wine Week events for the coming week. Looking for more NH Wine Week events? Check out the NH.com Events Calendar at www.NHEvents.com and search under subject category Food and Drink.

Salem, NH: Non-Alcohol Spirits Tasting
Thursday, January 19, 4:30pm-6:30pm
Non-Alcohol Spirits Tasting featuring Non-alcoholic Bloody Mary Mixer and Non-alcoholic Pina Coloda Mixer hosted by Pine State Beverages at Store #34, 417 South Broadway, Salem. At this event, a sample of the product will be distributed.

Merrimack, NH: Wine Tasting Event
Friday, January 20, 4:00pm-6:30pm
Wine tasting event hosted by Vitone Family Wines at Store #59, Merrimack Shopping Center, Merrimack. Click here for more information on NH vintner Christian Vitone.

Manchester, NH: Spirit promotional event
Friday, January 20, 4:30pm-7:30pm
Spirit promotional event featuring Amsterdam Vodka and Gin hosted by EJ Gallo at Store #33, 1100 Bicentennial Drive, North Side Plaza, Manchester. At this event, key chains, t-shirts and recipe cards will be distributed.

South Hampton, NH: NH Wine Week Free Barrel Tasting
Sunday, January 22, 12:00pm-4:00pm
Peter Oldak, MD, owner and winemaker from Jewell Towne Vineyards, hosts a free barrel tasting of New Hampshire made wines at 128 Whitehall Road. Tastings will be held every hour on the hour. Tours are also available. For more information, call (603) 394-0600.

Portsmouth, NH: NH Wine Week Seminar
Tuesday, January 24, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Carla Snow, CSW, hosts Making "Scents" of Wine at Southern New Hampshire University Pease International, 231 Corporate Drive. Have you ever wondered what is meant by wine descriptions such as Chardonnay with characteristics of melon and honey? Or Cabernet with leather and tobacco? In this unique tasting and learning experience, you will discover how to identify a wide range of aromas and flavors that naturally occur in fine wine. As a participant, you will work with a number of different elements as you explore the characteristics of at least five wine varieties. To enhance the experience and assure individualized attention, the number of participants is limited. Tickets are $30.00 per person. For more information and to order tickets, call (603) 433-0160.

Bedford, NH: NH Wine Week Stoli Ice Bar
Tuesday, January 24, 5:30pm-10:00pm
The Stoli Ice Bar at the Bedford Village Inn returns for the second year in a row. Located in the Inn's courtyard, there will be three separate bars serving wine, martinis, beer and hot drinks, complete with two martini luges. On the Inn's patio, a "Chillin Grilling" area will serve grilled foods as well as hot drinks at The Josh Logan Band provides live entertainment. Located at 2 Olde Bedford Way. For more information, call 800-852-1166.

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