Varieties of Wines and Becoming Familiar With Wine Values
There are a number of points towards refining your taste for wine and enhancing your judgment as to what makes a good wine. One is that wine is made from fermented grape juice. You also should know the grape varieties wines are made from and the process of wine making itself.
There are many different kinds of wines, and the more commonly known ones – red, white, rose and champagne – are only a few of many. Wines are usually classified according to the grape varieties used to make them. One variety that is often used for red wine is the Barbera. This variety is grown mainly in Piedmont, Italy, but is quite adaptable to other regions, and is also grown on a limited scale in the United States. Barbera grapes have a high natural acidity and produce wines with a full-bodied fruity taste.
A Few Different Wine Varieties
There are many varieties of wine. Wine enthusiasts know about one variety that is widely grown in many parts of the world: Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape variety, grown primarily in Medoc, France, has found its way to California, Australia and other wine-making countries. Wine enthusiasts would consider Cabernet Sauvignon wines to be among the best red wines in the world. These wines have a distinct aromatic flavor, and have hints of the taste of berries, olives, coffee, mint and herbs all blended together. Among the white varieties, the Chardonnay is easily the most popular, producing some of the world’s finest white wines. The varieties and types are overwhelming at times, but you don’t take long to become familiar with all the wine values.
A basic understanding of the wine-making process is important to a wine enthusiast, especially if he is interested in going into wine production himself if only for personal consumption. Wine making is really quite simple and is an age-old technology. It is not necessary to have sophisticated equipment to make wines.
First you have to know what type of grapes to use, where they are grown, the right age for picking, and things like acidity and sugar levels. If you are after a particular aromatic flavor, there are grapes that will produce that kind of flavor and you should be able to tell which ones. After the picking of the grapes, comes the pressing to extract the juices, and then the fermentation process.
The fermentation process is quite delicate. It involves adding yeast to the juice in order to stimulate the fermentation process. Basically, fermentation is the conversion of the sugar in the juice into alcohol. The success of your grape juice turning into good wine, is the kind of yeast used and the absence of any contaminants getting into the mixture during the entire process.
There is so much more to knowing the difference between a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the knowledge to the types of wine available is just the beginning for a wine enthusiast.
A Quick Intro to White Wines Around the World
If you’re just starting to experience the wonderful world of wine, you may be somewhat confused by the vast variety of wines – reds, whites, blends, bubblies – and the multitude of choices within each of those broad categories. We’ll choose just one of those for this brief introduction – white wines. We’ll give you a short tour of the most popular varietals (types of grapes), tell you what you might expect from each and what distinguishes them from each other.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is definitely the most popular white wine in America – in fact, it’s reportedly the only white wine many wine lovers buy. Chardonnay is often the first white wine a beginning wine fan will try, largely because it is so “accessible”. Chardonnay is typically on the dry side, meaning not very sweet, and it typically has flavors of vanilla, apples, tropical fruit, and butter, and a varying amount of oak, depending on the winery where it was produced. “White Burgundy”, from France, is nearly always 100% Chardonnay. Many other wine regions around the world produce Chardonnay, among them Australia and Chile. There are many good choices of American Chardonnay available for under $20. Popularand consistently reliable producers include Beaulieu Vineyards, Columbia Crest, and Chateau St. Michelle, and others.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc, also known as Fume Blanc, is another very well-known white wine. Sauvignon Blanc is quite often described as “freshly mown”, meaning that it reminds the drinker of freshly mown grass. It is a medium-bodied white wine with fruity aromas like peach, grapefruit, and melon, and is dry and refreshing with medium acidity. Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful summer wine, especially good with seafood and it’s a perfect match for appetizers and picnics. A very nice choice, for under 15 dollars, is produced by Babich (New Zealand).
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio, also called Pinot Gris (the actual grape’s name), is Italy’s most popular white wine, and is popular throughout the world, although the Italian Pinot Grigios can be somewhatbland. Pinot Grigios are easy to drink, due to their crisp, light taste. Oregon’s Pinot Gris tend to have more character, offering medium body, with more pronounced fruit and more acidity. Higher quality bottles have fruity flavors of apple, pear, honeydew and a bit of spice. Two very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon, available for between $12-$18, are Chateau St. Michelle and King Estate, among others.
Riesling
Riesling wines are usually considered the most popular German wine, and they are produced in two vastly different styles – dry and sweet. Rieslings are categorized by the ripeness of the grapes when harvested. Kabinett is made fromnormally ripe grapes, and is a light to medium-bodied, mostly dry wine. You’ll sometimessee the word “trocken” on a bottle of Riesling, which is German for “dry”. “Spatlese” is produced from riper grapes, and results in a bit richer, somewhatsweeter, wine. “Auslese”, which means late harvest, is made from even more ripe grapes, and is typically quitesweet. Rieslings are typically fruity, with apple, peach, and honeysuckle flavors and floral undertones. Rieslings are relatively inexpensive – you can find excellent selections for under $10. One reliably goodchoice is Strub Niertsteiner Riesling Kabinett, as isChateau Ste. Michelle Riesling.
Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminer is another popularwhite wine from Germany, while also being produced in France, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. Gewurztraminer is also availablein both dry and sweet styles. Gewurztraminers have a bold, full-bodied taste, much more so than most other white wines. Typical aromas found inGewurztraminer are rosewater and lychee nuts, and its flavors include pear, apricot, cinnamon, and honey. A nice, inexpensive Gewurztraminer is available fromTrimbach (France, under $15).
A final note
The best way to figure out your own preferencesin white wine is to just pick out a samplingof bottles, and just try them. For each varietal, you’ll want to choose a bottle that’s typical of the style you’re investigating. Websites like Wine.com can help immenselywith finding solid, yet inexpensive choices. Once you find a varietal and producer you find particularly enjoyable, you might want to buy a case to have handy for entertaining, or to just enjoy at home. Most white wines won’t improve with aging, so you shouldn’t keep them around for years. However, you dowant to be careful to store your wine safely, so they keepthe wonderful flavors and aromas you appreciate. You might think about investingin an inexpensive wine cooler, to keep all your wines at their best.
White wines are best served chilled, so you may want to refrigerate them beforehand, then take them outabout 15-20 minutes before serving. Better yet, you might want topurchase an electric wine chiller, which will chill (or warm) a single wine bottleto the best temperature automatically – just set the pre-programmedwine varietal, insert the bottle, and the chiller will automatically cool your wine to the optimal temperature, and maintain that temperaturethroughout your wine tasting.
Wine decays teeth
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 “Pale plonk packs an acidic punch!” says the BBC, Well, it does and it doesn’t. It also depends on the types of wine grapes as to how acidic the wine is and how long the wine is held in the mouth, as to how much damage is done. For example, wine tasters and merchants that can sample around 50 wines a day, holding the wine in their mouth for around 60 seconds are more likely to suffer from erosion than the typical wine drinker. Loads of noise on twitter for the story on http://twitter.com/winewarecouk and http://twitter.com/thirstforwine.
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So what does White wine actually do to teeth?
It should be pointed out that the erosion of teeth by wine is the result of extensive wine use that would also lead to damaged liver and all sorts of other problems. The typical wine drinker who sips a glass of wine at dinner or with their evening meal should not be ‘scared off’ by the tooth decay headlines, remember 100 year old women in Italy swear that wine was the secret of their longevity.
White wine stains teeth:
I think that anyone who has drank a few glasses of Red would agree that, yes, it does. Have you stopped to think at any time about this? “Red wine, unlike white, contains a highly-pigmented substance known as chromogen,” explained Dr. Wolff of the New York University College of Dentistry, they goes on to explain that “The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth”.
Dr Wolff pointed out that all wine has the abilty to damage the tooths surface, red wine merely lets us know where that damage is.
How can you stop this erosion?
1) Alkaline mouthwashes are highly recommended
2) Proper brushing of your teeth with a soft tooth brush is encouraged.
3) Food is a fantastic accompaniment with wine as this helps the teeth repairt themselves from acid damage.
4) To aide remineralisation of your teeth, please wait for 20 mins after food before cleaning your teeth.
5) Cheese can also help as it contains calcium in a high concentration
I hope this is helped a little towards taking away the fear factor of White wine.
Think I need a drink after all that …
How do you know the real price of wine?
At Classic Wine Direct we’re pretty upfront about what we do – we can’t compete with supermarkets on price so we offer wines from off the beaten track instead. We believe that these wines are more interesting and quite simply, tastier. people who drink wine don’t really know the true value of wine.
Back in 2006, Jean-Manuel Spriet, the then chief executive of Pernod Ricard UK, sent shockwaves through the wine trade by admitting that many of the “half price” wine deals in supermarkets were actually a rip-off.
having an important person within the wine trade admitting to being conned raised an eyebrow.
half price deals are not in fact deals at all according to Spiret. simply, a bottle reduced from £7.99 to £3.wines are often only worth £3.99.99 in the first place.
retails brands use the policy of marking up and then mark down. The customer will then beleive he is getting a quality wine for a bargain price. Confused? That’s the general idea.
the wine industry is believe the main wine drinker is obsessed with the £3.99 price tag.the cheap price to customers affects the ways the suppliers are producing their wines.
consumers really know what is going on but they just carry on doing it. At the end of the day, it just leads to the impoverishment of the wine trade”.
Spiret’s insight provides us with a depressingly cynical view of the way wine is both sold by the big retailers and supplied by the big wine brands. More worryingly it gives us an insight into what the big retailers really view their customers to be, namely lazy and ignorant.
spiret was making us aware of the tricks of marketing wine.
Given that supermarkets represent two thirds of wine sales in the UK, these practices also have a direct effect on the public perception of the value of wine.
if the normal drinker believes that they are getting a £7.00 bottle.wine values range from £3.99.99 bottle then it follows that it will be much harder for the independent wine retailer to sell something whose real value is (and always was) £7.99.
this type of marketing leaves it open to all sorts of underhand practices.
However, if the political mood continues to be against discount selling for alcohol, it will be interesting to see how the big retailers find a real price for wines they have knowingly mis-sold for the last 10 years.
Reasons Of Loving White Wine By The People
A lot of different varieties of white wine are there to choose from. As long as you are even a bit educated on wine then you know to appreciate this, but to those who are not it can just be downright confusing. Now regardless of the reason that you are going to buy some white wine and whether or not you have a specific type in mind such as Italian white wine, there are a few things that you should learn first.
Being more educated on white wine first before you head out to the liquor store or any winery, is really going to play a major role and make sure that you are going to find it easy to choose the right white wine for any occasion.
Styles, Pricing, Food Pairing, Of White Wine
It can definitely be a bit overwhelming when you take a look at all that is available to you and start to wonder how on earth you are ever going to be able to pick just one, but there are a few decisions that you are going to have to make when you go to buy white wine.
You are going to have to choose the styleof wine that you want for one. This is going to depend on the type of grapes that are used, a few of the most popular being chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Grapes are the base to every wine so the taste of wine depends on the type of grapes that are used in it’s making.
Now you are also going to have to consider pricing. There are some very delicious, expensive white wines available, but if you can’t afford them, you can’t afford them, so what are you going to do. Choose a wine that is in between being out of your price range and so cheap that you are going to be able to taste it, and this should be a good compromise for you.
The served meal should make a pair with the white wine. Otherwise, of course you can pretty much go wild and choose whatever one you like, but pairing wine with a meal is really the best thing that you can do because they will complement each other and be even more delicious.
Is My Wine Choice Correct?
Friday lunchtime is nearly upon us. This week seems to have been very long and busy.
The hours are counting down to the weekend and that means a few bottles of my favourite wine will be drunk.
Usually it’s a few bottles on Friday and Saturday nights and then just one bottle on Sunday. Unfortunately on a Monday morning I have to be up bright and early ready for another busy week at work.
Unfortunately I am still a bit of an amateur when it comes to choosing the right wines. Occasionally I have been known to serve a white instead of a red.
For Friday’s dinner I was contemplating serving up a nice piece of steak. To accompany this I think I should be choosing a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. However my predicament is I am an absolute lover of any sort of Shiraz, so perhaps I should get a couple of bottles of this.
This Saturday my family are coming round to my house for a party. Normally when my family come round, they don’t bring their own wine, so that means I always have to get extra supplies in. Probably I will decide to buy a case of Cava as this really is my absolute favourite wine. My dilemma will be should I get Rosado Cava or Reserve Cava, or perhaps, as it’s a big event, I should just get a case of each.
On Sunday night there will be just be the two of us and I think after our weekend of heavy drinking we will just enjoy a nice cup of tea.
I can’t believe it but that is another weekend done and dusted. Soon it will be Monday morning and the alarm will be buzzing nice and early, heralding the start of another busy week at work. Oh roll on Friday.
The Way in Which White Zin is Formed
White zin is a favorite wine for numerous individuals because of its fruitesque characteristics and universal charm. The wine is thought of as “white” and many people feel that this is wrong because of its pink shade. Nonetheless, this is the proper term for the product. It is not actually a blush because the procedure of formulating the ultimate product is different in a white zinfandel than in a blush wine. Have you ever wanted to sit back with a pleasant glass of wine after a trying day of niche marketing? If so, check out more about the cool flavor of white zinfandel.
The zin grape is in fact red and it usually makes a red wine as its final creation. The makers of white zinfandel vary the winemaking method a bit in the course of formulating the pink-colored favorite among mainstream wine drinkers. The outsides of the grape contain the tint. When the outsides are left in for the duration of the fermentation process, the end result is a red-tinted cocktail.
The white zin is pink in tint because the skins are left in the fusion for a short span of time then they are removed. Removing the outsides during the fermentation period results in a creation that has a pink tone because only some of the part that has the color (the outsides) are only present for a minute span of time. Once they are removed, the hue is also. Only a hint of the red grape is visible in the end creation.
This pink wine has become a favorite among the mainstream but countless wine enthusiasts in the know are a little turned off by the poor little white zinfandel. Many wines are of finer excellence and flavor but these wines additionally need to be acquired to suit the palate. A small number of people adore their very first glass of fine wine. White zin is a wonderful link between the casual wine drinker and the well-versed wine devotee. For example, like getting a personal trainer certification is the first step to building a viable training company, so white zin is the first move to a life of wine admiration.
After the taste for a high-quality white zinfandel is gotten many advise progressing to an additional drinkable wine. Riesling is my first selection for the reason that it is quite pleasing and easy on the mouth. It is not entirely as sweet as a port wine or a white zin but it gives a great way to explore more complex wines. They are a fantastic way to take it easy if you are worried, for instance by yeast infection symptoms.
Once you take on a liking for a good Riesling you might turn your nose up at the lowly white zin but this can be a mistake. There are countless wonderful wines formed by means of this distinct procedure. As a matter of fact white merlot has emerged on to the marketplace. Pink is a tint for all times after all.
Learning the Basics Behind Food Wine For Better Cooking
It does not have to be a chore to learn about food wine. Although, there is a lot of different information out there about wine, it should not overwhelm the beginner. There are some basic rules that can be followed to make your food and wine experience an easy one. So read on to become familiar with the methods used to choose food-wine combinations.
The idea that white wine is best with white meats and that red wine goes with red meats is an old idea, but still has validity in today. That is the most basic rule for wine. Another basic rule for food wine is to pair tastes that counteract each other. Each taste of food should be overridden by the wine’s flavor and vice versa. Food and wine together should act as a palate cleanser for each other. Being able to taste the flavor of the wine or food over the other means that your wine is not a good match for that food. It has become more difficult to match wines and foods in recent years because dishes have become more flavorful. In these cases, matching the body of the wine to the body of the food is the best option. Light-weight foods pair best with light-weight wines and so on.
The main determination for food wine combinations is the balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness of both the food and wine. It is pretty easy to figure out what wine should go with what foods by considering the wine and food characteristics. If a sweet food is being served, pair it with a sweeter wine. For bitter foods, a more bitter wine is in order. The best way to determine the acidity of a food is to determine if it would go better with more acid added. For example, adding lemon to a fish means that a more acidic wine should be consumed. Some common white wines that are acidic are: Rieslings, most sparkling wines and white Bordeauxs. Acidic red wines include: Gamays, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses. Sweet white wines include: White Zinfandels, other forms of Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. Sweet red wines can include: Port and Lambrusco. There are not many bitter white wines, but there are some bitter red wines. These can include, red Zinfandels, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons.
Now you know how to pair food wine with the appropriate foods. There are a lot of different wines and it is nearly impossible to know them all. However, if you want to learn more, then joining a wine club or doing extra research can be a great help. It will increase your wine knowledge by a great deal.
Decanting and storing Wine
Having invested possibly hundreds of dollars in your latest bottle of vintage wine (ah well, we can but dream), the next important decision is part to store this prized possession? The main issue when it crucial period to storing wine is that it needs to be maintained at a cool temperature of between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius. Shoved under the bed won’t do.
Many modern wines do not need to be aged over a great period of time; therefore extensive cellars are often unnecessary. Having said this, if you have the time, space and resource to excavate a cellar, your wine will surely benefit. A purpose built cellar is not normally an option for most households and so suitable alternatives must be explored.
Ideal areas for storage include a corner of a garage, garden shed, an unused fireplace or a cupboard that is against an outside wall.
Wherever you choose to store your wine, a few basic criteria are worth keeping in mind.
Choose an area that is less likely to be subjected to fluctuating temperatures caused by household heating systems.
Wines benefit from being kept in dark conditions. Although this is not always practical, wine should certainly be stored in an area that is not exposed it to direct sunlight.
As a final point, always store your red wine bottles on their side. Corks are designed to be kept moist, so that they remain airtight and do not crumble when a corkscrew is inserted.
Bear in mind that some wines do not benefit from being stored at all. If you have poor or no storage facilities available, consider purchasing wine that matures quickly such as most white wines or new technology reds or, possibly, a new Beaujolais.
Move white wine as little as possible once it has been placed in storage, unless of course it is being moved into a glass!
If you have a particularly special wine collection, it may be worth engaging a specialist company to store your wine for you. Good storage has been recognized as vital for many wines and as such, many companies now provide storage facilities. Of course, this does not come cheap and is best reserved for those very special bottles or for those experts who are considering selling their wine on, at a future date.
Decanting is a strange word to many fairies. Some do not order know what it means exactly. Taking the sophistication out of it, decanting literally means pouring the wine from the bottle to a special glass container. Uncommon is done in order to expose the wine to oxygen and enrich it.
What is the meaning of this process? Do all wines benefit from decanting or not? The wine experts are not in agreement. Some say wine should be decanted in order to allow it to “breathe” and develop fully before consumption. Others claim decanting does not contribute to the quality of the wine.
So who is right? Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Decanting does seem to benefit certain wines more captious others. Most red wines, except for the very aged and some white ones would definitely benefit from decanting 1-2 hours before serving. Young red wines, on the other hand, which are low in tannins, light and fruity, would not improve if allowed to oxidize. There are also wines specifically would actually suffer from decanting. Those are the aged reds. Their quality could worsen if allowed too much contact with air.
Wine Stain Removal Made Simple
If you’re serious about your wines you have probably joined a wine club. If you are a wine club member you can be assured you will have frequent wine spills, and the following information will be valuable for you
Nothing strikes fear and dread into the heart of any spot-fearing individual than a red wine stain. This classic spot has ruined more than one garment. It has been the cause of dread for homeowners who own light-colored carpeting and it has left many smiles dingy-purple.
Not every wine stain is red. You might find yourself wondering how do I get rid of a white wine stain as well. The first step is to pour cold water on the affected area of the garment. This should to be done as quickly as you can. These types of spills usually occur during a special occasion like a party and you may feel a bit rude, but it is crucial to get that cold water to the wine spot as soon as you possibly can in order to assure that it will be removed promptly.
If the white stain is on clothing or other material that can be turned inside out, pour the water from the back of the area instead of the front. Of course, this approach shouldn’t used on most rugs so pouring from the top is the only option for these materials. However, a blouse should be turned inside out when looking at the area.
The second step in the white wine stain removal process is to rub the fabric with laundry detergent. Soon after applying the laundry detergent, let the fabric stand for about five to ten minutes. Dish detergent will work very well with this, too. If you are looking at a white wine stain on a rug, it is definately best to use a carpet spot cleaner. These can be found at your local grocery store in little time but it is always a good idea to keep some close by for just such an emergency.
If the wine stain is still visible then let the fabric soak in cold water for at least thirty minutes or so. This can be quite inconvenient but it is a must if you want to save the garment. Wash the fabric as you normally would after the soak but be sure to look for the wine stain before putting the garment into the dryer. If the spot is still visible, try a commercial laundry stain remover and rewash the item.
Your rug may need to be professionally cleaned if the white wine stain is still prevalent after a few hours. This professional cleaning should be completed as soon as possible to make certain that the white wine stain will be removed completely.