Posts Tagged ‘wine’

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Varieties of Wines and Becoming Familiar With Wine Values

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

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.

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A Bit About Wine

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Wine has been made for many centuries from just a couple simple ingredients: yeast and grape juice. Actually, just about any fruit juice can be used, but by far the majority of all wine is made from the juice of the grape.
We tend to think of wine as a special treat, a gracious gift (as in a wine basket), a beverage of celebration or a drink to serve with a special meal.  For much of history, though, it was a drink of necessity due to the often poor standards of the available water.

Since there are yeast spores in the air, wine could be made without effort simply by allowing grape juice to stay in an open container for an extended period of time.  You probably wouldn't find that so enjoyable, though.

There are numerous strains of yeasts and the types used to make wine have been cultured just for this purpose. The strain of the yeast has an impact upon the wine's eventual flavor.  Well anyway, yeast is a living organism that feeds off of sugars in the grape juice in a process called fermentation.  It is the fermentation that causes the sugars in the grape juice to turn into alcohol.

The wine is removed from the original container and placed into another container in order to mature before bottling.  The yeast stays in the original container.

How does wine get its color?

You probably know that there are green grapes and black grapes and different grapes are used to make different wines.  The color of the wine, however, does not directly reflect the color of the grape.  In fact, grape juice is largely clear no matter the color of the original grape.  The color of wine is determined by whether (and for how long) the skin is allowed to remain in the juice during the fermentation process.

Many factors contribute to the eventual flavor of any wine.  They include the strain of yeast, the type of grape, the soil conditions, the weather during the growing season, the technique and temperature during fermentation and even the nature of the oak barrels in which the wine matures.

Never fear, with all of these factors considered even the most avid wine drinker would ever be able to experience all of the different varieties of wine on the market today. Let the treasure hunting begin!

Tannin is a substance in wine that causes a firm, mouth-drying feeling in your mouth. It is extracted from the skins, seeds and stems of the grapes so red wines will contain more tannin than whites.  White wines will get a degree of tannin when oak barrels are used for fermentation or aging. Eat just the skins of grapes or drink strongly brewed, unsweetened tea for a good idea of what tannin feels like in your mouth.

Clearly, this has been a quick overview of wine, but hopefully it has filled some of the voids in your understanding of this historic drink.

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Freedom Wine Production In Australia and Surrounding Countries

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Australia has been blessed with some of the top wine making climates in the world and this is reflected in their well respected wine products. However, Fiji and New Zealand have also come onto the scene in recent years and has increased their market share largely as a result of their flexible wine producing policies.

Very recently there was a great deal of contention over the allowing of wine produces to make rosé wine, simply by mixing together the white and red varieties. The traditional method of producing rosé wine involved taking the red grape skins out of the juice mixture early on in the process so that only a little of the colour ends up in the final product. However, spurred on by the squeeze of the global recession on wine produces, a number of countries passed a law saying that producers could now sell blended wine (white will a dash of red) under the label of rosé.

Countries such as France, widely considered the finest wine producing country in the world, were not best pleased with this “mutilation” of rosé wine and did not agree for it to be sold in their country, or even be given as wine gifts. However, some countries, including those surrounding Australia have allowed the wine to be produced, and it is certainly paving dividends for their wine producers. A spokesman from the New Zealand alcohol authority defended his country’s move by stating that people are free to consume whichever wine they wish. They never market their blended rosé as wine made in the traditional way and the difference in pricing makes it quite obvious this is a different product entirely. The spokesman argued that if people can make milk chocolate in a thousand different ways, why can the same not be done for rosé?

The blending together of some of the most popular wine varieties is another practice that is really taking off in Australasian countries.  In Fiji for example you can buy Sauvignon Blanc mixed with Chardonnay and Merlot blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. With the same unconcerned attitude as the New Zealand authorities, Fiji claim that wine is just as suitable for blending as Whisky. They state that companies all over the world, and in particular Scotland, produce some very fine blended whiskies that not only often taste superior to single malts, but that are also able to sell at more modest prices. Next they will be telling us which tableware we must use when consuming the wine, stated one official.

The natives of Fiji have really taken a liking to this new blended wine, with around 150,000 bottles sold last year alone. When compared to the wine consumption of some of the top bottles in the world, this figure is relatively low, but considering that the population of Fiji is not much more than 750,000, you can see just how successful this wine really is. The blended wine is already drunk in many of the surrounding countries, but there are hopes to extend the export to every country and the Fiji producers are confident it will catch on.

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Understanding The Art Of Wine Tasting

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Experts believe that wine tasting is a skill and not some exact science.  You see, when someone taste wine, their personal decisions will affect how he or she perceives the flavor of the wine.  According to studies, wine tasting involves the senses so the opinion of the person that tasted the wine is rather subjective.  Since the views of the members of a wine tasting circle may differ, the ratings that a wine gets in one country may different to the ratings that it may get in another country.  Does this mean that wine tasting is an unreliable form of wine rating?  Well, not particularly, the difference in the opinion of the wine tasters do present some type of bewilderment at times but since many people are called upon to judge the wine, the opinion of the majority wins in the end.  If most of the wine tasters in a certain wine tasting circle claimed the wine is a 8 in the 10 point scale, then that particular wine will be rated as an eight. 

The Beginnings of Wine Tasting

Tasting the standard of the wine is a particularly old tradition.  Way back in the olden times, people who are adept at testing the quality of the wine are called on to sample the wine before it is served to the king or the emperor.  The job of the wine taster is really extremely critical.  Some kings and rulers are known to put to put to death the wine taster if the king does not like the wine served on his table.  Since wine tasting is thought of as a very crucial job in the older times, a formal system of the making a sensory evaluation of the quality and flavor of the wine evolved in the 14th century.  In this time, a method of ascertaining the quality of the wine was first established. 

Since the 14th century, the art of making sensory of analysis of the quality of the wine have developed.  {However ,} the basic principles of discerning the quality of the wine still remain.  In our modern times, wine tasters still abide by the 4 well established points of tasting wines namely the appearance of the wine, the smell or the fragrance of the wine when put in the glass, the flavor of the wine when you drink it and the after flavor of the wine.  The results of these stages or points of sensory analysis are mixed to come up with a more complex analysis of the flavour of the wine.

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Wines for the Holiday Season

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Choosing the right wine to with with a holiday feast can be challenging. A bold, celebratory wine seems a good initial pick - but it risks clashing with, or possibly even overshadowing, any of the delicious food cooked for the occasion. But too light or fruity, and the traditional holiday meats could make the wine seem bland in comparison. And, or course, holidays bring together family and friends from all over, and the wine needs to appeal to this diverse group of people. Here, therefore, are some ideas to get you started, along with some specific recommendations, so that the holiday bottle becomes a gift to share, not another source of stress.

Traditional Thanksgiving wines are many. A Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and earthy - a perfect pairing with a herb-encrusted turkey or herb-based stuffing dish. The warm, natural tastes of this particular wine could be an ideal complement. You might want to try the Beringer Vineyards, Napa Valley, 2004 - these zingy, fruity wines have a great earthy taste. Or, incorporate the grass notes of the $15 Ferrari-Carano from Sonoma County, for a rosemary-based dish. Riesling is another option, good with spicy dishes. A recommendation here is the $18 Pikes Clare Valley Riesling.

The problem is that one wine for spicy sides and one for the main dish isn't really desirable. This isn't a traditional three-course meal, usually, but a family-style extravaganza. For red wines, which are typically heartier and more suited to these wintry months, Pinot Noir is both simple and tasty enough to go with practically anything. Simple, homey, and certain to please, it's the perfect combination for a family Thanksgiving. For the more adventurous, the Beaujolais Nouveau might be a good choice. This fruity wine goes wonderfully with turkey - and best of all, it's perfectly seasonal; it's always released on the third Thursday in November! For your dessert - if it's pumpkin pie - bring out a cream sherry; they're sweet enough to stand up to the spicy confidence of the pie.

For Christmas dinner, a different wine might be an interesting way of making a traditional Christmas meal seem more special. A nice Zinfandel might be really tasty with the Christmas ham, or a Syrah with the turkey. Ideally, stick to red wines, though; this is winter, after all.  With lighter meals - cold meats or hams - try the Chianti Classico 2001 Borgo Salcetino, an Italian wine that can be had for under $15. Its tannin taste complements the ham well. For a fat bird like duck or goose, the velvet Chassagne-Montmrachet Rouge, Blain-Gagnard, is a rich Burgundy that will bring out the meat's richness. For a beef or lamb dish, try a Bordeaux (such as the 1998 Les Pagodes de Cos, St-Estephe, just over $20, an elegant, decadent bottle). And, a nice bottle of port might be the perfect finish!

One more consideration about wine and holiday feasts - you may well receive a bottle or two of wine from your dinner guests. You shouldn’t feel obligated to serve it at all, unless it really is a special wine that goes well, and that you want to share. Or, just keep it for yourself, to enjoy at another time - it is a gift, after all. And, don’t forget to store it correctly, in a wine fridge or wine chiller, so that you can enjoy it when you finally do uncork it, for that special occasion. Even a 12 bottle wine refrigerator will do, but you'll likely find that you'll fill that up very quickly, so take expansion into consideration. (You can find a nice wine cooler buyer's guide at WineCoolerreviews.com.) In the meantime, enjoy your holiday meal with your family, along with an excellent selection of wine.

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