| |
| |
|
Wine & Spirits Information |
|
|
|
Tasting Wine
Wine Tasting Component I: Look The first step you have to undertake in wine tasting is visual. 1. Fill up the glass up to 1/3 of its volume; never fill it more than half; 2. Hold the glass by the stem. Initially you may find this too pretentious but there are good reasons for it: а) by doing it this way you can actually observe the wine in it; b) this will keep your fingerprints off the bowl; в) the heat from your palm will not change the temperature of the wine. There's a good saying by one of the greatest French wine lovers, Emil Painot: Offer someone a glass of wine and you can immediately tell whether he/she is a connoisseur by the way they hold the glass." Even though you may not think of yourself as a connoisseur, you could still learn how to hold the wine glass. 3. Focus on the color intensity and the transparency of the liquid. a) the color of the wine, and more specifically its nuances, are best observed on a white background. б) the wine's intensity is best judged by holding the glass without slanting it and looking at the liquid from above; 4. Next comes the swirling of the glass. This can also seem too pretentious or even dangerous if you have a full glass or a white top. But this movement is important since it prepares you for the next step in wine tasting - the Taste. The easiest way to swirl the glass is to place it on a table or other even surface, and to swirl your hand while holding the glass by the stem. Swirl hard and have the wine almost touch the rim of the glass. Then stop. The wine leaves tiny traces with irregular shapes on the inside of the glass. Some "experts" then read them with as much zeal as coffee-tellers. The truth is however, that they are just an indicator for the quality of the wine - the more alcohol a wine has, the more wine traces it forms. What does the color of the wine tell us? The wine's color tells us many things about its character. First, the color shows the grape variety. Let's take two popular varieties as examples - cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Cabernet's grapes are smaller, with a thicker and darker skin than those of pinot noir. As a result, the color of wines made from cabernet sauvignon is usually described as violet to dark while the color of wines made from pinot noir is associated with ruby. Second, the color is influenced by the climatic conditions. A hot summer and dry fall result in ripe grapes, with a dark, intense color. A cold summer and rainy fall will produce undeveloped grapes with a lighter color. Third, wine-making practices also have an influence on the color of wine. For red wine, the grapes are fermented with the skin. Since the coloring agents are in the grape skin, and not in the juice, the longer the process of maceration, i.e. the longer the skin stays with the juice, the darker the wine color will be. Fourth, the process of wine aging also has an influence on the color of wine. The young red wines are rich in coloring agents and that makes their color denser and fuller. In the course of time chemical reactions take place in the bottle and sediment is formed at the bottom. The wine's color gets lighter and is often described as brick or amber. Let's go through an example: you pour yourself a glass of red wine and after carefully observing it, you notice a full granite color, good density, and not so good transparency. What conclusions can you draw? Well, you can safely say that the wine is: - from cabernet sauvignon grapes; - from a Southern region; - relatively young; - from a good yield; - that the wine-maker has gone for a good long maceration. If you know the wine, compare what you know with what you see: maybe the wine has a very full color and the yield has been bad - this speaks of a good wine-making technique; or maybe the wine is too pale for its age - this speaks for undeveloped grape or poor wine-making technique.
MORE RESOURCES:
Wine-Spirits - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
France Car Hire Here is a quick summary of the different French wine regions you can visit with some idea of what you'll be tasting and the airports where you can conveniently pick up a rental car.Champagne RegionWhat to taste: bubbly, of course! From the twin champagne-making centres of Reims and EmpernayWhich Airport to pick up your Champagne rental car? Paris Charles de Gaulle car hire or Paris Orly Airport car hire. The Cocktail Party A cocktail party can be more daunting than a dinner party if you don't remember the rules. However, it is a great way to kick back and relax with your friends. What is Corked Wine? Keeping a wine bottle sealed is probably the most important factor when it comes to maintaining a good wine.A cork is essential, as it keeps oxygen out of the wine bottle. Bordeaux Wine Bordeaux is a region in France that produces some of the world's finest and most famous red, white and dessert wines. The greatest red wines of Bordeaux come from the Medoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol; dry white wines mostly from Graves; and dessert wines from Sauternes, Barsac and Sainte-Croix-du- Mont. Guide To Tasting Wine The basics of tasting wine are relatively simple to learn. Once the fundamentals are mastered, the nuances and details can be enhanced over a lifetime. Overcoming Red Wine Spills Red wine spills can be a disaster whether they occur in your home or onboard your $43 million executive jet as members of our corporate flight attendant web community are quick to point out. Taking care of a spill is another thing, but we have discovered two "tried and true" solutions to the problem. Wine Tasting -- The Traditional Way Wine tasting is properly known as 'Wine Degustation'. It is the art of being able to note the various differences between difference types of wine, and even the various differences between the vintages of the same type of wine. An Idiots Guide To Wine Tasting Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lipped types doing a spot of the old wine tasting malarkey? You know the form - sip, swill, spit. Yuck! Well this information has been written to help you understand the form should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to know what to do. Food - Wine Pairing Tips For French and Italian Wines Many people are intimidated by the task of selecting wine in a fine restaurant. This article is intended to provide a simple guide that will enable anyone to feel confident enough to choose a wine that will impress their dinner guests. Wine Tasting Wine Tasting Component I: LookThe first step you have to undertake in wine tasting is visual.1. Beer, Wine and Your Bones If you like the taste of a good brew, then here is some good news! In a recent research study of over 2,900 women and men, researchers found that beer, which contains silicon, may promote bone health. Silicon is a mineral that is thought to stimulate collagen production, which is a building block in bone formation. The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining ArmorWhat is so special about wine? What is it that makes it potentially more protective against coronary heart disease, and perhaps other diseases, that other forms of alcohol?In recent years, scientists have concluded without doubt that many human diseases such as heart disease, cancer and the aging process is caused or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals called free radicals, that act like hungry sharks. These highly charged little villains prowl the body and attack healthy cell membranes through a process that is called oxidation. The Ten Most Important Wine Label Terms For the average wine consumer, there is a plethora of intimidation associated with wine buying. This is a feeling that is most often associated with not understanding wine labels. How Sparkling Wine is Made There are three methods that may be used to make sparkling wine. These methods are: the Transfer Method, Charmat Bulk process and Methode Champenoise. The Stuff of Poetry - Mead People have been drinking fermented beverages since the dawn of civilization. At first, the production of alcohol may have been accidental. The Harmony Between Food and Wine Wine is a social drink which should be enjoyed in the company of friends and .. DWI and Blood Alcohol Concentration: What does it mean? Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and the elimination of alcohol in your blood. This is usually measured as the percentage of deciliters of blood. Riesling Wine The most famous cool climates for Riesling wine are in Germany, Austria, and the Alsace region of France. In these places, Riesling wine can be dazzling, with intense mineral and peach flavors and breathtaking clarity and transparency. Pairing Beer With Food Pairing beer with the fine cuisine has recently come to the attention of many eating establishments as they try to cater to the 90's micro-brew crowd. No longer is wine considered the only drink fit for a succulent entree. Wine and Your Health During the 1990s, a physician voiced on a national TV show that drinking red wine reduces heart disease. It made all the headlines.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
