Wine

TheBestGuidetoWineTasting,WinePairingandWineSelecting,FindYourPersonalPalateandTipsonChoosingthePerfectWineforEveryOccasion.

TheBestguidetoWineTastingWinedrinkingisanartthatisenjoyedonlywhenyouunderstandit,otherwise,itislikedrinkingcoloredwaterwithafragranceaddedtoit.Nowonder,itisnotsurprisingthattasteofwineandactivationofourbraincellshaveconnectivity.Thetaste,colorandaromaofwinearedictatedbythetypeofgrapesused.Crispandlightgreengrapesareusedtoproducewhitewineandastrongredbodyofredwineisproducedfromredgrapes.

LearntoTasteWineTheeffortputintolearntheartoftastingwineisrewardedbythejoyandpleasureyoureceivefromknowingthatyouaresippingagoodwine.Thequalitiesofagoodwinearehiddeninyourabilitytodetectthenuancesanddetailsthatexcellentwinesexuberantlyspeak.Tounderstandthelanguageofwinesyourpalatehastobetrainedtounderstandtheexpressionsofgreatwines.Tokeepyourmouthfaculty(palate)crispinpickingupwineflavorsitisbesttocontinuouslytrydifferentwinesatonesetting.Thereisnosubstituteforexperienceandswallowinglargesipsandsmallsipswillhelpinpickingupflavorsbyisolatingthem.

LearningWinebyFlavorTasteisthekeytoclassifyintotwocategoriesthenumerousregion,thousandsofdifferentvarietalsandmanytypesofwine.Firstisthefruitflavorinthewineandsecondisthestyleofwine.Winesommeliersconcentrateonprimaryfruitflavorstoidentifythequalityofwine.Fruitflavorsandstyleofwinesarethetwotechniquestodogroupings.Mouthdevelopsafeelingofdrynesswhensippingwinewithhightannin.Smoothorroundwineshavebalancedacidityonthefinishandhavelesstannin.Wineswithhigheralcoholorhigheraciditytendtogiveaspicyfeelinginthemouth.

PalateTrainingEvenbeforeyoutakeasipofwineitisimportanttobementallyfocusedandmethodical.Aglassofwineorabottleinhandshouldautomaticallymeanshuttersdowntoalloutwarddistractionslikeconversation.Focusandconcentrateonthebeautyinyourhand,checktheappearanceofthewine,thescentsandflavors.Itisaminuteorlesstimeforthisexercisebutamusttomentallygearyourselfandthepalatetotastethewine.Itisanestablishedfactthatthebestwayindiscoveringawineisbytastingit.Theobjectiveoftastingwineistodecodethecomplicatedaromasandsniffingofwineisessentialforthepalate.Thenoseplaysacrucialroleinassistingthepalatetotastewinebecauseifyouswallowwinewithablockednosethepalatewillnotbeabletoidentifymostoftheflavors.Tasteandsniffareintertwinedtoisolateflavors,toidentifyflavorsandtonoticeinteractionofflavors.Oncetheabilityisacquiredtounderstandandevaluatewinethentastingofwinegoesbeyondtheconceptof“agoodwineistheonethatyoulike.”Goodwinesandbadwinesaredifferentiated,mainflavorsandscentcomponentsareidentifiedandmostimportantlyyoubecomeaprofessionalinknowingthebasiccharacteristicsofvarietalgrapes.Youshallbeabletopointouttheblendedwinesfromtheworld’stopwineproducingregions.

AbilitytofindWineFlawsOnesignificantqualityorabilitythatdevelopswiththesharpnessofthepalateistoinstantlypointoutwineflaws.Grantedtherearebadwinesbutsomewinesdevelopflawsduetobadcorksornon-standardorpoorstorage.Evenanexpensivewinecanbeflawedsoagoodnosecansniffthebasicflawslikeadampsmellfromataintedcork.Smellingawineforlongerperiodisnotarecommendednorm,onthecontrary,asoundtechniqueistovarythesniffsbetweenslowlongsniffsandbriefsniffs.Swirlingawineinstigatesthereleasingofaromacompoundsintheairandmakeiteasierforsniffingdifferentaromas.

AbilitytoknowGoodWineTherearefourbasicstepstofollowtosharpentheskillsinrecognizingagoodtastingwine.

Step1Takeafewsecondstohaveagoodlookattheopacity,viscosityandcolorofwine.Theopacityandcolorofwinehaveastorytotellaboutthepossiblegrapevarieties,theamountofacidity,alcohol,sugar,approximateageandtheregionoftheparticularwine;ifthewinewasfromawarmregionorcoolregion.GrapeVarietiesarerevealedbyobservingthecolorandrimvariation,forexample,amagentapinkrimspellsthewineisaMalbec,Merlotwitharedblendwillhaveanorangetingerim,translucentbrickcolormeansthewineisfromNebbioloandSyrahwillhaveabluishtingerimandisfromaregionwithcoolerclimate.Acidityisoneofthevitalactorsinthetasteofwine.Wineshavingalighterbodytendtobehigheronacidityandlevelofaciditycantelltheregion,ageandthelongevityofthewine.AlcoholandSugar-“WineLegs”areanassumptionthatindicatesthequalityofwine.WinelegsinFrancearecalled“tears”andarethestreaksofwinethatclingtothewallsofaglasswhenwineisswirled.Winglegsortearsareobservedtofindthehighorlowlevelsofalcoholandsugar.Therateofformationofwinelegsisdirectlyrelatedtothetemperatureandhumidityintheroom.Evaporationofalcoholholdstheanswertotheappearanceofwinelegs/tearsbecausenowinelegsareseenifanunopenedwinebottleisshaken.Sothefluidsurfacetensionintheshapeofdropletsofwineappearsontheinsideofawineglassbytheevaporationofalcohol.Tilttheglasstoletthewineslideononesideoftheglass,holdthewineatanangleandthenleveltheglassandobservethewineflowandnoticethedensityofthelegs.Appearanceoflotsoflegsordropletsmeanshigheralcoholorsugarlevels.Ifthelegsarefewinnumberthenthealcoholorsugarlevelarelow.Withhighalcoholorsugarlevelsthewinewillcreateawarmingsensationinthebackofthethroat.Approximateageofwinesisdeterminedbythechangeincolorwhichchangeswithagetowardsbrowncolorsandyellow.Raisingtheglassofwinetowardslightandobservingthetransmissionoflightalsotellstheageofwine.Ageneral

impressionisthatredwinesbecomemoretranslucentwithage.

Step2Remembernoseisakeyplayerinsniffingtheflavorsinawine.Aromasinwinesarethesquealersofalmostalltheinformationlikethegrapevariety,age,regionofwine,oakandaging.Wineshavethreetypesofaromasandtodetectthethreeflavorsspendafewmomentssniffingthewine.Thearomasaresniffedbyournosesfromtheevaporatingalcohol.Thebasicthreefruitaromascapturedbythenoseare

1. TertiaryBouquetsaromasareproducedfromoxidation,aginginbottleandaginginoak,forinstance,nuttyaromas(champagne),vanillaandbakingspices.

2. PrimaryAromasaregeneratedfromyeastandfermentation.Primary

aromasrevealtheregionofgrapes(climaticconditions-warmorcool)andthetypeofgrapesusedinthemakingofthewine.

3. SecondaryAromascomefromtheprocessoffermentationandgive

thewineasoursmell.

Step3Tasteistheleadingplayerinidentifyingagoodwineandstructureandflavorarethetwoelementsthatareinvolvedincreatingthetaste.Regulartestinghelpsbuildablindtastethateasilyidentifiesthestyleandregion.Ablindtastemeanstestingyourtalentandtraininginrecognizingwineswithoutreadingthelabelsorknowingtheiridentities.Intheolddaysthewinebottlesweredevoidoflabelssothepracticeofblindtastewascommontodifferentiatetherealgoodwinefromthebadfraudulentwine.Nowtheexpertiseofblindtasteisemployedtoassaythefinequalityofawine.C oconutflavorsarepopularinwhiteBurgundy.Thepalatetastesmoreaciditywithwhitewines.RaspberryisthecharacteristicsofredwineslikeRhonereds.Redwineshavemoretannininthem. LemonorcitrusflavorsarecommoninwhitewineslikeFrenchSauvignonBlancandAustralianRiesling.Thesearethecommonfruitflavorsandlevelofsweetness,tannin,acidity,alcoholandbodymakeupforthestructureofthewine.

SweetnessThefrontofthetonguecarriesthebudstorecognizethesweetnessinthewine.Lowacidityinwinesmeansmoresweetnessandwineswithhigheracidityarelesssweet.ThepH(PotentialofHydrogen)factordefinesthetartnessofthetasteofwine.Anidealwineis2.6pHisidealand4.9pHmeansthewineisflat.Averagewinesrangebetween3and4.9pH.

TanninTanninisusedinwinesasanaromaingredientandspecificallyforredwines.Itisastrongcharacteristicofredwineandrevealsthenatureofgrapesalongwiththetimethewinewillageandiftheagingwasinoak.Tanninfromskinsandseedsofgrapeshasagreentastetoitandtanninfromoakagingissmooth.

AlcoholTheintensityofwineandripenessofgrapescanbelearnedfromthealcohollevels.Alcohollevelsprovidebodyandtexturetowine.Coolerregionsproducelesssweetgrapesandwarmerregionsproducesweetergrapes;winesfermentedwithlesssweetgrapestendtohaveloweralcoholwinescharacteristicsandwinesproducedwithsweetergrapeshavehigheralcoholcharacteristics.

BodyAlltheprofiles,characteristicsandpropertiesofawinearesummedinthebodyofwine.Bodyisthestartandfinishofwineandallthemysteriesofwinearehiddeninit.Ittellsyouwhetherthewineisfull-bodiedorlightupfrontandwhetheritissubtleorintenseintheend.

Step4Finally,itisyoutodecidethetasteofthewineifitwasbalancedornot?Wasthewineexpressive?Wasthewineuptoyourtasteandenjoyed?

KnowledgeofWineRegionsAlmosteverycountrymakeswinebutUnitedStates,France,ItalyandSpainarethefourleadingcountriesonthisplanetthatarethemaingrowersofqualitygrapesandproducersofworldclasswines.Thewineproducingcountriesaredividedintotwoclassifications,the“OldWorld”andthe“NewWorld.”EuropeandtheMediterraneanregionsarecategorizedas“OldWorld”becauseoftheircenturies-oldtraditionsofproducingwine.U.S.andAustraliaarenewcomersinthefieldofwineproductionsobelongtothe“NewWorld”ofwineproducers.Thetraditionalmethodfocusesonthecharacteristicsofsoilandclimatethatentitlesthemtoaproudheritageandgivestheirwinea“senseofplace.”Ontheotherhandthenewcountriesinthefieldofwineproductionusegrapesandnotregionstomarkettheproduct.Itisparamounttobefamiliarwiththewineproducingregions/countries,theirclimateandtypeofgrapesgrowninthoseareas.Belowisalistofmajorcountriesandthetypeofgrapesgrowninthoseregions.

“OldWorld”France:CabernetSauvignon,Syrah,Viognier,Chardonnay,PinotNoir.Italy:PinotGrigio,Nebbiolo,Sangiovese,Barbera,Moscato.Germany:Reisling,Sylvaner,Gewurztraminer.Spain:Tempanillo,Albarino,Garnacha,Palomino.

“NewWorld”UnitedStates:CabernetSauvignon,PinotNoir,Chardonnay,Merrlot,Zinfandel.Chile:CabernetSauvignon,SauvignonBlanc.Argentina:Malbec,Bonarda.Australia:Shiraz,Chardonnay.NewZealand:PinotNoir,SauvignonBlanc.SouthAfrica:Pinotage,CheninBlanc.

PeelingaWineLabelItisaneasysteptopeeloffthelabelofallwinebottles.Simplyheatupthebottleinanovenandstartpeelingoffthelabelatitscorner.Thelabelwillberemovedwithnofuss.

WhataWineLabelReads?Labelsonthewinebottlesfromcountriesofthe“oldWorld”reflecttheprideofhavinga“senseofplace”butlabelsonthewinesproducedbythe“NewWorld”countrieshasmadeiteasytounderstandthem.Thegrapesarewrittendirectlyonthelabelsoyoudonothavetospendyourskillsonfiguringoutthetypeofgrapesusedinfermentationofwine.Countriesofthe“OldWorld”likeFrance,expectawineusertobeknowledgeableenoughtoknowtheregionanddecipherthelabelthatRedBurgundyisPinotNoir,Saint-EmilionisMerlot.Now,tostayintheracetocaptureashareoftheworldmarketofconsumerstheyarechangingtoeasy-to-readlabels.Atypicallabelfromthe“OldWorld”readsChateauMoulindeGrenet2009LussacSt.Emilion.Labelsonwinesproducedbythe“NewWorld”listboththegrapevarietyandregion.ThelabelwouldreadCakebread2009Merlot,NapaValley.SomecountriescarrymoredetailedlabelsontheirwinebottlesandmightincludeVarietalRegion,Producer,Vintage,AlcoholPercentage,VineyardandEstate.

WineHandlingTipsYouhavesuccessfullyobservedthebottleofwine,smelledandtastedit.Anotherimportantaspectinestablishingyourselfasaprofessionalconnoisseuristhehandlingofawinebottle.ThehandlingofthewinebottleincludesOpeningofabottlePouringofwinewithoutlettingittodripSafeopeningofchampagne

HowtoChoosetheRightWine?Tastingandspittingistheproperwayofprofessionalconnoisseurstofeelthemanyflavorsofwine.Theobjectiveofspittingthewineaftertastingistosavethetastebudsfrombeingoverloadedoroverpoweredandcontinuetastingdifferentwinestochoosetherightfortheoccasion.Whenbuyinganinexpensivewineitisrecommendedtochooseawineproducedinawarmerclimatebecausewinesfromsuchclimateshavemoreappealandflavortothem.Donotrelyonthecolorofawinetodecidetoservealightorheavywine,bothredwineandwhitewinehaveequalamountsofalcohol.Bothredwineandwhitewinecanbeservediftheoccasionisadinnerparty.Redwinesarestrong-bodiedandaremadefrompurplegrapesandwhitewinesarefermentedwithlightgreengrapes.Awhitewineissmoothandhasaneasingaffectondrinkingit.Usually,itisnotnecessarytochillawhitewineandittastesbetterwhenservedwarmer.

WineServingTipsInorderforthewinetosmellgoodandtastegoodservethewineinhalffilledglassessothatitallowsthegueststoswirlthewine.Theswirlingcausesthewinetoaerateandopenuptoidentifythedifferentfruitflavors.Therealconnoisseurwillfocusonthebasicthreetenetstoimpresstheguestsandmaketheoccasionasuccessstory.Thethreebasictenetsofservingwineareglassware,temperatureandpreservation.

GlasswareItiscriticaltoserveredwineandwhitewineintherightglassware.Allwineshaveindividualistcharacteristicsthathitthesenses.Generallyspeaking,mostwineglassesaredesignedandshapedscientificallytobringoutthedefiningcharacteristicsofthewine.Thesipfromaparticularlyshapedglasswillhelpdirectthewinetotheimportantpartsofthetongueandnosetotasteandsmellit.Redandwhitewineshaveglasswaretailoredaccordingly,smallnarrowglassesareusedtoservewhitewineandwiderglassesareusedtoenjoyredwine.Widerglassesallowalotofairtohugthesurfaceofredwinetowarmitanddeveloptheflavorinthewine.

TemperatureRegardlessofthecolorofwinesallarekeptatthesametemperature.However,theredwinesareconsumedwhenwarmandwhitewinesareconsumedwhencold.Atoocoldwhitewinewillhaveaweakflavorandatoowarmredwinewilltendtobemorealcoholic.Redwineshouldbegiventimebeforeconsumingforthetemperaturetoriseandwhitewineisbestwhenchilledbeforeconsumption.Hence,itisparamounttostorethewinescorrectlytopreservetheflavors.Fluctuatingtemperaturescanvarythetasteofwine.Temperaturesbetween50and55degreesareperfecttoallowthewineflavortomature.Winecellarsaretheidealstorageplacetomaintainthequalityofwine,acoolbasementorakitchenrefrigeratorcanalsoservethepurpose.

PreservationThequestionarisesonhowtopreservetheunusedwineinabottle?Airruinstheflavorandspoilsthewinetostoporslowthespoilingprocessavacuumpumpcanremovetheexcessairinthewinebottle.

StylesofWinesOfficiallytherearenearly1300recognizedwinevarietiesgloballyandeveryvarietyhasdifferentgrapevarietyanddifferentwinemakingstyle.Butthegamehasbeenmadeeasyandreducedto9stylesofwineandeachstyleidentifiedthroughthetasteprofile.The9stylesofwineareFullRedWinesMediumRedWinesLightRedWinesRoséWinesRichWhiteWinesZestyWhiteWinesSweetWhiteWinesDessertWinesSparklingWines

FoodPairingFoodpairingissciencetostudytheeffectsoftasteonthepalate.Theobjectiveoffoodpairingistobringoutsalientcharacteristicsofawine.Forexample,aredwinewithhightanninwhenpairedwiththerightdishwilltasteassweetcherries.Thestudyfocusesontheinteractionbetweenastringencyandoiliness.Ittakesadeeperlookatthestubbornnessofgreasyfoodsleavingabadtasteonthepalateandnotdisappearingwithrinsingofthemouthwithwater.Butwhenthemouthisrinsedwithliquidsliketeacontaininglighttanninsandlightaciditythebadgreasytasteisgone.Thestudyrevealsthatthemouthgetslubricatedwithproteinsproducedbythesalivaglandsinsidethemouth.Theruleofthumbistoensureagreatwinepairingthewineshouldbesweeterthanthefood.Incasethefoodissweeter,thenthewinewilltastetartandbitterlikePortwineisanidealpairingwithdessert.Thepairingofsalmonanoilyfishlikewithredwineonpaperlooksgoodbutitisonthecontrarybecausefatandtanninarecounter-productivetoeachother.Thefattinessinthefishandtannininthewineannuleachother’scharacteristicsandthepersonisleftwitharesidualflavoroffish.Thepairingpromotesthedominanceofnegativecharacteristicsinthemouth.Wineswithcleansingeffectpairwellwithfish.Pairingofbitterfoodsandhightanninwineisnotawelcomepairingbecausethetastebudsareextremelysensitivetobitterness.Forexample,pairingofgreenbeanswithCabernetSauvignonincreasesthebittertastes.Pairingfoodswiththe9stylesofwinearegivenbelow:

Full-bodiedandrichwinespairwellwithbarbecue,Mexicanfoods,smokedmeats,redmeats,steaks,blackpepperandmushroomdishes.Medium-bodied(betweenlightandbold)andtexturedredwinespairgoodwithlasagna,hamburgers,vegetablesoups,redsauce,spicyroastedmeatsandvegetables.Pairingworksfinewithstrongflavoredspiceslikefennel,anise,cumin,cinnamon,rosemaryandchilipepper.Light-bodiedredwinesbringagreattastewhenpairedwithmushroomrisotto,coqauvin,creampastawithpoultry.

Rosewinesarenicelypairedwithfriedchicken,roastpork,Mexican,Turkish,GreekandLebanesecuisines.Richredwinespairwellwithseafood,sushi,friedfoods,greensaladsandpesto.SweetwhitewinesideallypairwithIndiancuisine,Thaifood,citrusbaseddishes,cheeses,cream,sauce,cakeandicecream.Fortifiedwinespairnicelywithbluecheese,caramel,cakes,chocolateandfruitpies.SparklingwinesandchampagnehaveanexcellentfoodpairingwithFrenchfries,oysters,salads,chili,fishtacosandsaltyfoods.

ConclusionThesniffingandtastingofwinearethekeysthatunlockthevarietyofflavors,qualityofwineandtheregion.Thetasteofagoodwineisdeep,complexandhangsinforalongtime.Swirlsniffandsip(thethreeS’s)aretheidealstartinestablishingthequalityofwineinretrospecttoyourtastebuds.Appearancesandthefrontlabelscanbedeceptive,enticingandmisleadingsogoforthebacklabelonthebottle.Itcandisclosetheinformationaboutthefruitsinthewine,flavors,theagingprocessandregions.Afterswirling,sniffingandsippingletthewineencirclethetongue.Concentratetofigureoutdifferentflavors,weatherconditionsandclimatestoseeifafinejobwasdoneinharvestingofagoodwine.Tasteispersonalandsubjective;hence,theperfectwineistheonethatclickstoyourtastebuds.Findyourstyleofwinebycheckingnewvarietalsfromregionsaroundtheglobe.Afinewineisabeauty.Enjoyit.Awineofbeautyisajoyforever.