Question 1: What part of the world does wine come from?
Answer 1: Generally speaking, wine grapes are grown between 30°-50° longitude. The other parts of the world are either too hot or too cold. However, wine can be made anywhere. Wineries can source their grapes from around the world to produce the style of wine they want. Read More…
Question 2: Why do wine glasses have long stems?
Answer 2: When we drink wine, we are to hold the glass by the stem so that we do not heat the glass with our warm hands, as the bowl can heat up very fast. Even wine that is slightly heated may taste different than intended.
Question 3: Why do we swirl the glass of wine?
Answer 3: Swirling a glass of wine before you smell or taste will cause a couple things to occur. First, the aromas and flavors will be stronger and more pronounced. Second, you may be able to pick up on even more aroma and flavor compounds that were more dormant in the unswirled glass. So instead of identifying 3 aroma/flavor characteristics, you may now be able to smell and taste many more notes.
Oxygen is a powerful agent that can interact with foods and liquids to change what we taste. When we swirl (aerate) wine, the tiny flavor compounds in the wine that were below the surface now float up to our nose and interact with our olfactory system, enhancing what we smell and taste. Read More…
Question 4: Whats the difference between Old World wine and New World Wine?
Answer 4: Old World Wine refers to wine made in Europe. France, Spain, Italy, Portugal are major players on the European wine scene. New World Wine, is basically “everywhere else.” These regions are Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe. South African wine is considered New World, although it is the oldest of the “new” countries. Read More…
Question 5: What does wine taste like when it ages?
Answer 5: Young wine generally tastes like fresh fruits. Some examples are apple, pear, lemon, lime, pineapple, strawberry, plum, blueberry, black currant, etc.
When a wine ages, fresh fruits changes into developed fruit like marmalade, orange jam or dried apricot. Wines may also start to pick up other flavors over time like honey and nuts. Wines that have contact with their dead yeasts for long periods of time have toast and brioche flavors that further mature. Additional bottle-aged flavors can include cinnamon, ginger, mushroom, petrol, nutmeg, hay and wet leaves. Read More…
Question 6: What is orange wine?
Answer 6: Orange wine isn’t made from oranges, it is made from white grapes. It is the term given to white grapes that have had prolonged contact with their skins for days, weeks or months. Orange wine tastes similar to white wine, but has more body and additional flavors like mandarin, honey, nuts, bruised fruits and sometimes petroleum. Some produce tangy or beer flavors as well. Read More…
Question 7: Where do Champagne bubbles come from?
Answer 7: Sparkling wines made in the French region of Champagne use the “traditional method” to get bubbles in the bottle. First, a base wine is made through normal fermentation in a stainless steel tank. Fermentation creates alcohol and a powerful gas called CO2, which is released into the air.
After the base wine is bottled, it undergoes a second fermentation right there inside the bottle. A dose of Liqueur de Tirage is added to the wine. This potion includes a bit of wine, sugar and nutrients. Once the bottle is sealed shut, the yeast get to work re-fermenting the wine because now there is fresh sugar to consume. But this time, the CO2 remains trapped and gas bubbles form inside the bottle. Read More…
Question 8: How do I read a wine label?
Answer 8: European wines (France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, etc.), will show information about where the wine was produced. Many labels will not have the varietal on the label.
Wines from all other countries including USA, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand display labels that align with their local laws. They often name the variety like “Chardonnay” or “Cabernet Sauvignon. They may also show the country, county, or have information about the family or vineyard. Read More…
Question 9: What is this stuff in the bottom of my wine glass?
Answer 9: Wine sediment may look gross, odd, or possibly delicious to some, but it’s natural and pretty harmless. It is a mixture of grape seeds, stems, skins and tartaric crystals from the original grapes. Sediment can form during fermentation, as red wines are often mixing and sitting in these thick liquids of grape juice, skin, seeds and stems for long periods of time. Although most wines will undergo sedimentation to remove unwanted lees and elements, it’s still possible for some of these tiny pieces to get mixed into the final bottle of wine. For many famed and prestigious bottles of wine, wine-makers often choose to keep the sediment in the bottle to increase flavor complexity and texture.
Sediment can also form as a wine ages and matures in a bottle over time. Gravity will slowly pull the sediment downwards to collect at the base of the bottle for wines stored standing upright. In corked bottles laid on their sides, the sediment gathers along the bottom of the bottle.
Cheers!
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