IWA - Wine Preservation

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Sauvignon Blanc is usually light, fresh, and crisp, with high acidity, though it can be either sweet or dry depending on the vinification process. Sauvignon Blanc grown in cooler climates tends to be appley, while those grown in warmer areas are more citrusy. The wine also has herbal, grassy flavors, and can sometimes have mineral undertones. If the wine has been aged in oak, it will also have hints of oak and vanilla. Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes blended with Sémillon, which balances the taste and improves structure.

Aging

Sauvignon Blanc is often aged for a short while in oak casks, but should not be aged in the bottle. Should be drunk young. In contrast, wines made from blends of Sauvignon and Sémillon can be aged for 30+ years.

Regon

Sauvignon Blanc is grown and produced in California, Australia, South America, Australia, Italy, and France. The best 100% pure varietals are produced in France’s Loire Valley, particularly in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Food Pairings

Pairs well with a variety of foods, from mild cheeses to vegetables, to mild meats, and Asian cuisines.

Riesling tends to be fine and light-bodied, with acidity just short of sharp. Depending on the winemaker’s choices during vinification, Riesling can be sweet or dry. Riesling can have hints of apple, melon, honey, and a nip of spice.

Aging

Riesling can be drunk young, or aged for anywhere from a decade to 50 years, depending on the variety.

Regon

Riesling is produced in Australia, Austria, Germany, France, and the U.S. The preeminent Riesling is produced in Germany, though Johannisberg Riesling from California is quite good as well.

Food Pairings

Riesling pairs well with a wide variety of foods, from seafood to wild game and fruit to Asian cuisine.

Description

Pinot Gris wines are usually full-bodied and rich, and soft in acidity. The best Pinot Gris is dry, though some varieties are sweet. The flavors of Pinot Gris can be quite different depending on the vinification process chosen by the winemaker. It can be okay, with hints of vanilla and smoke, or it could have hints of citrus, pine, and floral.

Aging

The highest quality dry Pinot Gris can be aged for up to a decade. Other Pinot Gris should be drunk young.

Regon

Pinot Gris is grown in Germany, Northeastern Italy, Austria, Oregon, and California. The best Pinot Gris is produced in Alsace, France, though the other regions are improving.

Food Pairings

Pairs well with creamy, spicy, curried, and smoked dishes.

The Chardonnay grape makes the most popular white wines and sparkling wines in the world. Chardonnay is grown all over the world, with major differences in taste and quality.

Chardonnay tends to be fruity, though depending where the grapes were grown the fruitiness can range from apples to more tropical fruits. Traditionally, Chardonnay has been dry, but recently winemakers have been making sweeter varieties. Most Chardonnays are oaky, the result of aging in oak barrels. The exception to the use of oak in aging Chardonnay is Chablis, which has no oaky flavor.

Aging

Chardonnay is usually aged in oak caskets, rather than in the bottle. The best Chardonnay will improve for up to ten years of aging in the bottle, but aging less expensive Chardonnay can actually make the wine worse.

Regon

Chardonnay is grown worldwide, including Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and South Africa. But the best Chardonnay is grown and produced in the French regions of Burgundy and Chablis.

Food Pairings

Pairs well with fish, poultry, or dishes with cream sauces.

The Zinfandel grape (which has recently been proven to be an obscure Italian grape called Primitivo) is used to make both red whines and rosé, which is called White Zinfandel. Zinfandel red wines are dark, nearly purple. They are well-structured with strong tannins, and can vary from quite dry to rather sweet, and from light-bodied to heavy. They tend to have hints of plumb, raisin, leather, and spice.

Aging

Zinfandel can be drunk when young, but it does improve with age.

Regon

Zinfandel is the oldest and most commonly grown grape in California, and the best Zinfandels are made in that region. It is also grown in areas of South Africa and Australia, as well as in a small region of Italy.

Food Pairings

Zinfandel is a versatile wine in pairing with food. It pairs well with everything from white meat to game meats to spicy foods.

The Pinot Noir grape is generally considered the best wine grape in the world. Pinot Noir grapes can be used to make everything from reds to sparkling whites, though a varietal named Pinot Noir will always be red. The grapes are very finicky, and quality and characteristics differ drastically based on the environmental conditions of the vineyard where the grapes were grown. Pinot Noir can range between light and medium-bodied, with moderate to high acidity and moderate to low tannins, a velvety texture, and flavors that range from berry to buttery to earthy.

Aging

The best Pinot Noir from Burgundy will improve with age for up to twenty years. Varieties made in other areas can be drunk young, and will generally improve for up to five years of aging.

Regon

Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow, though winemakers in California, Oregon, Canada, Australia, and a few other regions do produce good wines. There is no doubt, though, that the best Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy, France.

Food Pairings

Pinot Noir pairs well with a multitude of foods, from grilled fish to hearty game in rich sauces. It’s also excellent with bean dishes and savory cheeses.

In Europe, Merlot is primarily used as a blending grape, particularly in Bordeaux, that provides balance and softening to higher tannin grapes. The grape is also used as a varietal, particularly in the United States and Canada. As a varietal, it produces wines that are smooth, mellow, and hearty, with berry flavorings.

Aging

Merlot can be aged for 4 to 8 years.

Regon

Merlot is grown all over the world, and is almost as widespread as Cabernet Sauvignon. Though good Merlot is produced in California, the best comes from France, such as Fattoria de Ama, and Ornellaia.

Food Pairings

Pairs well with rich but mild foods, such as creamy dishes.

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One of the most famous grapes in the world, which is often called by its nickname “Cab,” Cabernet Sauvignon produces a very full, dry, deep wine with very firm tannins and flavors of fruit, particularly black currant. It also can have herbal, vegetal, or spice hints.

In France, particularly Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with Merlot or Cabernet Franc, which mellows the Cabernet Sauvignon’s powerful taste. In Australia, a fine blend is made with Syrah/Shiraz.

Aging

Cabernet Sauvignon improves tremendously with age, as the tannins soften and the wine gains balance and depth. The wine will typically improve for up to ten years.

Regon

Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over across the world, including Australia, New Zealand Canada, California, Washington, South Africa, and Chile. Yet the grape originated in the Bordeaux region of France, and is a staple of the famous Bordeaux wines.

Food Pairings

Pairs well with rich, heavy and intensely flavored foods, from roasted meats to dishes with highly seasoned sauces.

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Review
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Also called blush wines, rosé wines are usually pink in color, though some, like White Zinfandel, do indeed appear to be white. Rosé are made using red wine grapes, but after crushing, the juice is kept in contact with the skins for just a couple of hours. This brief contact ensures the wine won’t have more color than a pink “blush” and also limits the tannins that get into the wine.

Rosés are often drunk as “picnic wines,” and can be tasty and refreshing when chilled to about 60ºF (15ºC) and drunk on a hot day.

Sparkling Wines

As yeast ferments the sugar in grape juice to produce alcohol and wine, it also produces carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. Usually winemakers let this carbon dioxide escape from the wine. To make sparkling wines, however, the winemaker traps the carbon dioxide, producing bubbles. Sparkling wines are made almost exclusively with white wines.

Though all American wine companies that make sparkling wine can legally call their product Champagne, the fact is that real Champagne is made only in the Champagne region of France. Other sparkling wines are just that: sparkling wines.

Dessert Wines (Fortified Wines)

Yeast cannot survive in an environment containing more than 14% alcohol by volume. This means that unless a winemaker uses specially developed yeast, naturally produced wines cannot have an alcohol content above 14% because the yeast in the casks will die off at that point.

Winemakers such as those in Port (in Portugal) and Sherry (in Spain) found a way around this limitation: they added extra sugar or additional alcohol to the wine as it fermented. This produced wines that had significantly higher alcohol contents. Most, though not all, of these wines are sweeter than regular wines and are consumed after meals—hence the name dessert wines. Dessert wines are also sometimes called fortified wines since their alcohol content has been strengthened.

• From white grapes (which are usually pale yellow or green). The majority of white wines are made this way.
• From red grapes, by separating the juice from the skin of the grape (the skin is where a red wine gets its color).

Though not as diverse as red wines, white wine comes in many types, depending the grapes used to make the wine. Significant variations also exist among white wines made with the same grapes but in different vineyards. These differences are created by the specific environmental conditions of each vineyard and the decisions that the winemaker makes during the fermentation and aging process.

White Wine Guidelines

• Storage - As with red wines, store whites in a cool, dark place away from any windows or heat sources. Store where temperatures are as constant as possible. Do not store white wines in the refrigerator.
• Aging - How long to age a wine differs significantly depending on the type of the wine. Typically, more expensive wines will age better than cheaper wines.
• Serving Temperature - The ideal serving temperature for most white wines is 50ºF (10ºC). If the wine is much colder or warmer than that temperature, its taste will be dulled. To get a white wine to the right temperature, chill it in the refrigerator about two hours before serving, then remove it about 20 minutes before serving.
• Food Accompaniment - Because the flavors in white wines are more delicate than those in red wines, white wines are typically consumed either before a meal or with lighter fare that won’t overwhelm the flavor of the wine, such as pork or fish. The fundamental rule is that the flavors of the wine and the food should complement each other. When serving white and red wine, white is usually served first.

Popular White Wines

• Chardonnay
• Pinot Grigio
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc

To make red wines, red grapes are crushed and the juices left in contact with the skin for anywhere from a few days to a number of weeks. This skin contact is crucial, as the skin gives the wine both its color and another crucial element: tannins. Tannins are molecules that occur naturally in grape skins and seeds (and a few other places in nature). More importantly from the red wine drinker’s point of view, the tannins give red wine its distinctive astringent (puckering) quality.

There are many styles of red wine, each made from a different type of grape. For instance, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon are two styles of red wine, the former made from pinot noir grapes and the latter from cabernet sauvignon grapes. In addition, the variations in flavor, structure, and texture within a particular style can be at once subtle and wide, much more so than in white wines.

Red Wine Guidelines

Because red wines can differ quite a bit from each other, it’s impossible to provide a single list of specific instructions for each one. But there are general instructions and traditions for handling all red wines.

• Storage - Store red wines in a cool, dark place. Do not store near windows or heat sources. Never refrigerate red wine!
• Aging - How long to age a wine depends on the type and quality of the wine.
• Serving Temperature - The ideal serving temperature for red wines is about 65ºF (18ºC). If the wine is much colder or warmer, its taste will be dulled. If the red you are serving is too warm, you can cool it in a refrigerator for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
• Serving Instructions - If possible, open the red wine about an hour before serving and let it breathe. Ideally, pour it into a serving decanter to aerate it. This will increase flavor.
• Food Accompaniment - Because red wines tend to have powerful flavors they’re typically served with hearty foods with rich, strong flavors. The fundamental rule is that the flavors of the wine and the food should complement each other.

Popular Red Wines

Here are some of the most popular red wines.

• Beaujolais
• Bordeaux
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chianti
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Zinfandel

Acetic - Vinegary taste or smell that develops when a wine is overexposed to air.

Acidity - All wines naturally contain acids, which should be in proper balance with fruit and other components. Sufficient acidity gives liveliness and crispness and is critical for wines to age.

Aftertaste - The flavor impression the wine leaves after it is swallowed. Also referred to as the “finish” of a wine. Fine wines have a lingering finish, or aftertaste.

Aroma - The smell of a wine, especially young wines.

Aromatic - A term for wines with pronounced aroma, particularly those redolent of herbs or spices.

Astringent - The “puckerish” quality of high tannin content, which has the effect of drying out the mouth. Many young red wines are astringent because of tannin.

Austere - Somewhat hard, with restrained fruit and character.

B

Balance - Harmony among the wine’s components — fruit, acidity, tannins, alcohol; a well-balanced wine possesses the various elements in proper proportion to one another.

Big - Powerful in aroma and flavor; full-bodied.

Bitter - Usually considered a fault in but characteristic of such wines as Amarone and certain other Italian reds.

Body - The weight and texture of a wine; it may be light-bodied or full-bodied. Often refers to alcohol content.

Botrytis cinerea - A mold that attacks certain grapes, producing honeyed sweet wines like Sauternes and late-harvest Rieslings.

Bouquet - The complex of aromas that develops with age in fine wines; young wines have aroma, not bouquet.

Breed - Similar to good bloodlines and handling, as in racehorses; the result of soil, grapes and vinification techniques that combine to produce depth and distinctive character in a wine.

Brix - Term used to measure the sugar content of grapes, grape juice (must) or wine. Grapes are generally harvested at 20 to 25 Brix, resulting in alcohol after fermentation of 11.5 to 14 percent.

Brut - Term for dry Champagne or sparkling wine.

Buttery - Descriptor for rich flavor and smoothness of texture, somewhat akin to the oiliness and flavor of butter. More often refers to oak-aged white wines than reds; many Chardonnays and white Burgundies are said to have buttery aromas and flavors.

C

Chewy - Wines with unusual thickness of texture or tannins that one almost “chews” before swallowing.

Clean - Fresh, with no discernible defects; refers to aroma, appearance and flavor.

Closed - Young, undeveloped wines that do not readily reveal their character are said to be closed. Typical of young Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other big red wines.

Coarse - Rude or harsh in flavor; clumsy or crude.

Complete - Mature, with good follow-through on the palate, satisfying mouth-feel and firm aftertaste.

Complex - Multifaceted aroma and/or flavor. Most wines considered great exhibit a combination of flavor and aroma elements.

Cooked - Heavy, pruney flavor; also said of wines from very hot growing regions or wines that are overripe.

Corked, corky - Smelling of cork rather than wine; due to a faulty cork.

Crisp - Fresh, brisk character, usually with high acidity.

D

Deep - Having layers of persistent flavor that gradually unfold with aeration.

Delicate - Light fragrance, flavor, and body.

Developed - Mature. A well-developed wine is more drinkable than an undeveloped one.

Distinctive - Elegant, refined character that sets the wine apart on its own.

Dry - Opposite of sweet; somewhat subjective in that tasters may perceive sweetness to varying degree.

Dull - Lacking liveliness and proper acidity; uninteresting.

Dumb - Not revealing flavor or aroma; closed; typical of wines that are too young or too cold.

E

Earthy - Smell or flavor reminiscent of earth. A certain earthiness can be appealing; too much makes the wine coarse.

Elegant - Refined character, distinguished quality, stylish, not heavy.

Extra Dry - A term used on Champagne labels to indicate not-quite-dry; not as dry as Brut.

F

Fat - Full of body and flavor; fleshy.

Fine - Distinguished.

Finesse - Distinctive balance; fineness; elegance and flair.

Finish - Aftertaste, or final impression the wine leaves; it can have a long finish or a short one (not desirable).

Firm - Taut balance of elements; tightly knit structure; also distinct flavor.

Flat - Dull, lacking in liveliness; wine without sufficient acid.

Flavor - How the wine tastes.

Fleshy - Fatness of fruit; big, ripe.

Flinty - Dry, mineral character that comes from certain soils, mostly limestone, in which the wine was grown; typical of French Chablis and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs (Sancerre).

Flowery - Aroma suggestive of flowers.

Forward - Developed ahead of its peers; also, when the fruit is prominent, it is said to be forward.

Foxy - The “grapey” flavors of wines made from native American grapes, Vitis labrusca.

Fruity - Aroma and/or flavor of grapes; most common to young, light wines but refers also to such fruit flavors in wine as apple, black currant, cherry, citrus, pear, peach, raspberry, or strawberry; descriptive of wines in which the fruit is dominant.

Full-bodied - Full proportion of flavor and alcohol; big, fat.

G

Green - A wine made from unripe grapes that is tart and lacking fruit flavor.

Grip - Firmness of flavor and structure.

H

Hard - Stiff, with pronounced tannins; undeveloped.

Harmonious - All elements — fruit, acid, tannin — in perfect balance

Harsh - Rough, biting character from excessive tannin or acid.

Heady - High in alcohol, very full-bodied

Herbaceaous - Aromas reminiscent of fresh grass or hay; grassy, as in certain Sauvignon Blancs; also the green pepper character of some Cabernets.

Herby - Reminiscent of herbs, such as mint, sage, thyme, or of eucalyptus.

Honest - Without flaws, typical and straightforward, simple but not great.

Honeyed - Smell or taste reminiscent of honey, characteristic of late-harvest wines affected by “noble rot” (Botrytis cinerea).

I

Intricate - Interweaving of subtle complexities of aroma and flavor.

L

Legs - The viscous rivulets that run down the side of the glass after swirling or sipping, a mingling of glycerin and alcohol.

Length - Lingering aftertaste.

Light - Refers to wines light in alcohol but also to texture and weight, how the wine feels in the mouth. Lightness is appropriate in some wines, a defect in others.

Lively - Crisp, fresh, having vitality.

Long - Fine wines should have a long finish, or aftertaste; see Length.

Luscious - Rich, opulent, and smooth; most often said of sweet wines but also intensely fruity ones.

M

Maderized - Wine that has oxidized; has brown or amber color and stale odor.

Mature - Fully developed, ready to drink.

Meaty - A wine with chewy, fleshy fruit; sturdy and firm in structure.

Mellow - Smooth and soft, with no harshness.

Moldy - Wines with the smell of mold or rot, usually from grapes affected by rot or from old moldy casks used for aging.

Muscular - Vigorous fruit, powerful body and flavor; robust.

Musty - Stale, dusty or rank aromas.

N

Noble - Great; of perfect balance and harmonious expression. The so-called “noble” grapes are those that produce the world’s finest wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling (some would also include Syrah, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese).

Nose - The smell of the wine; it may have a “good nose” or an “off-nose,” meaning defective odors.

Nutty - Nutlike aromas that develop in certain wines, such as sherries or old white wines.

O

Oak, oaky - Aroma and flavor that derive from aging in oak casks or barrels. Characterized by smokiness, vanilla, clove or other spices. Should not be overly pronounced.

Off-dry - Not quite dry, a perception of sweetness too faint to call the wine sweet.

Off-flavors (also: off-aromas or off-nose) - Not quite right; flavors or odors that are not correct for a particular type of wine; opposite of clean; defective.

Open - Revealing full character.

Oxidized - Flat, stale or sherrylike aroma and flavor; spoiled as the result of overexposure to air.

P

Petillant - A light sparkle.

R

Rich - Full, opulent flavor, body and aroma.

Ripe - Mature, fully ripe fruit.

Robust - Full-bodied, powerful, heady

Rough - Harsh edges, biting, unpleasant.

Round - Smooth and well-developed flavor, without angularity or rough edges.

S

Sharp - Biting acid or tannin.

Short - Refers to finish, or aftertaste, when it ends abruptly.

Silky - Smooth, sinuous texture and finish.

Simple - Opposite of complex; straightforward.

Smoky - Aroma and flavor sometimes associated with oak aging.

Soft - May refer to soft, gentle fruit in delicate wines, or to lack of acidity in wines without proper structure; used on a label occasionally to indicate low alcohol.

Solid - Sound, well structured, firm.

Sour - Sharply acidic or vinegary

Sparkling - Wines with bubbles created by trapped carbon dioxide gas, either natural or injected.

Spicy - Having the character or aroma of spices such as clove, mint, cinnamon, or pepper.

Spritzy - Slight prickle of carbon dioxide, common to some very young wines; frizzante in Italy.

Steely - Firmly structured; taut balance tending toward high acidity.

Stiff - Unyielding, closed; dumb.

Strong - Robust, powerful, big.

Structure - The way a wine is built; its composition and proportions.

Stuffing - Big, flavorful, full-bodied wines are said to have “stuffing.”

Sturdy - Bold, vigorous flavor; full-bodied; robust.

Sulphur, SO2 - An anti-oxidant used in making most wines; the fermentation process creates minute natural amounts.

Supple - Yielding in flavor; a wine that is readily accessible for current drinking.

Sweet - Usually indicates the presence of residual sugar, retained when grape sugar is not completely converted to alcohol. Even dry wines, however, may have an aroma of sweetness, the combination of intense fruit or ripeness. Considered a flaw if not properly balanced with acidity.

T

Tannin - A natural component found to varying degrees in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes; most prominent in red wines, where it creates a dry, puckering sensation in young reds of concentrated extract; mellows with aging and drops out of the wine to form sediment; a major component in the structure of red wines.

Tart - sharp; acceptable if not too acidic.

Thick - Dense and heavy in texture.

Thin - Lacking body and flavor.

Tired - Past its peak of flavor development; old.

Tough - Astringent or hard; wiry; tannic.

V

Vanilla - A scent imparted by aging in oak.

Velvety - Smooth and rich in texture.

Vigorous - Firm, lively fruit, strong body; assertive flavor.

Vinegary - Having the smell of vinegar; see also Acetic.

Volatile, Volatile Acidity (VA) - Smells of acetic acid and/or ethyl acetate, quite disagreeable when excessive though a tiny amount may enhance aromas.

W

Watery - Thin, lacking in flavor.

Weak - Lacking grip typical for the wine; without character

Weedy - Aromas or flavors reminiscent of hay or grasses; not necessarily unpleasant unless exaggerated.

Weighty - Strong, powerful, full-bodied, forceful.

Woody - Excessive aromas of wood, common to wines aged overlong in cask or barrel.

Y

Yeasty - A bready smell, sometimes detected in wines that have undergone secondary fermentation, such as Champagne; very appealing if not excessive.

Young - In simple wines signifies youthful freshness; in finer wines, refers to immaturity, wines as yet undeveloped

The first question you’ll have to answer when ordering wine in a restaurant is whether you want it by the bottle or by the glass. Your choice depends on how much you plan to drink, whether you want to drink one or a few different wines through the course of the meal, and, for reasons of wine and food pairing, the different foods each dinner guest is ordering.

By the Glass

There are three reasons to buy wine by the glass:

• If you and your party won’t drink an entire bottle.
• If you want to be able to try more than one wine during the course of your dinner.
• If you are your dinner companion(s) are ordering foods that are difficult to pair with a single wine (or you have significantly different tastes in wine).

By the Bottle

Wine by the bottle is a good move if you and your partner plan to drink more than one glass apiece, and don’t mind drinking more than one glass of the same wine (most people don’t mind this at all). In this case, you should definitely buy a bottle because an entire bottle costs less than an equal amount of wine bought by the glass.

If you want to buy a bottle but you and your dinner companion(s) are ordering very different foods (such as salmon and beef), try to order wines that pair well across many foods: good options are Pinot Noirs, Beaujolais, Chianti, and Barbera.

Supermarkets

Wine sold in supermarkets is usually fairly inexpensive. However, the selection is usually fairly limited and often only includes choices from large commercial mega-wineries. Also, you’re not as likely to find someone in a supermarket or bulk store who knows much about wine. Often, you’ll find that the bottles are not stored properly (keeping bottles upright or refrigerated), which decreases the length of time a bottle can be kept.

Choosing a Wine Store

A quality wine store will have all of the following:

• Good selection - A good selection of wine will range across types of wine, regions of origin, and price. Note that as you become a more dedicated drinker of wine you may “outgrow” a selection that once seemed perfectly adequate.
• Expertise - Expertise means two different things. It means that the wine seller has firsthand knowledge of the wines int he store (he or she knows its tastes and qualities). If you ask a wine seller about a wine and receive an answer about its “ratings” rather than its qualities, then that wine seller has no expertise. Another sort of expertise is the ability to recommend wines based on your preferences for taste, structure, or texture, or simply based on other wines that you’ve liked. If a wine seller consistently recommends wines you don’t like, you may want to find another wine seller.
• Proper Storage - Wine should be stored in cool, dry, dark, constant conditions. It should not be placed in direct sunlight, or near a cooling or heating source. In addition, wine should be stored lying down as opposed to upright. If the wine you buy from a wine seller consistently tastes bad, move on to a different wine store.
• Good prices - A happy fact for most food wine store owners is that wine buyers tend to care less about price than selection, expertise, service, and storage. Of course, you should do some comparison shopping and avoid wine stores that sell at exorbitant prices. But many wine lovers are willing to spend an extra dollar or two out of loyalty and appreciation for a wine seller who really knows and cares about wine and customers.

Wine Ratings

Over the years the wine industry has developed a rating system that scores wines on their quality. Some wine stores will post the ratings next to the wines it sells. It can help to have a sense of what the different ratings mean. Most wine rating systems use a scale of 100, with the following general ratings:

• 95-100 - Extraordinary
• 90-94 - Excellent
• 85-89 - Very Good
• 80-84 - Above Average
• 75-79 - Average
• 70-74 - Below Average
• below 69 - Poor

Just remember that these ratings are a reflection of someone’s taste and preference. You may not always love the highest rated wines the most, and there are often gems that are rated poorly that you will love.

Price Limits

If you know your spending limit, it will always help your wine seller in making a recommendation to you by cutting down the number of choices.

Expanding Your Horizons

There are several ways to develop your taste in wine:

• Tasting Rooms - When you’re in the California wine country, visit several wineries and sample a variety of wines. There are many areas of the United States that grow wine, so if you’re near a winery, pay them a visit and see what they have to offer.
• Wine Shops - In addition to an expert staff, most wine shops will offer tasting nights or seminars where you have the opportunity to taste various wines. These tasting sessions are often themed (for example, there may be a night dedicated to New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs) and will often include food.
• Ask a friend - One of the easiest ways to expand your wine horizons. If you have a friend who enjoys wine, ask them to recommend some of their favorites. Or, go even further and have a tasting party with a group of friends and ask them to each bring a favorite bottle.
• Wine Clubs - Many vineyards in California and other areas have wine clubs. Membership in these clubs often includes monthly or quarterly shipments of wine, as well as newsletters. These are a great way to keep your wine rack stocked with quality wine and also give you a good sampling of the wines a vineyard produces.

• Have patience

The Technique

The process of tasting wine can be described in 5 simple steps:

1. See
2. Swirl
3. Sniff
4. Swish
5. Swallow

See

Enjoying the visible characteristics of a glass of wine is the beginning of the experience. You can often get a sense of the wine’s taste from inspecting its color. As you hold the wine, look at its:

• Color - Observe the hue of the wine against a white backdrop. White wines tend to range from pale green or yellow when young to deep amber when aged. Red wines redden as they age, from dark blue or purple to reds and then a russet brown. Lighter bodied wines (wines that feel light in your mouth) are also generally lighter in color.
• Legs - Tip the wine glass just a bit to the side so the wine runs slightly up the side. Now set the glass flat again and watch the way the wine runs down the sides of the glass: certain wines form “legs” running down the side. This is a function of the wine’s viscosity, or flow, and the rate of evaporation of the alcohol.

Swirl

Swirling wine accomplishes two things:

• It aerates and oxidizes the wine
• It helps increase and develope the flavor of the wine

Note: The less wine there is in the glass the more vigorously you can swirl it.

Sniff

As soon as you finish swirling the wine stick your nose into the glass as far as you can without actually touching the wine and take a deep whiff. The swirling action vaporizes some of the wine and makes its aroma (also called its nose or bouquet) rich and redolent.

As you smell the wine and just after, contemplate and try to name the aromas you discover (woody, fruity, smoky, fresh, breezy, etc.) At first this naming might be difficult and seem pointless. But after a while it will become easier, and you’ll start to make connections between the aromas of different wines. With some wines, such as Pinot Noirs, many wine drinkers enjoy smelling them almost as much or even more than they enjoy drinking them.

There’s another reason to smell your wine before you taste it. Your sense of smell is much more acute than your sense of taste. In fact, much of what you think of as your sense of taste is actually your sense of smell, as aromas from the food you chew reach your nose through the back of your throat. Recent studies have shown that 80% of what you experience as taste actually occurs in highly sensitive regions of your nose. If you find this hard to believe, think about how hard it is to taste anything when you’re sick and have a stuffed-up nose. So when you sniff the wine in this way before drinking it, you’re actually helping yourself taste it.

Swish

Now sip the wine and draw in some air. Then gently swish the wine around your mouth for a few seconds.

Wines are said to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. In each stage, a good wine will create subtly, or even not so subtly, different flavors, aromas, and textures in your mouth and nose.

The first flavor you will taste is the sweetness of the wine, because sweetness is primarily sensed at the tip of the tongue. As the wine moves backward over your tongue, the sweetness may or may not progress into sourness and, possibly, a tingling astringent bitterness in the hollows between cheeks and gums as the wine’s acidity and tannins take hold. Meanwhile you will also sense the texture of the wine: its thickness or thinness, roughness or smoothness. As the air and swishing vaporizes and energizes the aroma of the wine, you will smell (through the neonasal cavity at the back of your throat) the wine’s multiple aromas: buttery, earthy, floral, fruity, nutty, smoky, etc.

Swallow

When you swallow the wine, don’t immediately reach for another sip or take a bite of food. Instead, concentrate on the aftertaste of the wine you’ve just swallowed. An acid crispness will linger on the deep back and sides of the tongue, cleansing the palate. The particular lasting flavor that the wine leaves is called its finish. Now go for that next sip, sniffing first if you so desire.

1. Grow the grapes
2. Pick the grapes
3. Crush the grapes
4. Collect the juice in a large cask called a fermentation cask. In the cask, the yeast that naturally exists on the grapes causes the juice to ferment. Fermentation is the process in which the yeast eats the sugar in the juice, transforming it into alcohol.
5. Age or mature the wine in casks for a length of time.
6. Age the wine some more in bottles.
7. Drink - which is, of course, the best part!

What makes good wine?

Master winemakers don’t just follow the process above - they master it. They know how to control every step in the process to produce specific flavors and characteristics in their wines.

Here are just a few factors that affect the taste of wine:

• The type of grape used - The type of grape plays the largest role in determining the character of a wine. All grapes can be broken down into those that produce red wine and those that produce white wine. But there are significant differences among the grapes within each of these categories too: that’s why among red wines a Pinot Noir tastes so different from a Cabernet Sauvignon, and why among whites a Chardonnay tastes different from Riesling.
• Climate - The soil and mineral content of a region can make wines made with the same grapes taste quite different. That’s why the same type of grapes grown in one region will produce better wines than those grapes grown in another. The temperature, sunshine, humidity, rainfall, and other weather factors will also affect the quality of wine produced from a particular grape, which is why wines made in different years at the same vineyard can vary in quality.
• Material of the Fermentation Cask - Casks are usually either stainless steel or oak. Stainless steel is non-reactive, which allows the wine to keep its fruity flavor. Oak casks lessen the fruity flavor, imparting instead an oaky or roasted nutty taste along with a smoother texture.
• Aging time - Certain wines improve with aging in the bottle. As they age, wines will mellow and gain in balance and complexity. But be careful not to age for too long; wines improve with age until they reach a peak, and then decline. How long a wine should age depends on the wine.

The list above describes just some of the factors that affect the taste of wine. There are many others, some quite technical, and some made possible only by the advent of modern science (such as the development of super-yeasts that can produce wines with higher alcohol contents).