I belong to a few wine clubs and one of the clubs includes a wine tasting every couple of months where all the wine club members congregate and taste various wines. Typically, all the wines come from a single distributor and the club organizer has some special pricing on the wines that are tasted throughout the evening that are available for purchase near the end of the night. It’s a great way for some of us novice wine drinkers to verbally expel informal wine reviews to each other almost as a test run of what we might say to our other friends when drinking these wines in the future.

Lately, however, it hasn’t been enough to just gather, drink and exchange thoughts. Thanks to the club organizer we have been not only entertained but truly enlightened by some recent tasting events that included top-name local chefs who paired fine wine with fine food. While we all can enjoy an expensive French wine from time to time it’s also a treat to have a $9 bottle of local Syrah taste out-of-this-world when paired with the correct food. That’s precisely what we’ve been encouraged to do.

Thanks to these chefs and our club organizer I’ve been subjected to a side of wine enjoyment that I might have otherwise ignored. It’s not a complicated process and reminds me a bit of a beginning painting class when you learn which colors go well together. We learn which foods, herbs and spices extract certain flavors and textures from selected wines. A cabernet sauvignon that may not be especially tasty when sampled solo can be amazing when paired with beef bourguignon or more specifically the combination of garlic and allspice.

If you haven’t already I recommend expanding your horizons to include wine pairing. It’s helped me to enjoy another facet of the wine world.

It’s like the theory that crystal wine glasses make wine taste better than regular glasses. It’s true that it is nicer to drink out of a crystal glass, they do feel nice to hold and they make that lovely sound when you tap them, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that it actually affects the flavour of the drink. A nasty wine will taste nasty whatever you drink it from – just think of the familiar grimace on people’s faces when they take a sip from their posh celebratory Champagne flutes, only to be reminded that they’ve always hated Champagne and are only drinking it because it’s what you’re supposed to do.

A real wine buff would tell you they can tell the vintage of a good wine and the region where it was bottled purely from tasting it. But in the opening episode of BBC4’s recent mini documentary series entitled (rather inventively, I thought!) Wine, an interesting, and quite amusing, scenario arose. A group of professional wine experts were given a taste from a mystery bottle and asked to guess the vintage. Most of the party placed it somewhere in the 1980s, with the exception of one French expert who said 1928. It turned out it was from 1870, proving that none of them really had a clue.

So do factors like the age and vintage of a wine really mean anything in terms of the quality of wine? If even these knowledgable experts can’t tell the difference then it would seem that the answer is no, they probably don’t. Older wines are likely to be rarer, which might go some way to explaining why they cost more, but I bet those experts could have bought a whole crate of good 1980s wines for the same price as that one bottle from the 1800s would have cost. And in these times of the credit crunch do people really want to be paying so much more for fancy wines when it’s possible they could get one just as good – or maybe even nicer – in Threshers for under a tenner?

Wine Pairing Guide

At some point or another we have all been here, trying to choose wine. We’re sitting in the restaurant, looking at the list of wines wondering which is the right one for our food. Sometimes you can really run into trouble either because you are not familiar the wines that are being offered at the certain restaurant or even worse; you may not be educated on any wines at all!

And the situation can be even worse, you may have a date with you with this happening to you (oh you’ve been there? Sorry!) Then you need to keep reading this article, it could keep you from being in these awkward situations, and put you in charge the next time you have to order wine.

If you’re the experimental type, we recommend joining a wine of the month club so you can experimenting with wine pairings from the comfort of your own home. 

All of us have heard the old thing of white wine for white meat or sauces and seafood, and red wine for red meat and sauces. This is somewhat true, but there is further information you can use when pairing wine with your desired foods.

Cote Du Rhone is an example of a red that goes well with seafood, the Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah grapes offer a pleasant level of smoky, mineral flavor which brings out the best in several fish dishes as good as the Sauvignon Blanc. Wines that are made with the Gamay grapes can be a good fit with not only seafood but also duck and some turkey dishes.

Conversely, there are whites which are excellent with tomato-laden dishes. One example is again Sauvignon Blanc (OK, you may not want to drink it with your spaghetti marinara, but it is excellent IN marinara sauce! Something to remember when cooking at home). Speaking of this wine, it is an easy pairing for many foods – think lemon and cream here. Anything which would go well with lemon (poultry, salads, seafood) works well with this wine. It also provides a good contrast to heavier, creamy sauces.

One of the rules of pairing wines with foods is to consider the flavors in the food itself. Suppose that you’ll be having barbecue (wine with barbecue? Really?). You want a red here, one which has both enough acidity and/or enough body to not be drowned out by the strong flavors of the sauce. A cabernet is just a little too soft for this, although it is certainly done. A better choice, however would be something more assertive such as an Italian Barbera (with its relatively high acidity) or a Valpolicella (which has the body to stand up to any BBQ). Another good and popular choice for this meal would be a red Zinfandel, which has pepper and black cherry flavors which are excellent paired with grilled meats.

So how about whites? Again, we’ll go with the grill, given that grilled foods are a perennial restaurant option (and spring is right around the corner). Some good white wine pairings are a crisp, dry white such as a Semillon or a Pinot Grigio with grilled vegetables, salads and even fruit (melon is an especially good pairing with these two whites). These are also good with a variety of cheeses ranging from mild Gouda and Havarti to strong blues.

There is a lot more information to know about the pairing of wine with your food, but the info covered here should get you started as far as being able to do some experimenting on your own and seeing which you like. It is definitely delicious research to do and you will not mind tasting the different pairings.  One easy way to start experimenting, join a wine club. Enjoy!

Firstly and most importantly, you should match the wine to the meal you will be eating. Everyone has different opinions of which wine will taste good with different foods, but there are a few basic rules that you can follow if you’re really not sure. The easiest way is to match the colour of the wine to the food. So if you’re eating red meat choose a dark red Cabernet or Syrah. For lamb or pork dishes a medium bodied red like a Merlot will be less heavy whilst still giving a rich flavour. Chicken and fish dishes are often overpowered by reds so it’s best to go for a crisp white instead, perhaps a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. If it’s a special occasion or celebration, you might be better off with a sparkling wine, served in fancy Champagne flutes.

Once you’ve worked out what kind of wine you are looking for, look at where it was made. Wines from different regions are hugely different in quality, so it pays to do a bit of research into the best regions. If you’re not sure, France is always a good bet and has been producing good quality wines for hundreds of years. Italy is another good choice, and Chilean wines are very popular at the moment too, particularly the reds.

Another thingit’s a good idea to check is the vintage of the wine, or the year it was bottled. A true wine buff will know which were the good years for each region, and will buy only vintages which they know came from a particularly good crop. For the rest of us non-experts, it can seem like a lot of guesswork, but if you know a few of the basics you’ll at least be on the right track. That all wines taste better the older they are is a common misconception. It’s true that most red wines do improve with a little aging, but most wineries won’t distribute these reds for a couple of years after bottling to give them time to mature. This means by the time they appear on the shelves they are ready to drink and will taste good. Most white and sparkling wines don’t need aging, and taste good if drunk straight away.

In order to assess the quality of the wine, you need to gauge the overall complexity of its aroma and flavor. You need to determine such factors as intensity, fruitiness, sweetness or acidity as well as noting how long the taste of the wine remains in the mouth after tasting which determines the length of the finish.

Wine tasting is a fun and enjoyable experience, and one that you should definitely try out for yourself if you have not already. You can either hold wine tasting in your own home or the home of someone you know, or you and a group can go in to one of the many companies that offer wine tasting sessions. If you have a home wine cellar, then holding a wine tasting is a wonderful way of entertaining fellow wine lovers.

If you don’t feel comfortable in choosing the wines yourself for the tasting there are companies that offer to organize these events for you. If you’re interested in tasting the wines from just one winery you may be able to arrange a cellar door tasting. An organized wine tasting can be both educational and enjoyable.

Holding a wine tasting event will add depth to your existing wine knowledge, give you an opportunity to taste a range of wines, learn about starting a wine cellar and wine growing regions.

First, to really feel the ambience, one must incorporate a real Spanish red wine. There are certain kinds of flavors of Spanish wine that one must and must not consider. The professionals of wine find that every kind of red wine is attractive but there is not always the possibility of choosing the grape used. For the people who have not developed a palette in order to select the correct wine for their buds, they are suggested that one must go through different tastes to appreciate the flavors of the red wine of Spain.

Some of the most commonly suggested Spanish red wines are: black fruits, vanilla, earthy, red fruits, herbal, balsamic, animal and vegetable. These flavors will erupt and can be easily noticed by your tongue once you have appreciated its content. The trick in tasting Spanish wine is not the flavor that you have tasted but how well your taste buds remember the flavor of what you have tasted even if a couple of years has passed.

Now, when it comes to trying out Spanish wine for the first time, here are some of the basic tips where you are most likely to find in common grounds with other wines.

1. Overfilling is a no-no. A wine is something that goes a long, long way. It is not malt beer or soda that you can just spill out the contents in your mouth if you feel like you haven’t had enough. You would wonder why wines are offered in glasses that are only filled with only a quarter of the size. Wines served in this manner are wines that are worthy. After being poured onto or given, tilt your wine glass against a light or white surface and observe the color.

2. In order to release the flavor, swirl the wine content around the glass. Now, if your glass is overfilled, do you think swirling is still possible? It is only in this way that a wine’s real flavor is released. For professional wine drinkers, swirling is a breeze but for beginners, it is quite a deal. If you are having a hard time swirling your drink in a proper manner, try putting the glass on top of the table then gently swirl the glass in either a clockwise or counterclockwise manner. Tables, in this manner, give you more control and lessen the risk for spills.

3. Get addicted with the aroma. You should smell the beautiful scent of the Spanish wine. Allow it to touch your olfactory for a little while. Make your nose work and sniff hard. Drink. Give yourself the opportunity to taste the sweetness of your labor. To get the most out of drinking wine, let it linger around your mouth for some time. Another trick for realizing Spanish wine tasting is to suck a little amount of air during the drinking of wine.

Through air sucking, you can get a sense of the strong yet rejuvenating effects of wine on your mouth. Before giving into another sip, appreciate the aftermath of the wine left to stay on the sides of your inner cavity.

grape

Wine is considered one of the many aspects of the world that can be enjoyed by anyone. There is something for everyone in the world of wine, making it the most popular beverage in the world. Wine has cultural significance, too, that tests the limits of time and creates new philosophies and moments based around its very existence.

The word wine refers to the processing, fermentation, and production of the grape. Grapes are naturally balanced to ferment on their own without the help of any chemicals, extra sugars, or enzymes. This makes the taste and flavor of wine one that is very natural and uninhibited. Other fruits are sometimes added to wine for their fermentation qualities, including apples and black currants. When fruits of this type are used to make wine, it is called an “apple” or “elderberry” wine.

Red wine and white wine are the two primary categories of wine.  They are then sub-divided into many other subcategories. The varieties that fall under each umbrella, are typically determined by the type of grape or the region in which the grape was grown.

Red Wine is divided into styles like Merlot, which comes from anywhere from Argentina to the United States. Merlot is a red wine that usually has a medium body and contains hints of plum or berry. It is also considered one of the most flexible types of wine and is often served with meals involving red meats or darker foods. There is a white merlot that is also in circulation, which is made with a hint of raspberry.

A popular type of white wine is the Riesling. It comes from a white grape variety of the same name and is grown historically in Germany. Riesling is  very versatile and is considered appropriate to serve with almost any type of food. It is, however, most popular with white fish or pork. Riesling is also known as one of the few wines that can stand up to the bold flavors of Asian cuisine such as Thai or Chinese food.

There are many different ways for people to enjoy drinking wine. There are appetizer wines or apertifs, for example, that are used before a meal to open the palette to suggestions. Apertifs include dry sherries, Vermouth or other flavored wines. Table wines are served, as the name would infer, primarily with food. Cooking wines are used to provide a base of flavor for cooking. A dessert wine is typically served after meals as a good closer to the flavors from the meal. Dessert wine can be medium sweet to very sweet in flavor and includes port and sweet sherry.

In a wine tasting event, always women are served before the men. Some tastings will serve you bottled water between tastings, so you can clean your mouth out and be ready to taste the next wine that is served.  When you take the wine, you should always handle the glass by the stem, to avoid heating it with your hands.  There will also be crackers and other goodies on hand as well, to help you cleanse your mouth between wine tastings.

As you may already know, you can tell quite a bit about the wine by the color.  When you attend a wine tasting for the first time, you’ll notice that the glasses are clear.  This helps you to examine the wine better.  There should also be white tablecloth on the table as well, to help you see the color the wine more clearly.  You should never go by the name of the wine alone, as it can easily fool you. 

You’ll also notice the more experienced wine tastes swirl their wine around in the glass before they taste it.  Although it may look weird, slightly swirling the wine actually helps to bring out the flavor.  Most wines have been aging in bottles for long periods of time, sometimes even years.  When the wine is swirled around in the glass, the swirling will release the flavors in the wine and bring them out when the wine is tasted.

At wine tastings, you’ll need to look at the wine, smell it, then after swirling it around in the glass - taste it.  Smells play an integral part of the process, as you’ll get a lot more from the wine by smelling it first.  Wine has quite an intriguing aroma, which helps to bring out the taste that wine is so well known for.  Once you have smelled the wine, you should allow a few moments to take in the smell and think about the wine that you are smelling.

And at last, you be willing to have the idea of how to properly taste the wine.Your tongue has taste buds in the back and front, it helps in order to detect the flavors.  Wine is full of flavors, and how you taste it will make the biggest impact.  When you put the wine in your mouth, you should always swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds, and allow the flavors plenty of time to dance on your palate.  Once your taste buds have started to discover the wine, you can think about what you are tasting.Just after swallowing it, the aftertaste of the wine that remains in your mouth should give you even some more idea of its type and flavor.

Before you attend a wine tasting, you should always learn as much as you can about the many different flavors and varieties of wine.  This way, you’ll have a better understanding of what you should look for in both taste and flavor.  Even though you may be new to wine tasting, you should never pass up an opportunity to go.  You’ll get a great experience in the world of wine tasting and get to experience wines that you may have never heard of before.

During the beginning stages of making red wine, the grapes that have been picked are put into a crusher.  Here, the crusher will gently break the skins of the grapes.  Depending on what type of wine is being made and the tannin that’s required, the stalks will either be used or discarded at this point.  Next, the grapes are put into a fermentation vat with the skins.  This can be a long process, taking several weeks to complete.  If a higher temperature is used, more tannin and color will be extracted from the grapes.

Whole the grapes are fermented using sealed vats, during making of the wine.  The carbon dioxide that becomes trapped in the sealed vats ferment the grapes under pressure, which is normally a quick process, taking only a few days.  Keep in mind, the color and tannin content of the wine is based on how long the fermenting process takes.  If the fermenting process takes a long time, the wine will generally hold more flavor and color.

The remaining bulk of the grapes will go through a press, being crushed to create a tannic wine.  Sometimes, this tannic wine is added with a free run wine in order to add a bit more structure to the wine blend.  Both the press and vat wine are then mixed and transferred to either tanks or barrels for a second fermentation.  The second fermentation will take the longest, although it brings out the quality and taste from the wine.

All types of fine red winewill spend a minimum of a year in the barrels.Some types of red wine will spend a lot more time in the barrels, possibly several years.  Red wine is also fine tuned with egg whites, which will suspend the yeast and other solids found in the wine downwards, before the wine is racked, filtered, and eventually bottled.  Once the wine has been bottled, it is then shipped off and sold.Particular varieties of wines will be stored for a specific period of time in the bottle before sale.

The time a wine spends in the bottle is very important, although not every wine needs to spend a lot of time in the bottle.  The more complex and more expensive types of red wine will benefit the most from aging in the bottle, to preserve flavor and color.  The simple types of red wine however, don’t need to spend much time at all in the bottle.

Sweetness is something that wines are well known for.  With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste.  Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol.  The grapes and yeast that were used to produce the wine will leave behind various sugars, which your tongue will be able to quickly detect.  Once your tongue detects these various sugars, the stimulation of sweetness from the wine will be ever so present in your mouth.

Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue doesn’t really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol.  Even though the tongue doesn’t really taste alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth.  The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and therefore intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine.After tasting some types of wine, easily the alcohol level can have an effect on your taste buds, that makes it tough to distinguish the taste of other drinks that you may have further.

Another flavor is acidity, which will effect the sugars.  With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming.  Once you taste wine that contains it, the flavor of the acidity will be well known to your tongue.  Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste.  With the right levels, acidity will bring the flavors of the grape and fruits alive in your mouth - providing you with the perfect taste.

Yet another effect of flavor are tannins, which are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits.  If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel, and bring in the sensations of the other flavors.  Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste.  Tannins are essential for the taste of wine - providing the wine has been properly aged.

The last flavor associated with wine is oak.  Although oak isn’t put into the wine during the manufacturing process, it is actually transferred during the aging process, as most wines will spend quite a bit of time in oak barrels.  Depending on how long the wine is left in the oak barrel or cask, the ability to extract the flavor will vary.  Most often times, wine will be aged just enough to where the oak taste is visibly there - and adds the perfect sentiment to the taste.

They are not as present as those listed above, though there are other flavors added with the taste of wine.  The above flavors are the most present in wine, and also the flavors that you need to get more familiar with.  Before you try to taste wine or distinguish flavors, you should always learn as much you can about the components responsible for the flavors.This is the right way - to know more about what you are tasting plus you will truly be able to appreciate the quality of the wine.