Overview To Sampling Wine
The fundamentals of tasting red wine are reasonably straightforward to find out. As soon as the basics are understood, the nuances and details can be enhanced over a lifetime. Like any kind of various other skill, More »
Red Wine Types
Red wine has a lot of different types, among which, the most popular include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Moreover, More »
Category Archives: Merlot
Yeast – Nature’s Wine Maker
As much pride as our world-famous wineries claim to have in their century-old establishments, the majority of the burden of wine making actually falls to a single-celled organism: yeast. In fact, much of the art of wine making is actually the art of feeding and nurturing the yeast. A famous quote from Dr. Roger Boulton from the University of California illustrates: “Ninety percent of wine making has nothing to do with the winemaker. All a winemaker is doing is preventing spoilage, introducing some unique style to the wine and bottling it.”
So what is yeast, and what is it doing? Yeast is a single-celled organism, a strain of fungus. It moves freely in the environment and when it finds nutrition it replicates quickly to form a colony. The earliest known usage of yeast was in ancient Egypt, where it was often used for bread making. In fact, anyone who has ever had to culture yeast for bread making will understand much of what it takes to be a winemaker.
There are many different kinds of yeast, and the ones generally helpful for wine making are of the genus Saccharomyces (Sakchar meaning sugar and Myces meaning fungus), of which there are over a dozen to pick from, each which adds different characteristics to wine. The yeasts of this genus consume the natural sugar found in fruit juice and transform it into almost equal parts of carbon dioxide and alcohol.And there’s the rub: without yeast, it’s just grape juice.
So then, if wine making is an art, then its primary tool is the ability to control yeast. Fresh pressed grape juice will typically already have dozens of different kinds of yeasts, as well as a number of other microbial invaders. If you left the juice as is, it would develop into wine on its own, though it would likely be over-alcoholic and undrinkable. To create a truly great wine, the winemaker must have a specific yeast in mind, introduce it at the right time, feed it and nurture it, and allowing it to die and be cleaned whilst preserving the fruits of its labor. This involves a rigorous control over temperature, humidity, and quality of fruit.
Over the many centuries since wine makers have bottled their products, they have been returning the old skins and seeds of crushed grapes (the pomace) to the vineyards to be used in fertilization. The grape skins are breeding grounds for yeast, and by returning yeast-rich pomace to the vines, vineyards have managed to subtly alter the natural yeasts that occur in their fields. Over time, the selected strain of yeast begins to dominate so rigidly that a winemaker can simply encourage spontaneous fermentation. Those making homemade wines don’t have this luxury, and even established vineyards may be centuries away from such a yeast domination.
So despite the vigilant claims of expert wine makers across the world, it’s obvious that the real master winemaker is yeast.
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Under Counter Wine Racks Save Space
Under counter wine racks are small and compact designed to fit in tight spaces. You can find many different styles and sizes of under counter wine racks. This racking will be the most suitable for kitchens or under your wine bar.
There are many things that you must take into consideration when you are looking for the best under counter wine rack. The first is of course your budget and prices will vary. The price is generally going to be less expensive when it is smaller with less features, and will increase in price as the rack gets larger with additional features.
Some additional considerations that are very important will be the size of the space that you will be putting your under counter wine rack. Understanding your needs will help you narrow down your available choices and make your selection a bit easier.
In order to purchase the right wine rack that will go under your counter in your kitchen or behind your wine bar you will need to take the above things into consideration, as well as what type of wine that you will be storing in the unit. Wine storage is important to maintaining the quality of your wine whether it’s red wine or white wine. As opposed to an under counter wine rack, you may also want to consider a small wine cabinet instead which allows for the wine to be stored in a climate controlled environment.
You are going to have many choices of under counter wine racks to choose from and if you use the methods above then it should drastically cut down on the choices. Purchasing your wine rack online will save you money, but more importantly it will help you to determine the best model for you.
If you have a certain space you are trying to fill, you may need a custom wine rack. However, you should also look at a variety of modular or kit racking that is available. Many of the modular racks can be cut in height or width to allow for a customized under counter rack at a modular price!
How to Look Like a Wine Expert
Ever wonder why you see wine connoisseurs stick their noses into their wine glass when the wine steward brings a new bottle of wine to the table? They are “tasting” the wine with their noses.
Believe it or not, your tongue can only taste four things: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. All the other nuances of taste actually come through a complicated relationship between taste and smell. It is the nose and the nasal passage at the back of the throat that make what we taste in our mouths flavorful.
Inspecting and smelling the cork and sniffing the wine lets the person who ordered the wine evaluate it before putting into his or her mouth. If the wine has been spoiled, these two steps will usually reveal the problem.
Improper wine storage or contamination with certain bacteria can make a wine taste perfectly terrible. You wouldn’t want to put it in your mouth.
After showing you the bottle and removing the cork, the sommelier, or wine steward, will hand you the cork to inspect and sniff. If the cork appears to have deteriorated or smells bad, you should immediately refuse the wine.
If all appears to be well with the cork, the sommelier will pour a small amount of the wine into your glass.
Keep the base of your glass flat on the table and swirl the wine gently around. This mixes air with the wine and vaporizes the complex aromas. Quickly lift the glass and stick your nose into the glass as far as you can and smell the wine.
Some people say that keeping your mouth open while you sniff the wine will help you perceive the full aroma.
When a wine is badly “flawed,” it will often be immediately apparent in it’s “nose,” which is the term wine lovers use for it’s smell. If the nose of the wine is not inviting, and you aren’t immediately tempted to taste it, don’t hesitate to return the bottle to your wine steward. You should immediately be offered a replacement bottle.
Keep in mind that if there are strong scents around you, they can compete with the wine you are evaluating. If you or the person next to you are wearing strong perfume, this can throw off your nose. If there is pungent food being served nearby, this can also affect what you smell in the wine glass.
Once your nose has had first crack at the wine, and the wine has passed the nose test, then take a sip and swirl the wine around in your mouth. Give the sommelier a nod if you approve, and only then will he proceed to serve your chosen wine to your guests at the table.
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History of Wine Making
The history of wine can be classified into four periods: the Ancient Times, the Dark Ages, the New World and the Modern Days.
Ancient Times
Mesopotamia. Evidence of grape cultivation and wine production were found dating as far back as 6000BC.
Egypt. Egyptians made first records of grape harvest and wine making. Wine was regarded a measurement of one’s social status and is used for religious rituals.
Greece. Wine played an important part in the religion of ancient Greece particularly attributed to the god Dionysus. It was also regarded as a social drink for the privileged upper class.
Rome. Wine making technology was considerably improved and wine became available even to the common people.
China. The Chinese initially used wild grapes for their wine, cultivation of grapes didn’t start until after Zhang Qian’s exploration to Western Kingdoms where he acquired vines. Wine from grapes was therefore considered exotic and were reserved only for the Emperor’s consumption.
Dark Ages
Following the decline of Rome, the Christian Church became a staunch supporter of wine necessary for celebration of the Catholic Mass while Muslim chemists pioneered the distillation of wine for medicinal purposes.
Middle East. Alcoholic drinks were prohibited, but alcohol production particularly wine, have thrived. Egyptian Jews leased vineyards from the Fatimid and Mamluk governments and produced wine for sacramental and medicinal use. Christian monasteries in Levant and Iraq cultivated grapes and distributed their vintages to taverns located inside monastery grounds. Zoroastrians in Persia and Central Asia also engaged in wine production, though not much is known regarding their wine trade. However, they are known for their taverns.
Medieval Europe. Benedictine monks were one of the largest producers of wine in France and Germany, followed closely by the Cistercians. The Templar, and Carmelite orders were also notable wine producers.
New World
New World wines came to a rise and challenged Old World wines in the 19th century.
The Americas. Grapes were brought to what is now known as Latin America by Spanish conquistadores. Succeeding waves of immigrants imported grapes from France, Italy and Germany.
American wine was generally looked upon as inferior to European product until the latter half of the 20th century; New World wine began to gain respect after a surprising showing at the 1976Paris Wine tasting.
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Until late in the 20th century, Australia exported mostly to the United Kingdom while New Zealand kept most of its wine internally and South Africa was closed off to much of the world market due to apartheid.
Modern Days
Wine making developed greatly in terms of scientific background therefore allowing a lot of things that were once impossible to be accomplished. Wine makers of this day are now able to gain total control of every stage in wine making. The challenge now for wine makers is to produce wine for a much larger market without losing the character and distinct flavor of their wines. More and more countries are now producing more varieties of wine and advances in technology will ensure that such trend will continue.
Wine Tasting For the Novice
When it comes to wine appreciation, there’s so much involved. From wine flavors to aromas to tasting to educational information, it all contributes to the fun you have drinking it, right? No matter where you drink your wine-whether it be a winery, a dinner party, or your own living room-knowing how to taste your wine adds flavors and aromas you may have never enjoyed had you not tried it. If you aren’t sure how to best taste your wine, as opposed to just swig it like a beer-don’t worry, this article’s got you covered. Here’s all you need to know in order to conduct a simple wine tasting for social and your own purposes.
Color- First, when conducting a wine tasting, you want to check out the color. Aside from it being red or white, what shade is it? If it’s a white wine, it can be light yellow, light green, brown, amber, or clear. Depending on the color, you will find a quite a range of taste and aroma.
Opacity- Next, examine how clear it is- in the light. Look closely at your white or red wine to discover translucent or opaque it is dark or light, etc. Moreover, it’s always good to check for cork bits and sediment, as both of these factors will definitely affect your wine experience.
Swirl- It’s what you have all been waiting for: the classic wine swirl. Here it is. Why do people swirl their wine other than looking pretty sophisticated doing it? Because it releases more aroma, and this will take you more fluidly to your next step: smelling your wine.
Smell- Ok, so now that you have swirled your wine and released more aroma by doing so, if you want you can swirl it again-many enthusiasts do. Once you have refreshed its aroma, smell your wine by sniffing lightly over the glass.
Now, Really Smell- Now, that you got a first impression of the wine, take a deeper smell by putting your nose into the glass of wine. Inhale through your nose with your mouth closed. This is typically where a wine enthusiast will say something like, “my, doesn’t that have an oaky aroma?” or something to that effect, but you may or may not recognize an aroma if you are new to wine tasting and haven’t sniffed enough wines. What you are looking for is basically one of a few aromas: oak, vanilla, citrus, floral, or berry scents. If you don’t get it on the first try, certainly try swirling and smelling again.
Taste- Yes, it takes six steps in the average wine tasting to get to actually drink your wine, but if you are doing it properly, it should be well worth it. How do you taste it properly? Take a small sip and introduce it to your taste buds or palate. You should be able to pick up tannin amount, acidity, sugar, and alcohol content. As the wine approaches the middle of your palate, you should be able to pick up which flavors are involved. Then, once swallowed, consider the aftertaste, and how it affected your overall wine experience.