Tag Archives: Wine
Story of the Perfect Wine Glass
Drinking wine is always a pleasure but drinking with the perfect wine glasses is always going to make your wine a delight. So here is a guide to choose the perfect wine glass for you.
In the market there are many types of wine glasses of different quality and design. So while you are choosing a bottle of wine make sure that you first seek in the market and decide upon the best plan. However there are a number of manufacturers in the market which offer you excellent wine glasses but they are expensive though and thus are in accordance with the wines.
Besides being the massive amount of glasses available in the market, there are three wine glasses which make the exception. The first in the list is the white wine glass of standard shaped. Try it out with a bottle of champagne and a bowl of red. However there are other recommendations also and make sure that you make the best choice.
The very first thing you should see is the material of which they are made. Make sure that the glass is clean and plain. In order to have the pleasure of the wine watch out for the color of the wine like the age of the wine and the quality of wine. Wine glasses are also made up of frosted or colored glass and the materials made up of silver and pewter are definitely not desirable.
Next, make sure that glasses are of adequate size and that’s why a glass should be of measurable in a way that enough quantity wine could be poured and wine could be swirled in the glass and therefore free the aromas of the wine which is crucially important.
Make sure that it should have a stem so that the wine glass can be held easily without having any oily fingerprints. Also, it helps the wine to be at right temperature. You must be wondering how to do this thing, as you hold the wine glass to be warmed up and keep it cool from the area from which you are holding.
In the last, one of the most crucial aspect is that the shape of the bowl is of sheer importance. A superior wine glass is narrow from the top and it is broader from the bottom. Besides looking good, it has a multifunctional purpose.
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Which Wine Goes With What?
Most everyone reading is now rolling their eyes. “Not THIS again!” So much fuss is made over pairings between food and wine, that you have to wonder what all the fuss is about, and whether it is possible for anyone to learn it in one lifetime. Do you just have to go to wine college and get a degree? Well, no, but it wouldn’t hurt…
Let’s try to skim this down to the basic elements: At the end, it’s all about you, your taste buds, and how much you care. If you think tilapia fried in olive oil is the best match for Cabernet, that’s all you. Nobody is more right about what you like than you are. And if you really want to appreciate the elegant art of matching food with wine, you should experiment anyway. How are you going to know why a buttery Chardonnay isn’t a good companion for prime rib beef, until you try it yourself? Go ahead and try new things; we promise that the Wine Police won’t come and haul you away!
There are the “by-the-book” wine snobs who have vast lists of food and wine pairings. At the other end of the spectrum are those who dismiss the whole school of thought as a lot of hot air. The truth, as you might expect, lies somewhere in the middle. And with many wine experts contradicting each other on specific cases, you would expect that there’s less science and more art to it.
Some basic rules of thumb: Either white wines go with fish and poultry and red with everything else, or else red wines go best with red meats (beef, pork, lamb) and white wines go with everything else. If only it were as simple as color-coding!
Here’s a better rule of thumb: Pair a strong-taste with a delicate taste. Another way to say this is “complex wines with simple foods, simple wines with complex foods”. You want the two to compliment each other. Think of how you wouldn’t wear a polka-dot shirt with a striped tie, but rather match a solid color to a pattern.
As with clothes, you also don’t want the tastes of food and wine to clash. Use the same common sense that tells you which foods match together. A sweet dinner of crab’s legs and lobster tail will be great with a Chardonnay, which is sweet and delicate. A grilled T-bone steak wants a hefty, fruity wine with a kick to compliment it; time for a Bordeaux! But in some cases, contrast is more important. Liver is a strong, lingering taste, so it needs a modest, mild, contrasting compliment, rather than a match which would be overpowering; how about a Pinot Noir or any burgundy that isn’t too demanding?
The “red with red” rule is so consistent that it even applies to things other than meat: For pasta, match a red wine to a tomato-based red pasta sauce, and a white to a white Alfredo-type sauce. The same goes for sauces on vegetables. As for vegetables themselves, once again we should go for matching simple for simple with complex for complex.
Cheeses are another broad area. Anything goes. Most wine experts in fact like to have a wide array of cheeses and wines so they can mix and match. As with playing chords on a musical instrument, there isn’t always an absolutely right or wrong answer. This goes for cheese sauces and fondues, too.
The purpose of this little spiel is to demystify the world of wine for the common person. Hopefully, you’ve gleaned enough hints from here to have a basic concept of what’s going on. If you want to pursue the subject deeper, there’s whole encyclopedias devoted to this subject. And if you find yourself dining with companions who barely tolerate your wine drinking, let alone putting up with a rule-book wine bore, you’ll still be loose enough to relax and not be so stuffy about it.
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.
How to Attend a Wine Tasting
Of course, we’re talking about wine-tasting as something you go out and do, whether it’s on a winery tour, at a friend’s house, or some catered event.
If attending at a winery, do take the time first to find out about the winery’s history. This might involve a tour of the place, with the summer help giving you a little walk-around and five-minute speech. Read the brochures. Studying the history of a place is part of appreciating the romance and magic of wine; you’ll always learn something new and fascinating.
In the actual tasting, progress through the wines in order from lightest to heaviest. In fact, whenever you’ll be sampling several wines in a row (or even when you’re serving them), follow the general rule:
* Young wines before mature ones.
* Light wines before heavy ones.
* Chilled wines before chambered wines.
* Low alcohol before high alcohol.
* Dry wines before sweet wines.
If you don’t know which is which, ask the winery staff, who will only be too happy to point them out. They will understand that part of the purpose of wine-tasting is to learn more about wine, so don’t be shy if you want to ask questions.
Between wines, it is customary to either rinse with water or nibble on a piece of bread or pastry to cleanse the palate. Some wineries or events will give you a small sample – almost a “shot” – and others will let you have a glass or two of one wine if you fancy it. Do try to restrain yourself! Several wines in a row can build up alcohol levels unexpectedly fast. Sip small amounts of each one, and by all means take your time.
Now you get to find out one of the mysteries of wine: why do they use those funny-shaped glasses? Well, when you get a new glass of wine, swirl it around gently just like you see the aristocrats do. Now hold the glass still. Watch the edge of the liquid as it stops moving; do you see little tendrils of wine clinging to the sides of the glass? Those are called “legs”, and the more legs a wine has clinging to the sides of the glass after you swirl it, the more alcohol it contains.
A second purpose to the swirling motion is that this allows the wine to “breathe”. So after it’s settled a little, inhale with your nose over the glass. About half of how a wine tastes is tied up with how it smells, and the aroma of wine is an intended part of the experience.
And you thought they were doing that just to look like sophisticated show-offs!
Now you’re ready for a taste. Sip a little less than a mouthful, and roll it around on your tongue. Hit every taste bud you have with it, even under your tongue. Let the vapors from it permeate your sinuses. Now swallow – don’t spit, as that’s only something that judges do and even then they’d rather swallow if they think they can get by. Let the aftertaste come to your palate. Now’s the time to voice your reaction: how was it? Don’t be shy about your opinion; every taster can tell the staff something new about their wine.
If you’re tasting several wines, take a break every now and then and stroll around. The property of most wineries is worth a walk just to soak up the scenery and atmosphere. If it’s a social occasion, all the more reason to pace yourself as you socialize. At a winery, there will usually be a time at the end of the tasting where they give you the opportunity to buy something. By all means, feel free to fall in love with a bottle or two and adopt it!
By the way, would you believe that there are people who do this for a living? There are people blessed with “perfect pitch” in tasting, who take courses and get a diploma and everything, and then wineries hire them to give their expert opinion about the wine. How’s that for the life?
Types of Wine Glasses
Wine glasses come in many shapes and sizes. The structure of the glass is designed to enhance the flavor and aroma of the wine so it is important to choose the right glass for the wine you are drinking. The shape of the glass determines several things: how much surface area is exposed to the air, how much wine can be swilled in the glass, how close your nose can get to the wine, and where the wine falls on your palate as you drink.
If you are drinking champagne for instance, it is proper to use a champagne flute. The champagne flute’s tall, narrow design forces our nose outside of the glass and causes the wine to fall further back on the palate as we tip our head back. In addition to keeping the wine carbonated, the narrow opening at the top of the glass minimizes the surface area that is exposed to the air and keeps the flavor clean and crisp. Since we want to slow oxidization in champagne, there is no need to have a wide bowl for swirling the wine around.
With white wines, a bit more reaction with the air is desirable so the glass is wider and shorter than a champagne flute. A white wine glass is designed to allow a moderate rate of oxidization, enough to release the bouquet of the wine while retaining its crispness. White wine glasses vary as much as the white wines themselves so it cannot be said that there is one standard. In some cases, like with a buttery chardonnay, a wider bowl that you can get your nose into is preferable and may not look like a white wine glass at all. Generally speaking, the crisper the wine is to be kept, that narrower the glass.
Finally, red wine glasses are generally the biggest, having wide bowls and large mouths. These glasses are designed so that a large surface area is exposed to the air and so that the wine can be swilled around to infuse more air while drinking. Some red wine glasses can be quite tall, forcing the wine to sit further down in the glass, keeping the aromas in the glass but the mouth is always wide enough to get your nose in there while taking a sip.
These are the three basic types of glasses and are representative of the spectrum. Between these glasses though there is every size, shape, and style imaginable, each enhancing their own varieties of wine.
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