Drinking Wines

Wine lovers tend to take sides when proclaiming the best vintages. Here is a quick guide to the reds, which often are picked as the best.

A Quick Guide to Red Wines

Ask a wine aficionado what type of wine they like and they almost always will pick red or white. Rarely will they proclaim a love for both. This is somewhat ironic given the fact that each goes with particular dishes, but who am I to quibble? Here?s a quick introduction to the various red wines one can experience.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the standard bearer when it comes to a red. If you are just getting into the wine experience, it is pretty hard to go wrong with a ?cab?. This wine has undergone a unique expansion wherein it was originally associated with Bordeaux, France wineries, but is not produced from California to Australia. The wine is either medium or bold in taste and often is noted for its black currants aroma and flavor.

Quickly gaining on cabs in popularity is the Merlot red wine. Merlot is a traditional wine produced in Bordeaux, but has also found popularity in vineyards in California and Chile. This a full blooded red wine with a lot of taste and higher alcohol content than a cab. It is also much smoother than a cab, which may make it a better choice if you are just starting out with the wine experience.

Pinot Noir is the next well-known red wine in our cellar. This is a hit and miss wine for most wineries and most wine drinkers. Whereas producing an acceptable Cabernet Sauvignon can be relatively simple, the same cannot be said for Pinot Noir. The vintages are noticeably different and some can be awful. On the other hand, many a wine expert has opined that Pinot Noir done right is the finest wine possible. Unlike cabs and Merlots, this wine is not produced in mass quantities due to its temperament. The best comes from Burgundy, France, but acceptable vintages are produced by wineries in California and Oregon.

There are a variety of other red wines that are also produced by wineries around the world. To the surprise of many, zinfandels come in a red in addition to the far more popular white vintages. Regardless, the three reds mentioned above make up a majority of the reds on the market and are a good place to start your wine tasting experience.

Xavier Moldini is with WineriesforYou.com - a directory of wineries.

Tannat red wine produces wine tasting notes of red fruits and spices with an intense cherry red color and purplish tint. Why the Uruguayan Tannat is different to the French Tannat wine?

The wine making process in Uruguay changed when the Tannat wine grape was introduced at the end of 19th century from Madiran, France since this type of wine was carefully developed and improved till today. Nowadays, Uruguay is the only wine Country of the world that produces important quantities of Tannat wine grapes.

In the natural process of the red wine maturing a micro-oxygenation technique is a complement to soften Tannat red wines with special results. The micro-oxygenation introduces oxygen into the wine, in a controlled way, giving a balance in the tannins of the Tannat red wines. The result is a varietal Uruguayan Tannat red wine with its own personality, softer than the French Tannat wine.

Uruguayan Tannat fine wine by itself or blended with other red wines like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz allows fine wines where the Tannat contributes with its robust style, body and richness of tannins.

The benefits of drinking red wine for the health are well known but they are increased, in an important way, with the Tannat red wines. If you drink with moderation a Tannat red wine you obtain, derived from the Tannat grapes, a high concentration of tannins and polyphenols that help to protect your heart health and blood vessels.

For a wine enthusiast, a food and wine pairing of a Tannat wine bottle is ideal with grilled and broiled red meats, lamb, chicken, and roast duck. In the wine and cheese area, the Tannat wine charm goes with strong and well matured cheeses. As a general tasting note, Tannat red wine is best paired with strongly flavored dishes.

Discover the fine wines from Uruguay with international awards in wine tasting. To learn more about the Tannat red wine, the pairing of this type of wine and food, its quality, visit http://www.mercosurexport.4t.com/tannatredwinesfromuruguay.htm

Wine asset management, as serious wine collecting and storage has come to be known, is available in a variety of configurations depending on what a wine lover?s needs are. Storage options include vault-like facilities where a customer?s wine has a room all to itself, facilities that catalog and store wines all together in a cave or warehouse, decorative custom racks and cellars for the home and even wine storage lockers at local restaurants.

When deciding on how to store your wine, consider the following:

How long will your wine need to be stored?

There are many reasons to store wine, and the longer you plan to store it, the more important environmental conditions are. Some wine lovers store wine with a long-term investment in mind while others, such as wineries, may just be looking for a temporary space while their own storage facilities are full.

The type of wine you are storing also plays a part in length of storage time since many wines change and become more complex over time. Modestly priced wines generally improve more in the short-term, while finer wines that have come from quality fruit, harvested at the peak of ripeness and sugar levels, and are processed appropriately, will develop more complex flavors, intense aromas and deeper colors over many years assuming they are stored under the proper conditions.

How important is consistent temperature, humidity and lighting?

At a lower temperature wine develops more slowly, which allows it to reach and maintain its peak drink ability. If wine becomes too warm, certain aspects may mature and decline before others have been optimized. A temperature-controlled facility is a must for collectors who will be storing their wine over a long period of time. The industry standard for wine cellaring is 55-57 degrees.

Humidity levels are important as well. High humidity will cause mold and mildew, which can damage a wine?s label and foil. But too little humidity can cause corks to dry out, shrink, break the seal and ultimately spoil the wine. Humidity of between 60-70% is optimal and is the industry standard for cellar storage.

How important is security, privacy and accessibility?

If you are storing valuable wine and want to rest easy, you may want to choose a facility that has individual lockers, state-of-the-art alarm systems at the facility, and on each individual locker, on-site surveillance cameras and even a 24-hour, on-site security guard or residing resident manager. Also, a fire sprinkler system in the building would be reassuring.

Secure wine storage facilities located in earthquake country should also include sturdy shelving that is bolted securely to floors and walls and specifically designed to protect the wine in the event of an earthquake. If a facility also has a back-up generator system, you will have extra assurance that even during a power outage; your wine will be maintained at the proper temperature.

Other Storage Options

For wine collectors who want to keep their collection close to home, the sky?s the limit when it comes to personal storage containers, racks, cooling systems and cellars. If cost is no object and sufficient space is available, there are companies that specialize in building home wine cellars. Of course, this is the most expensive option and should only be considered if one is certain they will not be moving anytime soon. If properly designed and constructed, the home wine cellar can be a source of great enjoyment, but like many home improvements, the cost of construction is unlikely to be recovered if the home needs to be sold and may limit its appeal to future buyers who are not wine collectors.

There are many home refrigeration units on the market for storage of wine, but most of these are of rather limited capacity and unlikely to meet the needs of a serious collector. However, these units can be a good part of a storage solution ? allowing a small sampling of the collection to be kept at the home while the bulk of the wine is stored off-site in a secure facility.

A final option is the installation of built-in or free standing wine rack in a room of the home. The problem here is that the wine will not be stored at optimum conditions since most people do not want to maintain their home at 55 degrees. Thus, for valuable wines, this should only be a short term solution for wine ready to be consumed in the near future.

For collectors of valuable wines with long term potential, the best solution is probably a combination of off-site storage in a secure facility with ideal temperature and humidity conditions, with some small amount of temperature-controlled storage in the home for those wines which are ready to be enjoyed at the peak of perfection.

By having a proper wine storage facility at your disposal, it is possible to buy cases of wine when they are first released and store them until they reach their peak. This can save significant cost compared to buying such wines aged to perfection (if they can even be found), and some collectors can sell the wines they have aged under perfect conditions and make a profit to fund further acquisitions of fine wines. Enjoy!

James Ledwith is a real estate developer specializing in self storage. His interest in collecting fine wines led him to recognize a shortage of secure, climate controlled wine storage facilities. So, he decided to research and build a state Marin Wine Vaults in San Rafael, CA which is located close the Napa and Sonoma wine country. This article reflects his research into the art and science of wine storage for serious collectors. James can be reached via his web site at www.MarinWineVaults.com .

Merlots have soared in popularity in the last decade. Merlot is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine region in France, and it is also quite widely planted in wine regions in the United States, particularly in California. In California, there were only 2000 acres of Merlot in 1985, over the years, this has grown to 50,000 acres in 2003.

While Merlots are quite often softer and more lush than Cabernet Sauvignon, they are still often full-bodied, deep in color, and fairly high in alcohol with flavors of cherry, plum and chocolate. Merlot matures in the bottle earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, so Merlots are generally held in higher esteem by wine drinkers than by wine collectors. Merlot is also commonly blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, to soften the Cabernet, and create a more complex wine.

When serving Merlot, it should be slightly below room temperature. Place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving, to bring it to the correct serving temperature. Merlot pairs well with many foods, including red meat, pork, poultry, and pasta.

Over the years, where Merlot used to be utilized in blending with other wines, more and more, it is beginning to be appreciated on it’s own.

Learn more about wine and wine growing regions at Wine Country Guide.

Whether you are serving it to your guests while entertaining, using it to create luscious dishes, or simply enjoying its’ company, whatever the occasion, this libation reigns the kingdom of fine indulgence and has been doing so for centuries. The conception of wine has been dated as far back as 8000-4000BC in Mesopotamia. Having thousands of years to further perfect the wine making process, this sexy beverage is a palate pleaser like no other providing a continuous adventure for pleasure seekers in this arena where no bottle is quite like the other. Each and every wine has its’ tale to tell, so indulge and listen carefully, for this libation is quite capable of taking you to places you have most likely never been before!

Wine is an enormous subject that is constantly evolving which can often lead to intimidation. Where do you begin? The important thing is that you do! The enormity of wine is not justification for not trying any, but it is reason to be shy about it. So let’s get down to the basics and get you on your way to a life happily filled with wine!

Creation

Wine is created through the fermentation process of crushed grapes. Grapes are pressed to release their juices which are combined with yeast to initiate the fermentation process. This process converts sugar into alcohol and concludes once the alcohol reaches such a level as to kill the remaining yeast. This yeast is naturally occurring in the skin of grapes but is rarely used in today’s wine making process as isolated yeast strains now exist that can not only act as a fermentation catalyst but contribute a unique style to the wine as well.

What’s in a name?

Every wine is derived from either a single grape or from several. These grapes are also referred to as varietals. Each varietal has a unique name which in turn represents certain characteristics. A wine characteristic refers to anything that reflects a resemblance to a scent, taste, or flavor and also includes mouth feel such as the weight of the wine when on the palate. Let’s use the chardonnay grape as an example. Chardonnay classically presents characteristics of citrus, pear, and pineapple to fig, honey, vanilla and butter. This wine can also be characterized as being full and rich, or simple and crisp. This variance in characteristics is what makes wine so mind-blowing and mind-boggling!

There are several factors that contribute to the final result of a wine. Geographic location of where the vines are planted, the weather of that region, the vines themselves, soil conditions and of course the actual wine making process. With all of these factors considered it is understandable why someone who may enjoy one chardonnay, may not enjoy the next. All the more reason to not give up and keep on trying!!

All varietals exude certain characteristics which can aid in determining one wine from another. This differentiation also contributes to your own approval and disapproval of certain wines. Some are light bodied and fruity, others are full bodied and earthy, whatever your style, there is bound to be a grape varietal that will satisfy.

Our chart below is an excellent tool to use when purchasing and/or tasting wine. The left column represents several popular wine varietals while the right column displays typical characteristics of that particular varietal.

White Varietals and Characteristics

Riesling - Light; Sweet/dry. Tangy, fruity. Citrus, apple, pear, melon, nectarine, peach, apricot.

Gewurztraminer - Light; Sweet, dry. Grapefruit, lychee, apple, nectarine, nutmeg, clove, ginger, spice, floral.

Semillon - Med-Full; Often rich. Lemon, lime, honey, butter.

Chenin Blanc - Light; Off dry. Peach, pear, quince, melon, herbal tea, mineral.

Viognier - Light-med; Floral, honey, apricots, pear.

Sauvignon Blanc - Light-Med; Citrus, gooseberry, lemon, melon, herbal, bell pepper, grassy.

Pinot Blanc - Light-Med; Dry, crisp. Citrus, apple, pear, melon, sweet pea.

Pinot Gris/Grigio - Light; Fruitier and soft. Citrus, apple, pear, peach, melon, honey, vanilla.

Grigio - Crisper, more citrusy.

Chardonnay - Med-full; Dry, rich. Citrus, apple, tropical fruit, fig, honey, hazelnut, butterscotch, butter, popcorn.

Red Varietals and Characteristics

Gamay - Light; Tangy, fruity, cranberry.

Pinot Noir - Light-Med; Cherry, strawberry, clove, mint, truffle, cloves, smoke, sage.

Sangiovese - Med; Sweet and sour, dark cherry, tobacco, earthy, almond, herbs, tea.

Barbera - Med-Full; Ripe red fruit, currant, cherry, herbal.

Cabernet Franc - Med; Dry, berry, fruity, herbal, smoky.

Grenache - Med; Black fruit, anise, smoky, herbal.

Cabernet Sauvignon - Med-Full; Cherry, plum, currant, pepper, bell pepper, cedar, vanilla, mint, chocolate, tea, tobacco.

Shiraz/Syrah - Full; Raspberry, spice, black pepper, blackberry, plum, tar.

Zinfandel - Full; Juicy, robust, jammy, berry flavors, spices.

Red vs. White

So what’s the deal with color? We all know wine to be red, white, and rose, or blush as some call it, but the juice is really all the same! Have you ever looked at the flesh of a red grape before? It is the same as a green grape, therefore if wine exists in a variety of hues then the color must come from….of course, the skin! Often white wine is made from red grapes, in fact, most great champagne would not exist without, so don’t be fooled, pink grapes do not exist! Yes, red and white grapes appear the same in juice form but when their skin is added to the wine making picture a whole other story begins!

The many gorgeous hues of red evident in red wine is a result of allowing red grapes to ferment with their skins, however color is not the only thing affected by the skin of a grape. I am sure you have tasted a wine, a red wine in particular that makes your mouth pucker; an astringent sensation on the palate if you will. What you experienced is known as tannin.

Tannin is a natural substance found in the skins, stems, and seeds of grapes. You can experience this sensation in young whites however it is more commonly found in red wines. Allowing the juice to ferment with skins will in turn generate a higher level of tannin to exist in the resulting wine. It is no secret that many people have a preference for either white or red wine. A very tannic wine is often a reason for dislike especially if you are new to wine. There are several varieties associated with being quite tannic, Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, are to name a few however in the game of wine you will not know until you try!

Every wine will possess its own unique color. A wine’s color can reveal its story, and to experienced blind tasters, provide necessary clues in pinpointing a correct assumption. Each grape variety generally exudes a certain range of hues however age and wood barrel aging will also have an affect on color. So evidently there is much more to color than just red and white!

Wine is an endless educational journey even for those most experienced in this subject so it is vital to explore and try new and exciting wines as often as your time allows!

So get out there, get tasting, and have fun!

Jennie Wills has been a hospitality expert for 10 years whose passion for home renovation, food and drink has lead to the successful launch of http://www.thesexykitchen.com ; a web-site dedicated to kitchen design, renovation, party planning, hospitality and much more. Perhaps you have a passion or hobby you?d like to write about. Discover how to turn your passion into a successful website, visit http://www.succeed-from-your-passion.com to learn how.