white wines
Some Great Choices for Cheap White and Red Wines
The world is awash in a sea of great wines these days because of favorable temperatures and modern wine making techniques. Although it can be great to try some of the famous, and expensive, wines of the world you can get excellent wines for a lot less. There are many new areas to the wine world that simply have great wine at reasonable places. Here are some of the top areas to try wines from.
For white wines, my top picks are Chile, New Zealand, and Italy. In Chile and New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc is the grape of choice. It’s light, has a fruity taste, and plenty of balancing acidity. These are delicious and easy to drink wines that go well with food. Do not ignore other grapes from here either such as Reisling and Chardonnay as you might love these too. In Italy, just about every Pinot Grigio is going to be great. Ignore any big names as you are paying for marketing, not wine making or taste. These are festive and stunning food friendly wines as well. It’s tough to go wrong with an Italian Pinot Grigio!
Aging Bottles of Wine: Do All Wines Taste Better With Age?
The phrase, “all wine improves with age” is not entirely true. There are only a few red and white wines that truly get better with age. The wine aging process is completely dependent upon the presence of tannins which help slow the oxidation process. Tannins are the result of the grape skin, and oftentimes seeds, fermenting with the grape juice to create better aging potential. Lighter, fruitier wines are not meant for aging.
Red Wine Aging
Basic Wine Tasting Terminology for Beginners
If you’ve never been to a wine tasting, or have only been to one or two events, there is no question that there are a ton of terms that you are unfamiliar with. In order to effectively communicate within a group at a wine tasting, you should have a basic understanding of the common terminology. Some of these terms may have heard before, others may not ring a bell at all, but keep your mind open as you review the basic wine tasting terminology..
* Acidity- Helps preserve wine. All grapes (and by extension all wines) have acid. Wines extremely high in acidity often have a sour or tart taste. Wines low in acidity are described as tasting “fat” or “flabby.”
* Aeration – Occurs by either swirling the wine around in a glass or decanting the bottle into another container. Aeration softens the tannins by allowing the wine to “breathe” before consumption. Young red wines benefit most from aeration.
* Ascescence- Marks the presence of ethyl acetate and acetic acid. Noticeable by sweet and sour, sometimes vinegary smell and taste along with a sharp feeling in the mouth.
* Astringent- Rough, puckery taste caused by high tannin content. Astringency normally mellows out with age.
* Austere- Dry, hard and acidic wines that attacks the palate with tannic astringency. Often a young wine that will get better with age.
* Balance- No individual part dominates or overpowers the other. Sweetness balances acid; oak and tannin content is balanced by fruitiness.
* Big- Describes the overall body and taste of a wine. Big red wines are usually high in tannins while big white wines are high in alcohol and glycerin.
* Buttery- A texture as creamy as butter. Often used to describe a taste of better white wines such as Chardonnay.
* Finish- The aftertaste, or amount of time the flavors linger in your mouth. A exceptional finish will last anywhere from 15 to 40 seconds. Anything less than this is considered standard, or if under 8 seconds, a poor finish.
* Flinty- The taste experienced when stones/minerals are licked. High acidity and brings to mind a clean, earthly flavor.
* Green- The taste of wine made with under-ripe fruit. Often loosely describes some white wines with a greenish hue, such as Rieslings, which indicate a youthful wine. In recent years, the term “green wine” has taken on an alternate meaning, made with environmentally friendly production methods.
* Hollow- Wines missing a mid-palate taste often caused by too many grapes on inadequately pruned vines. Hollow wines have a strong initial impact and aftertaste but not much flavor while in the mouth on the tongue.
* Legs- The liquid rivulets that appear inside of a wineglass after the wine is swirled in order to evaluate alcohol content.
* Nose- The aroma or bouquet produced as you inhale the aroma of wine. Refers to the delectable odor or fermentation smells – whether desirable or undesirable – found in wine.
* Tannin- Naturally occurring bitter compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems. Tannins have a hard, astringent taste. Also acts a preservative in aging wine.
The Top 8 Wine Producing Regions Of The World
Think wine and what’s the first image that comes to mind? That’s right. Miles and miles of rolling, lush vineyards of France and Italy and blue, sunny skies. Few are aware that the Roman Empire was responsible for popularising the concept of growing grapes and setting up vineyards outside Italy. A concept that was immediately picked up by its neighbouring countries like Spain, Portugal, Germany, and France.
In addition to Italy and France, today, there are many other regions in the world that are equally renowned for wine production, in terms of quantity and quality.