thewinecompass

Wine has been around for many centuries, and whether it was considered the drink of everyone, or a luxury for a few, wines can be traced to the earliest history of man. Often used for celebrations, there was a time when wine was poured for the common man as a daily drink, but in today’s world, he’ll find winemakers who long for world class distinction with their favorite wine.

Wines can be very confusing if you haven’t been brought up with them, but in actuality there are a few basic rules you can follow to enjoy a wine at its best. Knowing the basic class designations and when they’re used as well as how, can help you decide on a nice wine for dinner or any meal. Trying a variety is a way to get to know your wines; you may want to take notes as you go through different types and mixes of wines.

Red wine has been around for centuries, and recently the medical world has given it heart protecting antioxidant features as well. Red wines are known for bold flavors because they use the grape skins themselves to make the wine. You’ll find most red wines will have a deeper color and flavor because they are kept in contact with the actual grape skin . You’ll find names such as Pinot Noir, Gamey, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel as well as Table Red wines.

There are also wines with a more delicate flavor and aroma and come in a variety of very dry, or sour tastes, to very sweet wines that are considered whites. Made without the grape skin, they produced a bit of milder, sweeter taste. They are made from both red and white grapes, but the skin is removed before the fermenting process. You’ll find names such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and many others.

Then there are the pink wines such as Rose and White Zinfandel, which is actually pink in color, and just about as many different pink wines as there are red and white. They’re usually made with a bit of fruity taste to them. And although not made from roses, they’re made with minimal contact to the grape skin so the color is not as intense.

there are the sparkling wines such as champagne or sparkling rose usually for important celebrations. They take a much longer process, which is why they’re usually saved for those celebrations. You’ll find champagne under this class of wine, as well as sparkling whites, rarely sparkling reds, and quite a few sparkling pink wines.

Dessert wines tend to have a class of their own because they are of a heavier sweeter nature. They’re often combined with other week years to increase the sugar and texture of the wine. You’ll find wine names such as Sherry, Vermouth, Madeira and Port and you’ll often see these wines served after a meal rather than during.

Wines that taste a bit stale, bitter, moldy or vinegary have not been stored or processed properly. If you notice any of these flavors within your wine, you can actually ask for a refund or another bottle. Have another person taste it, and you’ll soon discover that you’re not the only one that tastes these flavors within a wine that has been improperly prepared or stored. You should also not just use your taste buds in your mouth but also you should also use your olfactory senses when it comes to tasting a wine. The smell of a wine should flood through your olfactory senses, giving you a rich aroma that’ll have many counterparts to it besides the smell of alcohol alone. You may find that swirling your glass gently releases the odors from the wine itself, allowing you to smell the rich deep flavor instilled within the glass. This is why wine glasses usually have a slight bowl at the bottom of the glass narrowing to a smaller mouth. It’s to catch the odors of the wine itself and hold them like a bouquet for your olfactory senses. You’ll also want to study the color of your wine. It may be called a red, but it can be anything from a very light clear red, to a deep, dark red that you cannot see through. The same can be said for whites, they can be everywhere from a very pale clear white wine, to a dark yellow texture rich wine. The color of wine can also help you distinguish if it’s been aged properly, red wines that are a bit lighter in color have been aged longer and you can test this with a simple test. Tip the wine glass, so a bit of wine remains in the rim of the glass, if it is brownish in color than it’s been properly aged. You’ll also find some connoisseur’s, who swirl the wine to watch it move inside the glass. If a wine moves smoothly and cleanly around the glass it may have a higher sweetness and alcohol content, and one that is sluggish or heavy may have impurities from the skins still within the wines themselves.

The wine connoisseur is easily identified by not just the way they sip or smell the wines, but also how they handle their glass, handle the wine bottle itself, and how they fill the glass as well. The actual wine connoisseur did not become a connoisseur overnight, but years of study, practice at wine tastings, and often increasing their palates recognition by tasting different wines, when they perhaps, would like to have something they know and love instead. No matter what variety of wine you’re trying, it should have a smooth texture, and a smooth taste.