It is easy to enjoy wine but understanding it better opens up whole new world of tastes and sensations.
Wine appreciation has a rich history dating back to about 6.500 BC, but it is often been seen as a snooty pastime fir the well-heeled. That's changing now, as more and more wine pours into the local market. Or wine scene is young but it's vibrant and exciting, and more importantly growing. Expect to see more accessible wine market, with a wider price range which will allow you to buy both affordable, quaffable wines and more upmarket luxe labels.
I will show you some basic on appreciating wine.
BUT REMEMBER!
Drinking wine is all about pleasure not rules. The more styles and types you try, the easier it is to identify what suits your tastebuds, and the more sensitive your tastebuds will become.
BUT REMEMBER!
Drinking wine is all about pleasure not rules. The more styles and types you try, the easier it is to identify what suits your tastebuds, and the more sensitive your tastebuds will become.
- CHILLING OUT
Many F&B outlets out there is still commit the cardinal SIN! or serving wine, especially red wine. TOO WARM. While you may hear the words "room temperature" used in self-defence,*BULLSHIT* bear in mind with this rule, serving red wine at room temperature is originated in Europe, not MALAYSIA. They are not serving "room temperature" wine but boiled hot wine.
Red wine
The best temperature for red wine with lighter color is around 12 Celsius while for heavier, more tannic wine is around 17 Celsius.
Tips: the best is either refrigerating or soaking the bottle in an ice bucket for up to 30 minutes before serving
White wine
The best temperature for white wines should be served at about 12 Celsius, while sweet wines can be served from 6 Celsius.
Tips: too cool is better than too war, as the wine warms up in the glass.
Important: Don't be afraid to send the wine back to the moron who cheat your money cause you may missed many of the nuances of the wine. And HOLD YOUR GLASS BY THE STEM NOT THE BOWL, to avoid warming manually with your body heat. LOL!!
Correct way to hold wine glass.
Incorrect way to hold a wine glass.
*pretty also useless lahhh* - TASTING TIPS
Appreciating wine is a holistic sensory experience, and a good glass of wine can be felt down to your very toes! It's poetry in a glass, and like much poetry, needs a closer look to decipher.
- Use the right glass.
Balloon glasses with more rounded bowls for red wine.
Tulip-shaped glasses for white
Tall flute for sparkling.
- Appreciate the clarity and color.
Tilt the glass slightly over a white surface to appreciate the clarity and color, and check for the sediment. Young white wine are usually pale, then grow deeper gold as they age. Reds can run the spectrum of the hue, but older reds are usually more muted, slightly brownish.
- Use both of your sense of smell and taste.
To 'taste' the wine, use both of your senses. Start out by swirling the wine gently to release its aromas, sniff lightly for the first impression of the wine. It should smell clean and fresh. If it smells mouldly, it's corked, and a 'cooked' smell means that the wine has been oxidized - usually due to poor storage at inappropriate temperatures.
- Look for aromas
Swirl the wine again and inhale deeply. Look at the aromas of oak, herbs. berries, flowers, honey and citrus. A good wine has a complex, multi-layered nose.
- Look for sensations
With a first sip, allow the wine lightly coat your tongue. Look for the sensations like whether is light or heavy on your tongue, whether it has crisp acidity, the level of the alcohol content and the tannin levels in red wine. These sensations should be balanced, without one being overly prominent.
- Look for flavours
As the wine evolve in your mouth, look for flavours such as berries, citrus fruits, spices or wood
- Look to the finish
Finally, look to the finish of the wine, the lingering impression it leaves in your mouth after swallowing. Note if it was long, lingering finish and what your last flavour impression was.
Types of WineReds,Richer wines, with deeper flavours and more 'weight' than whites, they're made from red grapes such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's flavour s and colours come from the grape juice fermented with the skins and seeds for a time, as well as aging it in oak barrels. Reds have distinct tannins, a compound that produces the astringent quality in the mouth and provides the wine with it's aging potential.
Whites,Made from a white grapes such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; most have the skins and seeds removed during the fermentation process. They are lighter and more delicate than red wines.
Roses.Made from red grapes, these wines get their delicate blush and flavours from a very short fermenting period with the skins intact. They should be drunk young and served very chilled, like whites.
Sparkling,Known by different names around the world, there are also various methods to make sparkling wine. The most expensive method, which makes the highest quality bubbly, is the methode champenoise, used to make French Champagne (it can only be called as champagne if it is produce under the same province). Similar wines from Spain are calledtires like cava, prosecco from Italy, sekt from Germany and sparkling wine from countries like US and Australia.
Fortified,There are made from base wines combined with spirits, and include sherries, ports, madeiras and vermouth. They are rich and flavourful and many are served as either aperitits or digestits.
Sweet,Sweet dessert wines can be made from Moscato grapes, with fermentation stopped before all the sugar in the wine has been converted to alcohol. Or it can be made with botrytis, also known as 'noble rot'- a FUNGUS!!! introduced to the grape which removes water and concentrates the sugar. A good sweet wine is rich and luscious and tastes complex, honeyed fruit rather than sugar.
Major Wines
Syrah / ShirazBoth the names refer to the same red variety but it only called as Syrah in Europe. Deep and dark red with strong tannins, it has the distinct aroma of wild black fruits.
MerlotPronounced as 'mare-lo', this easy to drink red is often perfumed with typical scents of plums, cherries and herbal flavours, with milder tannins.
Cabernet SauvignonThis red is often blend of merlot and cabernet franc and undergoes the oak treatment. Pronounced as 'ca-burr-ney so-veen-yaw', it is full bodied red with a rounded and firm flavour.
Pinot NoirThis red is rarely blended and it is often called as the noblest of the red. Pronounced 'pee-know na-wahr', its structure is delicate, fresh and with softer tannins and fruits aroma.
ChardonnayChardonnay 'sha-doe-nay' is a very popular that can be sparkling or still. Often described as 'voluptuous' the wine is white bodied with rich citrus flavours. Fermenting in young oak barrel to give it a butterly flavour.
Sauvignon BlancOriginally from the Bordeux region from France,this white is blended with Semillion, Pronounced 'so-veen-yaw blah' LOL!, this white normally expresses a herbal character with bell peppers with frssh flavours of green fruits such as apples, pears and gooseberries.
RieslingOriginally from the Asace region from Germany. Riesling 'rees-ling' is aromatic and typically dry. This aroma is fresh and will reminds you of apples.
The way you drink wine and your attitude towards wine is a measurement of your standard in the society. I'm not saying that drinking the most expensive wine can upgrade your standard but drinking your favourite wine and you know the story behind it will make you more appreciate what you are drinking and the wine will be tastier automatically become tastier.
Now, is time for you to find your very own favourite flavour. - Use the right glass.
