Assessing Wine
How Many Calorie In a Glass of Wine
A lot of people have a common idea on just exactly how many calories they take in whenever they consume solid foods. However, it is quite common to forget that when we take beverages and drink, we are still putting calories in our body.
Alcohol drinkers, most especially those who drink wine, will be surprised to know that the calorie intake that is associated with wine is much larger than you think.
How many calories are in wine? more»
What is Tannin in Red Wine?
Some of you wine drinkers have heard it said before. Someone was offered a glass of red wine and says "I can't drink that, the tannins contribute to my headache." What are tannins in the first place? Where do they come from? Are tannins present only in red wine, or can you find them in other things as well? more»
A Glossary of Wine Terms
Wine Terms Acidity
The quality of tartness or sharpness in the taste of wine due to the presence of natural acids. Not to be confused with sourness, dryness, or astringency. more»
Improve Your Wine Tasting Skills
The best way to improve one's wine tasting ability is to taste as much wine as possible, on a regular basis. The sensory experience of wine is highly subjective; the wine's temperature, the ambient temperature, psychological and physical states and many other factors contribute to the impression of a wine. When tasting, the following characteristics of the wine are generally evaluated: more»
How to Succesfully Taste Wine
There are a lot of things to consider in wine tasting and assessment. The first stage is the visual assessment that one makes of the wine. This is so important that it is probably one of the big reasons that makes the taster decide if he or she will go ahead with tasting and assessing the wine. There are a lot of things that could turn off a potential wine taster.
If the wine is cloudy or dirty with different suspended matter or if the color is not at all bright or if the wine does resemble anything of good quality, if there is any sickness at all in the wine, a wine expert may also find different faults in a wine so definitely, the eye is the primary means by which wine is judged and it can easily transmit so much information about the make and quality of the wine just by retrieving visual information about the wine. more»
Evaluating Wine
How does one know which wines are considered special or plain ordinary? To the common individual down the street, this wouldn't mean anything. If a wine tastes great, then it is a damn fine wine.
But to the discriminating wine connoisseur, being able to evaluate wines as to their quality, make and vintage would mean anything in the world. But how do wine experts judge and evaluate the different types of wines? Here are the basics that may give the inquiring mind some knowledge in evaluating wines. more»
Why Wine Bottles Have Punts?
You may have not noticed it before. You may not have even have cared why it is there. But if ever you do take a closer look at most wine bottles, you might have seen that hollow indentation on the base of the wine bottle that seems to be pushed inward. That hollow indentation is called the punt and it provides some of the interesting parts that the wine bottle have come to be associated with. more»
Determine a Wine's Quality by Color
An important element in trying to evaluate quality wines is through their color. Of course there are a number of grape varieties that provide the wine with its color. But how dark or how light that color is can tell the wine expert more than just the type or variety of grape used for a certain wine. How that color comes out can be used to assess the fine qualities of wines, be it red, white or rose wine varieties. more»
Sulfite Free Wines
A sulfite-free wine does not exist. All wines contain sulfite. With that out of the way we can fully discuss the issues that surround the presence of sulfite in the wines we drink. First off, sulfite or sulfur dioxide is a naturally occurring by-product of fermentation. The human body itself produces sulfite at 1000 milligrams per day. Although present during the fermentation process in wine making, more sulfite is intentionally added to the wines to act as preservatives to prevent oxidation and spoilage. The same additive is used for preserving dried fruits and dried potato products. more»
How to Appreciate Wine
Enjoying wine is something of an art. There are certain elements that work together in order for the wine lover to fully appreciate what fine wine should be. It does not just involve the taste of the wine alone that would comprise total wine appreciation. There are actually four elements that are used in order to appraise the good qualities of a certain wine. more»
How to Taste Wine
If you have finally decided to make wine drinking and wine tasting part of your renaissance makeup, you would need to employ several important techniques. Wine tasting is not for those who go about things in life haphazardly. It's important that you practice proper wine tasting steps in order for you to be able to judge whatever wine it is that you are testing. So, if you're up to the task, grab a few bottles of wine and you can start practicing after you're able to finish reading this article. more»
Blended and Varietal Wines
What is varietal wine?
A varietal wine refers to a wine made from a single grape variety. Varietal wines are common in areas where many different grape varieties are grown close together like in vineyards of North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and in parts of Europe.
The name of the specific variety is placed on the label of the wine bottle. In the U.S. and most other countries, varietal wines need to have at least 75 percent of a particular grape variety to carry the varietals name. In Australia the percentage is 80. In Europe, instead of using the varietal names they label their wines with the names of regions, districts or villages where they came from. more»
Top Five Common Misconceptions About Wine
With an increased consumption of wine in the US, so does its myths and misconceptions that are associated with it, especially there is not much mainstream media that educate the general public about wine. Here are some of the most unusual myths that we try to dispel. more»
Spotting a Faulty Wine
Even if you're not a wine expert and only drinks wine occasionally, you still need to know some basic information that will help you determine if something is wrong with the wine you are drinking. Having been around wine long enough, you can usually determine if a bottle of wine is faulty by simply relying on your nose and taste buds.
Spotting cork taint more»
List of Components in Wine
Flavor is not the only thing that you need or have to pay attention to in a wine. One could do better and appreciate more the complex qualities of a bottle of wine if one comprehends its basic structure. The balance of tannins, acidity, alcohol, flavor and other components will help you understand and enjoy the taste of a glass of wine. In wine drinking we go beyond the simple salty, sweet, bitter, and sour tastes and expand the tasting experience with union of our sense of smell and overall mouth feel. more»
How to Evaluate Wine's Appearance
For avid wine connoisseurs, it takes more than just drinking wine by the bottle in order to appreciate it. Wine tasting is an art that incorporates following a certain technique or method in order to fully ascertain the qualities and characteristics of fine wine. Taste is not the only factor that determines the quality of fine wine. Smell, appearance and texture also come into play when it is time for the wine connoisseurs to judge if a certain wine is of fine quality or not.
White Wine
One of the factors that affect wine quality is how it looks. Color itself may be a tell tale sign of the quality and the condition of the wine. In reality, most white wines are not entirely white. Most white wines have that tinge in color in them, depending on the type of grapes used as well as a result of how the grapes are aged and processed.
In white wines, certain hints in color may determine its age and indicate how it would taste. The color of most white wines may range in between light green to yellow or brown. It is a usually indication that white wine with a brownish appearance may already have gone bad. more»
What is Vintage Wine?
The word "vintage" is often associated with old, outmoded, and classic things like a vintage car, a vintage guitar or a vintage record. Any object attached to the word connotes style, elegance, maturity, excellence, and an enduring appeal. However, when the word is applied to wines, it carries a totally different meaning.
What is wine vintage?
The word vintage in wine making refers to the harvesting and processing of grapes from a vineyard during a season. In other words, a vintage wine is made from grapes that were grown in a single specified year. Other wine makers use the word to refer to their best years. It is often incorrect to assume that a vintage wine is an old one or is it a high quality product. more»
