WINE BASICS
What are the most common types of grapes?
Almost 10,000 varietals of grapes exist yet there are only a few that are grown in abundance.
White Grapes
Pinot Gris/Grigio-Usually light bodied with fruity taste. It is known as Pinot Grigio in Italy and Pinot Gris in most other parts of the world.
Reisling-Light to medium bodied with high acidity and mineral flavors. Styles range from super sweet to bone dry.
Sauvignon Blanc-Light to medium bodied with bright acidity. Can have lemon, citrus, and herb flavors.
Chardonnay-This is one of the most popular grapes grown today. It is medium to full bodied and can be toasty and buttery in taste if aged in French and/or American oak barrels.
Purple Grapes
Pinot Noir-Produces a medium to full bodied wine. It is often called the heartbreak grape because it is very difficult to grow.
Cabernet Sauvignon-Full bodied with black currant and cedar flavors.
Merlot-This is one of the most popular red grapes. It produces full bodied wines with plum and/or chocolate flavors.
Syrah/Shiraz-Full bodied with powerful berry and/or pepper flavors. It is known as Syrah in the Old World Rhone Valley and Shiraz in the New World locations of California, Washington, and Australia.
How does a beginner learn about wine?
If you’re a novice wine drinker start by ordering random wines at a restaurant to develop your palate. It will become apparent which wines you prefer and then easier to narrow down the grape varietals you enjoy.
Another avenue to becoming familiarized with wines is to visit a winery. The people who work there are very knowledgeable and are happy to answer any questions you have, from the winemaking process to the difference in the wines they produce. It is important to keep your mind open to different wines as that will develop your palate even more.
How do you plan a wine party?
The first question people tend to ask is how much wine do I need? Typically a serving of wine is 5 oz. whether it’s mixed, as in Sangria, or alone. Usually you figure a person can drink a serving per half hour so you multiply the number of people by the length of the party, in half hour increments, and you have the amount you need to have on hand. Simple!
Another question asked is how to pair the wines. There are many resources to guide you in this quest but for simplicity go light to heavy. Traditionally, start out with a light white, like pinto gris and work your way to a heavy white, like chardonnay. These pair well with cheese and appetizers. As you work your way to reds, the meal should be progressing to the main course. A medium bodied red like a pinto noir would complement many main courses while savoring a deep red, like syrah, for dessert.
The most important aspect of a wine party is to plan ahead of time-to match wines with foods- and then to enjoy the evening.
At what temperature should you serve wine?
63-65 degrees is considered room temperature and is appropriate for medium to full bodied red wines
57 degrees is considered “cellar temperature”. This is suitable for full bodied white wines and light bodied reds.
50-52 degrees is considered chilled and is appropriate for light to medium bodied white wines. If you are chilling a wine in the refrigerator let the wine set out 10-20 minutes to come to the right temperature
Remember, these are only guidelines.
What are the ideal conditions to store your wine collection?
Cool, dark, and free from major vibrations-you have yourself a wine cellar.
The two keys to storing wines properly are temperature and humidity. Temperature is by far the most important of the two factors. The ‘traditional’ temperature for wine is 55 degrees. Wine should normally be stored between 50-60 degrees F. A colder temperature causes the aging process to slow down, preventing the wine from aging properly. A higher warmer temperature causes it to age to quickly. The humidity range should be between 60-70%. The primary reason to watch the humidity level is because high humidity hurts the wine label, resulting in lower resale value.
As a general guideline, whites do not age for long, they are to be enjoyed relatively young, while reds can age 5 -30 years.
What are the reasons to decant a wine before serving?
In older wines it separates the sediment that accumulates at the bottom of the bottle and helps them to wake up. For any wine it exposes it to air and gives it a chance to breathe. This usually results in a fuller bodied wine experience.
What is an American Viticultural Area?
Instead of Appellations, the United States uses the term American Viticulatural Area or AVA for short. Designated official wine growing regions are called American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). AVAs are official grape growing regions that have been designated by the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. They are geographic locations the have the same climate, soil, and elevation that give a wine certain characteristics. When an AVA is designated on a wine bottle, 85% of that wine must come from that AVA.
There can be sub-AVAs which means there can be several AVA’s designated within a larger AVA area. Example: Sonoma County is an AVA, but there are smaller areas located within the Sonoma County that have an AVA. The Russian River Valley AVA is a small geographic area located within the Sonoma AVA.
What is a reserve wine?
A winery will use the term Reserve for the bottling of a special wine. Typically these wines are of higher quality and/or of limited production. On the other hand, the term Reserve can be used as a marketing strategy and may not be special in any way. It is best to visit the winery and ask questions on the production and quality of the wine.