Anyone who has ever been to a wine tasting will know that it appears to be something of a mysterious ritual with tasters tilting their glasses, swirling the wine around the bowls, sniffing the wine and apparently gargling with the wine before eventually spitting it out.

Well wine tasting is not really that much of a mystery and, whether you a selecting wine for yourself or looking for that special wine gift, learning to taste a wine will certainly help with your selection.

There are five steps to the wine tasting process.

Testing for color and clarity. If you are tasting a red wine you should tilt the glass view the wine against a white background. If, looking at the edge or ‘lip’ of the wine against the glass you notice a dark color that running clear to the edge, then this indicates a very young wine. A somewhat lighter color which holds to the center of the glass with a clear lip indicates an older wine.

If you are tasting a white wine you need to look straight down into the wine to assess its clarity. The greater the clarity of the wine, the more the wine will seem to sparkle as the light catches it, rather like the glint from diamonds turned in the light.

Testing the body. To asses the body of a wine you need to swirl it vigorously around the glass and then look at the wine on the bowl of the glass when the glass is held still. The wine will either appear to cling to the bowl of glass or there will be little if any sign of the wine on the bowl at all. The greater the adherence to the sides of the glass, the more body the wine has.

Testing the aroma. Start by swirling the wine in the glass to release its vapors and then sniff it deeply. Assessing the smell is one of the real arts of wine tasting and come take a bit of time to master. In general, however, a young red wine will have a heavy smell of berries and will occasionally also smell slightly of mint, chocolate, spice or liquorice. As red wine ages its smell resembles that of raisons or prunes and, once past its best, it will take begin to smell like vinegar. White wines follow a similar pattern to red wines when it comes to assessing their aroma.

Testing a wine for sweetness, acidity and tannin. Begin by taking a small sip of wine into your mouth and roll it around on your tongue. Next, with the wine in the center of your tongue, gargle by gently sucking in air to vaporize the wine and release its flavor.

If the wine is sweet it will produce a tingling at the tip of your tongue, while an acid wine will create a sensation of pins and needles on the sides of your tongue. A wine that is high in tannin will make your mouth feel dry.

Young red wines frequently contain a lot of tannin which acts as a natural preservative and allows most red wines to be stored for much longer than white wines.

Testing for concentration and aftertaste. The finest red wines display a deep concentration of fruit which you will notice just before you swallow. This is why, despite all the spitting which is evident at wine tastings, you must always swallow a little of the wine. The very best wines will produce a lingering, pleasant finish.

Choosing a wine, especially a wine gift for somebody special, should be much more than simple selecting wine in a pretty bottle or buying an expensive wine because ‘at that price it must be good’. Armed with a few basic tasting skills you should pop along to your next local wine tasting and select a wine gift that not only looks and sounds good, but which tastes good as well.

Technorati Tags: Wine, wine gift, Wine Tasting

Technorati Tags: Red Wine, Sangria, Sweet Wine

The Loire Valley is one of the most beautiful winemaking areas in Europe. A narrow, but long strip of land following the Loire river, it stretches from Auvergne and the Massif Central mountains of France out to the Atlantic coast.

Vines have been grown here since Roman times and historians tell us that red wines have been made in the surrounding hills and white wines fermented on the banks of the river since about 380 AD.

The climate varies considerably across this region, with mild Atlantic winters and summers in the west and cold winters and pleasantly warm summers in the east.

About three-quarters of the grapes grown in the Loire go into to the creation of white wines, with the main grapes used being Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon. The remaining one-quarter of the grapes are used largely in the production of red wine and the grapes in this case include Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Pinot Noir.

The total wine production of the region is about 400 million bottles including both sweet and dry white wines as well as ros?? and fruity reds from grapes grown largely in limestone and clay soils.

At the eastern end of the valley, around Pouilly and Sancerre, the majority of the grapes used for winemaking are Sauvignon Blanc which go into making the delicious dry, white Pouilly-Fum??.

Moving west into the province of Touraine, one finds predominantly Chenin Blanc, which is used as the starting point of the fruity Montlouis. The glorious red Loire wines, including Bourgueil and Chinon, are also made here in the main from Cabernet Franc grapes.

On the right bank of the Loire, close to Tours, you will also find the lovely dry Vouvray. Produced from Chenin Blanc grapes grown in clay infested limestone, some 13 million bottles are produced each year from this area of almost 5,000 acres.

Moving west from Touraine, Anjou-Saumur also produces a wonderful and especially smooth white wine from the Chenin Blanc grape. In addition, winemakers around Angers have fermented Ros?? d’Anjou since the 6th century and it is even reported that this wine was much enjoyed by King Henry II of England. Today however we can all enjoy these wonderful oak aged whites.

Coteaux du Layon, which is within the Anjou area and lies along the Layon river where the vines are protected by the hills is best known for a sweet wine which is said to fermented using a recipe that is 15 centuries old. The harvest here comes late as growers leave the grapes on the vines until they start to over-ripen.

Last, but by no means least, any tour of the Loire valley must include Muscadet. Sitting at the western end of the Loire Valley Muscadet produces a pale, dry white wine with a worldwide reputation and which is best enjoyed when the wine is young and fresh.

Technorati Tags: auvergne, france, french wine, loire, massif central, muscadet, White Wine, Wine

Technorati Tags: Medical Benefits, Red Wine, White Wine

The Rhone Valley wine region looks very much like a miniature Italy as it extends roughly 125 miles from south of Lyon to just south of Avignon and houses a number of world famous C??tes du Rh??ne wineries. In this region the weather varies from the Rhone’s cold winters and warm summers to the classic Mediterranean where summers are hot and winters are mild.

The reasonably constant sunshine combines with granitic soil in the north of the region and limestone soil in the south of the region to produce Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grapes used to produce red wines and Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Ugni Blanc for white wines.

The Grenache is the dominant grape and represents 55 percent of the total red wine grapes grown while the Clairette makes up 35 percent of white wine grapes grown. In total some 8,000 to 10,000 winemakers produce 450 million bottles of wine on a huge 170,000 acres of land of which three-quarters is given over to the fruity reds of Ch??teauneuf du Pape in the south and the full-bodied C??te R??tie in the north.

One particular village, Chartreuse de Valbonne, enjoys a very different climate from that of the surrounding Mediterranean. Surrounded by forest atop horseshoe-shaped hills the area boasts numerous terraces composed of a mixture of stony chalk and limestone. Some of the barrels of the area date back to the 13th century and the village is home to spicy Syrah, plum Viognier and Grenache noir grapes with aromas of acacia honey and violet.

Considered to be some of the best of the C??tes du Rh??ne villages are Cairanne and Rasteau with Rasteau’s tannic Domaine du Trapadis being preferred by those who are seeking a zesty wine and Cairanne’s softer Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil being appreciated by the easy-going.

From the C??tes du Rh??ne villages clay and stony limestone soil come the Syrah and Grenache grapes that produce approximately 19,000,000 bottles of medium body fruity red wines.

The history of Gigondas wine traces back to the Romans and good advantage is taken today of the red clay soil and Mediterranean weather to ferment an perfumed alternative to the costly Ch??teauneuf du Pape. On roughly 3,000 acres vintners tend the Syrah, Mourv??dre and Grenache grapes that go to make 5.5 million bottles of this excellent wine.

For drinkers whose tongue requires a small shock of pleasure there is the Vignobles Darriaud’s Grenache Syrah which is a full-bodied red with plumy and earthy aromas and with chocolate tones that mingle with a peppery finish once the wine has been allowed to age for about 3 to 5 years.

In conclusion, we must turn our attention to the slopes of Ch??teauneuf du Pape which lie between Orange and Avignon and which were formerly summer retreat of many Popes. The wine from this area is thick and richly colored by the Clairette, Syrah, Grenache and ten other grape varieties. On about 7,600 acres of sandy red clay and quartz soil are grown the vines that produce 13 million bottles of wine that can take up to 20 years to age with aromas of vanilla, cinnamon and red fruits. A star of any wine tasting, Chateauneuf du Pape is truly one of the world’s great wines.

Technorati Tags: chateauneuf du pape, cotes du rhone, french wine, rhone valley, Wine, wines of france

The Champagne wine region of France lies almost 100 miles north-east of Paris close to the Belgian border and is divided into a number of wine growing areas the most famous of which are the C??te des Blancs, the Vall??e de la Marne and Montagne de Reims.

The climate in this part of France is quite a bit cooler than that experienced by the country’s southern vineyards and so the growing season is quite short. The average temperature of the region hovers just above that required to ripen the grapes and the best vineyards are situated on ground which is high enough to escape the winter frosts and low enough to be sheltered from the high summer heat.

The soil in the Champagne region is predominantly chalk under a very thin layer of arable topsoil, which provides excellent drainage and also reflects heat upwards to help ripen the grapes.

One fine example of the vineyards of this region is to be found at Montagne de Reims which is a forested plateau just to the south of Reims. Here Pinot Noir grapes are grown on a deep bed of crustaceous chalk with a thin topsoil to produce some highly prized Grand and Premier Cru wines.

Another area which produces some of the world’s finest Champagne is Montagne which enjoys its own very unique micro climate.

The banks of the Marne River too support many excellent south-facing and low-lying vineyards on which are grown largely Pinot Meunier grapes in the Vall??e de la Marne, while some 13 miles south of Epernay the C??te des Blancs produces a truly glorious Chardonnay.

The newest area of the Champagne region is the C??te de S??zanne, which was first planted in the 1960s and produces predominantly Chardonnay grapes.

To produce a truly great Champagne it is necessary to blend together the best qualities from the grapes of several different areas within the Champagne region and it is here that the true art of the vintner comes into play.

The larger Champagne houses store millions of gallons of wine drawn from all over the Champagne region and blends are produced in the main from three grape varieties.

The dominant grape variety is the Pinot Meunier which accounts for about 40% of the grapes grown in the region and which forms the base for most Champagnes. The next major constituent is found in the Pinot Noir which accounts for about 35% of the grapes grown in the region. Bringing up the rear, and the final 25%, is Chardonnay which is principally used to give the wine its lightness.

As with most of the world’s great products the blending of the truly exclusive Champagnes is a closely guarded secret which is known only to owners of the great Champagne houses.

Technorati Tags: C??te des Blancs, Champagne, Montagne de Reims, Vall??e de la Marne

Located in central east France, the 1.6 million inhabitants of the Burgundy region have to endure cold continental winters but, in exchange, enjoy pleasant warm summers.

The Burgundy (or Bourgogne) region covers some 31,500 square kilometers and is an area which is rich in both world and winemaking history. This 360 kilometer long strip of land some 100 kilometers south-east of Paris runs from Dijon to Rho??ne and produces some 180 million bottles of wine every year. These include some of the world’s finest full-bodied red wines such as Pommard and Corton and world-class white wines such as Chablis or Chassagne Montrachet.

The Burgundy area also boasts no less than 99 appellations and six hundred of Burgundy’s vineyards currently merit the appellation ‘Premier Cru’, designating wines of the finest quality. In addition, thirty three vineyards hold the even more exclusive ‘Grand Cru’ label, identifying vineyards such as Montrachet, Chambertin and Clos Vougeot as producing some of the world’s best wines.

Burgundy reds, fermented from the well known pinot noir grape, pair perfectly with pheasant or Boeuf Bourguignon and the dry white Chablis is especially wonderful alongside shrimp or goat’s cheese.

Named after the famous village of the same name, the Chablis, which is fermented from the Chardonnay grape grown in a fossil rich limestone soil, makes a delightful dry white wine with a refreshing acidity.

The region is also home to the world famous Beaujolais which is made from the Gamay grape grown in granite limestone and has a fruity flavor which makes it a perfect accompaniment for both grilled chicken and lamb.

On a sliver of less than 600 acres of land which forms the Volnay area of the region a delicious eponymous red wine has been made for eight centuries. Fermented from the Pinot Noir grape some 1.3 million bottles of this elegant wine with its aroma of raspberry and violets are produced every year.

If you are however a lover of the finest whites then it is to nearby Meursault with it’s Premier Cru label that you need to head. Fermented from the Chardonnay grape grown on approximately 1,000 acres of limestone and marl soil, this dry white wine with the aroma of almonds and apples is delightful alongside most fish. Some 2.5 million bottles of this wine are produced each year and it can be aged from 3 to 15 years.

The ‘pi??ce de resistance’ of the Burgundy wine region is however surely the red Pommard. A wine which has been in decline for some years but which is now making a comeback, Pommard has the aroma of black cherries and blackcurrants and is a wonderfully tannic wine with a robust flavor. Some 1.8 million bottles of this exceptional wine are produced annually from Pinot Noir grapes grown on a limestone and red clay soil and it has excellent ageing properties drinking well at anywhere from about 5 to 15 years. The red Pommard is particularly enjoyable when served alongside venison or roasted red meat.

Technorati Tags: appellation, Baeujolais, Burgundy, Chablis, french wine, grand cru, Pommard, premier cru, Red Wine, White Wine

Technorati Tags: Cream Sauce, Favorite Recipes, Wine Sauce

The Bordeaux wine region is located in the south west of France around the city of Bordeaux. Lying close to the Atlantic ocean, the region covers more than 10,000 square kilometers and boasts some 284,000 acres of vineyards. Wines have been produced in the Bordeaux region since the first century AD and today it is home to thousands of wine producing Ch?teaux.

Winters are short in this part of the world and the climate is temperate with hot summers which run into long falls. Humidity in the area also tends to be high as it is located near the estuaries of three rivers the Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde.

The vineyards of Bordeaux fall into five distinct regions and there are some 57 appellations. The Appellation d’Origine Contr?l?e (AOC) refers to a defined and regulated region in which the manner in which wines are produced, labeled and sold is strictly controlled.

The Medoc region, which is a 50-mile strip of land between the Atlantic ocean and the Gironde estuary, grows largely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines on gravelly plateaus, known as croupes, which have been created over many centuries on top of a heavy clay and limestone base. Consisting of some 10,500 acres, the Medoc region produces about 36 million bottles of wine annually from approximately 400 vineyards.

The Graves region, which covers nearly 13,000 acres and lies to the west of the Garonne river, derives its name from pebbles found in the soil which gives it excellent drainage to produce very healthy vines. The region produces a wonderful garnet-colored red wine with a balance of Merlot and Cabernet grapes. The white wines produced here are dry and are predominantly based on the Semillon grape with a moderate amount of Sauvignon Blanc blended in.

The finest wines from this region are distinguished by the name Pessac-Leognan with other excellent Ch?teaux sometimes referred to as crus bourgeois.

South of Graves lies the Sauternes region with a warmer and drier climate and limestone rich soil. White wines labeled as Sauternes and produced from Semillon grapes grown on the limestone rich soil of this region are sweet, a quality which they gain from the infiltration of a fungus known as Botrytis cinerea.

The Sauterne region is famous for its sweet dessert wines such as Yquem, Raymond-Lafon and Rieussec and produces about 4.5 million bottles annually on approximately 4,500 acres.

The oldest wine growing area in Bordeaux is Saint Emilion which lies to the east of the Gironde river. The soil here ranges from limestone gravel to largely sand which again provides excellent drainage and the predominant grape grown here is the Merlot. Saint Emilion is especially well known for its robust, fast maturing and high quality red wines and produces some 36 million bottles a year on about 13,000 acres.

The Pomeral region of Bordeaux is by far the smallest region growing vines on just 1,900 acres of sandy soil which lies over a clay base with a significant iron content. The region grows predominantly Merlot grapes, together with some Bouchet, which is a type of Cabernet Franc grape, and produces some scarce but superior red wines including the Ch?teau P?trus.

Many of the red wines produced in the Bordeaux region have an aging potential of 5 to15 years and some will do extremely well up to 50 years.

Technorati Tags: france, french wine, graves, medoc, pomeral, saint emilion, sauterne, White Wine, Wine

Technorati Tags: Fiance, Goose Recipe, Thanksgiving