Wine Tasting Room Etiquette



When going into tasting rooms, there are certain etiquette rules one should follow. If you are wondering to yourself what these rules entail, you are not alone. Most people are not aware of proper wine tasting etiquette, but by the time you are finished with this article you will be ready to make your way to the closest winery for a tasting. The most basic rule for wine tasting is to start with white and work your way to the reds. Another hint is to go from dry to sweet within your white and red wines. Strong flavors can overwhelm the palate and can hinder your taste buds from experiencing the bouquets of each wine. Always save your dessert and ice wines for last. Those have the most sweetness and fullness attached to them and affects your palates ability to experience the next tasting.

When entering a wine establishment, do not be timid. Go ahead and walk straight to the bar; most places are fairly relaxed and informal. After you take a seat, you will be approached by a bartender or a barista. If you do not know much about the wine you are about to sample, just ask. Most servers who do wine tastings enjoy explaining the wine and the flavors that are incorporated. Remember to work your way from whites, to red, to ports and ice wine.

Wine tasting can be an involved process. To help you understand various flavors of wine, keep a journal when participating in tastings. This will help you to identify specific flavors, regions, and full bodied wines. Also it will be a great reference for when you want a particular flavor of wine to pair with food or share with friends and family. There are a few things to look for when doing a tasting if you are planning on becoming a wine connoisseur: color of the wine, legs, the aroma, and fullness or flavor of that wine. Smelling and tasting the wine poured for you during a tasting are the two most important steps in the examination your wine. It will give you a greater understanding of the types of wine and what you like in a wine. If you are interested in learning more, buy a book about wine. It will go into great detail about particular aspects and types of wine.

Now that all of our bases are covered, let us talk about spitting after tasting. Movies show wine tasters spitting out the wine after they taste. This is not always the approach that needs to be taken. The reason why people spit out the wine after tasting it is mainly because of the alcohol content involved. As we have all heard, alcohol can hinder your judgment and this is true even with our sense of taste. You only truly need to spit out the wine if you are doing several tastings, more than ten, or if you are at a formal wine tasting. If you are judging wines, I suggest that you spit. Tasting 20 glasses can cause you to become intoxicated even if you spit it out because alcohol is absorbed through the skin in your mouth.

Since wine has high alcohol content, most people enjoy a snack with tastings. If you are going to be having snack with your wine tasting there are few things to keep in mind here as well. Most establishments have cheese tray, chocolates, dried fruit and nuts to serve. White wines pair slightly better with cheese and dried fruit and red wines go well with the chocolates. But do not be afraid to mix it up. Wine sampling is about finding the flavors that you enjoy the most, and you are never wrong when it comes to choosing flavor combination that you enjoy. These are tips to help you begin to learn what your personal preferences are. For the sweeter ports and ice wines try it with chocolates, nuts and dried fruits. They seem to compliment the sweetness the best.

Those are the basic things to keep in mind when doing tastings. Now get out there and start learning about the several varieties of wines that are available to you. Soon enough you will be able to host your own wine tasting party. Ask questions if you have any, take notes if you wish, but most importantly enjoy yourself!

By: David M Scott

About the Author:
David Scott is the owner of Su Vino Winery in Grapevine, Texas. Look the line of wine shirts he carries, like the Group Therapy t-shirt that are available to you at any time of the day.

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deejay30 asked:


I am trying to purchase a wine cooler for my dad for Father’s Day. I have looked at every size, brand, model you can think of, but I’m still not sure which is best. I think he has mostly red wines, but I want him to be able to store the white wine at the same time. I also want it to hold at least 28 bottles. If you have any suggestions on a brand and model, please help me!!
Sorry, I needed to be more clear…I don’t mean wine cooler like the drink. I mean wine cooler as in the appliance.

Thanks anyway!

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White Wine

Do you know that white wine is not white in colour? The white wine is usually yellow coloured or has the colour of a straw or golden coloured. The colour of white wine is derived from the assortment of varietals of grapes.

Generally the white wines are made from the juice of the grapes and the skin of the grapes which is yellow, gold or green in colour. White wan can also be made from the juice of certain varietals of red grapes, without including their skin. The classical example is that of Champagne.

When can white wine be served?

The occasions where white wines are served generally include lighter meals, smaller dinners, think lunch, as appetisers or like the ap?ritif themselves. White wines are lighter and more refreshing both in terms of taste and style than their counterparts, the red wines. These properties of white wines make them ideal for any occasions in summer as well as spring.

Even though the old pairing of white meat and white wine is still prevalent, there are lot of palate preferences as well as exceptions which can be quoted.

Choice of glass for consuming white wines

The style of glass used for serving and consuming white wine is totally different from those which are used for serving red wine. For white wines, narrow glasses with sharp tapering tops are preferred and best as it helps for the maintenance of the better concentration of aroma of the white wines which are delicate. The temperature when you serve white wine can be kept to somewhere between fort five and fifty degree Fahrenheit.

Varietals of white wines

The eight types of varietals of white wines are

Cahrdonnay

Sauvigon Blanc also known by the name of Fumé Balnc

Gewurztraminer

Riesling

Semillon

Pinot Grigio also know as Pinot Gris

Viognier as well as

Chennin Blanc



By: sreejith

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babybug74 asked:


I like to cook, and my husband likes having wine with the meals I make. Which wines get paired up best with which foods? Are you supposed to drink red wines with certain dishes? Please give some examples of some different wines that we can try that are readily found in the supermarket.

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ProblemSolver Rx asked:


I love the sweet taste of riesling, and I have had some red wines in the past that I enjoyed but do not remember their names.

Which red wines would you recommend for people who like the sweet taste of a riesling?

(p.s. I know riesling is a white wine, but I want to start drinking more red wine)

Thanks!!

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Red Wine is Healthy

Is red wine beneficial for health or a potent poison? In the old times Plato said that “nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the Gods to man.” Nowadays research suggests that a glass of red wine each day may be providing you with more than just a little relaxation.

The French seem to know something about the health benefits of red wine considering that studies that compared French and German red wines, revealed that the French red wines delivered a greater health benefit due to their higher level of antioxidants. Experts believe that red wine contains certain compounds that help protect the heart. This has opened the door for other researchers to study the components in red wine that may be responsible for its health benefits.

In the last 10 years, thousands of research on red wine showed that moderate intake of this drink improves cardiovascular health. The cardio protective effect has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes.

Based on the research experts advise that the antioxidants, called flavonoids, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in three ways: by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (the “bad” cholesterol), by boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and by reducing blood clotting.

Furthermore researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart. One study found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is prevalent in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumour development in some cancers. Another study indicated that resveratrol aided in the formation of nerve cells, which experts believe may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The most recent studies on red wine presented at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) annual meeting, in Orlando, Florida by the Canadians show that Red wine polyphenols may help fight gum disease. V. Houde, M. Boisvert and their colleagues from University Laval in Canada investigated the role of polyphenols, including those from red wine, in scavenging free radicals released by immune cells stimulated with components of bacteria causing periodontal diseases. Free radicals are believed to be at least partly responsible for the development of gum disease and are generated by immune cells during periodontitis. In order to have healthy gums it is important to that free radicals are maintained at low levels. Their results indicated that red wine polyphenols significantly modulate several inflammatory components released by macrophages (a population of host immune cells) in response to bacterial stimuli.

Visit Vintage Roots for organic wines.



By: Alison White

About the Author:

Alison White, Vintage Roots for organic wines.

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How to Make Homemade Wine

How to Make Homemade Wine | Discover How to Make Your Own Unique Wine



If you want to learn how to make homemade wine, there is no reason for not doing it. You don’t need a license, a cellar, and the utensils you need are probably in your home to begin with. It doesn’t take a lot of work either to learn How to Make Homemade Wine.

The first issue you need to learn is the do’s and don’ts of winemaking.

Do

- Rack at least once, and twice if possible.

- Use new corks and boil the old ones.

- Keep your first ferment covered.

- Keep the secondary fermentation air-free.

- Keep your equipment clean.

- Keep all bottles filled.

- Add sugar by stages and keep records with high level of detail.

- Keep red wines in dark bottles so they don’t lose their color.

- Use trustworthy yeast nutrient frequently.

- Make wines too dry rather than too sweet: add sugar later.

- Use fermentation traps.

- Taste the wine at intervals to make sure the process is going well.

Don’t

- Sell your wine. It is illegal. Don’t try to distil your own wine either.

- Let vinegar flies come in contact with your wine.

- Use metal containers.

- Use tools or containers made out of resinous wood.

- Forget to stir a must twice a day.

- Use too much sugar.

- Try to speed up fermentation by increasing the temperature.

- Be impatient.

- Let dead yeast or sediment anywhere close to your wine.

- Filter for no reasonor too soon.

- Store your wine in unsterilized jars or bottles.

- Bottle your wine before it’s done fermenting.

- Employ screw-stopper bottles.

Now that you have a good sense of what you should do and what you shouldn’t, I will share with you one of my favorite wine recipes and in no time you can learn How to Make Homemade Wine.

Either black, green or amber grapes can be used for this recipe and the resulting wine will suit almost every taste.

2 bags (4 lb.) of grapes – 2 bags (3?? lb.) of sugar – 1 oz. yeast

1 gallon water.

Separate the grapes from the stalks and then crush them by hand. Pour the boiling water over them and leave to soak for forty-eight hours. Strain and put the juice through a jelly-bag. Allow to drain and then pour into the fermenting vessel and add the sugar.

Mix until the sugar is dissolved -this will take a lot of time with cold grape-juice. When all the sugar is mixed well sprinkle the yeast on top and stir in. Seal, and ferment for fourteen days; after which proceed with bottling. It’s so much bliss to learn How to Make Homemade Wine.

If you want to get over 145 step-by-step recipes and learn all the secrets to making your own wine, visit my website: www.SecretsOfWinemaking.com – How to Make Homemade Wine



By: How to Make Homemade Wine

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