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THE 5 STEPS TO TASTING WINE COLOR Observe the color and clarity of the wine by holding your glass up to a white background (place mat or tablecloth) in a well-lit room. White wines can appear anywhere from light green, clear, straw yellow, and gold to brown in color. As white wines get older they gain color. Red wines may be purple, ruby and brick red to Light Yellow brownish red. As red wines mature, they lose Purple Red color and take on a brick tint. Straw Yellow SWIRL By swirling the wine in the glass, you allow for oxygen to release more of the bouquet of the wine. Golden Yellow Amber Ruby Garnet Orange Red (Brick) SMELL Much of our sense of taste is actually our ability to smell. Flavor is the combination of taste (sweet, acid, bitter, salty) and smell. The experience is mostly smell. Watch for off smells in wine: Vinegar Too much acetic acid in the wine. Sherry Wine has been oxidized. Cork Wine absorbed the taste of a defective cork. The smell is similar to a musty cellar or wet cardboard. TASTE Allow the wine to coat your tongue and palate to get all the sensations of the wine. FINISH After swallowing your first sip of the wine, begin to evaluate it. Ask yourself these questions: Did you like the wine? Identify what you liked or disliked and why. Was it light, medium, or full-bodied? Is the wine in balance? Do the components of aroma, acidity, tannin and the appropriate sweetness level work together? Is the wine a good value? Will your customers enjoy the wine? Will the wine enhance the experience you want to give to your customers? WINE 101 PAGE 2
BODY ACIDITY SWEETNESS FRUIT TANNIN MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF WINE The body of a wine refers to the fullness, weight, concentration, and total mouth feel of a wine. A darker color usually means a more full-bodied wine. The acidity in wine is really the pucker power of a wine. A wine's acidity is what makes your mouth water after sipping. Think of vinegar with fish and chips or squeezing a lemon on fish. In much the same way, an acidic wine will cut through the oiliness in food and bring out more flavor. The amount of residual sugar in a wine determines a wine's level of sweetness. An example of sweetness is the sugar coating left lingering in mouth after tasting the wine. Sweet wines go well with desserts, but it is important to match the level of sweetness accurately. If the dessert is sweeter than the wine, the wine may taste dry and dull or tart. All wines need fruit to taste good and any well-made, properly stored wine that has not been kept past its peak will have some fruit. Fruit becomes less vibrant as it matures. If you want something really fruity, young wines are best. Tannin is extracted from red grape skins (sometimes seeds and stems, too) as the grapes are crushed and fermented. White wines can also have astringency. It can make wine taste rough, often hard, especially in young red wines, but provides the vital backbone necessary for optimal maturing. Big, astringent red wines like powerful young California Cabernet may taste unappetizing alone, but can be delicious with heavier foods, like rich meat lasagna or steak. WINE DO S AND DON TS... Don't store wine in hot places or in the sunlight. Don't keep wine in the trunk of your car. Don't store your wine standing up (keep the cork moist). Don't fill a wineglass more than halfway (so you can swirl it). Don't serve wine in new, unwashed glasses. Don't serve a white wine too cold, or reds too warm. OPTIMAL WINE SERVING TEMPERATURES: White Wines: 45-50º F or 7-10º C Red Wines: 50-65º F or 10-18º C Rose Wines: 45-55º F or 7-13º C Sparkling Wines: 42-52º F or 6-11º C Do ask questions when you don t understand wine terminology. Do enjoy what you drink regardless of political correctness. Try not to judge wine on first taste. When opening sparkling wine twist the bottle slowly and pull on cork. When tasting wines, do taste dry to sweet. Ratings are opinions and not necessarily facts. An opened bottle of wine can be refrigerated corked for up to 4 days. WINE 101 PAGE 3
Wine Terms Aging Holding wine in barrels, tanks, and bottles to advance them to a more desirable state. Appellation A term that refers to an official area (a specific region with actual boundaries) where wine is grown. Every country has its own appellation system, but they were modeled after France s AOC system. Balanced All the components of the wine are in the right proportion. Bouquet Used to describe the complex layers of smells and aromas you perceive. People often use the phrase "good nose" to describe the bouquet. Closed Used to describe a wine where the aromatics are muted or non-existent. Complex Showing a variety of subtle scents and flavors. Dry Without the impression of sweetness, a wine with no residual sugar. Fermentation The conversion of grape sugars to alcohol by yeast. Legs The rivulets of wine that slide down the glass after you swirl it. Does not indicate alcohol content or wine quality. Light Lacking in body, color or alcohol, but pleasant. Malolactic A process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to Fermentation softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation often occurs shortly after the end of the primary fermentation but can sometimes run concurrently with it. Oak Aging Oak aging lets the wine absorb oxygen over time and you can manipulate how the wine tastes by what country the oak comes from, the tightness of the grain, the toast level and more. Region An area or division having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries. Residual Sugar Sugar that is left over in wine after the fermentation process has been completed. Tannin Extract of the skin and stem of the grapes, makes astringency, found in young wines; softens with bottle age. Terroir A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine. Thin Lacking in body and alcohol; watery, will not improve with age. Varietal Describes a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Wines that display the name of two or more varieties on their label, such as a Chardonnay-Viognier, will list the percentage of each used in the final blend. WINE 101 PAGE 4
The Wine Making Process for dry Red/White wine RED WINE Red wine grapes are picked, crushed and de-stemmed into a tank where yeast is added. Fermented with all the grape parts, juice, seeds and skins (where the wine gets its color), until all sugar is converted to alcohol. The tank is pressed (a gentle squeezing to remove the seeds and skins) until only the juice remains. Now it s prepared for aging in oak barrels or other vessels. WHITE WINE White wine grapes are picked, crushed and de-stemmed, then sent right to the presser. The squeezed juice goes into a tank where yeast is added. Fermented with only the juice (no skins), until all the sugar is converted to alcohol. Secondary fermentation is winemaker specific. Heavier wines may see some barrel age, lighter style wines may spend all their time in Stainless Steel tanks. How to read a California wine label: Brand of Wine The varietal is the type of grape(s) that are created to make this wine. Vintage is the year in which the wine is produced. Appellation or Region in which at least 75% the grapes are grown. WINE 101 PAGE 5
Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Merlot Pinot Grigio Pinot Noir Sauvignon Blanc White Zinfandel Cabernet Cuvée Fleur de Lys Sparkling Moscato Sangria Dolce Vita Prosecco Riesling Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Shiraz Pink Moscato Zinfandel Am er Fre ican n Me ch xi Car can ib Chi bean nes Ste e ak C a j & Gril l u Sal n a & Se ds, Su sh a Ind food i ia Ita n li Tha an i S o u / As i a n t Cre h w e s t p H am e s b Bru urger nch s Chateau Diana Wine and Food Pairings