Wine is enjoyed by millions of people throughout the world. However, many of those people don’t really know much about wine. Most people don’t know how it is produced, the difference in the types of wines, or how to even taste one properly.
Wine is enjoyed by millions of people throughout the world. However, many of those people don’t really know much about wine. Most people don’t know how it is produced, the difference in the types of wines, or how to even taste one properly.
There are many things you should know about wine if you want to consider yourself an expert. To know the basics of wine you should at least know how it is produced, what different kinds there are, and how to properly taste it.
If you are someone who is interested in learning more about wine or confirming some facts you already knew, then you should continue reading the information below to get the basics of wine.
Where did Wine Originally Come From?
The first question that many people ask is where did wine come from. If you are someone who drinks wine often, then you might be inclined to think that Italy or perhaps France is the birthplace of wine.
However, you would be very much mistaken. Archaeologists have found evidence that wine first originated in Georgia in the Caucasus region. It is believed that people in Georgia discovered wine around the year 6,000 BCE.
Archaeologists believe that these early Georgians figured out that grape juice could be turned into alcohol if they buried it during the winter. That is how wine was first discovered thousands of years ago. It is hard to believe that wine originated in this region and not in a more famous wine region like Italy.
How is Wine Produced?
You may wonder how modern wine is produced. There are several steps that go into producing wine. This is why there are such large vineyards spread throughout the many wine-making regions of the world.
The first step in wine production is gathering the grapes needed to make the wine. The grapes are then run through a machine that takes out their stem. The next step varies depending on the type of wine that is being produced.
For white wine production, the grapes are fully crushed by a press leaving only the grape juice to be fermented. However, for red or rose wines, the grapes are pressed much more lightly as the skin and seeds of the grape play a role in giving these types of wine their characteristic taste during fermentation.
How to Taste Wine
You have surely heard that there are different methods and things you should do when you are tasting wine. Some of these methods are effective while others are simply made up and don’t have any effect on your wine tasting experience.
The different methods that are recommended are important for getting the best taste out of your wine. Some of the most popular tips include: swirling, sniffing, taking a small sip, and once it is in your mouth, sucking on it as if you were drinking through a straw.
Although some of these tips may sound weird to you at first, they will all help enhance your wine tasting experience.
Sniffing
This is a very common practice when it comes to wine tasting. The reason why people sniff their wine is that it helps them identify many features of the wine before tasting it.
For example, the aroma of a wine can tell you things such as how strong the taste of it will be. Some wines might have fruitier aromas while others have more of a wine barrel aroma.
Characteristics like these ones can have an impact on the way that the wine will taste. In addition, people who enjoy tasting different wines also like to be able to tell where a wine came from simply by smelling it and tasting it.
What are the Different Grapes used to Make Wine?
Before reading this article, you probably would have been able to say that wine comes from grapes. However, were you aware that there are tens of different types of grapes that are used to make wine around the world?
Some of the grape types you might have already heard of before like Merlot. However, there are many other types of grapes that you have probably never heard of before. Different grapes are used to make the three main types of wine: red, white, and rose.
It would be pretty long to explain all of the different types of grapes that are used to make wine throughout the world. Below is a list of the most common grapes used to make the different types of wine.
Red Wine Grapes
Perhaps the most famous type of grape that makes red wine is the Merlot grape. This is a black grape that gives red wines high levels of alcohol. These grapes are often grown with the Cabernet Sauvignon type of grape and blended together to create red wine.
These types of grapes are native to the Bordeaux region of France. However, because of their popularity, they are grown in other regions of the world such as California, South Africa, and South America.
Pinot noir is another type of grape that is very known for the red wines it produces. This kind of grape is known for producing wines that are considered to be softer and easier to drink. Oftentimes these grapes are mixed with Chardonnay grapes to make champagne.
This variety of grapes is much more difficult to grow which is why it is mainly grown in the Burgundy region in France, the Pfalz region in Germany, and the Santa Barbara region in the U.S.
Syrah grapes are also very popular in the making of red wines. These are very small grapes with thick skins. They are mainly grown in France and Austria.
White Wine Grapes
As you might imagine, there are different types of grapes grown specifically for white winemaking.
One of the most popular grapes in the wine industry and in white wines is the Chardonnay grape variety. This grape variety is very popular because it can grow in a variety of different climates. Chardonnay grapes are grown in places like Australia, New Zealand, the U.S, South Africa, and South America.
Another popular white wine grape is Sauvignon Blanc which is known for producing highly acidic wines. The best Sauvignon Blanc grapes are grown in the Loire Valley in France.
The Pinot Grigio grape variety is known for its wine because it has a medium acidity which causes many people to consider it easier to drink compared to some other wines. These grapes are grown in Germany, France, and Austria.
Rose Wine Grapes
There are a couple of different grape varieties that are commonly used to make rose wines. One such grape is the Zinfandel grape which is most commonly grown in California despite having its origin in Europe. This grape is used to make both red and rose wines.
The other most common grape used to make rose wines is the Grenache grape. This grape is known for having thin skin, high sugar, and low acidity. This type of grape is most commonly grown in Spain, Italy, and France.
FAQs about Wine
Winemaking and the wine industry can be quite fascinating. This is why many people ask lots of questions when it comes to wine and everything involved with it. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions people ask about wine.
One of the most commonly asked questions is why is wine so expensive? The reason some wines can be so expensive is due to the cost of the land where the grapes used to make the wine are grown. Some areas in the world like Napa Valley have really high costs per acre of land.
Another commonly asked question is how long you can keep a bottle of wine? Since aging and fermenting are a big part of the wine production process, many people wonder how long they can store their wine once they have bought it. The answer depends on the type of wine. Many cheap wines are supposed to be drunk right after you buy them. Other types of wine can resist aging for a couple of years before you drink them.
Many people also question what the ideal temperature for wine is. This depends on preference and the kind of wine that you are storing. There are some guidelines, but they aren’t set in stone and it is unlikely that you will check the temperature of wine at a restaurant.
However, if you are storing wine at home and want to keep it at an ideal temperature, then here are some guidelines to follow. Red wine should be kept around 50-64 degrees Fahrenheit. White wine should be stored at around 45-60 degrees. Lastly, rose wines can be kept around 40-55 degrees.
None of these temperatures are hard guidelines, and you should experiment a little with them to find what you like best. However, as a rule of thumb, you will want to keep them at a temperature around not lower than 40 but not higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to buy Wine Comfortably
Believe it or not, there are great wines that can be bought in all sorts of price ranges. You don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a bottle of wine to get a high-quality wine. There are also great wines that come from all over the world.
Some things to consider to help you choose a good quality wine within your price range include the following: research the basics of wine, go to a wine tasting, research the different types of wines and the popular types within each type, and find a good wine store.
These are just a handful of tips that will help you make better decisions when selecting a wine to buy. These are not guaranteed to help you pick the best wine in your price range, but they will surely help you make a more informed decision than just buying the most expensive bottle you can afford.
Do Vintages Matter?
When talking about a wine, its vintage refers to the year that the grapes that were used to produce the wine were harvested. This can be important because it can have a great impact on the taste and quality of the wine.
The time of the year that the grapes were harvested matters because it can have an impact on the quality of the grapes and the resulting wine. The weather that grapes experience when growing has a major impact on the taste and quality of the grapes.
For example, if the grapes are grown during a time of many cloudy days, then they might not fully mature before they are harvested. On the other hand, if the grapes experience many sunny days, the grapes might begin to become raisins before they are fully mature.
Despite the importance that vintages can play on the taste of a wine, it is a lot harder to figure out if vintage is good or not. It all changes depending on the region where the grapes are grown and the time of the year.
What Allows Wine to Last?
You might have heard of some wines being aged for decades before being opened. This may make you wonder how these wines can be aged for so long, and if the process of aging wine includes chemicals or is a natural process.
The truth is that the grapes used to make wine contain a natural preservative known as tannins. This natural preservative is what makes it possible for some wines to be aged for up to forty years before being opened.
Now you can drink aged wines knowing that the natural components of the grapes is what keep the wine in good condition even decades after the grapes were harvested.
When is Wine Ready to Drink?
Because aging is such a common practice when it comes to wine, many people wonder how they can know when a wine is ready for them to drink.
The answer is quite simple. The vast majority of wines are ready for drinking by the time they make it to the wine store. There are a select few kinds of wine that can benefit from being stored in a cellar for a couple of years.
More than likely, the wine you are letting age is ready to drink whenever you buy it. You don’t really have to worry much about aging your wine after you buy it.
Does Serving Temperature Matter for Wine?
As mentioned earlier, there are some guidelines when it comes to drinking wine. The same goes for serving wine.
Although serving temperature is important, storing temperature is even more important. Simply leaving wine in a warm room can ruin its properties of a wine. Most people believe that red wine should be served at room temperature.
However, there is no set rule on the exact temperature that which wine should be served. For the most part, personal preference is what determines what temperature you should serve your wine.
Does Wine Really Need to Breathe?
Many people often say that wine needs to breathe. You might be wondering if this is true or if it is all made up.
The truth is that it does help the flavor of the wine to let it air out for about 30 minutes before you drink it. This is known as oxidation which can help release the aromas of the wine and soften its flavors of it.
Although it might sound odd to say that you let your wine breathe, it is something that can help improve the taste of your wine.
Does Wine Really Need to be Decanted?
Sometimes you might hear that you need to decant your wine before you drink it.
Although most white and rose wines don’t need to be decanted if they are reduced wines, decanting can help the flavor of these wines. Red wines are most often decanted because they have larger amounts of sediment at the bottom.
Decanting can be a difficult skill that can have a beneficial impact on the taste of your wine but it is not necessary for most wines.
How to Store Wine
If you are considering storing wine at home, then you should consider the following tips.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when storing wine is the temperature at which you store it. The temperatures will vary depending on the type of wine you are storing. You should also store wine horizontally.
Another tip to keep in mind is to keep your wine away from light and vibrations as these can spoil the wine. These are just a few things to keep in mind when storing wine at home. If you are very serious about growing your at-home wine collection, then you should take some more time to research these factors more in-depth.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to store wine for very long, but if you want to keep your own collection at home, then those are some factors you should consider.
What Glasses are Better for Wine?
You might be wondering if there are some glasses that are better than others for drinking wine.
Believe it or not, there are different kinds of wine glasses that are better than others for wine drinking. Some wine glasses can help you pick up on the aromas of the wine much better and can help guide the wine into the desired parts of the mouth.
Although it is hard to believe at first, it makes sense that some companies have figured out how to produce wine glasses that enhance the wine tasting experience.
The best glasses for red wine include those with a wider bottom and narrow top, this allows the wine to breathe. For white wine, you will want a thinner glass that is only slightly larger than the mouth. This is because white wines can sometimes have some carbonation you don’t want to let escape.
What Tools Do You Need for Wine?
In reality, you only need a glass of wine and a wine opener in order to drink wine. However, there are other tools that can enhance your wine drinking experience.
Some of the tools that can help enhance your wine drinking experience include a decanter, a wine preserver, a glass polishing cloth, and a champagne stopper.
Although these tools are not necessary for you to enjoy a glass of wine, they can certainly help you have a more pleasant experience when it comes to drinking and tasting different kinds of wine.
Final thoughts
There are so many things that go into wine, the wine industry, and the wine tasting hobby. This complexity is what attracts so many people to wine. The fact that there are so many different types of grapes that produce wines with different smells, tastes, and alcohol levels is what makes wine so popular.
The topics discussed in this article could be given an article of their own. If you are fascinated by wine and all of its intricacies, then you should totally take some time to take a deeper dive into wine. The beauty of wine is that despite how complex it can be, at the end of the day you can enjoy wine on your own terms.
