What Determines  Dry or Sweet?

If fermentation continues until all the sugar in the grapes is converted to alcohol, a dry wine will emerge.

If the fermentation is stopped at any stage prior to this, you will end up with a sweeter wine.

The Character of A Wine

The character of a wine can be influenced by the type of barrel it is aged in .

Wine Color and Aging

The color of a wine can tell a lot about its aging.

Red wines get paler the more they age.

White wines become deeper and more golden with more aging.

Aroma and Aging

More aged wines have a less fruity aroma.

Softness and Aging

A more mature wine is normally softer than a younger wine.

Sharpness

Sharpness is seen more win white wines than in red wines.  Sometimes this manifest as a sour taste. Crisp, dry whites and lighter reds are the best of this lot.

Flowery and Spicy

White wines are more apt to have these qualities than red wines.

Smooth and Soft

Chardonay and Merlots tend to have these qualities.

Safe and Commonsense Drinking

-          Don’t drink on an empty stomach.

-          Do not drink and drive. Ever.

-          At a party, make sure you control your refills so you know exactly how much you are consuming.

-          Alcohol is not water – do not use wine or any alcohol to quench thirst.

How  To Aerate Wine

Wine exposed to air can have an improved aroma, especially reds. To properly aerate wine you want to give it as much exposure to air as possible. Here are two surefire ways  you can aerate your wine and end up with a better aroma.

-          Pour the wine into large glasses at least 15 minutes before you plan to or have your guests consume it.

-          Pour the wine into a wine decanter large enough to hold all the wine to be consumed.

Serving Sequence of Wines

A dinner or wine party could have a number of different types of wines. A different wine may be served for each course. The main objective in deciding when to serve what is that each subsequent serving should taste better than the one before. Of course the type of food will play a large part in that decision. Here is a general guide in deciding on what sequence to serve different types of wine in if you are in fact consuming different types at your dinner or party;

-          White before red

-          Light before heavy

-          Dry before sweet

-          Simple before complex.

Again, it all depends on the type of food being consumed, but try to follow closely the above guidelines when you serve different types of wines for any occasion.

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