<b>About Wine</b> Information Blog: Jan 31, 2008

2:39 PM

Please provide your brief, but concise remarks on this writing about Wine Photography . Of course, it would be preferable for these remarks to be enhancing ones.

Another Great Wine Photography Article

Secrets to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur

Wine is a broad term that refers to the fermentation of plant matter for the purpose of producing an alcoholic beverage. Of course, most people think of grapes as the basis for wine, but other sources include rice (sake), various fruits (elderberry, grapefruit, cherry, etc.), barley, and even honey (mead).

For the purposes of this short explanation, we ll stick with wines made from grapes. These are categorized several ways, including by vinification methods, taste, and vintage. Many casual drinkers pay little attention to the differences in these categories. After all, for most folks the sole consideration is good taste. However, for many aficionados wine is serious business. The variety, taste, and vintage must all meet high expectations before serious collectors will consider owning a bottle.

Vinification

Vinification simply means the method by which grape juice is fermented into wine. The practices followed during fermentation are what determine the type of wine you end up being able to purchase. A common misunderstanding by the average drinker is that grape juice colors vary, which is what produces red, white, or rose wines. Actually, all grapes produce clear (or very close to clear) juices. What creates the color of the wine you buy is whether the grape skins have been left in contact with the juice during the fermentation process. Red wines have been fermented thusly; whites have not fermented in contact with grape skins; rose is a combination of the two.

Sparkling wines, such as champagne, have bubbly characteristics that are caused by the addition of carbon dioxide. This effect is achieved by fermenting the grape juice two times. The first time, the juice is fermented in open containers, which allow the carbon dioxide to escape. During the second fermentation, the juice is kept in closed containers, trapping and infusing the gases.

Taste

Most wines are described as dry, off-dry, fruity, or sweet. Technically, this refers to the amount of sugars left over after fermentation is completed. Dry has a tiny amount of residual sugar content, while sweet has high sugar content.

Beyond this basic taste classification, wine-tasting experts have developed a system of classifying wines by the more in-depth tastes and aromas they exude. Many outsiders find this a somewhat bewildering system, but tasting pros consider the ability to discern subtle elements of a wines taste to be a badge of honor. As one example, Cabernet Sauvignon is a popular variety that wine tasters claim contains a combination of black currants, chocolate, mint, and tobacco flavors.

Vintage

Vintage is a straightforward classification. It refers to the year of the grapes harvest from which a bottle of wine was made. This is important because many grape growers have exceptionally good harvests only during certain years. Also, the best grapes are usually singled out for use in a producers vintage bottles. You get the highest quality wine from that year?s harvest.

About The Author

Fred London - Fred, who has an acute wine palate show you how to keep wine at its best. Learn more Tips for Wine Storage at: http://www.AboutWineRefrigerators.com.

Wine Photography and More

Selecting the Right Ingredients for Home-Made Wine

Tips for choosing the best home-made wine ingredients:
Fruits must be ripe, but not over-ripe. A few shriveled grapes or black currants are unlikely ...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Featured Wine Photography Items

The FTD Spring Dreams Arrangement - Deluxe

This arrangement features a collection of petite bloom flowers. Blue hydrangea is encircled by pink spray roses, pink alstroemeria, and lavender freesia. A sweet gift in the soft pastel colors of spring. B18-3472D

Price: 74.99 USD

Wine List
Wine Regions
Italian Wine

Labels: Shiraz Wine | Southern Wine

&type=page">

Posted by Scott Smith | 0 comments

8:24 AM

Writing is something that has to be enjoyed. And with Wine Quotes , we have indeed enjoyed writing all that we know about it. We wish you also enjoyed yourself.

Headlines on Wine Quotes

ZAP! Calling all wine bloggers

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:30:05 PST
Meet me in San Francisco this Saturday at the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) Festival.

Diageo expands with premium US wine buy (Nutraingredients.com)

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:48:26 PST
The group, which is one of the leading beverage manufacturers in the world, says the latest purchase will allow it add a further array of Zinfandel grape-based wine brands to their Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines portfolio in the US.

Exploring Michigan's Rieslings (City Pulse)

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:40:20 PST
White zinfandel has served as the starting point for many wine drinkers. However, it has also been the endpoint for many too, as they conclude they like nothing else after experimenting with very dry red and white wines.

Today's Wine Quotes Article

I Love French Wine and Food - Reviewing The Reds

I recently finished a wine tour of Italy?s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with food, and at least one imported Italian cheese. I enjoyed this experience so much that I plan to repeat it, but only after doing something similar for France and perhaps a few other countries. I am happy enough with Italian wine to continue to drink it for the rest of my days, but there are other wine-producing countries out there, and other wines to drink. I am going to give you a bit of a report on the red wines I encountered on this wine tour, but only after a quick summary of Italian red wines, as if such an endeavor was possible. Look for a similar article on Italian white wines.

You wouldn?t be alone if you immediately think red when the subject of Italian wine is raised. In spite of extreme variations in climate, soil, elevation, and other geographical conditions, every single one of Italy?s twenty regions produces red wine. The percentage varies widely from 91 % in the southern region of Calabria to 16% in the central region of Latium.

The reality of Italy wine is more complex than first meets the eye. Who would have thought that Sicily, a southern Italian region if ever there was one, produces almost as much white wine as red wine? Considering that Sicily holds first place for Italian wine production that?s a lot of white wine. In fact, Sicily?s annual white wine production is greater than the total wine production of all but five Italian regions. But this article is about Italian red wines, not Italian white wines.

In chronological order we tasted a red wine from the southern region of Calabria, the central region of Latium, the northern region of Piedmont, the southern region of Sardinia, the central region of Abbruzzi, the northern region of Lombardy, our only ros? wine from the southern region of Apulia, the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige, the central region of Tuscany, two Vino Novellos (new wines) one from the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige and the other from the northern region of Veneto, the southern region of Sicily, the central region of The Marche, the southern region of Bascilicata, and finally the northern region of Piedmont while describing its neighboring region of the Aosta Valley. I was unable to find a wine from the Aosta Valley. I am in the process of tasting a Riserva (longer-aged) version of this last wine, and will write an article when I have finished it.

These sixteen wines varied in classification from basically unclassified table wines to IGT, DOC, and DOCG. In short, all Italian wine classifications were represented. IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which may be translated as Typical Geographic Indication, in other words a wine that typifies its specific location. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.

The wines varied in price from $8 to $38 but only three bottles cost more than $21. Their alcohol content varied from 11.5% to 15% but only one bottle exceeded 13.5%. The vintages varied from 1999 to 2006, with slightly more than half in the range 2002 to 2004. The grapes used varied widely, including both international and strictly Italian varieties. Some wines included multiple grape varieties, while others did not. And now for the question that you?ve been waiting for, what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which? Read the articles.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com.