Posts Tagged ‘red wine’
A Beginner’s Guide to Five Types of Wine
There are various types of wines normally distinguished by the variety of grape or the area where the grape is grown. The more well known grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. The number of grape types is matched only by the number of regions where these grapes are grown. For instance, France boasts of 14 regions including Champagne, Bordeaux, and Savoie which produce world-renowned wines.
Knowing which wine comes from which grape variety and country, let alone knowing the characteristics and quality of the wine from a particular region and grape variety, can be a daunting task. Therefore, it is easier to break down wines into five basic categories:
Red: red wines come from grape varieties in which the color ranges from red to purple. The grapes are fermented with their skin intact, which gives the dark color of the wine. Reds age better than other types of wine because of tannin present in the skin of grapes. Tannin also gives a flavor dimension as well as giving structure and texture to the wine.
White: the grape varieties used for white wines usually have a light color, but darker grape varieties may also be used. Unlike red wines, grape skins are peeled off before the fermentation process resulting in the pale color. The removal of the skins also results in less tannin than found in red wines.
Rose: these use red grapes for fermentation; however, unlike in red wines, the grape skins are peeled off shortly after the start of the fermentation. The result is that a rose has a pinkish color, and only a limited amount of the tannin. It also has a lower alcohol content than the red wine.
Fortified: also known as dessert or liqueur wine, has the most alcohol content of any type of wine. Extra alcohol is added which can result in an alcohol content of over 14%.
Sparkling wine: can be easily distinguished from other types of wine because of its white, bubbly appearance. These are popularized by Champagne, from the well-known region of the same name in France. However, the term Champagne can be used only if the sparkling wine is produced from the Champagne region.
Part of the enjoyment of wine is the study of the different characteristics of the individual wines. If you enjoy wines why not keep a diary of the ones you taste and note their distinguishing characteristics. Today it is easier than ever to do this with the many wine software programs available for your computer.