Red, White, or Pink?

red                            

• made from dark-skinned grapes
• ferment at higher temperatures than white wines
• usually receive aging in barrels
• the amount of time, the type of barrel, and the wood it is made from all affect the wine

white

• made from light-skinned grapes
• has to be treated more carefully than red wine          
• ferment at cooler temperatures than reds

rosé

• made from using the same grape varieties as are used to make red
• 3 ways to make it

            1. macerating (colouring agents in grapes are leached out into the juice of the wine) the red grape must for a few days and fermenting the pale coloured
                juice
            2. fermenting the juice of quickly pressed red wine grapes
            3. fermenting siphoned-off juice from red wine production









sparkling

• usually associated with happy events and celebration
• usually between 8 and 12% alcohol
• most prestigious sparkling wine is champagne
• carbon dioxide is a by-product of fermentation and instead of letting it escape into the air, it is made to dissolve into the wine

(Clueless About Wine by Richard Kitowski and Jocelyn Klemm. 2007.)


Cheers x0

DID YOU KNOW?

Only about 10% of wines should be aged longer than a year after being bottled

Most used grapes for wine making

Vitus Vinifera are the grapes that are classic winemaking grapes
There are thousands of vitus vinifera grapes but 7 top ones that are used to make up about 75% of the wines made in the world
 
Here are the top 7 grapes :
 
1. Chardonnay - the chameleon grape

• white
• highly adaptable to manipulation
• can be made into nicely balanced, rich, and intense wine
• region: Burgundy, France

2. Sauvignon Blanc - fresh and spunky

• white
• can be very aromatic - too much so for some people
• high in acidity which makes it a great wine
• region: Loire and Bordeaux, France

3. Riesling - racy

• white
• versatile
• food friendly
• can make dry wines
• can also make rich dessert wines
• highly acidic
• less alcohol content than most white wines
• region: Germany, Canada, Austria, United States, Australia, and Alsace, France

4. Cabernet Sauvignon - deep and dark

• red
• most popular red
• region: Bordeaux, France

5. Merlot - soft

• red
• easy drinking wine
• often blended grape to make it soft
• on its own can produce a sweet red wine
• region: Bordeaux, France

6. Pinot Noir - silky

• red
• food friendly
• highly acidic
• advised to avoid cheap pinot noir's
• region: Burgundy, France

7. Syrah - bold

• red
• also known as Shiraz
• when called syrah - the wine is more deep and earthy
• when called shiraz - the wine is more rich and fruity
• heavier wine
• region: Rhone, France

(Clueless About Wine by Richard Kitowski and Jocelyn Klemm. 2007.)

Cheers x0