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Art of Wine Tasting
Written by Mary Murtha   
Thursday, 29 May 2008

Wine Bottle with glasses imageYou can easily detect a genuine wine expert by the way he handles the wine in terms of smelling and tasting it and not merely just drinking the wine.  Anybody can drink wine but it takes a lot of experience to taste wine.

Wines have become a staple feature of every household during meal times, particularly when they are eating red meat. Red meats like pork or beef roasts are best with red wines.  On the other hand, white meats like fish and chicken are better with white whine.

There are a thousand and one varieties, or type of wines depending on the vineyard where they were grown as well as the type of grapes they are made of.  It takes experience and a real romance with wine to be able to distinguish its characteristics just by smelling and tasting.  

Basically, wines that have been stored properly should taste smooth.  Wines that taste off or stale are either not of good quality or they were stored improperly and their corks tainted.

So how should you taste wine?  Wines should be tasted by swishing the wine in your mouth, allowing your taste buds to perceive the flavor and taste of the wine.  While the act of tasting makes uses of your tongue, a person’s sense of smell actually does most of the detection.  Both a person’s sense of taste and sense of smell should be used when tasting wines.

While the two senses are indeed very important tools in determining a wine’s quality, the physical appearance of the wine is equally important.  You can get a better look at a wine’s appearance and color by pouring them in a clear glass and look through it using a white table cloth or other white background.

If wines are generally red or white, then why do we have to study their colors?  White wines are actually not perfectly white because their color ranges from yellow to brown and green.  White wines with darker colors have more flavor and are older.  While aging improves the flavor of red wines, this doesn't hold true for white wines which may go bad with time.  Red wines that are lighter in color are older.  You will be able to examine a red wine’s age by tilting a glass with red wine, allowing some to settle on the glass rim, and examining its color.  When the color of the wine that settles on the glass rim is brownish, then it has been aged.

Wine experts also swirl the wine to observe how it moves in the glass.  A wine that swirls nicely wine may mean it has a higher sweetness and alcohol content.

While the taste of wine is generally subjective as it depends on a persons taste and preferences, wine connoisseurs follow specific guidelines in wine tasting.  Being able to taste and smell wine the right way can certainly to the pleasure of drinking them.

 

Last Updated ( Friday, 30 May 2008 )
 
Wine Storage Tips
Written by Mary Murtha   
Friday, 30 May 2008

A fine meal would not be complete without having a drink of fine wine to accompany it.

If you often hold dinner parties at home, or you feel like spicing up a regular dinner with red or white wine, you can do so if you have your own wine storage at home.
 
Here are some useful tips on wine storage: 

If you open a bottle of wine and don't consume the entire contents, then you need to store it in a cool, dry place. Just put the cork back on and you can store the wine in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days.
 
If you plan to keep the wine for longer than three days, instead of just re-corking the wine, a stopper should be placed on top of the bottle. Then, it should be aired out using a pump for a longer storage time.
 
For wine lovers out there who have a large number of wine bottles – or cases -  to keep, there are several effective methods that you can use to preserve and keep your wine for absolute enjoyment:
 
1. Offsite wine storage.

If you have a large collection of a variety of wines, you can have them stored professionally at an offsite storage.  Commercial wine storage facilities charge a surprisingly minimal amount to let you sit back and relax at home while they take care of your wine bottles stored at the perfect temperature and humidity.
 
2. Wine cellar, refrigerator or closet
 
If you want to have easy access to your wine collection right in your own home, you can do so by having your own wine storage system.

Remember that the culprits to an imperfect wine storage are incorrect or insufficient heat, humidity and light. Make sure that light does not seep into your wine closet, cellar or refrigerator.

It is also important to keep the temperature at a constant degree. For red wines, the ideal temperature is 10 to 18 degrees Celsius while white wines are best kept at 7 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Better yet, consult the vintner or the person from whom you bought the wine to know the exact temperature range to store the wine. 

Wine bottles should also be stored lying on their sides so that the cork can be kept moist – this is what keeps air away from the liquid. Once the cork is dry, the wine will be oxidized and lose its quality.

Wine certainly does improve with age so you need to control all the factors affecting the life and quality of your wine collection if you want to enjoy them for a long time.

 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 May 2008 )
 
Newsflash 1
Written by Mary Murtha   
Monday, 09 August 2004
Joomla! 1.0 - 'Experience the Freedom'!. It has never been easier to create your own dynamic site. Manage all your content from the best CMS admin interface.
 
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