The basics of wine

What is a wine?

Wine is a beverage that is made from fermented grapes.it is alcoholic. It is made from grapes and yeast. Different varieties of grapes and yeast produce different types of wine. Yeast converts the sugar in the grapes into ethanol, heat and carbon dioxide by consuming it. Grapes from which the wine is made are small, sweet, contain seeds and have thick skin. There are over 1300 varieties of grapes that are used for the commercial wine production but only a hundred varieties make around 75 percent of the world vineyards.

 The Taste of Wine

The flavor of the wine is unique and the facets the help in making its taste unique are sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol and aroma compounds that are produced in fermentation.

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Acidity: Wine lies on the acidic side of the pH scale ranging from 2.5 (that is lemon) to as 4.5 (that is Greek yogurt). Wine tastes as tart.

Sweetness: sweetness ranges from no sugar at all too sweet like a maple syrup. The wine that does not have sweetness id termed as a dry wine.

Alcohol: The taste of alcohol is palate-coating and spicy. The average range of wine alcohol is 10% ABV to 15% ABV.

Tannin: the astringent quality of the red wine is because of the Tannin.

Aroma Compounds: each variety of grape has aroma compounds at a different level. This is why some buy Whiskey Glass Decanters have a smell of flowers and others smell like berries. The aroma of wine also depends on the aging factor. Red wines aged in oak make a vanillin flavor. Oxidation and aging help in producing unique flavors to wine including dried fruit, floral flavors, and nuttiness.

Different styles of wine:

The nine primary styles of wine are light-bodied white wine, full-bodied white wine, aromatic white wine, sparkling wine, rose wine, dessert wine, full-bodied red wine, medium-bodied red wine, and light bodied white wine.

Develop Your Sense of Taste:

Following procedures will help you in developing the right taste of wine according to your senses.

Tasting Method: The 4-step tasting method helps you to identify a wine’s flavor and tastes more accurately. The steps are look, smell, taste and conclude.

i)    Look: you can figure out whether the wine is of your type or not even before drinking it. All you need to do is to look at the hue and intensity of the wine and the tears dropping at the sides of the glass when you swirl it as they show the level of alcohol in the wine.

ii)    Smell: there are so many aromatic compounds in wine. We can easily isolate the wines by identifying aromas. By identifying the smell, you can get a clear impression of wine before tasting it.

iii)    Taste: focus on the flavor and fell that how the wine feels in your mouth when you taste it. Swish it in your mouth to make sure that you get the full effect of it before you swallow.

iv)  Conclude: After tasting smelling and looking at the wine, you are ready to consider the quality of the wine.

Taking Accurate Notes: take accurate notes while tasting a wine.

Comparative Tasting: taste the wines in a vacuum and then compare them next to each other. Try to taste 2-4 types of wines belonging to the same theme at once.

Top picks of decanters for Christmas

Christmas is almost here and everyone is making plans for it. Choosing a gift for an event or a festival is really a hard decision as it is a constant battle of what to and what not to buy. But the safest gift that I would suggest you is a wine decanter. Because the wine is a fulcrum of every event and a having a decanter as a gift is a guaranteed satisfaction. It is very difficult to come up with brilliant ideas especially when you’re are buying a gift for someone who is hard to shop for. Decanters are not only the gifts but the treasures that can be appreciated for years. In this article, we have mentioned the top picks of decanters for this year’s Christmas which might help you in choosing a good gift for your loved one that surely wins his heart.

Personalized Whiskey Decanter, Christmas Gift for Him

This diamond shaped decanter is beautifully engraved with artistic designs to make it a pleasant gift. It is a perfect gift for a wedding, Christmas or a birthday. It makes a good decoration in the home bar. The pattern engraved on it is everlasting and will never disappear or peel off. The body of this decanter is made of hand lead-free glass. It is dishwasher safe and holds around 1000 ML.

Etched Globe Whiskey Decanter

This beautiful globe decanter shaped decanter holds the spirit of the earth. It is a mouth blown astonishing Pythagoras decanter with etched continents.  It makes you feel a sense of quality and history in every sip. It is not only a container for a drink but is a collectible piece of artistry that can make your home bar, as well as your dining table, look even better. The glass of this decanter is thick that ensures the safety of the drink.it is lead-free and holds 1000ml. it has a ground glass stopper that does not let the liquor evaporate.

Wax Seal Engraved Decanter

This decanter allows customization. You can ask to beautifully engrave the initial, name or year of your choice.it has a capacity to hold 24 ounces. It is a great gift for your man, brother or dad. It comes in a set of a decanter along with silver rim glasses.

Rare and radiant carafe 

Diamonds are everyone’s favorite. This rare crystal decanter along with radiant glasses is a great choice to serve your favorite drinks on Christmas. This decanter has an elegant cut from mouth blown crystal diamond shape. It makes a perfect centerpiece. The intentional game of glass light and liquid grabs the attention immediately.

A vintage lot of mini Avon Christmas decanters

It is a vintage decanter from the 1960s. It is a cute mix of mini-sized collectibles of Avon Christmas. All are in mint condition and the material is metal and glass. No breaks, cracks, blemishes or chips can be found on any of them. It adds a vintage flair to the Christmas decoration wonderfully.

Types of Wine Bottles

The shape and style of the wine bottle are depended on the type of the wine in it. You can easily figure out the type of wine just by looking at the style of its bottle. There are various styles of wine bottles such as High Shoulder, Sloping Shoulder, Sparkling Wine and Champagne, Various Dessert Styles and unique styles.

High shoulder:

The most common wine bottle style is the high shoulder. This bottle’s stature is tall with high shoulders.it is mainly used for the wine called Bordeaux. The glass for this type of bottle varies according to the type of wine in it. The glass is light green or transparent for the white wines and dark green for the red wines. Merlot, Sauvignon, cabernet and white wines that are made with sauvignon use high shoulder style. 

Sloping Shoulder:

This style of wine bottle has a slightly wide body and sloping shoulders. It uses dark green glass for both the white and the red wines. The glass is usually thicker than the rest. It is an elegant Burgundy bottle and used for Chardonnay, Grenache, pinot noir and Syrah. Most of the white wines that come in this bottle are oak aged.

Sparkling Wine and Champagne:

This olive green wine bottle is a true representation of happiness and joy and is the limelight of many weddings and parties around the globe. It is heavier because it needs to withstand the 90 psi pressure of carbonate inside it. The bottle has gentle sloping shoulders.   Some are without and some are with deep punts. This punt helps to pour the wine easily and the large cork prevents the explosion of the bottle. 

Various Dessert Styles:

This style of the bottle has usually straight body with high and rounded shoulders .some of this type of bottles have punt which helps to retain the sediment at the bottom. It uses a long cork as a stopper. The glass for this type of bottle is dark in color to protect the wine from the light. The body of the bottle is a little more ornate than the rest to make it look like it is for the dessert. This type of bottle is used for fortified wines such as Vermouth, port, Marsala and Madeira. 

Rhine (unique styles):

It is a German-style wine bottle with a slightly thinner body, long neck, and a very little punt. Its glass color is dark brown. It is used for varieties of wines like Muller-Thurgau, Riesling, Bacchus, and Gewürztraminer.