Wine Knowledge

Is wine just red wine? What do all those dry white, dry red, rosé terms mean? Are champagne and sparkling wine the same?

It is believed that a lot of new contact with red wine partners, often can not distinguish the concept of red wine, the heart will inevitably have such and such questions, want to self-study, and found that the network information explosion, chaotic no system, difficult to distinguish between true and false. Want to go to some wine culture training organizations to report classes, but also by the expensive tuition scared. Today, we take you quickly get the basic knowledge of wine, five minutes to complete the wine beginner.

One, what is wine?

To understand what wine is in all aspects, then we must first start from the raw materials. We call it wine grapes, we can know from the name that this is not a type of edible grapes we usually come into contact with oh. Wine grapes are different from table grapes in that they have thicker skins, less flesh, smaller grains than table grapes, and are generally high in sugar and acidity.

The top ten existing wine grapes are: Pinot Noir, Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Tannat. Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Airen, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon.

If someone asks you what brand of wine you usually drink, you can't answer Cabernet Sauvignon, it's like, people ask you what brand of shoes you usually wear, you say canvas shoes.

Wine is a kind of fruit wine made from fermented grapes, and it is the largest and most popular single-sugar wine in the world. Its alcohol content is higher than that of beer and lower than that of liquor, and it is rich in nutrients and has obvious health effects. Some people believe that wine is one of the healthiest and most hygienic beverages.

II. Classification of Wine

A. Classification by Color

Red Wine: a kind of wine made from red grape varieties by fermentation with skins after pressing/soaking the skins. During the fermentation process, the wine can fully extract the color and flavor substances in the skins, presenting a variety of different degrees of color, such as purple red, ruby red, garnet red, tea red and even reddish brown, with richer taste characteristics.

White wines: White wines are made from white grape varieties that are fermented without skins after being pressed from broken skins, so most of the wines are light in color, mostly lemon-green, lemon, golden, amber or even brown. Sometimes, white wines can also be made by fermenting red grape varieties after they have been pressed off the skins.

Rhone wine: rosé wines are mostly made from red grape varieties. Due to the short maceration time of the grapes, the extracted pigments are limited, so the color is mostly between red and white wines, and is often pink, salmon, or even reddish-orange. It is worth noting that some white grape varieties with pink skins can also be used to make rosé wines, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris being one example.

B. Classification according to carbon dioxide pressure

Still Wines: Still wines (also translated as calm wines) usually refer to wines with a carbon dioxide pressure of less than 0.05MPa at 20℃, which contain almost no carbon dioxide, and are the most common kind of wines on the market. It is the most common type of wine on the market.

Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines, as opposed to still wines, usually refer to wines that have a carbon dioxide pressure greater than or equal to 0.05MPa at 20℃, of which Champagne is the most typical representative. However, according to the different degree of sparkling, sparkling wine can also be subdivided into two categories.

One is Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines with carbon dioxide pressure greater than or equal to 0.35MPa produced by natural fermentation at 20℃. Among them, when the capacity of the bottle is less than 250mL, wines with carbon dioxide pressure greater than or equal to 0.3MPa can also be called high-sparkling wines. Secondly, Semi-Sparkling Wines: wines with carbon dioxide pressure in the bottle between 0.05MPa and 0.34MPa at 20℃.

C. Classification by Sugar Content|Still Wines

Dry: After the natural fermentation is completed, almost all the sugar in the grapes is converted into alcohol. When the natural sugar content in a wine is less than or equal to 4g/L, it is called dry wine, which can also be understood as a wine that is not sweet.

Additionally, when the difference between total sugar and total acid (in terms of tartaric acid) is less than or equal to 2g/L, wines with a maximum sugar content of 9g/L are also called dry wines. Simply put, it is not sweet, and may be too acidic to drink for newcomers to red wine, so it is recommended that you can start with sweet wines.

Semi-Dry: wines with a sugar content greater than that of the previous type of wine, up to a maximum of 12g/L; or wines with a sugar content of up to 18g/L when the difference between the total sugar and the total acid (in terms of tartaric acid) is less than or equal to 2g/L.

Semi-Sweet: Wines with a sugar content greater than that of semi-dry wines and a maximum of 45g/L.

Sweet: Wines containing more than 45g/L of sugar.

D. Classification by Sugar Content|Sparkling Wines

Natural Sparkling Wines (Brut Sparkling Wines): according to China's national standard, the sugar content of this kind of wines is less than or equal to 12g/L, with an allowable difference of 3g/L.

Dry Sparkling Wines (Dry Sparkling Wines): wines with a higher than semi-dry content, and with a maximum of 45g/L. Dry Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines with a sugar content of 17.1-32g/L, with a permitted difference of 3g/L.

Sweet Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines with a sugar content of more than 50g/L.

All wines with a sugar content of more than 50g/L are allowed to have a difference of 3g/L.

Extra-Dry Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines containing 12.1-17g/L of sugar in the wine, with a tolerance of 3g/L.

Semi-Dry Sparkling Wines: Sparkling wines containing 32.1-50g/L of sugar in the wine. /L of high-sparkling wines.

E. Classification by body

Light-Bodied: Light-bodied red wines are generally lighter in color, with less tannin, typically represented by Pinot Noir and Gamay. Light-bodied white wines tend to have crisp acidity and are fresher and easier to drink when chilled, with Pinot Grigio, Albarino and Muscadet all falling into this category.

Medium-Bodied: Medium-bodied wines tend to be darker in color and have a heavier texture on the tongue than their predecessors, with Merlot, Tempranillo, and Sangiovese typical of red wines and Sauvignon Blanc typical of white wines. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Trebbiano.

Full-Bodied: Full-bodied red wines are the darkest in color and full of tannins, commonly represented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz and Malbec. Most full-bodied white wines have been aged in oak barrels, making them heavier on the palate, with Chardonnay, Viognier and Semillon among the representatives.

F. Classification according to the way of raw material harvesting

Ordinary Wines: This kind of wine is the most common, which refers to the natural ripening of the grapes picked after the fresh grapes or grape juice as the raw material, and made by all or part of the fermentation of fermented wine with a certain degree of alcohol.

Late Harvest Wines: When the grapes are naturally ripe and then waited for a few days (provided the weather permits), the concentration of sugar that naturally accumulates in the grapes tends to be higher, and if the grapes are picked at this time, the resulting wines tend to be sweeter and more flavorful. It's worth noting that these late-harvested grapes are generally not infected with noble rot, nor are they frozen, and are simply air-dried on the vines.

Noble Rot Wines: Delaying the harvest first, the grapes are often infected with a certain amount of noble rot, weather permitting, which is more common in Sauternes (France), Germany and Tokay (Hungary). Noble rot-infected grapes tend to have very high sugar concentrations, resulting in sweet wines with distinct honey and dried fruit aromas.

Eiswein/Ice Wines: These wines are also made by delaying the harvest until the temperature drops to -7°C to -8°C, when the grapes freeze, which is more common in Germany, Austria and Canada. Often the grapes are pressed on ice to preserve the freshness of the wine.

Third, the introduction of the wine glass

The wine glass, because of its elongated base and is popularly known as a goblet, but in fact, the goblet is only one kind of wine glass. In wine culture, the wine glass is an important part of its indispensable, in the western traditional point of view, for the wine to choose the right wine glass, can help better taste the wine.

1, Bordeaux red wine glass

Bordeaux red wine glass is widely used for red wine except Burgundy. If you are an entry-level wine drinker, you can buy other types of wine glasses slowly, but Bordeaux red wine glasses must be the first to get.

The Bordeaux wine glass has a long body and a narrow mouth, which is constructed in such a way that the aroma of the wine is better gathered in the mouth of the glass and retained for as long as possible during the drinking process. The curvature of the Bordeaux red wine glass wall also has the effect of adjusting the direction of wine diffusion in the mouth, to achieve a kind of wine after the entrance to the effect of overflowing aroma.

2, Burgundy red wine glass

Burgundy red wine glass and Bordeaux red wine glass are two commonly used wine tasting wine glass. Burgundy red wine glass body and mouth are wider than the Bordeaux red wine glass, this is because the aroma of Burgundy red wine are very strong. This construction increases the contact area between the wine and the air, allowing the wine to give off a stronger aroma, while the wide mouth makes it easier for the nose to smell the aroma. At the same time, the big belly of the cup body can meet the wine first to the tongue after the diffusion of the effect in all directions, so that the fruity and acidic flavor of red wine to get a full blend, taste better.

3, white wine glass

White wine glass is usually used to hold white wine and cocktails related to it, relative to the red wine glass, white wine glass mouth is slightly smaller, thinner cup. As friends who love to drink white wine know, the most important thing when drinking white wine is the temperature. If the temperature of the wine is too high, the alcohol flavor in the wine will evaporate and cover up the original aroma of the wine.

The white wine glass is thin, so that each time the amount of pouring can be relatively less, you can drink faster, to fully ensure that the wine in the drinking process in the most suitable temperature. The design of the small mouth of the cup can also effectively reduce the contact between the wine and the air, so that the aroma of the wine lasts longer.

4, champagne glass

Champagne glass is suitable for all sparkling wines, the use of champagne cups is the greatest pleasure is to play with the bubbles in the liquid wine. In the bottom of a champagne glass there is a pointed concave point, pouring sparkling wine into the glass will produce a feeling as if all the small bubbles, are from the bottom of the concave point of the glass out of the feeling. The long, thin body of the glass gives the bubbles the space they need to rise, making them even richer and more beautiful.

5, brandy glass (small mouth short foot glass, Napoleon glass)

Brandy glass stem short, large body, this structure is mainly for the convenience of hand holding the glass. Like white wine, brandy is sensitive to temperature. The difference between the two is that white wine should avoid increasing the temperature of the liquid during drinking, while brandy needs to increase the temperature of the wine appropriately during drinking. Therefore, when drinking brandy, you can hold the glassware in your hand and make the wine temperature rise through the temperature of your hand, as a way to increase the wine and aroma.

6, sweet wine cup

Sweet wine cup is a small wine cup, sweet wine cup mouth slightly turned out, this design caters to the distribution of taste buds in our mouth. The tip of the tongue is most sensitive to sweet flavors, the sides of the tongue are most sensitive to sour flavors, and the base of the tongue is most sensitive to bitter flavors. The outturned mouth of the sweet wine glass allows the wine to spread out in the mouth immediately after entering the mouth, achieving the effect of sweetness but not greasiness when drinking sweet wine.

Four Steps to Wine Tasting

The steps of wine tasting can basically be summarized in four words: look, smell, taste and speak.

1. Look

Pour about 30mL of wine into the glass, place the glass on a white background (white paper, white tablecloth, etc.), and then observe the clarity and color of the wine in the glass from directly above. Tilt the glass at about 45° and observe the gradation of the color of the wine in the glass from the center to the surrounding area against a white background.

By observing the translucency of the darker area in the center, we can judge the body of the wine. The better the translucency, the lighter the body of the wine, e.g., the following three wines become heavier from left to right, and the text on the back of the glass becomes less legible in turn.

The color of the wine will also give us some clues as to the age of the wine. The older the wine, the darker the color will become, usually brownish for white wines and brick red for red wines; the picture below is a comparison of the same wine when it was new and old, and you can clearly see that the aged wine (right) is brick red.

2. Smell

Smell the air above the wine in the glass without shaking it to get a sense of the head aroma. Gently shake the glass to help release the volatiles in the wine, then probe your nose into the glass to smell the shaken odor (the main aroma).

The human sense of smell is very easily fatigued, after which the ability to recognize odors is drastically reduced, so you don't need to sniff a wine many times when collecting its scents. Before a wine enters the mouth, we have already established a preliminary understanding and expectation of it through the color we observe and the smell we smell, and the aroma of the wine allows us to deduce the grape variety used to make the wine and the winemaking process.

3. Taste

Drink about 10mL of the wine and swirl it around in your mouth, allowing the liquid to make full contact with each taste bud. Slightly open your mouth and inhale the air to help bring the volatile aromas from your mouth into your nose. Experience the texture of this wine, the flavors and the duration of the aftertaste after swallowing. We are not just tasting a wine when we taste it, but we are considering the combination of texture, aromas and flavors that it gives us.

4. Speaking

The biggest difference between wine tasting and drinking is that wine tasting also involves describing the observed colors, smells, tastes and flavors in appropriate language or words, and even evaluating the quality of the wine, and then communicating and sharing it with others.

Description of color vocabulary, based on white and red wines, are generally: white wines: yellow-green, straw, light yellow, yellow, dark yellow, golden yellow, amber, orange-yellow, brown-yellow; and red wines: light red, orange-red, peach, crimson, brick-red, purplish-red, and brown-red.

Describing the taste and flavor: Astringent (涩口) The astringent taste in the mouth caused by the tannins in a wine.

Balance: The feeling that the flavors, acidity, and sweetness of a wine are properly integrated.

Fifth, wine etiquette

Wine etiquette is the etiquette of drinking wine, wine etiquette can be very complicated, but the fun of wine is reflected in this series of complicated. To truly appreciate the intrinsic quality and deep cultural heritage of wine, to drink its best flavor, do not pay attention to wine etiquette, will let you greatly disappointed.

1, pouring

This is a very simple action, but do not put the wine on the full, at most, the wine will be poured to the cup of one-third, that is, about the diameter of the cup body at the largest place is enough. This is because it is important to leave enough space so that the wine does not overflow when the glass is shaken. At the same time, it can retain the aroma that escapes from the wine.

At the same time, when pouring wine, pay attention to the mouth of the bottle and the glass can not be next to each other, the mouth of the bottle and the glass touch and make a sound. Pour 1/3 cup of red wine; 1/2 cup of white wine; 3/4 cup of sparkling wine ~ the moment you finish pouring, you can slightly twist the bottle clockwise to prevent dripping!

2. Shake the glass

Don't drink the wine immediately after it's in the glass, there's still a shaking motion before you enter the glass. The purpose of shaking the glass is to release the aroma of the wine, but also to give the wine more sufficient oxidation time, so that the wine has a soft process, which is also one of the reasons why the wine can not be poured too much. Usually you will put the wine glass on the table, thumb and forefinger hold the stem, just draw a circle on the tabletop, or hold the glass in your hand and shake it slowly.

3, clink glasses

Holding the stem or cup base, the highball glass to the other side of the direction of a slight tilt, with the belly of the cup gently touch each other the belly of the glass. Remember not to use the mouth of the cup to touch the cup, because this position is very thin, it is easy to touch the broken. After the completion of the clink of glasses, the next sip sip sip sip, enjoy the wine of the good time, relaxed in the party with friends to talk about it.