Wine Education
Can we talk about Corks for a moment? Does it matter if your cork is made of Cork, rubber, or even a screw top? Well the answer is it depends. If you store your wine upright then yes, you are not doing yourself any favor by having that real cork. The cork can dry out and crack and allow air to get in the bottle. YUCK!!!!! the other reason for rubber or screw tops is that most of us do not own a wine cellar, nor do we "store" wine or "age" it. A lot of wineries can keep costs down my using the screw cap or the synthetic type cork. If you are going to buy your wine and drink it the same day - who cares what the cork is made out of. The bottom line is remember proper storage is key, but also not to be a cork snob! Don't pass up a great wine just because it doesn't have a real cork. You are buying it for the wine not the cork.
UPDATE!!!!! While I was in California recently I stopped at a few wineries. While there I realized some items that would be useful for this portion of the site.
I made light of storing wine in my introduction. However; if you really want to store wine there are some things to consider. When possible wine should be stored on its side. This is more important for real corks. Corks need to remain moist. If a cork dries out the wine can get too much air, go bad, or get pieces of cork in it - all of which are not good. You will also want to keep wine stored at the proper temperature. Sadly, many great wine collections have been damaged because of instability in temperature and moisture. High temperature causes the wine to age prematurely, thus losing its flavor and balance. When chilled too cold, the wine also loses its flavor and aromas. It may also interest you to know that wine should be served close to room temperature. White wines do not have to sit on ice for hours to be ready to drink.
As I think of additional educational tid-bits I will continue to update this page! Now if you have not already done so - read on!!!!!
White Wine is made from green grapes and is typically stored in barrels or can be stored in glass. The time to ferment takes longer and the types of wine are typically dryer, crisper, and lighter. No (or little) tannin (skin) in used to make white wine. This helps keep the sugar level up and the natural grape juice shine through.
Red Wine is made from red or black grapes and is typically stored in oak or wood crates to help enhance the flavor of the wine. Most of red wines are colored with the tannin (skin) of the grape to make them darker in color. (Here is a hint, most grape juice is clear or very light so the skin of the grapes is needed to provided the color – almost like coloring Easter eggs)
Rose Wine (guess how these are made???) Actually this is a trick question. They can be made of either a mixture of white or red (aka green and red grapes) or they can be made from red grapes that do not use as much tannin/skin.
Sparkling wines are made from any grape just add carbonation duh!
Dessert Wines: These are typically made from white wines, but they are made from the residual sugar that is left over during the wine making process. Very sweet! Some of these can be awesome with a cheese cake or by themselves but just be careful these are really the “dessert” and lots of extra calories and nasty things can come from consuming too many of these fella’s. But they are soooooooo good!!!!
Grapes are impacted by temperature, and rain or lack thereof……that is why some years are better than others. Grapes love cool weather with rain in the early season. Some times it is a matter of what region had a better Grape Growing season. After that it really has to do with the winery and it’s process. Some like to pour and re-pour the tannins over the mix to get a better color, some like to mix with the sugar content, some like to use only fresh barrels and some don’t care at all about aging. It really depends on the type of wine and the manufacturer/winery involved in the process.
Some wineries only use new barrels, some use barrels a select number of times and then sell them, some use glass which adds nothing to the flavor, but lets the wine serve itself, some use plastic (in my opinion lame) some use barrels made from another type of wood which can also impact flavor. A lot has to do with the type of grape used, the amount of tannin uses, the amount of time it is aged in the barrel, etc.
(I will continue to update this portion of the site to include varieties of wines. Please feel free to use the contact form to let me know what questions/suggestions you may have)
UPDATE!!!!! While I was in California recently I stopped at a few wineries. While there I realized some items that would be useful for this portion of the site.
I made light of storing wine in my introduction. However; if you really want to store wine there are some things to consider. When possible wine should be stored on its side. This is more important for real corks. Corks need to remain moist. If a cork dries out the wine can get too much air, go bad, or get pieces of cork in it - all of which are not good. You will also want to keep wine stored at the proper temperature. Sadly, many great wine collections have been damaged because of instability in temperature and moisture. High temperature causes the wine to age prematurely, thus losing its flavor and balance. When chilled too cold, the wine also loses its flavor and aromas. It may also interest you to know that wine should be served close to room temperature. White wines do not have to sit on ice for hours to be ready to drink.
As I think of additional educational tid-bits I will continue to update this page! Now if you have not already done so - read on!!!!!
White Wine is made from green grapes and is typically stored in barrels or can be stored in glass. The time to ferment takes longer and the types of wine are typically dryer, crisper, and lighter. No (or little) tannin (skin) in used to make white wine. This helps keep the sugar level up and the natural grape juice shine through.
Red Wine is made from red or black grapes and is typically stored in oak or wood crates to help enhance the flavor of the wine. Most of red wines are colored with the tannin (skin) of the grape to make them darker in color. (Here is a hint, most grape juice is clear or very light so the skin of the grapes is needed to provided the color – almost like coloring Easter eggs)
Rose Wine (guess how these are made???) Actually this is a trick question. They can be made of either a mixture of white or red (aka green and red grapes) or they can be made from red grapes that do not use as much tannin/skin.
Sparkling wines are made from any grape just add carbonation duh!
Dessert Wines: These are typically made from white wines, but they are made from the residual sugar that is left over during the wine making process. Very sweet! Some of these can be awesome with a cheese cake or by themselves but just be careful these are really the “dessert” and lots of extra calories and nasty things can come from consuming too many of these fella’s. But they are soooooooo good!!!!
Grapes are impacted by temperature, and rain or lack thereof……that is why some years are better than others. Grapes love cool weather with rain in the early season. Some times it is a matter of what region had a better Grape Growing season. After that it really has to do with the winery and it’s process. Some like to pour and re-pour the tannins over the mix to get a better color, some like to mix with the sugar content, some like to use only fresh barrels and some don’t care at all about aging. It really depends on the type of wine and the manufacturer/winery involved in the process.
Some wineries only use new barrels, some use barrels a select number of times and then sell them, some use glass which adds nothing to the flavor, but lets the wine serve itself, some use plastic (in my opinion lame) some use barrels made from another type of wood which can also impact flavor. A lot has to do with the type of grape used, the amount of tannin uses, the amount of time it is aged in the barrel, etc.
(I will continue to update this portion of the site to include varieties of wines. Please feel free to use the contact form to let me know what questions/suggestions you may have)