Your Introduction To The Wondrous World Of Wine
What Is Wine Made From?
Wine, as may know, comes from grapes… but not the ones you pick up at the grocery store. Originally native to Spain but now cultivated in vineyards around the world, wine grapes are fermented to make the wine we know and love. Wine grapes are smaller, thicker-skinned, and contain seeds, while the table grapes most of us are used to do not.
The process of making wine can be explained in 5 simple steps:
Sorting: The first step is sorting the grapes to ensure that sticks, leaves, and other debris are removed.
Crushing & Pressing: Red grapes are de-stemmed and crushed, before being pressed and fermented, which transforms the grape juice into alcohol.
Aging: Our white and rosé wines are aged in steel vestibules which do not influence the taste while our reds are aged in three varieties of oak barrels to enhance their flavor.
Filtering: Our wines are then filtered to remove any yeast or sediment, giving them more polish and clarity
Bottling: Lastly, our wines are gravity-fed and fitted with all-natural corks. They’ll then sit for three months to round out the bottle before being enjoyed (our favorite part!)
What Makes Wine Different?
Origin: Where the wine was produced
Vintage: The year the wine was made
Taste: The often complex flavor profile of the wine
Smell: The distinct aroma of the wine
Color: Reds, pinks, whites, and everything in between
ABV: How much alcohol by volume the wine contains (generally 8-12%)
Tannins: A byproduct of fermentation, tannins add complexity to pink and red wines
What Colors Of Wine Are There?
White Wines: White wines are made by fermenting only the juice of the grapes. They tend to have a light and fruity taste which is relatively simple due to the low amount of tannins.
Rosé Wines: Pink wines (commonly called rosés), are made by marenading the grape skins in the juices for a few hours, creating a wine with a flavor profile in between red & white wines.
Red Wines: Red wines are made when the skin and seeds of the grapes are included during fermentation. They tend to be higher in tannins, leading to a complex & structured flavor profile.
What Influences The Smell Of A Wine?
Our sense of taste and smell are directly coordinated, which comes into play when we’re smiling wine. When you smell your wine, you should pick up on the wine’s flavors, and also see if you can sniff out impurities in the wine. Here are a few factors that will influence the aroma of your wine:
Fermentation: Esters are released during the fermentation process due to the chemical reaction between the acids & alcohol which can influence the smell of a wine
Aging: How long a bottle of wine is aged can also impact its aroma.
Barrels/Vestibules: Wine that is aged in oak barrels (such as red wines) will taste oakier than white wines stored in steel vestibules, which will tend to taste more youthful.
What Influences The Taste Of A Wine?
The type of grape largely determines the flavor, color, sugar content, acidity level, and the amount of tannin in the wine. Other conditions, namely climate, weather, sunlight, water, warmth and nutrients also affect the taste of the wine. If you’re looking for tips about how to become a better wine taster, you check it out here.
One of the beautiful things about wine is that it is so varied, which means that each bottle is a little different from the last! This makes the practice of tasting wine and finding new wines to savor so much fun.
If you’re looking for the perfect way to take the next step into our world of wines, we welcome you with open arms.
