Winemaking: Facts about Wines
White wine should be served chilled, but not so cold that
its flavor is dulled. Aim for about 45 degrees F.
Red wine has more tannin then white wine. Tannin
comes primarily form grape’s skins, seeds and stems. White wine is fermented without the
skins, so it has much less tannin then red wines.
There are no hard fast rules about serving Red
wines with meat, but the usually acknowledged rule of thumb is; like with like. Because
Red wines taste complex or full-flavored, they stand up well to food that is equally
full-bodied, such as steak, lamb chops, or roast.
White wine works well with lighter foods,
typically white meat, fish, and cream-based pastas. An oft-fallowed guideline is to match
the color of the sauce to the wine: Red wine with red sauces, White wine with white
sauces.
Medical research shows that drinking two
four-ounce glasses of Red wine a day can cut the risk of coronary disease by as much as 50
percent. It was found that the tannins in Red wine contain antioxidant properties that
help decrease the levels of "bad" cholesterol and raise the levels of
"good" cholesterol.
Ideally, wine bottles should be stored lying on
their sides, so the wine is in touch with the cork. If a bottle stands for too long, the
cork will dry out and air may leak into the bottle, interacting with the wine changing the
taste, and eventually turning it into vinegar.
Most open bottles of Ports or Sherry's will keep
for almost a year.
Most wines can be drunk when they're sold. Aging
wine adds new dimensions to its flavors and textures, but don't wait too long. Most Reds
shouldn't exceed 15 years, and Whites 3 years. If you have sweet Red wine do not
age.
Once a bottle has been opened, it's best to store
the remaining wine standing up in the refrigerator so that the surface of the wine within
the bottle comes into less contact with the air inside the bottle. Don't put the bottle
in the door of the fridge, for every time you open the door, you'll be sloshing the wine
around, helping it to deteriorate faster.
WINE GONE BAD - These are a number of things to look for.
- Use your nose and sniff. Bad wines give off a chemical, bacterial, or moldy
odor. If a wine smells flat or cooked, it's been oxidized, meaning too
much air got into the bottle and ruined the wine.
- If the wine is vinegar-tasting; then the wine has "turned" - literally
into vinegar.
- Note the cork. If it's moldy or smells off. Like damp cardboard, its a bad
cork which usually, but not always, means a bad (corked) wine, and the wine will taste
bad.
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Information about Winemaking:
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