The Basics of Wine

Wine making is an art that has been practiced for over four thousand years. Essentially wine comes in three basic types: red, white and sparkling.

If a sparkling wine comes from the Champagne region of France it is named after that region. Other French regions that produce good wine are Bordeaux and Burgundy. The best Italian wines come from Tuscany, and the best American wines come from California.

When wine is made the grapes are crushed and the juice extracted. The juice contains sugar and yeast. The yeast ferments the sugar and gradually alcohol is produced. Although the alcohol is always the same, every wine has its own flavor. This depends on the type of grape used and the conditions in which fermentation occurs.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir grapes make full, rich red wines. Merlot grapes produce lighter, softer red wines. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes make white wines.

Good wines usually have their year of production on the bottle. This is called the vintage. Some years produce better wines than others.

Most red wines improve with a little aging, some for as long as ten years. Most red wines are not distributed until about two years after they are put in the bottle. However, most white wines do not benefit from aging, except for champagne and sweet dessert wines.

Wines can be enjoyed like any other drink, but they are often consumed with a meal. For full flavored meats such as beef choose a full red wine, like a Zinfandel, Cabernet or Syrah.

For lighter meat like pork or lamb a medium bodied red like a Merlot or Pinot Noir is usually a good choice.

Chicken and fish are usually accompanied by white wine like a Chardonnay. This wine will also complement a non-meat dish, as would a Zinfandel or Riesling.

Sparkling and white wines are best served chilled. A red wine should be served when it is only slightly below room temperature. Both wines are best left to stand before opening. Some red wines have sediment which should stay at the bottom of the bottle, and an agitated sparkling wine is often much too eager to leave the bottle.

You can serve a white wine immediately after removing the cork, but a red wine benefits from 'breathing' for about half an hour after the bottle is opened. For best results gently decant the red wine into another container. This allows a greater surface area of the wine to breathe and leaves the sediment behind in the bottle. If you do not have a decanter, pour half a glass from the bottle and let both stand for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Wine Tours - Where Wine can be Tasted Properly

Wine tasting is not a sport and not a hobby... It is an experience. Many choose a wine tasting tour as a modern way to spend holidays, as wine tasting tours usually include going to the country side, where one can enjoy ambience, relaxation and good company. This tends to be a physically and mentally rejuvenating experience. Depending on the continent and country, wine tasting tours are sometimes located on the most beautiful beaches, then other times inland and in hills, where grapes are growing all year round.

One might think that full appreciation of a wine tasting tour will benefit only true wine lovers, but after a third glass we can most certainly conclude, that everybody will blend in and feel great. It is best to start with local wine tours and then build up to wine tasting vacations in more distant territories.

For wine tasting beginners or if going abroad, it is best to take a guided tour to places where wineries are located. These tours usually include renowned and well-known wineries and guided wine tasting sessions hosted by professional wine experts. These sessions can be an exceptional eye opener for the novice, but also for the experienced wine enthusiast. One gets to taste a wide variety of wines at the places where they are manufactured. Also much can be learned about wine making, storage, food matching and also about history of the wine and wine lovers from local history - especially in Europe where this frequently includes kings and aristocracy.

The best thing is that there is also food served besides wine, and this completes an enjoyable event. Wine tasting tours can go on for hours, and if you attend organized tours - which is an exceptional way to spend your vacation - you get to travel around from winery to winery and learn about new places that often astound you with their beauty.. You also meet new, like-minded people so you can share your findings, thoughts, preferences and tastes. Guided tours include everything already organized - your meals, the wine that go with the meals, your hotel rooms, transportation and lastly the wineries to visit for the tasting sessions.

To attend a wine tasting session you do not need any knowledge as there are no prerequisites. Everybody can attend as sessions are guided, and one learns everything on the way. If you are a complete beginner, it is best to look around and copy behavior of others. This especially includes sipping the wine slowly, keeping it in the mouth for a few seconds, while moving it around all areas of your mouth and tongue, so that every taste sensor comes in touch with it. You can also close your eyes and most of all try to get as much feedback from your sensors as possible - and then compare your findings to what your guide is describing.

Wine tours are not only about wine tasting. Ultimately at the end of every tour you can buy wine that you liked, and for many this is a start of their own private wine collection. Attending such wine tasting session also teaches you a lot about the way the grapes are cultivated and collected, about local folklore, and finally how grapes get processed for the wine. The bottom line - while enjoying these tours you will have the best time ever. After a few local tours you really might consider a wine tour as a way to spend your holidays and after you have returned from your first wine tasting tour, you will probably make a list of all the continents and countries you want to visit to continue your quest for good taste.