What is wine?

• Wine is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting juice of grapes
• Four types include while, red, rose and champagne (sparkling wine)

Wine Varietal

• Named for grape used (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon)
• Must contain at least 75% of the grape

Geographical Wine

• Named for region where grapes are grown (e.g., Bordeaux); not necessarily produced in the same region today
• Those wines produced outisde the region may not resemble the wines from region or origin

Branded Wine

• Invented name given by the producing winery (e.g., Blue Nun, Black Tower)
• Not names for the grape used or region where it is produced

Wine Storage

• Store wine between 40-65°F (4.4°C-18.3°C)
• Keep away from light, extreme heat or cold, and fluctuations among storage temperature
• Most wines should be consumed within one year of bottling
• Expensive wines should be aged

Wine Temperature

• Serve at temperature that enhances taste and aroma
• Chill a few degrees colder than ideal drinking temperature so that aromatic vapors will be created as it warms up
• High temperatures minimize tannin and acidity
• Serve young reds warm to enhance taste
• Cold temperatures minimize aroma Aromatic wines (e.g., Chardonnay, Reilsing) can be served well chilled without losing aroma
• Chill a flabby wine to enhance taste

Serving Temperature for Wine

Type Temperature Sparkling whites 42-45°F (5.5-7.2°C) Sweet whites 40-45°F (4.4-7.2°C) Champagne 42-45°F (5.5-7.2°C) Light-bodies whites 45-50°F (7.2-10°C) Sparkling reds 51-53°F (10.6-11.7°C) Medium-bodied whites 53-55°F (11.7-12.8°C) Full-bodied sweet whites 45-52°F (7.2-11.1°C) Light-bodied reds 50-55°F (10-12.8°C) Full-bodied dry whites 52-56°F (11.1-13.3°C) Medium- bodied reds 56-60°F (13.3-15.6°C) Full-bodied reds 60-63°F (15.6-17.2°C)

Breathing

• Not all wine needs to breath; it may lose freshness
• Breath only young, tannic wines (mainly reds)
• Remove cork; allow wine to breathe for one hour before serving
• Small bottle opening does not allow much of wine surface to contact air; for best results, let wine breathe from glass

Decanting

• Decanters come in single bottles and magnum sizes
• Allows enjoyment of wine colour
• Also suitable to separate sediment (if any) from wine
• Decant just prior to serving, especially for old wines
• Decanted wine remains fresh for about 24 hours