Everything about wine is interesting. Stories say that wine was unintentionally discovered after the accidental fermentation of grapes in a container. Aside from its history, the different aspects of winemaking, such as the cultivation of grapevines, the various methods of fermenting grape juice, and other wine facts and figures never fail to enliven conversations among wine enthusiasts.
The health benefits of wine will make you love it even more, too. Wine is known to prevent heart disease and diabetes to name a few. In particular, red wine is known to have antioxidant properties, similar to what you get from fruits, nuts, and vegetables, as you try to eat healthy at home.
Wine 101
Wine comes in several varieties, each with their own distinct characteristics, such as color, aroma, or tannin (the compound found in grape skins, seeds, and stem) level.
Wine can also have a light, medium, or heavy body, where the more alcohol that wine contains, the heavier and fuller it tastes in the mouth. Altogether, these features give each type its unique flavor that you may not find in other varieties.
Here’s a rundown of the most popular types of wine and how they differ from one another. Use it as a guide to identifying your wine of choice.
- White wine
Contrary to what you may think, white wine isn’t made exclusively of white grapes; it can come from red or black grapes as well. To make white wine, the grapes’ red pigments are removed so that only the grape juice remains. As such, you’ll find hints of bright, savory, and creamy flavors in white wine.
If you’re barely starting to explore white wines, some of the most popular varieties you should try include Chardonnay, Moscato, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.
It’s recommended that you choose the right type of glass when drinking wine, too. For light-bodied white wine, better to drink it from smaller glasses to preserve and deliver more aroma to your nose, while full-bodied white wine is best drunk from a wide-mouthed glass to enjoy the wine’s creamy texture fully.
- Red wine
One of the questions that often gets asked is how red wine is different from white wine or vice-versa. The answer lies in the tannins from which wines get their color.
Unlike in the production of white wines, where the grapes’ skins are separated from the pulp or juice, red wines are made by allowing the skins to sit in the grape juice during fermentation. The result is that red wines have more tannin in them, so they’re often described as having a bitter taste.
If you’re quite new to red wines, here are some recommended varieties for you:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Zinfandel
What’s the best glass for red wine?
The kind of wine glass you choose can balance the bitterness of tannin and deliver a smoother wine-drinking experience. Some rules to remember:
- “Bordeaux” glass has a large surface that lets ethanol evaporate from the bolder varieties of red wine.
- Standard red wine glass softens the spicy flavors as they hit your tongue more slowly with its small opening.
- Burgundy wine glass is designed for lighter and more delicate red wines with its large round bowl that hold most of the aroma and flavors of the wine.
Pro tip: You should avoid chilling your red wine since tannins tend to add more bitterness as the wine gets cold.
- Rose wine
Rose wine is also called blush wine for its pink color, which is a result of the wine coming into contact with red grape skins for a short time, compared with red wine. This also gives rose wine a relatively low tannin content, so it tastes fine even when chilled, as long as you don’t get it too cold which may weaken its floral or fruity flavor.
Rose wine may be drunk from either a flared lip or slightly tapered glass. The long stem of the former ensures that the heat coming from your hands does not warm the wine, while the short bowl found in the latter allows you to taste the full-bodied rose flavors in a way that’s not overpowering.
- Dessert wine
Dessert wine is called as such because it tends to be sweeter and is usually served after a meal. However, some areas in the UK also drink sweet wine before the meal and then follow it up with sweet red wine to cleanse the palate.
Alcohol like brandy may be added to dessert wine, which is why it’s also known as fortified wine. Common dessert wines include Madeira, Marsala, Port, Sherry, and Vermouth. Because of its high alcohol content, it’s best to use narrow but tall wine glasses to prevent evaporation while allowing swirling motions to release the wine’s aroma.
- Sparkling wine
In the mood for a celebration? Then pop a bottle of champagne, which is probably one of the most popular types of sparkling wine. The carbonation that occurs during fermentation or the addition of carbon dioxide after fermentation is what makes the wine sparkle with bubbles.
The taste of sparkling wines may range from dry to sweet since it’s made from a wide range of red and white grape varieties. Champagne flutes are a special kind of glass with a tall, tulip-shaped stemware and are often used for drinking sparkling wines as they’re great at helping the bubbles last longer.
The Art of Drinking Wine
It may take you some time to fully master the subtleties of each type of wine, but the whole process of understanding wine is an art in itself. There’s no single way of doing it because it’s all about enjoying every moment and focusing your senses on the experience it brings.