In exploring the different types of wine for Wine Tasting we look at a few different elements. It is generally produced from the procedure of crushing grapes and using Yeast. The yeast feasts on the sugars in the grapes and converts them into alcohol. The variety of the grape and type of yeast is what produces the different types.
Wine is usually produced from one or more types of the European species Vitis vinifera, some of these are:
- Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Shiraz
- Petit Verdot
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Sangiovese
- Nebbiolo
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillon
- Pinot Gris or Pinto Grigio
- Riesling
- Viognier
- Gewürztraminer
- Marsanne
- Rousanne
- Veruzzo
- Gamay
It is when one of the above varieties of grapes is used as the predominant grape, defined by law in most countries of at least 75 percent or 85 percent, unless of course the grapes are blended, in which case it is labeled as a blended wine.
There are, of course exceptions to this. Take for example a Bordeaux, this is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. It is said that 89 percent of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (Called “Claret” in Britain). The remainder of wines making up the 11 percent of Bordeaux’s produce are whites such as Chateau d”Yquem, dry whites, sparkling wines (Cremant de Bordeaux) and rose. Then of course there is Champagne, if produced in the Champagne region, you are allowed to use the Methode Champenois process. If you may want a Sparkling white, non vintage effervescent wine, or even Sparkling this has carbonated qualities all of which are produced else where in the world. There are some exceptions, were a winery has chosen to produce their wines in a different region, like Chandon for instance, set in the hills of the beautiful Yarra Valley, using the production of methode traditionnele sparkling wine.
When tasting each of these different wines there are individual flavors that can be detected. Wines contain chemical compounds like or the same as those found in vegetables, spices and fruits. The Drier the taste usually means that it has less residual sugar, and similarly the sweeter the more residual sugars in the wine after fermentation. The color is usually dictated by how much of the skin of the grape is left at the time of crushing the grapes.
On the whole if you wish to identify a wine by its label then the name that comes first will have the majority of that grape in it and hence should be close to the characteristics of that grape. Knowing these little gems can make you a hero when wine tasting.
