3 types of wine
- Light wines
o Still wines, not sparkling
o Containing 8-15% alcohol
o Names after the region
- Sparkling wines
o Containing bubbles of carbon dioxide gas that has been tapped in the
wine
o Mostly associated with celebrating something
- Fortified wines
o Higher alcohol percentage
o Containing 15-22% alcohol
Styles of wine
- Colour is determined by the grape’s skins
- Red
o Black grape’s skins.
o Juice is fermented in contact with the grape skin colouring the juice
- White
o Usually made from white grapes but can also be red grapes
o Removing the red skin before the fermentation doesn’t give them
colour.
o Often seen as lighter, refreshing
- Rosé
o Made from red grapes where the grapes have had less contact with the
skins.
o Not as full as red wines but offer more body than white wines.
o Rosé tends to be seasonal drink in the summer
Sweetness
- Dry
o Most red and white wines will be dry because yeast will have turned all
the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
o Examples:
Sauvignon blanc from new Zealand
Fino sherry from Spain
Brut champagne
Châteauneuf-du-Pape from France
Chianti from Italy
Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
- Medium
o Will usually be white or rosé wine
, o To make a medium wine winemaker removes yeast from juice before all
sugars are consumed or adds unfermented, sweet grape juice to dry
wine. Should not be cloying or sickly but have a sweetness
o Examples
Wines from Germany and rosé wines
White Zinfandel from California
- Sweet
o Amount of sugar makes them feel thicker and richer.
o Are being made from grapes so rich in sugar that the yeast dies before
all the sugar is consumed.
o Should be balanced with a refreshing acidity to prevent these wines
from cloying. Alternatively, the yeast can die through the addition of
extra alcohol.
Body – general feel of the wine in the mouth when you taste.
- Light bodied
o Refreshing and easy to drink such as
Pinot Grigio from Italy
Beaujolais from France
- Medium bodies
o Feel richer and more substantial can be because of the grapes that
have been used or wine has been in oak barrels giving an extra texture.
o Examples
Burgundy from France
Merlot from Chile
- Full bodied
o Will be powerful and will seem more concentrated and heavy. Usually
due to the ripeness of the grape and from some wines the use of oak.
o Examples
Chardonnay from California
Shiraz from Australia
Other factors
- Oak
o Wine has been fermented or matured in oak and will gain flavour,
tannin and texture.
White wines can become more buttery and gain vanilla flavours
Red wines become smoother with a spicy character
- Tannin
o Substance found in black grape skins.
o Can be felt on the teeth, gums and tongue and make the mouth feel
dry. Same feeling like a cold black tea feeling.
Red wine can seem harsh.
- Light wines
o Still wines, not sparkling
o Containing 8-15% alcohol
o Names after the region
- Sparkling wines
o Containing bubbles of carbon dioxide gas that has been tapped in the
wine
o Mostly associated with celebrating something
- Fortified wines
o Higher alcohol percentage
o Containing 15-22% alcohol
Styles of wine
- Colour is determined by the grape’s skins
- Red
o Black grape’s skins.
o Juice is fermented in contact with the grape skin colouring the juice
- White
o Usually made from white grapes but can also be red grapes
o Removing the red skin before the fermentation doesn’t give them
colour.
o Often seen as lighter, refreshing
- Rosé
o Made from red grapes where the grapes have had less contact with the
skins.
o Not as full as red wines but offer more body than white wines.
o Rosé tends to be seasonal drink in the summer
Sweetness
- Dry
o Most red and white wines will be dry because yeast will have turned all
the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
o Examples:
Sauvignon blanc from new Zealand
Fino sherry from Spain
Brut champagne
Châteauneuf-du-Pape from France
Chianti from Italy
Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
- Medium
o Will usually be white or rosé wine
, o To make a medium wine winemaker removes yeast from juice before all
sugars are consumed or adds unfermented, sweet grape juice to dry
wine. Should not be cloying or sickly but have a sweetness
o Examples
Wines from Germany and rosé wines
White Zinfandel from California
- Sweet
o Amount of sugar makes them feel thicker and richer.
o Are being made from grapes so rich in sugar that the yeast dies before
all the sugar is consumed.
o Should be balanced with a refreshing acidity to prevent these wines
from cloying. Alternatively, the yeast can die through the addition of
extra alcohol.
Body – general feel of the wine in the mouth when you taste.
- Light bodied
o Refreshing and easy to drink such as
Pinot Grigio from Italy
Beaujolais from France
- Medium bodies
o Feel richer and more substantial can be because of the grapes that
have been used or wine has been in oak barrels giving an extra texture.
o Examples
Burgundy from France
Merlot from Chile
- Full bodied
o Will be powerful and will seem more concentrated and heavy. Usually
due to the ripeness of the grape and from some wines the use of oak.
o Examples
Chardonnay from California
Shiraz from Australia
Other factors
- Oak
o Wine has been fermented or matured in oak and will gain flavour,
tannin and texture.
White wines can become more buttery and gain vanilla flavours
Red wines become smoother with a spicy character
- Tannin
o Substance found in black grape skins.
o Can be felt on the teeth, gums and tongue and make the mouth feel
dry. Same feeling like a cold black tea feeling.
Red wine can seem harsh.
