1) What does "vintage year" mean?
The year of grapes harvest from which the wine was made refer to the vintage year. The weather conditions and the resulting grape crop are the characteristics to be determined for a vintage year.
2) What is meant by wine decanting?
Wine decanting can be described in three ways. One is drawing off good wine without disturbing the sediment. The second type is pouring the wine into another vessel without the sediments. The last type is drawing some wine from a larger vessel such as barrel or large bottle and pouring it in a smaller container.
3) Is it necessary to age wine in the bottle?
In today's market most of the wines are designed to be readymade. So you can drink when you purchase them and there is no need for aging. But there are some wines that need aging so a local wine mer chant can be asked about those wines.
4) How can one able to determine if a wine has gone bad?
The smell and taste of the wine tells its condition. A wine turns bad when it is corked or oxidized. This is clear by a strong corky or rotten smell in case of being corked and an unpleasant aroma and flavor will appear if it is oxidized. A bad wine will also turn brownish in color.
5) What is the basic process involved in wine making?
Most of the people think wine making is difficult but it is an easier process. When you add yeast to the grape fruit it converts the sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol and the carbon dioxide escapes into the air and the leftover is nothing but the wine. The job of wine maker is also so simple all they have to do is make a condition for the yeast to perform its job.
6) How do determine the alcohol content in the wine?
You can approximately calculate the content of alcohol by looking at the amount of wine and the size of the drops of wine left in the glass. The alcohol content will be high if the droplets are thicker and more in number. But this will not give the exact amount of alcohol content. For the exact amount the bottle can be checked.
7) Why do people get headache after drinking wine?
The wines you drink have high tannin levels and high histamine levels which cause headache. If you have any allergic to the components of the wine you might get headache.
8) How many calories are present in the wine?
Calories are not directly present in the wine. Calories are present in alcohol. Wine contains 15% of alcohol. And alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and fat contains 9 calories per gram. The more alcohol content in a wine the more calories will be present.
9) Can I make a good wine which I like to purchase?
Yes! You can make your own wine as you like with little reading about the wine making process. All that is necessary is you should have a little patience and some wine making equipments.
10) What is priming sugar?
Priming sugar is nothing but a sugar added to the wort (sugary liquid used to make beer) before bottling to carbonate the beer in the bottle.
11) Which wine age better? Red or white wine?
Red wines age better than white wines. Since most red wines need to be aged rather than the white ones. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah/Shiraz are best examples for the aging red wines. But still few white wines needs aging. They are Burgundy-style chardonnays, German Rieslings, sparkling wines, and fortified wines.
12) What is the right way for wine storage?
To store the wine for an extended period of time a good and correct environment is essential. The temperature should range from 55-58° F and the humidity should be maintained at 55% to 75%. The vapor barriers and insulation can be used to isolate the wine cellar from any condition that damages the wine storage.
13) What is fortified wine?
Fortified wines are nothing but the wines added with alcohol. The best example for this type of wine is brandy. This type of wine was invented in the early 17th century to withstand the rough voyages. Wines with higher alcohol content can be prepared when brandy is added to the wine before or after fermentation. It also helps to prevent bacteria from consuming the wine.
14) How should a wine glass be held in hand?
The proper way to the wine glass is by the stem. It allows you to enjoy the smell of the wine without the interference of any perfumes from your hand. More importantly holding the wine around the body affects the flavor of the wine since heat from the hand starts warming up the wine. Restrict yourself by holding at the stem of the glass to prevent from others watching you oddly.
15) What are the different ways for cooling the wine?
If you have enough time to chill your wine just put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. If not grab a ice bucket and fill it partially with ice and partially with cold water and place the wine bottle in it. Using this combination wine can be cooled with 20 - 30 minutes than ice which takes about one hour.
16) Which region is first in producing wine?
The south western Spanish region of Andalucía is the number one region in producing wines. Next comes the cape winelands in South Africa.
17) Why are the hill stations suitable for vineyards not the valleys?
Ideal conditions for growing grapes are provided by the hills landscape. The hills elevation prevents the grape crops from sudden frost which occur frequently in the valleys. Good drainage of air and water is provided by the slopes and prevent excess moisture. To say more about the hill they receive more light and warmth for this reason most of the vineyards are located in the hills.
18) What are the benefits in drinking red wine?
Researchers say that moderate intake of red wine improves cardiovascular health by reducing the risk to heart disease. The antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes help you the most. These antioxidants help you in three ways. They reduce the protection of low density cholesterol, by increasing high density lipoproteins and by reducing blood clotting.
19) Does wine fatten?
A 4 ounce glass of wine will contain 80 to 100 calories. Calories will be less in lighter wines than heavier ones. Due to residual sugar some wines have high carbohydrates.
20) When was the first wine produced?
About 7000 years ago wine has played a great role in civilization. But the written record for the wine was produced around 2500 B.C. The early Egyptians used the same method for producing wines as it is used today.
21) What does it mean when a wine is said to be tannic?
If the wine has a pore closing substance and bitter taste caused by the high level of tannin then it is called tannin wine. Tannin is a chemical substance found in grape skin, seeds, and stems and in the wood barrels in which the wine is fermented. This chemical substance is important for the aging of the wines.
22) What is meant by wine bouquet?
Bouquet refers to the odor of the wine. This odor is got from the other sources and not from the grapes. The sources might be vanillin scent of the oak barrels which is used for fermentation or aging.
23) What is malolactic fermentation?
The process of converting the malic acid in a wine to lactic acid naturally is called as malolactic fermentation. This process can occur by itself or a wine maker can activate this process.
24) What does it signify when a wine is said to be sweet or dry?
If a wine is said to be sweet then a noticeable level of sweetness is found in the wine which is called residual sugar. The dry wine has no such sweetness and the off dry wine has slight sweetness.
25) Is there any constant or certain temperature at which the wine should be served?
Wines should be served at the temperature in which they taste the best. Some white and sparking wines should be served chilled as they are refreshing at that the temperature. Red wines can be served unchilled but in a cool state.
Lighter wines can be served at a temperature more then 45 degree, full bodied white wine can be served at a temperature above 55 degree and red wines can be served at 65 degrees.
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