The science of wine and winemaking. The taste of wine cannot be expressed in words
Wine (from the Latin vinum) is an alcoholic drink with a strength of 9-20% vol., which is obtained as a result of complete or partial fermentation of grape or fruit juice. Sometimes alcohol, yeast and other substances are added to the juice intended for fermentation. The science that studies wine is called oenology.
Wine classifications
The quality of taste and bouquet of various types of wines is influenced by various factors, for example, the characteristics of wine production technologies, the natural conditions in which the raw materials for making the drink were grown, as well as many other factors. Wines have many varieties and can differ in appearance, chemical composition, quality characteristics, and organoleptic properties.
For the most complete orientation in a variety of wine varieties, classification is necessary - a unified system for distributing wines into groups in accordance with their composition, typical properties and production features. Each wine-producing country uses its own wine classification.
By color and aging time
Based on color and aging time, wines are divided into:
young (wines without aging);
seasoned;
vintage (the highest quality aged wines, for the production of which the same grape varieties are used, preserving the taste and aroma of the drink. Such wines are produced in certain wine-growing regions);
collectible.
Depending on the color of the wine, white, red and rose wines are distinguished. Doctors believe that red wines are the most healing, since such wines contain large amounts of antioxidants. White grape wine is often compared to the sun, since such wine retains all the beneficial elements of the grapes, which have collected solar energy. Natural grape wines contain various microelements, enzymes, vitamins and other beneficial substances, which is perhaps why ancient doctors considered wine a healing drink.
By alcohol and sugar content
In Russia, depending on the alcohol and sugar content, wines are divided into:
Natural wines:
Dry - wines obtained as a result of complete fermentation of grape or fruit and berry must with a residual sugar content of no more than 1% (alcohol content - 9-13% vol., sugar - up to 3 g/l);
Dry special (alcohol content - 14-16% vol., sugar - up to 3 g/l);
Semi-dry (alcohol content - 9-13% vol., sugar - 5-30 g/l);
Semi-sweet (alcohol content - 9-12% vol., sugar - 30-80 g/l).
Special wines:
Dry (alcohol content - 14-20% vol., sugar - up to 15 g/l);
Strong (alcohol content - 17-20% vol., sugar - 30-120 g/l);
Semi-dessert (alcohol content - 14-16% vol., sugar - 50–120 g/l);
Dessert (alcohol content - 15-17% vol., sugar - 140–200 g/l);
Liquor (alcohol content - 12-16% vol., sugar - 210-300 g/l).
Flavored wines (alcohol content - 16-18% vol., sugar - up to 6-16%).
When citing various classifications of wines, it is impossible not to mention sparkling wines. A wine is called sparkling if, during its production, the grape or fruit must was saturated with carbon dioxide during repeated fermentation. Naturally, champagne immediately comes to mind. Indeed, champagne is the most famous sparkling wine in the world. However, we should not forget that not any sparkling wine can be called champagne, but only that which is prepared in the French province of Champagne.
Special wines also include natural honey wines obtained through natural fermentation. These are sweet dessert wines with a pronounced honey-floral bouquet. Such wines contain from 13.3 to 15.5% vol. alcohol Natural honey wine is a transparent liquid without sediment or foreign inclusions, having a light yellow or golden honey color. The bouquet of this wine includes only natural ingredients: berries, medicinal herbs, spices.
European classification
The category of wine is something of a quality mark. The general European classification involves only two categories - table wines and quality wines made in a specific region. The French classification distinguishes four such categories:
Table wines (French Vin de table).
Wines of the lands (French: Vin de pays) or local wines that are produced in certain wine-growing regions.
Wines produced exclusively in special, relatively small regions, or "premium vintage wines."
Wines of controlled appellations of origin (French: Appellation d'origine controlée). This is the highest category of French wines, considered the most elite, however, wines in this category have the highest cost.
If a wine has the word “Cru” in its name, it means that the grapes used to produce the wine were grown on a historically better plot of land than the surrounding plots.
Wine consumption culture
The culture of wine consumption involves three sensory sensations:
appearance of the wine;
its smell;
its taste.
The appearance of the drink allows you to evaluate such characteristics as color, shine, purity, and fluidity. That is why the appearance of wine should evoke only positive emotions. The smell of wine is determined primarily by its aroma and bouquet. Experts distinguish more than 500 aromatic substances that affect the smell of wine. Such substances include the smell of fruits (black currants, raspberries), the smell of flowers (roses, rose hips), the smell of plants (hay, grass, undergrowth) or the empyrematic smell (toasted bread, almonds, coffee).
In order to fully smell the wine, you need to carefully fill a suitable glass one third with wine, then, without shaking the glass, inhale the aroma of the drink. The smell you immediately smell is called the “first smell” smell. After this, you need to splash the wine in a glass in a circular motion and inhale the aroma again. Thus, you will feel the aroma and bouquet of the “second sense”. To know the true taste of wine, you need to taste it as follows: after taking a little wine, hold it in your mouth, passing it between your teeth and lips. This way you can evaluate the sweetness, saltiness, acidity and bitterness of the wine. Only after this you need to take a full sip, which will help determine the smoothness, softness, or, on the contrary, playfulness, pearliness, coolness or warmth of the wine.
Wine – an alcoholic drink obtained from the juice of grapes (or other fruits) by converting (fermenting) the sugar in it into alcohol. The fermentation process occurs under the influence of wine yeast and is called - fermentation. During the fermentation process, in addition to ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat are released.
The fermentation process must occur without access to air, but with the possibility of removing the released carbon dioxide. For this purpose, the so-called “water seal” (or water seal) – outlet tube lowered into a vessel with water.
Otherwise, if there is access to air, instead of wine, we will most likely get fruit vinegar, and if the removal of carbon dioxide is not ensured, the cork will be knocked out or the bottle will rupture.
The entire process of turning juice into wine is called Vinification.
At the same time, crushed and crushed fruits prepared according to technology are called Mezgoy, and the resulting juice (or a mixture of juice with water and sugar) is called - Wort.
The science of wine (“the study of making wine”) is called Oenology.
Specialist in the preparation of wine, respectively - Oenologist.
A specialist in the selection, proper use, serving and storage of wine is called Sommelier(“a person responsible for serving drinks in a restaurant, giving advice on the choice of wines and drinks, serving them and monitoring their service to the client until the moment he leaves the room”).
Wine can be either natural or fruit-based
Natural wine is a wine made by fermenting grape juice without adding sugar, water or alcohol. Only sweet, ripened grapes have the composition and properties necessary to make natural wine.
Natural wine cannot be stronger than 12-13% vol. (volume fraction of alcohol in %). It is at this strength that natural (wild) wine yeast stops its activity, dies and precipitates.
For reference:
1 (one)% sugar in the wort during fermentation turns into ~ 0.6% ethyl alcohol. Thus, to obtain natural wine with a strength of 12% vol. – the presence of sugar in grape juice must be at least 20%.
Fruit wine- This is wine obtained by fermenting the juice of any fruit or berries with the addition of sugar and water.
Sugar is added to juice due to its low content in the juices of fruits and berries (less than 20%), and water is added due to their high acid content (more than 0.7%).
IMPORTANT: The presence of excess acid content in any wine (more than 0.7%) leads to unpleasant consequences after its consumption - heartburn. The acid content in wine can only be reduced at the stage of its preparation - by adding water to the wort. Using sugar, you can make sour wine taste sweet, but the heartburn will remain.
The presence of acid in wine below 0.7% negatively affects the taste of the wine. It becomes fresh and watery. In addition, this wine is not resistant to diseases.
For reference:
According to the composition and content of wine materials, wines are divided into:
Sepazhnye (varietal)– which are prepared from one type of fruit.
Assembly– which are prepared from a mixture of 2 or more varieties.
Blended– which are prepared from a mixture of different wine materials or wines.
In the blend they highlight Base wine– which makes up at least half of the blend.
There is also Vintage Wine.
Title VINTAGE assigned to the highest quality wine made from wine materials obtained from the harvest of a certain year, the conditions for winemaking in which were the most favorable.
Dry- without any noticeable sweetness.
Semi-dry– containing 1-2% sugar.
Semi-sweet– containing 3-5% sugar.
Sweet– containing > 5% sugar.
Liquor– containing > 20% sugar.
There are also fortified wines.
Fortified wine(strength above 16%) is a wine to which ethyl alcohol has been added to increase the strength.
Wines are distinguished by color:
White– from light straw to greenish-yellow, amber or flesh-colored; sometimes the color of weak tea.
Pink– from pale pink to light ruby color with a crimson or yellowish-flesh tint.
Reds– from ruby red to dark garnet color with a violet (in young wines) or brick-red, brownish (in old wines) tint.
Yellow– from dark yellow to the color of strong tea brewing; sometimes with an amber-brown tint.
THE QUALITY OF WINE DEPENDS ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF ITS PREPARATION
One of the most important differences between wine and strong alcoholic drinks is that a strong alcoholic drink is eaten as a snack, while wine washed down food.
Therefore, in order not to at least spoil the taste of food, the wine should be pleasant to drink (a kind of seasoning), and this depends on the following parameters:
1. Appearance of wine, – its color, saturation, transparency, thickness (density), absence of turbidity, flakes, sediment.
2. The smell of wine, – the absence of the smell of yeast, grass, rot, vinegar or other unpleasant odors and the presence of a pleasant aroma or bouquet of aromas.
3. Taste of wine, - the taste of wine, when prepared correctly, as a rule, corresponds to the fruits from which it is made, but it is important that the wine does not “shudder”, so that it is pleasant to drink and you want more.
4. No unpleasant consequences in the form of heartburn, headache, indigestion.
It is desirable that the wine be healthy , and for this you need:
1.During the preparation process, wine should not lose the beneficial properties of the fruits from which it is prepared., and for this you need:
- do not allow the use of oxidizable utensils in cooking technology;
- do not allow food to become too hot;
- do not pasteurize or add preservatives;
- Do not add alcohol to wine.
2.In the process of preparing wine, it is advisable to prevent or limit the presence of processed products: seeds, petioles, bunches and other lignified elements, which during fermentation produce (insignificant amounts, but produce) methyl alcohol, which is the cause of headaches after drinking wine.
3.Wine must be “alive”– made from natural products with natural wine yeast, prepared without the addition of preservatives, alcohol and not pasteurized. This kind of wine is troublesome, as there are certain difficulties in storing it. Even bottled, under certain conditions, it can “ferment” again. Therefore, it is advisable to store the “live wine” drained from the sediment, ready for use, in bottles under a “water seal” and bottle it immediately (1-2 days) before use.
And the most important thing in wine making technology – you need to do it with desire, not skimp on trifles and put your soul into it.
Before you start making wine, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the properties of the fruits and berries from which we plan to make wine. We will get to know this in the next lesson.
Wine is one of the most common alcoholic drinks. And one of the most democratic. Everyone can find a glass or bottle of wine at suitable prices. However, the wine world terms we hear often scare off the general public. To avoid misunderstandings, we bring to your attention ten terms from the world of wine.
1. Appellation
Appellation is a geographical name (for example, the name of a region, district, village, municipality or vineyard) that determines the identification and marketing of wine. This is also a set of rules defining the specified wine-growing territory and the conditions required for growing grapes and the methods and technological features of wine production. Appellation is the key concept of a wine quality control system based on its origin. The world's first system of wine quality control by appellation was introduced in Hungary in the 1730s.
The term in French is appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), which literally means “appellation of control of origin.” Appellations can be “nested”, i.e. be part of each other. For example, the Médoc and Graves appellations are part of the Bordeaux appellation. Currently, the term refers not only to winemaking, but also to the production of cheeses, butter and other agricultural products. In France, compliance with the laws of appellations is monitored by the state organization National Institute of [Control] of Origin and Quality - Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO).
Nowadays, the appellation system is legally established in most leading wine-producing countries. In different countries they are designated differently: AOC or AOP in France, DOC and DOCG in Italy, Spain and Portugal, AVA in the USA. In the countries of the Old World, that is, in Europe, wines are almost always identified by their origin (and name). In New World countries, wines are often identified by grape variety.
2. Aroma and Bouquet
Aroma is a unique, specific smell that can be found in wine. These aromas are familiar to us from fruits, spices and other characteristic carriers of the main “odorous” molecules. For example, we can distinguish the (aroma) smell of currants, cherries, plums, green apples, butter, sea salt, a cigar box (humidor), damp undergrowth, fresh leather, etc. Of course, this in no way means that in wine added all these substances. It simply contains essential oils and other aromatic compounds with the appropriate characteristics.
Aroma is a single smell. The totality of all the aromas of a wine makes up its bouquet. A bouquet is a composition of all the wine aromas inherent in a given sample. We perceive a bouquet of wine through two channels - through the nose and retronasally, from the larynx. But in slang it is still called “nose”. When describing the wine they say so directly: “First nose: tones of bread toast, honeycomb, propolis, creamy and iodine-mineral shades. Second nose: complemented by shades of white peach, tea rose, musk.”
Fragrances are usually divided into three groups. Primary aromas of wine - Varietal aromas of wine. Primary aromas of wine are aromas formed by odorous substances contained in the skin of grapes or in the outer layers of pulp adjacent to it. The intensity and character of the primary aromas depend on the grape variety. Secondary aromas are those introduced by the winemaking process (fermentation, aging in oak barrels, etc.). They enrich the wine, giving it aromas that are inherent specifically in wine, and not in juice. Examples of secondary aromas are cinnamon, spice, vanilla, and toasted bread. Tertiary aromas of wine are odors that are formed from esters of higher alcohols during wine aging.
3. Breath of wine
The expression “letting the wine breathe” means aeration. Or, in normal language, allow the wine to “open”. As a result of interaction with oxygen in the air, the wine “breathes” and “opens.” At the same time, all its aromas are revealed, the bouquet becomes rich, the taste softens. Evaluate the bouquet of wine before and after opening, you will see that they are significantly different. You can let the wine breathe by opening the bottle an hour to an hour and a half in advance. You can also aerate wine in a glass. To do this, pour a little wine into a glass (no more than a third of the volume) and shake it, swirling it in the glass. At the same time, the wine is saturated with oxygen and opens. Another way of aeration is to pour the wine into a decanter - a special jug.
4. Dry wine
No matter how much it confuses you, the term “dry wine” is a contrast not to wet, but to sweet. The wine is called dry because sugar is completely fermented in it, “to the point of dryness.” As you know, during fermentation (fermentation), yeast converts the sugar contained in grape juice into alcohol (and carbon dioxide). After the process is complete, the wine will contain some residual sugar. Dry wines are usually called wines with a low residual sugar content, in the range of 2-4 g/l. Next in increasing order are semi-dry, semi-sweet and dessert (sweet) wines.
5. Fermentation
Alcoholic fermentation or fermentation is a natural process during which microorganisms - yeast, process the sugar contained in grape juice (must) into ethyl alcohol. This process releases a fair amount of carbon dioxide and heat. From the outside, fermentation of wine resembles boiling water. Fermentation can take place in special fermentation tanks, oak barrels or bottles. It is this process that turns the juice into wine. All other stages only improve its quality.
Malolactic fermentation or malolactic fermentation is the process of decomposition of bitter malic acid into softer lactic acid with the release of carbon dioxide. Caused by lactic acid bacteria specially introduced into young wine. This process plays an important role in the production of red wine: the wine becomes less acidic and more harmonious, it is stabilized, its aromas and taste are deepened and enriched.
We describe the vinification process in more detail in the article.
6. Balance and Harmony
Wine balance is the optimal taste and aromatic relationship between the main elements of wine - acidity, astringency (tannins) and alcohol. When all the elements of a wine, including aromas, flavors and aftertaste, are in harmony with each other, we get the feeling of a very good wine.
7. Sparkling wine
The classic champagne method is a method of making sparkling wines adopted in Champagne. Legend attributes its invention to the monk Dom Perignon in the mid-17th century. The idea is something called secondary fermentation.
After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is immediately bottled, into which the so-called edition liqueur is added - a mixture of wine, yeast and sugar. The bottles are sealed with metal stoppers, reminiscent of beer bottles. Fermentation occurs in bottles, which is called secondary. During secondary fermentation, carbon dioxide has nowhere to escape and remains in the bottle, dissolving into the wine.
After fermentation is complete, the wine is left to infuse with the yeast residue. Aging can last for several years. At the same time, the bottles are slightly turned, gradually lining them up with the neck down so that all the sediment accumulates in the neck. This process is called " remuage«.
This is followed by the next operation - “disgorgement”, or removal of the residue from the neck. To do this, the neck of the bottle is instantly frozen, for example with liquid nitrogen. The cork is removed and the pressure “knocks” the frozen sediment out of the bottle. In this case, some of the wine is lost.
Finally, a dosage liqueur is added to the wine, consisting of a solution of sugar in the reserve wine. This additive determines the “dryness” of the wine - the least amount of additives in wine is brut, followed by semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet. If a wine is labeled “but dosage,” it means no dosage liqueur was added to it at all.
An alternative to the classic champagne method is the Charmat-Mariotti method, which experts call the “acratophor or reservoir method.” After primary fermentation, the still base wine is placed in large fermentation steel tanks (autoclaves), where, under controlled pressure and temperature conditions, secondary fermentation occurs due to newly added yeast and sugar (liquor).
Then, while maintaining pressure, the wine is filtered from sediment and bottled. The use of large tanks allows for a faster and easier secondary fermentation process. At the same time, this method does not require long-term aging on lees, which is a necessary condition for obtaining complex sparkling wines with developed aromatics.
8. Terroir
Terroir (French terroir - earthen) is a set of soil and climatic factors, geology and special characteristics of the area (salinity, topography, wind rose, presence of water and forests, etc.). To simplify a little, we can say that terroir is a unique combination of soil, climate and grape variety. Wine connoisseurs often use the expression “taste of terroir” to describe typical wines. We can say that the term appellation, which we previously discussed, is a combination of terroir and winemaking tradition.
9. Vintage or Millesim
Millesime (from the French le millésime - a number indicating the year) - in winemaking and oenology, the year of ripening of the grape harvest from which the given wine or other alcoholic drink (cognac, Armagnac, etc.) is produced. Those. the year of ripening of the grapes from which the wine is made. If all the grapes included in the wine were harvested from the vineyards in one year, such a wine is called millesim, and the year of the millesim is indicated on the bottle label. Vintage is an English synonym for the word millesim. Accordingly, a vintage wine is a millesim wine, and a vintage year is a millesim year. This means that vintage champagne, for example, is champagne created from grapes harvested in the same year. The term is especially often used for champagnes, cognacs, ports and armagnacs.
10. Aftertaste
Aftertaste (French: Persistence) or finish is the taste or aromas that linger (on the palate) in the mouth after the wine has been tasted, held in the mouth and swallowed. Aftertaste is an important characteristic of wine. It is generally believed that the longer the aftertaste, the more valuable the wine.
After reading a guide to the wine world, that awkward moment when the waiter brings a wine list and you don’t know what is customary to serve with borscht will disappear from your life. At the same time, you will understand how to respond to the sommelier’s request to rate the first sip if it’s too late to hide under the table.
Anastasia Prokhorova (Simple Wine News) · Alexander Kanygin
“The best wine is the one that is most liked by the one who drinks it,” said the Roman polymath writer Pliny the Elder (they did not sell wine to the younger).
If all the wines seem the same to you, and the wine list causes a mixture of panic and despondency, don’t worry, you’re not alone. We also didn’t understand wine, although all our lives we really wanted to, suspecting that it was interesting and tasty. But after creating this journalistic masterpiece with the help of experts, the entire editorial team is talking only about appellations and assemblages. It turned out that the science of wine is not so complicated if you know the key to it. He's in front of you. Implement the seven steps described below, hang the table from this article on your refrigerator and live a new aristocratic life.
In this new life, you will learn to choose really interesting and not necessarily expensive items among the consumer goods batteries in the supermarket. It is unlikely that you will recognize all the wines. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the world, and even the highest category tasters, who spit in a bucket all day and complain about their difficult work, only have time to try a few of them. But you will no longer get hung up on the three or four that someone once advised you. Try, compare, share your impressions. Wine, like you, the older you get, the more interesting it becomes. The same cannot be said, for example, about beer.
Step 1
Many terms and concepts in the wine world can make a beginner feel confused. In vain!
Remember three parameters for your first acquaintance with wine.
1) The grapes from which it is made
Although there are more than 8,000 grape varieties in the world, wine is made from the so-called technical ones. You've probably heard about the most popular of them - Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Nebbiolo, Merlot.
2) The region where he grew up
Common grape varieties are grown in almost all wine-growing regions of the world. Shiraz, for example, may be from California, Australia or New Zealand - this should not scare you. Of course, among the regions there are always those that specialize in a specific variety, and it would be nice to start getting acquainted with the classic region for it, but now we are talking about the very basics.
You will learn more about it a little later, now it is important that it is by the rating that you can determine whether a wine is worthy of you or not. A high rating does not at all guarantee that you will like the drink specifically. Finding “the one” is our goal.
Start to understand the taste of wine
By tasting several wines at the same time, grouped according to some characteristic, you will compare them with each other, gradually formulating for yourself which style of wine you like best.
It’s better to love him not alone or even together, but in company, so that you can chip in five bottles at once. These can be wines from different grape varieties; wines from the same variety, but from different regions; wines of one producer of different levels (from inexpensive to top-end). Further - cooler: wines of the same region, but from different zones - appellations (say, Bordeaux from Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Pauillac, Margaux and Graves). The transition to the major tasting league will someday be marked for you by a “vertical line” - the same wine from several harvests. Why not diversify boring home parties with a punch and piano variations with such a program?
Now go to the store and buy 5 bottles of wine.
Paradoxically, important information for identifying a wine is contained on its front label. But which of this will be written larger and which smaller is a matter of design and integrity of the manufacturer. We will focus on the most important points.
The grape variety from which the product is made
Wines can be varietal, that is, made from one grape variety, and assemblages (aka blends) - this is when several varieties are mixed. It’s worth starting your acquaintance with the world of wine by studying the differences between grape varieties. And every time you buy wine, you must first understand what kind of wine it is.
Appellation
The grape variety is not always indicated on the labels of European wines. The French, Italians, and Spaniards call their wines not “Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot”, not “Sangiovese”, and not “Tempranillo”, but “Bordeaux”, “Chianti” and “Rioja”. They believe that all decent people should understand that Bordeaux is a combination of Cabernet and Merlot, that Chianti is made from Sangiovese, and Rioja is made from Tempranillo. But who knows what they think? You didn’t grow up in the wilderness of Burgundy! Bordeaux, Chianti and Rioja are names of wine by appellation, that is, by place of origin. The varietal composition of the wine is indicated on the Russian back label (on the back of the bottle). This is the law! The country and region where the wine comes from.
Many grape varieties are grown in almost all wine-growing regions of the world. But among the regions there are always those that specialize in a specific variety.
Manufacturer name or brand
Always on the front label. You need to install it to view wine ratings. There are tens of thousands of wine producers in the world; hundreds of winemakers can make wine of the same name, and their level is different. For one, Chianti is good only for scaring away guests; for another, it is a great wine. These differences are not always visible in price. That’s why it’s worth looking for ratings or asking for advice.
Proper name of wine
In addition to the grape variety and/or appellation, individual wines are sometimes given a proper name. Something like "Bull Power" or "Secret". These names do not convey any useful information; they simply help to remember the wine better.
Harvest year
It's vintage or millesim. You need to study millesime tables only for wines of the highest categories. Don't touch them for the time being. But if you have a bottle in your hands that does not indicate the vintage year on the label, return it to the shelf. For imported dry wines this is not comme il faut at all. Exceptions are sparkling wines and port wine (the real one from Portugal). They are mostly assembled (mixed) from wines of different vintages, and this is their special feature.
Step 2
Meat party and varietal reds
Throw a brutal party with meat. Steaks, grill, sausages, burgers - anything, but face control must ensure that pork does not sneak onto the table.
Collect a set of five varietal red wines. Beginners like bright and not too acidic varietal wines: powerful, high-proof (13–15°), with fruit or jam aromas and a “meaty” texture (when you put this wine in your mouth, it seems like you can chew it).
Step 3
Tasting order
While non-drinkers prepare appetizers, try a little of each wine with friends and discuss them. It would be correct to first provide the company with theoretical knowledge about the varieties/regions/producers that you are trying. Give all wines ratings - for example, on a 5-point scale. Or simply distribute by place: first, second, third. See how scores correlate with prices. We already said that price is not the main argument when choosing wine, right?
To consolidate what you have learned, you need to wrap the unfinished bottles in foil, number them, mix them and, tasting blindly, try to guess which wine is which. If it doesn’t work out right away, don’t be sad: it will work out on the third or fifth try. This is receptor training. Then all the tasting material can be transferred to the table and tasted with food.
Tasting
Remind everyone and yourself that the purpose of tasting is not to giggle or even enjoy it, but to remember a particular wine.
Remember, taster!
The right glasses are a must. Each participant needs several of them so that they can compare wines. Passages like “Pour some into this one for me, there’s white at the bottom” are unacceptable.Monitor the temperature at which the wines are served. The red ones should be at cellar temperature (well, remember what the temperature was in your grandmother’s basement), the white ones are important not to overfreeze - optimally 11–13 degrees.
The room should be well ventilated. Smoking is completely prohibited during the tasting! Red wines should be opened half an hour before tasting to allow them to open up.
A glass of wine should be filled no more than a third full.
It is correct to hold a wine glass by the stem; under no circumstances should you clasp the bowl of the glass with your entire hand.
█ First of all, you need to smell the wine well: the aroma (aka bouquet) is the most important thing. You will have to sniff for a long time and with concentration, sticking your nose deep into the glass and drawing in the aroma so that your nostrils contract and flare. Think that your goal is to remember this smell. Focus on him. After you try a dozen wines, you will understand what kind of associations suit you best to remember the aromas.
█ Contact with oxygen causes wine to “open up”. After sniffing the wine in the glass, vigorously swirl it counterclockwise for 5–10 seconds so that the wine swirls in it. Smell it again. Do you feel that the aroma has become more intense?
█ Wine connoisseurs pay attention to its color. It is better to look at it over a white tablecloth or a sheet of paper, tilting the glass almost horizontally. Wines from different grape varieties differ in color. Pinot noir is a clear, light and reddish wine, malbec is more purple, cabernet sauvignon is ruby. In general, color does not provide any information about the quality of a wine (unless the wine is cloudy, which means it is spoiled). But people who love wine also enjoy looking at it and the play of shades. And, by the way, sediment in wine is, as a rule, not a drawback. Some red wines are almost opaque - point the glass at a bright light source and see what's inside.
█ Now you can taste the wine. Place the drink in your mouth to engage as many receptors as possible, rinse your mouth intensively and with sound. For greater effect, open your lips a little and draw in the air through your teeth, with a whistle. From the outside, this may not look very aesthetically pleasing, but this is what people do to enjoy the taste of wine. Do you feel that it seems more saturated now?
█ Actually, at professional tastings, wine is not swallowed, but spat. But we won’t advise you on this. Before each new sip, focus on the aroma again for a couple of seconds.
█ After you spit out the wine or swallow it, evaluate how pleasant the aftertaste remains in your mouth. It should not be cloying or sour. The aftertaste can even be counted in seconds. The norm is from 5 to 10 seconds. More - this is the major league.
█ If you are tasting, as we advised you, several wines at once, compare them by color. Compare the flavors of each before tasting them. Say out loud how they differ, this will help you more accurately express your emotions.
█ Once the glass is empty, smell it again. After good wines, an empty glass retains a pleasant aroma for a long time.
Step 4
Light reds with pizza
The wines from the first set are not suitable for everyone. You can’t drink a lot of them: you quickly get tired of the tannin and excess - your teeth stick together, your throat gets sore. This is where you start to crave more sour, fresh reds that go well with Mediterranean food.
Step 5
Airy whites with seafood or vegetables
Having warmed up with two red sets, we move on to tasting white wine. In the case of white wines, the technological techniques that wine connoisseurs love to discuss are more obvious, namely aging in oak barrels. Sauvignon blanc aged in oak is quite clearly different from unoaked sauvignon blanc.
Where and how to buy wine?
You can also go to the supermarket. Moreover, a consultant is rushing towards us, spinning the key to the safe with elite champagne on his finger. These smiling guys often understand wine no better than you, and sometimes they are even representatives of a wine trading company that needs to sell a certain wine. Do not listen to them. Unless they showed me where the shelf with white wines from New Zealand was. Look for bottles that have “Sauvignon Blanc” written large on the label. Choose those that suit your price. Read what is written on the back labels. It's great if you come across the name of a Russian importing company there that you already trust - it always makes the choice easier. If you're a stubborn guy, use a smartphone. Many wines have QR codes that will take you to the manufacturer’s website or importer’s page with additional information. And there are a lot of applications for mobile devices that recognize wine by its label and display its “popular rating”.
Errors
Before you buy wine, you need to know at least something about it. Never take the first one you come across with a cute label.Wines in bag-in-boxes (in boxes) may be perfectly acceptable for picnics and other drinking activities, but not for teaching wine consumption. You can drink them, but you shouldn’t love them.
The vast majority of wines that are worthy of your love are dry wines. You need to understand them and with them.
Don't trust any medals on bottles. There are many wine competitions in the world. All have their own rules and standards. Many wines can claim that they have been named the best in the world according to such and such a version, but this is all nonsense.
Well, since you have gone so far in your interest that you have installed one or even several (here, like with wine - it’s better to try and choose) applications proposed by us, stop buying wine in supermarkets. It just seems like there is a lot of it out there; in fact, the selection in large chains is quite boring and monotonous. Even New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc may simply not be there; we are already silent about Grüner Veltliner. Our path lies in wine boutiques, or enotecas.
You may be put off by their appearance. It seems to you that only sommeliers go there. Nonsense! Many wine stores belong to wine trading companies and stock their entire range, starting with democratic lines. And prices there may be lower than in supermarkets. In any case, the choice there is more interesting. As a rule, enotecas employ more competent and cordial consultants - cavists. Here you don’t have to scan the Internet - just ask the cavist for the necessary data and find out not only about the type of wine, but also something interesting about the manufacturer. The best wines are those behind which there are specific people - winemakers.
Well, the most advanced way is to buy wine directly from importing companies or in their online stores. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, this is easy to do, and in other large cities, some importers have their own representatives (you’ll just have to wait longer for the order). From the companies you will receive not only the best prices and the best selection, but also complete, correct information about the wines.
Step 6
Dense whites with a powerful bite
Full-bodied white wines are paired with grilled salmon or with cream sauce, baked pork, carbonara pasta, chicken, and sushi.
Step 7
Fine reds in the company of cold cuts
When you feel ready for more serious wines, reward yourself with a tasting of wines from the most prestigious regions. Each has its own system of internal appellations of the "grand cru" classification (the French coined a special term to designate vineyards producing exclusive varieties). You don't need a complex or rich meal to keep up with all the intricacies of these wines. Limit yourself to meat delicacies: Bayonne ham, jamon, salami, bresaola, cold roast beef, foie gras pate. We do not recommend experimenting with cheeses yet.
When choosing wine, the easiest way is to focus on international wine ratings (in fact, not all good wines have ratings, but most do).
There are many ratings, we advise you to stick to the classics - these are the American Wine Advocate (associated with the name of the world's most famous wine critic Robert Parker) and Wine Spectator. Both have websites and mobile apps for subscribers. Subscription to the sites is paid, but if you're serious, you can spend $50 to have access to Wine Spectator's 290,000 wine ratings for a year. Advocate is a less affordable resource ($99 per year), and it specializes more in expensive wines, although you can find estimates of $10 bottles there too.
Both services use a 100-point scale. If the wine costs less than 1,500 rubles and has a score above 85 points according to Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator, take it. For cheaper wines, a score above 80 is quite normal. Wines with scores above 90 points and reasonable prices are the best find. All other things being equal, choose those wines that have a WS or WA rating. Finding out the rating is easy: in the search bar of the application you need to enter the name of the manufacturer (one of the inscriptions in large print on the front label), grape variety, or appellation, or proper name of the wine. When it comes to wines under 2000 rubles, the vintage year is not very important for understanding their level. That is, if you are looking for a wine rating for 2011, but only 2009 is available, you can safely navigate it.
Next on my own
Of course, an intelligent company where everyone would like to taste wine and discuss assemblages relatively sober and dressed is not the most common phenomenon. But you won’t be left alone in your quest to understand the secrets of bouquets and tastes. There are wine clubs for people like you. They can be with an enoteca or without permanent registration. The club organizer is usually a charismatic character who knows a lot about wine. He purchases a conceptually selected line of wines from 10–20 samples, rents a room, gathers those who want to chip in little by little to cover the costs, and during the tasting he explains to the people what’s what. Get involved in the wine blogosphere, make friends with famous wine bloggers (Denis Rudenko, Bisso Atanasov, etc.), and it is likely that you will find your own club. Or will you organize it?
If a club has not yet been found, attend tastings that are conducted professionally. At the Enotria wine school, which has branches in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in addition to a rigorous course for future sommeliers, they conduct light evening sessions for everyone. During three months of classes twice a week, students are given the opportunity to try about 250 different wines, including many French grand cru, Super Tuscany, Barolo, champagne and other expensive wines. If you wanted to try all these wines yourself, having bought a bottle of each in a store, you would have spent no less than half a million rubles on it. The portions here are, of course, tasting, but the experience accumulates! The process of learning about the world of wine is in many ways similar to learning a foreign language or learning to play a musical instrument: at first it requires some effort, but once you learn, you begin to enjoy it. A true wine connoisseur loves all good wines. He loves both white and red, and knows how to find his wine both in Europe and in the New World. He doesn’t have a complex regarding wines that cost 300–400 rubles, because he knows that they can be of very high quality. He feels which of the rose wines is more suitable for this or that girl. Sometimes he indulges in aged vintage champagne or a little Sauternes with different cheeses. Developed taste is the ability to choose wine and food to go with it according to your mood, season, time of day and, most importantly, according to your interlocutor.
Wine selection tables
We admit that some readers, no longer able to restrain the emotional impulse caused by the description of wines, bouquets and slices of jamon, went to the nearest enoteca without finishing reading the article. For them, we publish tables by which everyone can choose the right wine. Using them is very simple: when choosing wine in an enoteca or ordering it from a wine trading company, say: “I am interested in wine from such and such a variety (column 1) and from such and such a region (column 2).” And casually add: “And as typical as possible.” And one more thing: “What is its rating according to Parker or Wine Spectator?” Column 4 describes the typical aromas for each wine, which you will try to smell... how? That's right, nostrils flaring strongly.
Wine etiquette rulesWine (lat. vinum) is an alcoholic drink (strength: natural - 9-16% vol., fortified - 16-22% vol.), obtained by complete or partial alcoholic fermentation of grape or fruit juice (sometimes with the addition of alcohol and other substances - the so-called “fortified wine”). The science that studies wine is oenology. Wines are made both from grape juice (the traditional and historically first product for making wine) and from various fruits and berries (usually cheaper varieties of wine). According to their intended purpose, wines are divided into table wines (used as a flavorful addition to the table) and dessert wines (served with dessert).
By color, there are white, pink and red types of wines. Sediment is not only not a defect in the wine, but, on the contrary, serves as a guarantee that the wine is natural. It does not affect the taste of the product in any way. Based on quality and aging time, wines are divided into:
young; without endurance; seasoned; vintage (the best, aged wines produced in certain wine-growing regions from the same grape varieties, preserving the taste and aroma); collection (wines with very long aging, sometimes reaching tens or even hundreds of years).
According to Russian standards for the content of ethyl alcohol and sugar, wines are divided into:
1. Dining rooms:
. Dry wines are wines prepared by complete fermentation of wort with a residual sugar content of no more than 0.3%. (alcohol - 9-13% vol., sugar - up to 3 g/l). Wine is called “dry” because sugar is “dry” (completely) fermented in it.
. Dry special (alcohol - 14-16% vol., sugar - up to 3 g/l)
. Semi-dry (alcohol - 9-13% vol., sugar - 5-30 g/l)
. Semi-sweet (alcohol - 9-12% vol., sugar - 30-80 g/l)
2. Special (i.e. fastened):
. Strong (alcohol - 17-21% vol., sugar - 30-120 g/l)
. Sweet (alcohol - 14-20% vol., sugar - up to 150 g/l)
. Semi-dessert (alcohol - 14-16% vol., sugar - 50-120 g/l)
. Dessert (alcohol - 15-17% vol., sugar - 160-200 g/l)
. Liquor (alcohol - 12-16% vol., sugar - 210-300 g/l)
. Flavored (alcohol - 16-18% vol., sugar - up to 6-16%)
3. Sparkling wine- This is wine saturated with carbon dioxide during secondary fermentation. The most famous sparkling wine in the world is champagne, produced using technology discovered and first implemented in the French province of Champagne).
. Brut cuvée (alcohol - 9-13% vol., sugar - 0 g/l)
. Extrabrut (alcohol - 9-13% vol., sugar - 3-6 g/l)
. Brut (alcohol - 9-13% vol., sugar - up to 15 g/l)
4. Honey wine
Natural honey wines of natural fermentation can also be classified as fruit and berry wines. These are moderately sweet wines with pronounced honey and floral tones. The volume fraction of ethyl alcohol is from 11.0 to 15.5% vol. The typical honey bouquet of wine is sometimes complemented by other natural ingredients: spices, medicinal herbs, berries.
Wine etiquette- these are the rules for serving wine, as well as recommendations for pairing wines and dishes. Briefly: 1. Before a meal, to stimulate the appetite, an aperitif is usually drunk: Madeira, sherry, vermouth;
2. White table wines are served with appetizers, light meat and fish dishes;
3. Natural dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet wines go well with vegetable dishes;
4. Dry red wine goes well with lamb, veal, game, poultry, shish kebab, pilaf, boiled pork;
5. Before drinking wine, you should enjoy its aroma;
6. Wine should not be drunk like water, you should take a sip and hold the wine on the back of your tongue for a second, allowing your taste buds to fully experience the taste;
7. Each type of wine is served at a different temperature: rich tannic red wines - at room temperature (18-20 degrees); light red wines - about 14-16 degrees; light white wines - about 12-14 degrees; Champagne should not be cooled below 6-7 degrees.
Choice of glasses
Wine is traditionally served in glasses. It is advisable that the glass be made of thin glass with a high stem. Tall glasses made of clear glass are designed for dry and red wines; For semi-sweet wines, they are designed to be quite wide and open.
For fortified wines, glasses that noticeably taper towards the top are used; for Madeira and sherry - glasses with a narrowed cylindrical rim; Small conical glasses are designed for dessert and liqueur wines.
For sparkling wines and champagne, tall narrow glasses are used, since this shape of the glass slows down the release of bubbles. The glass is filled no more than two-thirds to be able to rotate the wine in the glass, assessing the color and aroma. 
Uncorking a bottle
The older the wine, the more careful handling it requires. To open wine bottles, use a corkscrew, preferably a screw one. According to the rules, you cannot pierce the cork through. It is advisable to uncork white wine immediately before pouring it into glasses. It is better to uncork red wine 30-40 minutes before drinking to allow the wine to be saturated with oxygen.
Even if a person knows the rules of etiquette, but does not know how to choose the right alcoholic drink for a particular dish, then you are left with a feeling of some kind of incompleteness. But how advantageous a connoisseur looks when he knows how to choose the right alcoholic drink that will subtly highlight the taste of a particular dish.
Wines are best stored at home in a cool place and should be kept horizontal. In a bottle that is standing, the cork quickly dries out and begins to let air through - and the wine, especially table wine, becomes worse, loses its bouquet, and acquires an unpleasant smell of rot.
It’s good if you keep several bottles of aged old wines at home: they will always add elegance to the table. In old wines, as a rule, sediment forms, which can fall to the bottom of the bottle or form a kind of coating on the walls, the so-called “shirt”. If the sediment or “shirt” is thick enough, the bottle is placed on the table carefully. If the sediment becomes easily agitated, it is better to first pour the wine into another bottle and, of course, inform the guests about this, naming the vintage year and brand of the collection wine.
Wine served inopportunely, not with “the right” dish or at the wrong temperature, loses a lot of its merits. Therefore, based on the rules of feasts, all wines can be divided into three categories:
1. Aperitifs- stimulate appetite and usually drink before meals: Madeira, sherry, vermouth.
2. Table wines- consumed during lunch or any meal.
3. Dessert wines- drink with sweet dishes, after dinner.
A snow-white tablecloth, fresh flowers, and crystal wine glasses go perfectly with wines of different colors and shades and with an elegant display of champagne. In such an environment, wine becomes the best decoration for the table, creating festivity and solemnity.
Rules for table setting.
There have long been certain rules for placing glasses, goblets, and wine glasses on the table. It is advisable to have several of them in front of the device, depending on how many and what drinks will be served at the table. The stronger the drinks, the smaller the glasses and glasses should be.
They can be placed in a straight line or in a semicircle in front of the plate, starting from the right, in the order the drinks are served. The first is a small glass, for the strongest drinks. Then more, for strong grape wines - Madeira, port, sherry. Nearby, slightly to the left, is a glass for mineral water. Then - a glass for white table wine, a glass for red table wine and, finally, a glass for champagne. If there is no corresponding complete set of glasses and glasses, transparent, colorless glasses with medium-sized stems are best suited for any wine. You can also pour cognac into them, but not more than a third of the glass.
Vintage wines are served in bottles with the original factory design intact. It is recommended to place the bottles on the table previously opened - so that the wine “takes a breath of air” and better reveals its characteristic taste and bouquet. Ordinary, especially young wines can be served in jugs or decanters. They need to be filled to three-quarters of the volume, otherwise it will be difficult to pour the wine into glasses. Champagne is opened only at the table and immediately poured.
How much wine should I pour into a glass?
Not less than one third and not more than half. Why exactly so much? Because then it is convenient to take the glass in your hand and rotate it slightly for a fuller sensation of the aroma of the drink.
When setting a festive or banquet table, when the choice of wines is wide enough, follow their correct sequence: serve low-alcohol table wines before strong ones, vintage ones after ordinary ones, red ones after white ones. When you pick up a glass and start drinking, do not talk. If you are asked anything at this time, place your glass on the table and then answer.
The wine is poured back into the glass when it is already empty. There is no need to pour into an unfinished glass, as the guest may see this as coercion. The glass of a guest who has temporarily left the table is not refilled. The man makes sure that the lady sitting next to her has the wine she prefers in her glass. Wine is poured from the right hand of the seated person. At the same time, hold the bottle with your whole hand, approximately at the level of the label, trying not to tilt it sharply, so as not to stir up possible sediment, and the neck of the bottle should not rest against the edge of the glass...
All of the above applies only to real good grape wine, which, in fact, has the right to be called wine. It is recommended to avoid drinks of unknown color and composition under any circumstances.
During a gastronomic (in the international sense) dinner, it is customary to drink wine. This is the most natural and healthiest drink; food always tastes tastier and healthier with it. At the same time, wine performs a certain job in the body, for example, it prepares the taste buds of the mouth for a new piece of food, streamlines digestion, reduces the calorie content of food (a delight for dieters), etc. The meal companions, food and wine must be of the same high level; only under this condition will each of them be able to show their best side. To achieve this, you need to know what you can and cannot combine wine with.
The right wine allows you to feel the subtler flavor nuances of food. The reverse relationship is also true. There are special rules about what can be combined with what. In modern cuisine, the ancient thesis that has been spreading for a long time, that only red wine should be served with dark meat and cheese, and white wine with light meat and fish, has lost its validity. The decisive role is played by the method of preparation, the use of sauces, seasonings, and vegetables. Therefore, all rules should be considered only as an incentive to action, and not as a rigid doctrine. When choosing wines for individual dishes, you need to calmly give room to your desire to experiment, since more and more unexpected combinations appear that from a theoretical point of view seem unthinkable; on the other hand, on paper you can combine something that is absolutely incompatible in language. The choice of dishes is determined by several principles.
Complex tastes require simple wines, complex wines require simple dishes: the finer the wine, the simpler the food. Taste consistency is the main indicator for choosing a drink for a given dish. A less aged, less valuable and expensive wine may turn out to be better, tastier, more enjoyable if it matches the food than the oldest, most precious wine, if the taste of this drink, its aroma, bouquet not only does not emphasize, does not reveal the characteristic features and advantages of the food, but is in sharp contrast to it.
An ordinary, ordinary wine, together with some dish, can form a “flavor ensemble” that is impeccable in its properties. This harmonious combination is the main condition for choosing the right drink for a particular dish.
Typically, the sweet taste of food will make dry wine taste too sour and turn sour wines tasteless, but a young wine with a sharp fruity tone will go well with sweet and savory dishes, and a slightly sour wine may seem unexpectedly pleasant if drunk with dishes that have pungent taste.
The dessert should be sweeter than the wine with which it is washed down.
The main rule that you need to follow in order to enjoy it is this: life is too short to drink bad wine. The most common “enemies” of wine include:
Tobacco smoke,
. spicy culinary odors that do not allow you to enjoy the aroma of good wine,
. vinegar,
. acid of citrus fruits,
. fatty fish that give wine a disgusting metallic taste,
. vanilla, mocha and cinnamon are heavy companions for wine, although shades of their smells are present in the aromas of various wines, the same can be said about pure chocolate and chocolate products (excluding only fortified wines from Muscat varieties and Traminer grapes),
. Dishes seasoned with curry and mint, as a rule, have nothing in common with wine.
. Never serve semi-sweet wine with a vinegar-based hot sauce.
. Never place ketchup next to French wine.
. So, before eating, to stimulate the appetite, we drink an aperitif.
. White table wines - for appetizers, light meat and fish dishes.
. Natural dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet wines go well with vegetable dishes.
. Red table dishes are suitable for lamb, veal, game, poultry, shish kebab, pilaf, and boiled pork.
. Sherry or Madeira is also good served with meat or chicken broth.
. Liquor, dessert wines, sweet brands of champagne are recommended for dessert - confectionery, fruit, coffee, ice cream.
Champagne can also be served with a light snack - cheese, dry unleavened liver. Dry and semi-dry champagne can be drunk both at the beginning and throughout lunch, dinner, and also for dessert. With champagne served outside of lunch or dinner, it is recommended to serve various cheeses (Swiss, Soviet, Altai Mountains, Roquefort), as well as dry cookies, pastries, cakes, sweets, candies, fruits, nuts, pistachios, fried salted almonds.
A glass of strong (but not dessert) red or white vermouth goes well with spicy salads, meat snacks - cold veal, boiled tongue, cold cuts, ham. Despite some sweetness inherent in this drink, its peculiar aroma, bitterish taste, the smell of wormwood, cinchona peel and cloves harmonize well with the taste of many snacks.
Light white wines with a soft taste and delicate aroma without sharp acidity, such as Semillon or semi-dry champagne, are most suitable for oysters, mussels, and shrimp. For the same dishes, you can offer semi-dry wine like "Château-Yquem".
. Strong grape wines are recommended for first courses - Madeira, port, sherry, Marsala; for puree soups and broths - sherry and Madeira.
. For hot fish dishes - steamed, boiled, brine fish, fish dishes prepared with thin, delicious sauces, fish dumplings and fried fish, you can offer dry white grape wines. Rieslings are especially recommended for these dishes.
. Dry red grape wines are recommended for second meat courses - steak, fillet, languette, entrecote, escalope, a variety of natural and breaded cutlets, schnitzel, rump steak, fried beef, lamb, pork, veal, dishes prepared from liver, kidneys, and brains.
During the hot season, we should recommend those wines that quench your thirst well and have a pleasant “freshness”. Dry white table wines are distinguished by these qualities.
. In winter, they prefer “warm”, well-warming red table and strong grape wines. The especially widespread use of wines of these brands in winter is also explained by the fact that the winter menu contains more hearty and “dense” dishes from meat, pork, lamb, which are very suitable for both red table wines and strong grape wines.
For a more complete and vivid expression of the taste of the wine, it must also have the appropriate temperature. Dry white wines taste best slightly chilled (up to 10-12°). In summer, these wines can be cooled to 8-10°.
. Dry red wines, on the contrary, are slightly heated. They should have a temperature slightly above room temperature, i.e. 18-20°, in summer 16-18°. Sherry and Madeira are heated 4-5° above room temperature.
. Dessert wines, Muscats, Tokays should be at room temperature (16-18°).
There is a widespread belief that champagne is delicious almost frozen. This opinion is certainly wrong, because the sharp, burning sensation of cold drowns out the pleasant “sparkling” of this drink. Champagne most fully and harmoniously reveals all its advantages when cooled, but not below 6-7 degrees.
A person who knows the rules of wine etiquette follows them in any situation - at a business lunch, at a party, and at an ordinary family dinner. The head of the family, familiar with wine etiquette, can turn any, even the most ordinary family holiday, into an exquisite celebration. 