April - Summer Wine
Exploring The Flavours Of Wine
Although the four main flavors - sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all your tongue is really capable of tasting, the long lasting impression that wine leaves in your mouth is far more complex. When you drink or taste wine, your taste buds and your sense of smell are involved, adding to the way you interpret wine overall. The flavors, aromas, and sensations that wine is comprised of provide the interaction that you taste when you sample wine.
Sweetness is something that wines are well known for. With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol. The grapes and yeast that were used to produce the wine will leave behind various sugars, which your tongue will be able to quickly detect. Once your tongue detects these various sugars, the stimulation of sweetness from the wine will be ever so present in your mouth.
Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue does not really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol. Even though the tongue does not really taste alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth. The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and therefore intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine. After you have samples a few types of wine, the alcohol level can easily have an effect on your taste buds, making it hard to distinguish other drinks that you may have.
Another flavor is acidity, which will effect the sugars. With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming. Once you taste wine that contains it, the flavor of the acidity will be well known to your tongue. Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste. With the right levels, acidity will bring the flavors of the grape and fruits alive in your mouth - providing you with the perfect taste.
Yet another effect of flavor are tannins, which are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits. If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel, and bring in the sensations of the other flavors. Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste. Tannins are essential for the taste of wine - providing the wine has been properly aged.
The last flavor associated with wine is oak. Although oak is not put into the wine during the manufacturing process, it is actually transferred during the aging process, as most wines will spend quite a bit of time in oak barrels. Depending on how long the wine is left in the oak barrel or cask, the ability to extract the flavor will vary. Most often times, wine will be aged just enough to where the oak taste is visibly there - and adds the perfect sentiment to the taste.
Although there are other flavors involved with the taste of wine, they are not as present as those listed above. The above flavors are the most present in wine, and also the flavors that you need to get more familiar with. Before you try to taste wine or distinguish flavors, you should always learn as much you can about the components responsible for the flavors. This way - you will know more about what you are tasting and you will truly be able to appreciate wine.
About the Author
Paul Duxbury writes extensively about Wine. You can read more of his articles at Fine Wines
Thoughts about Summer Wine
Who Says You Can't Drink White Wine with Spicy Food
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Recommended Summer Wine Items
Riedel Ouverture Chardonnay Wine Glasses (Set of 4)
Riedel overture glasses Through years of research and consultations with vintners and tasters Riedel evolved the ideal shapes to highlight the best characteristics of each variety of wine. Overture glasses are faithful scaled-down translations of the majestic Vinum and Sommelier series of crystal glasses. Because they're so affordable Overture glasses are a luxury you can enjoy every day. No wonder they're Europe's most popular wine glasses! Dishwasher safe.7 1/8'H 9 7/8 oz.
Price: 43.60 USD
Headlines on Summer Wine
A Sicilian Wine for the Summer: Planeta La Segreta Bianco 2005
Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:19:05 PDT
I rarely mention Sicilian white wines. Summer is the ideal season to sip some delicate white wine. An amazing value from Sicily, the Planeta La Segreta Bianco 2005 is a blend of 60% Greciano, 20% Chardonnay, and the rest equal parts Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The wine has terrific aromatics of white flowers and minerals
Summer Whites - Excellent Wine Recommendations for the Patio
Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:24:31 PDT
Great recommendations on white wines to enjoy during the summer. D’Arneberg Hermit Crab, Jackson-Triggs Proprietors Reserve Viognier, and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc are reviews.
Waiter, There s a Beer in my Wineglass
Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:06:40 PDT
A tasting held earlier this summer in Brooklyn, New York, might have confused anyone accustomed to sipping genteelly from a wine glass. In the backyard of a shop, a fan strafed sweaty people sitting on folding chairs. A scruffy man in jeans and a T-shirt raised his voice above the whir to introduce the first pairing, a thimble-size tumbler of ...
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Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:55:36 PDT
Food ingredients like grapes, wine and yoghurt have expanded into the health & beauty market this summer as new product marketers used healthful foods and drinks for inspiration.
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Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:14:38 PDT
If you're trying to stay on the green path whilst continuing to indulge your end-of-summer party mode you might want to consider adding these Green Path organic wines to your drinking regimen...
Fresh Tomatoes, Aged Wine
Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:35:29 PDT
How to pair fresh summer tomatoes with white or rose wine.
globeandmail.com - Canada's wine makers relish a vintage summer
Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:13:05 PDT
You didn't have to be Roman to believe in Bacchus this summer. You just had to be an Ontario grape grower.
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