WINES

Based on your personal understanding, tell whether the following statements are MYTH or
FACTS:

1. Wines is good for the heart.

2. In drinking wines, swirl the bowl of the glass for you to evaluate the real taste of the wine.
3. White wines are white in color.
4. Wines can be used as an ingredient in cooking.
5. There are other fruits that can be used in making wines.

Wine
- Is the naturally fermented juice of ripe grapes and other fruits.Yeast converts the sugar of the
fruit into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The CO2 escapes into the air and the remaining solution -
juice and alcohol - is wine.

Types Of Wines:
1. Table Wines/ Still Wines - have alcohol content of not more than 14% by volume (usual
range from 10% to 14%)
- wines that do not bubble.

Kinds of Table Wines or Still Wines

A. Red Wines
- distinguished by their color of different shades of red ranging
from orange red to ruby red to deep purple, depending on the type of
grapes they came from and their age.
- tend to be heartier, more astringent, more pronounced in flavor,
fuller in body (feel of the wine in the mouth) and drier (dry/ dryness in wines
means lacking in sweetness)
- are suitable accompaniment to hearty meat courses.
- are served at a cool temperature (65⁰F- 70⁰F)

Red Generic Styles

1. Claret- it is used to describe the red wines from the Bordeaux
region in South-West France, and by extension, wines of similar type
made elsewhere.
-a light clear red wine, the main grape variety used to make
Bordeaux claret is Cabernet Sauvignon. It is usually blended with Merlot or
sometimes Malbec.
2. Burgundy- most French burgundies are made from the Pinot Noir
variety of Grape. Burgundies are lighter than clarets and they have a
fruitier bouquet.
3. Beaujolais (BOH-JOH-LAY)
 - is a district in the extreme south of the Burgundy region.
- it is made from a variety of grape called Gamay.
- it is a generic description for a type of red wine.
4. Rose (ROSE-AY) - a French word meaning rosy and it is used to
describe light red or pink wines. The word does not refer either to a
place famous for a type of wine or to a variety of grape.
-are more like white wines is character and taste.

B. White Wines
- Range in color from pale straw to bright yellow to gold
- are suitable accompaniment of fish and other foods of delicate flavor and texture.
- range from very dry (complement fish, appetizers and any other food) to very sweet
(best served with desserts.)
- are always served lightly chilled.

White Generic Styles

1. Chablis (Shab-Lee)
-is in the northern part of the burgundy region of France.
-wine that is made from Chardonnay grapes. It has very pale
color, a delicate bouquet and a dry acidic finish.
2. Moselle (Mohzell)
-is the French version of the German word Mosel, the name of
the river famous for its vineyards.
-pale gold color, with a flowery, mildly fruity bouquet and a fresh slightly
sweet palate.
3. Riesling (REECE-LING)
- a wine made from Riesling grape.
-clear light bodied wine, slightly sweet, fruity and acidic with a
fresh flavor.
4. Hock – is the British-English word for wines from the German
Rhineland, usually made from the Riesling grape.
5. White Burgundy - one of the two most famous wine growing
regions of the world (other than Bordeaux). French white
burgundy is made from Chardonnay grapes and has a light, brilliant color,
fresh bouquet and a relatively full bodied palate (but there may be slight
bitterness in the after taste.
6. Sauternes (SOH-TAIRN)
 - is a district of the Bordeaux region famous for its sweet white wines. The best
known sauternes are made from grapes mostly Semillon.

Service of Table Wines

Food & Wines

- there is no correct combination of food and wine, except that whatever the guest wants
is right as far as the bar attendant is concerned. However you may be asked for advised so a few
basic “rules” may be helpful even if the rules are there to be broken.

Traditional Rules:
- white wine w/ white meat
- red wine w/ red meat
- white wine before red
- light wine before heavy
- young wine before old
- dry wine before sweet
- the finer the wine the simpler the food

2. Sparkling Wines
-are wines in which some CO2 gas is left which makes them bubble.

• Sparkling Wines and Carbonated Wines

- all sparkling and carbonated wines get their sparkle from carbon dioxide(CO2).
The CO2 can be naturally fermented either in the bottle or in fermentation tanks,
or it can be injected under pressure. If the CO2 is injected the wine is called
carbonated wine.

• Champagne
 - the most famous kind of sparkling wine. In Europe the term “CHAMPAGNE” has
been long strictly restricted to wine from the small area east of Paris called
champagne and made by the “Methode Champenoise” (champagne method).

•The Champagne Method

- also known as the tradition method. The CO2 is naturally fermented and retained
in the bottle.

• Two Famous Names Associated in the development of Champagne.

a. Dom Perignon
b. Veuve Clicquot

a. Dom Perignon (1639-1715)

-Was a monk and a cellar master who is credited with the development of the art of
blending wines from different varieties, years and vineyards. Blending is essential to the process
of making sparkling wines. It is later legend that Dom Perignon invented-Champagne, the wines
he produced were still wines and any sparkle caused by secondary fermentation in his bottles
was an accident. (It was only in his times that strong bottles and corks became available, both
essentials for the development of sparkling wines).

b. Nicole-Barbe Clicquot Ponsardin (1777-1866)

- The veuve (means widow), invented the technique of remuage or riddling which is an
essential part of the champagne method.

• Remuage or Riddling
- Is the term used to describe the process whereby the bottles were moved or
shaken and slowly turned upside down to shift the sediment gradually to the neck
of the bottle so that it can be removed. (Shaking and twisting is done by skilled
workers called Remuers, the process takes 6 to 8 weeks. Now a days mechanical
frames called Gyropalletes turn them upside down).

Other Types of Sparkling Wines

a. Mousseux and Crēmants (from France)
• Mousseux - can be used to describe any fully sparkling wines. Champagnes are
mousseux but not all mousseux are champagnes.
• Cremants - not fully sparkling have less pressure in the bottle. (except for
Alsacē Crēmants).
b. Spumante - is the Italian word for sparkling wines. The town of Asti in Piedmont is the
center of the Italian sparkling wine industry. The best known sparkling wine in Italy is
called Asti Spumante.
c. Sekt - is the highest quality of sparkling wine made in Germany.
d. Cava - are Spanish sparkling wines made by the champagne method.
e. Sparkling Red Wine - also known as “Sparkling Burgundy”.
 Degrees of Sweetness or Dryness in Champagne
• Natur Brut - bone dry
• Brut - extra dry
• Extra Sec – dry
• Demi Sec - sweet
• Doux (rich) - very sweet

Champagne Bottles (common large bottles)

• Magnum - 2 bottles
• Jeroboam - 4 bottles
• Rehoboam - 6 bottles
• Methuselah - 8 bottles

Storage of Sparkling Wines

- it should be stored on its side in a dark cool place not subject to violent fluctuation
in temperature, strong smells or vibrations. The ideal temperature is 11°C.
- aging of the sparkling wine in the bottle is not recommended. Once they have
been bottled, they are ready to drink. Sparkling wines should be aged on the lees,
rather than after the final corking. The cork tends to shrink in time and allow C02
to escape.

3. Fortified Wines
- are wines to which some spirit (brandy) has been added. This halts the fermentation and
increases alcoholic content of the wine.
- alcohol content is in excess of 14% up to 24% but generally around 17-19%.
- serve at the end of a meal, either chilled or at cool temperature.

Two types of Fortified Wines

1. aperitif wines - drunk before the meal
Example: sherry, vermouth, white port
2. dessert wines
- Drunk after the meal
Example: Sherry (sweet and creamy), Port, Madiera, Malaga,
Marsala, Muscat, Tokay.

A. Sherry - Is an English version of the name of the Jerez district in Southern

Spain. Most of the best Sherries are made in Jerez.
- is made from white grapes (in Spain almost the Palomino variety) which
are picked and pressed when they are fully ripe, producing a completely dry white wine
which only becomes sherry after it has been blended and fortified with grape spirit,
blended again, matured and some cases, sweetened and coloured.

Styles of Shery
- Sherries range in style from extremely dry to very sweet and in color from very pale to
rich mahogany brown. Usually the lighter the color the drier the sherry.
 a. Fino - pale light dry
b. Manzanilla - rather darker, usually dry like fino but lighter and crisper.
c. Amontillado - medium dry, with a fuller body and deeper color.
d. Oloroso - full bodied golden colored and usually relatively sweet.
e. Amoroso - similar to oloroso
f. Cream - very sweet, with a light color and thick rich creamy palate.
g. Brown - very sweet, but dark in color.

B. Malaga - is not sherry but like sherry. It comes from Southern Spain, if good,
it is made using Solera System. It therefore tends to be associated with sherry,
though it is not a fortified wine. Most Malagas are sweet and they are served
like Madiera, between meals or with the dessert fruit after dinner.

C. Vermouth - is an aromatized wine. It is a kind of wine made by infusing

distilled herbs into a bland wine. The name comes from the German for worm
wood,”wermut” which was the principle herb originally used in the process.

Styles of Vermouth
a. Red ( Rosso in italian ) - is a sweet, full bodied vermouth with strong herbal
flavor. The color is a light reddish tint not a rich red wine.
b. Bianco - medium sweet vermouth with a spicy flavor and a light golden color.
(Bianco is Italian for white )
c. Dry ( French ) - a dry and very pale vermouth, it has a light style with a
delicate flavor.

D. Port - takes its name from Oporto, the town at the mouth of the river Douro in
northern Portugal from which port wine is snipped. It is almost sweet red
wine, fortified with brandy.

Stlyles Of Port
a. Vintage Port - is also blended, but 80 percent of the blend must be from the
wine of a single exceptionally good year. Vntage port is taken from the cask
to mature in the bottle.
- Vintage port may continue to mature up to 30 years in the bottle
- But at its best about 20 years
b. Ruby Port - blended young port, with only limited maturation. It has rich ruby
color, a fruity bouquet and a sweet grape flavor. It is aged in wood for 3-5
years.
c. Tawny Port - good tawny ports has been well matured in the wood. As ports
matures its color changes from ruby to tawny. It is sweet but has a dry nutty
finish. Tawny port should be aged in wood for at least 5 years but sometimes
as long as 30 years. (tawny- yellowish brown )
d. Liqueur Port - there is no legal definition of a “Liqueur Port“ and they vary
greatly in quality. It is usually used to indicate an Australian tawny port aged
for an exceptionally long time.
 e. White Port - it is made from white grapes. It is sometimes fairly dry fortified
wine which is usually served as an aperitif.

E. Madeira - the name comes from the Portuguese island of Madeira out in the
Atlantic of morocco and where true Madeira is made.
- it is a fortified wine with a distinctive “burnt” flavor which
is achieved by an unusual method of production. It is
remarkable as the longest lasting of all wines.

- different styles of Madeira are served as aperitifs or

dessert wines.

Styles of Madeira
a. Sercial - a pale dry style, slightly almond-flavored.
b. Verdelho – a golden,medium- dry wine with a smoky-flavor
c. Bual ( or boal ) – a dark rich dessert wine
d. Malmsey - sweetest style of Madeira, a rich dark dessert wine with a powerful
bouquet and a tangy finish made from Malvasia grapes.

F. Marsala - takes its name from a port in the extreme West of Sicily which the
wine was snipped.
- it is a walnut-brown fortified dessert wine and was once
very popular in English-speaking counties.

Definitions Of Terms
• Bodega- is the farm/vineyard where sherry is made.
• Breathing- is the practice of allowing air to reach wine by
uncorking and pouring it.
• Decant- means to transfer wine from a bottle to remove any
sediment. (ex. Mature red wine/port).
• Fortification- is the addition of distilled spirits of wine.
• Solera system- is the Spanish system of progressively blending
sherries of small-casks to blend sherries of the same type
but varying ages (young and old)
• Vintage wine- is a wine from a single year stated on the label,
rather than a blend of several years.

Sizes of Wine Bottles

1. Balthazar - 12 liters, equivalent of 16 regular wine bottles.
2. Fifth - regular wine bottle, holding 750 ml
3. Jeroboam or Double Magnum - 3 liters equivalent of 4 regular wine bottles
4. Magnum - 1 ½ liter
5. Methuselah or Imperial - 6 liters
6. Nebuchadnezzar - 15 liters
7. Quart - 1 liter
8. Rehoboam - 4 ½ liters
9. Salmanazar - 9 liters
10. Solomon - 18 liters
11. Split - 6 ounces (187 ml.)
12. Tappit hen - large scotch bottle equivalent to 3 bottles or more.
13. Tenth - 12 oz (377 ml.)

Grapes

- beginning of the wine.

- provides the liquid, the sugar to be fermented, the color, the acids vital to the wines taste and
balance, and the tannins that give red wines their nuances of taste and their structure and longevity.
Viticulture – is the science or study of growing grapes for wine making.

Major Grape Varieties:

 Cabernet Sauvignon – France, California, Australia(red)
– most important red wine
– famous as the predominant grape of the red wines of Bordeaux.
– also produces the best California red and the best red wines of Australia.
 Pinot Noir – France(red)
– is the grape of the great Burgundy red of France
– also used in champagne(where juice is separated from skins)
 Chardonnay – France, California(white)
– produces excellent wines of strong body and character all over the world.
– is the source of the famous white Burgundies of France and is the grape of the French
Chablis.
– Makes the leading varietal wine of California.

 Riesling – Germany, California(white)

– classic grape of German wine
– produces fragrant, light, delicately flavored wines w/ a touch of sweetness.
– Called white Riesling or Vahannisberg Riesling in California.

Other Red Grape Varieties:

 Merlot – France, Italy, California
– an important red wine grape in Bordeaux, Italy and California.
– used both to make varietal and to blend with Cabernet Sauvignon in some of the
outstanding wines of France and California.
 Gamay – France, California
– is the grape of the famous Beaujolais wine from France.
– a light, fresh, fruity and delightful red wine.
– doesn’t grow well in France but grows well in California where it is called Napa Gamay
 Zinfandel – California
– red grape grown only in California.
– Makes a full-bodied, full flavored, lively red varietal and flavorful, slightly sweet rose
wine known as White Zinfandel.
 Syrah – France
– makes a very dark, full-bodied, intensely flavored red wine in the Rhone Valley of
France.
 Grenache – France
– is a sweet red grape that makes a very light colored orange pink wine.
– predominant grape used to make Chateauneuf du Pape and is often used to make red
wine.

 Sangiovese – Italy
– Italian red wine grape of Tuscany.
– Makes the well-known Chianti.
 Nebbiolo and Barbera – Italy
– Italian red wine in Piedmont.
– Both make big, full-bodied, full flavored wines.
 Lambrusco –Italy
– Grown in Northern Italy.
– Makes a very fruity, rather sweet Fizzy red wine.

Other White Grape Varieties:

 Sauvignon Blanc – France
– Is the chief grape of the White Bordeaux wines, used in making the fresh, dry, fruity
wines of the Graves(Grahv) district and the sweet, rich golden wines of Sauternes.
– Make young, fresh, fruity wines of excellent quality in the Loire Valley of France.
 Semillon – France, Australia
– Shares with Sauvignon Blanc in producing the dry white Graves and the sweet Sauternes.
– Also an important white wine grape in Australia.
 Chenin Blanc – France, California
– Make tasty white wines in the Loire region, some of them sparkling.
– Also a widely planted white grape in California.
 Gewurztraminer – France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand
– Is the spicy white grape of Alsace in France and parts of Germany.
– Typically makes flavorful dry white wine but like the Riesling, can produce late-harvest
sweet wines.
– Also grown in Australia and New Zealand
 Pinot Blanc – France, Italian, California
– Grown in Alsace, Northern Italy and California.
 – An especially good grape for making sparkling wine.
– Also produce a varietal wine in California.
 Muscat
– Either red or white.
– White Muscat produces Italy’s most popular sparkling white wines – Asti Spumante.
 Trebbiano – Italy
– Make light, dry Soave in Northeast Italy and sparkling wines in Po Valley.
 Muller-Thurgau – Germany
– Is the most widely grown grape in Germany.
– Make many soft, aromatic white wines of varying degrees of sweetness.
The Wine Making Process
1. Destemming, crushing or breaking the skins of grapes
a) For White Wines
– The grapes (whether white, red or black) go through a crusher or stemmer that
removes the stalk and breaks the skins. They are then pressed to extract their juices.
The skins are discarded and the juice is channeled into a fermentation tank.
 Must – juice from crushed grapes before fermenting.

b) For Red Wine or Rosē

– Dark skinned grapes are crushed then both must and skins go into a fermentation
tank.
– It is the red/black/purple skins that yield the color as well as much of the character of
a red wine.
– For rosē, the skins are left in the fermenting must briefly (12-24 hours according to
the desired hours). The must is then pumped into another tank, leaving the skins
behind.
 Chaptalization – process of adding extra sugar to wine before fermentation when grapes
do not have enough sugar of their own.
2. Fermenting
– Occurs when yeast acts upon the sugar in the wine or juice which breaks down the sugar
into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
– Grape juice + yeast = grape juice + CO2 + alcohol
– Occurs from 1-2 weeks or longer until all sugar is used up or until alcohol content
becomes high enough to kill the yeasts (around 14%)
– For red wines, skins are pressed out after fermentation making them rich in tannin
extracts thus giving them more character than whites.
3. Racking
– Is separating the wine from residues that have settled after fermentation.
 Lees – sediment at bottom of casks in newly fermented wine.
4. Maturing
– Is done when the wine becomes clear and is moved to other vats or casks.
a) For white wine or rosēs
– Are often in glass-lined vats or in stainless steel container; mature faster than reds.
b) Most red wines and certain whites
 – Are aged in wood casks (usually oak) for 6 months to 2 years or more where they
undergo changes that mellow and smooth them and develop their special character.

5. Bottling
– Wines that are bottled, corked and a capsule (foil or plastic cap) is added over the cork to
protect it
– Wines not intended for aging and most fortified wines have screw tops instead of cork.
6. Blending
– Most wines are blends of different grape varieties or grapes from different vineyards, or
wines of different vintages or degrees of maturity; is done at different stages of wine
making.

How Wines are Made

Factors that influence how wines are made:
• Climate
– In which grapes grow is a very important influence.
– Warm climates yield ripe grapes and rich wines: the riper and sweeter the grapes at harvest, the
more alcoholic the wine.
– Warm climate are found in Australia, parts of California and Southern France.
– Cool climates typically produce “greener (less ripe)” grapes and lighter wines.
– Cool climates are found in Germany, Northern Italy, and the Champagne district in France.

• Weather
– Influences the ripeness and quality of the grapes at harvest which may vary from one year to
another and which means that the wines produced will also vary in quality.
 Vintage Date – the year the grapes were harvested and the wine began.

● Grapes
– Grapes grows best in rather poor soil on well drained land (often hillsides) in a temperature
climate w/ enough sun and warmth to develop their sugar and a little rain at the right time.
– Increase in sugar content and decrease in acidity as they mature.
– About 100 days of sunshine from blossom to harvest, the grapes ripen to the precise balance of
sugar and acid that makes the best possible wine.

How Wines are Name:

1. By the predominant variety of grape use or varietal (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot,
Chardonnay)
2. By broad general type or generic (American wines whose names are borrowed from European
wines that come from well-known districts, e.g. Chablis, Burgundy)
3. By brand name or proprietary name or monopole (one belonging exclusively to a vineyard or a
shipper who produces and or bottles the wine and takes responsibility for its quality)
 4. By the place of origin (usually rigidly delimited and controlled area that produces superior wines
of a certain character deriving from its special soil, climate, grapes and production methods).

Tasting Wines
Factors that Govern the Appreciation of Wines
1. Color/Appearance
– Wine must be clear and brilliant
– Color indicates the wine’s bodies: the deeper the color, the fuller the wine will be.
2. Aroma
– Is the fruity or flowery scents of a wine; it is the smell of young wine.
– Reflects the grapes from which the wine is made.
– Acetic, acidic, corky, astringent, fruity, flowery
 Bouquet – is the complex and interesting odor of a mature wine.
3. Taste
– Confirms aroma
– Sour, bitter, sweet, very sweet, dry, very dry

Steps on How to Taste Wine

1. Use a thin, stemmed glass; hold it by the stem or the foot but never by the bowl.
2. Appraise the appearance, pour a small amount and raise it up to the light; it should be clear and
bright.
3. Focus on the wine color; white wines from the cooler climates have tinge of green while those
from warm climates are usually gold; red wine range from purple in a young wine to a reddish
brown in a mature wine; roses are pink to pale orange.

4. Sniff the wine; describe the fragrance; put the glass down on the table, hold the palm of the hand
over the glass and swirl the wine clockwise to encourage the scent to rise; again inhale.
5. Taste the wine; take a small sip and roll it over the tongue; hold on the mouth for 10 seconds or
so; the key to the taste is in the tongue (sweetness-perceived on the tip of the tongue; sourness-
perceived along the sides; bitterness-perceived on the back).