Become a Wine Connoisseur

The grape varietal used for Icewine depends on the country it is made in

The grape varietal used for Icewine depends on the country it is made in. Germany prefers Riesling, while Ontario, Canada and British Columbia use the Vidal varietal as well Cabernet Franc, a red grape. Other species are being trialled, with Pillitteri Estates Winery in Ontario claiming to be the first to make Shiraz Icewine.

Technorati Tags : icewine varietal grape ontario

Different grape varietals make different tasting wines and popularity usually depends on the taste of the consumer

Different grape varietals make different tasting wines and popularity usually depends on the taste of the consumer. Many of the varietals produced sub species that have become popular too.

Technorati Tags : different varietals consumer taste

When pouring wine into the glass, it should be poured against the side of the glass if it is a sparkling wine, otherwise it should be poured into the center

When pouring wine into the glass, it should be poured against the side of the glass if it is a sparkling wine, otherwise it should be poured into the center. Since you don’t want unsightly drips to spoil your cloth, twist the bottle slightly as you lift it up. You can practice this beforehand with a bottle of tomato sauce. It works really well to keep sauce out of the cap. Never fill the glass right up; there needs to be enough room for the wine to be swirled around the glass. About two thirds is right – you can always add to it later on.

Technorati Tags : glass poured should right

Basically an Ice wine is one that has been made from frozen grapes

Basically an Ice wine is one that has been made from frozen grapes. The grapes must be frozen on the vine though, not after they are picked. This means that workers must go out in temperatures of at least –10 C to –13 C to pick the grapes – certainly a cold occupation. It is actually the water in the grape juice that freezes and remains in tiny crystals in the skin. So a small amount of highly concentrated grape juice is extracted and used to make the wine.

Technorati Tags : grapes frozen juice grape

So if you have a nice red wine, choose a tulip-shaped glass

So if you have a nice red wine, choose a tulip-shaped glass. For Bordeaux you’ll need a tall glass with wide bowl. This directs the wine to the back of the mouth and also will allow the wine to breathe. Burgundy will need a similarly shaped glass only with a bigger bowl.

Technorati Tags : glass shaped tulip choose

As the wine runs down your throat, it will leave trickles called ‘legs’

As the wine runs down your throat, it will leave trickles called ‘legs’. You will be able to feel whether these legs go off quickly from the throat like water would, or if they linger. Is it light like water, or more full-bodied, like milk? This is the texture of the wine.

Technorati Tags : throat water called trickles

The first Ice wine was made by accident in Germany

The first Ice wine was made by accident in Germany. The grapes froze on the vine, but it was decided to go ahead and use them anyway. The saying that necessity is the mother of invention was certainly true here. Ice wine was made intentionally from the 1800s on, but it was Hainle, a Canadian vineyard who made the first commercially available Icewine - that was in 1978. Since then, demand has increased and now many countries that can depend on a winter of minus eight or ten make Icewine.

Technorati Tags : first icewine germany accident

When the product is ready to be bottled, more sugar and yeast is added, the sugar being mixed with an older wine

When the product is ready to be bottled, more sugar and yeast is added, the sugar being mixed with an older wine. The bottles are then sealed while the second fermentation takes place and solids collect in the neck of the bottle. During the second fermentation, some bottles may explode if the glass is flawed, because the pressure builds up to more than 100 pounds per square inch.

Technorati Tags : sugar fermentation second bottles

Just as each wine has its own unique flavor, so each wine pairs with certain types of food better than others

Just as each wine has its own unique flavor, so each wine pairs with certain types of food better than others.
So what are the rules of pairing wine with a meal? Traditionally it has been white wine with seafood and poultry and red wine with red meat. But there are those who say the best rule is to throw out all the rules. One reason is that today we have a more multicultural society and so the meals are not as traditional as they used to be. There could be a good mix of beef and seafood in the one meal, unheard of in years past.

Technorati Tags : there seafood rules others

The size of the glass is important too

The size of the glass is important too. You need to be able to swirl the wine about the glass to release its bouquet and to aerate it, thus enhancing the flavor. You need to be able to get your nose close enough to inhale the fruity aromas wafting up. But you don’t want those aromas to disappear too quickly into the surrounding air; this is where the shape of the glass comes in.

Technorati Tags : glass aromas important comes