Medical professionals have already proven that red wine contains higher
levels of antioxidants known as reservatrol, which reduces the risk of
high blood pressure and most cardiovascular diseases, and of course, the
antioxidant helps us resist ageing. White wine doesn’t have as much
reservatrol quantities, though.
This is why wine consumption is most recommended for people aged 40 and
above, as they have the higher risks of having heart ailments. These
health problems do not spare the youth, so it is good that at an early
age, they should take care of their own health as well. The recommendeded
one glass a day is enough to draw the line between moderation and alcohol
abuse. It is good enough for drinkers to have the desired amount of
antioxidants and stay healthy.
In the Philippines, as well as in other countries, reservatrol is even
absorbed through pills, bought from drug stores. The pills come in
different brands, and they’re quite expensive when in fact, the
reservatrol is naturally available inside that wine bottle you’re about
to open. Wine is healthy, after all.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Glossary of Wine Terms
Alcohol –colorless, volatile, flammable liquid produced by yeast
fermentation of carbohydrates or synthetically by hydration of ethylene.
It draws the line between wine and grape juice
Aroma- the scent or smell of wine.
Barrel –cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of
staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends. Usually made of oak,
and used in fermenting wine.
Bottle-portable container for holding liquids, having neck and mouth and
made of glass or plastic. Wine bottles are nearly always made of glass
because it is nonporous, strong, and aesthetically pleasing.
Bouquet –the characteristic aroma of wines.
Cork- a piece of oak, rubber, or the like used as a stopper, as for a
bottle. In wine bottles, it is usually made of oak wood.
Corkscrew- an instrument typically consisting of a metal spiral with a
sharp point at one end and a transverse handle at the other, used for
drawing corks from bottles.
Ethyl Alcohol, or ethanol, the kind of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks
such as wine
Fermentation –process whereby grape juice is transformed into an
alcoholic wine, through the help of yeast.
Filtration –a process of removing suspended solid particles in a wine in
order to make it clear. It is thought to be controversial in the wine
industry as it strips off the flavour if the filtration is overdone.
Finish- a tasting term referring to the taste of the wine at the point of,
and just after swallowing.
Fruit wine –also a fermented alcoholic beverage made from non-grape
fruits. In the Philippines, local and common fruits are made for wine such
as strawberry, bignay (wild berry), duhat (plum), mango, guyabano (sour
sop) and others.
Glass-used in drinking wines. There are certain glasses for certain wines
but usually, the basic requirements are that the bowl should be big enough
that there’s room above the wine for the aromas to be captured.
Grape- edible smooth-skinned fruit that grows in clusters on vines and is
fermented to make wine.
Nebuchadnezzar –the largest wine bottle, can hold up to 20 quarts or
18.9 litres of wine.
Oak- the most common kind of wood used in making wine barrels.
pH- the measure of the acidity in a liquid. Most wines have a pH of 3 or 4
which means they’re acidic. Lower than 3 is quite dangerous.
Pulp- the fleshy part of the grape usually containing all the water,
sugars, and acid.
Seed –part of the wine which contains tannins. Seeds should not be
crushed in wine making
Sherry- a fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation
to produce a distinctive flavour.
Skin- part of the grape which holds most flavour compounds, pigments, and
tannins. The skin is responsible for the color of the wine such as red or
white.
Tannin -a bitter tasting substance that cause the “dry mouth” feeling
associated with some red wines.
Texture –it is the feeling of wine in the mouth, or mouthfeel. Usually
described as silky, velvety, or smooth.
Vanilla –the flavour or scent that is present in wines that are stored
in new oak barrels.
Vineyard –a plantation of grapevines, esp. one producing grapes for
winemaking.
Vintage –the produce of an excellent grape harvest of a good year. The
vintage in the bottles refer to the year the grapes were grown, but for
some, they’re the year the grapes are harvested.
Wine –the fermented juice of grapes used esp. as a beverage, made in
many varieties, as red or white, sweet or dry, and still or sparkling, and
containing no more than 14 percent alcohol.
Wine Tasting- a gathering to evaluate wine, not only in its taste, but
also mouth feel, aroma, and color.
Yeast- a micro-organism present in the skin of grapes that reacts with the
sugar inside and results in the production of ethyl alcohol during
fermentation.
Sources: Random House Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus
www.thewinedoctor.com/glossary
www.grapestomper.com/wineglossary.html
www.wineanoraak.com/glossary/glossary.htm#top
fermentation of carbohydrates or synthetically by hydration of ethylene.
It draws the line between wine and grape juice
Aroma- the scent or smell of wine.
Barrel –cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of
staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends. Usually made of oak,
and used in fermenting wine.
Bottle-portable container for holding liquids, having neck and mouth and
made of glass or plastic. Wine bottles are nearly always made of glass
because it is nonporous, strong, and aesthetically pleasing.
Bouquet –the characteristic aroma of wines.
Cork- a piece of oak, rubber, or the like used as a stopper, as for a
bottle. In wine bottles, it is usually made of oak wood.
Corkscrew- an instrument typically consisting of a metal spiral with a
sharp point at one end and a transverse handle at the other, used for
drawing corks from bottles.
Ethyl Alcohol, or ethanol, the kind of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks
such as wine
Fermentation –process whereby grape juice is transformed into an
alcoholic wine, through the help of yeast.
Filtration –a process of removing suspended solid particles in a wine in
order to make it clear. It is thought to be controversial in the wine
industry as it strips off the flavour if the filtration is overdone.
Finish- a tasting term referring to the taste of the wine at the point of,
and just after swallowing.
Fruit wine –also a fermented alcoholic beverage made from non-grape
fruits. In the Philippines, local and common fruits are made for wine such
as strawberry, bignay (wild berry), duhat (plum), mango, guyabano (sour
sop) and others.
Glass-used in drinking wines. There are certain glasses for certain wines
but usually, the basic requirements are that the bowl should be big enough
that there’s room above the wine for the aromas to be captured.
Grape- edible smooth-skinned fruit that grows in clusters on vines and is
fermented to make wine.
Nebuchadnezzar –the largest wine bottle, can hold up to 20 quarts or
18.9 litres of wine.
Oak- the most common kind of wood used in making wine barrels.
pH- the measure of the acidity in a liquid. Most wines have a pH of 3 or 4
which means they’re acidic. Lower than 3 is quite dangerous.
Pulp- the fleshy part of the grape usually containing all the water,
sugars, and acid.
Seed –part of the wine which contains tannins. Seeds should not be
crushed in wine making
Sherry- a fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation
to produce a distinctive flavour.
Skin- part of the grape which holds most flavour compounds, pigments, and
tannins. The skin is responsible for the color of the wine such as red or
white.
Tannin -a bitter tasting substance that cause the “dry mouth” feeling
associated with some red wines.
Texture –it is the feeling of wine in the mouth, or mouthfeel. Usually
described as silky, velvety, or smooth.
Vanilla –the flavour or scent that is present in wines that are stored
in new oak barrels.
Vineyard –a plantation of grapevines, esp. one producing grapes for
winemaking.
Vintage –the produce of an excellent grape harvest of a good year. The
vintage in the bottles refer to the year the grapes were grown, but for
some, they’re the year the grapes are harvested.
Wine –the fermented juice of grapes used esp. as a beverage, made in
many varieties, as red or white, sweet or dry, and still or sparkling, and
containing no more than 14 percent alcohol.
Wine Tasting- a gathering to evaluate wine, not only in its taste, but
also mouth feel, aroma, and color.
Yeast- a micro-organism present in the skin of grapes that reacts with the
sugar inside and results in the production of ethyl alcohol during
fermentation.
Sources: Random House Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus
www.thewinedoctor.com/glossary
www.grapestomper.com/wineglossary.html
www.wineanoraak.com/glossary/glossary.htm#top
And Now, for the Trivia
11. Wine aficionados must have done a far too good job as it is understood that based on the number of acres planted which accounts to 20 million, wine grapes are the world’s largest fruit crop!
12. Why clink glasses before drinking a toast? It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
13. Why store wine when newly-bottled wines are luscious? 98% of all commercially produced wine in the world is consumed within 1 week of purchase.
14. While different shades of green are the most popular colors for wine bottles aside from the clear ones, there are also yellow and brown ones.
15. A “corked wine” doesn’t mean a wine capped with cork. Corked wines are those which aroma and taste are contaminated by poor corks.
16. Oxidation is a big no-no, and only by swirling your wine, oxygen is invited into the glass, which allows the aromas to escape.
17. The most popular statue of Dionysus, Greek god of wine, has grape carvings on it.
18. Yeast to make red wine are taken naturally from the skin, while the yeast in making white wine is taken from outside sources.
19. Remember the women you saw on TV before who jump happily on grapes? Foot treading of grapes is still used in producing a small quantity of the best port wines.
20. Although red wine can only be produced from red grapes, white wine can be produced from both white and red grapes.
12. Why clink glasses before drinking a toast? It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
13. Why store wine when newly-bottled wines are luscious? 98% of all commercially produced wine in the world is consumed within 1 week of purchase.
14. While different shades of green are the most popular colors for wine bottles aside from the clear ones, there are also yellow and brown ones.
15. A “corked wine” doesn’t mean a wine capped with cork. Corked wines are those which aroma and taste are contaminated by poor corks.
16. Oxidation is a big no-no, and only by swirling your wine, oxygen is invited into the glass, which allows the aromas to escape.
17. The most popular statue of Dionysus, Greek god of wine, has grape carvings on it.
18. Yeast to make red wine are taken naturally from the skin, while the yeast in making white wine is taken from outside sources.
19. Remember the women you saw on TV before who jump happily on grapes? Foot treading of grapes is still used in producing a small quantity of the best port wines.
20. Although red wine can only be produced from red grapes, white wine can be produced from both white and red grapes.
A Little Wine Trivia
• You may have your own bar or a wine cellar in your own
house which
holds a vast variety of wine, but it is close to impossible to store all
kinds of wine. Apparently, there are more than 10,000 varieties of grape
wines in the world.
• The cost of wine is not an indicator of quality as
there are many
factors that have an effect on the price of a wine. So your 1995 can be
of better quality than the 1989!
• According to Persian mythology, wine was discovered by
a woman. She
drank the fermented juice from grapes stored in a jar, went to sleep, and
surprisingly woke up cured of a headache, instead of suffering from the
world's first hangover as one might have expected.
• The Bible has many references to the vine and wine. The
first
recorded mention is in Genesis, in the ninth chapter, where we learn that
Noah planted a vineyard, and that "he drank of the wine and was
drunken.”
• As Magellan prepared to sail around the world in 1519,
he spent more
on sherry than on weapons. The accounts of sightings of Magellan drunk
when he reached the Philippines is not yet proven, though.
• The soil of one famous vineyard in France is considered
so precious
that vineyard workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before
they leave for home each night.
• The average number of grapes it takes to make a bottle
of wine is 600.
• So much for being precious. In Bangladesh, $5 will buy
a beer or a
first-class train ticket for a cross-country trip.
• It always takes two to tango. In Malaysia, drunk
drivers are jailed
and so are their spouses.
• Excitement stirs. 98% of all commercially produced wine
in the world
is consumed within 1 week of purchase.
Sources:
http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/winelore.htm
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FunFacts/AlcoholTrivia.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8532.asp
http://www.professorshouse.com/Food-Beverage/Wine/Articles/Wine-Facts-and-Trivia/
house which
holds a vast variety of wine, but it is close to impossible to store all
kinds of wine. Apparently, there are more than 10,000 varieties of grape
wines in the world.
• The cost of wine is not an indicator of quality as
there are many
factors that have an effect on the price of a wine. So your 1995 can be
of better quality than the 1989!
• According to Persian mythology, wine was discovered by
a woman. She
drank the fermented juice from grapes stored in a jar, went to sleep, and
surprisingly woke up cured of a headache, instead of suffering from the
world's first hangover as one might have expected.
• The Bible has many references to the vine and wine. The
first
recorded mention is in Genesis, in the ninth chapter, where we learn that
Noah planted a vineyard, and that "he drank of the wine and was
drunken.”
• As Magellan prepared to sail around the world in 1519,
he spent more
on sherry than on weapons. The accounts of sightings of Magellan drunk
when he reached the Philippines is not yet proven, though.
• The soil of one famous vineyard in France is considered
so precious
that vineyard workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before
they leave for home each night.
• The average number of grapes it takes to make a bottle
of wine is 600.
• So much for being precious. In Bangladesh, $5 will buy
a beer or a
first-class train ticket for a cross-country trip.
• It always takes two to tango. In Malaysia, drunk
drivers are jailed
and so are their spouses.
• Excitement stirs. 98% of all commercially produced wine
in the world
is consumed within 1 week of purchase.
Sources:
http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/winelore.htm
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FunFacts/AlcoholTrivia.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8532.asp
http://www.professorshouse.com/Food-Beverage/Wine/Articles/Wine-Facts-and-Trivia/
Red or White?
A perfect wine is the perfect mood setter for a dinner party. However, to people new to wines, choosing between white and red wine is a struggle. One starts with the question, “What is the difference between white and red wine?”
Aside from the evident difference which is color, there are several distinctions between the two that will help people in finding wine-starter preference. First thing to know is that white wines are sweet in general; red wine is less sweet, more complex, and a much complicated drink. The plain sweetness of white wine is due to its main ingredient, simple grape juice. Red wine has grape juice, skin, seeds, and selected stems as the ingredients–these constitute the rich and complex taste it has.
Tannins are very important when it comes with the wine taste. Tannins are bitter-tasting substance that cause the “dry mouth” feeling associated with most red wines than whites.
Also, white wines are more suitable to meat like chicken and fish while the red wines complement red meats and thick and heavy sauces. For the health conscious, be reminded that red wine has more reservatrol, a higher-level antioxidant which reduces the risk of high cholesterol.
Aside from the evident difference which is color, there are several distinctions between the two that will help people in finding wine-starter preference. First thing to know is that white wines are sweet in general; red wine is less sweet, more complex, and a much complicated drink. The plain sweetness of white wine is due to its main ingredient, simple grape juice. Red wine has grape juice, skin, seeds, and selected stems as the ingredients–these constitute the rich and complex taste it has.
Tannins are very important when it comes with the wine taste. Tannins are bitter-tasting substance that cause the “dry mouth” feeling associated with most red wines than whites.
Also, white wines are more suitable to meat like chicken and fish while the red wines complement red meats and thick and heavy sauces. For the health conscious, be reminded that red wine has more reservatrol, a higher-level antioxidant which reduces the risk of high cholesterol.
How to Store Wine
Having wine cellars at home can require a significant investment in money and space. And unless the collection is more than fifty wine bottles, it is not necessary to have a cellar. Instead, one must be aware of the following:
1. Cork stoppers are excellent odor absorbents, so wines should not be stored together with stuffs with strong odor, as the cork might sponge up other scents. This may affect the aroma and the flavour of the wine, which will only give it a strong exotic essence.
2. Sunlight, and the rest of its fellow lights should be absolutely absent in desired storing place. When the light penetrates the bottle and hits the liquid, it affects the flavour of the wine and hasten aging. It is therefore best to keep the wine in dark places.
3. A still place is very much recommended. Constant contact with a vibrating object like a refrigerator is also not good for the wine because the wine sediments will settle, and this will truly affect the quality and flavour.
4. A cold place is also needed, because heat is not good to wine. The suggested temperature: 55 degrees Fahrenheit which equals 12 degrees Celsius.
5. In addition to the cold factor, humidity is very important to keep the cork from drying. Some degree of humidity is required in order to keep wines with cork enclosures from drying out. Please note tha even when wine bottles are stored on their sides, one side of the cork is still exposed to air. If the cork begins to dry out, it can allow oxygen to enter the bottle, thereby filling the ullage space and possibly causing the wine to spoil or oxidize. Excessive humidity can also pose the risk of damaging wine labels, which may hinder identification or hurt potential resale value.
A basement is the most suitable for wine storage, but if it’s not possible, a secured closet will do the pretty work.
1. Cork stoppers are excellent odor absorbents, so wines should not be stored together with stuffs with strong odor, as the cork might sponge up other scents. This may affect the aroma and the flavour of the wine, which will only give it a strong exotic essence.
2. Sunlight, and the rest of its fellow lights should be absolutely absent in desired storing place. When the light penetrates the bottle and hits the liquid, it affects the flavour of the wine and hasten aging. It is therefore best to keep the wine in dark places.
3. A still place is very much recommended. Constant contact with a vibrating object like a refrigerator is also not good for the wine because the wine sediments will settle, and this will truly affect the quality and flavour.
4. A cold place is also needed, because heat is not good to wine. The suggested temperature: 55 degrees Fahrenheit which equals 12 degrees Celsius.
5. In addition to the cold factor, humidity is very important to keep the cork from drying. Some degree of humidity is required in order to keep wines with cork enclosures from drying out. Please note tha even when wine bottles are stored on their sides, one side of the cork is still exposed to air. If the cork begins to dry out, it can allow oxygen to enter the bottle, thereby filling the ullage space and possibly causing the wine to spoil or oxidize. Excessive humidity can also pose the risk of damaging wine labels, which may hinder identification or hurt potential resale value.
A basement is the most suitable for wine storage, but if it’s not possible, a secured closet will do the pretty work.
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