red and white

Maj,

We love Wine and I would consider us Wine-o's, Can you tell me more in detail about wine, like the types of grapes that are common in Red, and White. Maybe name the best regions in the world and your favourite type of wine and which wineries you love best! Be creative just tell me what you feel like telling me about wine!

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Ohhhh I love wine. GOOD ONE! I'm sure I can talk about this for hours. (Thankfully I have my Wine for Dummies book on hand...)

Ok, so I'll try to make this simple and easy to understand....

History

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice. Wine is thought to have originated in 6000BC in the area that is now the border of Georgia and Iran. Wine first appeared in Europe in 4500BC and was very common in ancient Greece and Rome. Wine also played an important role in religion throughout history.

Types of varietals - WHITE

Chardonnay - known as being the greatest dry white wine in the world. Also one of the main grapes in Champagne. Chardonnay is generally an oaked wine (aged in oak barrels). Medium to high acidity and is generally full-bodied. Words to describe: spicy, toasty, vanilla, fruity such as apple, tropical fruits especially pineapple.

Riesling - Often light-bodied, crisp and refreshing. The Germans made rieslings popular and still do it the best.

Sauvignon Blanc - Light to medium bodied and usually dry. Words to describe: Herbs, mineral aromas, fruity such as melon, figs or passion fruit.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio - Usually deeper in colour than other white wines. Medium to full bodied, usually not oaky. Usually fruity such as peach or orange. Pinot Grigio is Italian and it is the same thing as Pinot Gris.

Gewurztraminer - A wonderful exotic grape that makes fairly deep-colored, full bodied, soft white wines with aromas and flavors of roses and lychee fruit.

Viognier (vee-ohn-yay) - A grape originally from France's Rhone Valley. Floral aroma, delicately apricot-like, medium to full bodied with low acidity.

Semillon (seh-mee-yohn) - Often blended with Sauvignon Blancs. It is low in acidity and has attractive but subtle aromas.

Pinot Blanc - Fairly neutral in aroma and flavors. Low sugar levels translate into dry, crisp and medium bodied.

Types of varietals - RED

Cabernet Sauvignon - Makes a wine that is high in tannin and are medium to full bodied. Often flavour or black currant or cassis. Cabs come at all price and quality levels. The least expensive are often soft and fruity. The best are rich and firm with great depth.

Merlot - Deep color, full body, high alcohol and low tannin. A good wine for blending with other grapes.

Pinot Noir - The lightest red wine in color. Flavors can be fruity - often red berries, or earthy and woodsy. Relatively high alcohol and medium to low tannin.

Syrah/Shiraz - Deeply colored wine with full body, firm tannin and aromas/flavours that can suggest berries, smoked meat, black pepper, tar or even burnt rubber.

Zinfandel - Rich, dark wines that are high in alcohol and medium to low tannin. They can have blackberry or raspberry aroma, a spicy or tarry character or even a jammy flavor. It is one of the oldest grapes in California.

Old World vs New World

Old World wine is from Europe and it's all about the REGION that the wine comes from. You may notice when you buy European wine that there is not always a grape varietal on the bottle. That is because it doesn't really matter what grape was used so much as the region the wine comes from. Wine-making is about tradition and winemaking resembles an art. The vineyard that the wine comes from gets the credit for the wine. The most popular wine regions in Europe are:

France - Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, Rhine Valley, Champagne, Loire, Alsace

Spain - Rioja, Sherry

Italy - Chianti, Soave

Portugal - Porto

New World wine is from anywhere besides Europe. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America and South America. Wines are named after the grape varietal and are often more flavorful and fruity. New World wine is more about innovation and the winemaker gets the credit for the wine. Popular wine regions are:

Australia - Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Limstone Coast

New Zealand - Marlborough

United States - Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino and Lake Counties,

South Africa - Constantia, Setellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek Valley, Robertson

Canada - Okanagan Valley, Niagara Peninsula

Argentina - Mendoza

Chile - Maipo Valley, Curico Valley, Maule

I really don't know what my favorite wines are! I like so many and it's really hard to just pick a few as being my favorites.