A lot of people enjoy drinking wine but don't know the complexity of the wine making process. A lot of people taste wine and appreciate only the flavor without realizing that there are more components of wine that are worth appreciating too. Experienced wine tasters evaluate a wine not only by its flavor but also by its alcohol, acidity, balance of tannin, etc. A good understanding of the many components of wine brings one to a deeper appreciation and enjoyment of wine. In this article, you will learn about a few of the other components of wine. All the components in this article are basic to all wines regardless of where they are made.
1. When tasting wine, you will sense a feeling of dryness or roughness. Sometimes, you will experience puckering of the gums or furring of your mouth. Tannins are responsible for this. This substance can be found in the leaves, seeds, barks, and stems of plants and fruits. In wine, tannins serve as natural preservatives so that the wine ages tastefully.
2. Acidity also affects the taste of wine. Grapes, like all fruits, have natural acids and these are responsibility for the acidity of wine. Acidity in wine should be well balanced. A wine that is too acidic may taste sour and sharp while wine that is too low in acidity may taste dull and cloying.
Wines that have been made in cooler regions such as England, New Zealand and Northern France are usually higher in acidity. Wines that come from warmer climates like that in Australia have lower acidity.
3. No artificial sugars are used in wine making. The sweetness of wine is entirely due to the natural sugars present in the grapes used. Wine that is lacking in sweetness is described as dry.
In the fermentation process, yeasts turns the natural sugars into alcohol. As time goes by, not all sugars are turned into alcohol and this remaining sugar is called residual sugar. Even the driest wines have residual sugars of not more that 2g/L. The greater amount residual sugar present in wine, the sweeter it tastes.
4. Yeast actually contributes a lot to the flavor of wine. Yeast's primary function is to turn the grapes' natural sugars into alcohol - the fermentation process.
When the fermentation process is done, the wine usually appears cloudy due to the presence of dead yeast cells. In order to remove these dead yeast cells and make the wine clear, wine makers usually perform racking. Racking is when the clear wine is poured out once the dead yeast cells have settled at the bottom.
5. Wine is not called wine without alcohol. Based on what was discussed above, the level of alcohol in the wine is dependent on the amount of natural sugars present in the grapes used. Therefore, the higher the level of natural sugars in the grapes, the higher the alcohol level.
In cooler regions like Germany, grapes do not ripen easily and thus sugar levels are low. Wines that are made from grapes harvested in these regions consequently have lower alcohol levels
The process of fermentation does not only define the alcohol level but also the flavor. Certain yeast strains can introduce unfavorable tastes to the wine. This is why the process is done carefully in order to make sure that fermentation process brings out the best the flavor of the wine.
Knowing these few components of wine helps you appreciate wine even more. Keep these things in mind the next time you taste wine.
1. When tasting wine, you will sense a feeling of dryness or roughness. Sometimes, you will experience puckering of the gums or furring of your mouth. Tannins are responsible for this. This substance can be found in the leaves, seeds, barks, and stems of plants and fruits. In wine, tannins serve as natural preservatives so that the wine ages tastefully.
2. Acidity also affects the taste of wine. Grapes, like all fruits, have natural acids and these are responsibility for the acidity of wine. Acidity in wine should be well balanced. A wine that is too acidic may taste sour and sharp while wine that is too low in acidity may taste dull and cloying.
Wines that have been made in cooler regions such as England, New Zealand and Northern France are usually higher in acidity. Wines that come from warmer climates like that in Australia have lower acidity.
3. No artificial sugars are used in wine making. The sweetness of wine is entirely due to the natural sugars present in the grapes used. Wine that is lacking in sweetness is described as dry.
In the fermentation process, yeasts turns the natural sugars into alcohol. As time goes by, not all sugars are turned into alcohol and this remaining sugar is called residual sugar. Even the driest wines have residual sugars of not more that 2g/L. The greater amount residual sugar present in wine, the sweeter it tastes.
4. Yeast actually contributes a lot to the flavor of wine. Yeast's primary function is to turn the grapes' natural sugars into alcohol - the fermentation process.
When the fermentation process is done, the wine usually appears cloudy due to the presence of dead yeast cells. In order to remove these dead yeast cells and make the wine clear, wine makers usually perform racking. Racking is when the clear wine is poured out once the dead yeast cells have settled at the bottom.
5. Wine is not called wine without alcohol. Based on what was discussed above, the level of alcohol in the wine is dependent on the amount of natural sugars present in the grapes used. Therefore, the higher the level of natural sugars in the grapes, the higher the alcohol level.
In cooler regions like Germany, grapes do not ripen easily and thus sugar levels are low. Wines that are made from grapes harvested in these regions consequently have lower alcohol levels
The process of fermentation does not only define the alcohol level but also the flavor. Certain yeast strains can introduce unfavorable tastes to the wine. This is why the process is done carefully in order to make sure that fermentation process brings out the best the flavor of the wine.
Knowing these few components of wine helps you appreciate wine even more. Keep these things in mind the next time you taste wine.
About the Author:
Juliette Johnson is a wine lover and she keeps her wine collection in a beautiful custom wine cellar Illinois. The design of her custom wine cellar chicago Illinois was done by the finest in the industry. To get more information about this, visit http://www.WineCellarSpec.com!