| Most people enjoy a good wine but with the | | | | an alcohol content of at least 15% when |
| myriad of wines available nowadaystoday you | | | | calculated by volume. This type of wine has often |
| need to know precisely what you are doing to | | | | had Brandy added to then and perhaps flavored |
| separate the good from the bad. | | | | with herbs with those having the greatest |
| Clearly choosing a specific brand, type and year | | | | concentration being considered as 'fortified'. |
| of wine is a question of individual taste. Despite | | | | Look on the label for a statement of the quantity |
| this, putting to one side the question of price, | | | | of sulfites contained in a wine. Sulphur is |
| there are several broad guidelines on which there | | | | frequently added during bottling to prevent the |
| is agreement. | | | | growth of unwanted organisms, but some |
| Fortunatey the growth of vineyards throughout | | | | vineyards add more than many drinkers would |
| the world and of wine-related Internet sites | | | | wish. Sulphur dioxide is also occasionally sprayed |
| means that purchasing wine is no longer difficult. If | | | | onto the grapes themselves to reduce pests and |
| you live in Maine or Madrid you can purchase a | | | | can find its way into the skin. A small number of |
| New Zealand Syrah not stocked by a local | | | | drinkers are sensitive to sulphur and may |
| merchant as easily as someone living in Hamilton. | | | | experience an allergic reaction. Concentrations of |
| Setting to one side questions of pairing wines with | | | | lower than 10 parts per million are usually okay |
| food, are you looking for a full red or a light white | | | | for most drinkers. |
| wine? Many wine drinkers find that Madeira is too | | | | If you are trying a wine you should cool it to the |
| heavy while other people believe that a German | | | | proper temperature of around 65F (18C) for reds |
| Riesling is too dry. A lot of easily available wines | | | | and 52F (11C) for whites and use a thin rimmed |
| are meant to be consumed shortly after they are | | | | glass which is free from dust. |
| purchased, however wine drinkers who wish to | | | | Pour no more than about 1/3 of a glass and lift |
| taste the finest wine must be patient. A Cabernet | | | | the glass by the stem so that you don't get |
| Sauvignon will doubtless be considerably better | | | | fingerprints on the rim and heat the bowl. |
| after it has had time to age. | | | | Look for a clarity of color by viewing a wine |
| A Chardonnay from a cool climate, such as those | | | | against a white background with a wine such as a |
| which are produced in Canada, will be of interest | | | | Pinot Noir having the lightness of a ruby and a |
| to individuals who enjoy a young wine with | | | | Cabernet Sauvignon being a darker violet color. |
| prominent acidity and also to those people who | | | | Those wines which are produced from grapes |
| want to experience it's honey and nut flovor | | | | grown in hot summers and dry falls will be darker |
| which comes with aging. | | | | in color than those wines made during a cool |
| Describing wines by their class may also prove | | | | summer and wet fall. |
| useful. Class 1 wines, usually labeled as 'Red Table | | | | The final step is to swirl the wine slowly around |
| Wine' or 'Light Wine' have an alcohol content of | | | | so that it coats the sides of the glass and let |
| between 7% and 14% when measured by | | | | your nose sample its aroma before tasting it. |
| volume. Class 7 wines, on the other hand, have | | | | |