| world of wine is unique amongst drinkable spirits. | | | | year a wine is produced is important, but many |
| This uniqueness, however, also can make it an | | | | do not understand why. The year is used to |
| intimidating subject. The following tidbits are | | | | signify the growing season, specifically where it |
| designed to take out the intimidation factor. | | | | was a good year or not. In short, it is all about |
| 1. Fortified Wine - A wine that is given a higher | | | | the weather. |
| alcohol content with distilled grape additives. Port | | | | 7. Fruitiness of a Vintage — Fruitiness |
| and Sherry are examples of fortified wines | | | | refers to the ability of a wine to present an |
| commonly found on the market. | | | | aroma and taste of a particular type. It is a term |
| 2. Wine Bottle Size — Historically, wine | | | | that refers to young wines. Older wines do not |
| bottle sizes were all over the place. Today, they | | | | display fruitiness. |
| hold a fairly standard 750 milliliters of wine. In a | | | | 8. Variety of Wine Grapes — There are a |
| restaurant, this is enough to file five to six glasses | | | | wide variety of grapes used to produce the |
| of wine per bottle. | | | | various vintages in the world. The total estimated |
| 3. Classic White Grapes — Although there | | | | number is close to 25,000 different types. |
| are plenty of grape variations, there are only 5 | | | | 9. Classic Red Grapes — As with their |
| classic white grapes. They are Chardonnay, | | | | white brethren, there are relatively few classic |
| Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and | | | | red grapes used for wine making. They are |
| Semillon. | | | | Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. |
| 4. Canopy Management — A term used at | | | | 10. Finding Beaujolais Wine — The French |
| wineries that refers to training vines. The goal is | | | | Beaujolais wine can be hard to find. Why? The |
| to get the vines and grapes exposed to the sun | | | | word is not included on the labels. Instead, just |
| by training them to grow up a trellis structure. | | | | the village and producer are. |
| 5. Wine Alcohol Content — Wine is | | | | Wine is one of those things you will either love or |
| obviously an alcoholic drink. The alcohol is the | | | | not. Few people seem to fall in the middle of the |
| result of yeasts processing the natural sugar | | | | road on the subject. If you find it enticing, then |
| found in grapes. The more ripe the grapes, the | | | | make sure to become an knowledgeable |
| higher the alcohol content. | | | | enthusiasts to maximize your wine experience. |
| 6. Understanding Wine Vintages — The | | | | |