Grape varieties grown and produced globally abound. Although we all may have our favourites, there is so much more out there for us all to explore!
Red wine grapes evoke flavours from the berry family, from strawberries and cherries for lighter expressions to cassis and plums in more complex wines. White varieties provide acidity as well as lower alcohol levels or add fruitiness and weight for enhanced wines.
Red Varieties
At first, many new wine drinkers find it daunting to select their perfect wines. To do this, the first step should be learning more about each wine – its colors, aromas, flavors and pairing with food can all help narrow your search down and help make an informed decision when purchasing wines for the first time.
Wine is made by fermenting grape juice – either red, white, or rose grapes – into alcohol. Different varieties of wine vary in terms of their color, tannin levels and varietal. Red wines tend to have higher tannin concentrations than white wines and therefore boast greater alcohol levels; full-bodied red wines may be best enjoyed at room temperature while light bodied white wines offer refreshing qualities when chilled.
Rose wine has quickly gained international attention, becoming a drink enjoyed globally. These unique wines typically feature light hues with sweet, dry or sparkling varieties available; most commonly made from grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Tempranillo or Sangiovese grapes – perfect for pairing with salads, fish dishes or chicken dishes for an enjoyable and drinkable wine experience!
Rose wine’s color stems from its limited contact between grape juice and skins. As opposed to red wines, which typically spend several months fermenting on their skins before extracting their juice for fermentation purposes. Once drawn off from these skins, fermentation commences and rose wine production ends.
Saignee (bleeding) is an increasingly popular technique used for creating rose wines, and involves winemakers ‘bleeding off’ some grape juice from one vat during maceration before it has the chance to take on too much color and add too much pigmentation. This juice is then transferred into another vessel where fermentation takes place as rose wine.
White grapes are integral in creating rose wine, with their use being one of the primary factors to its creation. Blends involving Clairette, Viognier, and Pinot Gris providing structure, depth, and breadth while earlier-harvested fruit add acidity and freshness.
White Varieties
White wines tend to be fruit-flavored and smooth in taste; some varieties (Chardonnay) even feature creamy vanilla notes depending on how it’s produced. They pair perfectly with numerous dishes and make an ideal starting point for newcomers who are interested in wine.
White grape wines can range from dry and sweet to sparkling varieties, and typically feature lower alcohol contents than reds due to different production processes; red wines use grapes with their skins still attached for fermentation while white ones use only their juice prior to fermenting, thus providing natural phenols with an opportunity to create bold or smooth tannins which give this style its signature tannin taste.
Experience is the best way to understand wine’s differences, and that can be done easily thanks to supermarket shelves and wine shop shelves, and online offerings alike. Start off your wine explorations by trying common white varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Moscato as an easy introduction.
Germany and France produce some of the world’s most fragrant and sweet white wines, such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Torrontes. These wines tend to use less oak ageing to affect their flavour profile and allow the aromatic qualities to come through more prominently; these pairings pair best with light or medium-bodied foods with spicy or citrusy spices or citrus zesty bites.
Rose (or blush wine) is created using the same maceration process as red wines, but for only a shorter amount of time in contact with grape skins – creating light pink-hued wine with lower tannin levels than its red counterparts. Rose wines can be dry, sweet or sparkling varieties and make an ideal summer wine option!
Sparkling wine is typically made with white grapes, though red or rose grape varieties may also be used. Sparkling wines come in all styles: dry, sweet or sparkling varieties that provide an enjoyable alternative to more classic red and white wines. Perfect for celebrating special events and enjoy with food of any type from light appetizers to indulgent desserts while staying busy with a game on any of the online casinos reviewed over the Yoakim Bridge!
Pink Varieties
Pink wines range from light to bold in hue, while red wines typically cover only one end of the spectrum. Their hue is determined by how long juice stays in contact with grape skin; more time means darker hues; this explains why there are numerous kinds of rose wines from delicate blushes to orange-tinged ones and scarlet or even straw hues.
Winemakers producing black grape wines often set aside a portion for producing rose. Once selected, these grapes will then be crushed into juice using either specialized machinery or using traditional methods such as foot and hand stomping (grape stomping). Finally, this crushed fruit is then co-fermented with some white wine before being co-fermented and co-bottled as a rose wine.
Blending red and white wine together to produce rose is a popular technique used in its production. White wine helps lighten its hue, adding refreshing characteristics desirable in rose wines; red wines provide depth and structure needed to balance these wines. Outside southern France, winemakers increasingly include small amounts of white grapes (known as “clairets”) into rose wines for additional depth and structure; such wines are known as “clairets.”
Winemakers producing pink wines use the bleed off method during the initial hours of red wine production to transfer some juice into another vat to ferment into rose wine – this method has gained widespread acclaim among wineries in Texas, Virginia, and Washington State where some incredible pink wines are being created!
Another popular style of rose wine production involves extracting skins during fermentation to produce a lighter pink wine, although the winemakers will still utilize some of the original fermented juice when creating their final blend, often including some from original fermentation with fresh pressed wine for flavor enhancement and added tannins. This style can be found throughout France, Italy and Spain.
Other Varieties
Be it an experienced or beginning wine drinker, it can be confusing keeping up with all of the various wine varieties and styles – but don’t let its mystique discourage you! Our comprehensive guide can help demystify all those confusing terms to enhance your knowledge of red, white, rose sparkling and dessert wines alike! We have got you covered!
Rose wine has experienced a recent renaissance this summer. With its bright, crisp flavors pairing well with everything from juicy burgers and fresh salads to chicken dishes on the grill, rose is back in fashion. Rose is typically produced using a blend of grape varieties such as grenache, cinsault, syrah and mourvedre, which come in various shades of pink hues; France’s classic version from Provence should definitely not be overlooked!
Rose wine, technically classified as white, acquires its color from macerating the grape skins for just enough time to produce a light blush and impart enough tannin and flavor to distinguish itself from red wines.
Some producers use a proportion of white grapes in their rose wines to control the intensity of color and add weight and structure to the final product. Stephane Bourret adds Clairette grapes to his Cotes du Rhone rose wine blends for this purpose; doing this allows him to keep its hue light while adding depth, complexity and body.
White wines provide an array of styles and flavors to enjoy, ranging from zippy Sauvignon Blancs to fruity Pinot Grigios – there is something to satisfy every palette in the white wine world! Lighter in texture than their red counterparts, white wines offer citrus notes, stone fruit flavors, fresh grass aromas, dry to off-dry styles that can be enjoyed alone or paired with meals for an excellent pairing experience.