2WineSnobs

Rosé Wines (Blush Wines)

Also called blush wines, rosé wines are usually pink in color, though some, like White Zinfandel, do indeed appear to be white. Rosé are made using red wine grapes, but after crushing, the juice is kept in contact with the skins for just a couple of hours. This brief contact ensures the wine won’t have more color than a pink “blush” and also limits the tannins that get into the wine.

Rosés are often drunk as “picnic wines,” and can be tasty and refreshing when chilled to about 60ºF (15ºC) and drunk on a hot day.

Sparkling Wines

As yeast ferments the sugar in grape juice to produce alcohol and wine, it also produces carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. Usually winemakers let this carbon dioxide escape from the wine. To make sparkling wines, however, the winemaker traps the carbon dioxide, producing bubbles. Sparkling wines are made almost exclusively with white wines.

Though all American wine companies that make sparkling wine can legally call their product Champagne, the fact is that real Champagne is made only in the Champagne region of France. Other sparkling wines are just that: sparkling wines.

Dessert Wines (Fortified Wines)

Yeast cannot survive in an environment containing more than 14% alcohol by volume. This means that unless a winemaker uses specially developed yeast, naturally produced wines cannot have an alcohol content above 14% because the yeast in the casks will die off at that point.

Winemakers such as those in Port (in Portugal) and Sherry (in Spain) found a way around this limitation: they added extra sugar or additional alcohol to the wine as it fermented. This produced wines that had significantly higher alcohol contents. Most, though not all, of these wines are sweeter than regular wines and are consumed after meals—hence the name dessert wines. Dessert wines are also sometimes called fortified wines since their alcohol content has been strengthened.

White wines are more delicate and less powerful in flavor than red wines. Though called white, these wines actually range in color from pale yellow to deep gold depending on the grape and age of the wine. White wines are made in one of two ways:

• From white grapes (which are usually pale yellow or green). The majority of white wines are made this way.
• From red grapes, by separating the juice from the skin of the grape (the skin is where a red wine gets its color).

Though not as diverse as red wines, white wine comes in many types, depending the grapes used to make the wine. Significant variations also exist among white wines made with the same grapes but in different vineyards. These differences are created by the specific environmental conditions of each vineyard and the decisions that the winemaker makes during the fermentation and aging process.

White Wine Guidelines

• Storage - As with red wines, store whites in a cool, dark place away from any windows or heat sources. Store where temperatures are as constant as possible. Do not store white wines in the refrigerator.
• Aging - How long to age a wine differs significantly depending on the type of the wine. Typically, more expensive wines will age better than cheaper wines.
• Serving Temperature - The ideal serving temperature for most white wines is 50ºF (10ºC). If the wine is much colder or warmer than that temperature, its taste will be dulled. To get a white wine to the right temperature, chill it in the refrigerator about two hours before serving, then remove it about 20 minutes before serving.
• Food Accompaniment - Because the flavors in white wines are more delicate than those in red wines, white wines are typically consumed either before a meal or with lighter fare that won’t overwhelm the flavor of the wine, such as pork or fish. The fundamental rule is that the flavors of the wine and the food should complement each other. When serving white and red wine, white is usually served first.

Popular White Wines

• Chardonnay
• Pinot Grigio
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc

Red wines tend to have stronger, richer flavors than white wines. Red wines actually range in color from dark purplish red to full red to a russet brown, depending on the type of grape used to make the wine and how long the wine has been aged.

To make red wines, red grapes are crushed and the juices left in contact with the skin for anywhere from a few days to a number of weeks. This skin contact is crucial, as the skin gives the wine both its color and another crucial element: tannins. Tannins are molecules that occur naturally in grape skins and seeds (and a few other places in nature). More importantly from the red wine drinker’s point of view, the tannins give red wine its distinctive astringent (puckering) quality.

There are many styles of red wine, each made from a different type of grape. For instance, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon are two styles of red wine, the former made from pinot noir grapes and the latter from cabernet sauvignon grapes. In addition, the variations in flavor, structure, and texture within a particular style can be at once subtle and wide, much more so than in white wines.

Red Wine Guidelines

Because red wines can differ quite a bit from each other, it’s impossible to provide a single list of specific instructions for each one. But there are general instructions and traditions for handling all red wines.

• Storage - Store red wines in a cool, dark place. Do not store near windows or heat sources. Never refrigerate red wine!
• Aging - How long to age a wine depends on the type and quality of the wine.
• Serving Temperature - The ideal serving temperature for red wines is about 65ºF (18ºC). If the wine is much colder or warmer, its taste will be dulled. If the red you are serving is too warm, you can cool it in a refrigerator for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
• Serving Instructions - If possible, open the red wine about an hour before serving and let it breathe. Ideally, pour it into a serving decanter to aerate it. This will increase flavor.
• Food Accompaniment - Because red wines tend to have powerful flavors they’re typically served with hearty foods with rich, strong flavors. The fundamental rule is that the flavors of the wine and the food should complement each other.

Popular Red Wines

Here are some of the most popular red wines.

• Beaujolais
• Bordeaux
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chianti
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Zinfandel