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Introduction

Hello and welcome to the first instalment of the requiem wine series. The majority of this information was sourced from Janice Robinson BBC wine course series. Like the series, the information contained in each episode focuses on a specific aspect of wine. So as not to overload the reader/listener on the first lesson, other wine-related information is spread across the other nine lessons. I hope you enjoy this wine series.

 

Colour 

One of the best ways to tell the age of a wine is through its colour. Essentially, the browner a wine, the older, be it a red or a white wine. The colour will range between dark purple (young) to pale brick orange/red (old).

• Very dark red can indicate the wine is made from young grapes, or very ripe grapes. By ripe, we refer to a combination of age and picking time. The larger the sugar content, the riper the grape. Why sugar is important can be found in Lesson 3.
• The colour is also effected by the skin of the grapes (see wine stomping). Thick-skinned grapes, when stomped, add a lot of red colour to the wine.

By holding a glass of wine on its side up to the light, or against a white tablecloth, the colour at the edge of the wine indicates its age. The more orange/brick tinge, the older; the bluer, the younger.

For more information on colour, I refer you to this Loire Valley page (includes images).

 

Aroma and Wine Glasses

Wine should always been drank from a long-stemmed wine glass. Hold the glass by the stem, so as not to affect the temperature of the wine in the glass.

• The glass should be just under half-filled, so the wine can be swirled without spilling over the glass
• Swirling increases the surface area of the wine touching the air, and thus releases more olfactory molecules
• Young wines are easily detected as they emit a distinctively fruity aroma. Older wines are far more subtle on the nose
• To maximise taste, sip the wine and then suck air in through your lips in a whistle-styled fashion. This increases the amount of olfactory molecules reaching your nasal passage

Wine Stomping

All grapes are the same colour on the inside, a dull clear/greenish colour. However it is the old-age process of stomping that gives red wine its colour.

By stomping the grapes, the skins are pushed down to the bottom of the large barrel. It also releases toxic wine gases (CO2) etc. The wine-stampers hold themselves above a deep vat of grapes, and force the grapes down into the grape juice with their feet. People have died from this dangerous process after falling into the deep, thick vats.

 

Tannin

A common misconception is that all wines taste better with age. Rather, it is the bitter, mouth-sucking tannin which dictates the shelf-life of a wine.

• Tannin comes from the grape skins (hence in much greater quantities for red wines), and from the oak barrels used to store/age the wine
• Tannin in a young wine makes it bitter, causing it to taste like burnt rubber, however for aging wines, it is crucial as it allows the wine to develop flavor over time

Conclusion

In Lesson 1, we learnt about how to judge the age of a wine by it's colour, how to pour, smell and taste the wine. We also learned about the art of wine-stomping, and the crucial age-dependant component, tannin.

In Lesson 2, we will learn about Chardonnay, and how this wine has become the de facto standard of the white-wine world.