Archive for the ‘Wine’ Category
Types of Wine Glasses
The type of wine glass that you serve your wine in can have a dramatic impact on the flavor and quality of the wine. There are many factors associated with wine glasses that may add or subtract from the wine’s flavor, appearance and quality. There are also some glassware basics that should be considered when choosing glasses.
For a home wine-connoisseur, you may need to take your wine glass selection very seriously. For those individuals that enjoy a variety of different types of wine, you may opt for an all-purpose wine glass. These are tulip shaped and hold approximately 8 to 12 ounces and are appropriate for most types of wine. There are, however, specific types of glasses that you may be interested in purchasing if you enjoy a particular type of wine on a regular basis. You do not necessarily need a special glass for each type of wine, but if you routinely enjoy a particular wine and you have the storage and budget, then you may be interested.
So what are the differences in white and red wine glasses? There are several differences and each affect the bouquet of the wine as well as help to maintain the appropriate temperature of the wine. And of course, white wines are best served out of glasses designed for white wines and red wines are best served out of glasses designed for red wines.
The white wine glass has a narrow mouth, which allows the wine to maintain its chilled temperature. The reduced surface area of the glass does not allow air to permeate the wine as much as it does in a wide mouthed red wine glass. The reduced amount of air means that the air will not warm the wine. The smaller bowl of the glass also means that there is less contact by the heat of the hand, which can also warm the wine.
Chardonnay glasses feature a narrow rim of glass that helps to direct the wine to the middle of the palate. This applies the fruit flavors and acidity. The longer bowl of the glass keeps the wine chilled and captures the aromas of the wine. This type of glass works well for Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, White Bordeaux and Burgundies, White Pinots and Viognier.
Sangiovese and Riesling glass feature a smaller bowl and even narrower rim. The smaller bowl is due to the fact that these wines are usually consumed in smaller quantities as dessert wines. The smaller and elongated bowl also allows the wine to stay chilled while you are enjoying your dessert. These glasses are also great for wines that are sweet and may be drunk in smaller amounts. This type of glass is also appropriate for Bardolino, Chianti, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano and Zinfandel. If you frequently enjoy white wines, you may enjoy an all-purpose glass that is designed for different white wines.
In Bed With A Stranger
- ISBN13: 9780758234636
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Product Description
Brodick McJames is an earl in name only. To secure his clan’s future he needs an English wife. Mary Stanford, daughter of the Earl of Warwickshire, will suit perfectly. He’s never met her, but what matter? She’ll grace his bed eventually, and once she bears his child he need see her no more. Anne Copper looks just like her noble half-sister, but she was born illegitimate, and can never forget it. The best she can hope for is to stay a serving girl in her own father’… More >>
True Fabrications Picnic Stix Set
- Set of 3 wine stakes turns ground seating into the best available at picnics, concerts, trips to parks and the beach
- One stake is designed to keep a wine bottle steady while 2 other matching stakes are made to hold glasses at the ready
- No more spilled drinks if the blankets slides or someone accidentally bumps them
- Sized in height for ground seating or very low chairs; lightweight and portable; easily fits into bags or containers
- The set makes a great gift for outdoor enthusiasts everywhere
Product Description
These great picnic stix for your wine are stakes that are perfect for picnics, outdoor concerts, and more. Has a stake to hold your wine and two more stakes to hold your wine glasses!… More >>
How to make Mead (honey wine) at home – Part 4
Freezing to Stop Secondary Fermentation:
Since the vast majority of the alcohol is produced in the first 30-40 days and most wine is drinkable at that point the main purpose of secondary formation is to wait for the yeast to consume all available sugar and die so the product can be safely bottled. One method of speeding the process up is to freeze the wine. This ruptures the yeast cells and stops fermentation. However, alcohol that is in the batch to be frozen may gather together in the freezing process and create an unfrozen pocket of liquid in which a few of the yeast cells may be able to survive. It only takes one or two yeast cells coming into contact with sugar to kick off fermentation again once the mixture is thawed.
Therefore, freezing the mead in small batches (2 liters to a gallon size at a time) at very cold temperatures (deep freeze) for several days in a row is recommended. Remember to leave a few inches in the freezing container for the water in the mead to expand as it’s frozen. Once the mixture has been frozen for several days, remove and let thaw with a tight lid on the bottle to keep the wine from being infected with air born bacteria. Let the wine thaw completely and rack off the sediment (discussed below) and attach and air lock. Wait a few days and watch the pressure in the bottle by monitoring the water level in the air lock.
If pressure begins to build up in the container again it’s a sign that fermentation has begun again and the batch needs to be frozen again. This may take several freezing rounds for some wines but is much faster than waiting a year for the fermentation to end naturally and has absolutely no effect on the flavor. In fact, freezing improves the flavor by helping to remove solid particles suspended in the mead from fermentation. Once the frozen mixture is thawed, the solid particles float to the bottom of the container where you can rack off sediment. Sediment suspended in mead is the #1 cause of bad / off wine flavor.
Beyond Fermentation
After fermentation the mixture is sanitized to kill all microbes, including yeast, and sweetened to taste or left as-is for an un-sweet or “dry” flavor. The wine is usually stored in a wooden cask/barrel to age. Aging wine is a fine art in itself apart from mixing the ingredients in the original recipe and controlling the fermentation process. It can also be done quite successfully by the hobbyist in a wine aging container known as a carboy, which is essentially a large water bottle that varies in capacity from one to ten gallons, or even larger. The wine will usually be filtered mechanically or siphoned from one container to another to remove any sediment that’s collected as a result of the fermentation process. Bottling and further aging is usually the last step in the process.
Unique Wine Glasses | Quality Wine Opener, Vast Collection For Comfortable Use & Market Promotion
The shape of the glass is also very important, as it concentrates the flavor and aroma (or bouquet) to emphasize the varietal’s characteristic. One common belief is that the shape of the glass directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. The proper way to drink from the wine glass, especially when drinking white or otherwise chilled wine, is to grasp it by the stem and drink. The purpose of this is so the temperature of the wine is not affected when holding the glass. This is achieved because the stem is not in direct contact with the wine.
It would be more difficult to control the temperature of the wine if one held the glass by the bowl because it is in direct contact with the wine. Also, holding the glass by the bowl will leave fingerprints, which can distort the visual appearance of the wine when examining the clarity and color of the wine. Last but not least, the proper sound when clinking glasses requires them to be held by the stem. The reduced surface area of the glass (in comparison to red wine glasses) means less air circulating around the glass and warming the wine. The smaller bowl of the glass means less contact between the hand and the glass, and so body heat does not transfer as easily to the wine.
White wine glasses are generally narrower, although not as narrow as champagne flutes, with somewhat straight or tulip-shaped sides. The narrowness of the white wine glass allows the chilled wine to retain its temperature. Top listed promotional wine glasses are Stem less White Wine Glass – 17 oz, Stem less Red Wine Glass – 16-1/2 oz, Libbey 8oz Nappa Country White Glass, 9oz. Sofia Twist Stem Wine Glass, 8oz. Napa Country Custom wine glass, 8oz Libbey Citation Wine / Beer Glass, 8oz Aficionado Wine Glass: BEL, 8.5oz Aficionado Wine: BEL, 8.5 oz. Vina Tall Wine Glass: BEL, 7oz Aficionado Wine Flute, 6.5oz Libbey Citation Tall Wine Glass, 6 oz. Vina Tall Wine Glass: BEL, 18oz Aficionado Globlet, 18.5 oz. Vina Tall Wine Glass: BEL, 18 1/4oz.Vina Diamond Balloon Wine Glass: BEL, 17oz. Cobalt Blue Stemless Wine Glass, 16.75oz Red Wine Glass, 12.5oz Citation Red Wine Glass, 12oz Aficionado Wine Glass, 10.25oz. Vina Tall Wine Glass, 10oz. Citation Wine Globlet Glass and more.
Wine glasses made of fused or cut glass will often interfere with the flavor of the wine, as well as creating a rough, thick lip, from which it is not as pleasurable to drink. Blown glass results in a better vessel, with a thinner lip, and is usually acceptable for casual wine drinkers. High quality wine glasses are often made of lead crystal, which is not technically crystal, but is merely called it through convention. Lead crystal glasses’ advantages are primarily aesthetic, having a higher index of refraction, thus changing the effect of light passing through them. They are also heavier. Using lead in the crystal matrix also offers several advantages in the material’s workability during production. Wine glasses are generally not colored or frosted as this would impede the appreciation of its color. An exception to this rule is the hock glass. The hock glass has a small colored bowl, with a clear, frequently-twisted stem and base. Hock glasses often come in sets with the bowls of different colors.