Author: Rickie

Types of Red Wines Around the World – Part I

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California is the only place in the world planted with just about all the better known wine grapes, producing variable qualities of wines. Elsewhere in the world, wine and grapes are location specific. While some regions have same grapes, no two regions plant identical grapes and make identical styles of wines.
This article is Part I of the three-part article series on the types of red wines in the world. The connection of grapes, wines and the regions would help the understanding of this lovely drink that we call wine.

Barbera: Indigenous to the most prominent wine region of Italy, Piedmonte, Barbera makes two styles of wine: youthful, lively, with sour-cherry flavor, or oak-aged, complex, with darker fruit, toast, spices notes. The latter is meant for aging with the maturity bringing out the best of its characteristics.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Bordeaux and California are the largest planting and production regions for the King of Red Wines. The different approach in these two regions is that in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is almost always blended with other regional grapes, while many California producers make varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The advantage of the Californian winemakers is the reliable weather, while the weather in Bordeaux dictates the quality and thus the “vintage” is so much talked about when it comes to Bordeaux reds.

Cabernet Franc: Cabernet Franc’s charms are in its fragrant aromas rich with red berries, blackcurrant leaves, and herbaceous notes, and approachable styles of tannins. With the right terroir – combined elements of the natural environment, for examples, Napa and Sonoma, Cabernet Franc could produce dark fruit, well-structured and complex full-bodied single varietal wine.

Carmenère: Originated in the Bordeaux region of France as a blending grape but never playing a major role, Carmenère has found its stage to shine in Chile as a single varietal wine. Well, there was a little hiccup when it was mistaken to be Merlot in the vineyard and made into wines labeled Merlot, but that confusion has since then be cleared. The Chilean Carmenère offers velvety texture, low acidity and almost-sweet fruit flavors, as long as the grapes are ripen properly, not harvested unripe.

Wine Making Recipe

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Below you will find the basic steps to making a delicious wine. This method can used both for whites and reds. It’s great for beginning winemakers who are looking for a simple recipe, with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

11 ½ kg of Grapes
5 ½ kg of sugar
10-11 liters of Water (plus more for topping)
2 ½ tsp. dried Pectic Enzyme
5 Campden Tablets
4 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 package of Wine Making Yeast
6 ½ tsp. Sparkalloid

Winemaking Method:

1. Put 5 Campden tablets in a jug of water and spray the solution onto your work area. Let act for 10 minutes. Rinse and let air-dry.

2. Use a crushing grate to process our grapes. Extract as much juice as possible, and remember to remove any stems.

3. Dissolve 4 kg of the sugar into 8 liters of warm water. Pour into primary fermentor, along with the must.

4. Add water to the fermentor until you reach the 5-½ gallon marker.

5. Use a hydrometer to test the prepared must. You must look for a SG of 1.113-1.1123, and a PA of 15.

6. If the hydrometer reads the proper numbers, allow the must to rest for one day.

7. Combine the yeast nutrient with yeast, some sugar and lukewarm water. This will activate the yeast. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. It should become bubbly and cloudy.

8. Incorporate the yeast mixture into the fermentor and cover, without mixing.

9. For best results, temperatures must be between 18°C-24°C. Once two days elapse, mix the fermenting must once or twice a day to ensure even fermentation, for 5-7 days.

10. Test the mixture in a hydrometer for a SG of 1.03.

11. Eliminate any pulp from the top using a strain. Make sure to remove any liquid that has been left behind in the pulp.

12. Use a hose to siphon the wine into a secondary fermentor. Once again, top with water to 5-½ gallon marker and equip the carboy with a wet airlock. Allow to ferment for another 4-6 weeks.

13. Siphon the wine once more.

14. Use a fining agent, such as 6 ½ teaspoons of Sparkalloid to clarify the wine.

15. At this stage, maintain wine at temperatures between 5-10 degrees Celsius.

16. Before you bottle, you should taste the wine for sweetness. If you decide to add more sugar, make it into syrup so that it thoroughly dissolves in the wine. To stop any yeast being awakened by the sugar, add a dose of crushed Campden tablets or sodium bisulfite. If adding sugar, allow to rest for at least one week before you bottle.

Choosing an American Wine

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Choosing an American wine is something that you can easily do when you put some time and effort into it. Learning more about the origins American wine and where it comes from, will help you to get a better idea of the type of variety that you would like to choose. With over 300 years of history as well as production taking place in all fifty states, there is a lot to learn about American wines; more than you might imagine in fact.

American Wine Producers

The United States is the fourth largest producer of wine in the world with California being the State that produces the most. There are several native species of grapes that grow in America on more than 1,100,000 acres distributed across around 3,000 vineyards. There is at least one vineyard in every state.

The majority of wine production occurs on the West Coast in the states of California, Washington and Oregon. Other top wine producing states include Idaho, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.

Regulation

The regulation of American wines is controlled by the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. In order for a wine to be labelled with a County Appellation, 75% of the grapes must come from within that county. If grapes are from numerous counties then it must be labelled as a multi-county wine. This can vary from state to state. In California a County Appellation must be 100% of the grapes and in Texas it is 85%.

As far as having a year on the label, in the US 95% of the grapes in the wine must come from the specified year in order for that year to appear on the label. All labels must also list the alcohol percentage. A Varietal label requires 75% of the grapes to be varietals.

Choosing a Wine

Now that you know the specifics about where wine is grown and how it is labeled, you can actually begin to look at the wines from individual areas. It can help to have a bit of information about each region and what to expect from a wine from a specific region.

California is probably the leading producer of excellent wines in the country. The climate and land in California makes for the perfect growing conditions for outstanding grapes. California produces the Bordeaux grape variety that is used to produce the famous California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Zinfandel is another popular wine produced in the country. This is an affordable wine that is produced in many different varieties, from white to blush to red.

Choosing the best American wine comes down to a matter of taste. Price cannot always dictate what will taste the best to you. You have to get out there and try them out. One of the best ways to sample wines from all over the country is to go to wineries and do tastings in each region. This will give you a very good idea of what wines will appeal the most to you.

More Zinfandel Wine Articles

I Love Italian Regional Cuisine – Pairing Calabria Cuisine With White Wine

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Calabria is the toe of the Italian boot. It is located in the southwest corner of Italy, with 500 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Taranto and Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. Its total population is about 2 million. The countryside is mountainous, and prone to earthquakes. Over the centuries the peasants learned how to extract the maximum from the poor soil. The red onions from Tropea are as good as they get. Some people eat them raw. Does anybody out there have a wine pairing for raw onions?

An excellent starter or side vegetable dish is Carciofi Ammollicati (Artichokes with Breadcrumbs) that also includes grated Pecorino cheese, lemons, and olive oil. Some say that artichokes are difficult to pair with wine. They haven’t tried this dish with a Vermentino di Sardegna DOC, a Vermentino di Gallura DOCG from Sardinia, or an Italian Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.

Another first dish is Bucatini con la Mollica (Bucatini Pasta with Breadcrumbs) that includes salted anchovies, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use whole-wheat breadcrumbs. This dish is traditionally served without cheese and works best with Bucatini, large hollow spaghetti. Enjoy with an Italian Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

An alternative local pasta dish is Spaghetti al Ragù di Totano (Spaghetti with Squid and Tomato Sauce). Of course the hardest part of preparing this dish is cleaning the squid. Other ingredients include onion, garlic, and basil. If you are up to it, save some of the squid rings for your second course. Wine pairings for the pasta dish (often made with angel hair spaghetti) include Italian Pinot Grigio and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC or Verdicchio di Matelica DOC from The Marches.

Pesce Stocco alla Calabrese (Salted Cod Calabrian style) is made with tomato sauce, black olives, onion, potatoes, and some herbs and spices. The real thing is cooked in a terracotta dish. If you like salt cod, you’ll enjoy this meal with an Italian Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

I’ve saved the best for last; namely Pesce Spada alla Bagnarese (Swordfish Bagnara style). Bagnara is a fishing and now tourist village that is also known for Torrone, a delicious almond-nougat candy. The swordfish is roasted with capers, chopped parsley, lemon, and olive oil. Suggested wine pairings include Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG from Tuscany but you have to get a good one, an Italian Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.

Related Pinot Noir Wine Articles

Are the “Red Wine Headaches” Preventing You From Enjoying Red Wine? Try This!

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Are you one of the many people who enjoy drinking red wine but find that you get headaches after drinking it? You don’t get them after drinking white wine but those reds really seem to bring the ache on. Have you like others blamed it on sulfite? If you have, consider that the majority of wines, both red and white, contain sulfite. Sulfites (usually the potassium metabisulfite form) are found in many grocery foods as it is a common preservative that inhibits bacteria growth.

So, it’s probably not this common food preservative that is causing those headaches. What else could it be?

Many red wines are subject to a “malolactic fermentation” (MLF). Lactic acid bacteria are introduced either along side the first yeast fermentation or after the yeast have completed their job of turning the sugars into alcohol. These bacteria break down the harsher tasting malic acid that can be found in higher quantities in some wines and turn it into lactic acid. The process helps to soften the taste of those wines that have high levels of malic acid. Malolactic fermentation is generally not carried out with most white wines.

MLF introduces other chemicals into the wine as a side effect of this fermentation, including histamine. Histamine of course can have severe effects on those individuals who are susceptible and can cause mild to severe headaches and other unpleasant symptoms. So if you enjoy the flavors and aromas of red wine and it’s intoxicating effects, what can you do to avoid the unpleasant effects?

Why not make your own red wine? The easiest way to do this is to purchase one of the many kits that are available. These kits can result in superb wines that will rival many of the store bought bottles. Kit wines should never undergo a malolactic fermentation as the producers of those kits have already balanced the juices and juice concentrates that go into them. No malolactic fermentation means no chemical bi-products that include histamine.

Learning how to make wine is not that difficult, and the kits that are available make it very easy and simple to bottle wines you will be proud to serve your guests.

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