The Body Never Lies

Red wines are classed by the type of “body” they produce when sipped. The body of the wine is felt in the mouth. When the wine enters the mouth, the lighter the wine is on the palette the “lighter body” it is said to have. The almost seem to have the consistency of water when swallowed. This is caused from the lower alcohol content it has. The lighter red wines are best with foods that are more flavorful because the taste of the wine does not interfere with the food. The Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine that would fit into this classification.

Next, is the “medium bodied” red wines. These wines are not tart but will be slightly heavier in the mouth than the lighter ones. These wines are more commonly know as Chianti, Merlot, or Shiraz. Finally, we come to the “heavy bodied” red wines. To clarify the feel of a “full bodied” wine, it would be compared to the thickness you feel when drinking milk. The alcohol content in these particular wines is much higher than of the others and is what gives it the thickness. The choice of red wine is really a matter of personal preference and also what it will accompany.

Enjoying Your Red Wine Choices

Red wines should be experienced within the right type of environment for the perfect sipping experience. The glass used for a red wine is best when it is large and oval shaped. This allows the wine to have room to move around and to “breathe”. The slim fluted wine glass is not recommended for this type of wine. Wine is best at a temperature of about 65 degrees. This allows the wine to be the correct temperature for the true taste to come through. If the wine is chilled to a lower temperature it will make it taste bitter and if allowed to become warmer will make the wine more alcoholic tasting. Red wine can be a great accompaniment to all types of food or can be savored as a separate experience. The choice is truly personal to each individual!

1. Chardonnay is the most widely known white wine around the world. It boasts a fruit flavor and has a pleasing taste to it. This combination of fruity taste makes it the right wine for a broad spectrum of food dishes. As curious as it sounds, the grapes used to make the Chardonnay are also used in sparkling wine brands and champagnes.
2. Chenin Blanc is the white wine that holds true to the driest flavor and strongest aroma. It was a very popular white wine in the past but seems to have lost some of that popularity since Chardonnay has come on the scene.
3. Gewürztraminer is the white wine with the long name but with a smooth flavor. It comes from Germany and is known to be a spicy flavored wine as the name so elegantly suggests.
4. Pinot Blanc is the white wine that carries a full bodied flavor. The particular grapes used to make this wine are similar tot hose of the Pinot Gris. Pinot Blanc can also be called Klevner and Weissburgunder.
5. Pinot Grigio is the white wine with a secret. The grapes used to create this wonderful flavored wine are not white at all but actually red. The pinot Grigio is known to be a dry wine with a fruity sharp taste.
6. Riesling is slowly rising in popularity because it is known to be the neutral flavored white wine. Resembling the versatility of Chardonnay, the Riesling white wines are great for any type of dish you choose to serve them with.
7. Sauvignon Blanc is the driest of the white wines. This particular variety can be mixed with Semillon. Sauvignon Blanc is a popular French wine that has become well known in New Zealand in recent years.

As you can see, when choosing the wines of choice, you can not go wrong with white wine. White wines are so versatile in taste and aroma there is no reason why any dish you choose to serve can not be accompanied by a glass. White wine is a varied as the personalities of the individuals enjoying it. Whether your taste buds prefer a dry flavoring to wine or if you are swayed by a fruitier version, the Chardonnay or the Sauvignon Blanc are only a small selection of the fineries waiting for you to savor.

We will explain the process involved in wine tasting, hopefully enabling you to rely on your own feelings and observations by engaging your senses of sight, smell, and taste. Perhaps you will be able to also assist others to decide if these might be selections they, too, would enjoy.

Hue (Color) and Clarity

Let’s begin by taking a look at the wine. The glass needs to be held by the stem to stop the wine from getting warm. Hold it at half an arms’ length against a white or light background. What is the hue (color) of the wine? Does it look light, dark, or thick and rich? A good quality wine should not be turbid (cloudy) or hazy, it should be clear and bright, appearing light and fresh.

Aroma

Smelling the wine is the next and perhaps most complex phase of the process. There are literally hundreds of components contributing to the aroma, so let your nose investigate. After all, the sense of smell has been proven far more influential to taste than the tongue itself. Swirling the wine in your glass by gently rotating your wrist, try to smell the fragrance being released before you even bring the glass to your nose. This swirling serves multiple purposes. It allows the wine to breathe (interact with the oxygen in the air), it also reveals the alcohol content as the wine leaves trails on the sides of the glass.

Now lift the glass to your nose and inhale. Do you smell fruit, flowers, or maybe wet wood? Does it smell ripe… fresh… stale… or even dusty? Maybe you smell a hint of spices, chocolate, or berries. Don’t be afraid of sounding uneducated, there are no right or wrong answers. Simply use flavors you are familiar with to describe what you smell. The fact that you smell it means it is there, valid, and valuable to the tasting process.

Taste

Finally, take a sip of the wine and, without swallowing, hold it in your mouth for a moment. Although the tongue has over 10,000 taste buds that enable us to decipher between different compounds in our food and drink, there are actually only 4 basic flavors the tongue is able to detect: sweet, sour, salt, and bitter.

You will first taste the sweet in the wine on the tip of your tongue, followed by the acidity on the sides of your tongue. Shortly after “swishing” the wine, your tongue will identify the tannins, that cause a “sticking” feeling or dry feeling on your tongue. As you swallow, exhale slightly through your nose for a more vivid taste.

Keep notes of the wines as you taste them, recording their hue and clarity, aroma, and taste. There may be many wines or only a few that stand out along the tasting path, but the most exceptional wines are the ones that improve with each phase of tasting. So sit back in a Magic Mist Limousine, open a bottle and relax; let your senses embark on a delightful journey defined by your sensory perception!

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