WineLife365

Archive for the ‘Dictionary’ Category

Hey, is that Kool-Aid that you’re drinking?  Nope, its Rosé wine.

So what the heck is Rosé wine anyway?  Well, it can be a simple mix of white and red wine.  But, in most cases, a Rosé wine is just the by-product of a red-skinned grape.  Rosé wines are usually made by removing the skins just before the juice is a deep ruby red color.  This contact period with the juice is usually about 2-3 days to achieve its “pretty in pink” color.

Rosé wine is usually on the lighter side and exhibits some strawberry-like flavors.  Here in the US a lot of consumers enjoy White Zinfandel.  However, this popular pink concoction is not considered a true rosé, but rather a “blush”.

Rosé wine is a great hot weather wine that matches up well with BBQ sauce slathered chicken, ribs, fried fare, and believe it or not – Easter ham.

If you’re in the market for the real deal in Rosé, I highly recommend trying one from Spain, Portugal, or France.  Chill well before drinking.  

Torrontes is the most popular and widely grown white grape in Argentina. This native Argentinean white grape is grown mainly in the provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta, San Juan and Rio Negro.  The Torrontes grape produces wine with a very strong floral scent to it – and I’m not joking when I say a strong floral scent!  It hits you like you’ve just walked into a flower shop.  The Torrontes wine shares many similar attributes to a Viognier wine:  Torrontes wines exhibit a floral scent and generally have a powerful punch of peach and citrus flavors, similar to Viogniers.

Torrontes is a great sipping or “stand-alone” wine.  It’s terrific with salads, cheeses and grilled/smoked meats.  It’s really awesome with spicy dishes as well!

If you drink wine, you’ve probably seen or heard the wine term “Finish” used more than once.  But what the heck does this descriptive wine term actually mean? 

Here’s a wine experiment for you to try at home:

1.)   Take a sip of wine

2.)   Move the wine around in your mouth

3.)   Swallow it

4.)   Now count. If the “Finish” or “Aftertaste” of the wine is less than a few seconds, then your taste buds have determined that this particular wine has a “Short Finish”.  A “Medium Finish” means that it lingers around a bit just for a little while longer.  If you have a wine with a “Long Finish” it means that the taste of the wine seems to go on and on forever in your mouth. 

“Finish” is just one part of the wine tasting experience.  It simply means how long the taste of a wine stays in your mouth or on your taste buds after you’ve swallowed it.  After swallowing the wine, you try to determine in your own mind if the wine’s “finish” lingers around for a while or if it’s gone faster than you can say, “buh-bye”.  Typically, in fancy shmancy wine terms, when a writer or critic says that this wine has a “Long Finish”, they are giving the wine a gold star and saying “good job” to the winemaker.  However, don’t be confused, as it is only one indicator – there are many things that taste terrible and leave a horribly long aftertaste or “finish” in your mouth.  Think cod liver oil.

Cheers!

Amarone (pronounced “Ah-ma-ROH-nay”) is properly known as Amarone della Valpolicella Classico.  Amarone is a big, rich, and “raisiny” tasting full- bodied Italian red wine produced in the region of Veneto in Northeastern Italy.  The three Italian grapes used to make an Amarone are Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella.  Typically, Corvina is the main grape used in the blend.

Amarone comes from the Italian word “amaro”, meaning “bitter”.  Most Amarones have a tart or even an astringent taste to them.  However, there are some that can end up with a rather sweet taste.  This occurs when the sugars become more concentrated during the drying process of the grapes.  With regard to this drying process, a winemaker will take the harvested grapes and lay them on a straw mat, often in an attic or other warm room. The grapes are left to dry over the course of several months creating a “raisiny” flavor that is the backbone of all Amarones.  

You can drink Amarone while it’s young, but they can also age very well – for thirty years or more.  Amarone wine is rarely released until five years after the vintage.  A typical drinking age for an Amarone is 10 years.  Because of the high concentrated sugar level, the alcohol content in an Amarone can easily surpass 15% (the legal minimum is 14%). 

Because Amarones are super rich wines, they’re really great as an after dinner wine with blue cheeses, nuts and a little chocolate.  They should be served at room temperature.