Basic Wine Knowledge
The Opposite of Sweet is Sour
If wine on one side of the spectrum can be described as sweet, then why do we describe wine on the opposite side of the spectrum as dry? It’s not dry, but neither is it sour… in most cases!
The simple answer to this question is that the term ‘dry’ refers to sugar content rather than [...]
Burgundy and Other Wine Jargon
To the wine naive, like Bordeaux, the concept of Burgundy (Bourgogne or Vin de Bourgogne in French) can be mildly confusing at times. Burgundy is a wine-growing region in eastern France famed for its superior wines. The most famous of Burgundy wines are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from [...]
Wine Cellar Faults
Ok, so you’ve got your wine cellar up and running. Everything’s going smoothly, except for that perhaps more wine is moving out the cellar than in. However, this is a normal phenomenon.
But wait… there are more serious matters to worry about other than having a wine deficit! What I’m referring to is wine [...]
Fortified Wines
What makes a wine ‘fortified’? Whatever your answer, here’s a short clarification anyway…
Firstly, why was it decided to produce such a wine? It was actually never really decided, but rather produced out of necessity. What I’m trying to say is that wine was first ‘fortified’ in order to preserve it. Alcohol is a natural preservative, [...]
Understanding Bordeaux
I will be the first to admit that the first time I heard a reference to Bordeaux, I didn’t know if it was a wine varietal, region, style or just a geographical location. Since then it has become much clearer, but I’m willing to bet that there are many of you out there who are [...]
The Laymans Guide to Wine Making
Here’s my guide to the complex process of wine making. To keep it simple I’ve summarized each step into as few words as possible…
Step 1: Harvesting
Grapes are harvested at precisely the right moment. The stems are removed from the grapes by the mechanical process of destemming.
Step 2: Crushing
The berries are gently squeezed breaking the skins [...]
You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz
There’s something that often confuses the newcomer to the wine fraternity, and I’d like to take this opportunity to enlighten you. On many occasions I’ve heard people make the mistake of confusing Shiraz, Syrah, Petite Sirah and even Shirazi with each other.
First, let’s confirm that Syrah is a grape variety originating from the northern Rhône [...]
Wine Varieties: What’s the Difference?
Cabernet, Chardonnay… what’s the difference? Here’s something for all you budding wine novice’s out there. One of the first things anyone needs to understand before delving into the world of wine is how to distinguish between different wine varieties. There are 12 so-called ‘noble’ varieties all originating from Vitis vinifera, the grape-baring vine.
Here below are [...]
Gôut de Terroir
Or Terroir for short The term that tries to describe the properties of a vineyard with regard to it’s soil conditions and the attributes imparted on the resulting wine. Since I see this word thrown around with reckless abandon, sometimes correctly and more often not, I thought it a good idea to clarify its [...]
Wine 101
What exactly IS wine? Ok, I know what you’re thinking… lame! But I think you’d be surprised as to how many people couldn’t accurately answer this question. And since people are often too proud to admit this fact, I thought I’d take the liberty to explain…
Wine is simply fermented grape juice. Ok, but then [...]
