Yet another day to celebrate wine. Why not? Everyday is a day to celebrate wine! I will try to encompass all wines here.
Not only is there the common red, white and rose wines but if you look a little deeper, you’ll find ice wine, fortified wine, sake (rice wine), Lille, sparkling and mulled wine (this has already been covered).
Of the common reds and whites, you probably know of a few types within each, probably your favorites.
A Wee Quiz
Can you figure out which is red and which is a white wine? Hint, there are a few pink ones in there, too.
Zinfandel Grenache Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio Madeire Gruner Veltliner
Riesling Pinot Noir Sauvignon blanc
Syrah Burgundy Carmenere
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc
Gewürztraminer Sparkling Port
Bordeaux Blaufrankisch Malbec
Gamay Barbera Chenin Blanc
Gewurztraminer Merlot Petit Sirah
Moscato Nebbiolo Rioja
Shiraz Sherry Rose
Sake Marsala Chianti
Sancerre Tempranillo Semillon
Viognier Schiava (sorry, not found at LCBO)
Too easy?
Muscadelle Auxerrois
Romorantin Godello
Negrette Lagrein
Touriga Nacional
Agiorgitiko (don’t ask me to pronounce this please)
See Quiz Answers – I’ve made note of the wines with low tannins or acidity for those with sensitivities.
Wine Sensitivities
White wines tend to be higher in acid levels especially ones from Europe and Canada, cool climate regions.
Warm climates produce low acid wines such as California, Argentina and Australia.
Tannins
Ways to avoid tannins:
Wines aged in oak barrels will have tannins so find wines that are aged in stainless steel vats or clay pots. One example is Azienda Agricola found at our LCBO. Believe it or not, concrete is now being used as well. On the other hand, tannin can come from the seeds of the grapes as well.
Tannins leach from the grape skins and thick skinned grapes will create an even higher tannin level so look to purchase light bodied wines as they spend less time in contact with the skin during fermentation.
New Oak Barrels Are ‘Toasted’.
The inside is torched with fire to carmelize the oak and, if burnt long enough, will turn it to charcoal. The longer it sits in the barrels, the bolder and higher level of alcohol in the final product.
Gluten is also created when wine is placed in oak barrels to age. Until this point, it is gluten-free so again, stainless or clay are the way to go when it comes to sensitivities.
A wine with less than 12.5% is considered a light bodied wine.
Medium-bodied wines fall between 12.5% and 13.5%
Wines over 13.5% alcohol are considered full-bodied. Surprisingly, Chardonnay can be a full-bodied wine with a few brands at the 13.5% mark because they are aged in oak. Ususally, whites are not. Many of the California Chardonnays are full bodied at 13.5% but Chilean Bonterra at 13.6% was the highest content I found at LCBO.
When purchasing, check the labels or bookmark this handy chart I found displaying the lightest to the heaviest wine before heading to the store.
You can avoid red wines altogether (ugh) since whites and roses do not have much contact with the grape skins either.
If it is sulphites you want to avoid, stay away from whites.
Rose wines are made from red wine grapes and exposed to the skins for only a short time to acquire it’s pink color.
Sparkling wines are bubbly due to the second fermentation process.
Fortified wines are made from a still wine with alcohol added to it so that the alcohol percentage is raised to 17-20%.
Examples of fortified wines are the all-familiar port and sherry, which were very popular during our parents generation. Marsala and Madeira are also fortified wines.
Mulled wines are brilliant! Mix and match opened, older wines and simmer with your favorite spices for a delicious way to enjoy wine!
So many varieties, so little time in this 24-hour period but do your best and enjoy it the way that is meant for just you!
Posted by Kim Ratcliffe-Doe on May 25, 2017