So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Tasting Wine 3

By Ian Kleine

The taste you can get from the wines depend on four basic components found in all wines: the taste from the juice, the tannin from the skin, seeds and the barrel used for aging the wine, alcohol from fermentation, and the acidity of aging. Good wine requires the presence of all four and the delicate balance between them to be of equal and unopposed proportion. Aging usually softens the impact of tannin. Acidity goes away with age, as acids break down over time. Alcohol levels stay the same throughout the whole life of the wine. Knowledge on how these factors affect one another will help you determine the grade, quality and real taste of the wine. Some lesser known taste descriptions wine tasters use are minerality, asparagus and earthiness.

Here are some of the common tastes that most of the wine tasters report with each type of wine. The growing region, harvesting time, and production all have impact on the tastes and feeling of the wine.

Cabernet wine has a registered taste composed usually of green spices, cherry, black fruits, and black currant. Merlot has a floral sense to it, with green spices, red and black fruits (or a combination therein) and plum for flavor. Zinfandel wines often has black fruits and spices (called briaries in other dialects).

Syrah/Shiraz uses black fruits and spices too, most often the peppers. Pinot Noir, a good variety, has red fruits, flowers and herbs as a bouquet. Chardonnay in the cooler climates, are aged with tropical fruits. Citrus and melon are used for those in the warmer regions. Malolactic fermentation makes Chardonnay lose its green apple flavor and takes on a feeling something akin to 'creme'.

Note that malolactic fermentation causes white wines to adopt a creamy and sometimes buttery taste. Oak barrels used for aging some wines give the wine a nutty and vanilla-ish flavor.

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