2006-12-23 03:29:41 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
Wines are defined by the grapes from which they are made.
Chardonnay - Chardonnay is a white wine which can range from clean and crisp with a hint of varietal flavor to rich and complex oak-aged wines.
Merlot - Merlot is a red wine with medium to full body and herbaceous flavors.
Zinfandel - Zinfandel is a red wine with light to full body and berry-like or spicy flavors. The Zinfandel grape is also widely used in the popular off-dry blush wine known as White Zinfandel.
Karen MacNeil, wine writer and author of the upcoming book, The Wine Primer, has trained thousands of chefs and waiters in understanding wine. She found if she told her students that, for example, a wine had high alcohol content, high acidity and good body, the students had a hard time remembering that. So, she took a different approach, describing wines in terms of personalities, using celebrities as examples.
For instance: "You could say one wine is like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz while another is like the mature Judy Garland, or that a big voluptuous chardonnay is like Marilyn Monroe -- round, bosomy -- you can remember that chardonnay," says MacNeil. "If you say a wine is snappy and lively, like Robin Williams, that's very different than the Anthony Hopkins of wine -- urbane, sophisticated, measured, considered."
2006-12-23 03:51:23 · answer #1 · answered by motionpictures2 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The first thing is the grape variety itself. Merlot is a variety of grapes with dark skin and so is zinfandel. But chardonnay is a variety with light color skin.
Thus, chardonnay's are always white wines. But you can make both red or white wines with grapes that have dark skin. The white zinfandel being the prime example of this.
2006-12-23 10:30:33 · answer #2 · answered by minijumbofly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are vast differences between types of wine. Some differences include the type of grapes, how the grapes are prepared. the fermentation process, aging and bottling. There is some good information below. There are a number of books on the subject. Enjoy.
2006-12-23 03:47:42 · answer #3 · answered by david42 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is for Warren Bennet "YOU ARE THE DUMB" there are differences, the grapes, the process, etc... even if you don't know those things, you can tell the difference for the colour, Merlot is red and the other two are white.
2006-12-23 06:31:52 · answer #4 · answered by Arehucas 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When a red wine grape is made into it's "white" version it's because the grapes were pressed and fermented sans the skin, resulting in a lighter colored version of the varietal.
2006-12-23 04:17:39 · answer #5 · answered by sao6785 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The grape that the wine comes from is the difference.
2006-12-23 06:36:47 · answer #6 · answered by GrapeMSH 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Taste differences stem from the use of different grapes, the use of different containers for fermentation, time of fermentation etc
2006-12-23 04:09:24 · answer #7 · answered by windhatr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These are different kinds of wine. Merlot is red, the other two are white wines.
2006-12-23 03:56:09 · answer #8 · answered by Sinka 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You have got to be hosing me. That dumb, aye? Nothing. The only difference is the alcohol level.
2006-12-23 03:35:08 · answer #9 · answered by Warren Bennett 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
uhhh... the taste, the color, the smell... are you under 21????
2006-12-23 03:45:27 · answer #10 · answered by Katharine A 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋