Question for anyone who drinks wine?

Question

What makes a wine what it is? For example: why is a Merlot a Merlot, and a Zinfandel a Zinfandel? What about a Cabernet Sauvignon? (I couldn't have spelled that without a bottle of it sitting right in front of me to copy). Those are the biggies, as always for my questions, everybody gets a big thumbs-up for responding! Thank You!

As for a good wine on an everyday budget: Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. It's a mix of the 2, mostly the first. $4.99 a bottle, and you can't go wrong. Red wines should be served at room temperature btw!

First person who can tell my why these wines have profiles of cherries, chocolate, blackberries, etc gets the best answer.

Does a wine have to made of grapes? I mean I could make a blackberry wine, correct?

Answer 1

You are talking about varietals or varieties of grapes that the wines were made from. That is one way of designating wines. Examples of wine grapes include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, Chablis, Gewurtzraminer, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Viognier, etc.

Other ways include wine growing region (Napa, Sonoma), still another way is via wine styles such as sparkling, port style, sherry, sweet or dry. Still others are via the winery (Mondavi, Boogle, Woobridge, Fetzer, Vendange, Yellow Tail, etc.).

Oftentimes, all of these can go together in wine bottle.

All of these factors affect the taste and quality of wine. The particular grape variety gives out its characteristic flavor that is common across various vintners and regions. The place or region where a particular grape variety was grown can affect the quality of wine. This is due to factors coming from the soil common to the region, the particular climate, and the management style of particular grape grower. The particular weather pattern for the crop year will also influence the quality of the wine, and thus it is important to note that the years are also included in the wine label. The meaning of the year will usually meant the crop year and not the year the wine was fermented or bottled. There are years when there is a particularly good crop, for example, the best Cabernet Sauvignon wines are from crop year 2001, and I found this pattern to be particularly true across most of wine makers. I truly love the taste of Cabernet from that specific year and still hunt for that particular vintage. Aside from the particular weather that the grape was grown, the overall process of wine making would be proprietary or unique to particular wine maker, that is why you have various wineries. In fact one of the major factor in the quality of wine is based on the unique process that the wine maker turn the harvested grapes into wine.

There are various combinations. Oftentimes, winery does everything, from grape farming to wine bottling. Sometimes a winery doesn't grow their own grapes but buy them from nearby farmers or grape growers. Sometimes they cellar or store them in another region, thus you can sometimes see the 2-buck chuck wines with the label "Cellared in Napa" although the wine content comes from somewhere else. Sometimes the wines are mixed from one place with another, or blended with other varietals. There are various combinations. That is why there are industry guidelines with respect to designating and labeling commercial wines and will involve many of these factors.

You can certainly make wine from various fruits. I have made wine from rose petals and honey, that is why the name Rhodomel. And that is my specialty. I make wines from flowers and honey. "Rhodo" means rose like and "mel" from honey. I also make wines from hibiscus and it can rival the taste of grapes and has more flavonoids that helps knock down LDL.

But grapes by far is the easiest to make wine out of, and the most economical one to do. Grapes has all the nutrients that are perfectly suited for wine yeasts which mankind has bred for such a long time that they were practically made for each other. Thus making wine from grapes is very profitable.

Making wines from other plants is a challenge as you will have to do a lot of adjustments, primarily adding sugars, tannins, and balancing the acids. But in my opinion, the world is missing out a lot by not trying other non-grape wines and based on my experience, they can be oftentimes a lot more enjoyable and pleasing to the senses than do grape wines. The problem is these non-grape wines are not commonly found in the retail market, but you can make them any way and style you like them, that is why I have been making my own wine for me to enjoy at my own pleasure. So practically I make most of my wines as I could not get them from the market. I do enjoy the wines made by others, including the commercial wines. Big brands, small brands, known and unknown winery. If I love the taste, I go for it, price usually don't matter.

You should not enjoy wine the way the "wine experts" have told you so or what these "gurus" have written about them. You should be honest to yourself and taste the wine and in your own judgement of pleasing only your taste buds should you decide if you love particular wines. Wine tasting for me is personal, what ever the best wines I may have tasted may not be my best the next week. It depends on your mood, what you eat, and what you intend to do, will surely affect your taste buds when enjoying your wine. It should never depend on the opinions of the "wine experts". You're the buyer, and the person enjoying it, it is your world.

It is different case when you are buying wine for another person, but that would be another discussion.

Answer 2

First, different wines are made from different grapes, or a blend of different grapes. Each grape has a different aroma and flavour profile.

Wine grapes belong to a species called Vitis vinifera. The different grape types we hear about are all varieties of this species.

So, Merlot is a specific type of grape, with very different characteristics than Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel.

Most of what makes a wine what it is comes from the type of grape used to make it. For example, Merlot tends to be fruit forward and soft, while Cabernet Sauvignon tends to have a different fruit profile and also a fuller body and more tannins.

Beyond that, an infinite number of factors will help to craft each wine into its own unique entity: the soil and location of the vineyard, the climate, the rain fall, the sun exposure, how dense the vines are planted, how ripe the grapes are at picking, how long the crushed grapes soak before fermentation, the temperature of fermentation, type of oak used for aging, and the list goes on.

However, a Merlot aged in new American oak versus a Merlot aged in used French oak will still taste like a Merlot, though with clearly different accents.

Hope that helps.

Cheers!

Addendum:
During fermentation and also later during bottle aging, a number of secondary aromatics and flavours are formed. That's why wine doesn't just taste like grapes. All kinds of fruit flavours and aromas like cherry, blackberries, cassis, plum, etc emerge. These are still dictated, however, by the grape used. Chocolate and mocha flavours are often attributed to the oak barrels that the wine was aged in.

Answer 3

I would definitly go to a wine tasting in your area. This is a fun way to learn.. These are some of my favorite starter wines. You can get most of them at relatively good prices Chardonnay- La Crema- It has a smooth butteriness. Pinot Grigio-Santa Margherita- I like this one because it has a nice freshness reisling- Pacific Rim by Boonie Doon. This is a drier white reisling, but it is sweet too rose-Toad Hollow- This one is very light and easy to drink Red Zinfandel- Cardinal Zin is a great red wine. Has some spiciness to it Pinot Noir's are my favorite-Acacia, Erath, There are some good ones from the Williamette Valley as well Big house Table red is good and inexpensive Coppola has a good cabernet I am not a big Merlot fan, but it is a good wine to start with as it is lighter. Some of the Merlot/Syrah blends are pretty good. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 4

I think you've got some very good answers above me, but for a great and fun education, may I suggest you take a winery tour. Many states like California, Oregon, and Michigan have some of America's award winning wineries. They are all to happy to have you sample their wine and educate you on wine. After all, they need to 'breed' a new generation of wine connoisseurs for their product.

Answer 5

The type of wine is determined by the variety of grape that is used to make it, when the grapes are harvested, etc. Different regions of the world experience different climates, which also causes variances in flavor of wines of the same type.

I can't tell you exactly the grapes for each of them offhand, and I'm being lazy and I'm not going to look it up. I will suggest trying a Riesling. It is one of my favorite types of wine. Look for Covey Run or Ste. Chapelle Riesling.

Answer 6

Yes, our local farm does pear, blueberry, dandelion, blackberry, black currant, cherry, elderberry, jostaberry, peach, red current, strawberry and rhubarb wines, plus a variety of hard cider mixes. YUM!

Answer 7

Location of the vineyard and the type of grape.
For example champagne can not be called champagne unless it comes from the Champagne region of France.

Answer 8

most wines are name after the vine yards they are grown at zinfandel is grown at the the zinfandel vines

Answer 9

white is tart [zin] red is bold [mar] and all others are hit or miss i have you to find a perfect wine on my everyday budget but i will drink it makes me feel special like i know a few things haha lol good luck