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Under what category would you grade this article on Best Wine ? informative? Productive? Inspiring? Give a thought to this!

A Best Wine Artilce for Your Viewing

The Basic Wine Essentials

Whether you are serving it to your guests while entertaining, using it to create luscious dishes, or simply enjoying its? company, whatever the occasion, this libation reigns the kingdom of fine indulgence and has been doing so for centuries. The conception of wine has been dated as far back as 8000-4000BC in Mesopotamia. Having thousands of years to further perfect the wine making process, this sexy beverage is a palate pleaser like no other providing a continuous adventure for pleasure seekers in this arena where no bottle is quite like the other. Each and every wine has its? tale to tell, so indulge and listen carefully, for this libation is quite capable of taking you to places you have most likely never been before!

Wine is an enormous subject that is constantly evolving which can often lead to intimidation. Where do you begin? The important thing is that you do! The enormity of wine is not justification for not trying any, but it is reason to be shy about it. So let?s get down to the basics and get you on your way to a life happily filled with wine!

Creation

Wine is created through the fermentation process of crushed grapes. Grapes are pressed to release their juices which are combined with yeast to initiate the fermentation process. This process converts sugar into alcohol and concludes once the alcohol reaches such a level as to kill the remaining yeast. This yeast is naturally occurring in the skin of grapes but is rarely used in today?s wine making process as isolated yeast strains now exist that can not only act as a fermentation catalyst but contribute a unique style to the wine as well.

What?s in a name?

Every wine is derived from either a single grape or from several. These grapes are also referred to as ?varietals?. Each varietal has a unique name which in turn represents certain characteristics. A wine characteristic refers to anything that reflects a resemblance to a scent, taste, or flavor and also includes mouth feel such as the weight of the wine when on the palate. Let?s use the chardonnay grape as an example. Chardonnay classically presents characteristics of citrus, pear, and pineapple to fig, honey, vanilla and butter. This wine can also be characterized as being full and rich, or simple and crisp. This variance in characteristics is what makes wine so mind-blowing and mind-boggling!

There are several factors that contribute to the final result of a wine. Geographic location of where the vines are planted, the weather of that region, the vines themselves, soil conditions and of course the actual wine making process. With all of these factors considered it is understandable why someone who may enjoy one chardonnay, may not enjoy the next. All the more reason to not give up and keep on trying!!

All varietals exude certain characteristics which can aid in determining one wine from another. This differentiation also contributes to your own approval and disapproval of certain wines. Some are light bodied and fruity, others are full bodied and earthy, whatever your style, there is bound to be a grape varietal that will satisfy.

Our chart below is an excellent tool to use when purchasing and/or tasting wine. The left column represents several popular wine varietals while the right column displays typical characteristics of that particular varietal.

White Varietal Characteristics

Riesling-Light; Sweet/dry. Tangy, fruity. Citrus, apple, pear, melon, nectarine, peach, apricot.
Gewurztraminer-Light; Sweet, dry. Grapefruit, lychee, apple, nectarine, nutmeg, clove, ginger, spice, floral.
Semillon-Med-Full; Often rich. Lemon, lime, honey, butter.
Chenin Blanc-Light; Off dry. Peach, pear, quince, melon, herbal tea, mineral.
Viognier-Light-med; Floral, honey, apricots, pear.
Sauvignon Blanc-Light-Med; Citrus, gooseberry, lemon, melon, herbal, bell pepper, grassy.
Pinot Blanc-Light-Med; Dry, crisp. Citrus, apple, pear, melon, sweet pea.
Pinot Gris/Grigio-Light; Fruitier and soft. Citrus, apple, pear, peach, melon, honey, vanilla.
Grigio; Crisper, more citrusy.
Chardonnay-Med-full; Dry, rich. Citrus, apple, tropical fruit, fig, honey, hazelnut, butterscotch, butter, popcorn.

Red Varietal Characteristics

Gamay-Light; Tangy, fruity, cranberry.
Pinot Noir-Light-Med; Cherry, strawberry, clove, mint, truffle, cloves, smoke, sage.
Sangiovese-Med; Sweet and sour, dark cherry, tobacco, earthy, almond, herbs, tea.
Barbera-Med-Full; Ripe red fruit, currant, cherry, herbal.
Cabernet Franc-Med; Dry, berry, fruity, herbal, smoky.
Grenache-Med; Black fruit, anise, smoky, herbal.
Cabernet Sauvignon-Med-Full; Cherry, plum, currant, pepper, bell pepper, cedar, vanilla, mint, chocolate, tea, tobacco.
Shiraz/Syrah-Full; Raspberry, spice, black pepper, blackberry, plum, tar.
Zinfandel-Full; Juicy, robust, jammy, berry flavors, spices.

Red vs. White

So what?s the deal with color? We all know wine to be red, white, and rose, or blush as some call it, but the juice is really all the same! Have you ever looked at the flesh of a red grape before? It is the same as a green grape, therefore if wine exists in a variety of hues then the color must come from?.of course, the skin! Often white wine is made from red grapes, in fact, most great champagne would not exist without, so don?t be fooled, pink grapes do not exist! Yes, red and white grapes appear the same in juice form but when their skin is added to the wine making picture a whole other story begins!

The many gorgeous hues of red evident in red wine is a result of allowing red grapes to ferment with their skins, however color is not the only thing affected by the skin of a grape. I am sure you have tasted a wine, a red wine in particular that makes your mouth pucker; an astringent sensation on the palate if you will. What you experienced is known as ?tannin?.

Tannin is a natural substance found in the skins, stems, and seeds of grapes. You can experience this sensation in young whites however it is more commonly found in red wines. Allowing the juice to ferment with skins will in turn generate a higher level of tannin to exist in the resulting wine. It is no secret that many people have a preference for either white or red wine. A very tannic wine is often a reason for dislike especially if you are new to wine. There are several varieties associated with being quite tannic, Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, are to name a few however in the game of wine you will not know until you try!

Every wine will possess its own unique color. A wine?s color can reveal its story, and to experienced blind tasters, provide necessary clues in pinpointing a correct assumption. Each grape variety generally exudes a certain range of hues however age and wood barrel aging will also have an affect on color. So evidently there is much more to color than just red and white!

Wine is an endless educational journey even for those most experienced in this subject so it is vital to explore and try new and exciting wines as often as your time allows!

So get out there, get tasting, and have fun!

About the Author:

Jennie Wills has been a hospitality expert for 10 years leading to the successful launch of www.thesexykitchen.com Discover how to turn your passion into a successful website. www.succeed-from-your-passion.com

Another short Best Wine review

The Basic Wine Essentials

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We felt that Best Wine demanded more recognition than it is presently getting. So we had decided on writing on Best Wine . Enjoy it.

Another Great Best Wine Article

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything

Next time you visit the wine country, hire yourself a big limousine and follow these simple guidelines:

1. Plan your day around visiting as many wineries as possible.

2. Go to the same wineries everybody else does. After all, those are the popular wineries to go to, and they're more than ready to put a wine glass in your hand.

3. Don't listen to the tasting room staff, and be especially sure not to ask them too many questions. They're not paid enough to be knowledgeable professionals.

4. Have a strong desire to self-medicate. Start your wine tasting early in the day, and get sideways by noon.

5. Get your exercise! Walk back and forth from the limo to the tasting room, and repeat often.

Now THAT'S your kind of wine country vacation, right? Many others just like you think so, too. Aren't you glad you're not alone?

Be sure to keep the above guidelines handy, and refer to them often.

A Word to the Wise

Dear reader, as you may have guessed, the 5 guidelines above only apply to April Fools. For the rest of us who might consider ourselves to belong to the greater majority of responsible wine-loving adults, tasting wine is an experience to be savored and discussed, appreciated and remembered.

To tour a series of wineries to get a buzz is not what the wine-tasting experience is all about. Wine is food! And like the pleasure that comes from eating your favorite cuisine, wine can provide a similar allure. Food and wine, as many know, complement each other well. As with food, if you choose to taste wine, do it because you truly enjoy tasting it. But unlike food, don't go to a tasting room because you'd rather be drinking a lot of wine. Instead, stay home! But be responsible there, too.

If you would maximize your visit to the wine country, let us then provide contrast to the above guidelines and consider what will allow your wine country vacation to be a memorable experience - not just a sideways tour.

5 Ways to Maximize Your Wine-Country Experience

Call it wine country appreciation. Or, call it self-appreciation. In either case, if you would choose to truly benefit from a trip to the wine country, here now are five responsible guidelines signified by letters, instead of numbers, to differentiate from the list above.

A. Plan your day around visiting the wine country, not just its wineries.

There are a whole host of wonderful opportunities to be found in the wine regions of the world, whether you're touring the famed Bordeaux region, Oregon's Willamette Valley, or the up-and-coming Amador County area west of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. A visit to these wine regions can include a number of historical, cultural, educational, heritage, and active outdoor pursuits. Quite often, having a local guide can dramatically enhance the personal growth aspects of vacationers.

Gaining appeal with today's travelers are tours ranging from culinary education classes that take place in spectacular settings to wellness retreats that offer exercise and nutrition counseling as well as superb pampering. Or, if you desire to be more active, you can find tours that offer a few days of exploring the flora, fauna, and scenic vistas of local open spaces, then a superb meal with wine tasting. Travelers are increasingly booking such tours, and they are trending heavily toward booking them online on a myriad of tour and travel websites.

B. To properly enjoy your wine-touring experience, choose your winery destination carefully.

Visitors are often drawn to the popular wineries that are located alongside the wine country's main arterial routes; for instance, Highway 29 in the Napa Valley. And yet those are the areas in which you'll find the greater share of vehicle traffic, especially during the summer tourist season. Of course, the traffic isn't just cars, limousines, and tour buses. After you get off the bus or out of your car and into the winery, you'll often wait in long lines of human traffic just to taste a wine or two. Ironically, this can defeat the purpose of Guideline A.

Many wineries and lodging operations offer better service and better vacation deals for your dollar during off-peak seasons. As a result, you'll find that you get to linger longer at a restaurant or have a conversation with a winemaker that goes beyond the merely casual. Having the time to relax and not compete with other tourists on your vacation can dramatically augment not only your sense of well-being, but also your wine knowledge and your social network.

In addition, there are many family-owned wineries that are real treasures. It's easy to overlook them, but once you make the effort to seek them out, you'll often be rewarded with an experience that will have you telling your friends about them. You may even find the winegrower getting off his tractor to take you for an impromptu tour of his vineyard or winery operation. Of course, he might have you consider purchasing a case of his wines for his trouble. But then, you may also find that you're not paying nearly the premium that you'll pay at the more popular wineries along the main wine roads.

C. The tasting room staff earn their pay, and they do it out of passion. Let them guide you.

The wineries aren't in business to attract more tourists. They're in business because they have a clear understanding of the needs of their customers. If you're not the world's greatest wine expert, don't worry! You're among friends. Learning is why you traveled to the wine country in the first place, and winemakers and their staff love to talk about what they do. Listen, and ask questions. If you should visit more than one winery, ask the same questions. You'll enhance your understanding by the answers you'll hear, and what's more, you'll be delighted that you asked.

D. Be fully aware of your experience. Participate in it, and find yourself enchanted by it. Don't desensitize yourself to the magic of the wine country.

"The advantages of wine touring are beautiful scenery and a new learning experience. The disadvantages are that there's not enough wine."

This author has actually read the above statement in a review by a supposedly-serious wine expert. I've heard similar quips from the lips of the not-so-pleasantly plowed. While I might agree with the "advantage" half of that statement, the desired outcome of your wine tour should be a quality experience, not a quantity experience. Wine touring is not meant to be a dormitory-style competition.

Therefore, pace yourself. Pour the wine you no longer want into the proper receptacle, usually a spit bucket. Spit the wine into the bucket if necessary - it's perfectly acceptable within the context of tasting wine. But nobody likes a drunken tourist - not the winery staff, not the patrons, and especially not the wine country police.

E. To properly enjoy the wine country, get out of the land yacht and explore your surroundings.

Bring your hiking shoes with you, and find a local trail. Or, if you prefer to connect to your new surroundings on a deeper level, hire a guide. The reasons that grapes do so well in the wine country are often the same reasons why most areas surrounding the wine regions of the world offer a number of marvelous outdoor experiences. You'll find that a walk in the redwoods, an expansive mountaintop view, a remote meadow full of wildflowers, or a glimpse of a bobcat on the trail can heighten your wine country experience in sensational ways.

Plus, the exercise and the fresh air you'll get from your outdoor excursion will build your anticipation of those fine meals and exquisite wines that you came to the wine country for. They are the reward for your physical efforts, they balance your intrinsic desire for deeper understanding, and they make your vacation complete.

About the Author

Russ Beebe is an experienced wine taster and hiking guide who leads naturalist tours in the California wine country. Discover how you can enjoy the quintessential California experience at <a target=new href="http://www.californiawinehikes.com/">californiawinehikes.com.

A Short Best Wine Summary

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything

Next time you visit the wine country, hire yourself a big limousine and follow these simple guidelines:
1. Plan your day around visiting as many winer...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

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