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Archive for the ‘White Wine’ Category

photo credit: Kyle May

Author: Louise Truswell

White wine is incredibly versatile and makes the ideal drink for a dinner party, celebration or, simply, for sipping with friends or family. And the good news is that, even if you don’t know much about white wine, it’s really easy to get the best from it. Follow these simple tips and you can’t go wrong.

Choose light white wines for an aperitif

If you are serving pre-dinner drinks, it’s always good to choose a clean and crisp white wine like a Pinot Grigio or unoaked Chardonnay. Alternatively, a fragrant but dry style white wine like a Riesling or Muscat is a good option. These are all easy drinking whites, which work well without food.

Sauvignon Blanc for food

When serving food, especially fish or seafood, Sauvignon Blanc is always a winner. Sauvignon Blanc is a naturally acidic white wine and the acidity works very well with oily textures in meat and fish

Other classic food and wine matches

Other white wines also work a treat with food. Oaky Chardonnay is a great match for chicken, while fruitier white wines like Riesling and Gewürztraminer go well with spicy food like curry.

Hunt down the value

If you buy your white wine from well-known regions or estates, you’ll end up paying a premium for the name. So to save on your pocket but to ensure that you still get all the great taste, look to buy a white wine made from familiar grapes but from a different region and an unknown winemaker. For example, a Chilean Chardonnay is a great alternative to a classic French Chablis.

Buy for the person and occasion

When it comes to buying white wine, it’s always best to think about who and what you are buying it for. If you are buying for a friend, for example, and you know that they don’t like the taste of oak, then there’s little benefit from buying them an oaked Chardonnay. Similarly, if you are hosting a drinks party, it’s best to avoid white wines that work best with food and instead go for softer and lighter white wines.

Chill before serving

When it comes to serving white wine, don’t forget to chill them first. But remember, white wine only needs about 45 minutes in the fridge – any longer and it will loose its taste and smell.

No storage required

Unlike some red wines, white wine doesn’t usually benefit from ageing. So the good news is that it can be cracked open straightaway!

So there you have it! Buying and serving white wine is that simple.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/get-the-most-from-your-white-wine-567908.html

About the Author:

Louise Truswell works in and writes about the wine industry. To choose from a range of white wine, visit - www.virginwines.com

Author: James Copper

Think of a traditional European meal and a tall glass of chilled clear wine, set on a table under a blue Mediterranean sky comes easily to the mind. From a humble beverage made by farmers trying to preserve grape juice, wine making has come a long way through the centuries. The world over, no sophisticated meal is complete without a wine list and white wines are a favorite as it is available as dry, sweet and semi-sweet selections. A bottle of wine lends an aura of mystery and grace to the meal while pleasing the palates of the most health-conscious.

Wine making is a complex and many layered system with the wine-makers often dedicating their entire lives to perfecting the process. Super-premium wines are the most expensive of all food available today, and outstanding vintages dominate the highest end of the food market and are a collector’s item. Wines from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars a bottle. White wines actually cover a wide range of different tastes and colors. White wines range from the clear whites to golden yellows, and taste that vary from dry to sweet, they are the wines that are defined by their light color, body, and complex taste.

Colour in white wine does vary, often from the type of grape, occasionally from the use of wood. White wine is an integral part of many European and Mediterranean cuisines, from the traditional simple daily meal to the most stylish. Wine accompanies and enhances the food with its flavour. White wine is extremely popular as it suits every meal, and is classified as a light wine because it has only 10-14% alcohol by volume. The light acidic yet fruity flavour of wine balances rich and sweet dishes. Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are all famous white wines and each has a very characteristic taste and aroma. Though no wine ever tastes of grapes, the kind of grape determines the taste and aroma of the final wine.

White wine is made from both dark grapes and white ones. The clear colour is due to the process. Whereas red wine is made by fermenting the grapes along with the skin and seeds, white wine is made by separating the skin from the juice. The pigmentation of the skin or seeds is not allowed to colour the juice but the very dark skins give a faint colour to the wine, which is called ‘blush’. White wine is drunk chilled in a tall fluted glass, so that the warmth from the hand of the drinker does not elevate the temperature of the wine contained in the glass. Like all wines, sometimes the label contains directions to aerate the wine so that it ‘breathes’ and thus enhances the taste while drinking. This is more common in younger wines.

The health benefits of wines is profound as is well demonstrated by the French, who are traditional wine drinkers, enjoy a low level of heart disease, even though their diet consists of high levels of fat in the diet. Research has attributed this positive trend to the beneficial chemicals released by the grapes during fermentation. Studies suggest that risk of cancer is reduced with wine, and the presence of various antioxidants and valuable chemicals make it a very desirable part of a meal, as is demonstrated.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/what-do-you-know-about-white-wine-491930.html

About the Author:
James Copper is a writer for http://www.cecwine.co.uk where you can find information on white wine