Wine Guide Wine Resources At Your Fingertips

If you’re just starting to delve into the wonderful world of wine, you may well be confused by the vast variety of wines – reds, whites, blends, bubblies – and the multitude of choices within each of those broad categories. We’ll choose just one of those for this brief intro – white wines. We’ll give you a short tour of the most popular varietals (types of grapes), tell you what to expect from each and what distinguishes them from each other.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is absolutely the most enjoyed white wine in the U.S. – in fact, it’s quite commonly the only white wine many wine fans buy. Chardonnay is very often the first white wine a new wine fan will sample, largely because it is so “accessible”. Chardonnay is usually on the dry side, meaning that it’s not very sweet, and it usually has flavors of apples, tropical fruit, vanilla, and butter, and a varying amount of oak, depending on the winery where it was produced. “White Burgundy”, from France, is nearly always all Chardonnay. Many other wine regions across the world produce Chardonnay, among them Chile and Australia. There are many good choices of American Chardonnay available for under $20. Popularand reliable producers include Beaulieu Vineyards, Chateau St. Michelle, and Columbia Crest, among others.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc, also known as Fume Blanc, is another favorite white wine. Sauvignon Blanc is quite often characterized as “freshly mown”, indicating that it reminds the drinker of freshly mown grass. It is a medium-bodied white wine with noticeably fruity aromas like peach, grapefruit, and melon, and is dry and refreshing with medium acidity. Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful wine for enjoyment in summer, especially good with seafood and it’s a perfect match for light snacks and picnics. Babich (New Zealand) offers a very nice Sauvignon Blanc for under 15 dollars.

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, sometimes called Pinot Gris (the actual grape’s name), is Italy’s most popular white wine, and is popular around the world, although the Italian Pinot Grigios are a littlebland. Pinot Grigios are easy to drink, due to their crisp, light taste. Oregon’s Pinot Gris tend to have more character, offering medium body, with more pronounced fruit and more acidity. Better bottles have fruity flavors of pear, apple, honeydew and some spice. A couple of very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon, available for between $12-$18, are King Estate and Chateau St. Michelle, among others.

Riesling

Riesling wines are generally considered the most popular German wine, and they are produced in two vastly different styles – dry and sweet. Rieslings are categorized by the ripeness of the grapes when picked. Kabinett signifiesnormally ripe grapes, and is a light to medium-bodied, mostly dry wine. You’ll oftensee the word “trocken” on a bottle of Riesling, which is German for “dry”. “Spatlese” is made from grapes picked when riper, and results in a bit richer, somewhatsweeter, wine. “Auslese”, which means late harvest, is made from even riper grapes, and is often quitesweet. Rieslings are typically fruity, with apple, peach, and honeysuckle tastes and floral undertones. Rieslings are relatively inexpensive – you can find excellent selections for under $10. One consistently excellentchoice is Strub Niertsteiner Riesling Kabinett, along withChateau Ste. Michelle Riesling.

Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is another very popularGerman white wine, while also being produced in the U.S., France, New Zealand, and Australia. Gewurztraminer is also madein both dry and sweet styles. Gewurztraminers have a bold, full-bodied taste, much more so than most other white wines. Typical aromas commonly found inGewurztraminer are lychee nuts and rosewater, and its flavors include honeysuckle, apricot, pear, and honey. A nice, inexpensive Gewurztraminer is available fromTrimbach (France, under $15).

A final note

The best way to figure out your own preferencesin white wine is to just pick out a samplingof bottles, and just try them. For each varietal, you’ll want to choose a bottle that’s typical of the style you’re investigating. Websites such as Wine.com can help immenselywith finding solid, yet inexpensive choices. Once you find a varietal and style and producer you find particularly enjoyable, you might want to pick up a case to have on hand for entertaining, or to just enjoy at home. Most white wines won’t improve with aging, so you shouldn’t keep them around for years. However, you dowant to be careful to properly store your wine, so they retainthe wonderful flavors and aromas you appreciate. You might consider investingin an inexpensive wine fridge, to keep all your wines at their best.

White wines are best served chilled, so you might want to refrigerate them beforehand, then take them outabout 15-20 minutes before serving. Better yet, you might want topick up a single bottle electric wine chiller, which will chill (or warm) a single wine bottleto the best temperature automatically – just select the pre-programmedwine varietal, pop in the bottle, and the chiller will automatically cool your wine to the right temperature, and maintain that temperaturethroughout your wine tasting.

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There are so many different varieties of white wine today that we have to choose from. As long as you are even a bit educated on wine then you know to appreciate this, but to those who are not it can just be downright confusing. Now regardless of the reason that you are going to buy some white wine and whether or not you have a specific type in mind such as Italian white wine, there are a few things that you should learn first.

Being more educated on white wine first before you head out to the liquor store or any winery, is really going to play a major role and make sure that you are going to find it easy to choose the right white wine for any occasion.

Styles, Pricing, Food Pairing, Of White Wine

It can definitely be a bit overwhelming when you take a look at all that is available to you and start to wonder how on earth you are ever going to be able to pick just one, but there are a few decisions that you are going to have to make when you go to buy white wine.

You are going to have to choose the styleof wine that you want for one. This is going to depend on the type of grapes that are used, a few of the most popular being chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Grapes are the base to every wine so the taste of wine depends on the type of grapes that are used in it’s making.

Now you are also going to have to consider pricing. There are some very delicious, expensive white wines available, but if you can’t afford them, you can’t afford them, so what are you going to do. Choose a wine that is in between being out of your price range and so cheap that you are going to be able to taste it, and this should be a good compromise for you.

If the white wine is being served with a meal then the meal should be in comparison to it. Otherwise, of course you can pretty much go wild and choose whatever one you like, but pairing wine with a meal is really the best thing that you can do because they will complement each other and be even more delicious.

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If you’re serious about your wines you have probably joined a wine club. If you are a wine club member you can be assured you will have frequent wine spills, and the following information will be valuable for you

Nothing strikes fear and dread into the heart of any spot-fearing individual than a red wine stain. This classic spot has ruined more than one garment. It has been the cause of dread for homeowners who own light-colored carpeting and it has left many smiles dingy-purple.

Not every wine stain is red. You might find yourself wondering how do I get rid of a white wine stain as well. The initial step is to apply cold water on the affected area. This must to be done as quickly as possible. These types of spills usually occur during a special occasion like a party and you may feel a bit rude, but it is crucial to get that cold water to the wine spot as soon as you possibly can in order to assure that it will be removed promptly.

If the white stain is on clothing or other material that can be turned inside out, pour the water from the back of the area instead of the front. Of course, this approach can’t be used on most carpets so pouring from the top is the only option for these materials. However, a blouse should be turned inside out when addressing the area.

Step two in the white wine stain removal process is to rub the fabric with a powdered laundry detergent. After applying the laundry detergent, let the fabric stand for about five to ten minutes. Dish detergent will work very well with this, too. If you are looking at a white wine stain on a rug, it is best to use a carpet spot cleaner. These can be found at your local grocery store very easily but it is always a good idea to keep some on hand for just such an emergency.

If the wine stain is still visible then let the fabric soak in cold water for at least thirty minutes. This can be quite inconvenient but it is a must if you want to save the garment. Wash the fabric as you normally would after the soak but be sure to look for the wine stain before putting the garment into the dryer. If the spot is still visible, use a laundry stain remover and rewash the item.

Your rug may need to be professionally cleaned if the white wine stain is still prevalent after a few hours. This professional cleaning should be completed as soon as possible to assure that the white wine stain will be removed completely.

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Are you hosting a dinner party for some close friends? If you are having a dinner party at home, you should see to it that you include some white wine in your menu. No, white wines are not inferior to red wines. In fact, some dry white wines taste a lot better than some types of red wines. Things to be done to have perfect white wine for dinner guests.

Look For Wines That Are Fermented In Oak Barrels

According to experts, white wines that are fermented in oak barrels taste a lot better that those wines that are aged or fermented in oak chips or staves. Oak chips or staves are a lot cheaper to use that oak barrels so many wine makers often use these chips or staves to save money. Unfortunately, using oak chips or staves can alter the taste of the wine. Buyer’s discretion is advised while purchasing that type of wine which says it has oak influence or it has been matured in oak. If we compare taste of a white wine which has been fermented in oak barrel to a white wine that has been fermented in oak chips we will find a big difference. If you want to get the best white wines for your guest, buy only those wines that are matured or fermented in oak barrels.

Now, if you are not so familiar about wine fermentation and aging, you need some help from a wine expert. you should not pay somebody to help you but wines. The person on the wine shop counter can help you choose the right wines for your guest. People who work in the wine industry are well educated in this area so you might as well ask for their help.

Old World Versus New World Wine

Before you buy any types of wines for your dinner party, you need to get yourself acquainted with the taste of your guests. Remember that some people love wines with sweet fruity flavor while other prefers the more restrained taste. If your guests happen to be the types who prefer a more subdued taste in their wine, you should consider getting some of those old world white wines. Old world white wines are less fruity and sweet compared to new world wine. For a liberal and youthful dinner party crowd new world wines are suggested. Now, if you want to play it safe rather than risk dissatisfying anyone at your dinner table, you might as well get some old world and new world flavors.

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