Basically, a wine that is not sugary is described as a dry wine, needless to say, dry wine is on the extreme opposite of a sweet wine. It goes like a sweetness spectrum that runs from dry, off-dry, medium dry, medium, medium sweet, to sweet. This criterion is more precisely determined through the LCBO Sugar Code that measures the amount of residual sugar on the wines. The rates go from 0 to 30 with the former indicating very dry while the latter indicating very sweet and the rating for a certain amount of sweetness starts at 7 and above.

Sweet wines are most commonly known as dessert wines. Evidently, a sweet wine is sugar-rich and thus contains twenty to twenty five percent residual sugars. On the other hand, dry wines only have 1% or less residual sugars in it that it is almost negligible to the taste buds. Sweet red wines include Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Syrah. In addition, sweet white wines are termed Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. A dry red wine is a Merlot while a dry white wine is a Brut.

Taking some steps deeper into the world of sweet wines and dry wines will lead you to the fermentation process. The basic idea is that the following techniques are geared towards making the wine sweet and avoiding these techniques means the opposite. The most natural way of making any fruit sweet is to leave them on the vines until they reach their full maturity. This is the easiest way to enrich the grapes with sugar that it is also the most popular practice.

Gathering the grapes at a much later time decreases the amount of acidity in the fruit and increases its sweetness. Even if these grapes go through the fermentation process, there will still be sufficient sugars left in them. Meanwhile, when the grapes are harvested early on, not much sugar will be left after fermentation and therefore a dry wine is produced; this makes dry wines contain more acid that is converted to alcohol in it.

One option taken to retain the acidity in the grapes and still make them sweet is to harvest young grapes then let the sun dry it up to create its wonders. Interestingly, there are naturally acidic grapes in some cooler areas of the world. Through a method called chaptalization, the wines are sweetened up by putting in more sugar to the juice that will counterbalance its acidity.

In the end, even if the LCBO sugar code indicates a wine dry or sweet due to the amount of residual sugar, the taste can still differ because of the wines’ level of acidity. In this case, making a good wine choice could entail actual tasting for that personal judgment.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For wine merchants & importers he recommends Alexander Hadleigh, a leading supplier of some of the finest Dry and Sweet Wines.

 The Channel 4 Wine Club sells The Red Wine Starter Set.

The package contains the following wines:
2x Domaine de la Grange Combelles VDP de l’Herault
2x Callia Alta Shiraz / Cabernet
2x Rosemount Road Red
2x Simonsvlei Zenzela Charming Red
2x ConoSur Tocornal Merlot
2x Cardeto Matile Rosso IGT

There is also a blog aggregating wine information. VineHoo Wine Blog

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Creating the perfect mix between wine and food can be a challenge if you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing. With such an array of wine and food available there are always many options to consider. When planning a dinner, choose combinations that are popular with a wide range of people. You should always ensure that the wine doesn’t overpower the dish, and you also need to avoid flavor transferring. This occurs when a flavor is passed from the wine to a meal, as it can result in an unpleasant taste.

White Wine:
When creating a wine and food combination, Chardonnay is best complimented with Veal, Salmon, grilled cheese and white sauce. You should avoid spicy foods with this drink. Gewurztraminer is ideal when matched with Pork, Chinese foods and Swiss cheese but must be avoided with light foods. Pinot Grigio is not an ideal option for Tomatoes and spicy food as this combination may create a rather unpleasant taste. Riesling is a very dry wine and perfect when teamed with Veal, Shrimp, cream sauces and Turkey. Sweet food should be avoided with Riesling and Sancerre however.

Red Wine:
In a perfect world a food recommendation would be included on the back of a wine bottle. Fortunately we can give you the insiders tips to getting a wine and food combination just right. Barberra red wine is perfect with Pizza, pasta, lasagne and lemon chicken. When eating fish or tomatoes, Cabernet Sauvignon should be avoided. This wine is better suited with chocolate, roast lamb, steak and duck. Merlot is perfectly matched with grilled meats such as barbecue meat and chicken. Avoid sweet food with this wine. Pinot Noir is not well matched with spicy foods such as Indian, instead it is ideal with Salmon, tuna, lamb and duck. Shiraz is great with a meal of barbecue, peppered red meats and sausage but should be avoided with fish.

In general, wine is best served at a chilled temperature, as it is able to breathe and create the perfect mix of aromas that will delight the senses and impress your guests. Each type of wine has a glass that coordinates with it. If you don’t have a cupboard full of every wineglass imaginable though, use the next closest looking glass. The reason that there are so many types of wineglasses available, is that each one is designed to emphasise the full aromas and tastes within a given type of wine. If the wine isn’t served in quite the right glass, all these aromas and flavors may not be fully realised.

How much to serve:
Wine should be opened and served carefully, especially red wine as this may create a nasty mess if spilt on white clothing or dinner wear. Do not overfill glasses. It is best to serve a small amount of wine at first, as this will allow the remainder of the wine in the bottle to breathe. White wine should have an average serving of three ounces, spirits one ounce and red wine four or five ounces. Serving smaller servings will help the wine last longer and will allow guests to savour it over a greater length of time.

Temperature Guidelines:
Normally a bottle of wine may take up to three hours before it is appropriately chilled in the refrigerator. Serving the wine at the correct temperature may be a difference of whether the wine will be ideal to drink for maximum aroma and taste, and may make or break a charming dinner experience for you and your guests. A great way to chill your wine to perfection fast and easily is to place your bottle into a bucket filled with ice and a sprinkling of salt. Push the wine into the depths of the ice to quickly chill the bottle. The more expensive the wine the warmer it can be served. White wines especially the dry sorts are best served at lower temperatures however. And, lastly heavy wines are best served at the room temperature.

Matching food and wine – this applet may come in useful. Wine and Food pairing applet.

claire@floyds-wine.com
http://www.floyds-wine.com

Sparkling wine shouldn’t be underestimated

A sparkling wine may not have the status of a big brand champagne but you’ll get all the style and elegance for a fraction of the price. Sparkling wine has become increasingly popular in recent years and there is a good selection to choose from, so why not give it a try and see for yourself?

Sparkling wine to start

Sparkling wine is a really good aperitif and looks good when welcoming guests to a party or celebration. However, the key is not to go overboard. If you are hosting lunch or a dinner party, it is likely that most of your guests won’t have eaten for a while and because sparkling wine is fairly acidic, more than one or two glasses per person will simply kill their appetites.

Sparkling wine with food

Like Champagne, sparkling wine goes well with food. Drier versions of sparkling wine are best enjoyed with fish and chips, seafood and sushi, as the acidity of the sparkling wine works against the oils and fats in the fish, while slightly sweeter sparkling wines go better with fruit.

Serving Sparkling wine

A sparkling wine needs just 45 minutes in the fridge before serving. Don’t be tempted to chill it for longer, as the taste and smell of the sparkling wine will be lost. Ideally, sparkling wine should be served in tall, thin flutes, although standard wine glasses are a good substitute. If drinking as an aperitif or without food, consider serving sparkling wine with canapés.

A wide range to choose from

When it comes to sparkling wine, you’ll generally come across a fruiter style fizz from Australia, New Zealand and USA, while the Old World countries produce a more traditional sparkling wine. Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco, in particular, are always worth a taste. For something a little different, look out for sparkling rosé or a sparkling red wine.

To find out more and to choose from a selection of sparkling wine, visit virginwines.com

Louise Truswell has been working in and writing about the wine industry for a number of years. Sparkling wine is a great choice for welcoming people to a gathering and it really helps get the party started. For more information visit at – http://www.virginwines.com/sparkling-wine

Port wine is so named because it is a wine from Porto in Portugal. It is typically a sweet red rich wine but also comes in pink and white too. It is a fortified wine. This means that additional spirits have been added to the original liquid during its manufacture. In the case of port wine it is brandy that has been added to the wine during the fermentation process. This addition of the brandy to the wine halts the fermentation process and ensures that there is sugar left in the wine which will increase its alcohol content. The wine is then aged in cellars before it is bottled.

Port is only made in the Douro Valley region, this is one of the oldest protected regions in the world. It is divided into three separate areas each which is known for producing a different type of port. The first area is called Baixo Corgo which produces mostly inexpensive ruby and tawny ports; the second Cuma Corgo produces wines of a higher quality and the third the Douro Superior produces fine wines.

Port wine comes in many different styles and it is often confusing when you look on the labels of the bottles – there are however basically two categories, those that are matured in oak barrels and those that are matured in sealed glass bottles.

Tawny ports are wines that are aged in barrels. They are sweet dessert wines with a nutty flavour which the barrel has imparted to them during the aging process. There are different types of tawny port which vary in price according to the length of time that they have been maturing in the barrel, they can get quite expensive!

Ruby Port is the cheapest type of port wine. It is bottle aged and does not generally improve with age – it is however still a fabulous drink and as it doesn’t improve once it is open you have no choice but to drink it all – a good buy for Christmas when you need that after dinner drink!

As well as traditional red port wine there are white and pink ports also available. These are usually served cold as an aperitif in the same way that sherry is served but they also make a great base for a cocktail should you be having that kind of party. Another interesting fact is that when white port is aged for a long time the colour changes so significantly due to the tannins in the barrel that it is often hard to distinguish it from the red version.

Port is a great wine to have in the cupboard at Christmas. It is a warming drink that epitomises the season.

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