"We will serve no wine before its time". Orson Welles for Paul Masson winery
Let's
come up with a definition of fine wine. It is definitely not drug store
wine. The cost is actually not the most important thing. The flavors
must blend together, there must be a bouquet, and it must be memorable.
Bad wine is worse than no wine at all.
Based on balance, length of time lingering on the tongue, complexity, and tepidity.
Balance
is the combined presentation of its characteristics: fruit, acidity,
neutrality and the existence of some tannin. Because some winemakers are
anxious to serve the new wine, these tannins indicate the immaturity of
the wine and may be a factor in a wine's over-freshness. A new wine
should be fully brewed, definitely young, but also mature; not old and
wooden from spending a year's time in the barrel.
Length of time
is another important factor in judging fine wines. It should linger on
your tongue, maintaining a presence in your mouth for awhile after
serving. It should be something that isn't so quick to flee from your
palate.
The fruit chosen for wine is most always grapes. If not it
is noted on the bottle - pomegranate wine, elderberry wine, etc. It
should not be too sweet or too bitter. Acidity is also necessary,
but must be controlled. The sugar of the fruit is eaten by the yeast.
This conversion causes fermentation but it shouldn't be so strong as to
upset the person's biological disposition.
Neutrality is important
too. In everything exists also nothingness? This nothingness is needed
to balance out the strong personalities of fruit, acidity and so on
which are overpowering in their own right.
Some wine categories
have been proposed by wine connoisseur Clive Parker. They are: Very
Good, Fine, Very Fine, and Grand Vin. In reality, very few wines will
reach the Grand Vin level. Wine making is not an exact science, of
course, but it has some parameters which can be taken into
consideration. We have come to believe that the 90 plus category is the
minimal level for fine wines.
The art of wine making began in
Georgia as early as 6000 B.C. and in the Balkans in the 4500 B.C. time
frame. The Greek god Dionysius and Roman god Baccheus were the ancient
heralded gods of wine. This was a nutritious drink often mixed with
water after a large meal to aid in the digestive process and finish off
the meal. Of course, wine may also be enjoyed without the water. It was
in these days that the philosopher Pliny the Elder so eloquently stated,
"In wine there is truth".
In today's wine market, there are many
wonderful wines to choose from. Some may be from France, Mendocino
California or the Mediterranean. A fine wine may be most readily
identified by its label, though vintages may drastically vary. Let your
senses be your guide in choosing a suitable beverage for that special
meal, regardless of the label, price or environment you find yourself
in.
No comments:
Post a Comment