Red or White Wine?

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When it comes to buying wine for many people it is a simple case of choice between red and white, or whatever is on "special offer". The world of wine is complex but when it comes to selection something to drink yourself, or something to buy as a wine gift for a friend, then the choice goes a lot further than simply red or white.

The secret lie in arming yourself with the right information and, when it comes to wine, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

The first bit of information to arm yourself with is a basic understanding of the different types of wine available and here wines can be divided into five main groups.

Red Wine.

Red wine is made from what most people would call red grapes, although in fact they are more correctly called black grapes. Red wine is fermented using the complete grape, including the skin and pips, and it is the skin that gives the wine its red color.

There are various black grapes which can be used in making wine and each has its own distinctive flavor which it derives mainly from the climate and soil in the region where the grapes are grown. When these are combined with the winemaker's art of mixing, they allow us to enjoy red wines ranging from the dark blackcurrant color of the full-bodied and strongly flavored wines produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape to the lighter raspberry and cherry taste produced by the Pinot Noir grape.

Rosé wine.

Rosé wines are also made using black grapes but the juice is separated out during fermentation at the point at which it contains sufficient color to give the finished wine the pink color which the winemaker is looking for.

The flavor of the finished wine depends on the grape used to make the wine and some of the best rosé wines are fermented using the Grenache grape. Although normally considered to be a French grape, Grenache noir is the world's most widely planted grape and almost certainly originates from Spain. As well as often being used to make rosé wines, the Grenache noir grape is also frequently used as a base for a number of blended wines including such well known names as Cotes du Rhône and Chateauneuf du Pape.

Blush wine.

California's version of rosé wine is often referred to as blush wine and it is made in much the same way as rosé wine. The grape most often used however is the Zinfandal grape which produces a somewhat sweet pink wine which also shows a slightly blue color. The Zinfandal grape comes originally from Croatia but has been widely grown in the United States for over 150 years now and is considered as indigenous to California.

White wine.

Surprisingly enough white wine can be made from both white and black grapes. The juice from both grapes is actually colorless and it is only the skin of the black grape which gives red wine its color.

There is a variety of flavors available when it comes to white wines, depending upon the grape used, the winemaker's skill and the extent to which different juices are blended to make the finished wine.

Dry white wines are frequently made from Muscadet or Sauvignon Blanc grapes while the richer fruit-flavored wines are more commonly based upon the Chardonnay grape.

Sparkling wines.

Sparkling wines are based upon a dry white wine. The best known example of a sparkling wine is Champagne, which was reputedly invented by a Benedictine monk names Dom Perignon, who was born in the Champagne region of France in 1640. Here a solution of sugar and yeast is added to the wine at the time of bottling. The sugar and yeast solution produce a secondary fermentation in the bottle and sealing the bottles traps the gas produced by this fermentation within the wine to give it its sparkle when the bottle is opened.

Well, that's not exactly the A to Z of wine but is certainly a step up from simply selecting red or white the next time you go out to buy yourself a bottle of wine or to pick up that wine gift for a special friend.