Wines 101 Gift Idea

There are plenty of excellent, affordable wines produced in this state ranging between $10 and $20 per bottle. If you want to pay more, you can: some pure varietal wines sell at $50+ per bottle. While these wines really are spectacular, the price gap may be too high for the casual drinker to taste any difference in quality.

1. Appellations
The term "appellation" varies slightly from country to country, but in the more basic sense, it is the region in which a wine was produced.

California has many appellations

Wines produced with grapes originating from more than one of these appellations may simply be labeled as a California wine.

2. Dessert Wine
A dessert wine is one that has retained much of its residual sugar, and may have been strengthened (fortified) with alcoholic additives. The result is a potent, sweet, and in some cases syrupy wine full of flavor and aroma, and with higher alcohol content than a typical wine.

For this reason, the wine complements a dessert. In some parts of Europe, dessert wines are also served as before-dinner aperitifs.

Examples of dessert wines include Muscat, Ports and late harvest wines.

3. Red and White, major differences
Differences between red and white wines include the kinds of grapes used, the fermentation and aging process, and the character and flavor of the finished product.

First, the grapes themselves are noticeably different, with a predominantly red or white color of skin, although the juice of both types is mostly clear.

When fermented, additional pressing of the red grapes releases many tannins and colors into the wine, contributing to the deep, velvety color and flavor of red wines. Following fermentation, the wine may be matured and conditioned in oak barrels for several months. This will add additional wood tannins and flavors. As this could overpower the subtler flavors of white wines, few (such as Chardonnay) are aged in oak. These same tannins, however, help intensify and add richness to a red wine, which is why most reds are aged in oak.

The result is that red wines exhibit a set of rich flavors with spicy, herby and even meaty characteristics. On the other hand, white wines are light in character, with crisp, fruit flavors and aromas.

4. Sweet Wine
A sweet wine is just what it sounds like. Unlike a dry wine, a sweet wine still has considerable amounts of natural sugar following fermentation.

Because less sugar has been converted to alcohol, sweet wines may have less overall alcohol than their dry counterparts.

Examples of sweet wines include Riesling, Muller Thurgau, and Dolcetto.

5. Enology
The American Heritage Dictionary explains that "enology" (also spelled oenology) is "the study of wine and the making of wine; viticulture." From the Greek word "oinos" meaning wine.

6. Hills and Valleys
The topography of a hill provides ideal growing conditions for wine grapes. The altitude of a hill can protect grapes against sudden frosts which occur in a valley, and which could kill an entire crop. Also, the slope provides for good drainage of both air and water down the hill, and prevents excess moisture from accumulating as in the valley below. In the northern hemisphere, southward-facing hills receive maximum light and warmth. For this reason, most vineyards are located on the south end of a hill.

7. Late Harvest
A late harvest wine is one whose grapes have been harvested after they have fully ripened. In some cases, the grapes have been affected by a particular type of mold known as Botrytis cinerea, which causes the grapes to lose water, increasing the concentration of their natural sugars.

Late harvest wines typically have higher alcohol and residual sugars, and hence stronger and sweeter flavors than other wines, and can be served as dessert wines.

Examples of late harvest wines include Late Harvest White Riesling and Late Harvest Pinot Gris.

8. Wine Varieties
A varietal is simply a single type of grape used in wine production.

A "varietal wine" is made predominantly from one type (or varietal) of grape.

Examples of varietals include Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Syrah.

A varietal wine must contain at least 90% of its wine from a single variety of grape. The other 10% may come from blending in other varietals, a practice commonly employed by wineries to produce unique flavors in their wines. This other 10% may also result from a vineyard whose vines containing a few "stray" varietals, which, unless expressly detected, may go unknown for years.

9. Dry wine
A dry wine has had most or all of its natural sugars converted to alcohol during the fermentation process, producing a wine relatively strong in alcohol, but with very little sweetness.

Examples of dry wines include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Pinot Noir.

10. Cheap or Expensive
Grapes cost a lot to grow, harvest, ferment, mature, bottle, and sell. Some grapes cost more than others. A reasonable market value for the wine is determined by the local industry.

In the end, each wine drinker should decide for themselves what wines appeal to them most, and at what price are they willing to enjoy that appeal.

Tips Submitted from Users