 | Dr. John Brewer is a winemaker and owner of Wyldewood Cellars Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in Kansas. Dr. Brewer founded Wyldewood Cellars in 1995. He is a Ph.D. in Physics and applies high-tech principles to wine making, which has helped Wyldewood Cellars win over 120 International awards. Dr. Brewer judges at several International Wine Competitions each year. Dr. Brewer is very active re-establishing a premium wine industry in Kansas. You may contact Dr. Brewer at Wyldewood Cellars Winery, P.O. Box 205, Mulvane, KS 67110, by phone at (316) 554-WINE (9463), or by e-mail at elderwines@aol.com |
Wine & Spirits
2006-06-01 09:12:00
Which wine is the right wine?
How do I pick “the right” bottle of wine?
ANSWER: Since wine is a food preserved with alcohol, you pick “the right” wine the same way you pick “the right” meal. You have heard of many “rules” for choosing the correct wine. But, the only rule that you use for choosing a food is if it smells or tastes bad, don’t eat it. By trying many different foods and combining them, you build up an inventory of tastes that you like and tastes that go well with other tastes. If you just consider wine another food, you already know how to chose the right wine for yourself; try many different wines and note the ones you like. The first two things to ask yourself is how strong of a flavor and how sweet of a wine do you like? We all understand sweet, but what is a “dry” wine? There are five basic flavors in wine: the fruit, alcohol, acid, tannin, and sugar. The fruit flavor determines how strong or light the wine will taste. Truly dry wine has no sugar and lots of tannin. This is the same compound that gives strong tea its “drying” feel to your mouth and often tastes bitter. Red wine is made with more tannins than white wines so red wines are usually “drier” than white wines. As in tea, sugar masks the taste and feel of the tannins. The balance between the sugar and the tannins is the perceived sweetness level. Everyone has a different sensitivity to sugar, so the tannin sugar balance is different for each of us. This is why one person may say a wine is sweet while someone else would call it dry. In general, white wines are made lighter in taste and are perceived sweeter than red wines. If you like sweet wines, you will find more varieties in white and blush than in red wine. Now armed with just this amount of information, you are ready to tackle the impossible job of purchasing “the right” bottle of wine to take to the party. If you are in a “light” mood, a white or blush wine tastes good by itself or with light food. If you need a wine to go with a particular dish or entree, a heavy flavored dish needs a strong flavored wine to balance it. A sweet wine always goes great with a sweet dessert. It is impossible to choose “the right” wine for anyone other than yourself, so don’t worry about it. Find a wine that you think that you would like to try, and take it to the party. You will be surprised the number of people at the party who will be overjoyed to try a new wine no matter if it is red or white, sweet or dry. My friends in Napa Valley really enjoy Kansas wines; because, our wines have different tastes. Enjoy tasting wines and forget the “rules”.
