Wines with High Alcohol Content
While most people think of wine as being synonymous with alcohol, this isn’t always the case.
Best Wineries in Santorini
Santorini is the picture of tranquility, with its azure sea and white buildings that dot its landscape. If your idea of a relaxing day includes wine tasting, then Santorini will be a great place for you to visit! There are many wineries on the island,…
What is a Complex Wine?
We all want to know what wine tastes like. But how do we describe a wine’s taste? Is it sweet? Dry? Well balanced? Aromatic? Intense? The key to understanding the complexity of a wine is to identify whether it is sweet or dry, and what…
How differently does each palate perceive wine?
Our taste buds are as unique as our fingerprints: No two sets of taste buds are alike. Their arrangement and composition are a result of our DNA, but our tastes and dislikes are also shaped by environmental factors and personal experiences. Genetics is also largely…
Sparkling wine production methods
Most quality sparkling wines are the result of two fermentations. One is to turn the grape juice into still wine (this is called base wine) and the subsequent one is to turn the base wine into sparkling wine. The winemaker instigates the second fermentation by…
A Brief History of Vinegar around the World
Vinegar is as old as civilization itself. Throughout history, it has proven to be the most versatile of all products. Dictionaries define versatility as being “able to adapt and change with ease to new conditions” and for the past 10,000 years, people have accordingly used…
Ice Wine: What is it?
Months after the Northern Hemisphere’s wine harvest, some vineyards — particularly in the US, Canada and Germany — are still full of fruit. When perfectly healthy grapes are left on the vines as the year progresses and the temperatures drop, you’re in ice wine territory….
Wine and Symbolism in Art
Wine has long been an important and historical symbol. Wine was, after all, Jesus’ first miracle (though the creation of wine itself dates back to 6000 BC) and it continues to coat the mouths of both believers and non-believers alike. The Greeks even have an…
The History of Viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for vine) or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of Vitis vinifera, the common grape vine, ranges from Western Europe to the Persian…
The components of wine
A grape berry is, by weight, approximately 75% pulp, 20% skin, and 5% seeds. Pulp, the soft, juicy center of the grape consists mostly of water, then sugar, followed by a miniscule amount of acids, minerals, pectin, and vitamins. The skins are responsible for the…