Knowing main types of wine is the first good step to
start knowing the world of wine. Although many people may think
that identifying wines into such the red or white wine can be as
simple as using your eye to classify the color, each wine type
actually has its own character and identity which according to
grape
varieties and wine
region and also including tannin level, aroma and bouquet,
sweet, and alcohol level which all affect the flavors in some
way.
1. White Wine
White wine is a type of wine such as Chardonnay,
Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Many of you may understand that white wine is made of
white grapes alone, but actually it can be either red or black
grapes. The exact way to make white wine is to extract the red
pigments away and utilize on grape juice only. Mostly, white wine
will provide flavor character including bright, savory, and creamy
based on the inputs. Recommended varieties for wine beginners are
Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscato.
2. Red Wine
Red wine is a type of wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and Pinot Nior.
Production of red wine is quite similar to making white
wine but only with the addition of grape skin, grape pip and seed
incorporated into the fermentation process. Red wine will be
fermented in higher temperature, to extract color, tannin, aroma
and flavors with different level of concentration varies by
duration of fermentation.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel
can also be a good choice to start with for wine beginners.
3. Rose Wine
Rose wine is a type of wine with a pink rose color is
made from red or black grape
Rose wine with a pink rose color is made from red or
black grape with a short fermentation time, about 12-36 hours only.
However, there is another popular style to make this Rose, by just
straight away blending red wine and white wine together. The flavor
of this wine ranges from dry to sweet and comes with a pale to dark
pink color and a lower level of tannin.
4. Dessert or Sweet Wine
Dessert or sweet wine is a type of wine such as Port,
Tawny or Sherry.
There is no constant definition for Dessert or Sweet
wine. Mostly, it is because of the character of sweetness itself
with the occasion of serving with desserts after the meal. But in
some countries such as United Kingdom, people usually drink sweet
white wine as an aperitif, before the meal, and sweet red wine to
rinse their palate after. Sweet wine can be categorized into Port,
Tawny, or Sherry and so on.
5. Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine is a type of wine such as Cava, Asti,
Prosecco and champagne.
When thinking of Sparkling wine, we will be reminded of
a celebration. The sparkling bubbles from carbon dioxide (CO2)
occur naturally or specifically are added during the fermentation
process.
Sparkling wine can be categorized further by region,
for example; Cava in Spain, Asti or Prosecco from Italy and
Champagne from the Champagne
region in France.
The content in this article helps you choose the wine
you prefer matching the right glass and food. If you want to learn
more in details about wine culture, we encourage you to read these
stories. Start with "Popular
varieties of grapes used to make wine", and "Wine
Region".
