Fun Wine Things blog

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In the past blogs we spoke about the different types of wine glasses? But we really never talked about what the different parts of a wine glass are and why they are important.   So what is a wine glass?

A wine glass is a type of glass stemware which is used to drink and taste wine. It is generally composed of three parts: the stem, bowl, and foot. Selection of a particular wine glass for a wine style is important, as the glass shape can influence its perception. See my past blog on this subject.

The Stem is probably the part of the wine glass that is most often over looked, but could be one of the most important when drinking white wine. When drinking a glass of wine, especially a glass of chilled white wine you should grasp the stemware by the stem and drink. Never hold it by the bowl. The reason is your hands will effect the temperature of the wine. Also, a more obvious issue when you hold the glass by the bowl is it will leave fingerprints, which not only distorts the visual appearance of the wine when examining the clarity and color, but it my option, it just looks plan messy!

Also, ensure the stem is of a sufficient size to allow you to hold the glass comfortably. Wine glasses are meant to be held by their stems.

And if you ever wanted to hear that proper sound when clinking a glass for a toast, it requires you holding the glass by the stem.

The Bowl, the bowl of a wine glass (stemware) comes in many shapes and sizes. When drinking (Great Red Wines from My Wines Direct – 6 bottles from $84.95 + $0 Shipping!) red wine you typically look for a wine glass with a larger bowl. The larger bowl allows you to swirl the wine. Okay if you are wondering if swirling the wine really changes the taste, it does, it actually helps to put air into the wine. (an aerator will do the same thing) This act generally occurs only with red wines because you want the wine’s flavors and bouquet to expand within the bowl. Larger bowled glasses also have a wider opening which allows us to stick our noses (no matter how large they may be) in the glass to more fully experience the wine’s smells and flavors.

Since white wines are typically more delicate in nature in terms of taste, a wine glass with a smaller bowl and opening is more appropriate to contain those flavors. We don’t generally swirl white wines so larger bowled glasses aren’t necessary if you’re predominantly a white wine drinker.

If you prefer champagne, a tall slender flute allows the bubbles associated with champagne to be highlighted. The height of the flute will enhance the bubbles in a champagne.

Now most important, at least what I think is most important. Ensure that the size of the bowl is adequate to allow for a decent measure of wine to be poured. Ideally, there should be enough space left over to allow for the swirling action that is so important in releasing the aromas of the wine. Glasses that need to be filled to the brim for a decent measure should be avoided. With the right size bowl, you may not have to refill so often!

Now the foot of a wine glass. This should be large enough to hold the bowl and stem so the glass will not tip over. The foot can come in many shapes and sizes, but typically they are proportioned to the size of the bowl.

Remember, you don’t have to have 10 different types of wine glasses to enjoy your wine and there are wine glasses that can serve the purpose of both white and red wine. But if you can spare the cash. Have a set of glasses with a larger bowl for Red Wines and a smaller bowl for white wines, will complete you wine tasting experience. Hope this information will help you when you’re trying to decide which wine glass to choose. A great place to find some different size glasses at reasonable prices, check out http://www.funwinethings.com

Cheers! Karen

Found this great article on why we all should drink wine!

Here are a list of the six reasons:  Click on the link below to get the whole story.

1.)  Feed your head

2.)  Keep the scale in your corner

3.)  Boost your body’s defenses

4.)  Build better bones

5.)  Prevent blood sugar trouble.

Also, if your not into wine, okay who isn’t into wine, but anyways…check out this great Healthy alternative!  www.kpbuck.vemma.com

I even have some ways that you can mixed the Vemma to make an alcoholic drink!!!!

Cheers!  To your health!!!!

6 Reasons Why a Little Glass of Wine Each Day May Do You Good – Healthy Eating – Health.com.

Just starting reading Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck.  You know the Wine Library TV guy I spoke about in a earlier Post.  Great Book, highly recommend it and his fun videos.

http://tv.winelibrary.com/tv-appearances/

He also has a booked called, Gary Vaynerchuck’s 101 Wines.  Another great book.

http://www.funwinethings.com Check it out for all your fine wine accessories!!

Wine 101??

Okay, you go to a party and everyone is using all this Wine lingo you don’t know, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy (and understand) what you’re drinking and what they are saying. Knowing a few simple terms can help you through even the most formal dinner. So here goes…

Aftertaste: The “shadow taste” remaining in your mouth just after swallowing a sip of wine. Important in wine tasting because it can disclose an extra characteristic or fault which might not otherwise be obvious.

Appearance: A term used in sensory evaluation of wine to describe whether a wine is crystal clear (brilliant), cloudy, or contains sediment. It has nothing to do with the color of a wine.

Body: Wine can be as thin as water or as thick as cream. Thin-bodied wines are more like water while full-bodied wines feel heavy on your tongue. A wine with body often has higher alcohol or sugar content than others.

Bouquet: Also called the “nose,” this refers to how the wine smells. You’ve seen people swirl wine around in a glass. This exposes more of the wine to oxygen, allowing its bouquet to develop.

Breathing: letting a bottle of wine stand for several minutes to several hours after pulling the cork but before serving it. It is believed that wines which reveal off odors or tastes when first opened may be improved by air exposure prior to serving. Experienced tasters report that very old red wines are often improved by opening the bottle and decanting an hour or so prior to serving, but young wines rarely need air contact before drinking.

Clarity: In wine assessment, a subjective term for the absence of cloudiness or sediment in a wine.

Decant: To pour wine into a decanter — usually a clear glass bottle with a wide opening at the top — before serving. Decanting usually isn’t necessary unless you’re having an older red wine, which can have sediment at the bottom.

Decanter: Any glass or crystal flask designed to hold decanted wine and to be used as a server. In decanting, the wine is carefully poured from the original bottle into the decanter and from the decanter into the glasses on the table. Dessert wines (but never table wines) are often stored in decanters for many days or weeks at room temperature. These dessert wine will keep because of their high alcohol content and oxygen-resistant flavors and can be served directly from the decanter on the living room shelf more or less at will.

Dry: Whether in a fermentation tank or in a wine glass, dry means the complete absence of sugar in the wine.

Earthy: Sensory evaluation term for wine with a taste or smell suggestive of soil, mushrooms or mustiness.

Finish: The last impression left in the mouth by the taste of a wine.

Flowery: Tasting term for wine with an exceptionally aromatic character suggestive of fresh garden flowers.

Fruity: Tasting term for wine which has retained the fresh flavor of the grapes used in its fermentation.

Legs: The streams of wine that run back down the side of the glass after you’ve taken a sip, or when you swirl the wine around in the glass. The higher the alcohol content, the wider the legs.

Nose: The total odor of a wine, including aroma and bouquet.

Oaky: Tasting term to describe the smell or taste of excessive oak flavor in a wine.

Vintage: The “year” or season of winegrowing. vintage wine is defined as wine which is produced at least 95% from grapes harvested in a single, stated year. Note that this is not necessarily the year in which the grapes were grown or the wine was bottled, but the year in which the grapes were HARVESTED.

Woody: Tasting term for a wine in which the effect of prolonged (perhaps too much) contact with wood is noticeable. In general, wood tastes exactly as it smells.

First of all, after watching Gary’s video, I had to do the “Wine test” myself.  (Actually a few times. I just wanted to make sure I got it right!) I didn’t go to the extremes as Gary, but I did use two different glasses.  First I tried a Malbec in a Champagne flute.  This experience, I have to say…wasn’t so pleasant.  As Gary would say, I thought I was drinking something equivalent to a pair of my son’s dirty socks!!! So next, I poured the wine into a Burgundy Glass, Wow…what a difference.  The Malbec I was experiencing was a 2008 Opi Malbec from Argentina.  This is a  plummy big red with a smokey taste and  some oak wafting through the layers of deliciousness. It’s a great wine to stand up against a spicy pork, which by the way, I was serving pulled pork with it.  One of my son’s favorite dishes. So, if you need an awesome Malbec pick up the Opi Malbec, or  try one of these great websites for some awesome and unique wines.  The Wine Messenger or My Wines Direct Cheers. . .

Since we are talking about Wine Glasses, I found a fun wine video from the Wine Library TV.

In this video, Gary finds that maybe different shape wine glasses, are worth the investment!

Enjoy!

Wine Glasses, How Do They Affect Wine?

Let me know if you have ever tried this test?

“Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.” by Andre Simon

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”  by Benjamin Franklin

“Wine improves with Age.  The older I get, the better I like it”  – Anonymous