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The Flavour of Wine
Wine is such a wonderful subject because there is never any suggestion
that anyone’s choice is the absolute utopia. One’s personal preferences depend
on so many factors - one’s palate, the time of day, the temperature, and to a
certain extent, how much one is willing to pay. Now we shall investigate the
different factors that affect the flavour of wine. If, for example, your favourite
wine is Chardonnay, it will have a flavour that you will immediately recognise.
But, that flavour will have a wide range and this depends and varies on many
factors. If the grape is grown in France the flavour will vary from year to
year because each year the climate will vary during the growth of the grape. Also, the exact time of picking the grape will
have an influence. Soil will vary from area to area and the manufacture will
vary from winery to winery. The age of the vine will have a major factor. Young
vines produce large grapes but as the vine becomes older the size of the grape
reduces but the quality of the flavour of the juice improves and this clearly
affects the price. Wine from the first “pressing” will be of much higher
quality than wine from the second “
pressing”. All of the above, greatly, influences
the price.
Now, if one takes all of the above factors into consideration and the same grape is grown in New Zealand or South Africa, the variation in flavour multiplies very many times!
The Taste of Wine
ENJOY THE TASTE OF WINE
Let us have a look at wine – its background, how it is made
and the wonderful different flavours that are generated from the large variety
of red and white grapes. Wine is a highly complex alcohol because it is made
from grapes which are grown in many different parts of the world. A French
grape that is grown in New Zealand will create a very slightly different
flavour to one that is planted in France and different again to one planted in
South Africa. Flavour is affected by many other factors which we shall look at
later
The subject
of wine creates a marvellous diversification of opinion. At a gathering or as a
social drink, some prefer to drink red, some prefer white, some prefer a
sweeter wine and some prefer a drier wine, some prefer a sparkling wine
(perhaps champagne!) and on a hot day a rose might be preferable. However, when
one is eating, all one’s preferences can change to accompany each course of a
meal.