| Advanced Appreciation of Red Wines |
| Contenders of the 'New World' Zinfandel � California�s Pride!! Zin, Zin, Zinfandel!! Nothing is more interesting and exciting than drinking the hip and unique wine that comes from US California! Zinfandel gets its name from the exact grape that this wine is being produced and it is the grape that is only found exclusively in US California. Zinfandel is the legend and pride of America, and there are numerous Zinfandel lovers that like to describe it with adorable pet names starting with the �zin� word in the front (such as zinny or zinsational!). Red Zinfandel wines taste pleasantly like berries and has good aromas of other fruits and spices in its midst. Its tannin level is ok - it�s a nice and pleasant wine to enjoy everyday or it will become even better with some maturing. Most importantly, Zinfandel wines can be made into another lighter version that makes it so famous and hip among young wine lovers. This is done by separating the skins of the grape in its production so that the wine absorbs less tannin in the process. Its taste and color becomes very mild and pleasant. Bingo! You would have the famous �White� Zinfandel! White Zinfandels are really pink or amber in color and they are quite exquisite in appearance when poured into your wine glass! They have very little tannin and taste as good as any alcoholic drinks such as Hooch and Corona. Shiraz Cabernet!� And Other Wines from the �New World� Many countries from the Southern Hemisphere such as Australia, Chile, Agentina and South Africa are some of the leading wine-producing countries in the world. Wines from this �New World� have already gained immense popularity and recognition not only because of their high quality, but also because that they offer many unique tastes that are not found in the �Old World�. Many of the winemakers here have experiment from the old wisdom that has crossed over from the traditional European wine-producing countries in the north and come out with unique recipes of their own. And yes, they do make remarkable impact and contributions to the wine community today. The wine producing countries of the �New World� produce wines mainly from the four major grapes that you read in the previous section. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon is the main wine from Chile. The Chilean Merlot is also well known for its pleasantly sweet and fruity taste. In Argentina, a wide variety of wines that has originated from France and Italy could be found taking root there. Most interestingly, the Malbec grape which originates from France, has found new success in the country. Malbec is frequently being used to blend with other red wines to make Argentinean wines unique of its own. South Africa is also another leading producer of red wines and most of its fine red wines are young ones that are ready to be drunk when taken from the shelf. Most important is Australia, who has also been the leader of the pack. Its record has been most remarkable as it began to make its debut in the mid-1980s. It made a name for itself because it managed to produce relatively cheap but high quality red wines that are both affordable and value for money. It also concentrated on producing the grape Shiraz, which is Australia's most important wine (Cabs come a close next). It is worthy to note that certain legendary red wines do come from Australia. Not only that, there are attempts in the �New World� to blend wines of different grapes together to offer tastes that are unique and special of their own. Most commonly, you can find wines containing Cabernet Sauvignon and the Shiraz carefully blended into one another. Depending on which is of importance, the dominent wine is named at the front and the blended wine after it. For example, �Shiraz Cabernet� means that Shiraz is the dominent component in the wine while Cabs are blended into it. On the other hand, in 'Cabernet Shiraz�, Cabs is the dominant wine and Shiraz is its blend. This combination brings about a complete revolution on the types of wine that wine lovers can enjoy. Australia is most famous for its Shiraz Cabernet blends. It is worthy to try them after you have tasted both types of each wine. Next, let's see how wines can combine with the food that we eat everyday. |