A day at the Vineyards

Tripoto
6th Aug 2016
Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

A wise chap has posted on Pinterest saying, “Wine makes every meal an Occasion, Every table more Elegant, Everyday more civilised

Wine is beverage made of fermented grapes and alcohol.The process of fermentation involves grape juice in the grapes to turn into alcohol.The grapevines are coated with yeast and stored in containers and stored in right temperatures. Yeast converts the sugar in the grapes to alcohol. hence the style of wine produced depends on the type of grapes and strain by yeast. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, wine-making history with many of France’s regions dates back to Roman times.

Fermentation of grapes

Photo of Winery, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India by Ramya Balakrishna

The different types of wine produced in different geographical locations and temperatures affect the aroma of the wine to vary.

Fermentation of other fruits or cereals produces other variety of wines. Their names usually specify their base product ex: rice wine.

Fermentation of grapes

Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

The Winery is where the production of wine happens. Vineyards is a cultivation of grapevine mainly for wine-making.

Red wine

Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

The art of wine tasting:

Wine tasting is the evaluation and sensory examination of wine.The professional wine tasters are called sommeliers. There are four levels of examinations to cross the advanced level of wine tasting. It’s a world accredited profession.

Steps of wine tasting defined as 5’s:

1. See the colour of the wine and judge appearance is the first step in tasting wine. Analysing the wine by seeing through a clear glass makes one realise the uniqueness of each wine.

2. Swirl & Smell “in glass” is the art of isolating the aroma of flavors produced by each wine. The swirling of wine agitates the wine and activates the esters which would have otherwise settled in the glass and softened due to exposure to oxygen.

3. Sip & Taste “in mouth” sensations: The taste of wine is perceived by a variety of grapes after fermentation, enriched with a variety of flavours in a wine like roses, cinnamon, cherry, vanilla, nutmeg and so on.

4. Savor the aftertaste “finish” is to feel the flavors that settle in the mouth after swallowing the wine. Our taste buds are equipped to feel various flavours.

Types of Wine:

White wine is produced by fermentation of pale grapes hence white wines are yellow-gold, yellow-green and transparent yellow colored. white wine is celebrated by writers, poets, singers, and painters. Some of the well-known white wines are Chardonnay and Riesling

Sparkling wine is a wine which has a significant amount of carbon dioxide. It is also known as the wine that bubbles or a bubbly wine. They are named after the region they originated from. Ex: Champagne which is exclusively produced in the champagne region of France.

Red wine is made of dark colored grape varieties. The color of red wines varies from intense violet to towny brown. It also has various health benefits. Rich source of red wine’s compound resveratrol helps diabetics regulate their blood sugar. Some of the well-known red wines are Merlot and Cabernet.

Fun with Grapes:

Grape stomping is the traditional way of macerating the grapes where you stomp the grapes and crush the grapes to extract the juice. An activity which is fun with friends and romantic for lovers.

Stomping of grapes

Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

Vintage doors

Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

Stomping of grapes

Photo of A day at the Vineyards by Ramya Balakrishna

I end this blog with a funny wine quote “Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” So enjoy the goodness of grapes and wine.