Friday, August 31, 2007

Please provide your brief, but concise remarks on this writing about Beer Basket . Of course, it would be preferable for these remarks to be enhancing ones.

Another Great Beer Basket Article

Which is for You - Blended or Varietal Wines?Darby Higgs




Novice wine lovers soon come across the concept of blended and varietal wines. The two questions that spring to mind are, what does it mean? and does it matter?

At the basic level, the difference is quite simple. Varietal wines are made from a single grape variety, while blended wines are made using two or more. The most obvious example is the difference between the two great red wine styles of France. Burgundy red wine is composed of the single variety Pinot noir. Bordeaux red wines are most often blends of up to five varieties, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit verdot. There are a few Bordeaux wines made from a single variety, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.

So much for theory. The distinction between varietal and blended wines is less clear in practice. Many varietal wines are made from blends of wine grown in several regions. Australias iconic Grange is such an example. Each year hundreds of samples from many vineyards are tasted and evaluated before the final blend is decided upon. The result is a blend of regions, rather than varieties.

Many more modest Australian wines with to fame are also regional blends. The process of selecting the blend is similar but much more simplified. The clue on the label is often the words wine of South Eastern Australia. This is almost as general a statement that you can get about the origins of an Australian wine.

Some wines made from a single variety are blends of several different vintages, but this is quite rare for table wines.

While on the topic of labels, you should be aware that many wines bearing a single varietal name can legally contain up to fifteen percent of other varieties. If the wine is labelled as a blend, then the variety with the largest percentage composition should be named first, for example wine labelled Cabernet Merlot, should contain a greater percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

Our second question is does it matter? Well, if you find a wine that you enjoy and it is a blend, then you should continue to drink it. However if you wish to extend your wine knowledge and thus enhance your wine experience you should try varietal wines whenever possible. There are hundreds of varietal wines available, each with a special subtle difference waiting for you to discover.

Novice wine lovers soon come across the concept of blended and varietal wines. The two questions that spring to mind are, what does it mean? and does it matter?

At the basic level, the difference is quite simple. Varietal wines are made from a single grape variety, while blended wines are made using two or more. The most obvious example is the difference between the two great red wine styles of France. Burgundy red wine is composed of the single variety Pinot noir. Bordeaux red wines are most often blends of up to five varieties, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit verdot. There are a few Bordeaux wines made from a single variety, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.

So much for theory. The distinction between varietal and blended wines is less clear in practice. Many varietal wines are made from blends of wine grown in several regions. Australias iconic Grange is such an example. Each year hundreds of samples from many vineyards are tasted and evaluated before the final blend is decided upon. The result is a blend of regions, rather than varieties.

Many more modest Australian wines with to fame are also regional blends. The process of selecting the blend is similar but much more simplified. The clue on the label is often the words wine of South Eastern Australia. This is almost as general a statement that you can get about the origins of an Australian wine.

Some wines made from a single variety are blends of several different vintages, but this is quite rare for table wines.

While on the topic of labels, you should be aware that many wines bearing a single varietal name can legally contain up to fifteen percent of other varieties. If the wine is labelled as a blend, then the variety with the largest percentage composition should be named first, for example wine labelled Cabernet Merlot, should contain a greater percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

Our second question is does it matter? Well, if you find a wine that you enjoy and it is a blend, then you should continue to drink it. However if you wish to extend your wine knowledge and thus enhance your wine experience you should try varietal wines whenever possible. There are hundreds of varietal wines available, each with a special subtle difference waiting for you to discover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Darby Higgs is an expert on Australian wines made from unusual and rare grape varieties. He is the manager of the Vinodiversity website at http://www.vinodiversity.com



Beer Basket and More

A Look at Wine Glass Racks


Any wine collection is not complete without a collection of wine glasses with which to drink the wine. Wine glass racks can store your stemware easily...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Beer Basket Products we recommend

Gift Box for 1 bottle Grapes


This gift box is great to send your favorite or their favorite wine in. The boxes are well contructed carboard. They are colorful and full of cheer. GBOX1750 GBOX1750


Price: 2.99 USD



Beer Basket in the news

All Wine Baskets - 10% Cash Back

All Wine Baskets is a leading destination for all wine purchases. All Wine Baskets carries a complete inventory of wine and gifts. Start Shopping >


Wine Refrigerator
Napa Valley

Labels:

&type=page">Add to any service'Social
onlywire Socializersocialize it

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home