15 Months in the Making Finally is Here.Welcome to the Party Wine Tasting Party 7/22/2016 15 Months in the Making Finally is Here.Welcome to the Party

Wine Types Many other types of wine Red, White, Sparkling, Port, … Red being the most intrigue Vintage (year) Appellation (geographicallty defined region) Long list of factors … No Two Bottles Taste The Same Common questions What kind of grapes? How to read a label? How to store wine? How to select wine? How to pair with food?

Wine Tasting Your Preference Your Mood Your Sense Just like food tasting, a very personal matter

Wine Tasting Sweetness Fruit Tannin Acidity Alcohol

Old World vs New World Old World Europe, wine making for thousands of years France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Greece, etc. New World Countries outside of continental Europe USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, etc. Huge difference: viticulture + winemaking philosophies

Grapes Popular Ones: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz/Syrah .... (too many to list) Very Rare: 100% of a single grape type California: single grape => 85%+ Labelled Grape on New World Wines Sort of meaningless => grape blending/mixture of each label always a trade secret Old World Wines don't have grape type on label

Winemaking An Art! winemaking is never a science should not be a science – just like cooking, baking skill passed from generation to generation many Old World wineries are still family run, but deminishing More business-oriented manufacturers target mass production while maintaining consistency

What Makes a Good Bottle of Wine? Good Grapes What makes grapes good? Terrior Literally “soil” Wine Quality determined by winery, not “appellation” All credits should go to the winemaker

Wine Pairing “Red for meat, White for seafood” => Old textbook. Hardly anyone still follows Meat usually pairs well with any red Chinese, seafood or not, pairs well with red Cheese, chips, salsa, olives… most savory snacks pair well with red (probably white) Go with your own taste

A (very) short & simple answer: How Wine is Made? A (very) short & simple answer: Grapes crushed (no skin nor stalk for white) Add yeast to begin fermentaion (a few days to a few weeks) After filtering, transfer to oak barrel for aging. Inexpensive wine aged in stainless steel tanks Bottle, then package for market

Select Wine Long answer for a short question: To pair with meal? Drink as beverage? New World: tend to be more body and sweeter Old World: tend to be less sweet and lighter in body

Select Wine Your preference, and budget Higher price does NOT mean better quality! Costco, BevMo, Trader Joes, and your local supermarkets are good starting point as prices are reasonable Tried Trader Joe's “2-buck Chuck”? Specialty wine shops offer more selections on artisan and imported brands

Storing Wine Aging usually improves smoothness Tiny oxygen seeps through cork over time Place wine bottles horizontally Ideal temperature: 50F ~ 55F Wines like to “live” in a dark, cool, and vibration-less place A wine stroage refrigeration is probably the next thing Inside a cool storage cabinet works quite as well Aging: typically 5 ~ 10 years Old World wines usually age longer than New World wines

Label Tells a lot about the wine inside Vintage Applellation/Region (Origin) Winery/Manufacturer Product Description Winemaker's notes Grape type(s) Pay some attention to Art work Seal Packaging

Summary Try out more wine, from different wine regions Do more reading & research afterward Repeat the above cycle :-)