5 Expert Wine Tasting Tips for Every Beginner

Wine tasting can be an intimidating prospect for any novice. Seeing the way wine connoisseurs swish their glasses or discuss vintages, acids, and other fancy labels—it’s both desirable and discouraging at the same time. Take heart! One doesn’t need to be an expert to enjoy......

30 September, 2019 No comment

5 Stages of the Wine Making Process

Winemaking is a process which has been cherished for thousands of years, and it is not just art but science. Winemaking is a natural process which requires human intervention as well as some different techniques. There are five basic components of winemaking, which is discussed in the articles.

Harvesting

The first step of creating the best wine is to ensure that grapes are harvested properly. Grapes have acids, esters, tannins, which makes for natural and stable wine. Tannin is an element which makes the wine dry and adds bitterness to the whole wine. Knowing the right moment to pick the grapes include picking the right determinants of sweetness, acidity and flavour, which requires a bit of science. Harvesting can be done by hand or mechanically, which many winemakers select the way they want to harvest.

Crushing and pressing

In this process, the grapes are sorted, which needs to be de-stemmed and crushed. Traditionally men and women do it by manually stomping on the grapes with feet, but nowadays everything is mechanical. This process is called a ‘must,’ it is simply the crushed grape juice with the skin, seeds and solids. This process gives the much-needed longevity and determines the quality of the wine.

Fermentation

This process comes into play after the crushing and pressing process where the Must start to ferment naturally within 6-12 hours, which is later aided with the help of yeast. The process keeps on continuing until the sugars are converted into alcohol.

Clarification

After the fermentation is complete, the process of clarification begins which allows the dead yeast to cells, tannins and proteins are removed and is later transferred into a different vessel such as an oak barrel where the wine can be clarified through filtration. Fining is a process where the winemaker adds substance, which helps in clearing out as the unwanted particles by forcing it to stick to the bottom of the tank. This clarified wine is later racked into another vessel which is later stored to age.

Ageing and Bottling

The final stage of the winemaking process is ageing and bottling. This is where the winemakers have two options where they can immediately start to give away, or you can further age the wines in the bottles itself. Ageing wines in oak barrels allows the wine to be much more smoother, rounder and develop a flavour. The increased exposure to the oxygen increases the ageing process of the wine while decreasing tannin, helping the wine reach its optimal fruitiness. Ageing wine in a bottle with the cork can allow for the wine to develop tasty results....

20 August, 2019 No comment

5 Tips for an Amazing Wine Tasting Experience

If you’ve recently discovered the pleasure of drinking wine, the idea of going to tasting events can be both exciting and intimidating. Before you visit your first event, there will be many questions on your mind. What will you wear? What will you say to......

21 October, 2019 No comment

5 Tips on How to Improve Your Wine Knowledge for Beginners

The world of wine is both fascinating and daunting. There seems to be so much to learn, but not a lot of advice on how to get started. You may feel intimidated to ask wine connoisseurs, and reading materials can be confusing. If you appreciate......

30 October, 2019 No comment

Rosé Wines: The Ultimate Guide to the Pink Wine – Guide

Rosé wines have been getting a lot of attention lately, thanks to social media influencers who proclaimed this wine to be their go-to summer drink. The truth is that rosé wines are actually one of the oldest types of wines ever made. Also known as......

16 October, 2019 No comment

The 10 Health Benefits of Wine That’ll Inspire You to Pour a Glass

A wine with dinner seems like a nice end to the day. This is one of the best ways to ensure that the celebrations find their best end. Wine helps relax our brains and brings a smile to our face. There are many health benefits of consuming wine from decreased mortality rate to attacking cancer cells.

It contains antioxidants

Wine has antioxidants, which helps you fight off free radicals that cause health issues such as cancer. White wine is full of antioxidants that attack free radicals that might be lurking in your body.

It boosts the immune system

Drinking a glass of wine daily can give your immune system a boost. Moderate consumption can ward off infections, which keep you immunity check. Excessive consumption can lead to a negative impact and defeat the purpose of drinking wine for immunity.

It increases bone density

As a person get older, the bones get brittle, drinking wine helps increases your calcium intake. Red wine has high levels of silicone, which is great for bone mineral density. This reduces the chances of osteoporosis.

It reduces the risk of stroke

Moderate consumption of wine can help prevent blood clotting as it is a natural blood thinner, which can help prevent a stroke. This lowers risk of blood clotting is more beneficial in females to males, but heavy drinkers are more likely to have the opposite effect and can cause a heart attack.

It reduces the risk of heart disease

  Get a glass of wine and start the battle of winning against heart disease. The tannins in the red wine contain procyanidins which neutralize free radicals inside the body, which is known to prevent any cardiovascular disease.

It can lower cholesterol

Red wine is known to promote a healthy heart, which can lower cholesterol. Reservatrol is also known to decrease LDL, which is bad cholesterol and Increase the HDL, which is good cholesterol. This also is seen in blood pressure, especially if you are suffering from high blood pressure.

It reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

The resveratrol present in red wines is proven to improve insulin, pouring a nice glass can contribute to help in insulin resistance, which can drastically affect the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Reduces the risk of cancer

The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer can be reduced by drinking a glass of wine. Wines are rich in antioxidants and can fight off any free radicals in your body. This is especially beneficial against heart disease and cancerous cells.

It improves cognitive function

As crazy as it seems, drinking a glass of wine can actually help you in improving your cognitive ability. The chemicals produced in red wine prevents the brains neurones from dying off, which will help the brains fight off dementia in the long run.

It promotes longevity

Healthy living longevity can be promoted with a Mediterranean diet and glass of wine. The magical ingredient resveratrol can act as an anti-ageing agent which increases overall health and decreases the mortality rate....

19 August, 2019 No comment

The world’s top 10 spirit brands

The scale for global spirit scales has increased by 1.5% last year. Spirit brands are getting bigger and bigger, and a recent analysis has revealed the best selling spirit brands in the market.

Bacardi

Bacardi has slipped down to the last position in the listing; the brand has witnessed the worst decline it has seen in the last five years. Now, Bacardi recently shifted its focus to more premium range of spirits.

Johnnie Walker

This is a scotch brand which has reported an increase of about 5.2% last year, which was a milestone for the brand. The marketing initiatives have been to renew the new retail design globally, which will be a heavy investment and also expanding its Blenders batch can bring in more improvement.

Royal stag

Royal stag has taken the 7th position as the sale have seemingly increased by up to 3.9%, which is a very good investment and is said that they are going to grow in the near future.

Imperial Blue

Imperial Blue has seen very impressive growth as has a reputation for being quirky, reliable and insightful as the marketing has gained much more cult status and the brand is generally targeted towards the younger audience which why they use phrases such as 'sail through difficult times.'

Tanguay

This is a Philippine brand which has overtaken Bacardi as the best selling rum brand after reporting 17.5% growth last year. This brand was experienced an astounding increase to claim the top rum brand for the first time, and it is said that the growth is going to overtake many other rum brands in the world.

Smirnoff

Smirnoff has seen a very steady growth in the market, but still, things have been tumultuous in the last year but is seemingly steady this year. With their marketing strategy of #chooseLove has promoted equality among the female musicians, and the initiative was focused on gender identity and disability.

McDowell's No.1 Whisky

McDowell's used to be one of the best selling whisky brands in the world but has seen a slight decrease in the recent years as the markets conditions are starting to clear up the brand is seen to be rising from its downfall.

Emperador

Emperador has seen a downfall of 3.2% in both the international and domestic markets. The brand is now benefitting from the increasing share of millennial drinks.

Officer's Choice

This is a whisky brand which is taking the world by storms. It has seen a decline for the first time even with its packaging redesign, the brand has aimed at targeting young consumers with the use of digital media.

Jinro

Jinro has maintained the top stop as the best selling spirit in the market and aims at remaining high in the competitors. This brand rose to its fame due to its roots in K-pop songs....

10 August, 2019 No comment

Tips on How to Dress to Impress During Wine Tasting Occasions

Wine tasting is a highly social event that involves walk-around tastings, dinners, and various events. Wine enthusiasts can expect to have a fun time during these tasting events, be it for a special occasion or a simple gather with your friends or family.  However, wineries......

28 October, 2019 No comment

Wine Tasting Guide for Beginners: Basic Terms & Popular Bottles You Need to Know

The world of wine is both inviting and intimidating for beginners. There are thousands of bottles available and hundreds of terms used to describe each of them. No matter how much or how little of an expert you consider yourself to be, wine tasting events......

04 November, 2019 No comment