100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 82 What makes one wine better than another?

Blog 82 What makes one wine better than another?

When looking at what makes one wine better than another, you need to look in all directions. You need to look at the quality of the grapes, the terroir and region the grapes are grown in, the winemaker’s background and the consistency at which a great wine is made.



You can also look at the type of wine you are making, what additives you are using, if any, the way the grapes are grown including pesticides, watering, or are you a green certified winery? Are you pruning the vines? How are you storing your wine and for how long? When do you release the wine? Are you using new oak, old oak, a combination or no oak?



The passion that is put into making wine is the most important component that makes one wine better than another. You have to care more about the wine’s quality than the quantity. You have to care more about the taste than the value.

You should not have to make fancy labels in order to sell your wine, but your label can’t be cheap either. You should talk about the wine that is in the bottle on the label as well as the terroir, and list the percentage of each grape varietal on the label if your wine is from California. You should let the wine buyer know what they are buying by looking at the label.

What influences me into liking one wine over the other is the temperature of the wine, where I am drinking the wine, and who I am drinking the wine with.
And, the wine just has to taste great!

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 13 What should you drink your wine in?

13. I guess for some people, it doesn’t matter what they drink their wine in, as long as they get to have some. Well, after several wine blogs, I think you have gotten to know that I have a big pet peeve about my wine glass.

What should a wine glass look like?

Stem: A wine glass needs to have a stem. Not too long but just enough to be able to hold the glass without touching the bowl. If you touch the bowl of the glass, you will change the temperature of your wine through the heat of the palm of your hand, warming the wine unnaturally. There are some companies that are opting to leave off the stem. Although it may be a new trend, I tend to like a stem on my glass, just how I like my roses!

Bowl: The bowl needs to be able to hold my wine and should not be too small. Wine needs to have room to develop flavor.

Lip: The lip needs to be thin and tulip-shaped. For white wine, it should be a little narrow at the top. For red wine, it should be tulip-shaped but not as narrow as the white.

Champagne or Sparkling Wines

My Champagne or sparkling wine needs to be in a champagne glass. If it’s got bubbles, I want a thin tapered flute to hold the flavor and keep the sparkle.

Reds and Whites

Container: Yes, it has to be served in a wine glass. No plastic please. A wine glass needs to be clear. No etching, color or design on the glass. You need to be able to visualize the color of your wine while it is in the glass. There is one exception for me as far as design goes. I do not mind seeing a winery logo in a small area on the glass. These types of glasses are fun to collect and I find myself having favorites that I use at home. I use a Laird Family Estate glass in a Chardonnay style or a Robert Mondavi Winery glass in a Reisling style for my whites. I use a Kunde or Silver Oak glass which both happen to be in a Bordeaux style for my reds.

You not do always have to buy the best wine glasses either. Get that out of your head. What if you break one of those $80 crystal glasses? Riedel is one of the glass companies that many people are familiar with or have heard of but there are many glass companies that make a wine experience more delectable. In the end, you have to drink your wine in a glass that makes the wine taste good to you.

Tell me your thoughts, make them funny, keep them nice and educate me.
Bon Vin!
Veronica