Although the four main flavors - sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all your tongue is really capable of tasting, the long lasting impression that wine leaves in your mouth is far more complex. When you drink or taste wine, your taste buds and your sense of smell are involved, adding to the way you interpret wine overall. The flavors, aromas, and sensations that wine is comprised of provide the interaction that you taste when you sample wine.

Sweetness is something that wines are well known for. With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol. The grapes and yeast that were used to produce the wine will leave behind various sugars, which your tongue will be able to quickly detect. Once your tongue detects these various sugars, the stimulation of sweetness from the wine will be ever so present in your mouth.

Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue doesn't really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol. Even though the tongue doesn't really taste alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth. The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and therefore intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine. After you have samples a few types of wine, the alcohol level can easily have an effect on your taste buds, making it hard to distinguish other drinks that you may have.

Another flavor is acidity, which will effect the sugars. With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming. Once you taste wine that contains it, the flavor of the acidity will be well known to your tongue. Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste. With the right levels, acidity will bring the flavors of the grape and fruits alive in your mouth - providing you with the perfect taste.

Yet another effect of flavor are tannins, which are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits. If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel, and bring in the sensations of the other flavors. Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste. Tannins are essential for the taste of wine - providing the wine has been properly aged.

The last flavor associated with wine is oak. Although oak isn't put into the wine during the manufacturing process, it is actually transferred during the aging process, as most wines will spend quite a bit of time in oak barrels. Depending on how long the wine is left in the oak barrel or cask, the ability to extract the flavor will vary. Most often times, wine will be aged just enough to where the oak taste is visibly there - and adds the perfect sentiment to the taste.

Although there are other flavors involved with the taste of wine, they aren't as present as those listed above. The above flavors are the most present in wine, and also the flavors that you need to get more familiar with. Before you try to taste wine or distinguish flavors, you should always learn as much you can about the components responsible for the flavors. This way - you will know more about what you are tasting and you'll truly be able to appreciate wine.

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The Flavors Of Wine


Although the four main flavors - sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all your tongue is really capable of tasting, the long lasting impression that win...


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Chianti Classico in the news

In the Drink: A Thanksgiving wine guide (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:14:37 -0800
This time of year, magazines and books abound with recommended wines for special occasions, but let's get real: How many of these picks ever show up on Central Kentucky shelves? It's particularly frustrating at Thanksgiving, when the spotlight is so focused on eating and drinking. So I asked experts at four prominent Lexington wine shops to help create a Lexington-friendly shopping list. ...

One More Bottle of Wine: Izway Mates 2004 Red Wine (Chicagoist)

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:22:54 -0800
Our standard go-to wine pairing for a turkey dinner — which seems so frequent and common this time of year — is a petite syrah. Actually, any red wine with upfront bright fruit flavors and minimal tannins would pair well with the Tom. This is also the time of year where our wine rack empties quickly as we attend these dinners. Thanksgiving was no exception. We brined and broiled chicken ...

Around the world on $120.00

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:02:45 -0800
12 bottles of wine, 10 bucks each, holiday shopping complete, everyone's happy!

My London Itinerary

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:48:26 -0800
I cannot believe that I am leaving this continent in a mere 84 hours, flying over the frozen tundra that is Canada and Greenland, and landing smack dab in the outskirts of London. I've been trying not to think about this too much and mostly failing. I'm becoming more excited (and in turn, more intolerable) as the days get closer to the 19th. So, here's what I have lined up, food-wise. Let me know if there is anything missing that you feel that I must visit. Food Shopping Harrods - Classic De


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