BEST WINES

BASSIC WINE TRAINING

 Why Wine?
• Life Style – Social
Drinker
• It’s an Art Itself
• Relatively Safer Than
Higher-Alcohol-
Content Beverage
• In Moderation, Can
Be Beneficial to
Health
 The Basics
• Wine = alcoholic drink produced by the
fermentation of grapes
• Alcohol content vary between 8 to 14.5%
for Table Wine and 16 to 20.5% for
Fortified Wine
• Wine Grapes are different then table
grapes
• Thousands of different wine varieties and
most are cultivars of just one species, call
Vitis Vinifera
 Wine by Style
• RED WINE
• WHITE WINE
• SWEET WINE (desserts)
• ROSE WINE
• SPARKLING WINE
• FORTIFIED WINE
• AROMATIZED WINE, etc.
 Red Wine Grapes
• Red wine is made by
fermenting the juice with the
grape skin which contain
pigment and tenin.
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Shiraz/Syrah
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Franc
- Barbera
- Gamay
- Malbec etc.
 Body
• Body of wine is not a scientific term, but
rather away to categorize wine by intensity
level from lightest to richest
- Tennin, increase the body in wine. Since red
wines contain tannin, and white wines do not,
red wine tent to taste more full body then white
- Sweetness increase body in wine
- Acidity decrease the body of wine
- Alcohol increase the body of wine
- Carbonation decrease body of wine
Full Body Red
Medium Body Red
 Light Body Red
• Pinot Noir
• Gamay
• Cinsault
• Lambrusco
• Pinotage
• Granache
 Red Wine How-To
• Harvesting
• Crushing
• Mixing juice, skin, and seeds
(must)
• Fermentation
• Pressing
• Storage (stainless or oak)
• Bottling and maturation
 White Wine Grapes
• White wine is made by
fermenting the juice of the
grape without skin
• Grape varieties:
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chenin Blanc
- Gewürztraminer
- Muscat
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Gris
- Semillon
 Dry White Wine
• Riesling, Gewurztraminer &
Sauvignon Blanc are normally
light to medium bodied, with
predominant primary fruit aroma &
flavor. Most are early drinking
styles, except for some Riesling.
• Chardonnay & Semillon are
normally medium to full bodied,
and characterized by wine making
techniques. Many of these wines
improve with age
Rich and full body white wine

- Chardonnay (oaked)
- Marsane
- Rousane
- Semillon
- Viognier
- Grenache Blanc
 Medium Body White

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Vermentino
• Garganega
• Torontes
• Pinot grigio
• Vardelho
• Sylvaner
• Chardonnay (Chablis)
 Light body white

• Riesling
• Moscato
• Pinot Blanc
• Vinho Verde
• Albarino
• Etc.
 Sweet wine (dessert)
• Is made by leaving the grape
on the vine beyond the usual
harvest time (late harvest)
• Sweet Wines are full-bodied
style. Best enjoyed after a period
of bottle maturation
• Grape Varieties :
- Gewurztraminer
- Muscat
- Riesling
- Semillon, etc
 White Wine How-To
• Harvesting
• Crushing
• Pressing
• Fermentation
(stainless or oak)
• Storage (stainless or
oak)
• Bottling
• Bottle Maturation
 Rose wine
• Rose wine is made by
fermenting the juice of red
grapes with the skin
included, but only for short
time. The skin are removed
when the wine has taken on
the desired shade of pink for
that wine
• Grapes varieties:
- Shiraz
- Merlot, etc
 Sparkling Wines
• Sparkling wines are made from both
white and red grape varieties. This is a
wine style, when during fermentation
process, CO2 produced is trapped in
the wine.
• Grape varieties:
- Chardonay
- Pinot noir
- Pinot meunier
Example: Champagne.
 Sweetness Level
sparkling wine
• Brut Nature 0-3 g/L (no add sugar)
• Extra Brut 0-6 g/L
• Brut 0-12 g/L
• Extra Dry 12-17 g/L
• Dry 17-32 g/L
• Demi Sec 32-50 g/L
• Doux over 50 g/L
 Sparkling How-To
• Harvesting
• Pressing
• Primary Fermentation
• Addition of Sugar and Yeast
• Secondary fermentation in bottle
• Riddling and Disgorging
• Adding Dosage (mix of wine and sugar syrup)
• Corking
 FORTIFIED WINE
• Fortified is wines to which spirit has been
added. (sherry & port)
 Primary Fruit Spectrum
RIESLING
Floral Perfumed Apple Pear Citrus Lime Passionfruit Tropical Fruit
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Asparagus Capsicum Herbaceous Grassy Tropical Fruit
SEMILLON
Herbaceous Straw Grassy Apple Lemon Lime Citrus Passionfruit Tropical Fruit
CHARDONNAY
Cucumber Tobacco Grapefruit Apple Melon Lime Peach Rock Melon Tropical Fruit
PINOT NOIR
Cherry Strawberry Raspberry Plum Stewed Plum
GRENACHE
Floral Spice Raspberry Pepper Plum Stewed Plum Prunes Licorice
MERLOT
Herbaceous Leafy Fruity Perfumed Cherry Raspberry Plum Beetroot Blackcurrant
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Herbaceous Capsicum Tomato Leafy Minty Black Olive Blackcurrant
SHIRAZ
Herbs Spice Raspberry Plum Pepper Black Berry Mulberry Licorice Black Olive Jammy

Earlier Ripening Stage Later Ripening Stage

 Major Wine Producers
• The Old World: France,
Italy, Spain, Portugal,
Germany. Minor: Austria,
Hungary, Switzerland
• The New World: USA,
Argentina, Chile,
Australia, NZ, South
Africa. Minor: Canada,
Israel (kosher wines!!),
Lebanon
 Bordeaux
• Red: 1855 Medoc Classification
– Medoc (St Estephe, St Julien,
Margaux, Pauillac, Graves, St
Emilion, Pomerol.
• White: Pessac-Leognan,
Graves (dry), Sauternes,
Barsac, Cadillac, Loupiac
(sweet)
• Grapes: Cab Sauv, Cab Franc,
Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec //
Sauv Blanc & Semillon
 Burgundy
• Chablis (all white), Cote de Nuits &
Beaujolais (mostly Red)
• Grapes: Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
 Champagne
• By sugar level: Brut, Extra Dry, Demi-Sec, Sec,
Doux
• By style: Blanc de Blanc (chardonnay), Blanc de
Noirs (Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier)
• Taittinger, Bollinger, Charles Heidsieck, Piper
Heidsieck, Krug, Laurent-Perrier, Pol Roger,
Louis Roederer, Veuve-Clicquot
 Other Region
• Loire

• Alsace

• Rhone
 Serving Wine
• Table Wine
• Sparkling Wine
• Watch Carefully. Very
Tricky 
 Glass
• The larger the bowl –
more powerful aroma
(as long as the
opening is small
enuff)
• Smaller one for white
wine to keep it cool
longer.
• Confuse? Pick All-
Purpose!
 Temperature
• Higher Temp:
enhance the smell of
stronger flavors,
increase perception of
sweetness, lessen
tannins, increase the
warmth of alcohol
 Temperature Cont’d
• Lower temp: lift more
aromatic aromas,
decrease perception
of sugars, increase
perception of acidity,
accentuate bitterness
 Decanting
• Only to separate
sediments or
crumbles from clear
wine in old one.
• Or for blind tasting.
• Double Decanting
 The Right Order
• Light bodied before Full bodied
• White before Red
• Dry before Sweet
• Young before Old
• But you should be the judge!!
 COMPONENTS OF TASTING
• LOOKING AT THE WINE (OBSRVING
&SWIRLING)
• SMELLING THE WINE (SNIFING)
• TASTING THE WINE
 Observing & Swirling
• Tilt the glass slightly
• Check that the wine is clear (not
hazy)
• Observe the color. Intensity &
Hue
• Look @viscosity. High in alcohol
– droplets of the wine may
present on the side of the glass
(legs)
 Sniffing
• Our sense of smell is
easily fatigue
• Is it smelly?
• Try to recognize the
Aroma, estimate its
intensity
• No one smell, except
for fruit characters,
should dominate
 Tasting
• Slurp a small
amount!! Bottom-up is
a BIG NO-NO!!
• Move the wine around
the mouth
• Experience it! The
Wine should be
balance, but you
should be the judge!
 The Lingo
• Nose/Bouquet:
Overall smell
sensation of the
Wine.
• Aroma: As the wine
matures, the primary
fruit characters are
modified.
 The Lingo
• The Palate: Overall impression of flavors
and basic taste
• Sweetness
• Acidity
• Flavors: At the stage of drinking, no one
flavor except fruit characters should
dominate
 The Lingo
• Balance: Of acidity, sweetness, and
tannins, alcohol, and other different
flavors. It should blend to convey
harmonious flavors, taste, and mouthfeel
sensations without any particular character
dominating.
 The Lingo
• Body: lack of body wine tend to
taste watery (thin). Alcohol also
contribute to the impression of
body.
 The Lingo
• Aftertaste/Length: How long does it linger
in the mouth
• Finish: The sensation of the wine
immediately it is swallowed
• Complexity: It is complex when you can
sense a lot of flavors, and mouthfeel
sensations
 Tasting Notes
• Cabernet-Shiraz, Bin 389 1994 Penfolds
• 7/98. This winner from the great Australian winery cost $60 at the
restaurant. Not too bad for a wine that costs (in a shop!) about $20 in
civilized countries.
COLOR: Dark vibrant garnet color. No clearing around the rim and no
sediment.
NOSE: Assertive fruity and spicy nose. Much more complex than a simple
fruit bomb. Young, but very pleasant.
TASTE: Vibrant and mouthfilling. Feels warm on the palate as most Syrah-
based wines do. Good fruit and winyness though not immensely deep. Very
tasty with a lot of personality.
LENGTH: Medium long discernible and pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied, young and flavorful. Good acidity, fruit
and winyness. Soft tannins and little or no wood. Superbly balanced.
OVERALL: Excellent! Wonderful food wine that will yet improve in a couple
of years.
MARK: 17.5/20. BUY MORE? Yes.
 Tasting Notes
Date:_____________________

Where/With Who: ______________________________

Wine:
_____________________________________________________________________

Price: ______________________

Distributor: _______________________________

Color (5pts):
_____________________________________________________________

Nose (10pts):
_____________________________________________________________

Taste
(15pts):_____________________________________________________________

Length/Finish (10pts):
____________________________________________________

Overall Impression
(10pts):________________________________________________

Total Points ________ plus 50 equals ___________________

Add up your points and then add 50 to that total. Hints on how to rate
a wine ..
Color: clarity, depth .. Nose: balance, complexity .. Taste: balance,
fruit, where
in your mouth ( front,mid,back,all over), heat (alchohol),spice ..
Length/finish:how long,
aftertaste,complexity,layers .. Overall: your general impression of
this wine.
75-80 good, 80-90 above average, 90-95 excellant 95-100 classic
 Cellaring Wine
• Why age wines? To increase their
complexity. It’s a good investment too
• Temp: 12-15oC
• Humidity: 70-80%
• Good ventilation and free from odors
• Darkness & freedom from vibrations
• Should be stored lying down
 Cellaring Wine

Best
Fading

Ready

Bottled Tired

• 85% of the wine in the market are not designed

for long time cellaring
Wine & Food Pairing
 Wine & Food Pairing
• The wine should be at least as full bodied
as the food it accompanies
• Steinman’s Central Premises: The object
of the game is to enjoy the meal.
Therefore, drink the wine you like with the
food you like. All the rest is fine tuning!
 Be Well Informed
• How old
Let’s do the
is it?
label reading!!
• Whoback
The madelabel
it?
• What is it made from?
• Where was it grown?
• How is this lot different from the others?
• How old is it?
• The back label
Bordeaux label
American label
 Contact Us
• GERY LENGKONG

• gery@vinplus.biz

• www.vinplus.biz
Thank You