Wine Tips - Interesting Tidbits About Vino

The world of wine is unique amongst drinkable spirits. This uniqueness, however, also can make it an intimidating subject. The following tidbits are designed to take out the intimidation factor.

1. From Grapes to the Bottle – How many grapes does it take to make wine? A lot. A ton of grapes produces just over 700 bottle of wine on average. The specific amount, however, depends on the size of each grape. Bigger ones produce more juice.

2. Grape Vine DNA – Ampelography is the most common way to identify a particular grape vine, but modern science is changing this. Yep, DNA tests are actually being used to identify the specific vines. Can the perfect vine be far away?

3. Low Yield Wines – The yield of a wine refers to the number of grapes grown for the relevant season at the winery. The lower the yield, the more flavor a wine will have.

4. Wine Integration – The balancing of the factors that go into a wine. Integration refers to balance between things such as the acidity, tannin and so on. When one does not stand out, the wine is considered balanced and to have good integration.

5. Wine Alcohol Content – Wine is obviously an alcoholic drink. The alcohol is the result of yeasts processing the natural sugar found in grapes. The more ripe the grapes, the higher the alcohol content.

6. Tannin and Vino – Tannin comes from the skin of grapes. It adds to the sharpness of the wine, particularly red wines. Too much tannin can render a wine overpowering, while to little can render it bland.

7. Fruitiness of a Vintage – Fruitiness refers to the ability of a wine to present an aroma and taste of a particular type. It is a term that refers to young wines. Older wines do not display fruitiness.

8. Fat in Wine – As we grow more health conscious, many wonder if wine is fattening. Well, there is no fat in wine, but calories are there as always. An average glass contains just over 100 calories, about the same as a glass of grape juice.

9. First California Grape – The first wine grape planted in California was mission, named for the missions where it was grown. The first vines were planted in 1779 at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano.

10. Finding Beaujolais Wine – The French Beaujolais wine can be hard to find. Why? The word is not included on the labels. Instead, just the village and producer are.

Wine is one of those things you will either love or not. Few people seem to fall in the middle of the road on the subject. If you find it enticing, then make sure to become an knowledgeable enthusiasts to maximize your wine experience.