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An Introduction To Chardonnay

Chardonnay grape is the most popular type of white wine, found all over the world. The flavor, taste, and aroma of it will though, depending on where it was made and what processing methods were used. Chardonnay has a variety of different styles and flavors, and remains a major type of grape. As a result of it’s popularity, this fine wine spread throughout Europe and other locations of the world. As more and more wine makers discovered Chardonnay, the fine wine began to grow quite well in South Africa and other areas as well. With it being a non aroma type wine, oak seems to work very well with it. The richest and most complex are American and French Chardonnay, which are also among the most preferred white wines.

Chardonnay originated from the Burgundy and Champagne area of France. Although white Burgundy is a popular wine that is prepared with Aligote, a lesser known grape, the fact remains that white Burgundy can’t be made without the use of Chardonnay grape. What this goes to show, is that Chardonnay grapes have more than a few uses. In appearance, Chardonnay grapes are green in color with thin skins. The grape is a result of the Pinot and Croatian Blanc grape, which are extinct to this day. Chardonnay on the other hand is still popular, fermented and aged using oak barrels that help to bring out the vanilla flavor the wine is well known for. Almost all Chardonnay wines are considered to be chilled, making them work extremely well with dishes that contain butter and cheeses. The wines also have less acid content as well, which makes them work well with seafood as well.

The Chardonnay grape can also be used in making Champagne and other types of sparkling wines. Although Chardonnay wine is the most popular use, there are several other uses for the grape that lead to some truly fine wines. You can find it at any wine or alcohol store – making it a great addition to your wine or drink collection, said the author who’s a lawyer in Auckland. He used to own a shop trading in baby clothes and cosmetics.

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Varieties of Wines and Becoming Familiar With Wine Values

There are a number of points towards refining your taste for wine and enhancing your judgment as to what makes a good wine. Naturally, one being wine is made from fermented grape juice. But you should know a few other things, such as the grape varieties wines are made from and the process of wine making itself.

There are many different kinds of wines, and the more commonly known ones – red, white, rose and champagne – are only a few of many. Wines are usually classified according to the grape varieties they are made from. One grape variety, the Barbera, is often used for red wine. This variety is grown mainly in Piedmont, Italy, but is quite adaptable to other regions, and is also grown on a limited scale in the United States. Barbera grapes have a high natural acidity and produce wines with a full-bodied fruity taste.

A Few Varieties of Wine

There is a vast selection when choosing one of the many varieties of wine. Wine enthusiasts know about one variety that is widely grown in many parts of the world: Cabernet Sauvignon. Grown primarily in Medoc, France, this grape variety has found its way to California, Australia and other wine-making countries. Wine enthusiasts would consider Cabernet Sauvignon wines to be among the best red wines in the world. They have a distinct aromatic flavor, and have hints of the taste of berries, olives, coffee, mint and herbs all blended together. One of the most popular white wine varieties and producing some of the world’s finest, is the Chardonnay. The types and varieties are overwhelming at times, but you soon become familiar with the wine values.

A basic understanding of the wine-making process is important to a wine enthusiast especially if he intends to go into wine production, if only for his personal use. Wine making is really quite simple and is an age-old technology. One does not need very sophisticated equipment in order to make wines.

To start you have to know what type of grapes to use and where they are grown, the right age for picking, and things like acidity and sugar levels. If you want a particular aromatic flavor, you should be able to tell which grapes will produce that kind of flavor. After the picking of the grapes, comes the pressing to extract the juices, and then the fermentation process.

The fermentation process is quite delicate. It involves adding yeast to the juice in order to stimulate the fermentation process. In simple terms, fermentation is the conversion of the sugar in the juice into alcohol. The success of your grape juice turning into good wine, is the kind of yeast used and the absence of any contaminants getting into the mixture during the entire process.

There is so much more to knowing the difference between a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the knowledge to the types of wine available is a small start for the wine enthusiast.

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Winemaking at Home Made Easy and Fun – Fermenting Wine

Brewing our own wine at home is really simple and easy. http://www.wandillawine.com

Here are 2 six gallon batches fermenting in the closet under the stairs.

Six gallons of Pinot Grigio and six gallons of Cabernet/Merlot blend.

Duration : 0:0:54

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Winemaking – Homemade Wine Makes a Great Gift

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This first video is Wanda talking about what we did with the first few gallons of wine we made. She embled all the materials and designed and ordered the custom items for the gift packages we gave for Christmas last year.

Some receipients have called us a couple of months later to praise the wine and express disbelief that it was made at home. That’s how good the wine these kits produce is.

Duration : 0:0:21

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Making Wine at Home From Kits – Part 3+ – The Secondary Ferm

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The secondary fermenters under the stairs.

Duration : 0:0:58

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Making Wine at Home From Kits Part 2+ – It’s Fermenting

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Two batches of wine, six gallons each fermenting in the closet under our stairs.

Complete steps of making wine easy and cheap will posted in a series of videos.

These two batches are a Cabernet Merlot blend and a Pinot Grigio.

These wines are made from wine kits.

Duration : 0:0:55

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Making Wine at Home From Kits – Part 3 – Transfer 1

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The primary fermentation is complete. We’ve brought the primary fermentation bucket out from under the stairs and will rack (transfer) the wine to carboys for the secondary fermentation.

Duration : 0:5:23

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Making Wine at Home From Kits Part 2 – Mix It Up

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Opening the kit and mix up the ingredients for the primary fermentation stage.

Duration : 0:8:36

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Making Wine at Home From Kits Part 1 – Equipment

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A video detailing the equipment needed to make wine at home from kits.

Duration : 0:4:53

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Making Wine From Kits Part 4 – Stabilizing the Wine

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Part 4 in the series of making wine at home from kits.

Duration : 0:6:39

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