Types of Wine

Apple Wine (Hard Cider)

Apple cider or juice that has been allowed to ferment.

Served cold or hot as a beverage. Distilled to make apple brandies such as Applejack (an American product) or Calvados (from Normandy, France).

Some people increase the alcoholic content of this drink by allowing it to remain at subfreezing temperatures, then decanting the unfrozen concentrated liquid.

Aromatic Wine

A fortified wine flavored with one or more aromatic plant parts or herbs, such as bark, flowers, leaves, roots, etc.

An aperitif (drink served before a meal to stimulate the appetite) that is best when poured over ice. Mixer for cocktails and similar drinks.

Vermouth is one of the best known types of aromatic wines.

Bordeaux

A wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. May be red, white, or rose.

Served with meals or dessert. Good when chilled slightly and served in elongated Bordeaux glasses.

The best Bordeaux wines come from the districts of Graves, Medoc, Pomerol, St.-Emilion, and Sauternes.

Brandy

Distillate from wine (hence, the characteristics of each product stem from those of the original wine, the type of distillation and the aging process).

After dinner drink. In desserts and other dishes.

Brandy improves when aged in wooden casks, but not when held in a glass bottle.

Burgundy

A wine produced in the Burgundy region of France. May be red, white, or sparkling.

Served with meals.

The best Burgundy wines come from the northern section called Cote d’Or. Pinot Noir is the major grape of Burgundy.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, in Bordeaux, France, California, Chile, Australia and Spain.

Served before dinner, with hard cheeses and with dinner.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is very versatile producing powerful red wines that can age for decades.

Chablis

A dry white wine (with a green-gold tint) from the French town of Chablis.

Served with fish, hors d’oeuvre, seafood, and shellfish.

The best wine for serving with oysters.

Champagne

A sparkling wine that is made by allowing wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes to undergo a second fermentation after a small amount of sugar has been added to the bottle.

An aperitif that is served chilled. However, it may also be served at any time during any meal. A tulip-shaped glass helps to retain the bubbles.

In France, the name Champagne is limited to the sparkling wines produced in the Province of Champagne. Also made in California and New York.

Chianti

Red wine from the Tuscany region of Italy that is remembered as being sold in a round-bottom flask placed in a straw basket. However, the best wine comes in tall bottles that can be binned for aging.

Served with meals, particularly when Italian meat or pasta dishes are served.

The best known Italian wine. There is no Chianti grape. It is a blend made mostly from the Sangiovese grape.

Claret

A dry, red Bordeaux wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Served with or after a meal.

The name Claret is the British term for this type of wine. (Elsewhere, it may be called a red Bordeaux wine.)

Cognac

Brandy that is double distilled from wine made in the Charente district of France.

An after dinner drink.

Cognac is best after it has been long aged in Limousin oak barrels.

Cold Duck

A sparkling wine that is similar to Champagne.

Serve as an aperitif or with meals.

Among the sparkling wines, it is second in popularity to Champagne and accounts for about one-third of the sales of this type of wine.

Concord Wine

A strong flavored, dark red wine made from Concord grapes (a native American variety).

Served with and after dinner.

Most of this wine is produced in New York and Washington State.

Crackling Wines

Wines that are less carbonated then sparkling wines.

An aperitif or dinner wine.

Crackling Burgundy is usually much appreciated, but not always easy to find.

Cream Sherry

A heavy dark-colored, sweetened sherry that is made by a process similar to the one developed in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Served with dessert of after dinner.

Cream sherries from California rival those from Spain.

Dessert Wines

Sweet wine that contains from 15 to 20% alcohol by volume.

Served with dessert of after dinner.

Should be served in small, narrow glasses.

Dry Wines

A wine that is not sweet or sweetened. (In other words, all or most of the natural sugar content has been converted to alcohol).

Serve with of after a meal.

People who have a tendency to develop low blood sugar after eating sweets should stick to dry wines.

Fortified Wine

Wines that have had their natural alcohol content increased by the addition of brandy.

Served with dessert of after dinner.

Should be served in small, narrow glasses.

Honey Wine (Mead)

An ancient type of wine that was made from fermented honey flavored with herbs.

Served with meals.

The use of Mead may predate that of the grape wines.

Light Wines

A wine that has a low alcohol content.

Served with meals.

These wines have enjoyed a recent surge in popularity. A wine containing only 8% alcohol is now being made in California.

Madeira

One of the wines made on the island of Madeira which is located 500 miles (800 km) southeast of the coast of Portugal. The wines range from light and dry to heavy and rich.

Depending upon the type of wine, it may be served at various parts of the meal.

Madeira wines are the longest-live (they keep for many years without deterioration) of any of the wines. Purposely pre-oxidized (madeirized).

May Wine

A light, white Rhine wine that is flavored with the herb sweet woodruff.

Served chilled in a punch bowl with pieces of fresh fruit floating on top.

Good for serving at garden parties or other outdoor types of receptions.

Moselle Wines

Light wines (the alcohol content is usually about 10% or less) made in the valley of the Moselle River in Germany which lies to the west of the Rhine.

Served with lunch or dinner.

The most renowned Moselle wine is Bernkasteler Doktor, because it is reputed to have cured an ailing archbishop. Primarily the Riesling grape.

Mulled Wine

Heated, sweetened, spiced wine served in a cup.

Served during the winter holidays.

Drinking a cup of mulled wine is a quick way to warm up after coming in from the cold.

Muscatel

A sweet fortified wine made from Muscat grapes.

Served with dessert.

Should be served in small, narrow glasses.

Perry
(Pear Wine)

Light wine made from pear juice.

Served with meals.

Among the least expensive wines.

Pinot

Wine made from Pinot grapes.

Starting material for making Champagne. Served with meals.

California Pinot wines rival those of France.

Port

The type of fortified wine that originated in the town of Oporto in Portugal.

Served with dessert of after dinner.

Port wines are now made in countries other than Portugal. Hence, the Epicurean consumer should check the label carefully. Tawny port is aged longer than other port wines.

Pulque

Fermented juice of the agave plant that grows in Mexico and in southwestern U.S.

Used to make Tequila, or used shortly after its preparation because it does not keep well.

A common drink in Mexico.

Red Wines

Wines produced from dark-colored grapes that are fermented together with their skins (which contain most of the color pigments).

Served at meals featuring beef or lamb dishes.

Usually, red wines have a higher iron content than lighter colored wines. Hence, they are best for building up the blood of anemic persons.

Resinated (Greek) Wines

Greek wines that contain a resin which imparts a pine like flavor.

Best when served with mild-flavored main dishes made from fish, pork, or poultry.

Unresinated wines of high quality are also made in Greece.

Rice Wine (Sake)

A Japanese wine made from fermented white rice.

Served with meals at Japanese restaurants. May be served hot.

Although some people consider Sake to be a beer (because it is made from grain), it has an alcoholic content like that of wines.

Riesling

White wine made from the Riesling grape, which is considered to be the finest wine grape grown in Germany.

Served with meals.

Some California and New York Riesling wines rival those in Germany.

Rhine Wines

Wines vary from grapes grown in the Rhine River Valley of Germany. (The wines range from dry and light to rich and sweet.)

Uses depend upon the characteristics of the wine.

The best Rhine wines ate those made from Riesling grapes.

Rose Wines

Rose-colored wines produced by fermenting red grapes allowing skin contact for 3 days or less. The skins are discarded before fermentation.

Served with cold foods and light meals, or when either a red or white might be used.

Pairs well with soft goat cheese.

Sauternes

Wines made in the Sauternes district of Bordeaux, France from grapes withered somewhat by a Botrytis mold that is also called noble “rot”.

Should be served cold at the end of a meal.

Serve in small, narrow glasses. California Sauterne is quite different from French Sauternes.

Sherry

A fortified wine made by a process similar to the one developed in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (Sherries range from pale-colored dry wines to rich, sweet ones.)

Uses depend upon the characteristics of the particular wine.

Sherries are fortified with Brandy after fermentation making them initially dry. Sweetness is added later.

Sparkling Wines

Wines that are bubbly with carbon dioxide gas by virtue of having undergone a second fermentation initiated by the addition of a small amount of sugar.

Accompaniments to any part(s) of a meal.

The consumption of these wines has risen considerably in the United States during the past decades.

Sweet Wines

Fortified wines that contain considerable amounts of unfermented sugars. (The addition of extra alcohol prevents the fermentation of the sugars which are present.)

Served as dessert.

Should be served in a small, narrow glass and consumed cautiously. (Some people become intoxicated more readily on sweet wines than on dry wines.)

Table Wines

Unfortified wines of low to moderate alcoholic content. They usually contain 14% or less of alcohol.)

Served with meals.

A 4 oz. (120 ml.) glass of a table wine contains about ½ oz. (15 ml.) of pure alcohol, which is about the amount that the body of a medium size man can metabolize in an hour.

Vermouth

A fortified wine that is flavored with a variety of aromatic herbs and comes in dry and sweet varieties.

Used in the preparation of Martinis or other cocktails. Sweet Italian Vermouth is often served on ice as an aperitif.

Vermouth mixes well with soda water and/or small amounts of sweet liqueurs.

White Wines

Made by fermenting lighter grapes separated from their skins in order to keep the content of colored pigments low.

Served at meals featuring fish, pork, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or other flavored items.

If two or more different types of wine are to be served, the white wine should be served before the red wine.

Zinfandel

A red wine made from Zinfandel grapes grown in California.

Served at meals featuring beef of lamb dishes.

Red Zinfandels are bold and spicy.