The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Wine
From developing your taste to perfect pairings, we got you.
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The Wide World of Wine - From developing your palate to pairing with the right foods, the wide world of wine can seem a bit overwhelming to budding connoisseurs. Read our beginner's guide and you’ll gain an understanding and confidence about purchasing your favorite vinos. Cheers! By Patrice Peck(Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)
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Red Wine - There are five fundamental groups of wine—red, white, rosé, sparkling and fortified—each of which have hundreds of different grape varieties and winemaking styles. Red wine is a still wine (free of carbon dioxide) made from black grapes that produce flavors ranging from bone-dry to sweet.(Photo: Pia Ulin/JohnÈr Images/Corbis)
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White Wine - Made from white grapes (although black grapes are sometimes used), white wine is a still wine with flavors spanning from light and zesty to rich and creamy. (Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery)
Photo By Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
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Rosé Wine - There are two ways rosé is typically made. The pink and orange colored wines are produced by removing the skins from black grapes before processing. On the other hand, some rosés are made by blending white and red wines together. Expect both dry and sweet flavors from this still wine.(Photo: kati/imageBROKER/Corbis)
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Sparkling Wine - If you’re looking for a bottle of bubbly, look no further than sparkling wine. The method to create this style involves a secondary fermentation causing effervescent properties, like bubbles. As for color, sparkling wine can be white, red or rosé. Flavor-wise, it can range from having slight mineral notes to rich and sweet.(Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Matrix)
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Fortified Wine - The making of these wines involves spirits. While the best known fortified wines are dessert wines, dry-style fortified wines, such as dry Sherry, also exist.(Photo: Danilo Calilung/Corbis)
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Sweetness Levels - Knowing what you like will help to make your wine exploring adventures much more enjoyable. When it comes to levels of sweetness, most wines can be produced from dry to sweet. Sweet wines have the most amounts of unfermented sugars and, unless fortified, contain less alcohol. Only a small amount of sugar resides in semi-sweet wines to complement the beverage’s acidity or aromatics. Dry wines lack sweetness because all of the grape sugars are fermented into alcohol during the winemaking process. (Photo: Dean Mitchell/Getty Images)
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Primary Fruit Flavors - Wines are usually identified through primary fruit flavors. Some wines, like Pinot Noir and Merlot, have dominant red fruit flavors, such as cherry or raspberry. Other wine varieties, like Malbec and Shiraz, contain dark fruit flavors such as black currant or plum. Identifying fruit flavors in a wine can help you better determine and define your preferences.(Photo: Thinkstock Images/Getty Images)
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Tastes - In terms of taste, look for spicy wines if you want a more acidic or alcoholic taste. If you prefer a more smooth or lush drink, then reach for one with the word “round” in the description; they have a more balanced acidity on the finish. Wines high in tannin, a naturally occurring acid found in grapes, have a thickness and density to them and leave a dried-out sensation in your mouth.(Photo: Monashee Frantz/GettyImages)
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Food Pairing: Regional - While it’s not a foolproof method, pairing wines and foods from the same region is almost always a good match. So, if you’re planning an authentic Italian meal, then go for an Italian wine. Simple!(Photo: Image Source/GettyImages)
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Food Pairing: Bitter + Fat - High tannin wines and fatty foods elevate one another, making for a pretty mouthwatering meal. The classic steak and red wine pairing is the perfect example of this.(Photo: Image Source/Corbis)
