Red Wine v. White Wine
The age old deadlock of white wines v. red wines! Common knowledge prevails in the way when the people say that wine come from grapes, but how is it converted to red and white wines and what are the secrets to the magic of a winemaker to convert the humble grape into a sparkling wine?, how is it possible that two products of the same nature age differently?
The start of the wine begins with the crushing of the grapes, after picking, to let them age they are then stored in barrels make of oak or huge vats of steel, to flavor the wine, oak chips are added quite a few times.
The aging process mainly consists of interplay between the tannins, acids and the sugars. The aging period of wine is enhanced due to the presence of tannins which also is a perfect antioxidant and also acts as a preservative, also the oxidation period is delayed due to the presence of tannins and of course the much talked about tannins provide a new depth to the flavor of the wine.
Other factors affecting the aging period are
- amount of light
- temperature of storage
- alcohol content
when the temperatures are cool and do not fluctuate too much, that is the ideal temperature to slow the process of the aging of the wine, thus making it more complex to the tongue and moves towards a delicate aging. Fluctuating temperatures and a lot of light affects the wine in an adverse way making it bitter and more alcoholy in taste.
Red wines can be aged but not the white wine, why?
the reason behind this age old question is that the red wines contain more of the grape skin and exterior which provides it with more tannin than the white wines.
- White wines are made of the inside of the grape, because the inside is white, and as regards the red wine, to give more color and body to the wine, the exterior skin has to be added
- That is the reason why white wines have to be drunk faster and the worlds most aged wines used for the various special occasions are red.
- So, hold your glass up and cheer to the everlasting magic of the world of wines.
For information on calorie count follow this link.
Filed under: Red Wines, White Wines
