Each person has a different taste. Even the wines that everyone drinks may not be as delicious.
If you are not familiar with wine or you are new to wine, you may find it difficult to find a wine that suits you.
So this time, for wine beginners, I would like to introduce how to choose a delicious wine that suits you. Please refer to the selection of wine.
■ Let's start with the royal road varieties!
There are so many kinds of wine in a bite, and wine beginners don't really know which one to choose. For such people, it is recommended that you first drink the royal road varieties of red wine and white wine and find the one that best suits your taste.
There are several royal road varieties in red wine and white wine, so let's feel the difference in taste for each variety.
● What is the royal road variety of red wine?
The varieties that can enjoy the standard taste among red wines are called “Cabernet Sauvignon”. Cabernet Sauvignon is characterized by its dark color, firmness and richness, and you can feel the royal taste of red wine.
If you like the rich taste of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is recommended because it has a richer, richer fruit than Cabernet Sauvignon. On the other hand, if you feel that the taste of Cabernet Sauvignon is too thick, we recommend the “Pinot Noir”, which has less tannins, a bit of astringency and a light taste. In the case of red wine, it is recommended for wine beginners to find their favorite taste based on Cabernet Sauvignon.
Other than the above three varieties, "Schiller" and "Cabernet Franc" are famous. “Schiller” is characterized by a deeper flavor of Merlot, and “Cabernet Franc” is characterized by a more readable taste of Pinot Noir.
● What is the royal road variety of white wine?
The world's most famous white wine variety is Chardonnay. Chardonnay is so famous that you probably have heard it even if you are not very familiar with wine. Chardonnay has a good balance between sourness and sweetness, and is the first varieties you should drink in the process of finding your favorite white wine.
If you want a more fruity taste after drinking Chardonnay, we recommend “Riesling”, which features an elegant sweetness derived from grapes in a crisp acidity. If you want a more refreshing taste, we recommend Sauvignon Blanc, which features a refreshing aroma of herbs and citrus fruits and a sharp acidity.
Other than the above three varieties, “Kewarz Traminer” and “Koshu” are famous. “Kewarz Traminer” is characterized by a sweeter taste of Riesling, and “Koshu” is characterized by a refreshing taste of Sauvignon Blanc.
The first step in finding your favorite wine is to search for “Cabernet Sauvignon” for red wine and “Chardonnay” for white wine.
■ Single wine or blend wine?
The wines can be broadly divided into 2 types of “single wine” and “blend wine”. A single wine is a wine made from 1 types of grapes and is also called “varietal wine”. There are many things that are easy to understand and useful to find the taste you like by comparing the varieties.
Blended wine, on the other hand, is a wine made by blending multiple grape varieties, and has become mainstream in France and Italy, which are famous for wine-producing countries. Taste that cannot be extracted with 1 grapes alone can be produced. The manufacturing process is more complex than a single wine, and the winemaker's skill has a major impact on quality. Blend wine is indispensable to know the depth and fun of wine.
● How to distinguish between single and blended wines
There is no mention of “single wine” or “blend wine” on the wine label. For this reason, it is difficult to distinguish between wine beginners. Single wine and blended wine can be easily distinguished by looking at the following three points.
・ Production area
In countries such as the United States, Chile, Australia, and Japan, where wine has a relatively short history, it is the mainstream to make wine with a single variety. On the other hand, blend wines are the mainstream in France, Italy and Spain. Let's check which country is the place of production.
·label
Since a single wine often has a variety name written on the label, it can be determined that a single wine has a grape variety name. In addition, there are many relatively simple labels and difficult terms are not often used, so it is easy to read. There are many labels that use original illustrations and photographs to create originality.
The label of the blended wine is not clearly marked with the name of the varieties because multiple grape varieties are used. Since the grape variety name cannot be written on the label, the main characteristic of the blend wine label is that the name of the place of production is written on a large scale or a rating is drawn.
·price
Single wines are often made in emerging wine countries, so you can get them at a relatively reasonable price. On the other hand, blended wines are often made with great care in the wine powers and are often expensive. Of course, there are single wines that are expensive and blended wines that are cheap, so it's hard to say, but remember that the price is a big clue.
If you want an easy-to-understand taste, “single wine” is recommended. If you want to touch the taste of the royal road, “blend wine” is recommended.
■ Old World Wine or New World Wine?
Some of you may have heard the words “Old World” or “New World” in wine selection.
In the world of wine, the area where wine has been made for a long time is sometimes referred to as the "old world", and the area where winemaking history is still short is called the "new world".
The points you pay attention to when choosing between the “old world” and “new world” wines vary greatly. From here, I would like to introduce the difference in how to choose between “Old World” and “New World” wines.
● Points to choose old world wine
When choosing wines from the old world, focus on the “origin” rather than the grape varieties. Old world wines often have varieties of varieties blended by the creators, and there is no mention of the varieties. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the “production area”.
Old world wines vary in how they are made and brewed in different regions of the same country. The more detailed the production area, the higher the quality and individuality. If you want to choose a highly rated wine, choose one that has a detailed production area.
● Points to choose new world wine
New world wines have many single varieties, and the flavors of grape varieties appear in the wines. Therefore, even beginners can easily find their favorite wine. The point of choosing a new world wine is very simple, and it is okay if you judge by variety.
Choose “Cabernet Sauvignon” for Chile, “Sauvignon Blanc” for New Zealand, and “Chardonnay” for American.
Please enjoy the taste of both old and new world wines!
■ Let's choose according to the climate of the production area!
The personality of wine depends greatly on the climate of the land where it is grown. Therefore, the taste of wine can be roughly estimated by the climate alone.
In general, when grapes are warm, they are easy to ripen and have a high sugar content and high alcohol content. When cold, the sugar content does not increase so much that the acidity is high and the taste is refreshing.
For this reason, dark red wines such as Spain and Chile produce black grapes that are easy to grow and have a strong and astringent red wine, while white grapes grow well in cool regions such as Alsace and Germany. Is built.
● Let's check the taste of different wines in the production area!
Based on the above, I would like to confirm the taste of wines that differ in the production area. Here are four flavors and recommended wines.
1: Red wine
We recommend you choose a powerful and pleasing red wine from the warmer regions of Italy, France, Rhone, and the New World located in the Southern Hemisphere. Specifically, the following five are recommended.
・ "Zinfandel" (USA)
・ "Shirers" (Australia)
・ "Cabernet Sauvignon" (Bordeaux)
・ Neppiolo (Italy)
・ Tempranillo (Spain)
2: Red wine with less astringency
If you don't like the astringency unique to red wine, we recommend red wines from Burgundy, Germany, and New Zealand, which are relatively cool areas. Specifically, the following four are recommended.
・ "Pinot Noir" (Burgundy)
・ "Cabernet Franc" (Loire)
・ "Muscat Berry A" (Japan)
・ "Zweigert" (Austria)
3: Sharp sour white wine
If you want to drink a crisp, sour wine, cool white wine is recommended. Specifically, the following five are recommended.
・ "Riesling" (Alsace)
・ "Sauvignon Blanc" (New Zealand)
・ "Grüner Veltliner" (Austria)
・ "Pino Grigio" (Italy)
・ "Chardonnay" (Hokkaido)
4: Fruity and rich white wine
If you like a rich white wine that feels fruity and sweet, we recommend wines made in Chile, the United States, Australia, and South Africa that have a cool side due to the influence of mountains and ocean currents, even though they are warm. Specifically, the following five are recommended.
・ Chardonnay (Chile)
・ Semiyon (Bordeaux)
・ "Viognier" (Côte du Rhône)
・ "Shenan Blanc" (South Africa)
・ "Moskirt" (Italy)
Wine is a drink that is greatly affected by the climate of the region of origin, so please take a look at the differences due to the climate of the region of origin.
Basic knowledge you should know if you are a wine connoisseur: Production area
■ Introducing 3 steps you want to practice to enjoy wine!
You cannot fully enjoy the charm of wine by simply pouring it into a glass and drinking it. When drinking wine, it is important to use “taste”, “sight” and “olfaction”. From here, I would like to introduce three steps that I would like you to practice in order to enjoy wine more.
● Step 1: Check the color of the wine through the light!
Before drinking wine poured into a glass, first of all, let's take a closer look at the color, tint, and transparency. The taste and taste of wine can be understood from its color, so please try it when you drink wine.
● Step 2: Turn slowly and enjoy the scent!
The aroma of wine is also called “aroma”, and it varies from fresh fruit aromas to enchanting bewitching aromas. It is good to check with your nose close to the glass, but if you don't understand the fragrance, please place it on a table and turn it slowly. Since wine has the feature that it makes it easier to feel by opening the scent when exposed to air, I think you can understand the scent more.
Let's enjoy the wine from the scent before drinking to the scent that spreads after being put in the mouth.
● Step 3: Taste the wine with your whole tongue!
If you have a wine in your mouth, don't swallow it right away, let's taste it a little. The method of tasting is very simple, just chew lightly with the image of the wine soaked in the entire tongue. By doing so, you can feel the balance and individuality of the whole wine.
The scent of the nose and the lingering taste and scent after swallowing are also unique to the wine, so be sure to thoroughly enjoy it.
You can enjoy the wine more simply by practicing the above three steps.
■ Let's buy "2000 yen or more" wine on days when you really want to have a delicious wine!
The price of wine is a concern when purchasing wine. Some people may want to start with something reasonable at first.
The price range of wine ranges from those that can be purchased for around 1000 yen to those that cost over 3 10,000 yen. The cheaper the wine, the simpler the taste, and the higher the price, the more complex the taste. Therefore, generally speaking, high wine is not delicious.
However, on special days when you really want to have a delicious wine, we recommend a minimum of 2000 yen.
2000 yen is the price that comes into the middle zone when wine is divided by price. Therefore, you can definitely enjoy a wine that meets a certain quality.
● Three reasons for the high price of wine
There is of course a reason for expensive wine. There are three reasons why wine prices are high:
1: Because there are limited places where good quality grapes can be picked
Grape growth depends on various factors such as sunlight, land slope, and soil quality. Therefore, even in the same production area and winery, the place where good quality grapes can be picked is determined to some extent, and the amount of wine that can be made is limited.
2: Grapes must be thinned out to improve quality
Grapes get more and more fruit when left untreated and less nutrients are distributed. Therefore, you can't make high-quality grapes unless you deliberately reduce the number and concentrate your nutrition.
3: Because supply cannot keep up with demand
Of course, the price is high for wines that are low in production despite the large number of people around the world. Wines made by famous wineries and international competitions are attracting attention and tend to be expensive.
■ Summary
This time, we introduced how to choose delicious wine that suits you.
The wine world feels like a threshold, but it never happens. If you are a wine beginner, you can always find a wine that suits your mouth by drinking this way. Find your favorite wine and start a wonderful wine life!
