Online Class: Beginner's Guide to Wine

Unlocking the World of Wine

Wine: a tantalizing elixir, deeply woven into the tapestry of cultures around the world, but often perceived as a labyrinthine subject. This course promises to be your beacon, illuminating the world of wine and ensuring that you navigate it with confidence and joy.

Erase any trepidation you've ever had about understanding wine. Embark on a journey that begins with mastering fundamental wine concepts and terminology, setting a sturdy foundation for the exploration that lies ahead.

Journey through the Vines:

• Global Wine Tour: Traverse the iconic wine regions of France, Italy, and Spain, then extend your voyage to the robust vineyards of the United States, the enchanting wineries of Portugal, Australia's sun-kissed valleys, Austria's scenic wine trails, the ancient vine lands of Greece, and beyond.

• The Art of Tasting: Know what to look for in taste and smell and learn to savor wines like a professional.

• Selecting with Confidence: Whether you're at an upscale restaurant, a local store, or planning a meal at home, gain the expertise to choose the perfect bottle every time.

• Pairing Perfection: Discover the symphony of flavors that can be achieved when wine meets food. From appetizers to desserts, we'll demystify the principles of wine and food pairing.

• From Vine to Glass: Dive deep into the alchemy of winemaking. Grasp the transformative journey of grapes—from the moment they're plucked from the vine until they're elegantly captured in a bottle.

• The Heart of Wine – The Grape: The humble grape, the cornerstone of every wine, holds secrets and stories. Delve into the diverse grape varieties and understand their pivotal role in crafting distinct wines.

Wine, with its myriad flavors, textures, and histories, is one of life's most delightful pleasures. This course ensures that you enjoy it to the fullest, savoring each sip with knowledge and appreciation. So raise a glass to a richer understanding and a world of delightful discoveries!

Courses Frequently Bought Together:

Soap Making 101

Event Planning 101

Etiquette 101

Course Motivation

• Grapes.

• Fermentation.

• Maturation and Aging.

Flavors from Grapes

Not all wine is made from the same grape. There are several species of grapes, and the major species is Vitis vinifera. Winemakers from many countries use this species of grape, both red and white grapes. Another species used, especially in America, is Vitis labrusca, which is grown mostly in New York, and other East Coast and Midwest states. Then, there are hybrids, which use grapes from both species. 

The grape's characteristics, or its varietal character, have a big influence on the grape's flavor. Varietal character, often simply called varietal, is the term used to describe the usual or an expected taste of a grape. For example, black grapes with thick skins tend to produce wines high in tannin, a natural preservative that is found in a grape. The Riesling grape is another example; they tend to produce highly aromatic wines that smell like oranges. One of the challenges of any winemaker is to try to use the characteristics of the grapes (or a combination of grapes) to produce a desired taste and aroma.

Grapes, like any other plant, will react to different climates and growing conditions. You certainly would not try to grow bananas, for example, in a cool climate. Similarly, certain types of grapes need specific climate conditions. There are limitations on where grapes can be grown, with the amount of sun being one of the most important considerations. The sun ripens the grapes, which gives them their sugar content. Sugar is an essential ingredient in the winemaking process.

Red grapes need a longer growing season than white grapes, so red grapes are usually planted in warmer locations. In cooler regions, such as northern France and Germany, you will see many white grape vineyards. Soil type is another aspect that experts believe affect the flavor of wine. In the Burgundy region or France, for example, Chardonnay grapes are grown in soil rich in limestone and many people think that wine from this region takes on a flavor similar to wet river pebbles. 

Grape Harvests

Grapes are picked (harvested) when they reach the proper sugar/acid ratio for the style of wine. This is an extremely important concept to understand about wine. As grapes ripen, their sugar content will increase. Winemakers will harvest their grapes at very specific times to get the right amount of sugar they want in the wine production process. Grapes will taste very tart in early summer, but they will be very sweet as they ripen. Weather will certainly have an effect on the flavor of the grape. For example, too much rain right before harvest will swell the grapes with water, which will dilute the grape's juice. This is why many wine enthusiasts often talk about how a certain year's wine might be better than other years; they are referring to the vintage. A vintage 2000, for example, might be better than a vintage 1995, even though the wine was produced from the grapes of the same vineyard. Many factors are considered, some grape harvests are better than others are, and sometimes the factors are out of the control of the winemakers (in the example of weather).

Grape Ripeness

Although weather and other factors are considered when determining the quality of a vintage, the most important element is the ripeness of the grape. Choosing the perfect time to harvest the grapes is an art. An art that has been perfected over hundreds of years of experimentation and study. 

When grapes are ripe, they contain higher level of sugar, which translates to higher levels of alcohol in the fermentation process, which is discussed below. Riper grapes tend to produce wine with more body, a heavier wine, with a more hearty taste and aroma. Grapes that have not ripened enough will result in a failed attempt at fermentation. Some corrective measure might be taken by a winemaker to minimize  problems with harvesting, but sometimes it is not possible to salvage a poor harvest.

Fermentation is the process by which grape juice turns into wine.That is, when you mix the right amount of sugar and yeast, and let these two elements be combined for a certain amount of time, they will turn into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Pure biochemistry governs this process. Fermentation begins when the grapes have been crushed and ends when all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. If the alcohol level reaches 15 percent (30 proof), it will actually start to kill the yeast, which means that most wines will not reach a level above 15 percent alcohol since the fermentation process requires both yeast and sugar.

Sugar is naturally present in a grape, and yeast occurs naturally.. However, modern winemakers do not always use this natural yeast. Some winemakers will use laboratory created yeast to achieve a certain style in their wine. 

Fermentation contributes greatly to the flavor of wine. The temperature of the fermentation will determine how long it takes for the sugar to turn into alcohol, as little as less than one week, to as much as several months. The temperature of the fermentation will often affect the taste of the wine. One other important consideration is where the wine is fermented. Wine can be fermented in stainless steel containers, for example, or, oak barrels, or vats. Wine fermented in oak vats might take on a slight oak flavor, which is considered favorably by many wine enthusiasts.

Of course, picking the grapes off the vine is the first step in the fermentation process. Careful attention is paid to packing them so that they are not crushed. The moment they are crushed, fermentation begins, but winemakers do not want fermentation to begin until the right moment. The grapes are brought in from the vineyard and put onto a conveyor belt to remove sticks, branches, and other unwanted elements from the harvest. The next decision is whether to remove the stems. Leaving the stems on will result in a certain flavor. White grapes are almost also de-stemmed, but many red grapes are not.

Next, the grapes are crushed, however, red and white grapes are handled differently. Grape skins contain elements that are essential to a wine's taste, but they also contain tannin, which causes bitterness. A certain amount of tannin is fine, but for white wine especially, tannin is not a desirable element. So, after crushing, white grape juice (or "must" as it is called at this point in the process), is usually "pressed," which separates the juice from the skins. The color of wine comes primarily from the grape skin, not the grape's contents. Therefore, it is possible to make white wine from a red grape, if that grape has a white skin.

Alcohol Content

The alcohol content of a wine will affect flavor. The more alcohol there is, the fuller the wine will taste. Alcohol has a fuller density than water (actually the density of alcohol is usually less than water), a wine with a higher alcohol content will taste heavier and fuller. The term "body" is used to describe this fullness. A wine is said to have a full or a light body.