Wine and Geology Tours

The Basics of “Good Wine” Choosing a good wine is completely subjective. How each person defines a good wine is unique to them and their taste buds. Whether you prefer delicate, bold, sweet, tart or even spicy flavors, it is possible to find a wine tasting experience you adore. These essential characteristics that define each variety of wine tasting events can be helpful to keep in mind as you navigate picking a bottle. ·          Sweetness: Wine labels often use the terms “sweet,” “semi-sweet” or “dry.” A dry wine will not be sweet at all. ·          Acidity: Wines with high acidity will be more tart, whereas low-acidity wines will taste rounder or richer. ·          Tannin: Tannin are phenolic compounds in the skins of grapes. When tannin's are naturally present in the wine making process or added through ageing, the wine will have a more bitter taste. Because tannin's also tend to dry out your mouth, people often confuse the tannin level with the "d

1. Look If you are going to winecountry vacation then check out the color, opacity, and viscosity (wine legs). You don’t really need to spend more than 5 seconds on this step. A lot of clues about a wine are buried in its appearance, but unless you’re tasting blind, most of the answers that those clues provide will be found on the bottle (i.e. the vintage, ABV and grape variety). 2. Smell When you first start smelling wine, think big to small. Are there fruits? Think of broad categories first, i.e. citrus, orchard, or tropical fruits in whites or, when tasting reds, red fruits, blue fruits, or black fruits. Mainly getting too specific or looking for one particular note can lead to frustration. So, broadly, you can divide the nose of a wine into three primary categories: ·          Primary Aromas are grape-derivative and include fruits, herbs, and floral notes. ·          Secondary Aromas come from winemaking practices. The most common aromas are yeast-derivative