Grapes Unlimited




	Now that you've tried everything, try our extraordinary wines. The world's best kept secrets!!! *Wines of Distinction*



*Serving Texas Since 2002*

WINE TASTE DEFINITIONS

SWIRLING:
Before you actually get down to tasting wines, you should practice swirling just to become comfortable
with the act. This is where the shape of the traditional wine glass makes a difference- swirling wine in
your glass helps bring the aroma and flavors up to the surface where they are trapped by the curved
design of the glass. For your initial practice session, try swirling with water. Fill the glass roughly
one-third of the way. Hold the glass parallel to the floor, and use your wrist to make a subtle, circular
motion. The trick is to keep the motion minimal and the glass straight rather than tilted.

WINE COLOUR:
Examining the way the wine look will reveal any obvious flaw, eg. brown colour in either red or white is a
sign of over-oxidation, cloudiness is a sign when the wine is spoiled. However, it is not a good idea to
get hung up on appearances because with break through techniques that the winemakers use
nowadays, there is less chance of this happening. Remember that lighting is as important as it really
show how the wine look under natural or incandescent lighting. Soft light is fine, but if you are in a
romantic candlelight dinner, it will appear brownish.

DRY:
Technically speaking, a "dry" wine is one in which there is no perceptible taste of sweetness (most wine
tasters begin to perceive sugar at levels of 0.5 % to 0.7 %). However, a well made wine can have sweet
aromas, but still taste "dry." In a Red Wine, "dry" generally reflects the influence of tannin, which can
leave one with a slight "pucker" and sensation of dryness on the tongue after tasting. Most of the
"classic" or traditional Red Wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) are dry wines. For White Wines, "dry" is
a more difficult taste to describe, but many of the most popular white wines (Chardonnay, Sauvignon
Blanc, Pinot Grigio) are dry wines - again containing no residual sugar.

SEMI-DRY / SEMI-FRUITY:
Sometimes known as "off dry" or "blush" wines. Refers primarily to wines with just a touch of
sweetness. Both Reds and Whites often have more of a flowery, fruity aroma, and they have a tendency
to be lighter-drinking than a "dry" wine. As the name suggests, these are wines that have a level of
residual sugar which gives them a sweeter or "fruity" taste, without being absolutely sweet like a
Dessert wine, for example.

SWEET:
The term "sweet" is used to describe wines with a high sugar content. In technical terms, it refers to
one of the four basic tastes detected by the sensory nerves of the human tongue. Characteristics are
generally deeply concentrated flavors, sugar and acidity which together provide a good balance. There
are various kinds of fruity wines. They range from some of the world's most famous "dessert" wines
from Sauternes (Château d'Yquem), Germany and Tokay to the sweet "ethnic" wines that have been in
common use for generations.