Wine Tasting 101 is Brought to You By the and and These Great Products Clos Du Bois William Hill Winery Atlas Peak Vineyards Wine Tasting 101 [ Home ] Chapter 1: [ Introduction to WineTasting ] Chapter 2: [ Opening & Decanting Wines ] Chapter 3: [ The Language of Wine ] a.]--The White Wines-- b.]--The Red Wines-- c.]--Champagne, Sparkling Wines & Port-- Chapter 4: [Hosting Your Own Tasting] a.]--Tasting Sheets-- Chapter 5: [ What Have We Learned? ] --Search Our Database of the entire  Kreston Wine & Spirits www.KrestonWines.com Website--

Below we discuss Champagnes, Sparkling wines, and Ports.  A tasting comprised of only Champagne and Sparkling wines can be one of the most fun and most educational of any tasting I've ever attended.  Why are the French Champagnes so much more expensive than just a "Sparkling" wine?  And what about the "Tete de Cuvees," the level of wines represented by the Dom Perignons of the Wine World?  Are they five times as good as their 5x more pricing would suggest?  A tasting of Champagnes and Sparkling wines will answer these types of questions and be a load of fun in the learning.

And a tasting comprised of Ports can be a wonderful wine experience.  Nothing satisfies in cold weather than sitting by the fire with a glass of good Port.  Nor anything quite as wonderful as the cap to a great dining experience.  But what's the difference between the Tawny's and the Late Bottled Vintaged (LBV) and Vintaged Ports?  A tasting constructed of these wines can also be a great and educational wine experience.  And a ton of fun for an interested group of friends.  Kreston's expert wine staff would be happy to construct such an evening's wine choices with and for you. 

For many, Champagne is synonymous with sparkling wine.  But that would be forgetting that the world of wine is dominated by the concept of  "Terroir."  So, in reality, only the sparkling wines from the Champagne region in the northeast of France are rightfully called "Champagne."  And these effervescent wines can be made from three grape varieties:  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  They are usually blended from several vintages, with vintage-dated wines made primarily only in the finest years.  These wines can be white or rose, and although long associated with luxury and celebration, they are also some of the most food-friendly wines in the world.

Unlike any wines discussed to this point, Port is a fortified wine.  This means that during fermentation distilled grape spirits were added to the wine, stopping fermentation and preserving the sweetness from the grapes while boosting the alcohol level.  Ports like the 10- and 20-Year old Tawny are aged in wood barrels vs. Vintage Port's aging in bottles.  The year on these Tawny Ports represents the average age of the blended wines.  These are ready to consume upon release.  Ports such as the single "Quinta" ports and the Vintage dated ports will improve greatly over time and should be allowed to age in the bottle.  This can be anywhere from several years to several decades before drinking.  These older wines almost always require decanting, as discussed earlier. 

[--The White Wines--]        [--The Red Wines--]

   On to [Hosting Your Own Tasting]
                                                                  You Could be the "Toast of the Town!!"

The 4 Constants in Analyzing Any Wine:  Appearance - Bouquet - Taste - Aftertaste
                                                                                                                                                        Look at it          -         Smell it     -      Taste it     -     Think About it!