by Abhijit Dey
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is a very popular type of red grape. It is widely used for wine production around the world. It shares the top position with Chardonnay which is a green skinned grape species. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely cultivated in almost every wine-producing regions of the world. This grape variety needs a lengthy growing season to be ripened properly but the major shortcoming of this particular grape is - it yields very low. The Cabernet Sauvignon berries have very tough skin which guards it from different diseases and wastage and provides it power to put up with the autumn rains. Due to these particular properties and excellent aroma, Cabernet Sauvignon has become world wide popular. The best growing places for Cabernet Sauvignon are in semi-arid regions, accommodating a lengthy-growing season with well-drained and not-high-fertile soils and with moderately warm climate. The best examples of Cabernet Sauvignon producing areas are Sonoma Country's Alexander Valley, wide areas of Napa Valley and Paso Robles area of Central Coast. Like any other imperial wine grape categories, Cabernet Sauvignon is also of the Vitis vinifera species. According to the genetic science, it is the resultant effect of a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. This particular grape is used in almost every Bordeaux wines. Numerous red wines are compiled with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, such as Red Bordeaux which is considered as world greatest red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon acquired the top place in America's popular red wines chart in early-60s. It snatched the first place from "burgundy" and till now it is the "numero uno" of American wine lover's list. The Cabernet Sauvignon grape has thick skin which results high tannin in wine. This gives the wines structure and ageability. This property with frequent aroma and a lucrative finish also tends to lack mid-palate richness and it is often mingled with less tannin, but "pulpy" taste grapes; such as Merlot and Shiraz or Syrah which are found especially in Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon deals with a wide range of aromas and flavours. This aims to the floral aspect when it not totally rips with capsicum, but when it rips - it biases to the flavour of blackcurrant. In California and Chilean cabernet, the flavours of mint or eucalyptus are found. It has a nice aroma. In the old wines it was characterised with black current, violets and spice smells. In the new world wines the flavours of chocolate, ripe jammy berries, oak are also found in addition to that old days flavours. Cabernet Sauvignon tastes lively in the mouth and is full of richness, but it is little bit acidic.
Merlot
Merlot is a variety of grape which is known as a close cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is used to make red wines, which are very famous in the wine lovers' fraternity. It has low tannins and produces fast matured and soft textured wines. It is often mingled with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften the taste. Wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon are generally very soft, smooth for throat and rich in taste. On the contrary, wines made from Merlot are very dry but thin in texture and not very soothing to absorb. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot needs cooler places to be matured. As Merlot is very easily affected by fungus and mold diseases, it is very difficult to grow. Merlot grape achieved its first success in the Saint Emilion and Pomerol areas of Bordeaux. The example of Merlot derived wine is Chateau Petrus. Merlot grape generally has ripe berry element. Merlot wines are generally contained in Bordeaux bottle which is high shouldered. Merlots can be aged for long but generally are ready to absorb in 4 to 8 years. Usually Merlot should be served little below of room temperature. This is due to the reason that if the temperature reaches 74 degrees Fahrenheit, then the alcohol gets an unpleasant sharp taste and becomes very much pungent. To avoid this problem, Merlot can be stored in refrigerator for 20 to 25 minutes. In the last decade of 20th century Merlot achieved its fame, this happened due to the Merlot-based Pomerols and Saint Emilions in Bordeaux. Merlot needs cool, damp, clay soil to be grown. It rips earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Basically Merlot was regarded as a blending grape, but now it has found its place in the upfront of the wine world. It is massively cultivated in East Europe and California. It has also immensely breeds in Chile, where it is the second most popular grape. But it seems that Merlot is mostly honoured in California. It has flavour like bell pepper and blackcurrant and also can be found in chocolate and spicy flavours. As Merlot has soft texture, which helps it to have a titillating plumy, fruity flavour and very delicate smoothness, it gets more acceptability than Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is less discrete and little bit flowery in aroma and flavour. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, it is not much acidic. So it is more tasteful.
Chardonnay
The Chardonnay grape is an eminent white wine growing all around the world. This is the most popular white wine. The taste and flavours of Chardonnay are depending upon the origin location and processing methods. It yields a variety of flavours and styles. It is the major grape type in Champagne along with Pinot Noir. Due to its versatile flavours and styles, it expanded like a bush fire in Europe and in other parts of the world such as California, Australia and New Zealand. As the wine makers paid attention in Chardonnay, it grew well in Chile and South Africa. As it is non-aromatic type, it is compatible with oak. French and American Chardonnay are the richest and complex whites. Although it has fatigue, but its wonderful flavours, richness will keep it popular for a long time. The original recognition of Chardonnay comes from its boom in the Burgundy and Champagne area of France. Although it is labelled that White Burgundy is made from a less known grape Aligote, but the fact is White Burgundy can't be prepared without Chardonnay grape. Chardonnay grapes are green-skinned and very thin skinned. According to the genetic science, it is the resultant of cross between Pinot and the Croatian Gouais Blanc grape. Although these two species are extinct, but Chardonnay is still popular. Chardonnay grapes are generally fermented and aged in oak barrels, which yields the vanilla flavours in the wines. Chardonnay can also be fermented and aged in bottles, but it will not age as long as red wines. As the Chardonnay wines are generally considered chilled, it clicks very well with chicken preparations and dishes with a lots of butter or cheeses. Chardonnay wines usually have less acid so it can match with seafood. In America it is made by the malolactic fermentation with some oak. If it is fermented without oak, a soft wine will be produced with some mineral flavours. If it is aged with oak then the resultant wines will have caramel, vanilla and butter flavours with a blend of Smokey aroma. Chardonnay is also used to make Champagne; the example of 100% Chardonnay Champagne is Blanc de Blanc. Furthermore, Chardonnay can be used to make some sparkling wines. Chardonnay is now eighth-ranked in world chart of grape cultivation with estimated planting areas of 140,000 hectares. It is planted mostly in Australia, Italy, France and America. Its popularity has caused a repercussion from some wine lovers, who do not like any wine but Chardonnay. This causes the monopoly of Chardonnay in the wine market.
Pinot Grigio
The Italian counterpart of Pinot Gris grape from France is commonly known as Pinot Grigio. It is very famous in California wine culture. Pinot grigio is a great wine. It acts as an appetizer and is served with lighter dishes. Its Californian counterpart is more biased towards fruit flavours than the Italian one. This wine is very smooth and light, with lots of floral aromas. It is crispy due to its acidic texture. It should be served chilled to have the full freshness and taste. It is smoky and spicy. The colour of this wine is slightly copper-colour. It is found in delicate spicy and occasionally oily texture.
It is one of the main dry, white wines of the world, but it is produced in some deliciously sweet and delicate styles. It is very age worthy and smooth wine. This wine is grown in many places but with different names like - Grauburgunder or Ruländer in Germany, Szürkebarát in Hungary, Pinot Gris in France and is moderately fashionable in New Zealand.
The flavours available in this wine are pear and white melon, peach, with a touch of sweet citrus. The best-suited food supplements with Pinot Grigio are - including Mediterranean, Italian, casual salads, seafood, and cheeses, spicy Latin, Thai and Chinese dishes.
The contents of Pinot Grigio are: Alcohol 13%, Acidity: 0.68, Residual Sugar: 0.60, Water: 80% and flavour elements: 6%.
About the Author
Abhijit Dey for http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com Read more about Wines http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com/by_type01a2.html Copyright 2006 http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com