PLONK

[dhtaxi]

Duncan I am a fool I have been searching for info on WINE buying books looking up on the tinternet.
Why the hell didnt I ask you.
I am not a great wine drinker YET.
I like beer and single malts but I find I run out of room when I drink beer its nice but very filling.
Because of my alchohol tollerance built up over many years of over indulgence it takes a lot to get me drunk.
So anyway Iv been drinking wine I have no preference I can drink white or red. I dont like sweet I prefer dry I normally buy CHARDONAY. I have worked out there is difference in quality between a cheap bottle and a dearer one.
(NOT TO DEAR)
So educate me start with white what do the names on the bottle mean etc whats the difference between them.
How can you tell a sweet wine from a dry one by reading the label.
Ill be back in a minute just going to re fill my glass.

[DuncaninFrance]

Dave, my dear old thing.............................First Question(S) - Do you want to drink wine as

A) Beer Substitute
B) A means of getting pissed
C) A great addition to food
D) A pleasant companion through the evening from 5pm to midnight
E) A voyage of discovery
E) ALL OF THE ABOVE

Once I know the answers to the above I can probably help you...........................................

[dhtaxi]

Ill answer you questions in order Duncan.
1,A beer substitute no I still like a pint of beer in moderstion but I get full up before I get drunk.
2,A means of getting pissed. No not really I dont need wine for that.
3,I dont normally drink with food.
4,A pleasant companion of a evening sounds good. Me and the wife in front of the telly with a bottle or two YEAH sounds good
5,A voyage of discovery yes please.

I am finding that I actually like the stuff but there is a vast difference between different makes a chardonay can be very nice or yuk. I want to know how to get nice very nice and really great.
But Im clueless.
Ask me about beer no problem.
Ask me about single Malts no problem.
I want to aquire the same level of knowledge about wine.

So my glass is ready fill me up Duncan.

[DuncaninFrance]

OK Mate!

First I suggest that you get your hands on a good book that will help you understand how and why. It was a companion to a series on French Wines called "Floyd Uncorked" Check out AMAZON http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h ... &x=10&y=12 they start at 1p but don't be put off by the prices - it's a good book. The wine side of the programme was presented by Jonathan Pedley who knows his stuff. If you can get a copy of the series then it is a good watch.

Another good book to indulge in is Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h ... &x=16&y=16 Gives you a good idea of the worlds major wine producing areas and their wines.

Now - before we go any further I have to stake out my corner so to speak. Everything I write is MY opinion I have formed these opinions after drinking wine for some 25 years and I know what I like - as does every other drinking person Like many others my introduction to wine was at Bernie Inns with Blue Nun, Mateus Rosé and Bulls Blood..............GHASTLY STUFF

As you know, I live in France, Blaye to be exact. That is in the Bordeaux Wine Region and in my opinion it is the best wine producing area in France., probably in the world.

Here we produce Red, White, Rosé, Clairet (Claret) Sautern and Crément de Bordeaux (Champaign).

Other wines of the world that I enjoy:-

Reds and Whites of Portugal AND Madeira and Port.........................
GOOD Italian Reds.


Considering the number of countries in the world that produce wine you may ask why my list of likes is so small. Well, set against my favourite French wines I am afraid that they don't stack up to my pallet. Believe me, if they did I would drink them

So, having laid my cards on the table the answer to your original question about White Wine and wine labels.

This will tell you about labels http://www.thirtyfifty.co.uk/spotlight-wine-labels.asp.

Glasses:- It is most important that you drink from the right sized and shaped glass to get the best from the wine. Never use a fancy cut patterned or coloured glass. See info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_glass

White wines in general should be served chilled and the serving temperature will normally be printed on the label. I put the bottle in the fridge a day before I am going to open it. I open it just before I want to drink it and put it in a wine cooler so it can stay close to hand but cool till empty!

Generally sweet whites are 'pudding or desert' wines and good ones are expensive because of the production requirements.

My favourite whites are:

FRANCE.Entre-Deux-Mers, Chablis, Loire.
PORTUGAL. Vinho Verde,

I hope that gets you started but I will try and post more later. Any questions then ask away and I will try and answer them.

Cheers!

[dhtaxi]

Duncan

I have read your reply with interest.

1, I realize it is not as simple as that but can you recomend a good dry white wine.

2,Problem I dont like cold drinks I would all ways drink a white wine at room temperature if I had to chill it I would
reach for a glass of beer.

[Niner]

Watching tv tonight. Duncan, tell us about the first nose and the second nose when judging wine.

[DuncaninFrance]

Duncan

I have read your reply with interest.

1, I realize it is not as simple as that but can you recomend a good dry white wine.

2,Problem I dont like cold drinks I would all ways drink a white wine at room temperature if I had to chill it I would
reach for a glass of beer.

If you drink cold beer (Larger) then try a chilled white, you may be pleasantly surprised Dave! If it's not to your taste let the bottle warm to say garage temperature and try again. Find an Entre-Deux-Mere is my advice.

[DuncaninFrance]

Watching tv tonight. Duncan, tell us about the first nose and the second nose when judging wine.

You have 3 senses to use when you taste a wine.
1) SIGHT
2) SMELL
3) TASTE.

Smell will give you some or all of the following 'smell families'

FRUIT, FLORAL,VEGETEL and EARTH. These will be followed by any Oak aromas on the wine.

When smelling a wine, first swirl the glass to 'air' the wine then put your nose inside the tilted glass, cap the roof of your mouth with your tongue and breath in deeply. this allows all the aromas to pass over the surface of your tongue - which is where your taste sensors are, OK?

[Niner]

Interesting added detail about the aroma and taste connection. Woman on tv was doing a thing where she poured wine in a glass and gave the wine a sniff before swirling it around. Then smelled it again after swirling and she said it smelled different.... which must have been a good thing.

I'm not a wine person, as you can imagine.

[DuncaninFrance]

Interesting added detail about the aroma and taste connection. Woman on tv was doing a thing where she poured wine in a glass and gave the wine a sniff before swirling it around. Then smelled it again after swirling and she said it smelled different.... which must have been a good thing.

I'm not a wine person, as you can imagine.

Each to their own but it is a glorious hobby that you never know all about

Maybe your programme lost something in the telling but before you use your nose you use your eyes to discover clarity, colour and alcohol content.

By the way, don't sniff the cork to try and see if the wine is 'off' - all you will get is a smell of cork After opening a bottle I have a quick sniff over the open neck. this will tell you if the wine is tainted or, as many people mistakenly say, 'corked'.
Tainting in wines can come from faulty corks but can also be due to dirty or contaminated bottles, contaminated filling machines and sometimes the wood of the storage skips that the filled bottles are stored in.