Today the cultural importance of wine can be seen in everyday life, particularly in countries such as France and Italy where a meal isn't really complete without a glass of wine to accompany it.  In the United Kingdom and the United States, consumption and interest in the subject continues to grow.

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of winemaking taking place some 12,000 years ago.  The cultivation of the vine first flourished around the Black Sea, and then the Persians helped to spread the word through Assyria.  Evidence of innovation taking place in Egypt and the Mediterranean comes form Egyptian wall paintings clearly depicting scenes of growing and harvesting vines.

TRADE ORIGINS

The Greeks were probably the world's first wine merchants, while the Romans fine-tuned methods of winemaking and established vineyards throughout Europe, some of which have proved, over time, to be great sites of origin. After the Dark Ages, the church became influential, and so eventually did the monarchs of England, who shaped the wine drinking habits of the British and started a wine trade, which today is the most diverse in the world.

There is so much to discover in the world of wine.  Its study can be made unnecessarily complicated but our DISCOVERING WINE box set aims to take the mystique out of the subject.  This box set comes with a book that offers lots of practical advice and pointers towards increasing your enjoyment of what is truly a great drink.

MAKING WINE

Many of the world's best producers believe that great wine is first created in the vineyard.

Indeed, it is difficult to argue with the suggestion that using top-quality ingredients helps when transforming grapes into wine.

White wine can be made from both white and black grapes.  Crushing breaks the skins, after which de-stalking takes place.  Gentle pressing is favored and skins are removed.  Fermentation traditionally happens in oak barrels, although today, when minimal change is required, most white wines will ferment in stainless steel vats.  Maturation in oak barrels can add another dimension and flavor profile to a wine.

Red wine must be made from black grapes.  This time the juice is fermented on the skins for better color extraction.  The juice, which runs freely after fermentation, is of the highest quality.  The remaining pomace, or skins, are further crushed to release any more juice, which is generally used in blending.  Maturation can, of course, be controlled in oak barrels.  The filtration of red wine may be minimal, if at all.

Most fruity wines made to be consumed young will have little further maturation or development in the bottle.  Some of the world's great classics however, can evolve slowly, to reach a plateau of maturity and amazing levels of complexity.

TASTE TEST

Why do we taste wine and what are the advantages of being able to taste successfully?

Arguably, the most important factor here is to recognize when a wine is in good condition, or when a bottle is faulty.

This becomes particularly relevant when you are faced with the sort of markups applied in some restaurants.  When a sample from an approved bottle is offered to taste, you are checking the condition of the wine that you have ordered, not tasting the wine to decide whether you like it!

THE THREE STEPS

There are three simple steps to follow when tasting wine:  look, smell, and taste.  Firstly, you should look at the wine when it's poured.  Is it clear and bright?  Is it looking in good shape?  An excess of brown color in a white wine may indicate that it has gone off.  It's possible to guess the age of a red wine by observing its rim color.  Tilt the glass slightly and look at the edge of the wine.  If you see a purple tint it is probably a young wine while an orange tint is an indication of maturity.

Swirling the wine around the glass will release the aromas and you should take either a large sniff or a small sniff, followed by a large sniff.  Does the wine smell clean and fresh and cany you identify fruit-related aromas?  If not, and you detect musty, wet cardboard-like aromas, you have probably found a fault.  Young wines should always be fruity and appealing to the nose.  You should take time to sniff the wine and not rush into tasting.

Tasting allows you to confirm the condition and characteristics associated with the wine.  You should consider the initial taste, the actual taste, and the aftertaste.  Have the confidence to reject a bottle which you feel may be tainted and make sure that you assess each bottle ordered individually.

RELAX:  If you follow the guidelines, concentrate and relax when tasting wine, and forget the fear factor, there is no reason why you cannot become a confident taster.

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