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Wine 101
While many of us love to sip a glass, wine talk can be intimidating. Hence our handy guide to the most common wines today. Read, print, then enjoy.
By Claire Smith
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Reds
Red wines are considered heavier than whites. The skins are left on as the wine ferments in order to add tannins (that dry taste that makes your mouth pucker, sort of like strong black tea) to the wine.
Common aromas or flavours wine snobs will speak of when sniffing or tasting a red wine include berries, spices, licorice, leather (!), jam, pepper and so on.
Cabernet Sauvignon
• Considered the king of red wines. Among the priciest of wines, gets better with age, dark almost black hue. Dry and substantial flavour
• Commonly paired with steak, chieken, lamb of beef
• Grown throughout the world, with most renown given to "cabs" from Bordeaux, France, as well as California, Washington, Oregon, USA; as well as Italy's Tuscany, Lombardy and Piedmont regions; Chile and Australia
Pinot noir
• Lighter red than Cab or Merlot, complex flavours of cherry, spice, raspberries
• Pairs well with pork loin, ham, chicken, roast beef, beef stew, swordfish
• Burgundy, France is renowned for its pinot. Oregon and California, USA, and pinots from the Okanogan Valley region of British Columbia also enjoy popularity.
Merlot
• Dry red with more fruit elements than a Cab; look for cherry, strawberries, plum and fig flavours
• Known as the "hamburger wine" for its appropriateness, also good with chicken and pork, other grilled meats
• Grown in many regions including Chile; Italy; California and Oregon, USA; but Bordeaux, France is the classic
Syrah/Shiraz
• A dark, smooth, red with a bouquet that may include pepper, spice, black cherry, leather, or even tar or earth or toasted nuts
• Pairs nicely with grilled chicken, duck, stews, pork chops, lamb
• Grown internationally, the grape is known as syrah in France, Argentina, Chile and the USA, and Shiraz in South Africa, Australia and Canada. The Rhone Valley in France is considered the produce the best Syrah in the world, with Southern Australia locales like Barossa and the Clare Valley also earning top marks.
Find out about the world of organic wines
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