HOW TO CHOOSE A WINE

There are several main varieties of wine, which are named after the type of grape they are made from. Some of the most popular are:
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah (Shiraz in Australia),Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio,Gewürztraminer. Bordeaux is actually a combination of Merlot and Sauvingnon Blanc.

Pairing with food:
Typically, red wines go best with red meats and whites tend to suit fish or chicken.
WHITES
1. Chardonnay: A fresh fruity grape,  tends to have notes of peach or melon.
Pairs best with Pork, Seafood, Chicken and Strong Cheeses.
2. Riesling: A dry, crisp fruity wine that tastes like pears, apples, and flowers.
Pairs best with Chicken, fish and light foods.
3. Sauvignon Blanc: A light, crisp wine that tastes like citrus, herbs and tropical fruits. Pairs best with salads, fish and vegetables.
4. Pinot Grigio (Gris): This tastes like pears, lemons and green apples.
It pairs best with fish, chicken, salads and light cheeses.
5. Gewürztraminer: Tastes like spices, nuts and flowers. Very light and fresh. Goes best with spicy, Asian foods and also strong cheeses.

REDS
1. Merlot: Tastes like black cherries, honey, spices and plums.
It pairs best with lamb, sausage, duck and beef.
2. Syrah/Shiraz: Tastes like blueberries, blackberries, black pepper and spices. It pairs best with stews, chicken, barbeque and curries.
3. Pinot Noir: Tastes like strawberries, cherries, spices and flowers.
Pairs best with seafood, pork and beef.
4. Cabernet Sauvignon: Tastes like blackberries, cedar, cassis, black currants, and herbs. Pairs best with lamb, beef and stews.

HOW TO READ WINE LABELS
French & Italian wines - You will see a central appellation that will include the property name of where the wine was produced, the year of harvesting, and the region where the wine was produced.
German wines - The labels usually have the wine type, the year of harvesting and the region of Germany it was produced.
American wines - will have the wine type, the year, and a general logo of the winery that produced it. More inexpensive wines have generic labels that have a logo and year only.

HOW WINE IS MADE

• The grapes ripen in late August or September depending on the seasonal climate conditions. The winemaker tastes the grapes, chews the seeds, and measures the sugar content to decide when to harvest the grapes.
• Vineyard workers then work to harvest the grapes in the shortest possible time. The harvested grapes are dropped into bins that are trucked to the winery where they are crushed.
• This is the spot where red wine differs from white wine. When the grapes are crushed, the skin and seeds remain with red wines but the skins and seeds are removed for white wines.
• The juice, skins, and seeds (not for white wines) are poured into stainless steel fermenting tanks.
• The winemaker usually adds cultured yeast to this grape juice. Fermentation begins when the yeast begins to digest the sugars present in the grape juice. Carbon dioxide and alcohol are by-products of this process.
• Following fermentation, the wines are poured into barrels for aging. Typically, the wine is aged in 60-gallon French or American oak barrels.
• During the barrel aging, the wines are racked several times. This means the wine is pumped from one barrel to an empty barrel. Solids are removed from the bottom of the barrel and the barrel is used again.
• After months of aging in the barrels the wine is moved into the bottle where it will stay at the winery and continue to age. When the wine is sufficiently aged in the bottle, the wine is ready to be shipped and consumed by the wine lover.

TASTING WINE

1. The wine's clarity See. Hold up the glass to light and look at the color. Is it cloudy or foggy? It may be more difficult with reds, but the colors there should be reddish, not brown or orange.
2. Release the Aromas Swirl. Take your glass by the stem and give it a gentle swirl. This swirl oxygenates the wine to release the aromas.
3. Smelling the Wine Smell. You will catch the wine's released aromas from the swirl. Each wine has its own unique combination of smells.
4. Tasting the Wine Sip. Start with a small sip and gentle swish it in your mouth.
5. Swishing the wine in your mouth (like mouthwash) allows full exposure to linger on your taste buds. This will give you a better taste of the wine than if you just quickly swallowed the wine.
6. Swallow. After tasting the wine, you can swallow it. This may not be etiquette in some places and spitting it out may be more proper. However, in many circumstances, the point is to drink the wine and not spit it out.