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The one question I decided not to ask in class:

So if a bad or turned wine with a cork closure is referred to as CORKED would a turned wine with a screw cap be classified as SCREWED? I guess this would unfortunately better describe the wine bottle owner….

Seriously though, there are always a lot of details when it comes to wine appreciation and even though it is easy to just skim over them lightly the more you scratch at the surface the more we get to learn. Below are my highlights from this weeks class.

STELVIN = screw top closures.

The majority of wine consumers drink white wine too cold and red wine too warm. RED wine should be served at 65-68F, WHITE wine between 48-53F [just above standard refrigerator temperature], CHAMPAGNE 40-45F.

80% of what we taste is attributed to our sense of smell.

What is BODY? Body is the weight of the wine on the palate. A good measuring trick would be the following scale: Light [skim milk], Medium [ 2% to whole milk], Full [whole to half & half].

White Wine Styles: CRISP unoaked, refreshing, higher in acidity. ELEGANT seamless balance of acidity with an oak component. OAKY lush, round, creamy, buttery and lower in acidity. SWEET usually fuller in body, lower in alcohol and acidity.

Red Wine Tanin Levels: EASY DRINKING no drying sensation, smooth. SOFT mostly aged wines, barely noticeable. RIPE not overpowering but definitely detectable, in balance with fruit intensity.  FIRM: drying sensation is apparent, most prevalent in higher end young wines.

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