The Beginners Guide to Wine Clubs
If you feel like you would love to subscribe to a wine club but don’t know enough about wine to make selections, this article will give you a brief overview of everything you need to know about wines and how to use a wine club accordingly.
The 9 Styles of Wine
Most wine clubs will give you the choice of red, white, or a mixture of both. How do you know what kind of wines you will be getting? Can you make a choice based on your taste? Let’s break down the nine styles of wine to see what the possibilities are.
- Sparkling wine- Perfect for parties and celebrations, sparkling wine has bubbles and the most common is champagne.
- Light bodies white wine- These are the dry, easy to drink wines that are the most sold white wine varieties. Some examples include Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
- Full bodied white wine- These creamy and rich white wines have a more robust flavor than their light counterpart. The epitome of this type of wine is Chardonnay.
- Sweet white wine- These wines are also known as aromatic white wines because of the perfume that the white exuberates. Good examples of these wines include Riesling and Moscato.
- Rose wine- Also knowns as blush, these wines are like a perfect mix of white and red wine styles.
- Light bodied red wine- These are the lightest colored red wines and have an astringent taste. An example of this type of wine include Pinot Noir.
- Medium bodied red wine- These wines have plenty of acidity and can match with a large variety of foods. If you don’t know what to pair with your dinner, the safest bet would be medium bodied red wines. Examples include Merlot and Cabernet.
- Full bodied red wine- These are the darkest and deepest red wines. Examples include Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Dessert wine- These wines are like a sweet drink with a kick. They tend to be thicker in consistency. Examples include Port and Sauternais.
Of all of these styles of wines the most common and sold types fall to four white wines and four red wines. Keeping a good stock of these wines will ensure that you have a wine for any occasion. The four white wines are Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. The four red wines are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.
The Best Way to Serve Wine
To look like you know what you are doing, you need to serve each wine in the correct glass at the right temperature for the best taste.
The sparkling wines should always be served in a flute wine glass. This glass has a narrower shape and a smaller rim. This helps to keep the bubbles in the wine. It is best served almost ice cold.
Next you have the white wine glass. This is the typical looking wine glass, not too wide, not too narrow but it does have a shorter cup. White wine is best served at refrigerator temperature, around 45 degrees.
Light bodied red wines are best served slightly cooled at around 55 degrees. They are best served in a wider wine glass.
Full bodied red wines are best served slightly below room temperature in a wide oversized glass to allow the wine to breathe.
Sweet or dessert wines- These wines are best served in smaller glasses at cooler temperatures.
