Wine: Guidance in Mixology, Pairing & Enjoying Life’s Finer Things

By Carlos Batista

The illustrious beverage, Wine. What can be said about this alcohol that hasn't been said before? There are numerous books on the subject. Too many to count... What does this book offer that others don’t? A little bit of everything! We describe the legal standards of wine in Europe and the United states. We explain flavor profiles, production methods of still and sparkling wine and regions. We tell you how to serve wine in a formal restaurant setting and the best ways to store it. From ideal serving temperatures of various wines to describing what exactly fortified wines are, we explain in greater details than all the others. This one book will give you more knowledge than any other on a huge variety of topics within the subject. Some books may cover regions and some may cover service. We cover it all, from pairing with food to flavor profiles. You’ll learn it all. From reading this book that covers so many subjects, you’ll get a full range of information. By all means, please read other books on wine. Here we’ll give a deep & thorough understanding of the subject allowing you to investigate which topics you want to learn about more at a later date. But by reading this book alone, it will give you more understanding than you would think possible. Written is a clear, concise yet not too technical way. Now sit back, relax and that open that bottle of bubbly. Its Ok, we’ll show you how to open that bottle too!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carlos Batista
• Release date: Apr 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310986888

Carlos Batista

Carlos Batista; the author, has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years; starting as a dishwasher at 15 years old working his way up through the “ranks” of Food & Beverage. Holding positions from Valet to Waiter, to Restaurant, Banquet and Bar management, all the way to senior level Beverage management at a 5 Star, 5 Diamond hotel, gaining a unique insight to the industry. He’s also achieved additional training and certifications from: The Court of Master Sommeliers, Society of Wine Educators, (as a Certified Specialist of Spirits) and Mixology certification from BARSmarts, separating himself as a knowledgeable specialist on the subjects of bar & restaurant service and alcohol knowledge.The eternal trainer, he looks for his subjects to be informative for those in the service industry and for those who just want to know more about proper service or their favorite spirit, beer, wine or sake of choice. While there are thousands of sources of information on all these subjects, he hopes to convey a clear and full understanding of each subject all, in one place.For these reasons, he recently created foodandbevuniversity.com. Service training and detailed product knowledge all in an easy to digest format. Designed for hospitality professionals or those who simply want to know detailed beverage information, proper service techniques and food & beverage pairings. Please visit foodandbevuniversity.com for more information on a multitude of subjects in the hospitality industry

Book preview

Wine

Guidance in Mixology, Pairing & Enjoying Life’s Finer Things

Published by Carlos Batista at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Carlos Batista

ISBN: 9781310986888

Smashwords Edition, License Notes.

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Preface

The illustrious beverage, Wine. What can be said about this alcohol that hasn’t been said before? There are numerous books on the subject. Too many to count... What does this book offer that others don’t? A little bit of everything! We describe the legal standards of wine in Europe and the United states. We explain flavor profiles, production methods of still and sparkling wine and regions. We tell you how to serve wine in a formal restaurant setting and the best ways to store it. From ideal serving temperatures of various wines to describing what exactly fortified wines are, we explain in greater details than all the others. This one book will give you more knowledge than any other on a huge variety of topics within the subject. Some books may cover regions and some may cover service. We cover it all, from pairing with food to flavor profiles. You’ll learn it all. From reading this book that covers so many subjects, you’ll get a full range of information. By all means, please read other books on wine. Here we’ll give a deep & thorough understanding of the subject allowing you to investigate which topics you want to learn about more at a later date. But by reading this book alone, it will give you more understanding than you would think possible. Written is a clear, concise yet not too technical way. Now sit back, relax and that open that bottle of bubbly. Its Ok, we’ll show you how to open that bottle too!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Wine

Chapter 2 - Origins

Chapter 3 - Production

Chapter 4 - Varietals

Chapter 5 - Types

Chapter 6 - Classifications

Chapter 7 - Storing, Serving & Enjoying

Chapter 8 - Decanting Service Tableside

Chapter 9 - Champagne Service Tableside

Chapter 10 - Flavors & Aroma Characteristics

Chapter 11 - Wine & Food Pairing

Chapter 12 - Wine Definitions

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Chapter 1 Wine

Of all mass produced alcoholic drinks, wine is perhaps the most celebrated. No other alcohol has received as much attention as wine. Its ceremonial, religious and cultural symbolism dates back centuries and shows no signs of diminishing. There are too many aspects of wine culture, production and varietals to give them all the respect they deserve. Here we will do our best to cover the major topics and aspects needed for a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

Wine is usually produced from fermented grapes but can be produced from other fruits as well. It may seem amazing, but grapes have a natural chemical balance which allows them to ferment and turn into wine all by themselves. One does not need to add any enzymes, sugars, acids, or any other nutrients because ripe grapes contain sugar and yeasts are present on the skin of grapes. Once grapes are broken open by pressing, the sugars present in grape juice are exposed to the yeast on the grape's skin. The yeast cells begin consuming the sugar and thus create alcohol [wine] and CO2 as a by-product. Fermentation will persist until all sugars are converted into alcohol or the alcohol content reaches 14-15% (Yeast dies off when the level of alcohol is around 14-15%).

It must be noted that conventional grapes do not necessarily have significant amounts of yeasts on their skins. Often winemakers use strains from commercially produced yeasts to better control the wine making process. Wine making, or vinification, is regarded as an art form that begins with growing grapes suitable for production. The practice has been refined innumerable times over the centuries. Many grapes with subtle variations in yeast strains are employed for producing wines of different tastes. These variations are created with human intervention during which the quality of grapes is creatively controlled from the time of seeding. Other than the innovative wine making techniques developed by producers, the quality of wine produced is dictated by the biochemical growth of grapes and processes involved in fermentation and processing. This extremely complex interplay between a wine maker’s intelligence, control of grape’s development from early stages, and fermentation chemistry is attributable to the creation of a product that contains millions of organic chemicals.

Besides grapes, wines can also be made from apple, peach, and several other fruits. In all such cases, the wine is named after the fruit from which it has been produced: I.e., elderberry wine, apple wine, cherry wine and peach wine etc... To distinguish these wines from traditional grape wines they are called fruit wines. 

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Chapter 2 Origins

It can be said that no alcoholic beverage has a richer history than wine. It goes back in time, thousands of years. The earliest recorded wine making is historically linked to the region now known as Georgia (a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia). Modern wine production methods are quite sophisticated but the efforts of earlier generations are the foundation for today's processes and need to be discussed.

Early Ages

References from the archaeology world indicate that wine was first produced from fermented grapes in the latter part of the Stone Age called the Neolithic period. This period dates back to about 9500 B.C. Similar findings indicate the use of wine in the period before the dawn of the Bronze Age, the Chalcolithic period. This is a significant period in the history of civilization as it coincides with further development of human culture when people began using tools carved out of stone and copper. Archaeologists have found evidence of wine making in several sites in the Middle East and the Caucasian regions at the border of Europe and Asia between the Black and Caspian seas in Georgia, Armenia and Iran. These artifacts, dating back to 6000 B.C. and 4100 B.C., prove that wine production was commonplace in ancient times.

Historically, wine had a ceremonial status in Egyptian culture. The Nile River proved to be an excellent grape cultivation area due to its long, vast length. These grapes of ancient Egypt were mostly of the red varieties. Religious rituals prevalent in Egypt accounted for the creation of wines for afterlife offerings and additional high demand beyond regular consumption.

In another archaeological find, wine appears to have been made by the