...and
not the kind you pack in your lunch box!
Wine
grapes are different from the kind you buy at a store. They are smaller
and thicker skinned. Have you ever tried a Concord grape? When you bite into this grape the juice oozes out
and you end up chewing on the skin for a while. Like the Concord grape, wine grapes are much sweeter and juicier than your usual fat and fleshy picnic grape. They are made for
juicing!
The TWO MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS of a grape (that lead to an irresistible glass of wine):
The pulp (most important) This is the flesh inside the fruit. It’s made up of sugar, acid, and water. As a grape ripens, the sugar increases and acid decreases. The
grapes are harvested (gathered) when there is a good balance between sugar and acid.
Without acid your wine would taste dull (like flat soda )
The skin This is either Red (purple/blue) or Green (yellow). Red skinned grapes give red wine its color if the skin is left on the grapes during fermentation (fermentation is the process of grape juice to alcohol). If the skin isn't left on the grape during fermentation, the wine will be white. If the skin is left on for partial fermentation the wine will be pink.
Red skinned grapes can produce red, pink, and white wines. Green skinned grapes only produce white wines.
Also,
the skin contains tannin's (the bitterness you sometimes taste in
wine... or the source that dries out your tongue) which is also a natural
preservative that allows most red wines to age for years.
Green
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Pinot Grigio
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Moscato
and
some more...
- Chenin Blanc
- Gewerztraminer
- Viognier
- Semillon
and
some that Ohio
- Vidal Blanc
- Seyval Blanc
- Traminette
…and
hundreds more
Red
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Zinfandel
- Shiraz/Syrah
and
some more…
- Malbec
- Sangiovese
- Nebbiolo
and
some that Ohio
- Catawba
- Cabernet Franc
- Marechal Foch
There are hundreds of grape varieties. Each of them
influence the flavors you love in a glass of wine!
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