Wines have been very popular throughout the ages. Over the years, different types of wines have been developed in different parts of the world. Some of the most popular types of wines are the red wine, the white wine, the table wine, the sparkling wine and the cooking wine. These types of wines also have sub type under them. However, since these things are too many to mention and will just confuse beginners; let us just start by discussing the four most popular types of wines.
The Red Wine And The White Wine
When it comes to popular types of wines, the red wine and the wine white always top the ranking. Many people all over the world prefer to drink these types of wine after dinner. In most European countries, drinking of red wine and white is very common. In fact, many Europeans would not consider their dinner as complete without a glass of wine.
What determines the color of the wine? The presence or the absence of the skin of the grapes determines the color of the wine. White wine is produced by removing the skin of the grapes before extracting the juice. On the other hand, red wine is produced by letting the red skin of the grapes get into contact with the juice during the fermentation process. Since the heavy flavor of grapes is concentrated on its skin, red wine usually taste a bit stronger compared to white wine. White wine usually has light taste thus it goes well with subtly flavored dishes and light meals while red wine is best suited for strong flavored meals.
The Sparkling Wine
Another popular type of wine is the sparkling wine. Sparkling wine has a high level of carbon dioxide which is manifested in its fizzy nature. Some wines only have small amount of carbon while others, especially those that have been injected with carbon dioxide during the fermentation process have high carbon content and fizzle really well. Many people refer to the sparkling wine as the champagne style wine. Since this wine fizzle almost like champagne, many people opt to use this type of wine instead of champagne during celebrations.
The Table Wine
The table wine is another type of wine that has become popular over the years. This type of wine has higher alcohol content compared to other types of wine. In the United States, the alcohol content of table wine is just within the 8.5% and the 14% alcohol content but in Europe, table usually have alcohol content of more that 14%.
What Beginners Need To Know About The Different Types Of Wine
For those with a sweet tooth; Sweet Red Wine
The colour of wine is not determined by the grape, but by the present or absence of the grape skin during fermentation. Red wine is made from red or black grapes, but its red color comes from a process called maceration, where the skin is left in contact with the juice during fermentation.
Red wines are known for their health benefits and sweet red wines are very popular among new wine drinkers who are seeking a wine as sweet as possible; most new wine drinkers are used to sweet drinks such as fizzy drinks and sweetened coffee and are seeking the same thing in a wine. Sweet red wines are becoming more popular and yet are often quite hard to find, with prices varying from quite cheap to quite expensive. The best option to find one that is sweet and local to you is go to your local wine specialist and ask their advice for what they recommend.
Popular Sweet Red Wine Styles
Popular sweet red wines are the Zinfandel and the Merlot style which are both incredibly sweet and popular in North America. Another popular sweet red wine is port, known as a ‘dessert’ wine and drunk very often in households at Christmas time. Port is higher in alcohol than regular wine and is very sweet, thick and rich.
Many American wineries make very sweet red wines, yet Hungary and Greece to the east are other good sources for sweet reds. Nearly every regional American winery makes some type of sweet red wine, either from Concord grapes or French-American mixtures of grapes.
Some of the best Sweet Red Wines Available
Honeywood Winery Concord Grape – A very sweet red wine, which is incredibly popular, this is a native American grape that is often frowned upon by many wine makers because it is not French. It is quite cheap at around nine dollars.
Beaujolais Villages Nouveau - Around Thanksgiving time this is widely available for around 6 weeks and is very popular with the public and is categorized as sweet and fruity.
Moscato d'Asti - This is a popular sweet red dessert wine which is popular to drink after dinner with different kind of cheeses.
Catawba – This is not the name of a wine, but an ingredient that is used primarily to make sweet red wines that produce a musky lambruco flavor. This is a very popular choice for a sweet red wine ingredient.