GRAPE CONNECTI0NS: Spirit of the Glass

The basics of wine

Marilyn W. Bennett, Contributor

Since its discovery, wine has been the most fashionable drink and remains so until this day. Jamaicans, like so many people all over the world, love wine. There are those who, once introduced to this beverage, develop a lifelong, enduring love and passion for wine. Some persons will tell you of their love for still wines but confess that they do not like or cannot drink any sort of bubbly. They profess to 'hate' sparkling wines, while others will tell you that they love red wine but cannot drink white wine or vice versa.

So, what is this thing called wine and what is the fuss about? In the coming weeks, this column, Grape Connections - Spirit of the Glass, will help to diffuse the myths and snobbery associated with the art and pleasure of wine drinking. Through the pages of your favourite lifestyle source, The Gleaner's Thursday Food section will help you to navigate the wonderful world of wines.

Let's start with the basics:

Wine is the naturally fermented juice of grapes. Of course, the term wine can include alcoholic beverages created from other fruits and even vegetables. These wines are usually specified with the name of the fruit, for example, 'blueberry wine'.

The rich history of wine parallels the history of the human race, with the grapevine and the art of winemaking spreading out into various parts of the world along with the various cultures. Today, good wine is produced throughout the world from Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to South America, Canada and the United States of America - incidentally, all 50 states make wine.

Categories

The broad categories of wine are:

Still wines including red, white and rose (roh-ZAY). These wines can be dry, semi-sweet and sweet.

Sparkling wines include effervescent wines from various parts of the world and French champagnes.

Fortified wines are port, sherry and some dessert wines augmented with brandy and other spirits.

Aromatic wines have been flavoured with ingredients like herbs and spices. Vermouth (ver-MOOTH) is one example of this category of wine.

In my next article, I will discuss how wine is made.

What I am drinking:

I really love still and sparkling rosé wines and, with Valentine's Day celebrations ahead, I have started my annual rosé wine drink-fest. What better way to celebrate love of life, family, friends and the whole world during February than to organise a 'Drink Pink' campaign for one, 10 or 100?

Keeping it simple, I went through two bottles of sparkling rosé wines over two days writing this article.

What a wonderful sensory experience I had with my bowl of home-made chicken soup (generous pieces of chicken breast, the driest yellow yam and a hint of Scotch bonnet). The half bottle of Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rosé went perfectly with this soup. The wine's delicate sweetness was a perfect foil for the soup's touch of Scotch bonnet peppery flavour, and it infused the chicken breast and pumpkin with a medley of floral notes.

The next day, I broke out a bottle of my long-time favourite, Barton & Guestier (B&G) Sparkling Rosé, with my 'mish-mash' dinner of fricassée chicken, pieces of roasted sweet potato and a garden salad well-endowed with grapes and other niceness. Oh my goodness! The red-berry fruit aromas and crisp, tropical fruit flavours of the wine were just perfect with the grapes and cherry tomatoes in the salad. Hey, it all worked beautifully and was a lot of fun.

Until next time, my wish for you is more vino and a grape month!

Marilyn W. Bennett is a wine enthusiast. She has participated in wine courses at the Culinary Institute of America Rudd Centre for Wines Studies in St Helena, California, and is an advanced-level student of the UK-based WSET (Wines and Spirits Education Trust) programme. Send your comments or questions to marilyntbc@gmail.com.

 (What are YOU drinking? Please share your WOW wine moments with all of us)

WINE QUIZ:

1) Under no circumstance should red wines be chilled since they must be served at room temperature. True [ ] False [ ]

2) Rosé wines are usually sweet. True [ ] False [ ]

The first three correct answers to lifestyle@gleanerjm.com will each receive a bottle of Verdi Raspberry Sparkletini.