Wine tasting has been practiced since far away, in history, actually, since wine started to be produced. It was only since the fourteenth century that wine tasting has become a more formal and sophisticated activity. These days, it is practiced both for recreational and professional purposes. Wine tasting has four phases of analysis, the first one taking into consideration, the appearance of the wine. In the second “in glass” phase, the aroma is put to the test. The third “in mouth” stage deals with the actual taste of the wine and the “finish” stage, with the “aftertaste”. [Click title for more...]

Tags: aroma, bouquet, labels, red wine, shiraz, syrah, terminology, the shiraz guide, vertical tastings, wine, wine appreciation, wine grapes, wine regions, wine tasting

Wines change over time. It’s important to produce desirable changes and stop damaging ones ones and you can do this by controlling the air, temperature, light, and humidity of the wine and keeping your bottles, labels, and corks in top condition.

Wine is best stored at 12ºC (55°F) and you should keep it at a constant temperature between 10-18°C (50-65°F ). Ensure you always avoid areas that can get too cold or vary in temperature garages. Humidity is a major killer of wine. Corks can dry out and leak, so you should always store them on their sides to keep cork moist and to prevent cracking. [Click title for more...]

Tags: cellar, cellaring, introduction to wine, red wine, shiraz, storage, syrah, the shiraz guide, wine, wine appreciation, wine investment, wine storage, wine transport

With a long and rich History, the Shiraz also known as the Syrah has shown to create great and fantastic wines in the right conditions. It is usually grown in warmer areas and its growth has increased greatly over the recent years in different wine producing regions of the world especially in Australia and Portugal. It has also been used as a blending grape in Spain and Italy. In France, the grape is known as Syrah and is grown throughout the Rhone Valley. The wines made from it have different flavors as a result of the location of the vines, difference in soil quality and changes in slope. [Click title for more...]

Tags: introduction to wine, red wine, shiraz, syrah, the shiraz guide, wine grapes, wine history, wine regions

The appreciation of a good wine is a multi-sensory experience. Wine appreciation involves the eyes, nose, and taste buds to get the full experience. It is important to allow a red wine to breathe properly before you pour it out to taste it. Open the bottle ten or fifteen minutes before you pour the wine to give it a chance to react with the air. If a wine is poured too soon it will taste sharp and unpleasant. [Click title for more...]

Tags: aroma, bouquet, decanting, introduction to wine, palate, red wine, shiraz, syrah, the shiraz guide, wine appreciation, wine history, wine tasting

Shiraz (also known as Syrah) is a dark-skinned grape grown all over the world and used to produce powerful and full bodied red wines (appears as a very dark red or black). Regardless of whether it is sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity, and is now world’s seventh most grown grape with over 142,600 hectares, or 352,000 acres. [Click title for more...]

Tags: aroma, bouquet, introduction to wine, labels, red wine, shiraz, syrah, the shiraz guide, varietals, wine, wine grapes, wine regions