Selecting a perfect wine for an occasion can be complex. To truly understand a wine, you must know the elements of its growth and processing.
As you can imagine, the quality of a wine is a direct result of the growing of the grape making up the wine. That sounds obvious and it is, but what is involved in proper versus improper growing? Well, a few factors go into it. Let?s take a look.
The yield of a particular growing season is certain a key factor. The yield refers to the number of grapes grown per each vine. You might assume the more grapes, the better. In fact, the best yield depends on the wine being made. The more grapes grown per vine, the less powerful the flavor of the wine produced. Ultimately, this means wines produced from low yield vines are generally better.
The local climate of the vineyard has much to do with the quality of the wine as well. The climate determination is not based on the region, but on the specific winery. Is it hidden against a hill? Do temperatures fluctuate at night dramatically? The questions are practically endless. While the local climate can be key, it is something that wine drinkers will have a hard time deducing given the lack of information. Regardless, it is a factor.
The third factor to consider is the ripeness of the grapes when picked. This is an area where the winery shows a subjective flair for talent. One does not pick grapes per a specific calendar. An analysis is instead made on an ongoing basis, to wit, it is subjective. Regardless, the ripeness has everything to do with whether a wine is full bodied or not. Get the timing right, and you have an excellent wine.
It goes without saying that the quality of a wine is a product of how the corresponding grapes are grown. Now you know the key elements to consider.
Xavier Moldini is with WineriesforYou.com – a directory of wineries.
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Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research
