What is white wine?
White wine is made from the juice of grapes. The new wine is free from skins, stems and seeds. Because grape little to no dye contains the wine will be almost white. White wine can therefore be made from red grapes. White wine made from white grapes in France called blanc de blancs. The actual color of the wine is determined by the grape variety used. Age also plays a role. A young wine can come out green. Upon aging of the wine will also change the color. Variations of almost white to yellow to green, dark yellow, orange and brown are considered "white wine".
Types of white wine
There are many types of white wine. The taste is often called dry wines with little sugar to sweet as much sugar.
- A dry wine is a wine with very little residual sugar. A typical "bone-dry wine" for example is a French Muscadet. A sophisticated, rich, round, soft wine could be a white Burgundy. On labels is sometimes the term "sec" or "dry". In German-speaking countries "Trocken".
- A semi-dry wine still has some residual sugar. What many people with dry wine as "acid" is experienced here is often mitigated. An indication on the label can "demi sec" are. In German-speaking countries is called "Halbtrocken" or "Feinherb".
- Sweet wine is often - wrongly - called dessert wine. Sweet wines have many gastronomic options. For example, a sweet wine can fit perfectly with a paté. Sweet white wine is also popular among certain populations.
There are two possible methods of vinification:
- The must of grapes with high sugar stops the fermentation before all the sugar is converted into alcohol present. Examples: Sauternes or icewine.
- The fermentation of the must is stopped by adding wine alcohol to it. Due to this mutagenesis, the yeast cells are slain so not all of the sugar can be fermented. These are called fortified wines. For example: (white) Port, Rivesaltes and Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise.
A sparkling (white) wine is wine in which the carbon dioxide from the second fermentation the wine was left behind. Also may be added carbon dioxide, although this is often seen as inappropriate.
Wine and food
White wines are usually served cold or chilled. How cool depends on several factors. The type of wine and / or the quality of the wine play a role. The cooler the wine is consumed, the less the wine can reveal her taste. They are therefore often the lesser wines which are recommended to drink cold. At which court of wines which can be drunk, is right on concerning wine and food dependent.
A dry wine tastes great with a salad or fish, but is also delicious cheese. For semi-dry wine is the same. It just depends on how a particular dish is prepared and what's inside. Sweet wines can be drunk with some desserts. In a pate, chocolate, cheese or just certain independent it is often even preferred.
A sommelier is specialized in the combination of wine and food.