WINE
BRIEF HISTORY OF WINE:
The history of wine is very old. Archaeological evidence from Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Egypt
suggests that humans have been producing it since around 8000 BC. Wine was not prized primarily
as a source of pleasure or even sustenance, but rather as a means of communion with one's god or
gods, who gave this gift to men. In ancient Egyptian ceremonies wine was so important to be
depicted on the walls of the tombs.
It was highly regarded in both Greek and Roman cultures. The first worshiped Dionysus and the
latter carried on his cult, calling him Bacchus. Greek wines often fermented in vats coated with pine
resin, giving them a flavour, which can be now found in the current retsina wine.
In Roman times, wine-making reached a high degree of sophistication. Amphorae of wine were
sealed with wax and labeled with the following data: year, vineyard, producer and type of grapes,
like a modern wine label. It was seldom drunk straight, and mixed with water, sometimes honey,
spices and even lead to stop fermentation. The Roman Empire had an immense impact on the
development of viticulture and enology. The major wine-producing regions of Western Europe
today were established during the Imperial era.
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Consumption of ritual wine was part of the Jewish practice since Biblical times, and became
essential to the Christian Church as part of the Eucharist.
During the Middle Age, monks developed techniques and identified many of the finest vineyards in
Europe.
In the 17th century, when cork was discovered, wine kept in tightly corked bottles lasted much
longer, and its taste improved, acquiring a particular feature called bouquet, which refers to the
smell of wine.
FIND PICTURES ON THE WEB WHICH REPRENT IMAGES RELATED TO WINE AND
GODS. DESCRIBE THEM BRIEFLY.
HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES:
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Dionysus playing the harp with dancing satyrs
Jesus turning water into wine
WHITE WINE
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White wines can be dry, sweet, intensely luscious. They are usually made from white grapes, but
occasionally black grapes are also used. White grapes require less warmth than black ones to reach
maturity.
The simplest method is to harvest white grapes at optimum ripeness, crush and press them,
collecting the juice for fermentation. The result will be white wine, but there are many refinements
that can produce higher quality.
Grapes are pressed to
release their juice
and
strained to remove
their solids.
Barrel fermentation is reserved
for
richer white wines. Residual
sugar
untransformed
by yeasts into alcohol, is
required in sweet wines.
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The juice is pumped
into
a vat, yeast is added and
fermentation begins at
temperatures between
10 °C and 18 °C
RED WINE
Red wines are always made from black grapes. Differently from white wine, the skins are not
separated from the juice after the grapes have been crushed. They ferment with the juice, and when
the cells become soft, they rupture and release the colouring matter and tannins. Fermentation
normally continues until all the sugars have been converted into alcohol.
DIFFERENT PHASES IN WINE-MAKING:
CRUSHING AND DESTEMMING: red grapes are often separated from their stems before
crushing, but this will depend on grape variety. In some cases, whole bunches are put into vats to
ferment, without crushing. Hand destemming is rare nowadays.
FERMENTING: the juice and the skins go into vats or tanks together, and fermentation begins,
through the action of yeasts, which may be present on grape skins, or they may be added by the
winemaker. Fermentation may take up to 5 weeks, at temperatures between 15 °C and 30 °C. The
richer and darker the wine is to be, the longer the skins will be kept in contact with the juice.
PRESSING: once separated, the skins will be pressed to extract the remaining juice, which is darker
and more tannic. It may be added in some proportion to the final blend.
STORING-AGING-BLENDING: the maturation, until wine is deemed ready for bottling, may take
place in tanks, vats, or wooden barrels. Once again, the choice of method will depend on the type of
wine being made. Generally, this includes a blending stage, whereby wines from different tanks or
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barrels are put together in order to improve and harmonize the final product.
CATEGORIES
Wines are generally divided into three main categories:
–
still table wines, such as Brunello, di Montalcino, Beaujolais, Soave, or Arneis, which can
be drunk during meals;
–
sparkling wines, such as Champagne and Prosecco, obtained with an additional
fermentation
which takes place inside the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide and creating the
characteristic bubbles;
–
fortified wines: such as the Spanish Sherry, the Portuguese Porto and Madeira, which are
made by adding extra alcohol, Brandy, or pure distilled spirit. The advantage of fortification is that
it produces wines that are stable and can be kept for several weeks after opening.
SPOT THE ODD ONE OUT.
CHOOSE WHICH ITEM DOES NOT FIT IN WITH THE OTHERS IN THE LIST AND
CIRCLE IT:
White
Rosé
Black
Blonde
Barrel
Vat
Vase
Tank
Grapes
Yeasts
Wheat
Alcohol
Selling
Crushing
Fermenting
Pressing
Full-bodied
Separated
Light
Strong
Brewery
Winery
Vineyard
Winemaker
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- MATCH THE ADJECTIVES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR OPPOSITES ON THE
RIGHT:
1.
SEPARATED
A. BITTER
2.
READY
B. LIQUID
3.
FINAL
C. CONTAMINATED
4.
VARIOUS
D. CHANGED
5.
RARE
E. USUAL
6.
UNTRANSFORMED
F. LINKED
7.
PURE
G. SAME
8.
SOLID
H. INITIAL
9.
SWEET
I. HARDEN
10.
SOFTEN
L. LATE
THIS PUZZLE CONTAINS 7 WORDS. CAN YOU FIND THEM?
A
D
B
R
G
L
W
I
N
E
R
Y
H
S
S
A
M
I
U
W
R
P
P
T
G
E
O
E
Q
E
A
E
S
S
U
T
Z
M
R
D
N
P
LABELS
A first-class wine can be recognized from its colour, its bouquet and taste. The label on the bottle is
an important source of information. Here are some examples:
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Picture of a wine label
TURRIGA
CLASSIFICATION
Typical Geographical Indication Red Isola dei Nuraghi.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Cannonau, Carignano, Bovale Sardo, Malvasia Nera.
VINIFICATION TECHNIQUES
Painstaking selection of the grapes. Fermentation at controlled temperature 28-32°C. Maceration for
about 16-18 days with good use of the delestage technique.
AGING
18-24 months in French oak barriques.
REFINING
For 12-14 months in the bottle.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: intense ruby red.
Nose: rich, complex bouquet.
Palate: very well structured, balanced, fine and persistent. Very smooth.
FOOD MATCHES
Stewed boar, furred game, red meats, mature Sardinian pecorino cheese.
WINE
Picture of a wine
label
CLASSIFICATION
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC.
GRAPE VARIETY
Vermentino.
VINIFICATION TECHNIQUE
Painstaking selection of the grapes, very light pressing with use only of first press wine. Cooling at
10-12°C. Fermentation with native yeasts only, at controlled temperature between 16-17°C for 258
30 days. Left to develop on its lees for 40-60 days.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: soft straw yellow with green tinges.
Nose: intense primary aroma, delicate, lingering, excellent secondary aroma, great bouquet.
Palate: lively, fresh, rich, balanced, delicate, fine.
FOOD MATCHES
Fish starters, culurgiones with potato and mint filling, seafood risotto, artichoke risotto, linguine
(flat spaghetti) with seafood dressing, stewed and grilled fish, white meat, medium mature cheese.
FOOD AND WINE
Enjoy wine with food is a matter of personal preference and taste, but some flavours and styles
definitely bring out the best in each other. Choosing similar styles of wine and food, and balancing
their complementary flavours, are among the best ways to ensure an ideal match.
Here are some practical guidelines which can be useful to avoid any clash of combinations:
–
red wine is generally served at room temperature, with red meat, game, well-seasoned
cheese and other strongly-flavoured dishes;
–
white wine is usually served cool, with white meat, fish, salad, light dishes and as an
aperitif;
–
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dry sparkling wine is served chilled, before the meal, as an aperitif, or with desserts;
–
sweet wine is served at the end of the meal, with most desserts, some cheese and nuts.
HERE ARE SOME RULES REGARDING THE TYPE OF WINE WHICH CAN BE
SERVED WITH FOOD. DECIDE IF THEY ARE TRUE OR FALSE, AND CORRECT THE
FALSE ONES:
TRUE
1.
FALSE
Red wines are served with light meals and desserts, too.
…................................................................................................................................................
2.
White wines are drunk with red meat, pork, lamb and game.
…................................................................................................................................................
3.
White wines are drunk with fish, poultry and pork.
…................................................................................................................................................
4.
Rosé wines are drunk with poultry, fish and light meat dishes.
…..............................................................................................................................................
5.
Sparkling wines are ideal with desserts, but they are also served
with caviar, shellfish and during celebrations.
…................................................................................................................................................
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FIND A LABEL OF OTHER FAMOUS SARDINIAN WINE ON THE WEB AND
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CHART:
NAME
CLASSIFICATION
VINIFICATION TECHNIQUE
AGING
REFINING
TASTING NOTES
FOOD MATCHES
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RECIPES
LAMB WITH ARTICHOKES
Ingredients for 4/5 people:
•
6 artichokes
•
1kg thigh of lamb
•
Parsley-1 onion-1 clove of garlic
•
3 dried tomatoes
•
1 lemon
•
1 half spoon of salt
•
water
Preparation:
Clean the artichokes removing the external leaves and thorns. Divide them into 4 parts and let them
soak into water with lemon.
Cut the lamb in large portions, and let them brown in a saucepan with a cup of oil. Turn them often
until they are browned on both sides. When they are cooked remove them from the pan and set
aside.
Finely chop one onion, garlic, dried tomatoes and parsley. Put these ingredients and the artichokes
in the saucepan, previously used for the lamb. Fry on high flame and stir.
When the liquid has evaporated add 2 cups of water and boil for 5 minutes.
At this point, put the in the pan adding a half spoon of salt, and cook for 1/2 an hour.
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CULURGIONES
Ingredients for 8 people:
- 1 kilogram potatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- mint leaves
- 200 grams of viscidu or casu axedu
- 600 grams flour
- pinch of salt
- 300 grams of pecorino cheese (Sardinian sheep cheese)
- 300 ml water
Preparation:
Wash and boil the potatoes. Peel them after cooking, mash and put them in a bowl. Add chopped
garlic, finely chopped mint leaves, viscidu, pecorino cheese, and some oil. Now mix all the
ingredients.
Prepare the dough with the flour, a little oil, a pinch of salt, and knead well. Prepare small disks of
dough using a small glass. Fill each disk with a tablespoon of the potato mash mix. Give each disk a
cone form, shaping its edges as an ear of corn, and fold it on itself. The culurgiones are now ready
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to be cooked in boiling water for a few minutes. Serve with tomato sauce and abundant grated
pecorino cheese.
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