Stubborn Grapes
A tasting flight of wine related info – for the wine enthusiast and eventual connoisseur.
Purpose of the Wine Bottle Dent
The concave dimple at the base of a bottle of wine, called a punt, originates from a time when glassblowers made bottles by hand. Originally the indentation was purely for stability, ensuring that the bottle would not tip over. While the punt's primary purpose is to prevent a bottle from wobbling around, it does have some added benefits. The indentation allows the bottle to be poured from the base, using the punt as a place for the server's thumb.
More Handy Info »Difference Between Port and Sherry Wine
Two main factors distinguish sherry and port wines: place of origin and fortification process. Port wine grapes hail from the Douro Valley of Portugal. Varieties of port are produced from both red and white grapes. Sherry wine grapes are produced in the region bounded by Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, collectively referred to as the Sherry Triangle, a region in Southwestern Spain's Cádiz province.
Additional Fortified Factors »Port Wine Name Origins
Port wine's name pays homage to the Portuguese city of Oporto where it is largely sold and distributed. Interestingly, port wine actually spends more time in barrels directly across the way in the city of Gaia. While just a hop, skip and a bridge away from Oporto, Vila Nova de Gaia, to the south of the Duoro River, provides a more hospitable environment for the wine to mature in.
Some Taxing Details »How to Hold a Wine Glass
With a traditional, stemmed wine glass (of any shape or size), it is most "acceptable" to hold it by the stem near the base. Or even at the base. The grip is mostly between the thumb and index finger with some occasional assistance from the middle finger. Take a look below for some classy examples.
Holding a Wine Glass with Class »Dry vs Sweet Wine
A combination of the amount of time spent fermenting and sugar content determines the dryness or sweetness of a wine. A dry wine will have had fermented longer and have less sugar than a sweet wine. While the experience of tasting dryness or sweetness levels in wine will vary some degree person to person, in terms of its chemistry, a dry wine is one that has less than 1% of residual sugar.
More Sweet Details »