How to choose a good wine

Important things to know when choosing a wine are: first of all considering that “more expensive” doesn’t always mean “the best” and that the price of each bottle may refer to the winemaking process and is not a quality indicator.A bottle of wine is priced depending on several relevant factors such as:

• The greater or lesser degree of care for grapes in the vineyard
• Whether the wine has been aged or not in the bottle
• How long the wine was stored in the warehouse
• Costs of materials, such as labels, corks, technology, bottles, etc.

Ultimately, a younger wine is different but not worse than a reserve one.

When it comes to wine aromas and flavours, there are no special recipes: as wine tasting is a sensorial experience, it is a very subjective matter. However we can say that white wine should have a strong acidity, watering down in your mouth at least 3 times after taking the first sip, and should also have a fruity taste and refresh the palate. About red wines , a high acidity level is not required, with the exception of Italian wines, which are well-known for this peculiarity. Moreover these bottles should not have a strong astringency level that leaves the mouth completely dry as this would indicate that the wine, in the case of reserve, is not yet ready for drinking; this feature blunts after the wine spends some years in the bottle for aging. In any case, wines should not have a moldy or rancid aroma, except in case they were produced to be drunk young.

In the case of a great wine, we’ll find that the glass reflects at least one aspect of each processing stage, an herbaceous touch by the vineyard, a fruit-like taste by the grape, a floral bouquet by the fermentation, and a vanillin or tobacco aroma which is typical of wood. However, beyond the recipe, its purpose must always be to delight those who taste it, so that they can’t resist to drink it again and again in future times.

Another unclear question is about wine serving temperature; although it depends on your personal taste, experts recommend chilling light-bodied white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio to 10ºC and full-bodied and wood aged wines like Chardonnay or Viognier, to around 12ºC. Dessert wines and sparkling wines can be served at a temperature between 6ºC and 8ºC. Red wines serving temperature is about 12ºC for light-bodied and young wines and between 17ºC and 18ºC for full-bodied and reserve wines, although the common belief is that they must be drunk at room temperature.