Rombouts Blog

In the final post of our wine series we are exploring how wine is made with this great video:

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This week we continue our wine month with our guide to wine tasting.



There are three sensory stages to wine tasting, appearance, smell and taste. Our simple guide will explain each stage in detail.

Appearance
When pouring the wine be careful not to fill the glass too full – you need to leave room for the wine to breath so you can experience the aromas properly. Many people swill the glass to get a better look at the colour. It is interesting to note the age of the wine in relation to its colour. Red wine tends to lose its colour over the years, while white wine becomes a darker tawny brown.

Smell
The smell of the wine not only enables us to anticipate and begin to analyse the quality, but also to establish whether the wine is ‘corked’ – has gone off due to air being trapped during the bottling process. One of the benefits of screw topped wine is that it decreases the chances of the wine going off, but it is still possible.

The smell of corked wine is slightly mouldy or mildewing. Once you’ve established that the wine is good, you can start to explore the aromas, the fruitiness of the wine, the possible oakiness and the various spices.

Taste
When you take your first sip of the wine try and remember the aromas. With the second sip draw air in just afterwards through pursed lips – you will find that the taste stays in your mouth for longer. The better the wine the longer its flavour will remain. This is referred to as ‘length’ and is a good signifier of the quality and cost.

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This week we have a special guest blog post from online wine retailer Virgin Wines, who offer a range of boutique wines from around the world. They’ll be taking a look at what Italy, home of our Cafe Italiano Fairtrade coffee, has to offer.



Whether you are just starting out on your wine discovery or consider yourself as a bit of a wine buff, it’ll come as no surprise that Italy is famed for its Chianti and its Pinot Grigio. However, did you know that the country is in fact one the world’s giants in terms of wine production and boasts far more than simply these two styles of wine.

Here we give a few insiders tips to help you get the most from Italian wine.

- Consider looking a little bit off the beaten track when picking your wines. Italy is home to over 1,000 grape varieties, many of which are native to the country. So if you fancy trying something a little different and getting to know the real Italy, look out for reds including Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Montepulciano and Barbera, and whites including Trebbiano, Cortese, Verdicchio and the slightly sparkling Moscato.

- As well as its native grapes, Italy also produces a number of international varieties that are well worth a try. These include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

- Check out Italy’s range of sparkling wines. If you are a fan of dry wines then Prosecco will probably be your thing but if you prefer something a bit sweeter then you might like to try Moscato d’Asti.

- Match your wines with food. Italian wine is very much intertwined with the country’s cuisine and the wines produced regionally tend to match the types of food eaten in those areas. For example, Chianti matches brilliantly with rich pasta and roasted vegetable based dishes, which are the staple of the Tuscan diet, while the white wines of the North East such as Soave, are a fantastic match for fish.

- Treat yourself to a wine tour of the country. Italy is home to around 20 wine growing regions and each one is very different in terms of the wines that it produces. From Piemonte in the North West, with its famous reds such as Barolo, Barbaresco and the delightful white Gavi, and Veneto in the North East with its Valpolicella and Soave, through to the home of Chianti in Tuscany in Central Italy and the richer, fuller wines of the South, you’ll be spoilt for choice where to start on your wine journey. That’s not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia of course, which can sometimes get overlooked and offer some tasty reds.

So now you know what to look for, why not get started and enjoy a few bottles of Italian wine?
Check out our Italian range or why not take advantage of a free £40 wine voucher. Simply visit www.virginwines.co.uk/rombouts – terms and conditions apply.

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