Looking at Wine

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California boasts more than twenty different winegrowing regions, each with distinctive personalities reflected in the landscape, the wineries and the wines, and even familiar spots have undiscovered back roads and spectacular but less-visited regions within the region. In fact, California now has 107 different American Viticultural Areas or AVAs, delimited winegrowing areas recognized by the federal government. Wine is a signature product of California and an important part of the cultural and physical landscape of the state. California is the fourth largest wine producer in the world and Golden State wineries produce 90 percent of all U.S. wine!

Without having tasted the wines, however, one does not know if, for example, a white is heavy or light. Before tasting, try and determine the order the wines should be assessed in, by appearance and nose alone. Remember that heavy wines will be deeper in colour and generally more intense on the nose. Sweeter wines, being denser, will leave thick, viscous streaks (called legs) down the inside of the glass, when swirled.

What's the point in tasting wine?

This is a reasonable question, if wine evokes for you the image of a wine snob, pinky extended, mouthing fancy talk. Certainly no similar mystique surrounds Pepsi-Cola, iced tea or milk.

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California boasts more than twenty different winegrowing regions, each with distinctive personalities reflected in the landscape, the wineries and the wines, and even familiar spots have undiscovered back roads and spectacular but less-visited regions within the region. In fact, California now has 107 different American Viticultural Areas or AVAs, delimited winegrowing areas recognized by the federal government.

But wine is different.

It's the only beverage I know that appeals to both the senses and the intellect. If you take the time to look for it, every glass contains a lesson in history, geography, agriculture, botany; sometimes anthropology, religion, psychology and more.

There's no reason to be snobbish about wine, and none to fear it. But it's well worth talking about and sharing with friends. (We call WineLoversPage.com a "snob-free zone" because we avoid taking wine too seriously, and we recommend that you do the same. This stuff is supposed to be fun. You don't have to pass a test to enjoy it, and you needn't learn a new language.

The idea behind wine tasting is as simple as this: Slow down. Relax and take the time to think about what you're drinking and to enjoy it with all your senses. (Well, all except hearing. Nobody listens to wine.)

Examine its color. Is it clear or hazy, transparent or opaque?

Take a deep sniff. Does it smell like fruit? Flowers? Road tar or sweat sox?

Got it? Take a drink. Take two. Swish it around your mouth, sensing not only its taste but its texture and weight. Don't worry about looks; you're enjoying yourself.

Put it all together in your head. Think about where it came from. Sip again and enjoy. You won't get all this out of a Pepsi!

Tasting order is very important, as heavy or sweet wines can dominate lighter wines and skew the taster's assessment of those wines. As such, wines should be tasted in the following order: sparkling wines; light whites, then heavy whites; roses; light reds; heavy reds; sweet wines.

Benefit of Drinking Wine

A study done in the journal "Heart", studied 102 women under the age 75 who survived a heart attack or heart surgery to clear blocked arteries. During their recovery period, the participants were asked to chronicle how much and what kind of alcohol they consumed. One year later, researchers used a heart monitor to measure the women's heart activity over a 24-hour period as they went through their normal daily activities. The study showed that heart rate variability was the highest among women who drank at least half a glass of wine per day and lowest among women who drank no alcohol at all.

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September is the perfect time to take to the road or gather friends around your dining room table to experience the flavorful results of California’s winemakers’ labors and celebrate the 2006 harvest season just getting underway. With a special proclamation from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, designating September as the time to acknowledge the commitment of the state’s 2000 wineries and 5000 winegrape growers to “the highest standards of excellence,” special events abound in wine regions throughout the state, and many retailers and restaurateurs are putting the spotlight on California wine with promotions and seasonal menus.