With what do they drink semisweet wine? What semisweet wine to choose?
More about wine
Today you can meet red, white and pinkof wine. Their color depends on the type of grapes from which they were made. So, for red wines, grapes of dark shades are used. And the longer the drink is kept, the darker it becomes. The most aged wines have a bright, rich, ruby color. In turn, white wine is obtained from light grapes. This drink has a golden or yellow-green color. And an amber tint can say that such wine is strong and very old.
The taste of wine depends not so much on the variety of grapes,from which it is made, how much from the soil on which the vine was grown, from the climatic conditions of the region. Therefore, wines with the same names, produced in different countries, differ significantly in taste. Even a drink that was produced in the same place, but in different years, will have a different taste, because the breed was different.
What are the wines?
All wines - and white, and red, and pink - totheir purpose are divided into the following categories. Table wines (dry, semi-sweet and semi-dry): they are used as flavor additions to the table. And also dessert (fortified, liqueur): they are used as desserts. How to understand what kind of wine is semisweet, and what is dry? Look at the percentage of sugar and alcohol listed on the label.
So, table wines are classified as dry,if the sugar content per 100 ml is from 1 to 2.5 grams. That is, sugar is fermented almost completely. The taste of such wines is light and sour. The alcohol content is from 6 to 14%.
Semi-sweet wine, it is also semi-dry, contains from 3up to 8% sugar and has a delicate, unique taste. Unfortunately, such wines are less resistant than dry wines. The fact is that even after bottling, in drinks, the biochemical process continues because of the presence of sugar in it. Thus, wine continues to mature, to grow old and to disintegrate. The fastest decay cycle has semisweet wine.
In order to slow down these processes add alcohol. So fortified and liqueur wines containing up to 30% sugar and 20% alcohol, respectively, are obtained.
On the production of semisweet wines
And now let's talk about how thesemi-sweet wine. Typically, for the preparation of this drink is used one variety (rarely several varieties) of grapes. There is a slight difference in production, depending on the color. So, pink and white semisweet wines are obtained as a result not up to the end of the fermented grape must without the mash (with berry seeds and peel). In turn, the red ones are with a mash. In the production of semisweet wines, the best must (first pressure and gravity) is used.
The process of creation consists in fermentation of wort: when the sugar content in it decreases to the level required for the finished wine, the finished mixture is cooled or pasteurized, then filtered to isolate the precipitate. So receive the necessary wine materials, which must lie for two months in a special cold store at a temperature of 2o. Then the wine is filtered and bottled.
How to choose?
Any wine, and domestic production, andimported, and imported from countries where winemaking is an ancient craft and a part of culture, can be both excellent, and the most common, if not altogether horrible. Paying a lot of money for the best semi-sweet wines from France that you have never tried before, you can be both fascinated and vice versa. The thing is that everyone has his own taste and his concept of what "real French wine" should be. And in order not to be afraid of making a mistake, you need to try.
Arrange tastings, at least from time to time. You need to try many varieties to determine for yourself which drink is ideal for taste and price. Do not dwell only on classical France, choose other varieties. Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese wines are also considered good. Pay attention to the Georgian and Moldavian semi-sweet wines (reviews about some of them are simply enthusiastic). Drinks from Germany and South America are also worthy of attention.
Figures on labels
Carefully read what is written on the labels. And if you can not be sure that correctly pronounce the name of the wine written in a foreign language, then in figures you will definitely understand. Fortunately they are written in the same language. So, look at the year of release of the drink. On it you can easily understand whether it is vintage or ordinary wine. So, vintage semisweet wine should have an endurance of at least 1.5 years. Ordinary is consumed in the next year after the release, it can not withstand, accordingly, it is much cheaper.
The next, on, what is worth paying attention to isthe percentage of alcohol content, it is designated Alc. Sugar is also indicated as a percentage. Thus, without even knowing the name, you can always understand how sweet the wine is and how it will be combined with the dishes. Well, the color is easily discernable through the bottle.
The best semi-sweet wines of Georgia
France is famous for its red and white dry wines, and as for semi-sweet, here all the laurels go to Georgia. So, the most popular brands:
"Ahansheni" - excellent red semi-sweet wines, with a strong and pleasant chocolate tinge. The drink has a dark pomegranate color and a rare taste harmony.
"Kindzmarauli" is a red semisweet wine of the color of a ripe cherry. It is grown in the valleys of Kakheti and is famous for its harmonious, velvety taste.
"Diamond Valley" - red and white semisweet wines with a fresh bouquet and a mild varietal aroma.
"Khvanchkara" is a real pearl amongsemisweet wines. Thanks to its elegant dark-ruby color, strong aroma and velvety taste with raspberry tint, it has become a winner on international wine tastings more than once.
Competitors
With Germany, Germans, Italians and Americans compete quite successfully.
"Tokai" (Tokai) - famous semisweet and dessert wines made in the USA. Nothing to do with Hungarian branded products, which are mostly dry.
"Asti" (Asti) - the best wines produced in the northern province of Italy.
Choosing quality
As it is clear from the title, good semisweetwine should have some sweetness in taste. Cheap varieties differ in an unbalanced taste and give off sour, somewhat resembling dry. Some manufacturers, in the absence of necessary technologies, try to correct this shortcoming by adding even more sugar. However, this wine maker does not need this at all. The main task is to create a bouquet. Thus, it is quite easy to distinguish low quality wine - it does not have a bouquet: notes of plum, berries, flowers, sweet pepper and dried fruits.
You can also pay attention to the following figures. Quality semi-sweet wine should contain from 9 to 12% alcohol and 30-80 grams of sugar per liter. If the numbers do not converge, there is a fake in front of you.
Combinations
Well, the last, not less important point - a combination. With what do they drink semisweet wine? There are no hard laws and rules here. If earlier there were prescriptions: red wine - only to meat, and white - to fish, today the main thing is your imagination. Do not be afraid of experiments! But remember one golden rule of success: the harder the dish, the easier the drink, and vice versa.
You can use already provencombinations. So, semisweet wine is well served to seafood (crabs, oysters and crayfish), as well as to various vegetable dishes (cauliflower, green peas, etc.). In general, white semisweet wines are well combined with fish under an island sauce, white poultry meat and veal, tender cheeses, pates and sausages. An interesting combination is dishes with sour cream sauce. White wine perfectly complements its creamy taste. The main thing when choosing a snack for white semi-sweet wine is not to outshine its delicate aroma. Avoid spicy and sharp herbs with a characteristic odor.
Red semi-sweet wines are a wonderful additionto desserts, which are the following snacks: cheeses, sweets, biscuits, ice cream and fruit. An excellent option - to serve wine with a chocolate cake, which will emphasize its rich taste.
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