Sooner or later, you will fall like Alice down the hole into the land known as wine. Don’t worry. It is a tasty and satisfying trip. Here is a “travel guide” on some wine things you might want to know.

1. Fortified Wine - A wine that is given a higher alcohol content with distilled grape additives. Port and Sherry are examples of fortified wines commonly found on the market.

2. Wine Bottle Size – Historically, wine bottle sizes were all over the place. Today, they hold a fairly standard 750 milliliters of wine. In a restaurant, this is enough to file five to six glasses of wine per bottle.

3. Varietal Characteristics of Wine – This term refers to the presentation of the grape in the wine. If it provides a efficient and clear odor and taste, it is considered to have varietal characteristics.

4. Canopy Management – A term used at wineries that refers to training vines. The goal is to get the vines and grapes exposed to the sun by training them to grow up a trellis structure.

5. Wine Reserve – The term reserve is often understood to mean that a wine has been aged longer than normal and thus is of a higher quality. This understanding is not always accurate, so don’t fall for it when buying.

6. Wine Bottle Presentation – When in a restaurant, a waiter will present you with the bottle of wine you have ordered. You should look at it to determine it is the actual vintage you ordered and touch it to evaluate the temperature.

7. Fruitiness of a Vintage – Fruitiness refers to the ability of a wine to present an aroma and taste of a particular type. It is a term that refers to young wines. Older wines do not display fruitiness.

8. Fat in Wine – As we grow more health conscious, many wonder if wine is fattening. Well, there is no fat in wine, but calories are there as always. An average glass contains just over 100 calories, about the same as a glass of grape juice.

9. Classic Red Grapes – As with their white brethren, there are relatively few classic red grapes used for wine making. They are Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

10. Finding Beaujolais Wine – The French Beaujolais wine can be hard to find. Why? The word is not included on the labels. Instead, just the village and producer are.

Wine is one of those things you will either love or not. Few people seem to fall in the middle of the road on the subject. If you find it enticing, then make sure to become an knowledgeable enthusiasts to maximize your wine experience.

Credit Products on our marketplace

Your soure for information on wine tours is Wineriesforyou.com This and other unique content wine tips articles are available with free reprint rights.