One of the first questions from a wine novice seems a very obvious one: What’s the difference between red wine and white wine? The answer is a bit more complicated!
The first thing you need to understand is the process of making wine. When the grapes are crushed without their skins, they become white wine. There is nothing in the wine process to add coloration, so you wind up with something that is on the “clear” side. It might be a bit yellow, or have traces of some pale coloring, but white wine is generally close to clear.
If the process of creating wine is done with the skins on the grapes, including the seeds and stems, the wine is infused with color. The tannins created by the mixture lead to not only the color, but the particular nuance of flavor in red wines. They can taste like everything from a light and airy dessert wine to a heavy, flavorful dry wine that can make most novices wrinkle their nose.
That’s another key to understanding wine: The darker the color, the heartier the flavor, and some wine novices won’t enjoy the heavier flavors until they have had time to sample something a bit lighter. Deep wines are an acquired taste, much like coffee or tea; you can learn to love them, but doing so requires time and a knowledge of why they taste the way they do.
White wines, on the other hand, tend to have a higher sugar content, and this makes them much sweeter. Some white wines are so sweet and light that you have to be careful of how much you are drinking — you could go through a whole bottle of sweet wine without realizing how much you are drinking! Though sweet favorites like Muscadine are “sipping wines,” you might be surprised at how easy it is to pour one glass after another.
When choosing what wine to bring to the next dinner party, consider what foods will be served. White wines are good with foods that could easily be overpowered, such as fish. Red wines are best for those foods that are hearty, like steaks and comfort foods. The sweeter white wines also do well as dessert wines, and can be delicious when paired with cheesecake and the like.
Deciding what kind of wine you enjoy takes time, but a good winery will be happy to let you sample their goods. Ask questions about the process and the various wines they have to offer, then take a few bottles home to savor. Your tastes will become apparent, and your knowledge of what wine pairs well with various foods will become a natural assumption.
