Wines - Business Etiquette

Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division
CHAPTER-25
WINES
We Learn – A Continuous Learning Forum

• Wines are fermented juice of fresh grapes
• Their popularity is increasing
• Wine bars have also become popular
• Red wine is known to be excellent for the body and
to ward off heart diseases
• It is not uncommon for wines to be served at
business meetings

There are three kinds of wines
• Sparkling Wines
• Still Wines
• Fortified Wines

Sparkling Wines
• There are commonly called “Champagne” although it is only
the sparkling wines that are made in the Champagne district of
France that are permitted to be called “Champagne”
• All other sparkling wines are stated to be made in the “method
champenosie”
• In this process the wine (after it is made) undergoes a
secondary fermentation in the bottle where the gas trapped
dissolves in the wine and when opened , the gas is released in
the form of bubbles

Still Wines
• These can be white, red or rose.
• The wine can be dry, medium or sweet
• White wines can be made from both red and white
grapes
- White wine produced from white grapes is called
Blanc do Blancs
- White wine produced from red grapes is called
Blanc do Noirs

• When black grape skin is kept in fermentation
tanks, the juice absorbs the red pigment and turns it
into red wine
• If the grape skin is kept for a short time then a pink
or rose wine emerges
• Dry and medium dry terms are used to describe the
relative sweetness of wine
• A dry wine is one that is not sweet

Fortified Wines
• Fortified wines are the result of fermenting very ripe
grapes
• Then strengthening the wine at a decisive point in
the fermentation process with addition of grape
brandy distilled from the same grapes
• Sherry and port are prime examples

Vintage Wines
• A vintage is a one year’s harvest
• It does not mean very old wine
• By a combination of weather conditions, the grape quality of a
particular year may turn out to be particularly good.
• Wine made from the grapes of that year are called vintage
• Vintage wine also means there is no blending of a previous
year’s wine

Aromatized Wines
• Aromatized wines are also called aperitif or
flavoured wines
• These are infused with herbs, barks, roots and
other flavouring
• Vermouth and Dubonnet are two such wines

Young & Old wines
• An old wine is one that has been aged to mature for
a long period to develop its complex characteristics
and aroma
• Red wines are stored for much as 15-20 years
• The only exception is Beaujolais which is drunk when
it is fresh, crisp and fruity

Grape Varieties
• The two types of wines that are mostly drunk are white and
red wine
• White wines are lighter and more frivolous
• Red wines are heavier
• Over the years red wines fade in colour from purple to ruby to
brick red and finally deep red.
• White wines gradually darken in colour to yellow and pale gold

White Wines
Wines from the following grapes are as follows:
1. Chardonnay –sweet wine. A very popular white wine
2. Chennin Blanc – Good acidity level, thin skin and
high natural sugar
3. Muscat –dry wine
4. Sauvignon Blanc –aromatic dry wine
5. Semillon –Dry and sweet wine
6. UgniBlanc –fruity taste
7. PinonBlanc –Tastes appley, buttery, fresh and leafy

Red Wine
1. Cabernet Sauvigon: rich in colour, aroma and depth
2. Gamay: Wine to be drunk fresh
3. Merlot: nicely coloured wines, rich and soft in fruit
4. Pinot Meunier: fruity appeal
5. Pinot Noir: Rich velvety and smooth wines
6. Cabernet Franc :rich wine
7. Shiraz : heavy tasty wine. Suitable with Indian food

Wine glasses

What to look for in a wine glass
• The glass should be clear so that the colourof the wine can be
examined and appreciated
• The glass should have a long stem so that the temperature of
the hand does not affect the temperature of the wine
• The glass should be of reasonable size so that it fills good
quantity of wine
• The top of the glass should funnel inwards so that the wine
stays inside when moved around in the glass

Tasting Wines
• Wine should not be drunk as soon as the bottle is opened
• One should taste it ideally 5 minutes after it is opened
• The first thing that should be seen is that the cork should be
wet
• If the cork is dry then the wine has turned stale
• Never smell the cork
• Smelling of wine helps ascertain the aroma and flavor of the
wine

• The funnel of the glass should turn inwards
• The wine glass should be held by the stem
• Wine is smelt with one or two deep whiffs
• Old wine smells less fruity but more intricate and
subtle
• These mature elusive smells are known as bouquet

Serving of Wine
The logical progression of wine serving is
1. White before red
2. Young before old
3. Dry before sweet
However this depends on the food and the occasion

WINES
• Wine should be enjoyed at the right emperature
• White 6 to 8 degrees c
• Rose 10 to 12 degrees c
• Red 14 to 16 degrees c
• Wine is drunk before food and as an accompaniment to food
• White or light wine does not go well with Indian food
• Red wines does not go well with sea food
• Light wines go well with food that are lightly cooked

Course by course
• Hors d’oeurves Crisp, dry and light, fruity
• Soup Dry for light soups, Madeira for thick
soups, dry white for medium bodied soups
• Plate Light red
• Seafood Crisp, dry white
• White meals Light fruity red or medium/dry white
• Red meats Red
• Oriental Spicy Dry white or fruity rose
• Pasta Light fruity Red
• Vegetarian Soft or light reds and rose
• Desserts Wines with equal sweetness
• Chinese Fruity red for soft cheese, dry fruity white
for medium, red for hard cheese

Storing left over wines
• Wine can be consumed the next day if it is
kept sealed
• Wine can be stored in the fridge for about 2
days
• Use vaccumisers to create an empty space
above the wine and protects it from
oxidization

Storing wines
• Wines should be stored with bottles lying down on their sides
to keep the cork always moist.
• If the bottle is kept upright, the cork will shrink and dry out –
resulting in the wine being unable to breathe
• The perfect storage temperature for wine is between 5C to
18C
• Wine should ideally be kept in darkness.
• Unopened bottles should not be stored in the fridge for more
than 4 days before consuming it

Corked wines
A defiled wine is called corked wine. Their
characteristics are:–
- A vinegary taste that burns the throat
- A brown tinge in a white wine or deep brown in a
red
- The cork smells of sherry
- A musty, moldy or decaying taste
- No redeeming aroma
- Cloudiness or murkiness

Cloudy Wine
• Cloudy red wine can suggest that there may be
something wrong or it could be that the sediment in
the bottom of the bottle has been disturbed
• If there are doubts of the quality of the wine, ask the
wine waiter to taste it
• If it is bad the wine will be replaced

Wines - Business Etiquette

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Wines - Business Etiquette

Similar to Wines - Business Etiquette (20)

More from We Learn - A Continuous Learning Forum from Welingkar's Distance Learning Program.

More from We Learn - A Continuous Learning Forum from Welingkar's Distance Learning Program. (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Wines - Business Etiquette