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Deciding on the best way to let your wine breathe can be a difficult one.I am ready to start enjoying my glass of wine right away when I open a bottle. I generally don’t have much patience for allowing it to breathe.Why does wine need to breathe?  By letting your wine breathe or aerate it allows for the full flavors to emerge and make the wine more palatable. While there are many wines that do not need to go through this process, it is good to know the little details that can make a big difference. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your wine to its fullest potential.

The reason why wines needs to breathe, or age, is because of tannins. Tannins can transfer into wine during the fermentation process from seeds and skins of grapes. They are a natural preservative that diminish overtime allowing fuller flavors to emerge. White wines and some red wines have low levels of these and therefore do not need aging, or periods of breathing, before drinking. Generally all red wines can benefit from aeration, but those that are lighter and fruitier generally don’t require much aeration.

The term breathing refers to the mixing of oxygen with wine allowing the breakdown of tannins. A decanter exposes more surface area of the wine to oxygen and brings out the full body and flavor of wine.

If you choose to allow your wine to breathe, you still have one more decision to make. Do you use a decanter or an aerator? If you have at least an hour to let your wine breathe, then go ahead and use your decanter. This is plenty of time for your wine to mix with oxygen and for its full flavors to emerge.Pour your bottle of wine, or the portion you want to drink, into the decanter and let it remain there.  The more surface area if the wine that is exposed to air,  the sooner you will be able to enjoy.

If you just opened a bottle of wine five minutes before guests arrived, or you are only wanting to drink a single glass, decantors may not be the best way to aerate your wine.Aerators achieve the same results as a decanter, but much more quickly as you don’t have to sit and wait for the wine to breathe. There are two types, one that you hold over your glass as you pour or ones that you place directly into the bottle and acts as a wine pourer.

The Vinturi wine aerator allows you to speed up the breathing process by mixing the perfect amount of air for the perfect amount of time to bring out the color, aroma, and flavor of your wines. All you do is pour your glass of wine through the aerator. A drip free stand elminates the need to clean up wine spots.

The second option, which is more user friendly especially for multi-tasking person, is the Wine Finer aerator . Enjoy your glass of wine in an instant with this easy to use aerator. All you do is open your bottle of wine, place the Wine Finer in the bottle and pour. After using the Wine Finer, just re-cork it with the top of the device. Your next glass of aerated wine will be waiting for you.

So before you decide whether to get yourself a decanter or an aerator, consider your time constraints. Make sure you have the time to wait for the decanter or be safe and allow your wine to breath immediately with Vinturi or Wine Finer.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 “Pale plonk packs an acidic punch!” says the BBC, Well, it does and it doesn’t. It also depends on the types of wine grapes as to how acidic the wine is and how long the wine is held in the mouth, as to how much damage is done. People who taste wine are much more likely to suffer from rotting teeth than your normal wine drinker, this is because they hold the wine in their mouths longer. Loads of noise on twitter for the story on http://twitter.com/winewarecouk and http://twitter.com/thirstforwine.

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So what does White wine actually do to teeth?

It should be pointed out that the erosion of teeth by wine is the result of extensive wine use that would also lead to damaged liver and all sorts of other problems. The typical wine drinker who sips a glass of wine at dinner or with their evening meal should not be ‘scared off’ by the tooth decay headlines, remember 100 year old women in Italy swear that wine was the secret of their longevity.

White wine stains teeth:

I think that anyone who has drank a few glasses of Red would agree that, yes, it does. But have you ever thought how? “Red wine, unlike white, contains a highly-pigmented substance known as chromogen,” explained Dr. Wolff of the New York University College of Dentistry, they goes on to explain that “The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth”.

Dr Wolff pointed out that all wine has the abilty to damage the tooths surface, red wine merely lets us know where that damage is.

Can we halt tooth erosion?

1) Alkaline mouthwashes are highly recommended

2) Proper brushing of your teeth with a soft tooth brush is encouraged.

3) A superb accompaniment to your vino, is a sandwich or a curry. After eating food your mouth goes into repair over drive.

4) To aide remineralisation of your teeth, please wait for 20 mins after food before cleaning your teeth.

5) Cheese can also help as it contains calcium in a high concentration

I hope this is helped a little towards taking away the fear factor of White wine.

Feel like i want to go brush my teeth now

The amount of wine made every year is simply staggering. It has been enjoyed all over the world for thousands of years and the cup of choice is almost always the glass. Have you ever asked yourself though, why from a glass? Why not from a mug, plastic cup or wooden goblet? The answer is unfortunately not that simple. Actually, wine is enjoyed from a number of different containers, other than glass, in many different places. For example, wooden cups are used in Thailand and in Japan they often drink their wine from a ceramic vase-like cup. However, the overriding choice of tableware drinking vessel, wherever you go, is glass. As it happens this is not down to glass being particularly excellent, rather the alternatives being really just not that suitable. Let take a look at them shall we.

Wood. As mentioned previously, wine is drunk from wooden cups in some places but it does have some major flaws. Firstly, if you are drinking red wine there is a high chance the wood will stain. Even if the wood is of a very high quality, staining will happen. Secondly, there is the issue of rotting, which frequency happens when wood gets wet for a long time. So every time it gets used, it would need to be dried pretty well.

Metal. If you have ever drunk wine from a metal cup you will know it’s not the best experience ever. Metals have a lot of ions and with a lot of wines, something called displacement can occur. This means that when the wine comes into contact with the metal it absorbs a number of the ions and effects the flavour. This is why you often pick up metallic notes when drink from this type of cup. Also, because of its very heat-conductive qualities, almost any other material would keep the wine cooler when you’re holding it

Ceramic.  Like glass, ceramic is non porous, does not release any of its qualities into the wine, and can be easily cleaned with a glass cloth. This is why it is a popular alternative, but there is one very simple reason that it has not been embraced in the same way as glass – It is not transparent. A large part of the experience of enjoying a fine wine is watching it swirl around the glass, admiring its body. Since glass was first developed, we have had the very simple and instinctive desire for this.

Chardonnay grape is the most popular type of white wine, found all over the world.The aroma, taste and flavor of it will, depends on the processing method employed and where it was made.  Chardonnay has a variety of different styles and flavors, and remains a major type of grape.As a result of it’s popularity, this fine wine spread all along Europe and other locations of the world such as California and Australia.

As more and more wine makers discovered Chardonnay, the fine wine began to grow quite well in South Africa and other areas as well.  With it being a non aroma type wine, oak seems to work very well with it.  The richest and most complex are American and French Chardonnay, which are also among the most preferred white wines.  Even though it does suffer from fatigue, the flavor and richness of this wine will keep it loved by many for years to come.

Chardonnay originated from the Burgundy and Champagne area of France.  Although white Burgundy is a popular wine that is prepared with Aligote, a lesser known grape, the fact remains that white Burgundy can’t be made without the use of Chardonnay grape.  What this goes to show, is that Chardonnay grapes have more than a few uses.

In appearance, Chardonnay grapesare green in color with thin skins.  The grape is a result of the Pinot and Croatian Blanc grape, which are extinct to this day.  Chardonnay on the other hand is still popular, fermented and aged using oak barrels that help to bring out the vanilla flavor the wine is well known for.  It can also be aged and fermented using bottles, although it won’t age quite as much as red wine.

Almost all Chardonnay wines are considered to be chilled, making them work extremely well with dishes that contain butter and cheeses.The wines also have very less acid, which makes them work well with seafood too.  There are a lot of food that you can pair Chardonnay with, which is what makes it so popular.  A lot of fine restaurants serve it as well, especially Italian and seafood restaurants.

The Chardonnay grape can also be used in making Champagne and other types of sparkling wines.  Although Chardonnay wine is the most popular use, there are several other uses for the grape that lead to some truly fine wines.  Oak is often times used with the wine as well, which provides it with some great flavors as it ages.  Although it can be a bit on the expensive side, it still remains one of the most preferred types of wine.  You can find it at any wine or alcohol store – making it a great addition to your wine or drink collection.

There are mainly no harsh and fast regulations when picking the best wine for every event - for the most part when you think that individuals are limited to specific wines contingent on their own liking and taste. Here are a few ‘soft’ guidelines to help you choose the right wine for the right occasion. This will give you a good idea on how to complement an occasion – and certain dishes – with the right kind of wine.

1. White Wines – white wines, being lighter and drier than red wines are best served during the earlier part of the evening or before the main course. Chardonnay, having wide appeal among most wine connoisseurs, is also perfect for serving along with rich tasting courses, especially those that have creamy sauces. Sauvignon Blanc, while not as dry as Chardonnay, still makes excellent company with salads, shrimp, and fish due to its fruity nature.

White wines are perfect for starting off an evening on the right foot, and are also wonderful for toasts and special occasions. Champagne is a regular fixture at weddings and is indispensable at such occasions.

2. Red Wines – red wines are great for main courses and are typically served during the latter part of any occasion. Their full bodied nature makes them a great complement to hearty meals. If you are looking for the wine that is most certain to please the most people, go for Merlot. It has a fair mix of body and lightness that make it the ideal alternative for most dishes. It particularly does well with poultry, pork and lamb.

The scintillating aroma of plum, vanilla and blackberry make Pinot Noir an intriguing proposition during special occasions. It is not as heralded as Merlot or Cabernet, so many people may not recognize its unique blend. It goes well with creamy sauces.

For spicy foods, Shiraz is a fiery complement. It has a peppery taste that will greatly enhance the flavor in barbeques, roasts, and chili or spicy dishes.

For a hearty, full taste, look no further than Chianti. Chianti is the best wine to accompany tomato dishes and poultry. It is wonderfully versatile in having varied range in price and quality.

During some occasions you may want to prepare servings of both red and white wine, and have your guests sample which they would have for the rest of the evening. Most people choose their drinks early on and keep them until the end of the reception.

Last but not least, it is best to find the right wine and its products in the right winery.