Learning Chinese - Evocative scents in a glass of wine

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Evocative scents in a glass of wine


(life.sg.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-06-29 09:29


People yearn for nice things like fragrances. Some like floral scents,
some like fruity smells, while others may even love herbal aromas. But
how about mixing those fragrances together? Will it be a feast for the
nose? The answer is absolutely yes and wine is just a good example.


Why there are so many fragrances in wine

While wine is fast becoming mainstream in China, its fragrance is so
complicated that it could defy your imagination. A bottle of good wine
may have more than 600 kinds of scents. Usually, there are six different
ones in wine - floral and fruity ones, nut, spice, plant, animal and even
smoke aromas.

Experts say that during a wine's lifetime, it has three stages. In the
first one, the "young" wine has a full-bodied floral and fruity scent.
After that, "middle-aged" wine may have the smell of walnuts and almonds.
And then, for those "old wines", they may carry spicy tastes like
cinnamon and nutmeg.

Besides the different ages, wines can have diverse tastes due to the
different grapes used in the winemaking process. For example, Riesling is
a kind of white grape and can have such aromas as citrus, peach, apricot,
linden flower and flower from Japanese pagoda trees.

How to enjoy wine

1. Follow these three steps: First, hold up the wine glass to your nose
and smell the wine. Second, carefully swirl the wine around the glass so
that more oxygen mixes with the wine. Smell the wine again before taking
a sip. Hold the wine in your mouth for a moment to taste it before
swallowing.

2. When opening a bottle of wine, wait for the wine to reach its
appropriate drinking temperature. In this way, the original scents will
get perfectly preserved. Usually, white wine is best drunk from 10 ℃ to
14 ℃ and red wine is from 14℃ to 18℃.

Recommended products

1. Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling (2004)

Origin: Washington, America
Alcoholic content: 12.5 %(v/v)
This wine is made from 100 % Riesling by two famous wine producers in
Colombia Valley. It has a peach and apricot aroma and is easy to drink.
Price: 392 Yuan

2. Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora(2005)

Origin: Victoria, Australia
Alcoholic content: 10 %( v/v)
The aroma of this wine brings to mind orange blossoms and a fresh citrus.
This light, sweet Australian white wine can instantly make you feel
refreshed. It tastes good with pudding and spicy food.
Price: 134 yuan

3. "Trio" Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio-Riesling

Origin: Casablanca Valley, Chile
The honey-colored wine is full of aromas with hints of apple, lemon and
citrus. It tastes fresh and mild.
Price: 167 Yuan

(Edited by KK Zhao)























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