Silverstone Winery

Silverstone Winery
USA
http://www.silverstonewines.com

Email: [email protected]

Wine has been enjoyed by people for almost ten thousand years. It has been imbued with mythological qualities by many cultures, especially the ancient Greeks. It was created by ancient Iranians, Egyptians and Chinese, although in China the European grape vine, which is most commonly used for wine, wasn’t introduced until six thousand years after wine production had begun. They used wild varieties of grapes that could produce incredibly different tastes in combination with other fruits to give it a more consistent taste. In Europe wine has had a lush history including wine at almost every juncture partly because of the support of the Roman Catholic Church which requires wine for their Mass services. French wine has become renowned worldwide for the care and expertise taken by their vintners.

Wines are made by selecting good grapes from a vineyard and then crushing them, separating the stems and adding yeast to encourage fermentation of the sugars naturally present in the grapes. The grapes are chosen for their taste and color and picked at very specific times to ensure a great tasting wine. The best wines used grapes that are hand picked, a practice that is still popular in France. Once the grapes are picked, red ones for red wine, white or green grapes for white wine, the stems are separated (they can make wine very bitter), then they are crushed and pressed. A red variety keeps the skin of the grape in the wine for color and tannins, a natural anti-oxidant. A white wine removes the skins before fermentation for a cleaner color.

Once the grapes are crushed, yeast is added to ferment the juice, turning it into wine. As yeast consume sugars, they release alcohol into the liquid in a process know as anaerobic respiration. After the beverage is fermented, it is strained and sometimes filtered before being bottled. Many wines are ready to drink right after it has been bottled, such as sweet wine, but others are stored in wine cellars or caves and allowed to age. A vintage wine is created from grapes grown during a certain year, some years have had excellent tasting grape harvests while other years have been less tasty and they can fetch very high prices in some circles.

Wines are classified by the grape variety and recently the region they are grown in as well, such as Napa Valley in California or Marlborough in New Zealand. Australian wine is made from many grape varietals, especially syrah, a dark grape which is often sold under the term shiraz. Merlot wine is made from merlot grapes, chardonnay wine also references the type of grape, but rose wine is a reference to the color, and is often a blend of many varieties. A dessert wine is a fruity and sweet drink that is generally consumed with sweets after a meal or on its own and can be made from many different grape and fruits. Sparkling wine adds CO2 into the drink to make it bubble. It is only called champagne when it is made in the Champagne region of France, but otherwise they are the same drink.

To properly enjoy all wines, whether they are organic wines or boxed wine, wine glasses are needed. For reds, a wide mouth is preferred to allow the wine to aerate, while a white wine glass is has a long stem to keep the drink cool, and a smaller mouth. Sparkling wines are often served in fluted glass with very narrow mouths and long stems. Breathe through the nose while drinking a tasty wine for the most taste and smell sensation.

Update Winery information  Submit new wines to be posted  Wineries of America