F&B MOD 13: How to Taste Wine PDF

**F&B** **MOD 13** **HOW TO TASTE WINE?** **Appearance/See** **Color** **White wines --** can vary from almost transparent white to golden yellow to amber color (for sweeter wines). **Red wines --** can vary from pink to ruby red to garnet to deep purple. **Some older vintages --** may exhibi...

**F&B** **MOD 13** **HOW TO TASTE WINE?** **Appearance/See** **Color** **White wines --** can vary from almost transparent white to golden yellow to amber color (for sweeter wines). **Red wines --** can vary from pink to ruby red to garnet to deep purple. **Some older vintages --** may exhibit a brown or brick-red tint at the edge. **Clarity** **White wines** -- should look clear and bright. **Red wines --** should also be clear. Any visible cloudiness or haze in a red wine may be attributable to sediment derived naturally in mature wines that while not dangerous or unhealthy, should have been removed by decanting prior to serving. **Swirl --** you can swirl it most easily by keeping it firmly on a flat surface; open air "freestyle" swirling is not recommended for beginners. Notice if the wine forms "legs" or "tears" that run down the sides of the glass. Wines that have good legs are wines with more alcohol and glycerin content, which generally indicates that they are bigger, riper, more mouth-filling and dense than those that do not. **Smell** ** Fruits --** apple, blackberry, cherry, fig, lemon, melon, plum, prune, raisin, raspberry, etc. ** Herbs and spices --** cardamom, cinnamon, clove, curry, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, etc. ** Flowers --** iris, violet, rose, etc. ** Beverages and foods --** cassis, chocolate, coffee, honey, tea, toast, vanilla, etc. ** Woodlands --** wild mushroom, cedar, leaves, leather, tar, oak, tobacco, moss, pine, smoke, etc. ** "Off" odors --** cork, mold, sulfur, etc. **Sip** Basic Wine Characteristics 1. Sweetness 2. Acidity 3. Tannin -- is the presence of phenolic compounds that add bitterness to wine. 4. Alcohol -- (average: 11-13% alcohol) ranges from as little as 5.5% ABV -- 20% ABV. 5. Body -- is a snapshot of the overall impression of a wine. (Light to Full-Bodied) **Types of Wine Glasses: Wine Glass Guide** 1. Cabernet 5. Pinot Noir 2. Burgundy 6. Chardonnay 3. Bordeaux 7. White 4. Zinfandel 8. Champagne **MOD 14** **Spirits** The type of base ingredient used varies with the spirit produced -- **grape wine** for brandy; **sugar** for rum; **grain crops** for whisky, gin, and vodka. **All alcohol beverages** are made by fermenting some form of sugary brew into ethanol and CO2. "Spirits" are differentiated in two ways: they're distilled, and they have higher average ABVs , from around 20%to as high as 80 or 90% ABV (most spirits fall somewhere much closer to the middle). **All spirits bottle** have to be labelled with some pretty specific information: **the brand name; the kind of spirit in the bottle (e.g. vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and whisky, though you may also see things like moonshine, mezcal, pisco and cachaça); ABV; the country of origin as well as address and name of the importer or bottler; a big fat government warning about the dangers of alcohol.** **Six popular spirit types in most bars:** 1. Whisky 4. Vodka 2. Rum 5. Brandy 3. Gin 6. Tequila **WHISKY** **Distilled Form:** Malted grains which vary by style. Can include a mixture of corn, rye, wheat, barley, etc. **Flavor Profile:** Roasted, malted grain with oak undertones. **Aged:** Typically aged in charred oak. **Alcohol Content:** typically 40-50% alcohol/volume (80 to 100 proof). Some are higher. **DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHISKY** **Grain Whisky --** Scotland's grain whisky is made from maize with malted and sometimes un-malted barley. **De Luxe Scoth Whisky --** is older and mellower with a blend age of seven to twelve years. **Malt Whisky --** is made from malted barley. **Malting** consists of spreading wetted barley on a warm floor, so the seeds begin to germinate -- this converts starch into sugar (maltose). To halt the process it is next dried at a hotter temperature using peat. **Irish Whiskey --** always spell with an 'e' and is made basically the same as whisky with some variations. The base cereals may not be wholly barley, drying is by coal fire not peat, and stills differ in design. **Bourbon and Rye Whiskies -- Bourbon** is made in the state of Kentucky in the USA. The neighboring state of Tennessee produces a well-known whiskey, Jack Daniels, which is therefore not Bourbon. **Rye** is made in USA and Canda. Both are produced from grain (mainly maize) distilled in a continuous still, and aged in charred oak barrels. Bourbon is aged in cold warehouse, Rye in heated rooms: both are lighter than scotch. **RUM** **Distilled Form:** Sugar. Either molasses or pure sugar cane. **Flavor Profile:** Sweet. Toasted sugar. Varies by style and region. **Aged:** Light rum is typically un-aged and other rums are often aged in oak barrels to some extent. **Alcohol Content:** Typically 40% alcohol/volume (80 proof). Overproof rums can reach 75% alcohol/volume (150 proof). **Jamaican Rum --** known for highly-flavoured rums, but today light rums are distilled too with a trend for these. **Barbados and Trinidad Rum --** both specialize in lighter, as well as colourless tums. **Proof --** is another way of indicating the alcoholic strength of drinks. 'Alcohol by volume' as a percentage is the more common way. 'Proof' is double the alcohol by volume figure. For example, a product that is '80 proof' is 40% alc/vol. Rum labelled "overproof" is more than 50% alc/vol. **GIN --** is produced by rectifying a pure spirit with berries and botanical herbs -- juniper berries and coriander seeds are the main flavoring agents, along with calamus root, cardamom seeds, angelica, orange and lemon peels, almond and orris root. 40-47% alc/vol (80-94 proof) **London Dry Gin --** may be clear (like Gilbey's London Dry and Gordon's), or straw colored (like Booth's). This is most commonly asked for type. **Sloe gin --** with an emphasis on the sloe berries used in its production **VODKA --** is distilled from a base of grain or molasses and is highly rectified meaning impurities have been removed. No flavorings are added. Indeed charcoal is used to filter it and produce a clean and smooth spirit. 40-50% alc/vol (80-100 proof) **Flavored vodkas** Polish vodka is also excellent, some varieties being flavored with fruit or herbs. **BRANDY --** is distilled from grapes and is produced in nearly every wine growing region: it may be consumed neat but is popular with a mixer, or in cocktails. 40% alc/vol (80 proof) **Cognac --** the most famous brandy is cognac made in the cognac region of France. When drinking cognac, a nip is poured into a balloon glass of moderate size: the hand is cupped around the balloon and the cognac gently swirled, warning it and releasing its bouquet. **TEQUILA --** is a Mexican spirit ranging from clear to pale gold in color. True tequila is made in the areas surrounding the city of Tequila. Some bottles feature the classic worm in the bottle. The tequila is made from Maguey cactus plants. 40-50% alc/vol (80-100 proof) **MOD 15** The term "**spirit**" refers to **liquor** that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). **Liquor** bottle with added sugar and added flavorings. - A standard nip is 30ml - Maybe served or on ice - Served in a short or long glass - Maybe served with a mixer - Double nips maybe served Guests may also order the spirit 'neat' -- which means without any mixer, and without ice -- or they may order it 'on the rocks' which means neat with the addition of ice. **COMMON MIXERS WITH SPIRITS** **Tonic --** gives a hint of bitterness to either gin or vodka. **Seltzer water --** adds sparkle to a heavy drink and body to flavored vodkas for a light, low-key sipper. **Cola --** is a classic and goes equally well with whiskey as it does with rum. (If you want to be fancy, squeeze a wedge of lime into your rum and cola and call it a **Cuba Libre.)** **Ginger ale and Ginger beer --** go well with bourbon and blended whiskey. If you like it sweet, use ginger ale---for more spice, use ginger beer. **Lemon-lime soda --** though a little sweet, is a good beginner's introduction to whiskey drinks and works well in fruity punches. **Grapefruit soda --** Mixes perfectly with tequila and a pinch of salt. **Orange juice --** works with gin, vodka and rum -- freshly-squeezed adds another layer of texture and flavor. **Grapefruit juice --** is better with gin than vodka, as the florals of gin and the sharpness of the juice complement each other nicely and is always a great match with rum and tequila. **Lime juice --** is the prime ingredient in sour mix, bottled, sweetened line juice is perfect with gin. **Cranberry juice --** works well with vodka and orange liqueur -- it also gives the cosmopolitan its signature red color. **RTDs (Ready To Drink) --** refers to the large and growing range of pre-mixed drinks that are available in bottles and cans. They may be spirit or wine-based. **Non-Alcoholic Beverages --** can be further separated into dairy and non-dairy drinks. Iced Tea and coffee are sold in many countries in both dairy-added and non-dairy versions;. **Other non-alcoholic non-dairy drinks** include herbal energy drinks. **Other non-alcoholic dairy-based drinks** include protein supplements and yogurt-based drinks. **OTHER SPIRITS** **Applejack --** Brandy distilled from the fermented mash of cider apples in the New England region of the USA. **Aquavit --** Is the drink of Scandinavia and the word comes from 'aqua vitae', Latin for 'water of life'. **Calvados --** a brandy made from a mash of cider apples produced in the defined areas of the provinces of Brittany, Normandy and Maine. **Eau de Vie ('Water of life') --** these are true fruit brandies made by distilling the fermented mash of fruit. **Kirsch --** originally double Pot distilled cherry brandy from the Alsace region in France. **Kirschwasser --** German or Swiss cherry brandy. **Ouzo --** Aniseed flavored spirit of Greece and Cyprus. **Pernod --** Origin is in Southern France. It was named after Monsieur Per nod who bought the recipe in 1897. **Poire Williams --** Eau-de-vie de poire is distilled from the pear known as Wiliams or Bartlett. **Slivovitz --** Plum brandy from Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries.