Why Do We Use Certain Types Of Bottles For Different Wines?

Wine is a very sensitive beverage which gets easily affected by temperature, lights, vibrations, and oxygen among others. Ordinarily speaking, one can use any type of bottle to bottle his/her wine as long as it can be sealed well (some inset a thin layer of nitrogen before sealing it to prevent any chance of oxygen reaching the wine and oxidizing it) and at the same time protect the wine from direct sunlight.

Easy identification of wine type and place of manufacture

All wine bottles are made of glass. Wines, such as Champagne are fermented in the same bottle they are sold in, while most other types are bottled after the fermentations process has totally stopped. Most of the times the wine is bottled in a certain type of bottle for two main reasons - (i) to identify the area from where it comes (manufacturers, vineyard, country, etc), (ii) type of wine.

In the early days wine was stored in wooden kegs. After a while it became fashionable to have wine in large amphorae. Then, with the advent of the popularity of wine and its transport throughout the world, it became commonly stored in glass bottles. These bottles are usually thick, dimpled at the bottom and dark in color. Thick because it should break during travel/ transport; dimpled at the bottom so it can have better stability and easier for stacking while transporting; lastly dark in color to prevent the access of direct sunlight which can destroy the wine within the glass.

Today, the wine bottles are normally of 750 ml and the shape of the bottles in which they are stored usually denote the type of wine and many times the place from where it is produced. This article will attempt to describe a few of the most popular wine bottles below:

Bordeaux - this bottle is usually tall with a small neck, light green in color. You will find this type of wine bottle in Italy, Spain, and in parts of the Northern Europe for bottling Bordeaux wines.
Burgundy - this type of bottle has slopping shoulders making it elegant and longish. The bottle is green too and also has a large dimple at the bottom. This bottle is mostly used for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Rhone - this bottle is much thinner than the burgundy one, but similar in shape otherwise.
Champagne - this bottle has very gentle sloping shoulders, is taller than any other bottle, thicker and has a deep dimple at the bottom. This particular shape is to protect the wine within, which ferments after being put in the bottle, and also prevents the bottle from breakage.
Rhine - this bottle usually comes in brown color, though they have green bottles too.

There is actually no real rules. The types of bottles have been adopted as a tradition rather than any other reason. There are places where the bottles of wine have been thus for hundreds of years. The main concern for wine bottles, remain to protect the wine. Hence, most of the bottles are thick, dark and longish. All these three attributes help in keeping the wine as healthy as can be till it is drank.

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Different Types of White Wine

Most wines are made out of grape juice that is being fermented. After fermentation, the resulting wine is clear in color. This clear wine is called white wine.

There are several kinds of white wine. In America, the most well loved and fastest selling white wine is Chardonnay. Chardonnay grape is also a major contributor to the wine's popularity. Chardonnay grape is low maintenance and can grow in almost any climate. This results in big harvests worldwide, translating to millions of bottles annually.

Chardonnay goes well with poultry dishes, pork, sea food or dishes with heavy cream.

Another kind of white wine is Chennin Blanc. It is made from a variety of grape that grows in France's Loire Valley, in South Africa and in California. Chennin Blanc can range from dry to very sweet. Depending on the time of harvest, this kind of white wine may taste like apple, melon, line or pear with a tinge of vanilla and honey.

Chennin Blanc is best paired with salads, spicy rice dishes, sushi, seafood and white meats.

Another kind of white wine is Gewurztraminer. Grapes for this wine are usually grown in France, Germany, US, Australia and New Zealand. The vines usually grow best in cooler climates.

Gewurztraminer can either be purchased in dry or sweet varieties. Wine experts say that this white wine is best enjoyed if it was drunk sooner rather than later post-bottling. Upon tasting, Gewurztraminer may acquire the tastes of honey, pumpkin, spice, cinnamon, apricot, pear and rose.

It is a good wine to pair with Asian dishes, barbecue or chicken wings.

Pinot Blanc is another popular kind of white wine. It is a medium dry to dry white wine produced from Alsace, France. Usually, oak barrels are not used in the process of maturation for Pinot Blanc.

Its light flavor with citrus undertones combined with high acidity makes it perfect for seafood, light-flavored meats and mild flavored cheeses.

Finally, there's Pinot Grigio. This wine has the flavor of melon and pear. It also has a subtle fruity taste and often has an undertone of honey. Pinot Grigio is pale, almost straw like in color.

Its smooth taste makes it a perfect drink to pair with pastas and cheese crackers. It should not pair with food with high acid content, such as citrus fruits or tomatoes, because the wine is already acidic.

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Sherry - A Wine Of Tradition

A fortified wine from Andalusia produced only in and around the town of Jerez in the Cadiz region. The Spanish producers have since registered the Sherry / Jerez / Xeres name and will prosecute anyone else in the world trying to use it. It is thought that Jerez has exported wines since at least Roman times. Today Sherry accounts for the largest portion of Spain's wine exports, reaching no less than fifty countries and making superb profits for the winery owners. The wine attained "domain d'origen" (DO) status in 1933.

The traditions of Jerez and wine go back over two thousand years, thousands of amphora were shipped to Rome, and the high alcohol content meant that the wine travelled well without spoiling. From the 12th century wine from the region was exported to England. England are long-time consumers of the beverage and the name "sherry" comes from the Arab word for the city of Jerez - "Seris" or "Sherish" evolved into the word we know today.

Sherry's popularity continued to bloom and by the 16th century it was thought to be the finest of all wines. Sherry's popularity continued to grow and a boom in the 19th century meant that producers could barely keep up with the demands of northern Europe, particularly England and Holland, who remain the two biggest consumers of the wine today. The output has stabilised in recent times and the value of the wine has gone up, increasing profitability for the Spanish producers.

The Sherry region is located in several towns around Jerez de la Frontera in the Cadiz region of Andalusia; there is also a small producing area in the neighbouring province of Seville. The area is typified by rolling hills and limestone soil that has the superb water retention necessary to see out the dry summer months. The average temperature in the growing season in 17.5°C and moisture is carried to the vines by westerly winds coming in from the sea. This softens the arid summer climate of the region and also takes the sting out of the warm westerly winds. With 270 sunny days every year and no frosts or hail, conditions are ideal for viticulture, aided by steady rainfall between the moths of October and May.

There are three main grape varieties used to create Sherry - Palamino Fino, Pedro Jimenez and Moscatel, the latter two being mainly used in the production of sweet sherry. The real secret of Sherry's production lies in what is known as the "Crianza" process. After the grapes are harvested and pressed they undergo a first fermentation for ten days. After a few months the wine is ready for classification. For this process, a taster is needed and it is crucial that his/her sense of smell and taste in highly developed and the taster must determine which type the wines are going to be. This unique process allows the wine to grow on its own and develop naturally into the most suitable type of sherry. There are four main types that are produced: Fino - a pale a delicate sherry, Amotillado which is an older, richer version of the Fino variety, Oloroso is a rich, dark mahogany coloured wine and the Cream sherry is a blend of Oloroso and the Pedro Jimenez grape and has a sweet finish to compliment its rich flavour.

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Turn the Supermarket Into a Classroom

Learning is an adventure and the universe is the classroom. Parents who hold this belief are able to turn the supermarket into a classroom and, indeed, turn every situation and circumstance a child encounters into a learning experience.

The supermarket is a great learning experience. With some imagination, it becomes a place where children can reinforce in a practical way some of the most important concepts they learn in the classroom. The supermarket allows them to relate the concepts they learn to real life. As we shop for food and teach the concepts of mathematics, geography and nutrition, a powerful link is made with learning and living.

The supermarket provides the opportunity to demonstrate the principles of mathematics in real life. Children, depending on their age can learn the concepts of division by watching and helping their parents make change. Helping their parents select items, total their costs and make change, make the concepts of addition and subtraction real to children.

There are fantastic opportunities in a supermarket to teach the concepts of consumer mathematics. Sales and discounted items help children to understand percentages and variations in prices and profit margins. These mathematical concepts can be tailored to the age of the children and allow them to have fun whilst they learn. Involving the children in supermarket shopping is also a great self-esteem builder.

Games built around the origin of foods are a great way to teach children geography. Grapes from California, olives from Spain, wine from France and yams from Africa can all be found in a supermarket. Parents can use the opportunity as they select food items, to teach children in a fun way, why certain foods grow in specific areas. This presents opportunities for simple to complex explanations on climate, transportation and other aspects of geography.

One of the most important lessons to be learnt in the supermarket is the importance of checking food ingredients. This presents an ideal opportunity to teach children about nutrition. Children will often be attracted by bright packaging and other attractive gimmicks. Parents will have the opportunity to teach children to look out for essential ingredients and to identify the ingredients that are bad for their health. As they teach children what to look for in healthy food, parents are well on the way to establishing sound life-long principles to good, healthy living.

Parents can turn the supermarket into a classroom by teaching fun games on categories and classifications. The goods in a supermarket are generally divided into categories according to types, prices and other classification. This is very similar to the way nature organizes species and groups of animals. Once again, age appropriate games can be developed for children.

Supermarkets are great classrooms. Parents with imagination can benefit greatly from developing creative games for their children as they do grocery shopping. The lessons that can be learnt from the supermarket range from basic to complex and can lay the groundwork for important subject areas in the life of a child.

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