America is drowning in a sea of wine. American wineries produced more than 150 million gallons of wine in October 2021 alone.
This may sound a little excessive. But you’ll think it’s small once you take a look at the different types of wine.
What are the most popular kinds of wine in the United States? What is drinking wine like, and how can you combine wine with food? What are good wines to serve with or as dessert?
Answer these questions and you can catch a glimpse of the many benefits of wine. Here is your quick guide.
Contents
Red
Black grapes are grown in Western Asia and the Americas. They have tangy and sweet flavors, and they contain thick skins loaded with tannins. Tannins are chemicals that have a bitter taste, which can make a wine feel dry in the mouth.
Red wines rely on black grapes. Winery employees press the grapes, producing a juice that contains the grape skins. The juice ferments with the skins and the skins impart their tannins into the juice.
Winemakers then chill the juice and add yeast to it. The yeast turns the sugar in the juice into alcohol, which causes the skins to separate from it. Employees mix the juice with the skins or pour juice over them so the mixture continues to ferment.
Classic red wines include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and Chianti. You can pair red wines with meat dishes, including ribs and burgers. They also work well with pizza and pasta.
Rosé
Many people think that rosé wines are made by combining red and white wines. That isn’t the truth. A combination of the two would produce too much of a clash in taste and texture.
In reality, rosé is a special kind of red wine. It is also made with black grapes, but the grape juice ferments with the skins for only a few days. This gives the wine a pink color without leaving too many tannins in the drink.
Rosé wines are fruity and fresh with a hint of dryness. This makes them good choices for parties, especially in the spring and summer. If you are serving a series of wines, you can serve a rosé as a starter before selecting heavier red wines.
When you are serving food, you should pair rosé with lighter dishes. Salads, seafood, and fruit are good choices.
White
White grapes have a crisp flavor with a hint of sweetness. Their skins do not have a lot of tannins, so white wine is more watery and filling than red wine.
The distillery process for white wines is similar to that for red wines. The difference is that the grape skins are separated early on in the process. This step prevents any tannins from seeping into the juice.
The most popular white wines include chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. The crisp flavors of white wines complement lighter dishes better than heavier ones. You should pair your drinks with poultry, seafood, and snacks.
Dessert Wines
Dessert wines are very sweet wines that people drink with dessert. Some wineries add sugar during the fermentation process, while others use very sweet grapes or raisins to make their wines.
Your wine may be so sweet that it is difficult to drink. You should always sample your wine options before you buy a dessert wine.
When in doubt, serve your dessert wine on its own without accompanying food. If you do want to pair your wine, you can serve it with soft cheese or a light dessert like biscotti.
Fortified Wines
Fortified wines contain other alcoholic drinks or uncommon ingredients. Many distilleries like to combine white wine with brandy to create a very sweet drink. Vermouth is a popular fortified wine that contains spices like cardamom.
Some fortified wines count as dessert wines because they are so sweet. You should read the label of the bottle to see how sweet the wine is.
Fortified wines are another type of wine that goes well with desserts. Chocolate, nuts, and tarts can make good pairings, though you should try your wine before you pair it with foods.
Sparkling Wines
Sparkling wines are carbonated or “bubbly” drinks. During the fermentation process, the mixture of grape juice and yeast produces carbon dioxide. Wineries avoid mixing the juice to trap the carbon dioxide in the wine, and the gas produces bubbles.
The most popular sparkling wine is champagne. Not all champagnes come alike; some have a fruity flavor, while others taste like nuts or cream. Distilleries may add spices after their wines are done fermenting in order to create these flavors.
Sparkling wines can be extremely expensive, so you should wait until you are familiar with buying wine before you get champagne. You should always serve sparkling wines in a tall and slender glass, which will help the wine retain its bubbles.
You should also put a sparkling wine stopper on your bottle. You do not want the bubbles to leave your drink, or it will taste flat and dry.
The Most Popular Types of Wine
Different types of wine create different experiences. Red, rosé, and white wines are the most traditional kinds of wine.
Red wine has a lot of tannins, which makes for a drier drink. If you don’t want your mouth feeling dry after you have wine, you can try rosé or white wines. They work well for light meals.
Dessert and fortified wines are sweet, making them good after a full meal. Sparkling wines are light, and you can drink them to celebrate happy occasions.
These wines are the tip of the iceberg. Read more wine guides by following our coverage.