If there is an ideal time to taste white wines, it is undoubtedly summer. They bring all the joys of the season into the glass: the aromas of flowers and fruit, the salinity of the sea, the much-desired freshness... Find out what you need to know about white wine, in 5 points!
How white wine is produced and how to best taste it, in 5 simple points.
1. How are white wines produced?
Since the pigments are present in the grape skins, by depriving the must of the skins, white wine is obtained, even if the starting grape is black. The fundamental difference between red vinification and white vinification lies in the fact that during fermentation, in the second case, there is no contact between must and pomace.
2. What are the phases of white winemaking?
- Destemming (separation of the grapes from the stalks) and pressing of the pomace;
- Racking , i.e. the separation of the must from the skins to obtain the free-run must (without marc);
- Fermentation of the flower wine in stainless steel vats (for short refinements, for young and ready-to-drink wines), concrete tanks (coated in fibreglass) or wood (barriques, tonneaus, casks or barrels);
- Bottling.
3. What is the ideal serving temperature for white wines?
White wines are served at a lower temperature than reds, and is generally between 10° and 12° C (bubbles: 8°-10° C).
The lower temperatures highlight the so-called hardness of the wine: the freshness (particularly sought after in sparkling wines and young white wines) and the flavor (a precious characteristic that so characterizes some territories).
4. Why are white wines served cold?
The temperature not exceeding 13 degrees normalizes the soft tones of white wines and elevates their drier and more pungent characteristics, enhancing their aromas and flavors.
But be careful, never serve iced white! Temperatures that are too low penalize - or cancel! – the aromas.
5. Are there tannic white wines?
Among the hardness of wine there is also tannicity , usually absent in whites. In fact, the presence of polyphenols in the skins of white grapes is scarce; furthermore, the contact times between must and skins are short.
But it sometimes happens that you notice the sensation of astringency given by the tannins even in white wines: in that case the wine may have fermented or aged in wood (in the case of important whites) or the vinification may have foreseen very long contact times between the must and the peels.
