Tips and curiosities

The fine and stylish Italian way of life can be experienced everywhere in the world thanks to great Italian products that add Italian flair and taste to daily life. Italian wines represent an excellent drink able to convey a chic and trendy atmosphere bringing along mirth and good mood.

Here are some tips and curiosities ranging from wine tasting to instructions on how a bottle should be opened as well as information on
                                      how to read an Italian wine label, which will enhance your knowledge of                                                   this charming world:

Wine tasting

Wine tasting is a fine technique that implies a sensory analysis aimed at describing the organoleptic characteristics of wine. It is articulated in three steps:

Visual analysis: it gives general information on the wine and it takes into consideration:
•Clarity
•Colour
•Consistency
•Effervescence

Olfactory analysis: it is aimed at distinguishing the different perfumes of each type of wine - useful to establish the pairings with food - and also its possible flaws. Once perfumes are analysed, the taster describes them using the aromas of known substances. Olfactory analysis takes into consideration:
•Intensity
•Complexity
•Quality

Analysis of Taste: it gives the final indications on the wine and they can confirm or contradict the previous two analysis. It takes into consideration:
•Soft, velvety sensations
•Harsh sensations
•Body of the wine
•Balance
•Intensity
•Persistence
•Quality

Finally you will be able to assess the development state of the wine and its overall harmonious balance

Sparkling wine

Bubbles are fun and enhance the joy of a good meal. They help us get rid of the extra grease that comes with fried dishes, too. Effervescence, or perlage, is obtained through different natural wine making techniques (classic method, Charmat method) or artificial, with methods similar to those used to manufacture sparkling mineral water. The quality of perlage is evaluated observing the sparkling wine soon after it has been poured in the glass, the aspect and the behaviour of bubbles: good quality sparkling wine should form persistent foam, have several small tiny bubbles that start from the bottom of the glass following vertical lines, a vertical "chain" of bubbles.

In the evaluation of the effervescence of a wine three different parameters are to be taken into consideration: the grain of the bubbles, their number and persistence.

The reason of using a decanter

Decantation is a complex procedure that should be carried out carefully in order to avoid spoiling the wine: it is meant to avoid the presence of deposits and favours wine oxygenation.

Not all wines are fit for decantation, for some is not recommended, such as whites and young red wines. All Red wines that have aged for a long time and full bodied red wines should be decanted. If you are decanting the wine in order to oxygenate the wine, gently move the decanter slowly and constantly in circle for a few minutes. Let the wine rest for a while in the decanter in order to check if there is any deposit and while gently pouring the wine into the glasses pay attention not to allow deposits to go into the glass. The decanter procedure should take place one or two hours before drinking the wine.

How to open a bottle of wine

While opening a bottle of wine is a fairly simple operation, you may well avoid incurring in the common mistakes that lead to the spoiling of the cork and above all, of the wine.

Traditional corkscrews are an option, of course, but a professional sommelier one is the best choice. Remove the portion of the capsule that covers the cork with a serrated blade, cutting just below the ring located on the bottle neck in order to avoid fall of dust residues in the glass. Clean the neck of the bottle with a piece of fabric to eliminate any residue. Position the end of the metal spiral on the center of the cork starting to turn the corkscrew almost until the end without pushing but with a constant movement: it is important not to perforate the cork in order not to find cork residues in the wine. While smoothly extracting the cork pay attention not to bend it to prevent breaking it. When the cork is almost out bend slightly the corkscrew to extract the cork completely. Observe it and notice its conditions: it should not be too dry nor too humid, the humid part should not exceed two or three millimeters. Bring the cork to the nose: if it mainly smells of wine smell it can be poured without problems, but if the cork smell is prevailing, it is advisable to taste the wine to avoid disappointment.

Pour the wine slowly, from above in order to oxygenate it, a very important step that should be carried out at least a few hours before. All red wines with body and structure that have aged for more than one year should be decanted. The bottle should not be poured entirely and it should be avoided to shake it; moreover, to prevent the pouring of the residues some wine should be left in the bottle.

Conservation of wine bottles

The correct conservation of wine bottles is fundamental in order not to spoil the content and to fully enjoy its aromas and taste. Wine should be kept in a humid low lit or dark place at a constant temperature around 15°C; too hot or too cold conditions can spoil the wine, therefore keep it in the fridge only if you intend to drink it shortly. As it is alive, wine keeps on ageing in the bottle and it can absorb the smells of the environment around it, so it's best to keep it away from food and material with strong odours. Bottles should be kept horizontally: wine should in fact constantly wet the cork to prevent it from shrinking with time, thus allowing air in. In Singapore these ideal conditions can be easily achieved using a wine cooler, there are a lot of them for sale at very accessible prices.

How to read the label of Italian wines

In order to choose a wine you should be prepared to read its label, that is not only the "dress" of the bottle, but it is also a precious tool for the consumer to understand the product, it may be compared to an identity card. The data present on the label are established by Italian national laws and regulations.

Mandatory information: they identify the type of wine, the manufacturer and the region as well as the quantity of wine, the production batch, the data that identify the manufacturer (i.e. name or corporate name, place, nation - only if the bottle will be exported), European trademark for packaging recognizable by the letter E, alcohol content by volume, the presence of sulfites if any (compulsory indication since 2005), the classification (table wine, DOC, DOCG, IGT, VSQ, VSQA,...). For DOC and DOCG wines it is compulsory to indicate the region referred to by the abbreviation VQPRD, while for IGT wines it is compulsory the indication of the geographic area. For the sparkling wines it is compulsory the indication of the re-fermentation (Classic method or Charmat method). Nowadays always more manufacturers include optional information to help consumers choose the right bottle for the right occasion, such as suggestions of wine pairing with food, the colour (may not be evident if the bottle is made of dark glass), the residual sugars (useful information for pairing with food: the sweeter the wine, the sweeter the food), the grapes used to make the wine, the winemaking method and the ageing, the year of the harvest - information that can help us understand the level of maturity of the wine and to evaluate its quality - as some years are better than others.