Seasonal Differences Add Flavor To Your Wine Expedition
Every wine, liquor, beer and mead branding has a unique flavor that depends on many different factors. The breed or cultivar of the materials being used, the soils in which the grow and the ways in which they ferment. For wine, there is even a difference in flavor depending on when you harvest the grapes and how the wine making process is started. As you select new wines to sample and plan private wine tours, consider the time and place as you please your palate.
Flavors Of The Cold
Many wines are celebrated for their cold weather delight. Eiswein, the German culture of producing ice wine, is a popular dessert wine style. The cold weather of a first frost--notable for bringing out the sweetness in many crops such as strawberries and sugar cane--creates a very sweet highly acidic flavor.
Unfortunately, you'll have to stick to the colder regions of the world to get local Eiswein with the experience of seeing it harvested and the beautiful landscape of frozen, sparkling grapes that grace your glass with their crystalline flavor.
Ice wines exist outside of Germany, but there are many experimental ice wines that are quite different in style. Due to the changing climate patterns, many southern US farmers have begun testing muscadine wines with a frozen harvest with truly brilliant results. As you think about the seasons and your wine travels, don't forget to sample the way that many harvests have changed with the times.
Into The Paradise For Valley Wine
Areas such as California, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are known for their vineyards in temperate--sometimes almost tropic--climates. Although not as sweet as the frost-touched grape harvests, the warmer weather and complex soils offer a flavor that is just as complex.
When you visit during different seasons, think about what is happening. The pollen that are used to pollinate vineyards can leave a bit of a flavor in certain wines, and wines sweetened with local honey may have different hints of their pollen sources. Sunflower, clover and other pollen sources can be found if you just ask the local growers and even beekeepers. Keep in mind that if there's vineyards and beekeepers, you may be able to find the wonderful blend of wine and hops known as mead.
As your wine tour takes you across the US or even the world, make sure to document your travels and flavor passions. The same taste may not be found in another area, or even in the same season. Contact a private wine tour professional (such as one from Hummingbird Wine Tours) to schedule your next tasting.
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