Viva el Vino!

Where does wine come from? Grapes you say. Then how is it made? Fermentation you say. So then how do we get so many different types? Um… well that’s not that easy to answer. We know it has to be some alchemy with using different types of wooden casks, storing alongside other ingredients, the type of grape, maybe even the storage conditions. But we can’t say for sure. You could look it up?

Does it matter much about how we can go from a Cabernet Sauvignon to a Pinot Grigio? For some of us it does. For a select few it really does. Winemaking has been in circulation for thousands of years with each element of the process passed down from generation to generation through closely guarded secrets and seemingly unimportant factors as minute as not crushing the stems with the berries to reduce the tannins, or fortifying such wines like Port with grape spirits as a matter of tradition. These processes cannot be stressed enough by enthusiasts. We aren’t the type that find a 25 dollar bottle of pinot blanc  too expensive when looking for appertiefs.

Now to get some sort of background on the whole process, I mean you might have clicked on this even if you aren’t a wine enthusiast, sometimes it’s good to learn about things. So, a quick overview of Wine.

On Wine

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from grapes or other fruits that have been fermented through various means usually involving sugars, acids, enzymes, water, and naturally occurring yeast. The type of grape or fruit determines that type of wine that can be made. Typically, the top five countries that produce wine are Italy, France, Spain, the U.S., and Argentina/Australia. Some wines can be investments however most all wines will degrade over time. Some are best served chilled, others at room temperature. Some wines are produced with carbonation, e.g. sparkling wines. There are red, white, and pink wines called rose. The sheer amount of varieties that can be made are staggering. Of course there are food pairings, but that comes later.

Regardless, the point to be made is the product depends entirely on the quality of the fruit that is used. Most wine producers will start out with an idea of what they want to make, assemble the ingredients, plant the right type of grape, and hope the soil shows them fortune, but it really depends on the end result. In a way, no one can really know what the end product will be.

Vivino Wine Scanner

By far the best in terms of polish, content, and style. Every tab inside of this app serves  a purpose. There are numerous ways to scan a wine type, either in the supermarket aisle, at the restaurant, and looking online. The meat of the app is designed to keep a log of the wines that you’ve shown interest in via an online profile. As you continue to use the service, you start to find out that there are also articles that pertain to much of what you want to learn about. Highlights are shown on the Top Lists page in addition to local restaurants with their wine lists–if they have them. Ratings for the restaurants, addresses, as well as typical cost are displayed. We tend to think that they show listings for grocers as well as places that would usually sell alcohol as we see Family Dollar in our surrounding businesses. The slick layout, easy to understand terminology, and online presence with account information for record keeping makes this a win in our book.

Get Vivino Wine Scanner on Google Play

Wine Making

While this app is a little rough around the edges, what it lacks for style it more than makes up with practical advice. When perusing the content we were able to see vast information from Winemaking Tools, Food Paring, and Beer Making even. The information is not organized so much into topics as it is a guide to navigating the forum format that it has going on. Think Reddit with a table of contents.

Get Wine Making on Google Play

Wine Dictionary

This is the essential application to have for any wine enthusiast. It places a reference rivaling the Culinary Institute of America in the palm of your hand–as it applies to wine of course. For such a simple approach to presenting information we ended up spending way too much time reading each individual entry rather than trying to review the application itself.

Get Wine Dictionary on Google Play

Wine Catalog

Wine Catalog is pretty easy to have and maintain as it relies on YOUR experience and YOUR experience alone to keep records. There is no point in taking the advice or reading reviews of others about wines that you want to try if taste is as they say, subjective. By taking a picture of the label and entering in the information in spaces provided, you are keeping a record of those you’ve always wanted to try as well as establishing a pattern of those that taste horrible. It’s been said that experience is the best teacher. Why not ascribe to that notion?

Get Wine Catalog on Google Play

SWE Wine and Spirits Trivia

After everything is said and done, why settle for knowing just a little when you could know a lot? This app tests much of the information that you have learned thus far and if you fancy yourself a bit of a connoisseur or how do they say… sommelier then this is the application to have. There are numerous sections dealing with Red Wines, Spirits, Sparkling, Regional Varieties, and Dessert Wines. How well do you fare? You might find yourself surprised to know not quite as much as you think you do.

Get SWE Wine and Spirits Trivia on Google Play

Afterword

Like anything else, Wine is more an experience than utility. Life is full of a great many things to partake in. Everything in moderation… stay safe.