Wine Snobbery

Alcohol has long been the symbol of wealth and power. In the past, liquor was a luxury that only the rich could afford. Nowadays, booze is more readily available and consequently there is a lot of stuff that is not fit to drink. In order to qualify as a snob, it is helpful to have some knowledge of wines and spirits, not only for your own enjoyment, but also to show others how sophisticated you really are.

There are three types of wine white, red, and rose. White wine is made by using only the juice during the fermentation process. Red wine uses the whole grape during fermentation. Rose wine is made by extracting the skins after the fermentation has begun resulting in a pinkish tone. Two other important facts to know about wine are dry and sweet. Dry wine is made by allowing the grape sugar to ferment longer in the process. Sweet wine is made just the opposite, the fermentation process is not as long resulting in a sweeter product. In the wine world there is no such thing as a perfect wine, when commenting on the quality of the vintage you can use poor, nice, good, and exceptional to describe it's taste. When selecting a wine at a resturant and you haven't got a clue what the names on the list are or how to pronounce them, price is your best bet. This does not mean cheaper is better, like all things of quality it usually hits you in the pocketbook. If the list does not include prices watch out, choose a wine that you can safely pronounce from the middle of the list, that is of course unless your loaded.

There are four different types of wine these are natural, sparkling, fortified, and aromatized. Natural wines are the result of the alcohol content coming directly from the fermentation process. Champagne is also a type of wine, however it is imperative to note that Champagne is a wine that comes only from that region of France. All other bubbly is referred to as sparkling wine. Fortified wine has a higher alcohol content, sherry, port, and madeira are examples of fortified wine. The final category is aromatized wines which consists of vermouths and aperitifs. Most graduating college students think that drinking is fraternity parties, beer bust's, and pga punch, but in the sophisticated world of snobbery, acting out one of the scenes from Animal House won't win you admiration. Spirits or liquors are drinks that are made using a distillation process where wines and beer are made by fermentation. Spirits have a considerably higher alcohol content than wines. When speaking about the alcohol content it is referred to as the proof, the proof is derived by multiplying the percentage of alcohol by two. Therefore a beverage containing forty percent alcohol would be eighty proof. There are too many types of liquors to cover here, so we will stick to the basics. Whiskey is made by blending different grains and is consumed one of three ways, straight, on the rocks, or mixed with water. Keep in mind that you may offend a host or look foolish at a party if you ask for cola to be mixed to with the expensive whiskey. Scotch is a type of whiskey that is made in, can you guess, Scotland. Vodka is a clear drink that is usually mixed with something else. Orange juice, tomato juice, and tonic water are popular mixers for Vodka. Liqueurs are flavored spirits that can be drunk straight, on the rocks, or mixed with liquors. Gin smells like a pine tree and is often mixed with juice. Rum which seems to have been a popular drink for pirates can be mixed with juice or cola. Brandy is made by distilling grape wine, serve this drink straight or mixed with another spirit. Drinking can be a pleasant experience that enhances parties and dinners. However, discretion is in order, as with all things moderation is the best medicine. Keep in mind too not to drink and drive, drink and swim, or drink and operate machinery. Also steer away from drinks that have umbrellas in them.

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