There are different styles of wine glass for different types of wine that have been developed to help us better appreciate those wines.

Red wine glasses are generally bigger, taller and have a wide, round bowl. This gives the wine a bigger surface in contact with the air allowing it to breathe and develop its aroma.

Red wine glasses can be split into two main types. The bowl of the Bordeaux glass is taller and directs the wine to the back of the mouth. This type of glass is better for drinking full bodied wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The Burgundy glass has a slightly larger bowl and is wider at the rim. This directs more delicate wines like Pinot Noir to the tip of the tongue.

White wines glasses are smaller and narrower with straighter sides. The reduced surface area of the glass helps to keep the wine cool.

Champagne flutes are taller and narrower than white wine glasses. This shapes reduces the area of the wine in contact with the air and helps to prolong the characteristic carbonation.

Unfortunately drinking too much wine is also bad for us. To keep the balance right we should only drink in moderation. So obviously the way to go to get more polyphenols is by drinking the really good stuff, not that we really need an excuse.

If you don’t like red wine, apart from the fact you are not trying hard enough, you could just eat the grapes. However you need to eat half a kilo for every glass of wine.

Originally from the Bordeaux region of France, it’s a relatively new variety which was produced by an accidental crossing of Savignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc in the 17th century.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a hardy and easily cultivated variety that ripens late and benefits from a long growing season. Its ability to grow in a wide variety of climates and soil types have made it popular in all wine growing regions.

Cabernet Sauvignon ages well and can often improve into a truly great wine, possibly contributing to its slightly snobby status.

Cabernet Sauvignon became popular in Australia in the 1960s. The Coonawarra region with its long, cool growing season is perfect with excellent wines also coming from Margaret River and the Barossa. Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is often produced as a fine, single variety wine as our climate allows full ripening of the fruit.

Traditionally, due to the cooler Bordeaux climate it is blended with other wines, particularly Merlot. Uniquely in Australia it is sometimes blended with Shiraz.

On arrival at the winery the grapes are destemmed then crushed to break the skins. Red varieties and some whites are left in contact with the skins for a period of time to release some of the aromas and flavours present in the skins.

Next, the grapes are pressed to extract the juice. The free-run is the juice that comes out of the press before any mechanical pressure is applied. This juice is collected separately as it is the best portion of the pressing.

Once the juice has been extracted it is ready for fermentation to take place. Yeast is added to the juice which converts the sugars in the juice into carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Red wines are fermented with the skins still in the juice as this gives the wine more flavours from the skin as well as its colour. Typically fermentation can take weeks to months depending on the wine.

On completion of fermentation, removal of the yeast or racking begins. The yeast settles to the bottom of the tank and the wine is pumped out to another tank. This can be repeated several times until all the yeast has settled and been removed. Further filtering or fining can be done at this stage to remove unwanted solids.

Once the wine is clear it can be further aged in tanks or barrels prior to bottling, or bottled immediately depending on the variety.

In days gone by, before the advent of modern wine making and refining techniques, wines were often decanted. Wine was carefully poured into the decanter ensuring any remaining solids that had settled in the bottle stayed in the bottle.

However if we have have splashed out on a fine bottle of aged red it may well contain some sediment that has formed as part of the aging process. This sediment can be unpleasant to taste and doesn’t look too good either. Allowing the wine to stand for a day before opening will let the sediment to settle to the bottom. Carefully decanting it will then leave the sediment in

the bottle.

Take care not to let the wine glug out of the bottle. Pour slowly and carefully. Stop pouring when a little wine and sediment is left in the bottle. Completely removing the capsule helps you see when the sediment gets to the neck of the bottle.

Allowing some younger red wines to breath will soften them and allow the aromas to develop. Just opening the wine and allowing it to breathe in the bottle will do. However pouring it into a decanter will help to aerate the wine. Also the shape of the decanter usually allows a greater area of wine to be in contact with the air, speeding up the process.

The traditions of grape growing and wine making stretch back over 160 years and not surprisingly it is home to some of Australia’s best known brands like Peter Lehmann, Yalumba, Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Seppelts and Henschke plus many others.

The Barossa region has two distinctly different zones, they are each known and renowned for two very different styles of wine.

The Barossa Valley Shiraz, which makes up a large part of Penfolds ‘Grange’, is a complex, rich and full bodied wine with soft tannins. Highly regarded throughout the world as one of the best wines of its type.

The higher, cooler climate and stony soil of the Eden Valley is perfect for quality Riesling. Elegant and crisp, Eden Valley Riesling is an Australian Classic.

The first Riesling vintage in Australia was produced in 1850. Prior to losing its place to Chardonnay, riesling was the white wine of choice although in a sweeter style than is popular today. Also many very ordinary wines were marketed under the name riesling although they rarely contained any riesling at all.

Recently there has been a small resurgence in popularity with quality wines being produced in the top wine growing areas. Styles vary greatly. Crisp, fresh and dry while young, Rieslings can age well into rich, golden honeyed wines. Excellent dessert wines are also produced from botrytis affected grapes.

Definitely my favourite white wine.

Wine was known in all the ancient civilisations around the Mediterranean region. Ancient Egyptians are credited with developing pruning methods and stored wine in sunken jars. The Romans spread grape growing and wine production throughout western Europe. They also began classifying grape varieties and characteristics as well as improving yields through pruning and irrigation.

After the decline in the roman empire, France began to dominate wine production with many vineyards being established by monasteries. In medieval times wine was considered a civilised drink and was important to the catholic church being used in the celebration of mass. As Europeans began to explore the New World they took wine with them and eventually developed vineyards which were the forerunners of the modern New World wine industry.

Until the mid 1800s wine had been produced in the age old fashion of crushing the grapes and allowing natural fermentation to occur. As the age of science came about and the process was understood wine making became more technical. Different types of yeasts were introduced and hygiene was improved. The process became more efficient and spoilage decreased.

Unfortunately at the same time a root louse (phylloxera vastatrix) native only to the Mississippi River Valley was accidentally taken to England on some native American grape vine cuttings. Spreading throughout Europe phylloxera decimated the non resistant European vines. Eventually it was realised that the only way to save the European vines was to graft them onto resistant native American root stock. This long laborious process saved the wine industry, but not without considerable upheaval.

Many grape varieties and vineyards were lost but the survivors were the basis of the modern wine industry.

Despite this shiraz was mainly used for making fortified wine until the mid 1900s when red table wine gained enormous popularity and even then cabernet sauvignon was the red wine of choice. In the 1970s in South Australia a government scheme was implemented to replace old shiraz vines with with the increasingly fashionable chardonnay. Fortunately some old shiraz vines survived.

Popularity overseas and a growing export market for Australian wines saw a resurgence in plantings of shiraz in the 1980s and 90s.

Best known are the full bodied, high alcohol, soft tannin wines of the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. Shiraz can be made into a good, ready to drink wine or one of real complexity and character after 10 years in the cellar. Our most famous wine the Penfolds Grange is of course made almost completely with shiraz.

The ripe grapes are picked and crushed. Then naturally occuring yeasts already present on the grapes will cause fermentation. The yeast consumes the sugars in the grape juice and converts them into alcohol.

The chemical makeup of the grapes is such that it can ferment without any additives other than the yeast.

Winemakers have controlled and refined this process over the centuries to produce the many and varied wines we enjoy today.