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How
to Select a Wine
 Selecting
a Wine
"Wine
is the juice of the grape."
When
selecting a wine it is important to understand some
basic elements that affect its taste including: row
of wine glasses
• The type of grape used
• Ripeness of the grape when harvested
• Soil type
• Climate of the vinyard
• Health of the vines
• Processing techniques
• Storage and bottling
• Age
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 How
to Read a Wine Label
Wine labels from around the world vary. Each wine producing
country has its own unique criteria and legal requirements
for identifying wine. In general, most wine labels will
provide you with the following information:
• Varietal or kind of grape used
• Producer or vineyard
• Vintage/dating
• Geographic region grown or origin of the grape
• Producer and bottler of the wine
• Specific vineyard identification
• Alcohol content
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 There
are thousands of different wines produced around the
globe. Most wines can be placed in one of these categories.
Generic
Wines
These
wines are labeled with the name of one of the famous
wine producing regions of the world. Examples include:
Proprietary
Wines
These
wines have their own private trade marked name that
is created to build brand image. Examples include:
Varietal
Wines
These
wines are named after a particular type of grape from
which it is principally or exclusively produced. The
grapes make wines that have an easily recognizable
taste.
Following
is information on the basic grapes to help you distinguish
between the many varieties and the wines they make.
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Popular
Wine-Making Grapes
Select
a type of grape to learn more, or browse through
our entire listing. We've selected our favorites
from each grape to provide you with some suggestions
to try at your next visit to Furlong's.
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| Cabernet
Sauvignon |
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These
grages have compelling flavors of blackberry, black
currant, cedarwood and plum. When young can metamorphose
into a satiny, rich, and complex wine with several years
aging.
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Furlong
Favorites
Stag's
Leap
Opus 1
Smith & Hook
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| Pinot
Noir |
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These
grapes have remarkably supple, silky textures and erotically
earthy aromas. They taste of cherries, plums and chocolate.
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Furlong
Favorites
Fes
Parker
Toad Hollow
Argyle
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| Zinfandel |
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These
grapes taste of a mouthfilling dry wine crammed with
jammy blackberry, boysenberry, and plummy fruit.
|
Furlong
Favorites
Montevina
Sin Zin
Ravenswood
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| Gamay
or Beaujolais |
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These
grapes are the simplest of the reds. Its fruity black
cherry flavor is meant to be served slightly chilled.
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Furlong
Favorites
Barton
& Guestier
Georges Duboeuf
Bouchard
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| Syrah
or Shiraz |
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These
grapes have flavors of wild blackberries, smoke, pepper
and spice, boysenberry.
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Furlong
Favorites
Shotfire
Kendall-Jackson
Smoking Loon
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| Chardonnay |
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These
grapes have appealing, big flavors - vanilla, butter,
butterscotch, apple, tropical, citrus. They are matched
equally with textures of creamy, silky and clean.
|
Furlong
Favorites
Far
Niente
Kistler
Ferrari Carano
|
| Merlot |
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These
grapes are soft, fleshy, and they taste of blackberry,
baked cherries, plums and chocolate.
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Furlong
Favorites
Raymond
Estate
Rutherford Hill
Robert Mondavi
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| Pinot
Grigio |
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| These
grapes are crisp, fresh wines with tasty pear and spice-cake
flavors. |
Furlong
Favorites
Santa
Margherita
Cavit
Bolla
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| Sauvignon
Blanc |
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These
grapes have a herbal, soft fig and melon character.
They are very versatile and produces both dry and sweet.
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Furlong
Favorites
Cakebread
Villa Maria
Rutherford Ranch
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| Riesling |
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These
grapes have refined structure and are complemented by
mouth-watering delicate flavors of fresh ripe peaches,
apricots, and melons.
Riessling's can be dry or have various levels of sweetness. |
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| Gewurztraminer |
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| These
grapes are known for their spicy, aromatic flavors of
gingerbread, vanilla, grapefruit, smoke minerals and
honeysuckle. They can be very sweet to bone-dry. |
Furlong
Favorites
Hogue
Fetzer
New Gewurtz
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