| 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:
|
 |
- 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
|
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
|
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.
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.
|
| Popular
Wine-Making Grapes |
Cabernet
Sauvignon
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. |
Furlong
Favorites
Stag's Leap
Opus 1
Smith & Hook
|
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to top |
|
Pinot
Noir
These grapes have remarkably supple, silky textures and erotically earthy aromas. They taste of cherries, plums and chocolate. |
Furlong
Favorites
Fes Parker
Toad Hollow
Argyle
|
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to top |
|
Zinfandel
These grapes taste of a mouthfilling dry wine crammed with jammy blackberry, boysenberry, and plummy fruit.
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to top |
Furlong
Favorites
Montevina
Sin Zin
Ravenswood |
|
Gamay
or Beaujolais
These grapes are the simplest of the reds. Its fruity black cherry flavor is meant to be served slightly chilled. |
Furlong
Favorites
Barton & Guestier
Georges Duboeuf
Bouchard |
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to top |
|
Syrah or Shiraz
These grapes have flavors of wild blackberries, smoke, pepper and spice, boysenberry.
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to top |
Furlong
Favorites
Shotfire
Kendall-Jackson
Smoking Loon |
|
Chardonnay
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 |
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to top |
|
|
Merlot
These grapes are soft, fleshy, and they taste of blackberry, baked cherries, plums and chocolate.
|
Furlong
Favorites
Raymond Estate
Rutherford Hill
Robert Mondavi |
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to top |
|
Pinot Grigio
These grapes are crisp, fresh wines with tasty pear and spice-cake flavors. |
Furlong
Favorites
Santa Margherita
Cavit
Bolla |
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to top |
|
. |
Furlong
Favorites |
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to top |
|
|
Sauvignon Blanc
These grapes have a herbal, soft fig and melon character. They are very versatile and produces both dry and sweet. | Furlong
Favorites
Cakebread
Villa Maria
Rutherford Ranch |
| |
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Riesling
These grapes have refined structure and are complemented by mouth-watering delicate flavors of fresh ripe peaches, apricots, and melons. |
Furlong
Favorites
|
Riessling's can be dry or have various levels of sweetness.
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|
Gewurztraminer
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.
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to top |
Furlong
Favorites
Hogue
Fetzer
New Gewurtz |
|
How
to Select a Wine
|
Tasting
Tips
|
Serving
Tips
|
Join
our Wine Club
|
