Beverage Facts

Wine 101

Basic Wine Tasting Terms

Body

• Weight or Viscosity on your palate.
• Light, Medium & Full Body style parallels the mouth feel of Skim Milk, 2% Milk and Heavy Cream.

Aroma

• Wine scent from the grape type itself.
• Example: Chardonnay smells tart like Granny Smith apples.

Bouquet

• Wine scent from the wine making process.
• Examples: Barrels - Oak, vanilla, butterscotch, etc.

Tannin

• “Extract” of red grape skins.
• Dry, Astringent texture sensed on the back of your tongue
• Helps preserve wine and fades over time.

Spirits 101

• All spirits are distilled from a boiled mash made from a wide variety of things:

  Vodka - Wheat, Corn, Potato
  Rum - Cane Syrup
  Gin – Juniper Berry
  Bourbon – Corn
  Whiskey – Wheat, Corn
  Tequila – Agave Plant

Beer 101

• All beers are fermented with a combination of water, barley, hops and yeast.
• The type of yeast used in production will dictate the type of beer that is produced.
• The two main styles of beer include:
  • Lager – Most popular style of beer made with bottom-fermenting yeast
    • Common types of Lagers include Pilsner, Bock, Vienna Lager
  • Ale – Made with top fermenting yeast.
    • Common types of Ales include Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Stout and Wheat Beer
• Beers are rated in a few different ways including color and bitterness scales.
• Most beers are filtered prior to being bottled. A variety of beers are unfiltered including Wheat Beer and Hefeweizen styles.