思高:現(xiàn)在市場上售賣的大部分蘇格蘭威士忌是思高混合酒,就是谷物與麥芽威士忌的混合酒?,F(xiàn)在其比例大概是百分之十五到二十的谷物和百分之八十的麥芽。
朗姆酒:朗姆酒和它的雙生兄弟甘蔗酒都是通過蒸餾發(fā)酵白糖和水制成的。大多數(shù)的朗姆酒由糖漿制成。糖漿含有超過百分之五十的白糖,但也含有許多的礦物質(zhì)和其它微量化學(xué)元素,這些物質(zhì)對于朗姆酒最終的口味起到了很大的作用。
伏特加:伏特加是東歐地區(qū)的一大代表品種。伏特加的制作過程是先發(fā)酵然后從麥芽糖漿或植物元素中蒸餾出單糖。伏特加是由谷物,土豆糖漿,甜菜根和其它一些植物制成的。黑麥和小麥?zhǔn)侵谱鞣丶拥膫鹘y(tǒng)經(jīng)典谷物,優(yōu)質(zhì)的俄羅斯伏特加大多數(shù)都是由小麥制成的,在波蘭,人們大多數(shù)都是用黑麥來釀造伏特加。瑞典與波羅的海的酒糟幾乎都是為小麥芽漿設(shè)計的。土豆糖漿在俄羅斯人看來不是什么好的酒糟,但是對于一部分波蘭人來說,卻是十分喜愛的。糖漿,一種從糖分離出的有粘性的甜渣是一種被廣泛使用的酒糟,因為它的價格便宜,伏特加的許多品牌都用糖漿來生產(chǎn)。
Scotch: The majority of Scotch whiskey sold in the market today is Scotch blends which are a blend of grain and malt whiskies. Today the proportions are about 15 - 20% malt and 80% grain.
Rum: Rum, and its fraternal twin, cane spirit, are made by distilling fermented sugar and water. Most rum is made from molasses. Molasses is over 50% sugar, but it also contains significant amounts of minerals and other trace elements, which can contribute to the final flavor.
Vodka: Vodka is the dominant spirit of Eastern Europe. It is made by fermenting and then distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, and a variety of other plants. Rye and wheat are the classic grains for Vodka, with most of the best Russian Vodkas being made from wheat while in Poland they are mostly made from a rye mash. Swedish and Baltic distillers are partial to wheat mashes. Potatoes are looked down on by Russian distillers, but are held in high esteem by some of their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka.
Gin: Gin and its Lowlands cousin Genever (Jenever in Belgium) are white spirits that are flavoured with juniper berries and so-called botanicals (a varied assortment of herbs and spices). The spirit base of Gin is primarily grain (usually wheat or rye), which results in a light-bodied spirit.
Tequila: Tequila, and its country cousin Mescal, are made by distilling the fermented juice of agave plants in Mexico. The agave is a spiky-leafed member of the lily family (it is not a cactus) and is related to the century plant. By Mexican law the agave spirit called Tequila can be made only from one particular type of agave, the blue agave (Agave Tequila Weber), and can be produced only in specifically designated geographic areas, primarily the state of Jalisco in west-central Mexico.
Brandy: The word Brandy comes from the Dutch word Brandywine, ("burnt wine"), which is how the straightforward Dutch traders who introduced it to Northern Europe from Southern France and Spain in the 16th century described wine that had been "burnt," or boiled, in order to distil it. The origins of Brandy can be traced back to the expanding Moslem Mediterranean states in the 7th and 8th centuries. Arab alchemists experimented with distilling grapes and other fruits in order to make medicinal spirits. Their knowledge and techniques soon spread beyond the borders of Islam, with grape Brandy production appearing in Spain and probably Ireland (via missionary monks) by the end of the 8th century. Brandy, in its broadest definition, is a spirit made from fruit juice or fruit pulp and skin. More specifically, it is broken down into three basic groupings.
Cabernet Sauvignon: A superb red wine grape responsible for many of the great wines of the Bordeaux region as well as some of California's finest red wines. The best examples of Cabernet Sauvignon are well structured, complex and among the longest lived of all wines.
Champagne: The true "Champagne Region" is a well delimited region about 90 miles northeast of Paris, and the sparkling wine produced there is known the world over as method champ noise. The practice of making sparkling wine has spread throughout the world, but the popular drink takes it's name from the region in France where it was first produced.
Chardonnay: Chardonnay are among the very finest of all the white wine grapes. The grapes have an unmistakable class and an appealing balance of fruit, acidity and texture. Some tasters associate Chardonnay with apples, ripe figs, and melons, while some others describe the wines as creamy or buttery. Winemakers play a particularly important role in the style of the Chardonnay, which can range from clean, crisp bottling with a hint of varietal fruit to rich, complex, oak-aged examples that need several years to bottle age to fully display their character. Chardonnay grapes are also used to produce fine sparkling wines.
Chenin Blanc: An excellent grape capable of producing white wines that range from clean, crisp, and fruit to rich, sweet, honeyed, and exceptionally long-lived.
Chianti: A wonderfully agreeable and, in some cases, quite distinguished Italian red wine from Tuscany. Chianti is normally consumed while still young, and sometimes looked upon as an inexpensive table wine of indifferent quality. Better examples of Chianti can be complex and enjoyable, and very pleasing with Italian food.
Gewurztraminer: An excellent and unusual grape that produces distinctive white wines with pungent, perfumed aroma and a rich, even oily texture. The grape is usually associated with Alsace, but it is also cultivated with some success in Germany, Austria and northern Italy. More recently it was introduced to California where it is generally used to produce sweeter wines with a hint of spice that offset the natural bitterness of the grape.
Merlot: A distinguished red wine grape, as important as Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bordeaux region. Merlot contributes softness, fruit, suppleness, and charm to many of the famous wines that otherwise would be less attractive. Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet, produces grapes with more sugar, and yields wines with fewer tannins, which are ready to be consumed sooner than Cabernets (although they also tend to be shorter lived). The grape was originally planted to take some of the edge off Cabernet varietals but in recent years has become one of the most successful varietal wines on the strength of its own merits.
Muscat: A table, raisin, and wine grape of which literally dozens of sub varieties exist. The grape ranges from prolific to shy-bearing, and in quality from excellent to poor. Muscat's are widely planted in Italy, Southern France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Tunisia and most of the Mediterranean Islands. The grape is also used to produce wines from the Piedmont region in Italy and used in sweet fragrant wines produced in the U.S.
Pinot Blanc: Considered a true Pinot grape variety, Pinot Blanc produces attractive dry white wines with perhaps less flavour than Chardonnay and not quite as aromatic as Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris is planted in Alsace, Germany, and more recently introduced into California.
Pinot Noir: A distinguished and celebrated red grape variety that produces all the great red Burgundies. Pinot Noir is a fragile grape and produces fine wines only in certain wine producing areas, and is not terribly reliable from year to year. At their best, wines made from Pinot Noir have a subtlety, complexity, elegance and finesse unmatched by any other wine variety and it's the search for those elusive qualities that have encouraged winemakers the world over to cultivate the grape. Some of the very best Pinot Noir grapes in the world are also grown in Oregon, where the Willamette Valley has gained international reputation for fabulous wine.
Riesling: One of the greatest white wine grapes, a native of Germany's Rhine Valley. Riesling is the classic grape variety of Germany, where it is cultivated in all the best sites available. The grape is able to retain its acidity as it ripens, with flowery, fragrant aroma and distinctive fruity acidity. The grape ranges in style from light and delicate to full and ripe, depending on its region of origin. The grape is known as Johannesburg Riesling in California, where it has been planted extensively in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
Rose: The French word for pink and adopted word in the English language... It is made from black grapes whose skins are left in contact with the fermenting juice just long enough to extract the desired amount of colour. The grapes are then pressed and the now pink juice continues to ferment. Many of the resulting wines are simple, semi-sweet and undistinguished. Some made from such varieties, as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel can be distinctive and flavourful. The wine should be served chilled and consumed young.
Semillon: An outstanding white wine grape, widely grown in Southern France, Australia, and Chile, and to a lesser extent in California. It usually produces its best results when blended with another variety, especially Sauvignon Blanc. In Washington State, the grape takes on the grassy, acidic flavours usually associated with Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc: A popular white wine grape, planted extensively in Bordeaux along the Loire, in California, and increasingly in Australia and New Zealand. It produces wines noted for a grassy herbaceous flavour, with aggressive acidity. Some of the most exceptional examples of this variety are now being produced in Australia and New Zealand.
Syrah/Shiraz: An excellent red wine grape, cultivated in the Northern Rhone Valley in France. It produces deep-coloured, slow-maturing, long-lived wine rich in tannin, with a distinctive and memorable bouquet often reminiscent of spice or black pepper. Syrah is also the most widely planted grape in all of Australia, where it is known as Shiraz or Hermitage.
Zinfandel: Although virtually all of the world's plantings are in California, this variety of grape is actually a transplant from Europe. The grape lends itself to a number of wine styles, and is most often described as spicy, berry like, or brambly. Zinfandels vary in character from light and fruity to ripe, rich, tannic and intensely flavoured.