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The art and the science by Autumn.

Want to learn more about wine? Have you ever tasted a wine and liked it but didn’t know what else to say to describe the character beyond saying ‘it tastes yummy’? Or not sure what questions to ask to help you understand more about the wine?

Below are some simple wine terms twisted in an amusingly romantic manner and intended to increase your wine knowledge and make you sound like a pro the next time you discuss and taste vino.

Start with these basic wine terms and you will be a pro in no time! Cheers…

Acidity – When in perfect balance, acidity is what gives wine its fresh, crisp character; but like all sensuous equilibriums, this is a delicate one to achieve. Acid levels that are too high will render wine sharp and bitter while too small an amount can leave a wine seeming “flat.”

Appellation – Sometimes, it is about where you are; this is the term used to describe the region where a particular grape was grown and ripened to perfection. Napa Valley itself has almost 15 sub-appellations.

Aroma – As in love, so in wine: when we talk about new love, we speak differently than we do about mature, time-tested love. In the same way, the terms used to describe a wine’s scent depend upon its ripeness. “Aroma” refers to younger wines, while the more sophisticated “bouquet” is reserved for mature wines.

Body – Beauty comes in every shape and size imaginable. Since we are highly sensi­tive and sensuous beings, the tiniest difference in weight imparted by a wine to our mouths will be noticeable, and called light, medium, or full-bodied.

Decanting – This is the important process in which a decanter is used to separate undesired sediment from the wine, ensuring its prized “brightness.”

Finish - Our senses linger in pleasurable states long after the event itself has passed; thus after wine is swallowed, its “finish” on your tongue will tell you a great deal about its quality.

Fruit - These ones are not forbidden, thankfully. In fact, they are the main component of wine, and not restricted to grapes; a myriad of other fruits are employed to help describe the wine’s character, such as pear, plum, cherry, blackberry, and many more.

Legs - There’s nothing like a great pair. After wine has been swirled in its glass, tell-tale tracks of liquid cling to the sides, betraying levels of alcohol and glycerol. Even though they’re also called “tears,” there’s no need to mourn – unless of course your glass is empty.

New World Wine – A whole new world of wine has come into being, hailing from places off the beaten path in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and United States. It pays to be adventurous…

Nose - Whoever said wine doesn’t have personality? Indeed, its aromatic “nose” will either beckon you to a taste, or repel you forever with its sharp odor.

Old World Wine – There is always great richness to be enjoyed from the fruits of tradition: the products of historical wine growing regions in Europe and North Africa have a reputation for a reason.

Varietal – This tells you the main grape used to make the particular blend of wine. It has to be a certain percentage, such as 75% Cabernet Sauvignon for it to be called a Cabernet. Just like most men, winemakers like variety too and often blend two to three varietals to make one delicious tasting wine.

About Autumn

For more on Autumn Millhouse and her book Romantic Napa Valley, An Insider’s Guide for Couples, click here.

Autumn Millhouse is an award-winning travel writer who specializes in wine, food and romantic getaways. She is also an international trekker who has wined and dined across the globe from Barcelona to Beijing . A self-proclaimed “hopeless-romantic” and author of Romantic Napa Valley: An Insider’s Guide for Couples, Autumn also has a bi-monthly column called “Love Vines” published in Napa Valley Life Magazine. She resides in Napa Valley where she cultivates her wine and food relationships with top chefs, winemakers and a slew of other foodies. Besides, sniffing, swirling and sipping wine daily, Autumn is currently working on her next travel book Romantic Sonoma Valley: An Insider’s Guide for Couples.

Kimberly Manning Aker is a gal with style by the mile, and truly lives the retro fashion life from her fab 40’s all-business gal suit to her pin-up girl vintage bathing suit. She’s got a fierce roll-back up do and I’ve never seen her look anything less than stunning. When she’s out carousing with her tribe of slick and fabulous retro folks, they cut a stylish swath through a crowd like the  parting of the Red Sea. It’s not a costume party, it’s a way of life: harkening to a time when a raised eyebrow, a dry martini and a well cut LBD were de rigueur for a hot night out. Defying the world of hoochie-mama Hollywood and instead, embracing old Hollywood is the idea. Looking good and living well is the best revenge….I am pleased to welcome Kimberly Manning Aker, our new Retro Bride Blogger. She’ll be showcasing her own retro wedding, and sharing ideas from her vast knowledge of fashion history, and showing us the ropes….Carolyn Gerin

Mysterious and capivating Retro Bride...

Retro Bride: I began wearing Vintage clothing at the age of 13. It was after a particular time in history when people started wearing old clothing as a fashion statement of sorts.  I attribute the “acceptance” of vintage dressing to the very group of people who changed the face of fashion – the Hippies. My predecessors, the Hippies made it fashionable to be unfashionable, when fashion meant au current with rather strict rules and levels of acceptability.  With their social revolution came a fashion revolution. For most it was not subscribing to social dictates. For me it meant a way paved for a young girl to dress differently.

Buy the time I was old enough to create my own fashion style, beyond my daily kiltie shoes, maroon cashmere sweaters, knee sox and prep school kilts with blazers, (Oh, that’s where Ralph Lauren got it!)  I started wearing Victorian blouses with my jeans purchased for a quarter. I then started wearing 1920s raccoon coats, cast offs from my classmates grandfather’s – vododeedodo! I wore 1920s cloches to look like Ali Mac Graw, or 1940s jackets with my prep school kilts, or 1930s gowns, with Frye boots.  It wasn’t until the 1980s that I bought modern couture. I had always preferred the styles of old movies to what was in fashion.  Even the Couture didn’t make me happy. Then, one day I discovered a large subculture of Retro people – and it was like finding my TRIBE, my home, my way.

After that blessed day I cultivated my personal style, and it became my life style. I married a man whom I met through the Rockabilly scene; he has a great personal style complete with the best 1930s matinee star mustache this side of the Pecos.

Together we have created a retro home. As an Interior Decorator (I specialize in creating my clients dreams-their dreams, not mine) I often help with historic restoration, or Vintage/Retro styled rooms or homes.

We travel retro, wear our Vintage to England, Yosemite, New York, Safeway….
It’s a personal style in a sea of flannel and denim.  So many people want to live La Vita Retro, but are timid.  I say to them, be Fearless!

About Retro Bride

Kimberly Manning Aker is an Interior Decorator in the San Francisco Bay area. She, along with her 2 partners are show producers for the annual Vintage Clothing and Style Festival.
Kimberly adores restoring vintage clothing, and vintage furniture. She has lived La Vita Retro since the early 80s and has produced many Retro themed events and gives tours and lectures on fashion history and the art and architect of the Bay Area. A former world traveling Gypsy, who once lived in England, the Bahamas, Singapore, France, Hong Kong and New York City she has settled comfortably in the flat lands of Oakland California and is renovating a 1912 house.  She and her husband had a retro wedding and share their passion for La Vita Retro with her many friends and acquaintances (who can be spotted all over the Bay area- and indeed the world!) She does not view La Vita Retro as a “sub culture” but as a life style choice.

www.kmacreate.com
www.vintageclothingstylefestival.com