2010 ~ No. 3    

You Asked…

In the course of teaching classes and chatting with clients, a lot of questions get asked. These are some of the best I’ve heard recently.

What makes a white wine white and a red wine red?

The questioner thought he was being a smarty-pants, but the answer is a little more complex than, “Duh - white grapes and red grapes!” After all, much Champagne is made using Pinot Noir, but when is the last time you sipped a glass of red Champagne?

Wine gets its color from contact with the skins and, often, the thicker the skins the lighter the color. That’s why Pinot Noir, a thin-skinned grape, is so light you can see through it and why thicker-skinned grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz can be completely opaque.

In addition, a winemaker can vary the amount of time the juice spends with the skins: shorter time for lighter wine up to several weeks for dark, extracted wine. (Giving red grapes a shorter time on the skins – a process called maceration, by the way – is one way rose is created.)

While these techniques are primarily used for red wines, a recent trend is to apply it to white grapes. The juice marinates with the skins to create…I kid you not…orange wine.

Why does this wine cost $7 and this seemingly identical bottle $70?

No one questions why a McDonald’s burger can be had for a buck while a gourmet burger at a white tablecloth joint can set you back $30 or more.

But for whatever reason, people don’t see such nuances in wine, assuming that one bottle just as good as the other and an expensive price tag simply reflects the winemaker’s ego.

In reality, there’s a lot of work behind that $70 bottle. To cite three examples, the grapes may have been hand harvested, with workers making numerous passes through the vineyard over days or weeks to pick each grape at just the right moment. (At one Bordeaux estate, this process takes 200 workers 45 days!)

Additional hand sorting may have been done once the grapes arrived at the winery, to pick out any leaves, twigs and other debris prior to fermentation. And the wine was probably aged in oak barrels, which go for $700 each when new.

Contrast that to the $7 offering. The grapes were probably harvested by machine in a matter of hours, the grapes (and debris) dumped into a vat to ferment. And that wonderful toasty-oak flavor? It most likely came from a bag of oak chips dumped into the wine.

Mind you, I’m not knocking $7 bottles; there are good ones out there. But, yeah, the $70 bottle does taste better. (Wouldn’t you think the gourmet burger beats MickeyD’s, too?)

Do all red wines get decanted?

No! There are two primary reasons to decant a wine. First, older wines should be decanted to remove the sediment that collects as the wine ages. You should also decant a wine that seems “tight” or “closed” when you pour a glass – such as a Barolo being drunk in its youth. The aeration that takes place during decanting helps unlock the aromas and flavors when a good bottle doesn’t seem to have much of either.

Generally, a wine should be served at or shortly after the time it is decanted. Particularly with older wines, too much air can be detrimental.

Why do you refrigerate red wine?

One couple at a tasting chuckled that their parents – how out of touch are they! – put partially consumed red wine bottles in the refrigerator. Alas, I told them, mom and dad are right. Putting an open bottle in the fridge helps slow down the oxidation process, helping preserve the wine for a day or two longer.

So how long a wine will keep anyway?

Most wines are not meant to age. By most, I mean 95% of wine, if not more, is intended to be enjoyed when you buy it – or at least within a year or two. Even many top-level wines, such as California cabernets, have a shelf life of roughly 8 to 10 years, depending on the vintage. Only the true elite, such as first growth Bordeaux or Italian Barolos, can reliably age for decades.

That said, if you really want a definitive guideline, look up some reviews of the wine. Most offer a date range suggesting when the wine will be at its best.

Once a bottle is open, it should be enjoyed quickly. Lower quality wines might keep overnight, but even the best won’t last a week once oxygen is introduced, no matter how well stored.

In other words, bottom’s up!

ITALY’S OTHER WINE REGIONS

If all you knew about Italian wines were Piedmont and Tuscany, you’d think the country’s wine industry wasn’t terribly diverse. And you couldn’t be more completely wrong.

Italy has 20 different wine regions. Vintners craft a mind-boggling array of wines from an astonishing number of grapes, both noble and indigenous. (A nice glass of Furmin, anyone?)

Some of these areas produce little wine, or what’s made is consumed primarily locally. Many other regions produce wines that, while they don’t necessarily rival those of Piedmont or Tuscany in name recognition, are certainly worth seeking out.

Here are some highlights:

Lombardy – this cool-climate region is known for its red wines from the Oltrepo Pavese and Valtinella districts, although the standout wine is Franciacorta, considered one of Italy’s most prestigious bubblies.

Liguria – one of Italy’s smallest regions, the best wine from here is the crisp white Vermentino, made using the grape of the same name.

Trentino-Alto-Adige – clean, crisp modern white wines made from native and indigenous varietals are this region’s signature. It also is known for light- to medium-bodied red wines from the Schiava grape.

Veneto – the amazing variety of wine styles crafted in this region makes it hard to easily summarize. Four great wines to look for are Amarone (crafted from grapes that have been dried in the sun, concentrating the flavors), Prosecco (a light, slightly sparkling wine), Soave (a dry white wine that is usually a blend of native and noble varietals) and Valpolicella (a dry red.)

Umbria – Orvieto is the region’s biggest appellation, producing white wines from the Trebbiano grape. Sangiovese from Umbria can be a tasty, more affordable alternative to Chianti; in particular, look for one from Montefalco.

Campania – Perhaps the most interesting wine from this region is Taurasi, a red wine made from the Aglianico grape. Little white wine is produced here, though Fiano d’Avellino and Greco di Tufo are light and refreshing.

Sicily – Dessert wines count for much of this island’s production. For everyday dry wines, look for Inzolia and Catarratto for white and Nero d’Avola for red.

UNDERSTANDING THE LABEL

It’s a grape, it’s a region, it’s…arrrrgh!

Reading Italy’s wine labels is no easy task. Winemakers might follow either the old world tradition of putting the place name on the label or the new world one of using varietal labeling.

So how is one to know that Chianti is a region, and that it’s made with the Sangiovese grape? Or that Verdicchio is both a grape and an appellation?

Zeroing in on a few key words on the label can go a long way towards helping understand what’s in the bottle, and understanding Italian wine laws makes a great start.

These laws created four main categories for wine, each with specific geographic, vine growing and winemaking regulations.

The most basic category is Vino da Tavola (VdT) or table wine. Grapes may be from a variety of regions and vintages. Usually only the name of the producer and bianco, rosso or rosato is used on the label. This category is intended to indicate pleasant, everyday wine for early drinking.

The Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) category was created to distinguish wines that are superior to those in the VdT category. These wines are allowed to list their region, vintage and dominant varietal.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) indicates wines from delimited zones that comply with area regulations regarding varietal, blending, levels of alcohol, acidity and extract, maximum yields, allowable winemaking techniques and ageing.

The highest classification level is Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita (DOCG). Higher quality wine is “guaranteed” by two tasting panels and winemakers must abide by more rigid controls. An area is not eligible for DOCG status until it has been a DOC for at least five years.

It is important to note that these categories do not necessarily indicate quality; producers who don’t follow the regulations established for their DOC must bottle their wines under the IGT or VdT label. The most famous example is SuperTuscan wines. Though many are bottled as IGT, they can be among the best and priciest wines in the world.

In addition to these categories, here are some other terms you may encounter on the label:

Azienda – translates to “business” and is usually seen with a modifier. Azienda agricola means the grapes were grown and wine produced on the estate, while azienda vinicola indicates the grapes may be purchased elsewhere.

Classico – the best or most famous part of a DOC(G) zone that, in theory, offers the ideal soil and climate conditions for the grape.

Dolce – sweet

Frizzante – lightly sparkling

Imboltigiato all’origine – estate bottled

Passito – made from dry grapes

Riserva – indicates additional ageing in barrel and/or bottle as defined by law for each DOC(G). It may also signify higher minimum alcohol and stricter yield control. Generally indicates a better-quality wine.

Secco – dry

Spumante – sparkling

Superiore – refers to longer minimum ageing and higher alcoholic strength. Also typically indicates a better-quality wine. Unlike some riserva wines, superiore wines do not necessarily need to undergo a certain minimum ageing.

Tenuta – means “holding” in Italian (as in a large land holding) and usually refers to an estate that grows and bottles its own wine.