Wine Introduction
September 14, 2010
Wine is often viewed as a very difficult subject to get your toes wet in. In fact, even as I type this, wondering where the best place to start & the perfect introduction are, I am getting an outsiders' feel on the pretentious reputation the wine world has. But, when you break down this wonderful subject into small sips, it becomes not only easy to swallow, but very palatable.
I haven’t always loved wine, but I remember always having a good, keen sense of smell & a really good memory. These are 2 good traits to lead you down the path of food service & oenology (study of wine). Which is what I did. Now, after years of study, I want to try to pass on information to others.
When choosing wine, knowing what color, what style & what level of dryness are important factors. The best way to know those answers is through experience & knowledge. When tasting a wine, having a really keen sense of smell with lots built up in “smell memory” can be advantageous. To conquer the world of wine, grab a corkscrew, glasses, some paper & some friends who want to join you on a journey & start tasting! You don’t need to do this with friends, but mathematically speaking, it makes a lot of sense!
I have heard a lot of times that people are intimidated by wine tastings because the participants use fancy words for what they smell & “how do they know they smell that?” “If I blurted out an answer I would think I might be wrong”. Firstly, the words that people use are generally industry standard terms that have been memorized. They know they smell those things because often theory dictates what you should smell in each wine.
If you are tasting a pinot noir & have studied up on it, you know, in theory there are particular aromas coming from the wine (& you’ve also seen the cheat sheet of descriptive words to use). Having said that, wine is very personal & each taster will have his or her own descriptors & that’s the way it should be. It is for you to enjoy & experience & build memories of your own. The industry standards are there to guide you in the right direction, not dissuade you from trying wine.
Like Maria says in Sound of Music “let’s start at the very beginning” and when you begin with wine you begin with grape varieties. There are hundreds, even thousands, of grape varieties hailing from all over the world. However, the varieties historically called the noble varieties are: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling & Semillion for white, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir & Syrah/Shiraz for red. There are several major contributors to why a wine tastes the way it does, and its grape variety is one of the most influential. Certain characteristics from the grape variety provide the wine with fruitiness, or acidity or color. Figuring out which variety/varieties are to your preference is the fun part (& often just a matter of trial & error)!
While you & your friends are tasting wines, there are a couple of things you want to make sure you look for first: clarity of the wine (is it hazy or cloudy) and does it smell like it is off (skunky, vinegar, rotten eggs)? If your wine passes that test then it is on to the fun stuff. Discuss what you smell. Aromas & bouquets are the proper terms for what you smell. Aroma is generally used to describe the smells associated with the young wine or how the grape variety itself is affecting the wine. Bouquet generally refers to more complex smells that occur from the making & ageing of the wine. Do you smell fruit? Is it red fruit, dried fruit or berries? Do you smell anything herbal like green peppers & grass? Or maybe there are some flowers? Smelling all that is in the glass in front of you will never come from one whiff, you need to keep going back for more. Once you have sniffed for a while, your brain will have an idea of what this wine should taste like even before you taste it because of what you have smelled; you can smell thousands of smells & only taste 5 tastes. If you’ve smelled right, when you taste the wine, you should not surprised by its taste. The best way to remember what you liked about a wine & what you didn’t care for is to keep a log or tasting sheets. That way, you can look back through several wines & try to figure out the common denominator tastes of what you like- then you know what to look for in your next wine selection.
Throughout this column, we will further discuss certain grape varieties & topics to help you walk into the liquor store & make an educated decision on what to buy based on a little extra information.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Starting a Wine Collection
October 12, 2010
Was there an occasion where you enjoyed a certain bottle of wine with someone special that makes you smile when you think about it? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had another bottle of that wine that you could uncork and experience that memory again?
Collecting wine is an avid pastime for many wine lovers. Nabbing bottles here and there when traveling, stocking up on one of your favorites and getting wine as a gift are all ways to start to accumulate a collection.
Having a small or extensive wine collection has several benefits. Most obviously, when the urge hits to have a glass of wine, you are able to quell that urge with little to no effort! There is no need to go out to buy a bottle or patronize your local watering hole for that craving, you can enjoy it where you want then and there. Not only do you have the wine on hand for enjoyment at your leisure, you have the wine that you want to drink. Your own wine collection is a tailor made product list for YOU so you know whichever wine you choose, you are sure to enjoy it.
Arguably, the best benefit is that you can drink the wine at its optimal drinking age. Often the wine you buy in the store is not in its prime condition. There are lots of wines that benefit from a few years of ageing. Fuller bodied reds that contain lots of tannins will benefit from being cellared because with age, the tannins become softer (won’t feel as dry) and the wine will gain some complexity. Some special fuller bodied whites like chardonnays will also benefit from some ageing. There are also lots of wines that are meant for little to no ageing and to be drunk immediately after release: most whites (notably Sauvignon Blanc) and lighter, fruitier reds like Beaujolais, Beaujolais Nouveau, Gamay Noir and most inexpensive and “new world” Pinot Noirs.
Both wines meant for ageing and wines for immediate consumption can suffer from what experts call “bottle shock” or “bottle sickness”. This, according to Wikipedia, is described as “a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are given an additional dose of sulfur (in the form of sulfur dioxide or sulfite solution), and are subject to other forms of handling and transport. After a few weeks, the condition usually disappears”. Often to get to the liquor store near you, your wine has traveled by several methods of transport. I know how I feel after traveling- driving, flying and/or taking a train. All I want to do is put my feet up for a breather. Wine feels the same way! Even a week or two of lying down will put a little more life into a wine. If you are buying one of your favorite bottles at the store, buy another and lay it down for a two weeks. Return to the store to buy a newly shelved version of that wine and then compare it to the wine you bought a few weeks ago. I bet you’ll notice a difference; the “rested” one will feel a little more supple and smooth.
Buying a certain vintage wine the year it is released allows you to purchase this wine at its release price. If you were to buy that same wine from that vintage a year or two later it would cost more than it did originally as that ageing time adds value. Taking advantage of the release prices and ageing it yourself can save you money and allow you to drink higher quality wines for around the same budget.
If you are inspired to start up a collection, or pay a little more attention to what you already have, there are some steadfast rules for storage that need to be followed. Both short term (up to six months) and long term storage need a cool, dark area. Short term storage can be in a box in a dark closet- undisturbed with little to no change in temperature. For longer term storage one needs to be a bit more attentive to the conditions: high humidity keeps corks from drying out and allowing air to jeopardize the wine, cooler temperatures (50- 55 degrees farenheit) allow the wine to age correctly and no vibrations or bumps as that negatively affects the evolution of the wine. Storing the wine on its side also helps to keep the cork moist and help prevent premature ageing. A simple wine refrigerator can achieve these conditions fairly easily. For long term or short term storage, the most disadvantageous spot you could choose is on the door of your kitchen refrigerator or a shelf near your stove. Both these spots will have temperature fluctuations, changes in light and humidity and that spells disaster for the well-being of your wine.
There are countless benefits of having your own wine collection above and beyond what I have mentioned. The challenge of choosing interesting wines to hang on to, the thrill of deciding which to drink now and which to nurture and watch over waiting for the optimum time to enjoy can lure one into the hobby of collection. But, just as tasting, smelling and enjoying wine is a personal experience, so are the reasons for collecting wine and what wine you choose to collect. Ultimately, collecting wine is one more part of the adventure of finding great wines to enjoy and share with friends and family.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Awaiting Beaujolais Nouveau
November 1, 2010
The third Thursday in November, every November since the 1950s, creates a childish excitement in the wine world. One minute past midnight into that famed third Thursday starts a frantic worldwide shuffling of millions of cases of Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais is a tiny area in Burgundy, France that spans about 35 miles long and 5 miles across and produces a light, fruity red wine from the Gamay Noir grape.
The Gamay Noir grapes in Beaujolais are picked by hand (the only other region in France that legally has to do this is Champagne) to ensure the most ripe, luscious fruit. Once harvested, the grapes are fermented by a method called carbonic maceration- this is a technique usually used only for Beaujolais and other light reds. Also called “whole berry fermentation”, this technique does not start with the usual crushing of the grapes but pays careful attention to keeping the grapes whole in a sealed, carbon dioxide rich environment. The carbon dioxide permeates the skin and allows the fermentation to occur within the grape skin. While regular wine usually starts from crushed grapes, called must, put in a big vat to ferment, the technique of carbonic maceration starts with whole grapes but under the weight of the vat of grapes, those grapes at the bottom are crushed and then begin ferment like most wines.
The growers in Beaujolais wanted to create a wine to celebrate the end of the harvest and due to their impatience and anticipation, the wine is in the fermentation vat for a mere weeks. Therefore, this wine was and still is intended for immediate consumption. The delicate carbonic maceration fermentation process creates a subtle, simple, fruity versatile wine loved by consumers for those particular characteristics. Beaujolais Nouveau has a recommended serving temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which in the world of red wine is considered cool, to increase its fruitiness.
There has been a race of sorts to try the newest Beaujolais Nouveau wine, an excuse to make a long weekend of celebrations and a status to have known the right person to get that wine to you. At this time of year, the excitement amongst the wine lovers is obvious- the countryside and city stores alike adorn windows and terraces with signs announcing the arrival of the new wine like the arrival of a new baby. Some might look at the race to get the first bottle of the Beaujolais Nouveau as a bit exaggerated, but there is a certain excitement and comradery knowing that other wine lovers are enjoying the same wine at almost the same time at cafes, restaurants and homes around the world.
Georges DuBoeuf is a well known name in French winemaking. He grew up on a farm on which his family had some grape vines. The family ended up producing wine and he worked on this family vineyard helping in many ways; from crushing the grapes manually to delivering bottles when needed. Currently, his own production of Beaujolais Nouveau accounts for ten percent of the entire Beaujolais Nouveau inventory. DuBoeuf became one of the best-known wine merchants and eventually was instrumental in popularizing Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. Because of his involvement in promoting these wines, he became known as the King of Beaujolais.
This wine has been a great addition to Thanksgiving tables in the United States, partly because of the timing of its release and party because its light, fruity characteristics allow it to pair with the array of offerings at Thanksgiving dinner. Because of its fruity notes, light body and “serve chilled” modus operandi, Beaujolais Nouveau bridges the gap between red and white wine drinkers and can pair with everything from squash to turkey to cranberry sauce. Salads, roasted meats, pork and cheeses all complement and are complemented by this young wine. This simple wine is not to be confused with being boring or of poor quality, but should be considered a young, jovial wine in its tastes and personality. On an occasion when family and friends are together and when celebrating and giving thanks is the preference, Beaujolais Nouveau should be the accompaniment. So, if you are deciding whether to serve several wines this Thanksgiving or give up totally as you believe you might not please everyone, get some Beaujolais Nouveau in the ice bucket and get pouring! Beaujolais Nouveau is as white as a red wine can get and as simple and company friendly as you can get!
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Rosé wines- the misunderstood gem
November 29, 2010
Time and time again, I have recommended a rosé wine and have been met with a snarl or a curled up lip. With their low popularity in the wine world, white zinfandels and the various fruit blush wines have overshadowed the countless other pink wines. This is because of the many misconceptions of rosé wines in general. The generalization of this misunderstood gem is that it’s a sweet wine that always provides you with a headache the next day, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Rosé wines of the past generally mixed a finished red wine with a finished white wine to create a pink colored wine giving way to the name. Rosé wines of today start with red wine grapes (called black grapes) but are made like a white wine. Customarily, red, white and pink wines start with crushed grapes and a “soak” called maceration. A wine’s color and intensity come from the skins of grapes. Red wine is fermented at a higher temperature and with more contact with the grape skins than white wine- the warmer the fermentation, the more color and tannin are extracted from the crushed grapes. White wine wants to pull less from the grapes so is fermented at a cooler temperature with less contact with the skins. The best analogy to use for clarity is steeping tea- the hotter the water and the longer the steeping time, the stronger the cup of tea, if you put a tea bag in cold water, you will not have a strong cup of tea. Rosé wines want to have some characteristics of red and some of white, so it is fermented with red wine grapes at a white wine temperature and little contact with the skins.
Using the method I described above, most rosé wines start with red wine grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon are all popular in the lesser known rosés. There is also the obvious Zinfandel grape, which is actually a red wine grape although is mostly seen in its pink form. Every grape varietal skin color is different, and this produces the array of colors in the finished product.
Rosé wines are particularly popular in hot weather climates as they can bear resemblance to a red wine and are refreshing enough to be drunk in the heat. France and Spain have been the most well known for their culture of rosé wines as well as their production of them. Argentina, USA, Italy and Chile have increased their production of pink wines due to increasing popularity.
Known for its production, roughly 85% of its total production, rosé wine in Provence is considered a principal wine, not a secondary one like in many other wine producing regions. Provence, in southern France, commonly uses the grape Grenache (a grape originally from its northern neighbour, the Côtes du Rhone) blended with a variety of others from nearby regions. In Spain, the common grapes are Garnacha (the same as Grenache) and Tempranillo (known best for Rioja wines from northern Spain). Because of the tannin and flavor from these grapes, even when fermenting with little skin contact and at a cooler temperature, the resulting rosés have more body than white but not as much as a red wine.
A general principle of food and wine pairing, a certain style of food is best paired with a similar style wine: rich red wine pairs well with a robust stew or steak and a light white pairs well with a lighter seafood dish. Ultimately, a wine’s color is not its determining factor for pairing, its character is what counts the most. This is why a rosé is a good choice while considering a wine and food pairing.
Bright, fresh pink colored wines are wonderfully suited to a variety of cuisines. Try a nice dry rosé with your BLT sandwich or with chips and guacamole. Next time you sit down for brunch and have scrambled eggs, quiche or an omelette, pour a glass of rosé. BBQ’d chicken or pork chops, Chinese food, pizza or a plain old piece of bread with butter all work with a rosé. Anything you might hesitate about serving a white or a red with, hesitate no more and uncork a rosé.
It is important to remember that rosé is a category, not a varietal of wine so there is a very broad spectrum of styles. Read the labels, do a little research, ask some questions and you will be pleasantly surprised by this special category of wine.
So, uncurl that lip, turn down your nose and open your mind to one of the most versatile wines around: dry rosés!
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Grape Varietals & Blending
December 28, 2010
Many of us wine drinkers today feel like there is a certain grape varietal that fills the void when choosing a wine. Lots of single grape variety wines are high scoring, award winning wines. Grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Riesling are popular with or without the weight of its region of origin (Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Niagara Escarpment, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer).
This trend in choosing varietals over a certain region is fairly new. Historically speaking, wine has been chosen by its area of origin, or appellation (Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhône, Burgundy, Peidmont, Tuscany, Napa Valley, Douro, Rioja, etc). A wine appellation is a region of origin dictating certain wine practices like irrogation use, grape variety(ies), alcohol level, grape yields and labeling necessities. One factor of production in particular an appellation affects is blending- some appellations do not allow blending, some make it mandatory to carry a certain vineyard or area’s name. In southern France, Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape from the Cotes du Rhône permit 13 grape varieties to label it as such while most Burgundy appellations do not allow blending.
With increasing knowledge from the consumers, emphasis has been put on the consumer’s knowledge and choice regarding grape varietal and the consumption trend has shied away from blends. Because blended wines have always offered a balanced, consistent product the wine industry has been trying to redirect consumption to the blends.
Some of the most popular wine blends are household names: Amarone, Bordeaux wines (also known as Meritage blends), most Champagnes, Cotes du Rhône and Port to name a few. Australia as a whole has been blending wines for decades in their own style.
There are many grape varietals used in blends that do not hold the same popularity as others because they are usually regionally blended with other grapes. These can lack popularity and good ratings on their own but when blended often contribute to the blend’s quality and balance.
As an example, the Cabernet Franc grape is a grape that is most often in Bordeaux blends. On its own, the product is not generally a favorite, but when part of a Bordeaux blend it offers the perfect balance to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Cabernet Franc has fruity and floral characteristics that compliment like qualities of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to produce perfectly balanced wine for many palates.
Australia’s Chardonnay-Semillon blend has become a household name, although on its own, most wine drinkers would not know or choose a Semillon. It is also the majority of the blend used for the famous dessert wine Sauternes. The herbal, vegetal and spice aromas of Semillon make it the perfect variety to add a character to a variety like peach apricot scented Chardonnay of an Australian blend or green pepper, grass and gooseberry fragranced Sauvignon Blanc of a Sauternes.
Viognier is a white grape variety that holds two responsibilities in its Cotes du Rhône home. It is used in white blends to balance out Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc grapes as it tends to have low acidity and a distinct perfumy aroma. Viognier is used in Northen Cotes du Rhône as the only white grape variety to co-ferment with a red grape (Syrah/Shiraz) to soften and lighten the potent and high alcohol wines of that area. Australia is also using this same grape combination for blending.
This blending premise questions the age-old saying of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Is this true? Some wine lovers argue there are certain varieties that are destined to be blending heroes while other wine lovers have their favorite and are not interested in straying from that point of view. For your palate and preferences, only you can answer that question. Get a few friends, buy a few bottles and do some tasting. The layers of a blend make it particularly useful when trying to pair wines with food so try some nibbles with blends and single varietals and decide for yourself which side of the equation you are on. Most of all, enjoy the tasting and time with friends and family while helping add to your memory bank of aromas, taste combinations and good times.
And as always if you have any other wine questions, drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Champagne & Sparkling Wine
January 25, 2011
It’s that time of year when you need to start planning your romantic evening with that someone special to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Light the candles, set the table, get dinner going then sit and enjoy a romantic evening. But there might be something missing! The champagne, of course! The bubbles feel festive and often it’s a splurge wine, so sparkling wine is often equated with a celebration.
There are some technicalities that are necessary to cover when talking about sparkling wine. Much like the white zinfandel I discussed in the rosé article, the name “Champagne” is frequently misunderstood. To call a wine “Champagne” it must come from within the tiny area in Burgundy, France called Champagne. As you may recall, a region of origin or appellation dictates certain wine practices like irrigation use, grape variety(ies), alcohol level, grape yields and labeling necessities. Champagne is a region of origin/appellation for a certain sparkling wine we know as “Champagne”. Technically, to be champagne the grapes used are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier and only these in various combinations. Sometimes you will see a Blanc de Blancs, a Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay grapes or a Blancs de Noirs (100% Pinot Noir grapes) but mostly it is the combination of white (Chardonnay) and red (Pinot Noir) grapes. Other regions of origin/appellations produce other sparkling wines and these sparkling wines can come from an assortment of grape varieties depending on the region and the producer.
There are two names synonymous with Champagne: Dom Pérignon and Veuve Clicquot. At first glance, most think that these are simply names of Champagne brands, but in actuality they are names of pioneers of Champagne. Dom Pérignon was a Benedictine monk who is coined the inventor of Champagne as he dedicated much of his work to perfecting wines and discovered one could catch the bubbles of the carbon dioxide from fermentation. Only because of experiments like Pérignon’s do we now know fermentation as a simple chemical equation of sugar + yeast = alcohol + carbon dioxide. Madame Clicquot (nee Ponsardin) was widowed by an owner of vineyards for Champagne and took over the business. When she did she renamed it Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin (the French word for widow is Veuve). After taking over the business, Madame Clicquot tried to streamline the process of making Champagne and redesigned her kitchen table by making holes in it and standing on its side to allow for the bottles of wine to rest at the right angle and permit the cellar master to turn the bottles at even intervals to keep the yeast moving towards the neck of the bottle. This re-engineered table was called le pupitre and hundreds of years later the design is still used today.
There are several methods associated with producing a wine that is sparkling; the injection method, the tank method, the transfer method and the traditional method. From the least expensive wines to the most expensive ones, there is technique and time involved.
The simplest process involves a dry, still white wine undergoing a bulk method for carbonation called the “injection method” (vernacularly referred to as the Coca Cola method) that literally injects carbonation into a still wine much like carbonation is injected into a Coke or other soda.
The next method is called the “tank method” (or cuvée close method). A still, dry wine is produced in a large tank and then a second fermentation occurs in a large closed tank. Fermenting in this closed tank traps the carbon dioxide produced during this process. Throughout the process, the tank is closed. Even while the wine is bottled, it is under this same pressure allowing for the bubbles to remain in the wine. Prosecco and Asti from Italy are two areas that produce sparkling wine in this manner.
Another method is called the “transfer method” whereby the first fermentation produces a dry, still wine that is then transferred from a large fermenting vat to bottles. In this method, the bottle that you purchase your wine in is the bottle that housed the second fermentation; the fermentation that produced the bubbles. USA, Australia and Germany use this method frequently as it produces a slightly more complex wine at a reasonable price.
The final method is the “méthode Champenoise” or the “traditional method”. This method involves both fermentations occurring in the bottle the consumer gets upon purchase. There are also extreme ageing and nurturing techniques involved in the traditional method. This method is very labour intensive and expensive, however theoretically produces the best sparkling wines. Cava from Spain, other sparkling wine from France and especially Champagne use this method.
Now that we have covered some details, let’s talk about how to find those charming qualities in a wine that may be a little easier on the pocketbook. As I mentioned above, there are several methods to getting bubbles into the wine- if you can’t find or don’t want the Rolls Royce of sparkling wine (the traditional method), try a model below the Rolls Royce. Many of the sparkling wines coming from California are produced by a partnership between a French champagne house and a local winery. Although the laws of wine dictate that sparkling wine from outside the Champagne region cannot be called Champagne, there seem to be exceptions made (or a blind eye turned) and you find “Champagne” from California. These wines are often made by the transfer method allowing the consumer to purchase a wine similar to a traditional Champagne while keeping within a budget. Look for Roederer Estate Brut by Louis Roederer, Domaine Carneros by Tattinger or Mumm’s Napa Cuvée for a good value for your sparkling dollar. Cava from Spain uses the traditional method to produce a complex wine at an extremely reasonable price for the product. Look for Segura Viudas in brut or rosé for an excellent value or the Cordon Negro Brut by Freixenet.
While cuddled on the couch with your Valentine, please remember that a bottle of sparkling wine has several atmospheres of pressure under that cork- so be careful while popping that cork! Opening it at a 45 degree angle and at 45 – 48 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended.
Classic food pairing combinations for Champagne include oysters, caviar and buttered popcorn but there are endless possibilities. Try it with a creamy pasta, lobster, risotto or even fried chicken! Try your own combination and wait for your tastebuds to buzz with excitement or enjoy a glass all on its own with some great company. After all, enjoying wine is about the company as much as it is about the wine.
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Delicious Wine & Cheese Pairings
February 22, 2011
Two of my greatest (consumable) loves are wine and cheese. With endless possibilities for pairing and enjoying, the avid fan could easily try a different match everyday to no end.
There are always exceptions to the rules, but for simplicity sake I will outline some basic rules one needs to consider when putting wine and cheese together. We can start by breaking down the wine into categories: sparkling, white, sweet/dessert and red. Each category holds a few rules for choosing a great cheese match.
Sparkling wine often livens up your palate with bubbles and acidity making it a great partner for creamy cheese like Brie, Saint Andre and Camembert. Some double and triple cream cheeses (which have extra cream added to the curds) have upwards of 75% butterfat and the acidity of Champagne or other sparkling wines helps to cut through that richness (see my previous article on Sparkling Wines). Earthy flavoured cheeses and hard, salty cheese tend to clash with the brightness and crispness of most sparkling wines so try to stick to creamy and soft ones with your bubbly.
Matching white wine and cheese as a whole is a bit trickier than the sparkling category- different whites have different pairing suggestions. Chardonnays tend to be a fuller bodied wine therefore hard, strong cheeses compliment well. Try cheddar, aged cheddar, Parmesan, Fontina, Gruyere or Gouda. Try to stick to cow’s milk cheese. Sheep’s milk cheeses (Manchego and Pecorino, for example) tend to have less successful pairings with chardonnays. Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese is a classic combination, especially a Sancerre (sauvignon blanc from Loire Valley) and a local chevre. The tang of the wine and the tang of the cheese are a winning combination. Regional pairings for wine and cheese are a great way to know you will have complimenting flavours and nuances. Rieslings vary from dry to sweet, dry Rieslings can stand up well to the flavourful Edam, Gouda and milder cheeses like Colby and mild cheddar. The sweet Rieslings fit into the Dessert wine category below.
Dessert and Sweet wine is a very broad category; there are many different kinds of sweet wines. Sauternes from Bordeaux, France and Port from Duoro region in Portugal could easily be categorized as household names in the wine world. There are different degrees of sweetness and styles of dessert wines (but those details will come another time!) however each style matches perfectly with Stilton. Port with Stilton is one of those pairings that is flawless- the salty pungent cheese with the sweet, rich Port deserves to go on your “bucket list” if you haven’t tried it yet. Of course, other varieties of blue cheese or stinky, pungent cheese will work too (Gorgonzola, Roquefort) with Port, but are better with white dessert wine like Sauternes or sweet Riesling.
Red wine also has a few sub categories from lighter to fuller bodied reds. Lighter, fruitier reds like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais are great with lighter cheeses like Mozzarella, Feta, Jarlsberg and Swiss. Medium bodied wines like Merlot, red Rioja and Valpolicella are great with slightly richer cheeses like smoked Gouda, Morbier, Port Salut and Provolone. Full bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Amarone, Chianti, Shiraz/Syrah match with full bodied cheeses like sharp, aged Cheddar, Parmesan, Pecorino, Wensleydale and aged Gouda. Harder cheeses are often better, more reliable partners then soft cheese for wine, especially red wine.
Always serve cheese at room temperature to get the most out of the flavours. Cheese served straight out of the fridge is not as lush and rich as it is when served at room temperature. It is recommended to give your cheese 30-60 minutes out of the fridge before serving it. Crackers, bread, nuts, grapes and dried fruit are a nice accompaniment to a cheese platter.
If you are making an evening (or afternoon!) of cheese and wine pairings, it is recommended that you start with the lightest (Sparkling or lighter whites with mild cheeses) moving up to a bit more body of a Chardonnay with more medium bodied cheese. After the white move on to lighter reds (Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir) or a dry Rosé for fuller bodied and harder cheeses. Follow with fuller bodied reds with nuttier, “stinkier” cheeses and then end with the dessert wines and strong cheeses (Port and Stilton). This will allow your palate’s appreciation to crescendo from light to full wines and cheeses.
Tasting wine is a personal experience in which you look to increase your flavour memories, and tasting wine and cheese is no different. In fact, cheese is as complex of a topic as wine. If structured tastings aren’t up your alley, choose some cheese, choose some wines, choose your company and experiment. You never know what you will discover.
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have. Stop by our website to see what we are up to!
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
A glass a day....
April 18, 2011
Does a glass of wine, instead of an apple, a day keep the doctor away? Wine and your health is a very controversial topic among many. Historically speaking, wine has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Ancient cultures of China, Greece, Egypt and Rome, for example, have left evidence that wine was used for healing, health and disease prevention. The lack of clean drinking water in many ancient (and not so ancient) cultures may have been a major reason why doctors relied on wine. Famous Greek physician Hippocrates recommended wine for ailments from pain during childbirth to disinfecting and sterilizing wounds.
Were our ancient ancestors on to something? There are countless studies showing that moderate consumption of wine is in fact good for you.
Before discussing the benefits of drinking wine, defining consumption in moderation is imperative. It is universally accepted that moderation is a maximum of four standard drinks per day for a male and two for a female (a standard drink for wine is a four ounce glass). Women are allotted half the amount of men because they have only half the amount of alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. (There are also people who should avoid wine or alcohol; those who have had addiction problems, those who react badly to it or have liver disease, for example. I am by no means suggesting wine will help everybody’s health… so if in doubt, always check with your doctor.)
Moderate consumption of wine has been proven to be “heart healthy” because of the antioxidants that come from the grapes. Wine has been proven to reduce vascular disease (due to greatly improved blood flow), reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, reduce colds, reduce gallstones, reduce kidney stones, reduce Alzheimer’s disease, reduce Parkinson’s disease, cancer and diabetes and improve digestion, help alleviate stress and depression. Studies have shown that dementia later in life is reduced by moderate consumption of wine and actually helps increase long-term memory.
In the early 1990s, there was a spotlight on the TV show “60 Minutes”, outlining a French essay and coining the phrase “French Paradox”. This paradox states the observation that although the people of France (particularly southern France) consume a diet high in saturated fats from animals, butter and cheese and have a higher rate of smoking cigarettes, the prevalence of heart disease and lower overall health is lower than anywhere else in the world. This greater level of health and well-being has been attributed to their responsible and moderate consumption of wine- wine drinkers lead healthier, happier lives. During the spotlight on “60 Minutes”, it was red wine described as producing these health benefits and following that, red wine sales in North America went up roughly 45%. This study led the wine consuming public into thinking that it was only red wine that had antioxidants and consequent health benefits. However, since then there have been a lot of studies and research that provide evidence of both red and white wine having health benefits. While red wine has more antioxidants due to its grapes being a darker colour than white wine grapes (leafy greens that are dark or vegetables that are brighter are said to have more antioxidants than their lighter counterparts too), the antioxidant molecules in white wine are said to be smaller and more easily absorbed into the body thereby creating an equality.
The question has been asked that if the antioxidants and other health advantages come from the grapes themselves, does drinking grape juice reap the same health benefits? The answer is the properties of grapes help your health by providing some antioxidants, but the combination of the alcohol and the healthy grapes has been said to provide more health benefits than grape juice itself.
That being said, wine consumption or “wine therapy” on its own is not effective at making you healthy or healthier. In conjunction with eating properly, reducing sugar intake, exercising, watching your blood pressure and weight and not smoking, a relaxing glass or two of wine a day can do nothing but make you feel better from your head to your toes. So, go on, grab a glass and cheers to your health!
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
The Appeal of Chardonnay
May 17, 2011
If you ask someone to name a white wine, chances are the answer they give you is Chardonnay. Chardonnay is the most popular and widely planted grape variety in the world and gives way to thousands of brands around the world.
Wine-makers all around the world appreciate Chardonnay’s ability to be molded; for example light bodied or full bodied, barrel matured/oaked or un-oaked. There are many characteristics that commonly found in Chardonnay grape, so regardless of the wine making process, there are certain aromas and flavours: citrus, apple, melon, pineapple and tropical fruit. The body of the wine tends to be medium to a fuller body (if you use milk to compare its “mouth feel” to another wine, it will have the feel of a whole milk compared to a skim milk). When California first started mass producing Chardonnay, there was much criticism of too much oak lending Chardonnay a bad name, however this has been addressed and practices have changed. Many bottles of Chardonnay on the market are lightly oaked. Un-oaked Chardonnays are widely available. If you choose an oaked variety, there are characteristics and aromas in addition to the fruity ones: caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, smoke, cloves, toast, buttered popcorn and nuts. If you consider how many different combinations of flavours and aromas that can come from the same grape, it is not hard to imagine why Chardonnay is so popular.
A pure un-oaked Chardonnay from a tiny northern area in Burgundy, France is called Chablis. If you taste Chablis, don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t a Chardonnay because those apple and melon notes are there to remind you it is a Chardonnay. However, it also has a steely minerality indicative of its tiny area it calls home. The name Chablis has been increasingly misused to generically describe a dry wine with little to no fruity attributes. If you want to experiment in tasting Chablis, stick to the original French variety for a naturally crisp un-oaked Chardonnay.
When the grapes are picked at optimum ripeness, a natural acidity (called Malic acid) is present in the grapes. To combat this acidity for a wine that is to be aged in oak barrels, often a wine-maker will allow a Chardonnay to undergo a second fermentation called “Malolactic fermentation”. Simply put, this is a bacterial fermentation (with naturally occurring bacteria in most vineyards) that turns the Malic acid into a smoother, softer acid called Lactic acid. This process creates the velvety, smooth, round texture that Chardonnays often possess.
Once the wine-maker has chosen to oak their wine, there are several methods they can choose from: adding an oak essence like you would vanilla when baking, soaking the wine in oak chips, ageing the wine in used or a cheap oak cask or barrel, or ageing the wine in fine oak casks. The first options produce lower end, mass-produced wines while the latter produce higher quality and priced wines.
This varying scale of price points also makes Chardonnay appealing to all spectrums of the market- there is a Chardonnay for every pocket and palate. Generally speaking, an entry level Chardonnay from the first two oaking methods will produce a similarly tasting wine regardless of where it came from (Chile, Argentina, Australia) due to its mass-production style. The next level is a mid-priced Chardonnay that uses pre-used or cheaper casks for ageing; this range of wines will often use grapes from certain vineyards, have single vineyard picks and offer a higher quality wine. In this category are some of the California regional stars from Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Mendocino in comparison to the top end Napa Valley. If you have the budget to treat yourself to a great wine, try a Burgundy, an area known for its stronghold in Chardonnay production. Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Corton-Charlemagne are famed appellations in Burgundy with superior quality wines. You exchange predictable, high quality for extra dollars when you buy high-end Burgundian whites.
Serving a bottle of wine chilled brings out the fruit characteristics and dulls the non-fruit ones, so to keep some of those citrus notes while highlighting the trademark butterscotch and buttered popcorn notes of a Chardonnay, serve it at a warmer temperature then other whites (50-54 degrees Fahrenheit), and not straight from the fridge. Make sure to serve it in a medium bowl sized glass with a long stem and don’t fill it too full, allow yourself room to swirl the wine around for it to breathe.
An oaked Chardonnay and the grill are a match made for each other. The buttery, toasty full-bodied characteristics hold up to the char of a BBQ perfectly. A full-bodied Chardonnay is the perfect compliment to a rich, creamy sauce for chicken, veal, pork or pasta. Try a lightly oaked California Chardonnay with a grilled pork chop and grilled polenta. Try an Australian Chardonnay with a chicken and smoked Provolone pizza. Lighter bodied and less oaked Chardonnay pair well with roasted chicken and vegetables. There is the general rule that lighter food pairs best with lighter wines, so if you are unsure of which style of Chardonnay you just bought, do some research to make sure you pair your wine appropriately.
Don’t forget drinking wine is all about experience, creating flavour memories and enjoying your wine savouring company. Remember to try to keep track of what you drink, what you like about it and the price so you can make wiser decisions next time you are standing in the wine aisle wondering what to buy!
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
Cabernet Sauvignon
June 14, 2011
Mention Father’s Day dinner, one’s immediate response is BBQ. Steak. What better partner for a BBQ’d steak than a full-bodied, beefy Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is the name for both the grape and the wine it produces. It is what most people think red wine should taste like.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small, deeply colored, thick-skinned berries that yield dark, intensely flavored, tannic, long-lived wines that often involve aging to soften them to become drinkable. Like chardonnay (see my last article), the grape can be grown in a multitude of different growing regions and conditions (although it prefers warmer climates) while faithfully imparting the characteristic varietal aromas and flavors. Most often Cabernet Sauvignon wines are described to have black currant, cherry, bell pepper, Eucalyptus, mint and green olive aromas. If the wine has been oak aged, there will also be hints of vanilla, violets, cigar box, leather, cedar, mushrooms and sometimes tar. Tannins in the wine come from the thick skin and the high ratio of seeds and stems in the grape itself. Wine tannins come from grape skins, stems and seeds, and their extraction is heavily dependent on the particular winemaking process involved. Some tannins also come from barrels, particularly new ones, where these are used to age wine. Tannins are what make the wine appear dry. It is believed the role of tannins in nature is one of plant defence: they have an astringent and aversive taste that repels potential consumers. As an animal or insect begins to munch on plant tissue, the tannins are released from cellular compartments and bind with the proteins and other cell components, making them taste unpleasant and rather indigestible.
Bordeaux, France might be the world’s most famous wine producing areas and its Médoc region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. The most popular Médoc appellations/areas of origin of Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estephe benefit from being enveloped by two masses of water (the Atlantic ocean on one side and Gironde river on the other) creating a microclimate ideal for growing grapes; Bordeaux has some of the mildest weather in France. With its historical and current success with Cabernet Sauvignon, many winemakers around the world look to Bordeaux for a successful winemaking model. California has had much success with Cabernet Sauvignon, having countless wines earning high praise and evaluations in world competitions. Regions from California to look to are: Mendocino County, Sonoma County (Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, Knight’s Valley, Russian River areas in particular) and Napa Valley (Carneros, Rutherford, Stag’s Leap areas in particular). Southern and Western Australia are significant areas producing Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate in this area is similar to that of Bordeaux. About thirty percent of grapes planted in Australia are Cabernet Sauvignon, most notably in Coonawarra and the Margaret River. Coonawarra is known for its iron rich terra rossa soils and the full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon wines it produces. Chile is also an area of interest for Cabernet Sauvignon. The Central Valley is where the most popular appellations are Maipo and Colchagua, both producing excellent quality Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
It is most popular as a single variety wine, but because of the body of a Cabernet Sauvignon, it is often blended with other grapes. The grape variety is a late ripening one, sometimes having trouble achieving full ripeness in cooler years. If producing a well balanced wine is the final goal, then blending with a variety that will help round out that potential “greenness” seems quite natural. Bordeaux always blends grapes and Merlot is the main partner giving it a softness unavailable with Cabernet Sauvignon solo. Cabernet Franc (rumoured to one of its parents) adds some perfume and colour. In other regions like Australia, Shiraz and Merlot are used for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are many Cabernet Sauvignon wines (single variety or blends) that are meant to age for a few years, but there are many that are ready to pour as soon as you buy it. Generally speaking, top end ones from Bordeaux need a few years’ ageing, California and Australian Cabernet Sauvignon could use a few months to a few years’ ageing. I know how hard it is to have a few bottles sitting around ageing and how tempting it is to drink them! That being said, the benefits of properly ageing a Cabernet Sauvignon are profound. Buy a few bottles and ration a bottle out every few months to a year and see how the wine changes. You’ll be amazed! A good “rule of thumb” is if you open a bottle and it doesn’t seem to open up or change any over a period of a few hours, it is not an age-worthy wine. If you open a bottle up and the change of flavour and aromas is significant, that is a wine age-worthy.
Because, as I have said, wine choice IS a very personal one, once you have found the Cabernet Sauvignon for you (and Dad on father’s day) pair it up with a grilled ribeye steak. The cedar aromas and the tannins will hold up to the hearty steak. If steak isn’t your preference, try a Cabernet Sauvignon with a roast, or a hamburger, rack of Lamb, or strong cheeses.
Don’t forget drinking wine is all about experience, creating flavour memories and enjoying your wine savouring company. Remember to try to keep track of what you drink, what you like about it and the price so you can make wiser decisions next time you are standing in the wine aisle wondering what to buy!
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
A different kind of wine pairing
July 12, 2011
Both my professional and personal life is wine. And food. And the combination of the two.
Because of this passion, I have had the pleasure of enjoying the chef’s tasting menu and wine pairings at La Bernadin restaurant in New York City. With a hefty price-tag on a meal, holding the title of the best seafood restaurant in the world over and over again and housing an award winning sommelier, one expects a great experience. Almost each food and wine pairing brought tears to my eyes and fueled a desire to have that sort of perfect moment again over and over.
I might be going out on a limb with this one, but maybe sometimes it’s important to pair your wine with your activity, not your food. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe (and know!) that there are perfect wine and food matches which are magic when you experience them: fresh oysters with a crisp Muscadet from the Loire Valley in France, Stilton cheese and Port from Duoro Valley in Portugal, goat cheese with Sauvignon Blanc, steak and a Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also combinations of activity and wine that can create that same wonderful feeling of happiness. I’ve spoken about flavour memories and how important they are when choosing wine for a meal or snack and I stand firm to that, but sometimes there are exceptions to the rules and this might be one of them.
If you are cozied up on the couch with a blanket and a book, perhaps a dark, deep red wine is called for. Open up an old vine Zinfandel from California (or Primitivo from Italy) and soak up the earthy, warm aromas and “jammy” flavours of blackberries and raspberries.
If you are sitting by the pool, watching the excitement of kids swimming and playing, squealing with excitement, nothing could match that atmosphere better than a crisp Vinho Verde from Portugal, a Spanish Albarino or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Vinho Verde literally means “green wine”; this refers to wine made from grapes that are picked just before they are ripe giving crisp, fresh acidity to this youthful wine. It is made from a grape called Alvarinho. Portuguese Vinho Verde’s neighbour in Spain is made from the same grape, but called Albarino and provides apricot and peach aromas with crisp acidity. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is known for fresh herbal notes, lemon, grapefruit and green peppers. Crisp, cold, refreshing wine is the perfect companion to a little excitement!
A romantic summer night at home watching the sunset after dinner calls for a sip-friendly semi-dry Riesling from Germany. Rieslings are never oaked, so they make for easy sipping wines alone or with light foods. Riesling originates from the Rhine region in Germany but is now planted in many areas from Austria, Canada and Australia. Wines from each area of production are representative of the local “terroir” (a term used to denote special characteristics of a wine from a certain area because of geology, geography and climate). Regardless of its origin, a Riesling will possess characteristics of apple, pear, honey and minerals.
An active, competitive game night with board games and video games supports the racy spirit of a Viognier. Its home is the Côtes du Rhone in France and it has been described as a racy wine because its conflicting aromas and taste. The aromas are often of sweet peach, guava and flowers but is dry and tastes of spice, melon and citrus with low acidity.
During a rainy afternoon with some friends, Pinot Noir can mimic the quiet, understated mood rainy days bring. Pinot noir is mostly grown in cooler climate areas and is well known for being hard to grow (often referred to as the “heart break” grape) which makes it a good companion on a cool, dark day. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, violets and sassafras denote a Pinot Noir.
The perfect moment with a glass of wine might not be with food, but a certain situation or experience, so next time you sit down for a glass of wine, think about the situation and try something different and try to match your wine with the mood. Just remember to write down what it is you enjoyed about the wine so next time you make a decision on what wine to buy you can make an informed decision.
And as always if you have any other wine or food questions drop by our website at www.ninetynineone.com and drop us a line in the Q&A section of the site. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have.
Cheers & happy quaffing.
Rebecca Tibbitts
