Get the answers to your winemaking questions
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 1:14pm
The saying is 2 bottles of (ultra premium) wine on a vine. We did a study once that referenced approximately 177 grapes [of average size] to make a bottle of wine. If this isn't correct I can assure you it is a bunch.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 1:13pm
Keep it somewhere cool and dark; heat and sunlight are wine’s enemies. A closet can be good, or even a dark corner of the basement Try to avoid storing your wines standing up; allowing the wine to slosh up against the cork keeps it moist, which means it will stay sealed and no air will be able to creep in and ruin your wine. An easy way; keep our wines in their shipping packs; they’re laying down, in the dark, so just put them somewhere cool.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 1:12pm
Almost all wine is aged for at least a short time before it’s bottled, and there are basically three options: new oak, old oak, and stainless steel. Usually when someone talks about oak, they mean new oak barrels. The wood allows a small amount of oxygen to the wine which helps smooth the rough edges, and the wood itself will impart a variety of flavors: vanilla, clove, smoke, caramel, etc.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 1:10pm
The jury is still out on some of the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, but red wine does seem to have a slight edge. It received a lot of attention for its purported benefits in the late 70s, when a book called The French Paradox suggested that red wine helped the French avoid the cholesterol problems that should have gone along with their fat-heavy diet.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 1:09pm
Bottle shapes generally do represent the region or varietal to some degree. A Bordeaux bottle, for example, is narrow and has a defined “shoulder,” where it quickly slopes in to the neck. Contrast that with a Burgundy bottle: fatter and curvier, it gradually slopes into the neck so there’s no definite spot where the neck begins and the body ends. In Europe, bottles just evolved that way out of tradition. In the New World, most winemakers honor their European ancestors by using the bottle that matches with the grapes. However, there are plenty of exceptions. A winemaker may just decide to use a different bottle for the heck of it, so you’ll always need to check the label to confirm what the bottle’s shape tells you.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 12:55pm
Serving white wine around 50-55 degrees is refreshing, and allows the wine to express itself. However, most of us don’t keep a thermometer around, so here’s an easy trick. Take your wine out of the fridge about twenty minutes before you plan to serve it. Once you open it, keep it on ice if you like, but not in ice, and especially not in an ice and water bath. Save that for Champagne.
Submitted by gvt on June 16, 2006 - 12:54pm
Sulfites are sulfur-based compounds contained in all wines, white and red. Some of the sulfites occur naturally – they come from the grapes – but winemakers also add them as a preservative during the winemaking process to stave off oxidation. The government requires a sulfite warning on wine bottles because a very small portion of the population has an allergic reaction to them.
Submitted by ted@gbros on April 17, 2006 - 10:28pm
[img_assist|fid=99|thumb=1|alt=Gilstrap Brothers Rio Grande Ronde|caption=Gilstrap Brothers Rio Grande Ronde]
The Flavors of Wine tasting
We have all heard wine descriptions that make us want to roll our eyes while wondering if the person doing the describing really knows what they’re talking about. How can wine made from grapes, have a nuance of mocha or a hint of melon and pineapple? During wine tasting, we are often asked questions like, “Do you put cherries in the wine to get that taste and bouquet?” or “how can wine taste and have aromas like apple and pears?”
