Why Grape Shatter Happens
April 10, 2008
Recently, we had a question from one of our readers - Ferhat, hailing from Istanbul, Turkey asked: Could you tell me why grape shatter happens please?
Ferhat, absolutely…
You see, small grapes have a tiny end on them which functions basically like a cap. As the grapes grow larger these caps fall off. But sometimes during a cool, wet spring… like how we are having right now in the southern U.S., a crop of grapes can fail to develop properly and this will lead to the cap at the end becoming very tough.
Now, when the warm weather of summer finally arrives and as the grape matures on the vine, it will begin to push up against this cap that is now very tough. The end result being is that instead of the cap falling off as it normally would, the grape actually shatters against the cap due to the pressure of being pressed up against it. When this occurs it can destroy whole yields and leads to what is known as a poor fruit set with bunches that only have a few grapes.
Grape shatter is a major concern that puts many vineyards at the mercy of the weather each and every year. Also, as a tid bit of wine trivia for you, grape shatter is known in French as Coulure. Click on that term and you will find some more info on the different ways that grape shatter can happen and the other problems that stem from it.
Ferhat, great question and I look forward to hearing more from you again along with our many readers out there that are curious about this beautiful and wonderful drink. Cheers!!
Decanting Large Format Wine Bottles
April 7, 2008
Hey hello… for decanting large-format bottles of wine, should you use more than one decanter? Alley in Davenport, IL
Correct, if you are decanting a large format bottle, be prepared with several wine decanters. The process of decanting should be continuous. Keep in mind that once start, don’t stop until you are finished because this process will stir up the sediment in the wine. Also, you will definitely need help from someone to keep changing the decanters for you.
If it’s a very large format bottle you’ll probably need a two helpers to hold the bottle steady while the decanting the bottle. Many of these large format bottles are named after biblical kings. Sometimes however, the same name may be used to refer to different size bottles in different regions.
For the curious winos out there that love wine trivia. Here is a cool little chart that gives you the name of large format bottles along with their size.
| Bottle Equivalent | Bordeaux Wine Bottle Sizes | Burgundy & Champagne Bottle Sizes |
| Two (1.5L) | Magnum | Magnum |
| Three (2.25L) | Marie-Jeanne | N/A |
| Four (3.0L) | Double Magnum | Jeroboam |
| Six (4.5L) | Jeroboam | Rehoboam |
| Eight (6.0L) | Imperiale | Methusaleh |
| Twelve (9.0L) | N/A | Salmanazar |
| Sixteen (12.0L) | N/A | Balthazar |
| Twenty (15.0L) | N/A | Nebuchadnezzar |
Pigeage
March 18, 2008
Does pigeage still exist today as a way of getting the juice out of wine? - Jonas in Asheville, NC
Pigeage is a term for the traditional stomping of grapes in open fermentation tanks. This was practiced long ago and there are even ancient sites still around where you find stone pits that were hewn from the ground for this very purpose.
And yes for small scale wine making, the grapes are sometimes crushed by pigeage where the vintner uses their feet like a homemade wine press. But with the advent of mechanical pressers, these are used instead to mass produce wine on a very large scale and to increase their overall output of wine per ton.
Even so, pressing is not always a necessary act of wine making. If the grapes can be crushed by pigeage, the vintner is able to acquire a considerable amount of juice which is called free-run juice. Typically this free-run juice is of a higher quality than what you would normally find with press juice.
But what a fun way to make a few bottles with your friends just by hoping around in a bucket and stomping away. Hopefully for your sake you, you and your friends have clean-uninfected feet. Cheers!!
Ullage
March 13, 2008
I was wanting to know if the ullage of a wine can be used to indicate quality? - Gwen in Waterville, ME
When you are looking at a bottle and deciding if it is something that you are wanting to invest in. The ullage of a bottle will tell you about the condition of the contents. As a rule the larger the ullage, the more space for oxygen within the bottle which can hasten the aging process. This term refers to the unfilled air space at the top of a bottle of wine, which in this case is essential to allow for the expansion of the wine as the temperature changes.
During the wine fermentation process, the wine breathes through the cork and this adds complexity to the aromas and flavor of the wine. But if the fill levels are lower than what is normally expected for the wine’s age, it can lead to the decrease in the value of the bottle. Now, for a wine up to 20 years of age, it’s ullage level should be in the neck. As for wines 20 to 40 years old, anything below top shoulder should be viewed in caution.
Here is a quick reference guide when you are checking out a bottle of your favorite wine.
Mid neck: A mid neck fill tells if a wine that has been kept well.
Base neck: A lot of bottles are filled to the base neck level. For older wines this level indicates exceptional storage conditions.
Top shoulder: A wine which is over 10 years old with a top shoulder fill should be considered acceptable. Older wines will only have a top shoulder fill if they have been stored well.
Mid shoulder: A mid shoulder fill is not unusual for wines over 50 years old, but it may suggest that the wine has not been stored in the best of conditions.
Low shoulder: A low shoulder fill level suggests that the wine has been held in poor storage conditions and is usually not considered to be drinkable.
Below shoulder: This is not seen very often and can indicate that the ullage has dropped below the shoulder into the main section of the bottle with a very high chance that the wine is not drinkable.
Gwen, you are now armed with the right knowledge to judge whether or not you should pick up that curious bottle of wine and take it home with you. Cheers!!
Unfiltered Wine
March 12, 2008
Does unfiltered wine have a better taste than wines that have been fined? - Lee in Missoula, MT
Instead of producing unfiltered wines, these days many large scale labels will run their wines through a very fine filter to remove the sediment and particles that could give it a foggy appearance. Still there are a lot of small wineries that believe this process may strip the wine of it’s character and unique flavors.
Because of this they rely on other processes such as cold stabilization or racking to remove these particles. Keep in mind that unfiltered wines or wines that have been left unfined may have a small amount of sediment in the bottle.
The appearance might not be as clear but these wines are certainly as good as and most likely even better than what the large wineries produce. When looking at the bottle, don’t worry if you were to notice a small amount of sediment at the bottom. This is not something that can make you sick but it’s not too fun drinking it either.
Wines are sometimes labeled unfined to point out the fact that they should be more flavorful. Who doesn’t enjoy a good tasty mouthful of something rare and special every now again?
Cleanse the Palate
March 10, 2008
Hello, what would I need to do to cleanse the palate so to speak? You glanced over this last week in your “Wine Nose” post about not eating for a couple hours before hand. Is there anything else I can do? - Tawny in Buffalo, WY
Actually, a great way to cleanse the palate is simply by eating bland white bread and a drink of water in between tasting various wines. This is because the bread is neutral in flavor and will give you a base to reference from. Sometimes a social gathering to taste wine can be accompanied with various cheeses or meat based snacks. As simple as some of these may seem, they can have a large influence over your wine palate, making it quite difficult to get the true taste of the wine you are interested in.
Tawny, you now have a very easy way to get a reference point in developing your wine palate and have no more excuses with putting new and interesting flavors into your mouth. Enjoy!!