Organic Wine - The Truth
April 28, 2008
Between organic wine and wine that is not classified as organic, is there any real difference or is it just marketing hype? - Missy in Pine Bluff, AR
An organic wine is defined as “a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites by the USDA and must give information about who the certifying agency is.
A lot of savvy marketers will take advantage of certain overly zealous health nuts that want everything they touch to be “organic”. However, there is a specific reason why this trend has caught on, mainly being is that if made right organic wines can be just as high in quality than conventional wines if not more so. You have to stop and think for a moment that before the advent of industrialized farming which uses pesticides and powerful fertilizes, the craft of wine making has always truly been an organic process from vine to bottle.
Also, another contributing factor to the higher level of quality is because organic vineyards have a better resistance to bad weather and various diseases. Many organic wineries will use grapes from organic vineyards that hand pick their grapes vs. relying on mechanical pickers. This process provides the best bunches of grapes while at the same time saves the vine and soil from the damaging effects from the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers.
It’s definitely easy to be jaded when something is lauded as new and different with a shiny politically correct label slapped on it and some slick marketing behind it. But believe it or not I have tasted quite a few organic vintages and I have to say that they are on the top my list of some of my most favorite wines. Cheers!!
Saving Wine Labels
April 17, 2008
Any tips on saving wine labels? I have a bottle that I want to put to use and then afterward I would like to have the label as a keepsake. - Lima in Pawtucket, RI
The sentimental type… Lima, what an interesting curiosity you have. Saving wine labels is actually a bit tricky depending on the type of adhesive used, but the key is of course not tearing it as you remove it from the bottle. Many labels are like small works of art and can definitely become a keepsake as you’ve mentioned after the pleasure of sharing the contents with someone has long since passed.
To save wine labels you should first try your hand at the back label of the wine bottle. This will give you a pretty good idea of what you’re up against when you go after your goal. Depending on the adhesive used, you may have to soak the bottle in luke warm or even hot water to be able to separate the label from the bottle. After, about 5 - 10 minutes of soaking, remove the bottle from the water and try very carefully to peel the label off at the corners.
If that does not work, take a hair dryer of all things an hold it up to the label. The heat from the hair dryer should melt the glue sufficiently enough where you can begin to ease it off the bottle. I have used this method before in combination with a razor blade to effectively save wine labels. However, please beware that you have to be patient. Do not rush it. Take your time with it and remember to relax. Before long you will have something to keep the memory of the time spent over that perfect bottle close to heart. Cheers!!
Types of Wine Glasses
April 15, 2008
Wine Virgin, how many different types of wine glasses are there and do they really affect the taste like people say? - Phyla in San Jose, CA
Good question, there are about 6 types of wine glasses which are:
1. Champagne flute – A flute will hold six ounces and is roughly eight inches tall.
2. Champagne saucer – Short with a wide, shallow bowl.
3. Stemless wine glass – Basically the bastard child allowing for the choice of either red or white wines.
4. Bordeaux glass – Another bastard wine glass designed for both red and white wines.
5. White wine glass – Slightly taller than red wine glasses with a longer stem and narrower bowl.
6. Red wine glass – Much shorter stems along with wider bowls when compared to white wine glasses.
Keep in mind that there are almost as many different types of wine glasses available as there are wines. Unless you are an avid lush, you should stick with the main types listed above. No point in going crazy and seeking those rare and hard to find ones that will do nothing but suck your cash and leave you wondering if it was really worth the investment.
So does the type of wine glass really make that much of a difference in taste? Yes…. and most likely no. For those of the untrained palate, yes they exist… shhh!! They, you and more than likely I will not notice a difference. Yet for those who are in those rare circles of “taste” - to them and perhaps only them it is sacrilege to drink Pinot Noir in something other than a Pinot Noir glass. Oooo!!! Get the whip.
Look, save the money you would spend on those glasses and go out and buy a good bottle of your choice. Hell, do you think I would choose glass over my reason for existence?? Well do you??
Botrytized Wine
March 18, 2008
What is botrytized wine? - Lana in Las Cruces, NM
Botrytized wine comes from Botrytis. This is a fungus that is found in humid enviroments and attacks the skins of grapes. The fungus causes them to shrivel and can kill the grapes but it can also lead to what is also known as noble rot.
If given the right conditions, the dehydration concentrates the sugars and can add a variety of flavors. The process that creates botrytized wine leads to a different texture and produces very sweet, white wines that have a unique style and flavor all of their own. See how something seemingly bad like the loss of an entire wine crop can be saved with a little ingenuity?
Think about how dedicated to wine you really must be if you are willing to drink something that has been molding on the vine for a while? The winos of old have set an example for us all. Enjoy!!
What is a Wino?
February 27, 2008
Hi Wine Virgin, how are you? What is a wino? I’ve always heard this term before but I never really knew why people said it or what it meant. - Susan in San Luis Obispo, CA
Ahh my favorite, yes this describes me well. Ever since I had my first glass, I new I would never stop but only turn into more and more of one with each and every passing day… I’ll be a wino forever. But I have to wonder. I mean it’s really not that difficult to figure out from the context of a sentence what a person means by a certain word is it?
Here’s an example. Suppose you’re sitting down at a bar with one of your friends and she leans over to you and whispers “Oh that so and so is such a _____!!” Now, consider for a moment that even though you may not be too familiar with the adjective in which she used to describe this person. You can tell by the tone in her voice and the expression on her face whether what she said was good or bad, right?
Ok, good, so imagine that we are out together and I lean over to you and basically say the same above statement, with the same mysterious adjective… but I have a frowning, disapproving look on my face with an accusatory tone in my voice. On top of that, the term I use is closely related to the general nature of what is being discussed about how this person is acting. So to make it bright and clear, I say, “You know what?” “That so and so is such a wino!!”.
This is said as the person in question stumbles around completely hammered, drooling and mumbling to anyone that is within shouting distance about how much they want to bring about world peace and save god’s children. Make sense? Now pick up a glass and join the wino club!!