Wines for Summer
June 13, 2008
What are good wines for summer or is there such a thing? I’ve heard of Glogg in the winter that those crazy Scandinavians drink so is there a wine that is mainly produced for the summer months? - Kerner in Salt Lake City, UT
Ahhh wines for summer, yes Kerner there is such a correspondence between Glogg that is produced for the winter and consumed by those interesting people in higher longitudes and wines that were created for enjoyment in those balmy, Indian summer months.
For the constantly changing moods of summer, the following wines will serve you best. These are Riesling, Syrah, dry rose, Pinot Noir along with sparkling wines in general. Of course these will taste their best chilled for all the roses, bubblies and whites or slightly chilled for Syrah and Pinot Noir. On top of that, these choices will fit perfectly for that unexpected guest or for when you’re out on the grill cooking.
Sparkling wine is excellent for this because the fizz adds an interesting tang on the tongue and pairs great with fatty, salty foods. Do yourself a favor and get these wonderful wines for summer and enjoy the heat with a glass in hand and put that smile on your face while listening to Summer Wine by Nancy Sinatra. 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??
Wine Crystals
March 11, 2008
Last night I opened up a bottle of white wine and noticed what looked like wine crystals down at the bottom of the bottle. Are these harmless and what causes them to form? - Ada in Norwich, CT
You really shouldn’t worry about wine crystals and actually crystals in wine can denote the level of quality. I’ll explain. These are more common in red wine where they take on the color of the wine and are regarded as part of the sediment. In white wine they remain clear and some people worry that they may be glass.
Sediments occur in bottled wine and the wine crystals you saw are a type of sediment. The wine crystals are potassium tartrate and this is found naturally in wine. It will precipitate and form these crystals under certain conditions especially at prolonged storage under cold temperatures. The processing required to guarantee that these crystals will never form is generally considered to diminish the quality of wine.
When you buy some bottles, they may already have crystals that have formed. Others may develop crystals while being stored in cold weather or simply refrigerated for a few days. Wine crystals come in various shapes and sizes. Sometimes they resemble tiny grape nuts or small pieces of ruby glass and will completely dissolve in warm or hot water. But again these wine crystals are completely harmless.
Don’t have a fit the next time you see these crystals and do not try to shake the bottle up in the hopes that it will dissolve them. Gently pour the wine into a glass and have a care free moment of bliss knowing that the crystals will harm you not.