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.
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!!
A Dry Wine or a Sweet Wine?
March 6, 2008
How do you tell if you have a sweet wine or a dry wine by looking at the label? - June in Grand Junction, CO
Actually, except for dessert wines, almost all table wines are “dry” which simply means un-sweet. Some dry wines can have a more fruity taste than others and this may be considered as a slight sweetness. The list of either a dry wine or a sweet wine can be found below.
Note that there are many exceptions to what is listed so be advised that this isn’t an exact rule of thumb. However, this offers a broad summary of popular wine grapes and types and will give you a general idea of what’s in the bottle.
Sweet - Dessert wines, Port, Sauternes, Cream Sherry. Lightly Sweet - German whites, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, White Zinfandel. Dry Whites - Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and many Italian whites. Dry Reds - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel, Beaujolais.
As a former virgin myself, my best advice to you June is to get out there and try as many different things as possible because you never know what you might end up liking. Cheers!!
Your Recipe for Homemade Wine
February 26, 2008
Hello Wine Virgin, last week I over heard a conversation my co-workers were having about a quick and easy recipe for homemade wine. I was wondering if you had a good answer? - Danielle in Fargo, ND
Isn’t that an interesting question? So basically you were spying on your co-workers and over heard them talking about a subject that brought out the natural lush in you and now you want to know an easy recipe for homemade wine so you can one-up them ehh?
Ok, sure why not? Hey that’s a great quality to have, staying on top of office gossip like that while making sure that you’re always in the know regardless of what you have to do get there.
Now this recipe is really, really simple. Below is everything that you will need to create wine and the exact step by step process to follow.
1.) A gallon of grape juice, red or white grapes are fine.
2.) 1 gallon of water
3.) 3-1/2 Lbs. of cane sugar
4.) 1 packet of wine yeast
5.) A 2.5 gallon food grade plastic bucket
Hey, keep in mind that even bakers yeast will work if you just can’t stand another day without having something unique fermenting in your closet. I would mention that you need to be as careful as you can with making sure that everything you use is sanitized properly… but then again, you did ask about a quick and easy recipe for homemade wine.
Mix the cane sugar with the water and bring it to a boil. Now after the sugar water has cooled down, mix it together with the juice and yeast in a food grade plastic bucket. Cover it with a trash bag, yes dear… a trash bag and make sure that it’s secured with a rubber band. Now, give it a day or two for the wine fermentation process to begin and you will soon notice that the trash bag has become filled with gas.
From here, you will need to siphon, or gently pour your wine mix into another bucket and leave anything that has settled down to the bottom of the bucket behind. Cover the bucket again with a new trash bag and continue siphoning or pouring your wine off into a “clean” bucket every two weeks for a six week wine fermantion process total. By then, most of the solids will have settled and your wine can be bottled. If you can steal a moment from the crazy pace of your Fargo office you will have a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Remember, this recipe to make your wine will produce about 10 bottles, plenty enough to hand them out to your “friends” at work for their enjoyment, or envy… with more than enough left over to satisfy your cravings for an quick pick-me-up throughout the day. Enjoy!!
Why Choose White Wine vs Red Wine
February 21, 2008
Ok our first question has come in from our new friend Tom in Arizona he writes - “Hey Wine Virgin, cool site! I was just wondering why people always say order white wine with chicken and fish or say red wine with beef or lamb. I really don’t care much for red wines myself but I do like a good steak. Am I missing out by drinking chardonnay with a T-Bone”.
Great first question Tom because I know many people wonder the same thing. The first answer to this question is simply hell no it doesn’t matter, drink what you like, eat what you like and have fun doing it.
Now the other side of it. There is a reason that people suggest things like white wine with light pasta or fish and say a nice Cabernet Saviougon with that big beefy T-bone of yours. It is really all about having flavors that can compliment and stand up to each other. Many wine drinkers simply feel that a light white wine is kind of buried by a steak or say a big bold red just over powers a wimpy little chicken breast.
There is some truth to this and many folks like you good sir that “don’t like red wines” will find that they do if they pair it with a steak or lamb, etc. The key is often to eat a bit of your steak first, there are tannins in red wine and they are broken down by the fat in beef and lamb and softened. Give it a try sometime you just might have yet another wonderful first time experience.