Wines "Big Word" of the Week! What the Heck is "Wine Aging?

 


Only a few wines have the ability to significantly improve with age. Master of Wine Jancis Robinson notes that only around the top 10% of all red wine and top 5% of all white wines can improve significantly enough with age to make drinking more enjoyable at 5 years of age than at 1 year of age. Also, in my humble opinion, if you need to age a wine it might not be the wine for you?

Bottle sickness: One of the short-term aging needs of wine is a period where the wine is considered "sick" due to the trauma and volatility of the bottling or shipping experience. During bottling some oxygen is exposed to the wine, causing a domino effect of chemical reaction with various components of the wine. The time it takes for the wine to settle down and have the oxygen fully dissolve and integrate with the wine is considered its period of "bottle shock". During this time the wine could taste drastically different than it did prior to bottling or how it will taste after the wine has settled. While many modern bottling lines try to treat the wine as gently as possible and utilize inert gases to minimize the amount of oxygen exposure, all wine goes through some period of bottle shock. The length of this period will vary with each individual wine.

Dumb phase: During the course of aging a wine may slip into a "dumb phase" where its aromas and flavors are very muted. In Bordeaux this phase is called the age ingrat or "difficult age" and is likened to a teenager going through adolescence. The cause or length of time that this "dumb phase" will last is not yet fully understood and seems to vary from bottle to bottle.

Paso Project Red Wine Blend

37% Grenache, 16% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 11% Mourvedre, 9% Barbera, 8% Lagrein, 3% Tempranillo, 2% Sangiovese







A variety of multi-layered aromas gush out of this distinct Paso Robles blend: intense, jammy red cherry from the Grenache, followed by white pepper and spice from the Zinfandel, darker blackberry and blueberry from the Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, and a light, floral character in the background. The berry flavors continue on the palate, led by red cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. Subtle caramel and walnut nuances from the French and American oak aging lend complexity and structure to the blend, along with cinnamon bark and warm spices. Silky and medium bodied, the balance of eight Paso Robles varietals creates a complex and easy-drinking wine that shows off Paso's signature red blends.

The fresh acidity from Barbera and Lagrein, coupled with this wine's low tannins, make wine pairing a breeze. Serve this wine with a family Bolognese recipe, or any pasta with pancetta or bacon inspired sauce. Loves grilled meats!

About the "Zork" Closure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIo0jVGyDyk

First Drop "The White One" 52% Arneis 48% Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia

 


First Drop "The White One", 52% Arneis and 48% Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Deep, slightly smoky green apples and hints of almonds. Deliciously different.

Arneis is the white grape of Italy's Piedmont region. It produces a lightly styled white wine with gentle citrus edged orchard fruits that recalls pear and apricot and a slightly bitter floral note that can resemble almonds on the palate.
Depending on where it's grown and how it's fermented, Chardonnay can taste semi-sweet or sour, heady or light. Typical flavors are apple, tangerine, lemon, lime, melon, and oak.

Wines "Big Word" of the Week! What the Heck is a "Appellation?"

Above is a basic Napa appellation map

 

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced.

The oldest references are to be found in the Bible, where wine of Samaria, wine of Carmel, wine of Jezreel, or wine of Helbon are mentioned. This tradition of appellation continued throughout the Antiquity and the Middle Ages, though without any officially sanctioned rules. Historically, the world's first exclusive (protected) vineyard zone was introduced in Chianti, Italy in 1716 and the first wine classification system in Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary, in 1730.

In 1935, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), a branch of the French Ministry of Agriculture, was created to manage wine-processing in France. In the Rhone wine region Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a lawyer and winegrower from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, obtained legal recognition of the Côtes du Rhône appellation of origin in 1937. The AOC seal, or Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, was created and mandated by French laws in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Champagne enjoyed an appellation control by virtue of legal protection as part of the Treaty of Madrid (1891). Only sparkling wine produced in Champagne and adhering to the standards defined for that name as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée could be called champagne. This right was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

Germany is unusual among wine-producing countries in that its most prestigious classifications, the various grades of Prädikatswein, are based on the ripeness of the grapes, though their geographical areas are also defined.

Portugal The world's third-oldest appellation control, after Chianti and Tokaj was introduced in Portugal in 1756, pertaining to port wine, which was produced in the region of the Douro valley.

 

The American Viticultural Area ("AVA") is for the United States. The only requirement to use the AVA name on the wine label is that 85% of the wine must have come from grapes grown within the geographical AVA boundaries. The first American Viticultural Area was in Augusta, Missouri, in 1980. Augusta's wine region approval was based largely on its long historical relationship with wine in the United States.

Wines "big word" of the week! What the heck is a "Oak's Purpose?"

 
Sherry barrel showing the aging process                   


Oak drying before being made into barrels

In the United States, white oak, grown in Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, and Ohio, is the species used for barrels. It is preferred over red and black oak due to its tighter grain which minimizes evaporation of wine from the barrel and its resistance to shrinkage after wine is removed, an important feature in preventing wine from leaking out of a newly-filled barrel, and its high tannin content.

French white oak is harvested from several different forests in France. The Forests are Limousin, Alliers, Vosges, Troncais and Nevers, each producing oak that imparts slightly different nuances of flavor to the wine. The tightness of the grain, which determines the rate of extraction of these flavors, also varies among forests. Winemakers typically use a blend of barrels from different forests to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each.

The porous nature of an oak barrel allows some levels of evaporation and oxygenation to occur. In a year, the typical 59-gallon barrel can lose anywhere from 5½ to 6½ gallons of wine through the course of evaporation. This allows the wine to concentrate its flavor and aroma compounds. Small amounts of oxygen are allowed to pass through the barrel and act as a softening agent upon the tannins of the wine. Phenols within the wood interact with the wine to produce vanilla type flavors and can give the impression of tea notes or sweetness. The degree of "toast" on the barrel can also impart different properties affecting the tannin levels of the wine as well as the aggressive wood flavors.

Ksana Bonarda

Ksana refers to the Buddhist idea of infinity in an instant.
Ripe and round, with inviting plum, chocolate and spice notes allied to a fleshy, mouthfilling frame

Lamadrid Torrontes

Delightful with typical La Rioja Torrontés aromas of white flowers and citrus, with a well-balanced and ample mouthfeel. Comes from a high altitude vineyard planted in the 1920's in La Rioja.

La Madrid Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Opaque purple; smoke, Asian spices, scorched earth, cassis; complex, lengthy, way over-delivers.
100% Lamadrid vineyard. Malolactic fermentation in the oak, and aged 14 months in 60% first use and 40% second use French oak barrels.

La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rose 2010

Mourvedre, with Grenache and Cinsault

it's dry but fruity enough to give it some body., ending with a smack of balanced acidity. There is some twist like wild strawberries, white pepper or a combination of herbs that makes it stand out above the rest.  Best rose of the year.

Serenity Cellars Traminette, GA



Roses, roses, roses. This delightful full-bodied white has aromas of fresh cut roses and citrus. Traminette is a multilayered wine exhibiting flavors of grapefruit and Granny Smith apple with nuances of apricot, which lead to a pleasingly long finish.