Screwing around: Do screw caps equal cheap wine?

the short answer? No.

Here is more:

Both Screw caps and natural cork serve the purpose of sealing the wine, while allowing it to age properly. Screw caps actually age the wine more consistently than natural cork, which makes sense given that they are man-made. While the debate is still out if a screw cap can age wine well for a long time (over say 5 years), it is becoming more widely accepted by wine makers, if not consumers, that screw caps are the BEST solution to closing most wine bottles.

Hogue cellars concluded that their wines actually aged better with the screw cap. Hogue Cellars did a 30 month test and decided that all of their wines could be better closed with screw caps than with traditional corks. They moved most of their wines to the Stevlin screw cap closure. They left their reserve wines closed with cork simply because of consumer expectations.

Screw caps were created to avoid wine being contaminated from TCA. Wines affected with TCA (Trichloroanisole) are said to be “corked”. Corked wine has a musty or moldy smell and taste. You know it when you taste it that something just isn’t right as the musty taste overwhelms the fruit and other aromas of the wine. It is estimated that about 5-15% of wines available for sale are corked.

95% of wines are meant to be consumed within 3 years of bottling, and it is estimated that the majority of these actually are drank within days of purchase. So, for the most part, the question of aging is not even an issue.

The majority of New Zealand wines are closed with screw caps. It is getting more common everywhere to see Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris under screw cap. You will see Pinot Noir from Oregon and Washington with price tags to $50 a bottle sold with screw caps.

Plumb Jack Winery in Napa bottles a very high end Cabernet Sauvignon under screw cap for $72. This wine is made to age, and they believe the screw cap is up to the task. Like Hogue, they performed their own research on the matter.

It is interesting to consider the push and pull between what consumers expect and what wine makers think is best for the wine. Screw caps are less expensive per bottle, once the equipment for them is in place, but the real cost savings is in fewer ‘corked’ bottles and fewer returns or losses due to dissatisfied customers. In my view, the quality wine makers converting to screw caps are really trying to do the right thing and are not just going for the cheapest option.

By the way, synthetic corks, made from plastic, appeared at first to be a viable alternative to traditional corks. However, they have since been proven to not age wine well due to their ability to cause early oxidation. They are typically used only for less expensive wines meant to be consumed young.

I think what we will see is an increase in screw caps as they become more accepted by consumers. The loss of the romantic opening of the cork with the corkscrew and that ‘pop’ sound you hear as the cork comes out will be missed. Also, in high end restaurants, servers are not yet sure what to do to provide an equivalent sense of drama around opening a wine with a screw cap!

Pairing wine with food - basic rules of thumb

I’m reading ‘Perfect Pairings’ by Evan Goldstein which is an excellent overview of wine flavors and practical guide to pairing wines with food. The book also has many delicious recipes which demonstrate the concepts.

This post attempts to summarize the basic rules of thumb presented in this book regarding pairing wine with food.

Tart foods

• Pair with equally tart or sharp wines or wines that exceed the sharpness of the food.
• Acidic whites, roses or sparkling wines are best. Wines from cooler regions (e.g. Northern France) tend to be higher in acidity than those grown in warmer climates.
• Avoid red wines except those of a sharp nature (Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Gamay).

Tart wines

• Pair well with tart foods (see above) such as a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
• Can cut the heat of mildly spicy dishes
• Complement fish dishes as the acid cuts the fish oil. Try serving a tart white instead of lemon wedges.
• Pair well with rich, creamy foods since they tend to counterbalance the richness
• Can cut the saltiness of food that might otherwise be perceived of as ‘too salty’.
• As you can see, tart wines (wines high in acid) work well in a variety of food pairings.
• White wines from cooler climates tend to be higher acid wines.
• Tart red varietals include Pinot Noir and Gamay.

Slightly sweet foods

• Pair best with off-dry or slightly sweet wines. Try to match the level of sweetness in the wine to the food.
• If you want to serve a dry wine, make sure it is young and very ripe.

Sweet wines

• Pair dessert wines with deserts that are less sweet than the wine, otherwise the wine will taste sour.
• Try pairing slightly sweet or off-dry wines with salty dishes or dishes that are a combination of salty and spicy (such as some thai food dishes -- papaya salad anyone?)
• If the wine is off-dry or slightly sweet, pair with slightly sweet foods.

Salty foods

• Should be served with wines with a low to medium level alcohol content. (~ under 12%) Otherwise the ‘heat’ of the wine will be accentuated by the salty food.
• Pair well with slightly sweet wines.
• Avoid wines high in oak flavors.
• Avoid wines high in tannins.

Spicy foods

• The spicier the food, the more difficult it is to pair with wine.
• Pair with off-dry or semi-sweet wines
• Pair with whites or roses -- either still or sparkling.
• Pair with wines with low to medium levels of alcohol.
• Really spicy foods are probably better off paired with beer or another non-wine beverage.

Bitter foods

• Pair with wines higher in tannins.
• Pair with wines aged in oak.
• Try wines with higher acidity. This doesn’t always work, but it is better than going too sweet.

Tannic wines

• Pair with foods high in fat and protein such as red meat. The fat and protein will counterbalance the astringency and bitterness from the tannins.
• Often clash badly with spicy foods.
• Pair with bitter foods such as endives, eggplant, chard, broccoli rabe to achieve symmetry of taste between wine and food.
• Server with blackened or grilled foods (which are made to taste bitter by the method of preparation)
• Serve with food seasoned with black pepper.

Oaky wines

• Pair well with dishes with bold flavored food.
• Play up the Oak with ingredients such as nuts or sweet spices.
• Pair with rich, textured sauces.

Aged Red wines

• As the wine becomes more delicate, so should the paired food preparations.
• Rare preparations of meat can fill in some of the flavor gaps that may have been lost as the young fruit flavors fade with aging.
• You have, in general, more food pairing options with aged reds compared to young, tannic reds.

The BIG PICTURE for REDS: Tasting Exercise

OK, last post, I introduced the logic behind the BIG PICTURE tasting. If you didn’t read it, check it out here.

This post gets into the suggested wine options for the Red Wine Big Picture Tasting. Remember, these are the most popular red wines sold in the United States today, so getting a good overview of these will give you a foundation that will facilitate adventures into lesser known wines such as those from Italy or South America.

Top Selling Red Wines for big picture tasting:

• Pinot Noir
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Zinfandel
• Syrah/Shiraz

Step 1: Buy the Wines:

Here is the list of red wines that would be good options for this tasting. I’ve also included a high level summary on the type of taste that is typically found in each wine varietal. Remember that you cannot learn what something tastes like from reading someone else’s words. Even if you have tasted these wines before, there is something to be learned in tasting them side-by-side with the others. It really highlights the differences in the varietals and can tell you a lot about what you like and don’t like, and why. If you buy the cheapest of all these wines below you will spend $84 and if you buy the most expensive you will pay $126. Not bad for an overarching, high level education of red wine styles for up to 12 people.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the lightest bodied of the 5 red wines you will be tasting. It typically has considerably less tannin than the other types of wine here and therefore tastes very smooth. It is typically high in acidity and that makes it a very versatile match for many types of food. Flavors can range from fruity to earthy. Pinot Noir grapes grow best in cool climates. Burgundy France is where this grape became famous. The best Pinot Noir wines in the US tend to come from the cooler coastal areas of California such as the Russian River Valley. Oregon is known for its excellent Pinot Noir.

• 2009 Chehalem Pinot Noir "3 Vineyard" (OR) $27
• 2008 or 2009 Benton-Lane Pinot Noir (OR) $26
• 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir "Willamette Valley" (OR) $25
• 2009 La Crema Pinot Noir "Sonoma Coast" (CA) $24
• 2008 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir “Los Carneros” (CA) $27

Merlot

Wine made from Merlot can taste a little sweet due to lower acidity than the Pinot Noir grape. Merlot wine is typically heavier in body than the Pinot and often quite dark in color. Plum and berry flavors are often detected in Merlot wines. Due to the popularity of Merlot, there are several low quality wines using this grape available on the market. I find it best to stay away from the least expensive bottles of Merlot because they can taste too sweet without the balancing components of acid or tannins.

• 2007 Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot "Canoe Ridge Estate" (WA) $22
• 2007 Sterling Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley (CA) $22
• 2007 Joseph Carr Merlot "Napa Valley" (CA) $19
• 2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot "Indian Wells" (WA) $18
• 2007 Kendall Jackson Merlot "Vintner's Reserve" (CA)$18

Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is very small, making for a high percentage of skins and stems being in contact with the grape juice during the wine making process. Skin and stems are where tannin comes from. Tannin has the effect of drying out your tongue. It is not a ‘taste’ like bitter or sweet, but rather a kind of grabbing feeling on the tongue due to the tannin molecules attaching to receptors on the tongue. Sometimes it feels as if your tongue wants to curl up or if it is drying out. Tannins mellow with time and any exposure to oxygen which is why it is sometimes necessary to let a young cabernet ‘breathe’. Cabernet Sauvignon are typically medium bodied, and rich in color. Good quality Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be quite complex in flavor combining rich dark berry flavors with aromas of earth, spice, cedar and herbs. Cabernet Sauvignon is often the ideal paring partner to red meat because the fat and protein in the meat soften the effects that tannins have on the pallet.

• 2006 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon (CA) $27
• 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (CA) $20
• 2007 Beringer “Knights Valley” Cabernet (CA) $22
• 2008 Beringer “Knights Valley” Cabernet (CA) $19
• 2007 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon "Sonoma County" (CA) $19
• 2007 Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon "Columbia Valley" (WA) $16

Zinfandel

Wines from this grape can range from bright berry taste with a medium body to heavy bodied, dark and complex with fruit, wood and spice. This is a BIG red wine with bold flavors and often substantial tannins.

• 2007 Four Vines Zinfandel "Maverick" (CA) $25
• 2007 Alexander Valley Vineyards Zinfandel "Redemption Zin" (CA) $20
• 2008 Cline Cellars Zinfandel "Ancient Vines" (CA) $16
• 2008 EOS Zinfandel "Paso Robles" (CA) $18
• 2007 Ravenswood Sonoma County “Old Vines” Zinfandel (CA) $14
• 2008 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel (CA) $11
• 2008 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel (CA) $9

Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah/Shiraz has become very popular and less expensive brands can taste like generic red wine. With a quality wine, made in the traditional Syrah style, you should taste a complex combination of spice, vegetables, herbs, fruit and perhaps oak.

• 2008 Two Hands Shiraz "Gnarly Dudes" (Australia) $25
• 2006 Zaca Mesa Syrah (CA) $23
• 2007 Pillar Box Shiraz"Reserve" (Australia) $20
• 2008 Qupe Central Coast Syrah (CA) $17
• 2008 Morgan Syrah (CA) $18

Step 2 - setup your glasses

Number your glasses (you can use a sharpie to mark the foot of the glass--it will wash off, or use a placemat or piece of paper with numbers on it).

The glasses should be numbered as follows:

1. Pinot Noir
2. Merlot
3. Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Zinfandel
5. Syrah/Shiraz

Step 3 - open and pour the wine

Pour about 1.5 ounces of wine per glass. You can purchase measured wine spouts to go in the top of the bottles for a professional pour every time. Otherwise, try to estimate the pour.

Step 4 - taste the wines in numbered order.

Taste the wines in order. You don’t need to drink the entire sample. The basic process for tasting wine is as follows:

1. Look at the wine in your glass. Note the color and clarity. Just note it.
2. Swirl the wine in your glass by “circling” the stem of the glass so the the wine washes up on the insides of the glass.
3. Smell the wine. Place you nose at the edge of the rim, slightly inside the glass. Take 1 or 2 short sniffs. What do you smell? Don’t think too hard about it, but do take your time and let your imagination tell you what you might be smelling.
4. Sip the wine. Take your time. Savoring each sip. Think about what the wine tastes like. Don’t worry about fancy wine tasting notes, or about describing the wine a certain way. This is about imprinting in your memory what each type of wine tastes like at a high level. Do you notice it as a tingling sensation on your tongue? Do you sense any sweetness or bitterness? Does your mouth seem to ‘dry out’ like if you were drinking black tea that was steeped for too long? Does the wine taste fruity? Most importantly, do you like it? Remember, wine tasting is about your enjoyment, there are no right or wrong answers!

The BIG PICTURE: Tasting Exercise

The first task in learning a new topic is to get the BIG PICTURE. So, I’m first going to concentrate on getting the high level idea on how the most popular wines taste in comparison to each other. Which do I like best? If we can understand the differences and similarities of the most popular types of wine in the United States, we will then have a jumping off point for further, more detailed explorations. And, we will have some common knowledge and understanding with the rest of the wine world. For example, you’ll be able to order more confidently a wine in an Italian restaurant that has none of these popular wines just with this knowledge alone; You can say to your server: “I like Zinfandel wines, can you suggest something that might be similar from your list?”.

The idea for what I’m calling the Big Picture tasting comes from what is so far in my opinion the best of the ‘how to taste’ wine books I’ve read: Great Wines Made Simple by Andrea Immer Robinson. The reason I like this book so much is because Andrea focuses on what people need to learn to be more confident wine consumers. She skips all the parts that may fascinate some people about wine such as how it is made, the 97 types of aromas people detect in wine, regional labeling laws, and details of the regions of France, Italy and Spain. She goes strait to how we can learn to be better consumers of wine. Consumers want to get pleasure from every bottle of wine we buy, regardless of how much we spend.

I’ve taken Andrea Immer Robinson’s ‘Big Six’ tasting and modified it somewhat to include 10 wines instead of 6. I did this because I wanted to get a sense of the most popular wines today in the United States. What are people here drinking? I found that the 10 most popular wines make up 80% of the wine sold in the US -- which by the way is about 1% of wine types so Pareto’s Law is much firmer here than the textbook 80/20. I figure it makes sense to taste all of these top 10 wines. White Zinfandel is here, and I along with many other wine drinkers have long ago left that wine by the wayside. But, this wine alone makes up 10% of wine sold in the U.S by volume. If that many people are drinking it, we should include it in this Big Picture tasting. Also, I did not understand why Andrea put Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot together as a single type of wine where you choose one or the other to taste. In my experience, these are two very different tasting wines. Similar, but different enough, and both very popular. Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio is the 4th most popular wine in the U.S. and one that a lot of my friends drink. Again, it may not warrant the attention of wine connoisseurs, but I think it is worth adding it in because it is so popular, and so drinkable. I added in Red Zinfandel as well to round out the top 10 and make it an even 5 white and 5 red wines. If you want to try Andrea’s tasting the way she suggests, skip the Pinot Gris, the White and Red Zins and select either a Cabernet Sauvignon OR a Merlot. This will leave 6 wines and they can all be tasted at one time, or split into separate white and red tastings.

The list here represents that most popular wines in the US. It will be our focus for our Big Picture tasting.

Top Selling White Wines for big picture tasting:

• Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• White Zinfandel

Top Selling Red Wines for big picture tasting:

• Pinot Noir
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Zinfandel
• Syrah/Shiraz

The only way to become familiar with these wines is to taste them. You will taste a wine that is a quality representation of each variety of grape. I suggest you break this up into two tastings - one Red and one White, and sample 1-2 ounces of each wine under each of the Red and White lists. Below is a list of wine producers making a quality and representative wine from each type of wine. I have included a rough estimate of price for a bottle based on current pricing in my area so that you can plan the cost of your tasting. I’ve listed only reasonably prices wines with the goal of keeping each tasting (red and white) to around $100. It can be a fun thing to do with friends as part of a dinner party. Ask your friends to chip in $20 vs. bringing wine, but have them bring their own glasses. You can taste the wines before dinner, and then drink the rest of them with dinner. If you have a large party, you can even do the white and the red tasting in one event. 10 wines is the maximum, however, that I would suggest trying to taste at one time. And, even that amount may tire your pallet which is why I’m suggesting you split the tasting into Reds and Whites.

Step 1: Buy the Wines:

Here is the list of white wines that would be good options for this tasting. I’ve also included a high level summary from professional tasters on the type of taste that is typically found in each wine varietal. Remember that you cannot learn what something tastes like from reading someone else’s words. Even if you have tasted these wines before, there is something to be learned in tasting them side-by-side with the others. It really highlights the differences in the varietals and can tell you a lot about what you like and don’t like, and why. If you buy the cheapest of all these wines below you will spend $76 and if you buy the most expensive you will pay $104. Not bad for an overarching, high level education of white wine styles for up to 12 people.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

One of the most popular wines, likely because it is so drinkable. It is light to silky in body, and often very crisp and clean of taste. It often has flavors of pear, apple, lime, minerals or smoke. California Pinot Gris often tastes richer than Italian made Pinot Grigio.

2008 St Michael Eppan Italian White "Anger Pinot Grigio" (Italy) $18

2006 Livio Felluga Italian White "Pinot Grigio" (Italy) $25

2008 King Estate Pinot Pinot Gris "Signature Collection" (OR) $17

2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris (OR) $19

2009 Willakenzie Pinot Gris "Estate Grown" (OR) $21

2008 Lemelson Pinot Gris "Tikka's Run" (OR) $19

Riesling

A lot of people shy away from Riesling because they think sweet, but many good Rieslings are dry and off-dry (semi-sweet). Quality Riesling wine is aromatic, but light and refreshing. It is tangy and full of fruit. Rieslings vary quite a bit from winery to winery. They are gaining in popularity and you will no doubt hear more about them, so it is good to get ahead of the curve and start getting familiar now. If you like what you taste, you’ll want to do more comparison tastings down the road between Alsace, Germany and US versions of this wine.

2009 Trimbach Riesling - (Alsace, France) $20

2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling "Eroica" (WA) $24

2009 Poets Leap Riesling (WA) $20

2009 Navarro Vineyards Riesling "Anderson Valley" (CA) $18

If you cannot find one of these above, anything from these wineries should give you the Riesling Experience: Columbia Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Trimbach, Hugel, Lucien Albrecht, Robert Weil Estate, Burklin-Wolf Estate, Gunderloch Estate, Dr. Loosen

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a medium-bodied white wine - fuller than the Pinot Gris and Riesling wines. It has a distinctive ‘tangy’ taste that you’ll want to become familiar with. Aromas from these wines have been described as citrus, minerals, herbal, tropical or melon. Good quality Sauvignon Blancs can be found for under $10, making it a bargain compared to other wine styles.

2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc "Horse Heaven Vineyard" (WA) $15

2010 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) $15

2008 Kendall Jackson Sauvignon Blanc "Grand Reserve" (CA) $20

2008 or 2009 Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc "Fume Blanc" (CA) $12

2009 Murphy Goode Sauvignon Blanc "The Fume" (CA) $13

2009 St Supery Sauvignon Blanc "Napa Valley"(CA) $20

If you cannot find any of the above, try something from: Sterling, Simi, Columbia Crest, Ferrari-Carano or Robert Mondavi. Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes called “Fume Blanc”.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the most consumed wine in the United States (estimated at over 30% of wine sold by dollar volume in the U.S.) Wines made with Chardonnay grapes tend to be fuller in body than other dry white wines. Chardonnay tends to have rich citrus (lemon, grapefruit), and aging on oak adds butter, wood, vanilla, coconut, or toast flavors. California Chardonnay often tastes very different than Chardonnay from Burgundy.

Here is a list of quality California Chardonnay wines. Later on, we’ll compare California Chardonnay to Burgundy Chardonnay, so if you don’t like the oaky taste, you’ll want to revisit this wine later in that tasting.

2008 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay “Jackson Hills” $25

2008 Bryon Chardonnay “Santa Maria Valley” $26

2009 La Crema Chardonnay “Sonoma Coast” $20

2008 Cambria Chardonnay “Katherine’s Vineyard” $22

2009 Ferrari Carano Chardonnay “Sonoma County” $23

If you cannot find any of these wines, try another vintage from these producers, or go with something from one of the following wineries: Rodney Strong, Clos du Bois, Beringer, Kunde Estate, Acacia, Chateau St. Jean.

White Zinfandel

White Zinfandel is a wine that is sweet, soft, and low in alcohol, making it a popular choice with those who would not otherwise drink wine. Many wine connoisseurs ridicule this wine because it is not a serious wine or wine with any history. Because it is so popular, comprising almost 10% of wine sold in this country based on volume, I believe it makes sense to taste it. It IS meant to be sweet and light, but sometimes that is a good thing. if you like it, you should be very happy as it is one of the least expensive wines you can find with quality bottles ranging from $6 to $10.

2010 Barefoot Cellars (CA) $6

2010 Castoro Cellars White Zinfandel (CA) $7

2010 Beringer White Zinfandel (CA) $6

2010 Weinstock White Zinfandel (CA) $9

Step 2 - set up your glasses

Number your glasses (you can use a sharpie to mark the foot of the glass--it will wash off, or use a placemat or piece of paper with numbers on it).

The glasses should be numbered as follows:

1. Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
2. Riesling
3. Sauvignon Blanc
4. Chardonnay
5. White Zinfandel

Step 3 - open and pour the wine

Pour about 1.5 ounces of wine per glass. You can purchase measured wine spouts to go in the top of the bottles for a professional pour every time. Otherwise, try to estimate the pour.

Step 4 - taste the wines in numbered order.

Taste the wines in order. You don’t need to drink the entire sample. Taste each wine in order before going back for more of any one wine. You may drink more of your favorite after the tasting is over.

The basic process for tasting wine is as follows:

a) Look at the wine in your glass. Note the color and clarity. Just note it.

b) Swirl the wine in your glass by “circling” the stem of the glass so the the wine washes up on the insides of the glass.

c) Smell the wine. Place you nose at the edge of the rim, slightly inside the glass. Take 1 or 2 short sniffs. What do you smell? Don’t think too hard about it, but do take your time and let your imagination tell you what you might be smelling.

d) Sip the wine. Take your time. Savoring each sip. Think about what the wine tastes like. Don’t worry about fancy wine tasting notes, or about describing the wine a certain way. This is about imprinting in your memory what each type of wine tastes like at a high level. Do you notice it as a tingling sensation on your tongue? Do you sense any sweetness or bitterness? Does it taste fruity? Most importantly, do you like it? Remember, wine tasting is about your enjoyment, there are no right or wrong answers.

My next post will cover the list of options for the Big Picture Red Wine Tasting!

You know more about French wine than you think

Most of you probably know something about wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. These are the most popular wine grapes consumed in the Unitied States. If you are like me, you've perhaps concentrated your buying of wine to what is most familiar to you - wines from California and perhaps Oregon or Washington.

It is interesting to note that Wines produced in the US usually list the type of grape used to make the wine. Wines produced in France (and also Italy and Spain) often do not. Wines in France are labeled according to the wine Region in which they are grown.

It pays to know a few facts regarding these regional wines from France. This can open up a whole new section of the wine aisle or restaurant wine list to you!

• Red Burgundy from France is made from Pinot Noir grapes.
• White Burgundy from France is made from Chardonnay grapes.
• Chablis wine (from the Chablis region of France, not box wine produced in the US), is made from Chardonnay grapes.
• Chardonnay is one of the main grapes used in real Champagne (sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France).
• Red Bordeaux wine from France is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, however it is almost always blended with other grapes such as Cabernet Franc, and/or Merlot.
• White Bordeaux wine from France is made from Sauvingnon Blanc grapes.

So, if you like Pinot Noir you are likely to like red wines from the Burgundy Region of France.

It is important to note that there are differences in wine making styles between the old world (e.g. France, Italy, Spain), and the new world (US, New Zealand, Australia, South America). For example Chardonnay wines in France are not typically as oaky tasting as those made in California. This was actually wonderful news to me because I have not been a big fan of Chardonnay lately due to the oaky taste that I don't particularly care for. I'll be trying some White Burgundy wines very soon!

A wine grape named Monica

I'm researching wine grape varieties. I'm trying to discover a) how many varieties of grapes are used to make wine in the world today and b) how many and which varieties make up 80% of the wine produced in the world. I'm doing this so I can focus my wine tasting and learning on the top wines, at least to start with.

Using the trusty internet as my research vehicle, I have found that between 600 and over 10,000 varieties of wine grapes exist. I'm going to ball park the figure at about 1,000 because this is the rough count of an actual list I found at something fairly official looking from UC Davis.

In reviewing the various wine grape lists, I couldn't help but notice 1 grape's name: Monica. This is what Wikipedia has to say about the Monica Grape: Monica is a red wine grape that is grown primarily in Sardinia and is one of the few grapes that wine regulations allow to appear on the wine label. The vine originated in Spain but is rarely grown there in recent times. The wine made from these grapes tends to be simple wines made to be consumed young.

Monica di Cagliari is a notable sweet wine made from the grape. Monica di Sardegna is a drier wine.

I'm having difficulty finding a statistic out there listing the $ or gallons of wine consumed today by wine grape, but I'm guessing based on what I read that 80% of the wines produced today are from these most popular wine grapes: Whites -- Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio and Reds -- Cabernet Sauvingnon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah/Shiraz.

To start with, we'll try to understand these 8 grapes and the types of wine they make. Then, we can move on to some other types of wines... using these as a springboard. It seems to make sense given that my goal is to try to simplify the process of learning about wines that we should focus on these grapes first!

To Spit or not to Spit

This post attempts to explore the impact that swallowing has on the enjoyment of wine.

At large wine judging events, a professional taster may have to taste 150 wines in a day. They have to spit. But, they are professionally trained and highly practiced in understanding wine and can get a good sense of what a wine is without swallowing.

I on the other hand, am a newbie wine enthusiast. I recently attended a two day wine appreciation course from the UC Davis Extension program. In the first 1.5 days, we learned about how wine is made and how to taste it. We tasted cheap white and red wines that had been doctored with things like vinegar, sugar, cream of tarter, essential oils, vanilla, green olives and black pepper. We were taught to always spit out the wine when tasting, and thus far, we were happy to spit. On the last afternoon of the course we finally got to taste 12 quality wines in a blind tasting, again spitting and not swallowing the wine.

I hate to admit this, but I actually did not enjoy tasting those 12 wines. We tasted them blind, and several of them tasted sour, bitter or overly alcoholic to me. I could tell they were better quality than what we’d had before, and I could smell and appreciate the more complex flavors from these wines. But, I didn’t truly enjoy tasting them. After the instructor revealed the wines from their brown paper bags, I was shocked. They were of very high quality, a few of which I had very much enjoyed drinking them on previous occasions such as an Oregon Pinot Noir from Domaine Drouhin.

What was wrong with me?

Well, two things were likely contributing to my lack of enjoyment of these normally delicious wines:

1) My taste buds were worn out. We had spent the morning learning how to detect faults in wine such as oxidation and corked wine. In other words, we tasted a bunch of bad wine.

2) Being taught to analyze the wine took some of the pure pleasure out of it. When you don’t know anything about music, you enjoy the music. When you start studying classical music, you hear the components before you hear the symphony. Perhaps some of this was at work. I was simply thinking too much.

However, in addition to the above reasons, I can’t help but think that not swallowing decreased my enjoyment of the wines that day. I mean, when we enjoy wine it is all about drinking wine with family and friends, often with food. The effects of even a small amount of alcohol may also play a part in enjoyment of the wine.

I decided to do an experiment to discover if swallowing impacts our enjoyment of the wine.

I developed the following experiment that proved to myself that swallowing the wine is indeed necessary for enjoyment - at least for non-professional wine appreciators like myself.

I blind tasted myself and my boyfriend Joe with 4 red wines. An inexpensive California Merlot, an inexpensive French Blend, a moderately priced Pinot Noir and a fairly heavy Cabernet Sauvignon that had been sitting on the counter for a few days. The instructions were simple: taste each wine in order (1 to 4). You are not to swallow. You should look at the wine, swirl in in the glass, smell it, put some in your mouth, swish it around and spit. Rate the wines 1 to 10, according to your enjoyment of tasting them. There are no right or wrong answers. You are not being judged in any way -- this is strictly to be a ranking of your enjoyment. Joe got a little annoyed that I made him spit -- he said after the first taste “This is just strange”. He and I both rated the wines very low. I rated them all 1 or 2. Then, we repeated the exercise, but this time we were allowed to swallow the wine after the sip. Scores were now in the 4 to 6 range.

I realize that two persons does not make a scientific test. I plan to repeat this exercise with other friends, and I would encourage anyone who is curious to try it for themselves. I don’t think you even need to taste a certain number of wines, or to taste them blind. I think you can simply try this for yourself next time you sit down to drink a nice wine. Try tasting and spitting that first sip. Then, take your second sip and swallow. Decide for yourself.

Taste versus Flavor

It turns out taste and flavor are pretty complicated. What we think of as the taste or flavor of a food or wine is a combination of pure ‘taste’ sensations derived from the taste buds on the tongue PLUS the smells, the look and mouthfeel or texture. For the purposes of describing wine, it seems to be most common to use the term ‘taste’ to mean the basic tastes outlined below, reserving the word flavor for the complete sensation the wine leaves on you which includes all of the senses, not just your tongue.

This post will go through the Basic Tastes.

Basic Tastes: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami, Kokumi?

You’ve no doubt heard of the 1st 4. The 5th one was new to me, and it has also been suggested that there may be another one called Kokumi.

Here are some interesting notes for each type of Basic Taste.

Sweet. Sugar doesn’t smell. You can only taste it. When placed on their tongues, it makes babies smile while they are still in the womb. This is a big deal in wine. All wines have some sugar, even the very dry wines. In order for most people to detect a sweet taste though, you must have .5% (5 grams per liter) of residual sugar (remaining sugar after fermentation). Wines are described as bone dry, very dry, dry, off-dry (or semi-dry), semi-sweet, sweet and very sweet. It has become trendy in the United states for consumers to claim: “I only like dry wines”. Of course, what one person describes as dry, may actually be semi-sweet. There is no shame in liking sweeter wines.

Salt. This one rarely, if ever, shows up in wines. Some sherry wines taste a bit salty and it isn’t clear if the salt comes from the sea where the grapes are grown, or if it has something to do with the sherry wine making process. For the most part though salt doesn’t really apply to wine tasting.

Sour. This is caused by acid, and is what makes us pucker. Lemons, vinegar and cream of tarter are all sour, but from different types of acid. Like sweetness, acid plays a huge role in how a wine is perceived by the human taster. And, sweet and sour play off each other to create what wine tasters refer to as a balanced wine.

Bitter. Many things in nature that taste bitter are also poisonous. Likely because evolution, it takes a very small percentage of a bitter substance in a food to make it taste bitter. In other words, your bitter taste buds are very sensitive. Foods that taste bitter are coffee, endive, citrus peel, and tonic water. Babies hate bitter, and many bitter foods are an acquired taste. Bitter plays a role in wine, especially red wines that sit in the skins. They are both bitter and have tannins which cause an astringent sensation in the mouth (more on this in a later post).

Umami. I’m not talking about the soybeans that they serve you at the sushi bar, but this is a Japanese word. Umami registers a ‘savory’, or a brothy, or meaty taste. These taste buds register glutamate... as in MSG’s glutamate.

Kokumi. This isn’t an official basic taste (yet), but Scientists have discovered a potential sixth taste. They have discovered the taste bud/receptor at least. They just can’t agree on what kokumi tastes like. It has to do with calcium receptors that have been found on the tongue, but scientists are not sure yet if these have paired receptors in the brain.

Other potential types of basic tastes: There are also suspicions that we can sense/taste other things that have not yet been named as official basic tastes. These are things like fat and other mineral tastes such as iron and copper.

Viva el Vino

Vino Viva translates to "Came Alive". Vino also means wine, which is a living product. It is alive and changing from the time the grapes are planted until they are drank as wine. The wine is constantly changing. Getting better or worse, or just different. We are changing to, and this blog is perhaps also about me changing my career. Let me explain a bit more.

The idea for this blog came from another blog post from an author who I really admire - Tim Ferriss. When I first read Tim’s book, the 4 hour workweek, I dismissed him for a crazy sensationalist only out to sell books. A few years later I revisited the book, and got huge value from it. It was a case of the student needing to be ready for the teacher. I’ve followed Tim Ferriss’ blog now for a few years and find him to have insightful and creative ideas in the areas of lifestyle and entrepreneurial design. On October 4th, just as I was pondering how I might break into the wine business in some way with no formal training, and the only experience of really liking to drink wine... this post came into my email in-box: “8 steps to getting what you want without formal credentials”. So... this blog is my attempt at step 2 of Tim’s 8 step process.

By the time I read this, Step 1 (choose a field you wish to hack) was basically done. I want to become a sort of “sommelier light”. I don’t want to be a wine judge, or a sommelier at a famous restaurant, or a wine critic, but I know I would like to explore doing something entrepreneurial related to wine. And, I know I’m going to need to be more of an expert than I am today. I would like the business to have something to do with education - helping regular people who don’t want to be wine geeks, but think they could get more enjoyment from buying and drinking wine if they knew a little more about it.

So, according to Tim’s step 2, I am to read 1 book a week. I’ve purchased 8 books and skimmed several of them. I am now in the process of reading them. On October 15-16, I attended a 2 day intensive class from the UC Davis Extension college called “Introduction to the Sensory Evaluation of Wine”. I have to say that although the class was excellent, I left liking wine a lot less than before the class began. Becoming analytical about a sensory experience like music or wine can tend to reduce the pure, uneducated sense of enjoyment. So, I don’t necessarily want to ruin the wine experience for anyone, and I see there is value in learning more. But, I want to keep it in perspective, realizing that wine is made to be enjoyed, not analyzed.

I am thinking about how to approach this blog - how to get started, what to write that will have value for other people. Which is hard because I feel that I am just learning myself -- how can I write something of value? Well, maybe I can’t, yet. But I’m just going to start and let the writing take me where it will. Perhaps by writing what I’m doing in my learning, I’ll discover something along the way that will help make sense of the random bits of learning that I’m doing now. That is typically how these things work, I think.