Fun with Finals

I admit it: I was a little anxious. Yesterday was my exam for the WSET Level 1 Foundation course. I’d studied and paid attention in class, yet occasionally had the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I used to get before I wrote an exam. And it’d been a while since I’d studied for anything. While the course was only three weeks, there was a lot of great information shared not only in the study guide  but in class as well. The wealth of knowledge of instructors Paul Giudici and American Wine School Founder, Marianne Frantz, made the class so interesting and fun; their love and enjoyment of wine was infectious. We studied about the seven noble varieties, styles of wine and how other factors like oak, tannin and acidity affects the wine. We also e xplored the appropriate temperatures for serving wines (including varying temps for white and sweet and sparkling. Not all reds should be served at room temperature). We looked at the importance of correct glassware and why to keep it clean: Dust and detergent residue can adversely affect the taste.

The final night’s class on food and wine pairing  ~ the one  I missed, was in addition to my study notes that, thankfully, I had with me. I learned that: Sweeter and savory dishes can amplify your perception of bitterness, acidity and alcohol burn in your wine. Foods that are higher in acidity and salt can enhance your perception of  the wine’s body, sweetness and fruitiness. Until this class, when I’d choose wine with a dish, I typically thought only of the standard, safe-and-sure pairing principles: White wine with lighter meats and fish; reds with beef and certain pasta dishes.  I’ve since learned that it goes much further than that, in order to get the best taste experience. It’s good to consider the salt-to-acid ratio, not just in the food but also in your wine. For instance, if you’re having a dinner that’s packing some major Chili heat, you’d want to pair it with a lower alcohol white or low-tannin | low-alcohol red. Since Chili heat increases the perception of bitterness, acid and alcohol burn, pairing with a high alcohol wine would be like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Yowza!

Once I turned the test paper over and read the questions, my nerves fell away. And to celebrate after the exam, I cracked open an ’02 Tempranillo. It was lovely and creamy; deep purple in color and tasted  of rich, ripe raspberry.

I really enjoyed my time at the American Wine School and I hope my schedule will allow me to take the other levels in the WSET Foundation series. If you’re looking for a great, fun way to improve your wine knowledge, I recommend checking out the AWS | WSET Foundation series classes.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Just Peachy

Salud! Peach~Mango~Chardonnay Sangria

KISS ~ Keep it Simple, Sweetness!  I used to think that making Sangria would be an arduous task, so I stayed away from it. But I wanted something fun to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Though not a beer drinker, I’d usually choose the safe and sure Corona ~ where the hardest part would be finding my bottle opener and cutting some lime wedges.  But with the weather being so beautiful (and in the Cleve, you have to take advantage when you can) I craved something fruity, fun and wine- based. I found an easy recipe for Peach~Mango~Chardonnay Sangria.

Some of the recipes I looked up suggested using Voignier, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, which tend to be much more fruity and lighter. Chardonnay is generally a full-bodied white. I chose an ’11 Layer Cake Chard. In part, because it was a less expensive bottle~ about $11~  and because I’d be mixing it with juices, ice and liqueur. I also thought since Chardonnay is so full-bodied, the taste would stand out more in the mix. The tasting notes claimed a citrus, pineapple and lemon curd vibe with a clean finish that I thought would be cool. I was pairing it with homemade Guacamole that was quite salty, and thought the sweet of the Sangria would meld nicely with the salt.

I really liked the Peachy ~ Mango first flush that quickly settled into the citrus and pineapple of the Chardonnay; and it really balanced out the onion, tomato and garlic elements of the guac. The next time I try it, though, I’m going to change it up using an inexpensive Voignier or Sauvignon Blanc, just to see if there is any discernible taste difference.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Breathe Easy: The Winebreather Carafe

The Winebreather image via givesimple

A few posts back, I wrote about decanters and aerators and found that there was a significant difference in wine when you use them. I recently read about the Menu Winebreather Carafe. Menu claims that it adds 10x more oxygen to the wine in under 2 minutes…hmmm…that’s pretty interesting … and fast.  When you decant, you have to wait about 2 hours to to get the full effect of the oxygenation. Aeration is pretty instantaneous by comparison.

The way it works: You press the decanter onto the top of any wine bottle then flip it over to pour the wine into the decanter and serve. The beauty of this design is that if there’s any wine left in your decanter, and that’s a big if, you flip again, pour the remaining wine back into the bottle to store in the fridge. That’s kind of cool.

It retails for $49.95 and is available pretty much everywhere including Menu, Wine Enthusiast and Amazon.

Having a little science background (which can be a dangerous thing) I couldn’t just go by marketing copy and a few gold stars (although it seemed to score a lot of them).

Oh no, I’m going to do my own experiment ~ decanter vs. aerator vs. winebreather. I’d like to see for myself what’s what. Alas, I’ll have to wait a couple of days for the last constant; the Winebreather isn’t available at my local wine shops.  That’s a bit of a drag but it’s okay.

I’ll be sure to write a full report on my findings. But to pass the time, I’ll continue to enjoy my Rabbit. The aerator, I mean.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Bright, Young and Cool: Wine Marketing’s New Look

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The face of wine marketing is changing. It’s getting younger. And it didn’t need Botox to do it. If you want to sell something, really sell it, it’s got to be cool. Look at any product out there; if it’s considered cool, it’s because younger consumers have deemed it so. The wine industry, for the most part, is becoming very aware.

Until the last decade or so, the impression of the world of wine has been a little, well, stuffy. But if you look at most wine stores now, as I recently did, you’ll see a distinct pattern emerging: the wines with the most interesting, funkycool label art and packaging are getting prominent shelf space, usually in the front row. And that’s the perfect position for the grab-a-bottle-on-the-way-to-the-party crowd.

Twenty-something Millennials are fast becoming the key group to the future of wine marketing. According to Donniella Winchell, Executive Director of Ohio Wines, there are two basic categories, the first ranging from ages 24 to 28. “This group are recent graduates who have been negatively affected by the recession but are still interested in fun wines; the sweet whites and reds. The over 28’s are well-employed and prefer wines in the $12 to $24 range.” She adds that, “By the ages of 14 to 25, they’ve established their taste in music, clothing and are well on their way to molding their decision-making in beverages, and there are lots of choices. Most have been exposed to better wines over the years because of what their parents were drinking.”

It’s no surprise that social media largely influences what’s trending in wine brands and what’s being chosen in the wine store. There’s also the tendency to veer away from traditional brands in favor of wines that have a celebrity buzz or are socially or environmentally conscious. Winchell notes, “They’re not always brand loyal or specific ~ paying more attention to what their friends are buying or what they’re reading about online via Twitter and Facebook.”

Differences are clear not only in buying habits but also at events. In tracking wine sales and attendance at winery events, Winchell notes that, “Millennials tend to gravitate to the sweeter wine and, at events, hang in larger groups ~ buying maybe a bottle. Wineries generally like to focus on the age 45 plus consumers who have larger incomes and buy wine by the case.”

But Millennials are the future and Winchell cautions that wineries who don’t account for them in their long-range forecasts will be left behind, “Those who don’t pay attention to Millennials now won’t know why they’re in trouble in 10 years.”

This is a really interesting trend for wine and it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on, especially within the Ohio wine industry, in upcoming posts.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Here’s Mead in Your Eye

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I made my annual feast of Dirty Nellie’s Irish Stew. I know ~ you’re wondering what makes it dirty, right? I’ll leave that to your own imagination. Alright, it’s made with Guinness ~ minds out of the gutter, all of ya.

This year, I wanted to pair it with something other than Guinness (not that there’s anything wrong with it). I wanted wine, which, for the most part, was a no-brainer, except that I wanted something with an Irish vibe. And that proved to be an interesting quest. While looking at my local wine store, I asked for something a little different. I was introduced to Mead. Mead, is a fermented honey and water beverage that dates as far back as 2000 BC. And while Ireland is quite proud of what they produce, many countries in Europe, and as far as Ethiopia lay claim to it as well.

Mead can be extremely diverse, depending on the type of honey used and ingredients added (i.e. maple syrup, fruit, chili peppers, herbs and spices). The names of some of them sound like characters from Lord of the Rings. After a few glasses, it’d be easy to slip into a monologue of, “Fill my goblet with that Acerglyn nectar, and I will drink to the dregs!” Oh man, I didn’t even have that much with dinner.

Mead can look quite different in your glass. The bottle of Chaucer I bought was fairly thick and very sweet; it made me think of a late harvest Vidal or light Ice wine. I really didn’t think it would work at all with the savoury nature of the stew. And for me, it didn’t. On the label, it said to serve it a little warm, which I did, but I just couldn’t handle the juxtaposition of the two very different vibes. It’s not to say it wasn’t good, just not with this particular dish. The Chatoe Rogue Mead with Jasmine poured and tasted like a very light beer. I served it chilled, like beer, and sipped between bites. This seemed to work a little better for me but not as well as a nice red wine.

Looking at the difference between the two glasses got me wondering: Is Mead a wine…or is it a beer?

Mead is honey, water and yeast much like beer…and wine. The confusion seemed to begin during the days of yore. Mead was boiled before fermentation, much like making beer but not wine. The very high temperatures caramelized the sugars, giving it a darker color. Today, Mead undergoes the same fermentation process as wine, with very little added heat. And like wine, there are many varieties and variations of taste, color, consistency and dryness. Other types, like beer, are brewed and add hops to the mix. Mead ranges in price from $10 to 30 per bottle.

It was interesting to try two very different types of Mead and I think next year, it’ll  be worth sampling more with a variety of traditional Irish dishes.

Slainte!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Sake Night

Sayuri Sake

When I go out for Japanese food, it’s one of those bevvies that I think about trying but then I see a cocktail float by in a funky ceramic mug and I change my mind. I promised myself that Friday night would be different. Friday night, I would try Sake. With HubbyDoug as my DD ~ Sake contains between 15-17% alcohol so he’d better be ~ I was curious to see what it was like and whether it’d be something I’d choose more often.

I knew nothing about it and didn’t know whether it had similar ‘rules’ to wine: White with chicken or fish, red with meats. I didn’t know if there was even such a thing as ‘red’ or ‘white’ Sake (there isn’t).

I looked at the variety of premium Sake on the menu and chose one at random: Gekkeikan, which was highly regarded. When I asked the bartender if I could take a photo of the bottle it came from, he replied that I couldn’t because it came from a big box. That didn’t sound good. He served it up piping hot, warning me not to touch the ceramic carafe for quite a while. My research had told me that premium Sake is best served gently warmed. Strike two. When it seemed to have cooled, I took a sip. It was a juxtaposition of thin and strong and made me think of hot nail polish remover. There was no discernible bouquet, just an essence of straight up alcool. Maybe it was an acquired taste but I just wasn’t feeling it. And yet, I didn’t want to give up so easily so I kept a bit to have with my Teriyaki chicken dinner. Maybe the savoury of the soy and delicacy of the chicken would help ease that boozy vibe. It didn’t. And I ended up ordering a cocktail in the funky ceramic mug.

But I refused to be swayed by this experience. With the number of different types of Sake out there, I didn’t feel right about just giving up after one shot. A brand I’d read good things about was Sayuri; a coarse, filtered offering. On the label it said to just shake well ~ no need to warm. The consistency was described as creamy and naturally sweet. This one had a floral bouquet, which was quite nice. It wasn’t nearly as harsh as the Gekkeikan. But I was still not convinced. I suppose you could enjoy sipping it on its own or pair it with a soy-savoury dinner. But what the hell, just pound it into some beer and yell, “KAMPAI!”

Contrary to popular belief, Sake is not really a wine. It’s not really a liquor, since it isn’t distilled like vodka or gin. According to John Gautner of Sake-World.com, it’s a fermented rice alcohol beverage and with rice being a grain, it’s actually more like beer.

Here are some more fun facts about Sake:

• It’s brewed for about four weeks and then a six-month aging process.
• It is similar to Beaujolais in that it’s best consumed immediately or within six months of release.
• It does well stored in a cool, dry place but is best with refrigeration.
• It doesn’t contain sulfites (so no sulfite issues common with wine). Premium Sake is free from additives/preservatives and has few congeners (a contributor to that pesky hangover).
• While cool brings out the best, it benefits from gentle warming.
• It pairs very well with lighter fare such as chicken or fish.
• Price range: between $18-35, $35-70 for 1.8 litres. The brands I found at World Market began at $13.99.
• Snake in the bottle? Also known as Habushu ~ is generally not available in the US because there’s a freaking SNAKE IN THE BOTTLE! Enough said.
• Some other top Sake brands: Juyondai ~ fruity and fragrant

                                                                         Isojiman  ~ balanced and rich

                                                                         Kubota      ~ light and dry

I gave Sake a good, college try and the second choice was much better than I expected. Eventually, I might try a few more. But I think I’ll be staying away from anything that has a snake in the bottle.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Field Trip ~ Colaneri Estate Winery, Niagara.on.the.Lake ON

@ Colaneri Estate Winery

One of the things I love about going home to Niagara for the holidays; apart from seeing family and friends, is picking a new winery to try. Since I left almost 5 years ago, there has been an explosion of great wineries with something to please every palate.

When HubbyDoug and I were walking the main street we slipped into a little bar for a glass to take away the chill. We were treated to a Colaneri Estate Winery ’09 Cabernet Corposo. I noticed a distinctive richness and old world vibe from the very first sip. To be honest, my experience with many Niagara reds has been somewhat disappointing. They have a tendency towards a lightness and a green, vegetal quality that I don’t always care for. While they eventually settle into a pleasant flavor, it’s generally when you get to the bottom of the glass. I like a red to look me in the eye as it gently takes me by the collar and eases me back into my chair. This wine winked as it looked me in the eye.

I had to find out what made it so unique. A trip to the winery became my top priority.

Colaneri wines are made using an appassimento process that dates back to ancient Roman times. Harvested grapes are hung to dry before winemaking, to remove any excess water, thus shriveling the grapes. And why would you want this kind of shrinkage? All the better to concentrate the sugars and flavors in the resulting wine.

• Recioto ~ also an ancient style of winemaking and also incorpporating the drying of grapes to concentrate the sugar content. Recioto may be red or white, dry or sweet. The dryer wines in this style are Amarone which can be intense at 16% alcohol.
• Ripasso is a style that means to revisit or go over. It involves a double fermentation process in which additional dried grape skins are added. The sugar content has been heightened by drying and this increases the final alcohol and phenolic content in the wine which is known as passito.

Our winery guide, Pam, explained that Colaneri was one of only three Niagara region wineries to use this process. Their wines are kiln-dried, using both greenhouses with industrial fans and tobacco kilns. ”Since the kilns were no longer being used to dry tobacco, they have been put to use in winemaking”, she said. In the tobacco kilns, the fans push air up through the floor; where the greenhouse fans circulate the air around the fruit. The drying process can take up to two months with skin contact completed within 7-10 days.

After harvest, the grapes for Amarone and Recioto are set aside to dry in trays in kilns, or are hung in lofts ~ the hanging and careful placement in trays allows for complete air circulation so no mold develops. There they stay for approximately four months after which the semidried grapes are crushed and fermented with the grape skins. The grapes not used for Amarone or Recioto are crushed and fermented to be used later.

Once prolonged skin contact has finished, the wine is stored for aging. The additional wine (that had been fermented seperately) is introduced by being pumped over the Amarone | Recioto skins, thus starting the second fermentation. The saturated skins are still quite full of unfermented sugars, making them high in aromatics and tannins.

Tasting at Colaneri Estate Winery

►

It was time to began our tasting with a spectrum of lighter fare: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blanc was my favorite; it had a taste of pear, pineapple and cotton candy (yum) with lots of citrus on the nose. Pam then took us into the reds starting the Red Blend ~ a combination of Cab Sav, Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. She mentioned that it was their everyday wine that pairs well with everything from pizza to red meats to chocolate.

We then turned our attention to the Cabernet that we had enjoyed the day before. The scent of rich molasses was prominent on the nose with sweet tobacco, blackberry and raspberry resonating on the palate. Awesome.

The Cabernet Franc was rich and flavorful, with an distinct essence of plum. Pam mentioned that some who tried it but don’t enjoy prunes/plums weren’t always fans. She recommended pairing with tomato-y dishes to counterbalance the prune essence.

We spend a good part of the afternoon sipping and learning a lot about some very special wines. Pam was friendly, knowledgeable and made the field trip to Colaneri so much fun.

I came away from the trip feeling happy to have discovered a jewel of a Niagara wine. I’ll make a point to look for more wines created using this time-honored method.

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2013

Shhhhh!

New Years Day: A time for  the making of resolutions and gentle reflection on the year that was. Who am I kidding? It’s a time to sleep and walk around in your jams, drink an awful lot of water and reflect on the night that was. If you’re a grape vine, you’ll be doing some of that today. While you won’t be trying to remember who you kissed at midnight, you’ll probably be sleeping ~ deeply. Your jams will be extra soil or straw, and your water will be the snow accumulating around you.

In the weeks prior to winter, grape vines prepare themselves for the approaching icy blast by ‘hardening off‘.  This is where the shoot of the vines begin to harden up, turn brown and shut their processes down after retrieving/storing nutrients they’ll need for the coming dormant months. The plants goes into energy conservation mode to keep itself intact. A good portion of pruning occurs at this time to get the plant set for the spring and the next growing cycle. If the vines are not properly prepared and pruned through the dormant winter months, the next harvest might be seriously compromised.

So if you’re driving past vineyards this winter, go quietly. You don’t want to disturb what might become your next great bottle.

Cheers!

©2013TheWineStudent

Youth in Revolt: Beaujolais Nouveau

DuBeouf and Drouhin 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau

Tonight, while most of us are our beds quietly dreaming or, if you’re like me ~ drooling on your pillow, cases of Beaujolais Nouveau are being crated up and shipped hundreds of thousands of miles to worldwide destinations. With the release at 12:01am on the third Thursday of November, the frenzy begins to get this extremely young wine to market. The release is highly anticipated and lauded, traditionally, to celebrate the end of harvest.

Beaujolais Nouveau is the result of a quick reap, fast fermentation and whirlwind bottling. Grapes are generally hand-picked helping to ensure that they are the healthiest with unbroken skins. The must is pressed a mere three days post-harvest. It’s hard to think that you’d get any kind of product at all worth drinking. And some would sniff that what you’re getting psyched for is little better than fermented grape soda. Yet Beaujolais can be surprising. Even in a wine so young, it can have some chops. The 2009 vintage, in particular, trashed the reputation that un-aged wine was merde. There’s no denying,  it runs the risk of being severely compromised by less than subtle chaptalization, and a hurried process to get the product out to consumers. Sometimes, satisfying the masses with high quantities of wine can negatively effect the quality of the wine. That said, I predict many will jump on the Beaujolais party train this weekend, quaff thoroughly and not particularly care about how quickly it took to produce.

Beaujolais is produced from the Gamay varietal; a cross between a Pinot Noir and Gouais, a white from Central Europe. It thrives in the granite laden, acidic soils of Beaujolais. In the days of old, Beaujolais celebrations were local events until the French government found out and wanted to end the party at 11 by putting restrictions in place in 1938.  By 1951, the restrictions were revoked by the Union Interprofessional des Vins de Beaujolais (UIVB) who instituted a November 15th release date. In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday of November, which ties it to the weekend ~ thus only ending the party when the police show up to take you in for a drunk and disorderly.

There are four premier types of Beaujolais:

Nouveau/Primeau ~ the youngest of the Beaus ~ very fruit forward with a cherry-berry-floral vibe that should be served lightly chilled and within 6 months of release.

Villages ~ This one can be  has more spice/pepper on the palate and can be cellared between 2-3 years.

Blanc ~ The tall blonde from the North Beaujolais district, it gets its depth from 3 types of soil: granitic, siliceous-clay, limestone-clay. Also an early drinkable.

Cru ~ From one of the finest regions of Beaujolais, it is the creme de la creme. It has the highest character and complexity and can be cellared the longest. Jancis Robinson has said that she enjoyed one that had been cellared 40 years. Cru can be confusing because it seldom says Beaujolais on the label. To find Cru, you’ll be looking for Broully, Chiroubles, Fleurie, St~Amour, to name just a few. Most Beaujolais is produced by Georges DuBoeuf who distribute much of the 65 million bottles that will hit the shelves in 24 hours time. Although, according to Randy Ruitenberg( via Bloomberg Businessweek), this year’s production of Beaujolais and Champagne will be down about 20% due to weather damage and disease.

So what does it taste like? Since there is so little time between harvest, press, bottling and pour into your glass, it will be fruit forward with very little tannin; simple and relatively immature. It pairs very well with lighter fare such as turkey, so is an ideal choice for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Many liken a mature Beaujolais to a Pinot Noir, which makes sense. If you like big, beefy, tannic reds, you might want to pass. However, it’s a great transitional choice for white wine drinkers who want to try a reds but are intimidated by the heavy duty varietals.

I’m all set to try my 2012 vintage. I bought a DuBoeuf and a Joseph Drouhin to compare. And I’ll let you know whether they can hold their own against my roast turkey with all the trimmings.

Cheers!

O Tannin Bomb

At dinner with friends the other night, the subject of tannic wine came up. “Tantric wine?” I asked, “That sounds like fun!” I thought it meant we’d just take a really, really, really long time to enjoy a bottle of red. I’ve been to tastings, seminars and parties where one will take a sip and proclaim that the wine is very tannic. But what does that even mean?

The term tannin comes from the long time practice of using plant extracts to ‘cure’ leather. In winemaking, tannins are compounds that bind to proteins ~ proteins that exist both in other chemical components of  wine as well as the salivary proteins within the mouth. This is a very basic description of a very complex process but you get the idea. This complexity is also what makes studying tannin quite difficult as these bonds break and reform several times before the nectar ever comes close to hitting your belly.

You can liken wine tannin to steeping tea ~ look at 4 cups of tea in various stages of brew. The first one is after a few moments, the next after 3 minutes, next after 5 and after 8-10. You’ll notice significant differences in how the tea looks (light to tar-like) and tastes (weak to very strong). A wine high in tannin will look darker and taste stronger.

There are two classes of tannins: one coming from the oak barrels the wine is aged in and grape-derived.

Green and Mean ~

In nature, tannins serve as a kind of defense for the plant. It gives plants an unpleasant taste, discouraging animals from consuming them, allowing them to grow to maturity. Grapes begin tiny and  green in order to match the new stems and are extremely bitter ~ it also keeps the birds from dining too soon. These berries are where the developing seeds are housed, undisturbed until they go to college, hit a few keg parties and then graduate to become adult grapes. When birds consume the mature grapes, they eventually deposit the digested seeds and re-propagation of grapes begins anew. Unless of course the deposits end up on your car. Since the seeds also contribute a great deal of tannin to red wine, they can have a very nasty effect if they are unripe.

 Bitter is the New…Bitter ~

Here we can pull out our trusty mouthfeel wheel. Tannins contribute to both astringency and bitterness; with bitterness being sensed by taste bud receptors located on the very back of the tongue and soft palate.

Rather than being able to smell tannins, it’s more of how it feels on your tongue. Astringency is the feeling because the tannins bind with proteins in saliva, thereby increasing the friction between the mouth surfaces leading to a sensation of dryness or roughness. On the wheel, you might see words like furry, cottony or wooly ~ that’s what astringent ‘feels’ like.

Style meets Substance ~

Light ~ lighter in color and on the palate , thin consistency. Good examples: Gamay, Beaujolais Nouveau

Medium ~ a little more tannin, is richer on the palate and is  not as beefy.  Good examples: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz

Full ~   has the highest tannin content, more pucker on the palate,  creamy consistency with usually a higher alcohol content. Good example: Cabernet Sauvignon

With high tannic wines, what you see will generally be what you get. You’ll find wines rich in color; deep ruby or claret, purple and maroon.

For many who enjoy wine, tannin really isn’t an issue unless it adversely affects the taste. Choosing wines that have high or low tannin depends entirely on your preference. Just make sure you take a really, really long time to enjoy them.

Cheers!