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5 More Frequently Asked Wine Questions
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Why do some wines get better with age while others turn to vinegar?
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How long does wine last?
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What about the rights and wrongs about decanting wines?
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What are the benefits of allowing wine to breathe?
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What wine will get me the most screwed-up the fastest?
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Answers to Your Wine Questions
Comments
Thanks for you info on the breathing of wine. I also would like to know if their is anything to it that when you swirl your wine and see the legs on the glass - what does this mean. I have heard diffferent stories.
Jan 05, 2011 at 1:17 PM
boogie
for the moron who wants to find the wine that gets him messed up fastest, just mix the win with vodka.
Jan 05, 2011 at 2:58 PM
so what exactly is "dry" What causes "dry" and what is the opposite of dry..in wine of course. One of my guests regularly asks for a wine that is not dry and to them at least this seems to mean painfully sweet.
Jan 05, 2011 at 5:11 PM
Sase and adshijw -- Good questions!
The "legs" you see when you swirl a glass of wine help to give some hints about what you're likely to taste when you sip it. How pronounced the legs are when you swirl depends upon the viscosity of the wine which, in turn, depends upon the sugar and alcohol content. So a wine with very pronounced legs will have either a higher alcohol content, a higher sugar content, or both - at least when compared with a wine that has less pronounced legs.
Dryness refers to the sugar that remains in a wine after fermentation is complete and is a relative term. One person's "too dry" is another person's "too sweet". As a very general rule of thumb, wines with less than 1% residual sugar are usually considered dry, 1% to 3% are off-dry, and over 3% are considered sweet. But Sauternes, Ports, etc. can be much, much sweeter than that even. Unfortunately the wineries generally don't include this info on the label - so you're stuck just going by taste. It's also very easy to confuse sweetness and fruitiness. A wine that is technically dry can present itself as being much sweeter if it's very fruit-forward. When I pour at festivals I often encounter people who say they don't want a dry wine - meaning Chardonnay for example - but are perfectly happy with a Riesling that's just as dry as the Chard. Just much fruitier...
Me, though? I like 'em all... :-)
Jan 05, 2011 at 6:15 PM
Freak
As usual Greg, I really enjoyed the article. I also have often experienced friends that seem to confuse dryness with fruitiness. I got a good laugh about the sparkling wine part, and look forward to more about breathing and decanting. Sadly for me, I have to return this Friday for some blood work, and was instructed to stay off all alcohol and statins for a full week. New Year's Eve pushed that window a bit, but this is torture. I'm looking forward to Friday night with a whole new vigor. Thanks for all the great wine writing! Cheers
Jan 05, 2011 at 6:44 PM
ne
The CO2 in the "sparklings"
1. increases the emptying time of the stomach to small intestine
2. increases the permeability of the stomach by "widening" the gap between cells.
Wider the gap and more frequent emptying results in more alcohol in the blood in shorter time. Think alka seltzer, plop plop fizz fizz = faster relief. Same principle.
Jan 06, 2011 at 3:46 AM
ne
dry vs. non dry: -2gm/L is dry wine (red or white) anything else is a sweet. This doesn't mean dry or non-dry is more or less "fruit-forward".
Like giving candy to a baby it is easy to dominate the tongue flavor and create an immediate impression with sweetness, since it is the first zone on the tongue at the tip, along with salty. However, it doesnt mean it is palitable or enjoyable.
Choosing a pleasing "dry" can be easy if starting begins in the "classics selection", those regarded widely for their ability to please. For example a Bordeaux blend white; 60% semillon with 30% sauvignon blanc with or without a little muscadelle (10%), or a bordeaux blend red; cabernet sauvignon 40%, Merlot 30%, cabernet franc and some petit verdot at 15% each, have grape varieties that have a complementary style that has been renouned for its pleasurable and drinkability. Dry or non-dry it should be a pleasure to drink. Choosing within the "classics", because of their wide appeal over a long time, gives real help to those who want to increase their potential for a satisfactory wine purchase.
Jan 06, 2011 at 5:08 AM
og
"Some were a little too silly to spend time pondering..."
Oh go on, tell us what they were...?
Jan 06, 2011 at 5:53 AM
Smith
Some wines benefit HUGELY from decanting or some other more "natural" types of oxygenation -- BV Tapestry comes to mind. But BV Tapestry is positively DESTROYED by oxygenating through a Vinturi-type device -- DON'T DO IT! It turns it into something that tastes like Carlo Rossi!
On the other hand, some pretty good Cabernet Sauvignons, like Dominican Oaks, are turned into absolutely wonderful wines by pouring it through a Vinturi. Go figure!
Jan 10, 2011 at 1:57 PM
When you posed the question "How long does wine last?" I thought you were going to talk about "...after you open the bottle". This is an interesting topic as well, because different wines certainly oxidize at different rates (or at least with different results over the same time). But it would be useful to have a rule (or some rules) of thumb about how long you can expect to have the wine be drinkable, and how to extend that, e.g., with refrigeration or, now, the various wine preserver devices.
Jan 14, 2011 at 5:06 PM
Terraccian-
o
CO2 readily diffuses across membranes and therefore gets absorbed faster. There is a " drag" effect going on as well. As the CO2 gets absorbed it is also bringing along some alcohol content.
Jan 15, 2011 at 1:32 PM
Wine
What's the best temp to store your wine? I know it depends on the wine but is there an overall answer? I have a verity of wines but only one wine cooler that holds around 235 bottle. I've got all my cab's, pinots, sharze, Merlots, will you get the picture..FH
Jan 18, 2011 at 4:05 PM
flatworm: wish I had read your post before aerating my BV Tapestry. it was so flat, I wondered how it could resemble the wine as advertised and recommended. Fortunately I have another bottle to not do that with....
Jan 18, 2011 at 11:00 PM
Great article with some interesting questions. I have also found that wines with a higher concentration of sulphur increases side effects such as the famous headache - whilst higher quality, more naturally produced wines won't have you reaching for the aspirins...
Jan 19, 2011 at 3:53 AM
Leon
What are tanins, and what's a tanic wine like?
Jan 25, 2011 at 4:33 PM
51
Thanks for the enlightenment with the 8 + 5 questions. I found this quote on a blog and thought it was so appropriate.
"The subtle euphoria (colloquially known as a 'buzz'), experienced as the result of the consumption of fine wine and spirits is one of life's greatest pleasures. It clears the mind of all unnecessary thoughts and opens it up to transcendental possibilities, otherwise clouded by the pressing issues of the day. It transforms our world outlook to one of affirmation and acceptance, pushing the cobwebs of cynicism and doubt to the outer edges of awareness. It is capable of bringing food, friends and conversation into a harmonious balance, blurring the lines of difference and polarity. A well stocked wine cellar and liquor cabinet promotes civility in a way that sober diplomacy never can." - Ishmael Paprikash
Feb 24, 2011 at 8:59 AM
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