I received a call this month from a reader whose friend’s wine cooler mysteriously dropped the temperature to below freezing – a somewhat unusual occurrence for wine cellar temperature-controlled systems. She wanted to know if the entire inventory was ruined?
Kathy H. September, 2007

Generally, when these units malfunction it is the opposite problem in that the temperatures accelerate to potentially damaging levels for wines. Fortunately, as long as the corks remain intact, freezing doesn’t seem to have a deleterious effect on wines. In fact, some people will purposely freeze partially consumed bottles in the freezer for later consumption. This approach does generally not work for unopened bottles, which tend to either explode or push out the cork. In this particular instance mentioned above, although only 8-9 hours elapsed in the “freezing” time, more than 60 bottles were lost! I must make a note to see if the wines which did explode were lower in alcohol than those that survived this enological catastrophe.

Attending local Wine Tastings are meant to be educational and they can be a great opportunity to meet new wine friends. At a recent tasting of Argentine wines at Tony’s Off Third in Old Naples, I was asked about two wines that you will rarely hear about.
August, 2007

Alicante bouschet, is a wine I hadn’t heard about in decades. I seem to recall that the last time I tasted this wine was back in the early 80’s when Jerry Luper was still making wines at Bouchaine in Napa Valley. This intensely-colored red grape is a clone of Grenache and is still planted in the central valley of California. Used primarily to add color to generic blends, I have not seen this varietal bottled in some time. The second wine I was asked about was the verdejo grape, a Spanish white from the Rueda region that can make incredibly rich and crisp wines that have a nutty flavor. I have bought verdejo from the producer, Naia for under $20 in a few stores around Naples, including Tony’s and WineStyles.

At a recent Chaine des Rotissieurs dinner, one of the guests at the table asked about the long “legs” of the wine (a 2004 Syrah from Chile’s Colchauqua Valley) we were drinking and wasn’t that (the presence of the streams that run down the glass) a sign of a great wine?.
Anna, July 2007

This is a term I hadn’t heard in a while and it drew some interesting commentary from other diners. I voiced my opinion, that “legs” had absolutely nothing do with the quality of the wine that it only reflected things like the wine’s viscosity. I remembered testing this concept a few years back on a number of blind wines, including whites and reds in a broad spectrum of price ranges and there were zero conclusions to any parallels of quality and the wine’s legs. A well-respected female wine author once made the statement “wines, like women should not be judged by their legs!” Agreed.

A reader from NY called me from his local wine store and asked that since he could not find the “Russian River” chardonnay from Sonoma Cutrer winery, would the “Sonoma County” be just as good?
Paul, July 2007

Because this was a gift he was giving to a very seasoned wine enthusiast, I steered him to an alternate selection. These two wines, while from the same producer and vintage, and from the same wide geographic area (Sonoma), are really quite different, especially to a seasoned palate. Because a long dissertation on the variations of different appellations over the phone was impracticable at the time, I promised to address this question in an upcoming newsletter. Suffice it to say, the source of wine grapes have been shown to exhibit considerably different aromas and flavors from adjoining vines located just yards from one another.

In a classic turn of the table, another French reader of my website actually answered a question I had and couldn’t get an answer to! If you recall, in one of my stops at a vineyard in Provence, I asked the vineyard manager why all the wineries planted roses or carnations at the end of the rows of vines. Because he spoke as much English as I did French the response was a polite shrug of the shoulders and a smile, as in “of course you know why monsieur”.

To which I replied with a similar shrug of the shoulders and a knowing smile (Not!). My reader informs me that it is to attract insects – to the flowers and away from the grapes! Makes sense to me.
Thanks to Veronique from Juan-les-Pins and Dublin, Ireland. May 2007.

You have talked about all the amazing wines you have tasted traveling through Provence. Have any of them been the “best wine” you ever had?
Peg T. May 2007.

The short answer is… yes, everyone of them; especially those from Chateau Sainte Roseline, in Les Arcs. Honestly though, this question really gave me pause. The term the “best” is as subjective as wine itself. I have had many, many incredible wine experiences and often those experiences had as much to do with the timing, setting, company – really any number of factors, in addition to what was in the bottle. But as I reflected on the question, I guess there were really two instances that captured my lifelong interest is wine. The first was in 1976, on a beach in Margate, New Jersey when a young lady introduced me to a bottle of Chateau Neuf-du-Pape. It was my first sip of any wine that sold in the three-digit price category. It was truly an amazing experience! See, I told you it could have been about more than the actual wine in the bottle. The second was a few years later and I was back living in California and on an excursion to the Napa Valley, this time with a little more perspective on the task at hand, to taste wines as part of my job responsibility as Director of Restaurants for Sheraton Hotels. We stopped at Chateau Bouchaine, which didn’t have much of a tasting room, although at the time, circa 1980, few wineries did. But I had heard of some of the great wines their winemaker, Jerry Luper, was making and wanted to try his Cabernets. Surprisingly, it was a 1976 Chardonnay that became a benchmark, along with those being made by Mike Grgich, for white wines out of California. It was the most incredible white wine I have had to this day. Again, these were pretty heady times for Napa and for me as I was discovering my passion for wine that continues to this day. Oh yeah, then there was the ’82 Calon Segur at La Gavaroche in Paris and the flights from Latour and Colgin this year at the Naples Winter Wine Festival. And then there was…are you sure you have time for all of this?

Here in France we have wines that are labeled a number of ways. Most of the wines I purchase are labeled “Vin de Pays”. I am not sure what that means.
Martine (from Calais, France on the Brittany coast, whom I met during a visit to a vineyard in Provence). May 2007

If I had another year or two to spend here in France, I might begin to understand the classification system, but it really does help the consumer to differentiate between the different levels of quality. Of course, the price might be equally telling! It is however meant to be and I would imagine is sincerely the case, that a wine is of higher quality than a general table wine, or a vin de table, when it is identified as a vin de pays wine. In America, we the wine consumer can sometimes critical of the French classification system, but in all honesty, at least France has established one! No definitive such system exists in our country, so my hat’s off to the French in this regard. As best I can tell, there are four basic classifications for wine here in France – vin de table, or maybe not unlike a lot of what comes out of the Central Valley of California, who knows what you’re drinking? Then there is the vin de pays category. For those who are regular readers of my column, these would be the wines I generally look for – the value wines, great wine at a great price! Then there are the VDQS, or Vin Delimite’ de Qualite’ Superieure – America’s version of “Reserve” wines? And finally, there are the AOC wines, the LaTour’s, or in the US, Screaming Eagle. These are the wines that I thoroughly enjoy as often as I can – when someone else bought them. I certainly can’t afford to!

Created in 1993, the term vin de pays has to do with wines that are appellation specific – not wines made from grapes from outside the designated region; vin de pays wines are primarily varietal based, not from a large blend of grapes as vin de table wines can be, and perhaps most importantly, they are wines where the yields are kept low so that a quality wine can be produced.

Last year on a trip to Tuscany, I fell in love with the wines of Montepulciano. Recently I had a wine that I enjoyed, but it was labeled “Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. I was surprised to learn that the wine was from southern Italy, not Tuscany. Are these wines related?
Carole, April 2007

No, different grape and growing region, this is just another example how confusing wine can be. Montepulciano from Tuscany, located hundreds of miles to the northwest of the Abruzzi wine-growing region, is made from the Sangiovese grape while Montepulciano d’Abuzzo refers both to the Montepulciano grape and the location. The wines from the Abruzzo region are typically more rustic, and fuller bodied while the sangiovese-based wines of Tuscany display more fruit and can be more elegant in structure.

Is wine that comes in big bottles, like magnums, better quality than the same wine in standard size bottles?
Tracy, March 2007

While bigger bottle formats are fun, especially when you are opening them with lots of friends around, the primary advantage of larger bottles in terms of the quality of the wine is that they tend to age better. I once had the opportunity to participate in a tasting where we compared the same wine from a standard bottle (750ml), a magnum (1.5L or the equivalent of 2 standard bottles), and a double magnum (3.0 L which holds the volume of 4 standard bottles and referred to as a jeroboam for Champagne and Burgundy). Of the group of six who sat in on this “blind” tasting, there was no consensus as to whether the wine was better in a particular size. The wines we tasted were all meant for immediate to short-term consumption, so for the most part, there may be no improvement in the quality of the wine in a bigger bottle. But, they are fun!

I recently opened a bottle of my favorite Zinfandel and it had these shiny little glass-like particles on the cork and around the lip of the bottle. After determining that it wasn’t glass, I drank the wine and it tasted fine. Are they in any way harmful?
Bob R., February 2007

First, no, they are in no way harmful. What you found are tartrate crystals, or “wine diamonds”, which form when two natural occurring chemicals in the wine combine to form crystals. In fact, generally speaking they are an indication of a quality made wine. In order to avoid this aesthetic “flaw”, many winemakers will subject the wines to an additional – and unnecessary – process known as “cold stabilization”. Wine purists offer that the less wine is processed the better the final product. If the tartrate crystals are that objectionable or excessive, they can easily be scraped off and the wine decanted to remove any sediment that may have occurred. My advice is to ignore them.

I keep hearing about wines that are “corked” or flawed. What are corked wines?
Carole, February 2007

Technically, a corked wine is a wine that has been infected by the chemical compound, TCA (trichloranisole). Wines can become corked when they are sterilized with a chlorine solution. Wine “experts” estimate that 3% to 5% of all wines are tainted with this faulty cork problem. Although it rarely is detectable in the taste of the wine, seriously corked wines have a musty smell and make the wines so unpleasant that they become undrinkable. The problem really becomes interesting when the TCA levels are so low that it is difficult to differentiate between corked wines and just bad wines. If you think your purchased wine is corked, return it to the merchant or restaurant server. One word of advice; return the wine as soon as possible and after the first inclination that it is flawed. Returning a mostly consumed bottle probably won’t fly!

I am thoroughly confused when I walk into my local wine store. How do I know what the best wine to buy is?

If it’s any consolation, take comfort in the fact that I often suffer this same feeling. So much wine, so little time! However, with a minimum amount of knowledge and by asking yourself a few questions before you venture into your local wine merchant, you should be able to find a great bottle to fit your palate and your purse! To begin, you need to decide the purpose of your purchase. Is it for simple drinking (referred to by some as “quaffing”), to enjoy with a meal, or as a gift? Do you prefer white or red wines? When trying to match your wine purchase to food, the commonly held guide of white wines with seafood and chicken dishes and red wines- especially red wines made in a “bigger” style, with meats holds true to an extent. The truth is though, drink what you enjoy. Next, you need to set your price point. How much do you want to spend? There are an infinite number of great wines in virtually every price range. The best advice I can offer is to shop for wine at a merchant who is knowledgeable and passionate about their wines.

Does the vintage of a wine really matter all that much?

Yes…and No! Certainly every grape grower, winemaker, writer, collector and consumer will weigh in with different thoughts on this age-old question, but the bottom line is that in any given year regardless of the various environmental conditions affecting a current vintage, you can find good wine and not-so-good wine. The 2006 vintage which is shaping up as one that many will remember as “extreme” is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Northern California had very challenging weather this year while just hundreds of miles to the north in Washington State, the vintage may be hailed as the best in their history. Severe frosts in regions of Australia have nearly decimated this year’s wine crop, but in Tuscany, Italian winemakers are ecstatic about their red wines from the 2006 vintage. Again, vintages can be as fickle as the weather and should serve only as a guide on which to make your buying decisions. There are a number of vintage charts available on line and in wine publications to help you with buying decisions.

I recently asked my wine clerk for a suggestion for a good $25 bottle of wine to take to a dinner party and he spent the next 10 minutes rattling off the “expert’s ratings” for a number of selections? Can I rely on these ratings?

Generally, yes. Tasting and evaluating wines for a living is a serious business. Unfortunately, for me it’s just an expensive hobby. The real downside of wine ratings though is that consumers have become so enamored with them they often can miss out on the 95% of the wines that never get rated. Often these can be as good as or better than the rated 5%. And keep in mind that the experts’ preferences may be substantially different than that of your own. Find a style you like and if it is rated, all the better!

Do I have to buy a special wine to cook with?

No, in fact the best advice I can offer is to cook with the same wine you plan to drink with your meal. This statement often meets with raised eyebrows or cries of outrage, but what I generally counter with is “if it is good enough to drink, it is good for the sauce”! Now, I may not cook with a really pricey bottle of wine, but nor would I use the “cooking wine” found in your local supermarket. Most recipes call for a relatively small amount of wine to flavor your dish or sauce, so the cost of a splash of wine should be minimal and cooking with the same wine you are enjoying with your meal is sure to compliment both the meal and the wine.

I have noticed more and more “screwtop” bottles lining the shelves. Aren’t these generally the cheaper wines?

“Cheaper”? While it is true that many of the wines that have moved to the screwtop enclosure are found on the lesser expensive wines, this has much more to do with public perception than anything else. Although extensive research continues to validate that the screwtop better preserves those wines meant for short-term consumption, the general thinking is that wines – especially reds that require extended bottle aging, do better with a traditional cork. Outside of France, many wine producing countries are increasingly transitioning to the screwtop and in fact, Australia and New Zealand have both adopted this approach almost exclusively - reds and whites alike, and in all price categories.

Can I get a better price when I buy wines at the supermarkets or large discount stores?

Sometimes. The bigger question may be, am I getting an equal or better wine? Obviously the buying power of the large chains affords them the opportunity to pass their purchasing power on to the consumer. That’s the good news. The downside is that they do not always pass these savings on. Additionally, and this is a big consideration from a quality standpoint, their turnover is often considerably slower than the small independent merchant. How they manage their supply chain can be significantly longer than the “little guy”. The big retailer’s wines may sit in huge warehouses with no temperature controls, travel across the country or state in un-refrigerated trucks and then sit on the store shelves for months at a time. This does not bode well for the fragility of wines. Another issue I sometimes have with these “big guys” is they often display their wines in an upright position which can lead to the wines spoiling as the corks shrink and the wines dry out. None of this means that I haven’t and won’t buy a bargain from the giant retailers from time to time; it’s just that I believe the independent merchants treat their product better and are very competitive with their pricing. Am I willing to pay fifty cents to a dollar more for the assurance of a quality bottle of wine? Yes, and I recommend you do!

Eat, drink and be merry!
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