Wine FAQ

Pinot is a family of grapes that's prone to mutation; in addition to Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris in France), there's also Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier (which is used in making Champagne). Pinot Noir is the father of the group, but even it is prone to variety; some "clones," as they are known, produce heavier, more tannic wines, some tend toward lightness, etc. As if it wasn't a difficult grape to deal with in the first place.

Occasionally a new planting of Pinot Noir will produce white or pinkish grapes, and this is how Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, respectively, seem to have evolved.

Once they mutate, their characteristics can vary a lot from their parent, so if you like one kind of Pinot it doesn't mean you'll like them all. However, they are all capable of making high-quality wines, so don't hold back from checking out one just because you didn't like another.

Grapes are, in fact, the most planted fruit crop in the world, but not as many as you'd think go into wine. In California, for example, only 47% of the grapes grown are wine grapes; the majority is for table grapes or raisins.

The three most planted white wine grapes are surprising: Airén (756,300 acres), Chardonnay (432,900 acres), and Ugni Blanc (338,400 acres). Chardonnay, sure; there's some much Chardonnay out there that its detractors have formed groups dedicated to drinking ABC - Anything But Chardonnay. But what are Airén and Ugni Blanc? Airén is Spain's most planted grape, and given that country's vast vineyards, it grabs the #1 spot for acreage; however, it is not widely sold in the United States. Ugni Blanc is grown in Italy, Argentina, and France. The former two make it into generally simple white, crisp wines, but in France it is distilled together with a few other grapes to make Cognac. It is very prolific, and despite the smaller acreage, probably produces more wine than even Airén.

Red grapes are less surprising: Merlot leads the way at 647,800 acres, followed closely by Cabernet Sauvignon (633,800 acres), and Grenache (513,400 acres). If the last one surprises you, you can blame Spain again, as well as France and Italy. In the New World it was originally planted as a blending grape for Syrah, but more and more wineries are giving it its due on the label.

Post-Sideways, presumably. Paul Giamatti's character Miles has some unprintable things to say about the grape in the movie. In the 90s Merlot was the "It" grape; in some ways it lends itself to soft, fruity wines that converted a lot of new winedrinkers. However, it has far nobler origins; 40% of the vines in Bordeaux are Merlot -almost twice the percentage of the more respected Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, in Sideways, Miles' most treasured bottle - a 1961 Cheval Blanc - is actually 50% Merlot.

Which brings us to another side of Merlot's personality: it plays well with others. If a winemaker feels his Merlot is a bit soft and simple, he can take refuge in the fact that it will blend well with other grapes that can fill in the gaps. In Bordeaux, Merlot's most common partners are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In California a more consistent climate makes it easier to make a good unblended Merlot, but even there some producers blend their wines in the Bordelais manner - these wines are often called a "Meritage" (rhymes with "heritage").

Wines in France - really in almost all of Europe - had developed their styles over the centuries; a grape (more often a blend of grapes) was eventually found to suit an area - or even better, express the area. To know where the grapes are grown is to know the style of the wine. To know much about the grapes themselves was wine geekdom, only necessary for professionals.

However, in the 50s and 60s California introduced a "what?" approach to contrast with France's "where." Frank Schoonmaker, making wine for Almaden, began putting the grape names on the bottle to help consumers, since we didn't know what Napa, Russian River Valley, or Paso Robles tasted like. The varietal name could stand in and give the wine buyer some idea what the wine would taste like. Grapes are the new thing.

It's all the same grape, but the name gives you a clue what the winemaker did with it. Syrah is a red grape traditionally grown in the Rhône Valley of France. Since then it has spread to many places around the world including California, Argentina, and, more recently, South Africa and Washington. The place that has taken the grape to its heart is Australia. But in Aussie fashion, as the barbecue became the "barbie," so syrah became "shiraz." The name stems from the belief that the grape's original home lies in the town "Shiraz" in Iran.

Nowadays you'll find Shiraz used outside Australia as well. Generally, if the producer has labelled the wine Shiraz, you can expect a big, fruity style - the Aussie way. "Syrahs," on the other hand tend to emphasize earth and spice. Try them both; can you tell the difference? Which do you prefer?

"Letting a wine breathe" means exposing it to oxygen before drinking. For most wines -especially whites - it's usually not necessary. However, it sometimes improves young red wines; after "breathing" the wine should be smoother, more aromatic, and even a bit less tannic than if you just poured it into your glass. It's a little bit like aging the wine in a cellar, but faster.

The simplest thing is to just open the bottle an hour or so before you plan to start drinking it. Pouring it into a glass will quicken the process; the agitation of pouring and the greater surface area exposed to air in the glass helps.

And to get even more benefits of breathing; invest in a decanter; pour the whole bottle in and let oxygen do its thing. There are lots of decanters out there, and you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good one; those with flat bottoms create lots of surface area. Serve from here, and if you don't drink it all, simply pour the wine back in the bottle, recork (this time you want to get as much oxygen out and we suggest using one of the winesavers or vacuum pumps) and store.

A tip for those dinners or parties when you know you'll be opening a second bottle or more. Don't wait until the first is gone; open your second bottle of wine as you open the first or as you serve the first course. This way, the wine has had a chance to breathe and is ready to drink at the same time as you and your guests.

Traditionally , you have about 2 days and this is extended using a "vac -u- vin" or nitrogen system. You should always control the elements of heat, light and air.

There are 25 oz in a bottle of wine. The average wine glass is 8 - 10 oz, filling the glass 1/2 way will give you 4-5 glasses.

Ah, yes.Riedel's new "O" Glasses. They're not going to replace traditional stemware, but they can be very handy. First of all, the low center of gravity cuts down on spills and breakage. They also look great, and are made in several shapes to suit different varietals, just like their big brothers. They're also stackable, so they save on space. All of this means they're great for small apartments or other situations where you're not drinking at the dinner table.

Two complaints come up: fingerprints on the bowl, and that the touch of your hand will warm up your wine. If you cup your hand around the bowl and never put the glass down, the latter might be a problem, but most of us use our fingers, and put the glass down between sips. As for fingerprints - when you're unwinding at home in front of the TV with a nice glass of wine, do they really matter that much?

All foods , this is the most versatile wine as the "bubbles" clean your palate each time you sip the wine allowing you to enjoy both the food and wine.

Fruity wines have concentrated flavors that represent the fruit in the wine and are sometimes perceived as sweet. Sweet wines are wines that display and contain a higher level of residual sugar [sugars that did not ferment to dry] and have a sweet to very sweet finish.

Tannin. This comes from the skins, the barrels and the seeds.

One of the classic combinations is Salmon and Pinot Noir. Actually, depending on how the dish is prepared I often enjoy Pinot Noir, Chianti, and deep roses with seafood and chicken.

When everyone has their own entrée in front of them - a steak here, fish there, vegetarian pasta, chicken - it can be hard to open one bottle of wine that will balance well with everything: Cabernet goes great with the steak, but overwhelms the sea bass. Or Pinot Grigio complements the shrimp, but seems flavorless with the lamb. The most cooperative wines in cases like these are lighter-bodied, low tannin reds, or rich, full-bodied whites. Pinot Noir, for example. Red, but generally lighter; it'll stand up to steak but won't overwhelm the fish. It also tends to have higher acidity than say, a Cabernet, which means it will complement a tomato sauce and fish (Think of the acidity in that lemon you squeeze over your salmon). On the white side, those big California Chardonnays are powerful enough to balance with a steak, but the flavors don't cover the subtleties of chicken or halibut. These wines may not highlight each dish perfectly but they won't ruin anybody's meal, either.

The jury is still out on some of the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, but red wine does seem to have a slight edge. It received a lot of attention for its purported benefits in the late 70s, when a book called The French Paradox suggested that red wine helped the French avoid the cholesterol problems that should have gone along with their fat-heavy diet.

Studies since report that an antioxidant called resveratrol is responsible. Resveratrol, like tannins and color, comes from the skins of the grapes; since white wines are pressed before fermentation, they generally have little or no resveratrol (Red wines are macerated with the skins to get the color, tannins, and flavors the skins impart).

However, more recent studies suggest that moderate consumption of any wine, red or white, can contribute to lower incidents of heart disease and several other ailments. Research continues, but for now, let's be glad we can actually enjoy something that's also good for us.

The saying is 2 bottles of (ultra premium) wine on a vine. We did a study once that referenced approximately 177 grapes [of average size] to make a bottle of wine. If this isn't correct I can assure you it is a bunch.

Soil, climate, drainage, sun exposure, local winds the French have a word for all of it, and the word is "terroir." Ultimately it's about environmental factors that can affect how grapes grow and therefore, how a wine tastes. Clay soils, for example, can have a cooling effect on the vineyard, which can help maintain higher acidity in some kinds of grapes (but other grapes that really need heat may have trouble ripening completely).

Wines that come from a specific place - a single vineyard, for example - tend to represent that place's terroir, whereas a wine that uses grapes from a broader area is more likely to represent the flavors and character of the grape. Both can make good wines. What's exciting about "terroir" wines is the tremendous amount of variety available - there are millions of vineyards out there.

Almost all wine is aged for at least a short time before it's bottled, and there are basically three options: new oak, old oak, and stainless steel. Usually when someone talks about oak, they mean new oak barrels. The wood allows a small amount of oxygen to the wine which helps smooth the rough edges, and the wood itself will impart a variety of flavors: vanilla, clove, smoke, caramel, etc. "Old oak" means barrels (sometimes much larger barrels) that have already been used for a few vintages, so they no longer have any flavors to add to the wine; the winemaker uses them instead to smooth out the wine's texture and mouthfeel.

Stainless steel tanks, on the other hand, are basically neutral: they let the various elements of the wine integrate and combine, but don't add anything to the process themselves. Almost all red wines are aged in some kind of oak, new, old, or a combination of the two. Fuller-bodied white wines can also benefit from oak-aging, but light, crisp whites usually spend a short time in stainless steel before they're ready to be bottled.

Not at all. First of all, each region has different weather patterns, so Napa may pick before or after Santa Cruz, or before or after the Loire Valley, or before or after Tuscany (For that matter, the wineries in the Southern Hemisphere pick in March or September, and in Venezuela they have two vintages each year!).

The other difference is the grape. In fact, grape differences are the secret to Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon ripens late, so it's planted on the warmer, more gravelly soils (the stones hold heat and let cooling waters drain off) and picked later. Merlot and Cabernet Franc, however, ripen early, so they can be planted on cooler soils and picked earlier. One of the reasons to blend is insurance: if the weather is bad during one part of the harvest, only one of the varietals will suffer, and the other grapes can smooth over any problems.

Keep it somewhere cool and dark; heat and sunlight are wine's enemies. A closet can be good, or even a dark corner of the basement Try to avoid storing your wines standing up; allowing the wine to slosh up against the cork keeps it moist, which means it will stay sealed and no air will be able to creep in and ruin your wine. An easy way; keep our wines in their shipping packs; they're laying down, in the dark, so just put them somewhere cool.

Bottle shapes generally do represent the region or varietal to some degree. A Bordeaux bottle, for example, is narrow and has a defined "shoulder," where it quickly slopes in to the neck. Contrast that with a Burgundy bottle: fatter and curvier, it gradually slopes into the neck so there's no definite spot where the neck begins and the body ends. In Europe, bottles just evolved that way out of tradition. In the New World, most winemakers honor their European ancestors by using the bottle that matches with the grapes. However, there are plenty of exceptions. A winemaker may just decide to use a different bottle for the heck of it, so you'll always need to check the label to confirm what the bottle's shape tells you.

Sulfites are sulfur-based compounds contained in all wines, white and red. Some of the sulfites occur naturally - they come from the grapes - but winemakers also add them as a preservative during the winemaking process to stave off oxidation. The government requires a sulfite warning on wine bottles because a very small portion of the population has an allergic reaction to them.