Q & A




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Q & A

I have been in a few restaurants where the waiter actually rinses the wine carafe or glass with a wine other than the bottle I ordered. I find this is nonsense. Am I wrong? Does this not alter my wine in some way? Where has this procedure come from?
It does seem like an affectation (or an attempt to get a bigger tip), but there is some sense behind it. Called “priming” or “seasoning” a glass or decanter, it is a solution to the musty smell glassware gets from being stored in wooden cabinets. I’ve heard it originated in Italy. I usually give my wine glasses a quick rinse with water before using, but then you have a tiny amount of water on the inside of the glass to dilute your precious wine (unless you dry it with a paper towel - such an effort).
Wine works just as well, if not better. If you want, you can politely ask that your decanter be primed with the same wine that is being served. Other diners like having their decanter primed with something other than the $300 bottle they just ordered. Either way, remember that the wine staff is there to serve you, but you have a responsibility to speak up and not assume they can read your mind.

I’m planning a long trip and would like to bring some wine with me. Is there any evidence of wine being affected by air travel?
It’s most dangerous to arrive at your destination without anything good to drink! But air travel does bring up a few concerns for wine. It used to be simple when you could bring wine with you as carry-on luggage, but checking wine as baggage subjects it to the changes in temperature and air pressure in the plane’s storage area and can mess with a wine’s health. I wouldn’t do this with a delicate older wine, but a young, robust wine should recover quickly (within a matter of days). It’s best to use insulated containers. If you plan to put bottles in a suitcase with the rest of your things, make sure they are well cushioned and seal them in a leak-proof plastic bag just in case

Why must red wine be given a chance to breathe before drinking it if the essence of the taste is the volatiles? Wouldn’t some of the taste evaporate before the wine is tasted?
That’s an interesting argument against decanting, but the truth is that it depends on the wine—some need more air to open up, and others don’t evolve with aeration. Most of the time, watching the wine change in the glass is fine for me, but there are other wines that are markedly better after decanting. When I first open a bottle of a wine that I’m not sure whether or not to decant, say, a young and robust red, I always pour myself a taste to make sure the bottle isn’t flawed. If it seems closed and unexpressive, I might give it some extra air in a decanter.

I recently had some young red wines with loads of sediment on the bottom. I thought sediment was the result of tannins and aging, so why was it in these young wines?
You are right that as bottled wine ages, phenolic molecules combine to form tannin polymers that fall to the bottom of a bottle as sediment. But sediment is present during most of a wine’s life; dead yeast cells, bits of grapes and seeds, tartrates and polymers are constantly settling to the bottom of a tank or barrel during winemaking.
Most winemakers will try to remove sediment before bottling because many people associate cloudy wine with spoiled wine. But many of the best winemakers will bottle a wine without filtering or fining these particles. I’m guessing that either the wines you had were intentionally unfiltered, or the sediment you’re referring to was actually harmless tartrate crystals. These crystals might absorb pigments in red wine and take on dark colors. Again, many vintners cold-stabilize their wines so they can filter out these crystals, but the more a wine is manipulated, the more flavor is removed. Many of the best winemakers opt for more flavor at the risk of the wine throwing more deposits.

I've been told that Champagne is ruined if it is chilled and then returned to room temperature before chilling again. What gets ruined? What is the physics/chemistry of ruination?
      The process you describe will not “ruin” your sparkling wine (or any other wine). You can safely chill it, warm it, and chill it again. In fact a chilled bottle that will not be used soon should be taken out of the kitchen refrigerator and stored as you would ordinarily store wine.
   HOWEVER! Sparkling wine is a delicate thing-it’s much more sensitive to light and temperature fluctuations than still wine. Why? Carbon dioxide is the gas that gives bubbly its bubbles. The solubility of carbon dioxide depends on the temperature of the liquid it is in. As the temperature goes up, the carbon dioxide is less soluble and wants to escape rapidly. If you’ve ever sprayed yourself by opening a warm can of soda or beer, you’ve experienced this phenomenon. If the liquid is well-chilled, the carbon dioxide solubility is greater; it’s harder for the gas to get out. A well-chilled glass of sparkling wine will have a gentle stream of tiny bubbles that last a long time as carbon dioxide is slowly released.
     The change in solubility is not instant; it takes a while for all the carbon dioxide to recombine inside the wine. If you chill a warm bottle rapidly, some of the carbon dioxide will still want to flee even though the bottle might feel cold. If you’d like to preserve the carbonation (and not lose most of your wine in a fountain of bubbles), chill it gradually. Three hours in a refrigerator or 30 minutes in a bucket of ice and water are better than 15 minutes in your freezer.

I was recently told by a server in a restaurant that most winemakers “put less tannin” into wines that are allocated for restaurants. According to her, producers make the same wine in two different styles so that the restaurant wine will be drinkable immediately upon release. This didn’t sound right to me, but I didn’t want to argue with her. Is she correct?
That’s not true, but I can see where the confusion might come from. Producers won’t make differently tannic versions of the same bottling. But a producer who makes a variety of different wines might market a particular bottling to restaurants as more food friendly because of light tannins. Likewise, restaurateurs might seek out these less-tannic wines to serve.

What is the difference between French oak and American oak barrels? Why do some wineries use new, or 50 percent American and 50 percent French oak?
     Oak barrels are part of the metaphorical spice rack that winemakers use to craft a wine to their style, so they pick and choose according to their experience. Barrels are made from trees grown in many parts of the world; however, French and American oak are most widely used.
     In general terms, French oak barrels offer more subtle nuances than American ones. Smoke and spice, with textures of satin or silk, are some of the reasons winemakers choose French barrels. American barrels are stronger in flavor, offering a cream-soda type of vanilla flavor, coconut notes, and creamy texture. Australian and Spanish winemakers generally use American oak. French winemakers of course use French oak. The best American winemakers generally use French oak, but there are many exceptions such as Silver Oak.
     Other variables are also important. The inside of each barrel is charred, or “toasted,” as it is heated over a fire to bend the staves into the barrel shape. Winemakers can order specific levels of toast, from light to heavy. Also, a new barrel will impart stronger flavors than a used barrel. By the time a barrel is four or five years old, it has given up all the oaky flavors and thus becomes neutral. A winemaker may mix and match barrels from different places, with different levels of toast, and of different ages to get the oak influence they wish. Cost is also a factor. New barrels are very expensive and French barrels are far more expensive than those from the U.S.

Why do older bottles of wine often have sediment at the bottom? Where does it come from?
Sediment is the harmless, usually dark-colored matter that often accumulates as a wine (especially red wine) ages. Large solid materials such as bits of grape pulp and dead yeast cells are always removed from wine before bottling. But when a clear wine develops sediment after years of cellaring, it generally comes from phenolic polymerization. (Of course!)
A red wine gets its color from pigmented phenolic compounds which are originally found in the skins of grapes. Over time—usually it takes several years in the bottle—these compounds link together (polymerize), the color shifts from purple to brick red, and the now larger phenolics drop out of suspension and become sediment. Older wines are often decanted just before serving to avoid the sediment’s bitterness. Young wines are decanted for aeration.

Does the size of a wine bottle have any effect on the way wine ages? And why don’t all wines come in big size bottles?
There is some controversy here, but most observers believe that bigger bottles age more slowly and slightly better than smaller bottles. The thinking is that either the relative amount of oxygen trapped inside a large bottle isn’t as great, or that the relative exchange of air through the cork isn’t as great. The 750ml bottle may have become the standard because that size represents the lung capacity of a glassblower. Most people have gotten used to this size. After all, it’s the perfect amount for two people. Since most wines are consumed shortly after being released, only collectors need consider the slow-aging, harder-to-handle, larger format bottles.

How long can one keep a bottle of good French Champagne?
For most Champagnes, storage for three years from purchase is safe. Don’t push it. The very best Champagnes can keep a long time, 10 years or more from the date of disgorging (not the vintage on the bottle if there is one) if stored properly. "Properly" means ideal cellar conditions, a relatively constant 55 F. If your conditions are less than ideal, the bubbly will age faster. NEVER store Champagne in the refrigerator; it dries out the cork.
Like a dog, Champagne will soften and lose some of its bubbliness as it ages, so don’t expect it to be as zippy when you finally pop the cork. Only the best Champagnes will actually improve with aging. The risk after five years or so is that the wine may go flat and oxidize.

Should the cork of a newly opened wine be wet? Is it a sign that the wine has gone bad? It has happened a few times, and we have thrown out the bottle because it didn't taste right.
Wine is wet. Wine touches cork. Cork gets wet. It’s a good thing. In fact, if the cork isn’t wet, that means the wine has been stored upright—a possible danger sign about its condition. You may be referring to the case where the the sides of the cork are wet all the way up to the top of the cork. More often than not, the wine will be fine, but the wine may not have been stored well; the expansion of the liquid due to significant temperature fluctuation may have forced wine past the cork and may have allowed air in. Or the cork may not have been tight fitting in the first place. In either situation, do not assume that the wine is bad. Taste it first. The brown color and the smell and taste of oxidation (Sherry) will be obvious if the wine is spoiled.

Wine Q & A (an occasional series)

I am baffled by some of the descriptions used by wine tasters. For example: What are “round tannins?” Versus what? Square tannins?
Wine lovers wax poetic at times, but their intention is rarely to sound obscure or to baffle or impress (or both) others. Tannins are the mouth-puckering group of compounds found in the skins, stem, and seeds of grapes as well as in oak barrels that give wine backbone, structure, and aging potential. Because of the balance of tannins with other components, such as sweetness, body, and acidity, this sensation can seem smooth and round. Other times, tannins stick out and can seem coarse, rough, or chewy. Generally speaking the riper the grapes, the softer, “sweeter,” and rounder will be the tannins.

When cooking a pot roast and the recipe calls for red wine, does the quality, type of wine (Cabernet or Syrah etc.), or vintage matter? Will the meat taste better with Opus One vs. a bottle of Yellow Tail Cab?
When cooking with wine, I follow a couple of guidelines. First, I tend to cook with either exactly what I’m drinking with the meal (if it’s only a splash or two) or with something in a similar vein so that the flavors will complement each other. Second, I only cook with wine that I would drink; cooking doesn’t magically improve the quality of a wine, and lousy wine may spoil the dish; it certainly won’t enhance it.
When the alcohol evaporates from wine, all that’s left is the flavor, so I usually go for fruity wines (like Syrahs and Zinfandels), and there are plenty of them in the affordable range. Most flavorful wines will do just fine, but a wine like Yellow Tail is too light, too mild, and too low in acidity to do much good. The better the wine, the better will be the dish, up to a point; cooking with Opus One would only confirm that the cook has more cents than sense. And don’t use bottle that’s been sitting in your fridge or on the counter for a couple of weeks; oxidized wines do little to help the flavor of your dish and in fact may do them harm.

I’ve heard that refrigerators are horrible for the long-term storage of wine. It seems to me that most of the small wine storage units on the market today are simply small refrigerators with wine racks. Am I better off storing my wine in a dark closet than in a wine cooler?
     Refrigerators are designed to maintain an internal temperature of about 35 degrees F and to extract most moisture. That’s why your food dries out so quickly in a refrigerator-and that’s exactly why wine or Champagne should never be stored in a refrigerator for more than a few days. A dried-out cork will shrink and allow air into the bottle, thus spoiling the wine. However, a wine cooling unit is designed to maintain a constant temperature of 50 to 60 degrees and leave about 45 to 60 percent humidity.
     Vibration is also not good for the long term storage of wine. Many (but not all) wine coolers use thermoelectric cooling systems. These units do not have compressors or any moving parts and therefore have low or no vibration. Standard refrigerators, on the other hand, use a compressor which has internal moving parts that will cause vibration.
     A wine cooler is ideal for the storage of wine. An unheated basement that is at least partly below ground level is the next best thing. For most people, the dark closet is a perfectly adequate way to store wine, but only for weeks or months, not years.

Please explain the term "reserve" on a wine label? It seems to add to the price of the wine but the wine doesn’t always taste better to me.
The term “reserve” has no real (legal) meaning in the U.S.; it is simply a marketing tool. Many wineries do set aside some of their best lots, perhaps treat it with more expensive oak, use a fancier label, call it reserve, and of course charge more. Some wineries put the word on every single thing they make.
There are exceptions, particularly in Europe. The term “Reserva” on a bottle from Spain or Portugal or “Riserva” from Italy indicates a wine made under a particular set of regulatory parameters, mostly referring to the time it was spent in barrels before release. The Washington Wine Quality Alliance (a voluntary, self-governing group of a couple dozen producers) has declared that “reserve” has to mean something. In order for a member winery to call a wine “reserve,” only 3,000 cases or 10 percent (whichever is greater) of production can be labeled as such. These wines must be designated by the winemaker as being of higher quality.

Why are Pinot Noir bottles shaped differently than other wine bottles?
Three basic bottle shapes are used (with countless variations on these themes). Bordeaux-style bottles have straight sides and tall shoulders. Burgundy-style bottles, used for many Pinot Noir and Chardonnay bottlings throughout the world, have gently sloping shoulders and are a bit fatter than the Bordeaux style. And the Alsace and Mosel bottle is a thin, tall bottle with very gently sloping shoulders often used for wines such as Riesling. What all of these bottles have in common is that their shapes allow bottles to be stored horizontally, keeping the cork moist and the seal intact.
Why the different shapes? It wasn’t until the beginning of the 19th century that wine bottles developed into these modern styles. The theory is that the Burgundy bottle came first, and that its gentle slope was easier for glassblowers to master. It’s not known if Bordeaux producers wanted to distinguish their wines from those of Burgundy, or if they just designed a bottle with shoulders to help trap sediment when pouring. Either way that’s the modern reasoning. Plus it’s a great marketing tool.

The residue at the bottom of my red wine glasses drives me nuts. I have tried to carefully clean them, yet the dark stain has collected over time. What can I do?
Ideally you should wash each glass by hand before any wine sits overnight to cause staining. Use really hot water and no detergent (although most people use a bit of soap especially on the outside to get rid of greasy fingerprints. If you do use detergent, it is imperative to rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse. And then rinse again! If you still get some residue, use the specially designed soft brushes for crystal and a little bit of baking soda as a safe abrasive. For the really stubborn discoloration, soak the glass in a bit of bleach and hot water, and then go through the rinsing ritual mentioned above.

Is it ever appropriate to send a wine back after initially telling the waiter that the wine was fine? An expensive bottle of wine recently smelled and tasted fine on first blush, but after sitting open for a couple of minutes it began to emit a barnyard smell that was pretty awful. I already had told the waiter that the wine was fine. Could I still have sent it back?
Good question. A fine restaurant will take a flawed bottle back even if you accepted it at first. One can sometimes miss a flaw on the first sip (TCA, for example) only to have it become more prominent with some aeration over time. Flag down your server or the wine guru and very politely tell them that you think you may have missed something, and ask them for their opinion. I doubt that a restaurant that prides itself on good service will insist you suffer through a bottle you believe is flawed. However, if the bottle is nearly empty by the time you complain, don’t be surprised if you are charged for the wine.

E-Mail: beekman@conversent.net