Ever Wonder? Why are Wines Referred to as Dry?

You may have heard of wines being described as “dry.” When I started out learning about wines, I was told that the best wines are dry wines. But what does that really mean?  The problem is that the term can mean a couple of different things.

Some people will refer to a wine as being dry because of the way that it tastes or the sensation that the wine produces in their mouth.  And, yes, wines can make your mouth feel dry.

The sensation of dryness in the mouth is actually the result of tannic compounds in the wine or 'the tannins.'  Tannins come from the skins and seeds of the grape. And these tannic compounds are the same ones that you experience when you drink a strong cup of tea or when you eat nuts such as walnuts.  They yield the same effect; a drying sensation in the mouth.

But 'dry' generally refers to the lack of residual sugar in a wine. That is, during the fermentation process, the yeast is allowed to consume all the natural sugar in the juice of the grape and convert it into alcohol. Thus, dry wines actually contain little to no sugar.  If the fermentation process is interrupted before the natural sugars are converted to alcohol, then you end up with a wine that has a residual sugar level greater than zero.  These wines are referred to as being ‘off-dry'.’

Now, the question that still don’t know the answer to is why the word ‘dry’ became synonymous with wines of low or no residual sugar. But, I’ll keep digging!

Cheers!

Ever Wonder What 'Frizzante' Means on a Wine Label?

There are a lot of terms used that make wines confusing. And, for American consumers, it seems to get even more confusing with French and Italian wines. The Italian term “Frizzante” is one of these seemingly confusing terms.

Simply put, Frizzante means that the wine is lightly sparkling. You may also see the term “semi-sparkling” used for Frizzante wine.

This is in contrast to a Spumante wine or a traditional Champagne that will have about twice the bubbles as a Frizzante wine.

Frizzante wines are made using the Charmat method in which the second fermentation takes place in a tank. Here, base wines are added together in a large specialized tank with a sugar and yeast mixture (Tirage). As the yeast consumes the sugar it releases carbon dioxide (CO2) . The specialized pressure tank causes the CO2 to be absorbed into the wine. The sparkling wine is then bottled from the tank.

Sparkling wines made using the tank method have a much more freshly made character and secondary yeasty flavors. This tank method is more affordable than the ‘tradition’ method used in Champagne where the secondary fermentation (formation of bubbles) takes place in the bottle.

So, there you have it — Frizzante is lightly sparkling or semi-sparkling wine. Cheers!

Ever Wonder What "Unfined" Means on a Wine Label?

I recently opened a bottle of red wine, poured myself a glass and took a first sip only be greeted by a bunch of sediment in my mouth. This was a Sangiovese that I hadn’t even thought about filtering first. But, I then noticed on the front of the bottle’s label the words “Unfinded and Unfiltered.” Ah ha! That explained the small bits in my first sip.

The process for making red wine begins with fermenting the grapes with the skins, seeds and sometimes the stems present. The skins are what gives a red wine its color. But, at some point, the skins, seeds and stems are separated from the fermented juice. Then, the wine is aged. And, just before the wine is bottled, it may go through one of several processes to remove any remaining sediment.

The processes for removing sediment from wine include racking, fining or filtering. Racking allows for the natural settling of the sediment to the bottom of the barrels. Then, the wine is pumped out of the top of the barrel leaving the ‘bottom of the barrel’ remains. Filtering can also be used to remove sediment but too much filtering can remove important particles that yield a wine’s aromas and flavors. The fining process also removes sediment from wine but it’s done by adding coagulants to the wine. These coagulants immediately bind to the sediment particles and under the force of gravity, fall to the bottom of the vessel. Fining agents can include egg whites, gelatin or a milk protein called casein. In all cases, these fining agents do not remain in the wine, do not leave any residual flavor and are removed with the sediment.

So, as you’ve guessed by now, a bottle of wine that is ‘Unfined’ or ‘Unfiltered’ is going to have sediment in it. And, once again reminds me that I need to read the label and use my own filter so that I can enjoy my first glass of wine from a bottle without sediment. Cheers!

Ever Wonder Why Most Champagne is Not Vintage Dated?

Last time we learned that the word ‘Cuvée’ means a blend. And, with Champagne it’s not only made from a blend of grapes but most often it is also a blend of wines made in different years. Therefore, these are non-vintage (NV) dated Champagnes.

By blending wines from different years, the winemaker is given the flexibility to make a more consistent wine from year to year. This significantly helps to smooth out any issues that are caused by the weather during any one particular growing season.

Non-vintage wines aren’t lesser wines at all, and it’s a common practice to do multi-year blends. The blended vintages ensure that your favorite bottle of Champagne will usually taste the same from year to year.

Champagnes that are vintage dated are rarer and generally finer bottles. So, if you’re a really big fan of Champagne, splurge sometime on a vintage dated bottle. Otherwise, you can rest assured that your next bottle of your favorite non-vintage Champagne will be just as good as the last one. Cheers!

Ever Wonder What 'Cuvée' Means on a Wine Label?

Have you ever come across the word ‘Cuvée’ (kü-vā) in the wine world and wondered what it really means? Well, you’re not alone. It gets tossed around on wine and Champagne labels a lot. And, it seems quite impressive when you see it. But, what exactly does ‘Cuvée’ mean?

Simply put, it refers to a blend.

When it comes to Champagne, the term ‘Cuvée’ can make a bottle of bubbly seem even more impressive. But, Champagnes are both a blend of grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) and, most often, a blend of vintages (more on this later). So, the term ‘Cuvée’ on a Champagne label is just a French term (a.k.a fancy term) for a blend.

In addition to seeing the term on a bottle of bubbly, the other place you’ll see the word ‘Cuvée’ is on a standard wine label. And, once again, this simply tells you that that it’s a blend of wines. It may be a red blend or it may be a white blend. Either can have the word ‘Cuvée’ on the label.

Like so many other wine terms “Cuvée” is used to imply some additional prestige or enhanced quality. But, unfortunately, it is not officially regulated, and therefore can appear on the labels of some very ordinary wines.

So, there you have it. Cuvée. A blend. Cheers!