Sparkling Wine - It Goes with Everything!

As we continue through the holiday season, the question of ‘which wine to buy?’ is constantly on our minds. And, the answer in any situation can always be ‘Sparkling wine!”

Yes, sparking wines are maybe the most versatile wines out there. For brunch, sparking wine is an obvious answer. If you are having an early evening hors d'oeuvre party featuring anything from popcorn to caviar, sparking wine is the answer. A steak, chicken, pork or seafood dinner - they all work with sparkling wines. And, yes, desserts go great with sparkling wines.

By the way, try serving your sparkling wine in a white wine glass. After all, it’s a white wine. And a standard white wine glass will allow you to enjoy the sparkling wine while also allowing you to experience all the wonderful aromas that a flute precludes.

So, whether you are splurging on the real-deal Champagne from France, or simply opening a bottle of Cava, Prosecco or any other sparkling wine, know that it will go with everything this holiday season, and all year long. Cheers!

Ever Had a Peppery Zinfandel?

Zinfandel is a very popular California wine. One that can take on two very different flavor personalities.

Zinfandel that is grown in warm places usually results in grapes that get very ripe and produce big jammy “fruit bomb” flavors. High alcohol levels are usually included in these wines. But, Zinfandel that is grown in cooler climates can result in wines with lots of herbal flavors.

While Zinfandel can have a variety of herbal flavors, the primary one is usually described as “peppery.” A recent article in Wine Spectator (June 2018) featured California Zinfandels with descriptions that included “…pepper…savory cracked pepper…green peppercorn…white pepper aromas…fresh pepper aromas…cracked pepper notes…white pepper flavors…loaded with pepper…smoky pepper flavors.”

The reason for these peppery flavors in wine is a bit technical, but let’s give it a try. It has to do with physical chemical compounds. And, the compound rotundone is responsible for contributing the spice qualities similar to the experience of cracked peppercorns. Now, just to take this one step further down the technical path, rotundone is part of a larger class of aromatic terpenes called sesquiterpenes, which is the primary compound found in black or white peppercorns.

But, there is no where near the quantity of rotundone found in the skins of wine grapes than in peppercorns. They are so few that they are not perceivable in the grape off the vine (that would be a bit weird to bite into a peppery grape!). But the tiny amounts of this compound often become perceivable in the taste of wines following the process of fermentation. And, yes, there’s a lot of chemistry going on there too.

Now, this peppercorn flavor from rotundone is not to be confused with bell peppers. This is also a flavor that is commonly found in wines. These are due to methoxypyrazines which are commonly occurring compounds that result in subtle vegetable or herb-like aromas and flavors, such as bell peppers, asparagus or mint. Methoxypyrazines (usually referred to as pyrazines) are found in numerous wines, including Zinfandels, when the grapes are picked slightly underripe or “green,” or when the grapes are fermented with grape stems, which are high in methoxypyrazines. So, it is not uncommon to find lighter, earlier picked or stem-fermented styles of Zinfandel that are also slightly herbal due to pyrazines.

So, bell pepper and black pepper flavor compounds are not the same but they can appear in wines for different reasons. Nonetheless, next time you get to enjoy a Zinfandel, try to determine which of the two flavor personalities it has — jammy or peppery. And, which peppery flavors you are experiencing.

Cheers!

Ever Wonder? Are Champagne Grapes Used to Produce Champagne?

During a recent stroll through the produce aisle of my favorite grocery store, I saw a display labeled “Champagne Grapes.” They are beautiful bunches of small red-ish grapes. And, they look really good. But, the first thing that came to my mind was to question the naming of these grapes. Because (spoiler alert) Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes.

Champagne grapes are very small, about the size of a pea, and are round, and grow in tightly packed clusters. The seedless berries can be dark red, deep magenta, or black and have delicate, thin skin that almost pops open when bitten. Also known as Black Corinth grapes, or when dried, the Zante currant, Champagne grapes are the smallest variety of all seedless grapes and are commonly used for baking and garnishes.

So, this may leave you asking “What grapes are used to produce Champagne?”

Here’s a little bit about Champagne.

Sparkling wines produced in the small French region of Champagne are the only sparkling wines that may legally be labeled 'Champagne.'  And because of this region's northern location and cool weather, three primary grapes have been found to grow best and hence are the basis for Champagne. The three grapes are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.  To this day, most Champagne relies on these grapes. But, Champagne producers are also allowed to use Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane. But, when these latter grapes are used, they are typically used in very small quantities.

So, sorry, but no Champagne grapes are used in the production of Champagne. But, they are quite good to eat! Here’s to enjoying a nice glass of Champagne and some Champagne grapes. Cheers!

Learn More About Appassimento Wine

A friend of mine recently recommended a wine that he really liked. When he showed me the wine's label I saw that it was an Italian Appassimento. That's a wine that I was not previously familiar with, so I took a look on-line and found a brief description of it. Soon thereafter, I went on the hunt for the wine so that I could give it a try. Unfortunately, I was unable to find it in any of my local stores, so he graciously brought me a bottle to try.

Simply put, Appassimento wines are made from grapes that have been dried before being pressed. The grapes are harvested and laid out on racks in large temperature controlled drying rooms for up to six months. After drying, the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and fermented.

But, since the dried grapes lose up to 50% of their water during the drying process, the result of the press (i.e., the resulting must) is quite rich and concentrated. And, high in sugar. But, typically, the high sugar content simply results in high alcohol wines (15-16% ABV) when fermentation is completed. These wines are then generally barrel aged for one to two years before being bottled. The resulting wines are full-bodied, concentrated in dark fruit flavors and, not surprisingly, have just a hint of raisin flavor to them.

The Appassimento process is used traditionally in Italian wine regions to make the popular Amarone, Recioto, Valpolicella Ripasso, and Sforzato wines. The best known, Amarone Valpolicella, is the high-end of wines from Valpolicella and commands the highest prices.

While you can find inexpensive Appassimento wines (and the one I tried was well under $20), the process simply makes it more expensive.  First, you have to add a large, temperature controlled drying facility. Then, you have the labor involved in laying out all the grapes on the drying racks and stacking them. Finally, when it comes time to make the wine, it takes a lot more dried grapes to make a bottle of Appassimento than to make other wines. So, the cost of a bottle of Amarone Valpolicella can easily be the $50 - $80 price range.

So, keep your eyes out for an Appassimento and give it a try! Cheers!

Barbera - A Wine Originally from Italy

Last time we took a look at Barbera, a wine that hasn't gotten the respect it deserves. And, I mentioned that my first exposure to Barbera was a real eye-opening experience.

Unfortunately, in California, the Barbera grape has predominately been used in the production of mass-produced jug wines in the past. So, it's no surprise that Barbera has gotten a bad reputation.

But, that's changing. Regions throughout California are now producing some very nice Barbera wines, especially the Sierra Foothills, Amador County, Shenandoah Valley and El Dorado Counties in northern California.

But, Barbera has its origins in another famous wine region of the world - Italy.  Barbera is actually one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It is a common table wine in the Piedmont region, where it is often referred to as the "wine of the people" because it is plentiful and, yes, cheap.

Even in the famous Piedmont wine region of Italy, Barbera is overshadowed by the Nebbiolo and Dolcetto wines. But, Italian Barbera has a lot of very positive traits. So much so that it's even been referred to as the "poor man's Pinot Noir." That's because Barbera from Italy has traditionally been lighter in body with bright fruity flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry. Sound familiar? It should, because if you know Pinot Noir, you know that it too has those same red-fruit flavor profiles.

So, look for Barbera from Italy. You're likely to see it from various regions labelled as Barbera d' Asti, Barbera d' Alba and Barbera del Monferrato. But don't confuse these great Italian Barbera wines with Barbaresco. It may sound similar, but that's a wine made from the Nebbiolo grape.

Whether it's from Italy or California, or any other region of the world, give a Barbera a try. It's well worth it. Cheers!