Ever Wonder? What are the Differences Between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc?

Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are two very popular white wine grape varieties that are considered go-to wines for many people just looking to enjoy a glass of wine.

The differences of their aromas and flavors really depend on where they were grown, what their vintages were like and what kind of styles the winemakers were seeking.

Oak aging can also have a tremendous effect on the final product.

Here is a quick summary of some of the major characteristics of each wine:

Flavor, Body and Texture

  • Chardonnay: Un-oaked Chardonnay will have flavors of apple, citrus and tropical fruits. With oak aging, Chardonnay will take on flavors of vanilla, and butter. Malolactic Conversion during the winemaking process will also lead to richer and smoother flavors and mouthfeel.

  • Sauvignon Blanc: Typical flavors include grapefruit, lime and tropical fruit along grassiness. It typically has ‘bright’ mouth-watering flavors that are refreshing due to its high acidity. If it’s aged in oak, it is typically referred to as Fumé Blanc.

Aging Potential

  • Chardonnay: This wine can age well, especially high-quality examples from regions like Burgundy and California. With time, it can develop complex flavors. It will also take on deeper and darker color.

  • Sauvignon Blanc: Best consumed relatively young to preserve its fresh, vibrant flavors. Some oaked Sauvignon Blancs may have a bit more aging potential.

Production Regions:

  • Chardonnay: Grown in various wine regions worldwide, including Burgundy France, California, Australia, and New Zealand.

  • Sauvignon Blanc: These grapes do best in cooler climates, including the Loire Valley in France, Marlborough New Zealand, California, and Chile.

Pairing:

  • Chardonnay: Pairs well with creamy sauces, poultry, seafood, and dishes with rich flavors.

  • Sauvignon Blanc: Best with dishes that include fresh herbs, green vegetables, salads, seafood, and goat cheese due to its herbaceous and citrusy notes.

Overall, while both Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are popular white wines, their differences in flavor, texture, and aging potential cater to different preferences and occasions. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Vermut Flores Rosé

Vermut Flores Rosé ($19)

As was noted in a previous blog, vermouth is a wine - a fortified wine. A fortified wine that is infused with a mixture of botanical products including fruits, herbs, spices and roots. After the wine is aromatized and fortified, the Vermouth may be bottled dry, or sweeteners such as sugar may be added to create the sweet style of Vermouth, like this one.

This Basta Spirit Flores Rosé vermouth is from Uruguay and is made from Tannat grapes that are pressed and left in brief contact with the skins to create a rosé which acts as the base wine for the Vermouth.

Flores is a family of vermouth based on Tannat wine. Their Rojo and Rosado varieties are produced from Tannat. Albariño wine is used for the Flores Blanco Vermouth variety.

Vermut Flores Rosé is produced from a combination of twenty-seven (yes, 27!) different botanicals that make up its formula. Among them are Wormwood, Cardamom, Gentian, Quina and Coriander.

It was included as one of the Wine Enthusiast 2022 Top 100 Spirits of the Year as well as receiving a 94-point rating!

Vermut Flores Rosé is a bright and crisp vermouth. You can drink it alone, with a slice of lemon, lime, or orange, with or without olives, with or without tonic water. But, always include a good amount of ice!

Basta Spirits’ Vermut Flores is this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Basta Spirit who Produces Vermut Flores

Are You Observing a Dry January? Ever Wonder? Is Non-Alcoholic Wine a Good Alternative?

Photo by Corina Rainer on Unsplash

As mentioned last time, non-alcoholic wine is actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It then undergoes processes to remove all or part of the alcohol. But, the lingering question remains - Is non-alcoholic wine any good? Especially is you are trying to observe a Dry January.

Non-alcoholic, or Alcohol-free, wines can taste like regular wine in many ways. They go through the same fermentation process as regular wine, so they can have flavors, aromas, tannin, tastes and mouthfeel just like regular wine.

But, to be called a non-alcoholic or alcohol-free wine, it must contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). So, whereas a 5-ounce glass of red wine is typically 12 percent to 15 percent alcohol by volume and about 125 calories, a 5-ounce glass of non-alcoholic red wine is 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and about 30 to 35 calories.

This is a great alternative for a Dry January. But, there are some drawbacks. By removing the alcohol from wine, there are key traits that are also removed.

First, most of the aromas in wine come from the surface of the wine to your nose by evaporating alcohol. That’s why you’ll often see someone swirl their wine glass - it yields more aromas. But, when the alcohol is removed from wine, the aromas no longer have their primary delivery method. And, remember, while your tongue can only perceive sweet, salty and sour, your nose is how you distinguish all the thousands of various flavors. So, no alcohol means it's harder for the aromas to reach your nose.

Secondly, a quality wine is considered to be “balanced” when its elements are harmonious and no single element dominates. These elements include acidity and tannins as well as sweetness (residual sugar), fruit and alcohol. Without alcohol, wines can become too sweet, too acidic or too fruity. And, the lack of alcohol can change the ‘mouthfeel’ such that it will be different than a wine that contains alcohol.

Non-alcoholic wine can taste like wine in a lot of ways. Some have a good balance of acidity, while others are fruit-forward. Non-alcoholic sparkling wines and white wines often get the closest to tasting and feeling like drinking wines that contain alcohol.

So, here’s to non-alcoholic wines as part of a Dry January. Cheers!

Are You Observing a Dry January? Try Non-Alcoholic Wines for a Change

Embarking on a “Dry January” involves voluntarily abstaining from alcohol consumption for the entire month of January. This practice has gained popularity as a New Year's resolution, with individuals opting for a temporary break from drinking to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, reassess their relationship with alcohol, and experience various physical and mental benefits. Whether driven by health goals, curiosity, or a desire for self-reflection, this month-long commitment has become a widespread phenomenon, creating a community that encourages individuals to reevaluate the role of alcohol in their lives.

So, if you are going for a “Dry January", have you considered non-alcoholic wines as an alternative? They’ve been around for years.

But, you may have wondered:

  • “What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?”

  • “How is it made?”

  • “Is it any good?”

First, let’s look at non-alcoholic wine. It actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It can have similar flavors to wine, just without the alcohol. Although, non-alcoholic wine may still contain a very small amount of alcohol. So, check the label - it will tell you the exact amount of alcohol that it contains.

Now, let’s take a brief look at how non-alcoholic wine made. As stated previously, it starts with "‘real’ wine made from fermented grapes. Then it goes through one of two processes to remove the alcohol. One method is called vacuum distillation where the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol begins to evaporate. This temperature is below the boiling point of the wine but, because the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol ‘boils’ off and is pulled away in a vacuum chamber.

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process uses an extremely fine filter that only allows the water and the alcohol to pass through. The filter catches all the fine grape particles that give the wine its color, its tannin and its flavors. The mixture of water and alcohol is then distilled to remove the alcohol. The left-over water is then recombined with the grape solids to form a non-alcoholic wine.

The same processes are used for “low calorie” or low-alcohol wines except they don’t remove all the alcohol.

So, we get to the final question “Is non-alcoholic wine any good?” Well, as you might have guessed, it’s not the same as “real” wine but it does have a lot of similarities. We’ll discuss this a bit more next time. Until then, Stay Dry! Cheers!

Consider a Cava for the Holidays

Looking for a good, affordable bottle of bubbly for the holidays? Consider Cava.

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain with a lot of similarity to French Champagne. In fact, the Spanish bubbly was called Champaña in Spain until the 1970s when French regulations were put into place to limit the use of the word Champagne to only those wines produced in the Champagne region of France.  So, the Spanish re-named their sparkling wine for the caves or cellars where the sparkling wine was kept for aging. Thus, came the name Cava.

Like Champagne, Cava is produced in the 'Traditional Method' where secondary fermentation is done in the bottle. This is how the bubbles are naturally formed since this second fermentation also converts sugar to alcohol using yeast, but the resulting CO2 is trapped in the bottle, producing the carbonation.

Unlike French Champagne, Cava is produced with the Macabeu, Xarello and Paralleda grapes.  But Cava surprisingly has a very similar taste to Champagne, much more so than the highly popular Prosecco.  But the best thing about Cava is its price. You can find a nice bottle for under $20.

Like Champagne, Cava is produced in various levels of sweetness:

  • Brut Nature -- Up to 3 grams of sugar/liter

  • Extra Brut -- Up to 6 grams/liter

  • Brut -- Up to 15 grams/liter

  • Extra Seco -- Between 12 - 20 grams/liter

  • Seco -- Between 17-35 grams/liter

  • Semi-Seco -- Between 33-50 grams/liter

  • Dulce -- More than 50 grams/liter

You can also find Cava Reserva which is aged an additional 6 months (for a total of 15 months) over the standard Cava (9 months of aging) and Cava Gran Reserva which is aged a total of 30 months.

Cava is a great alternative to Champagne and a wonderful sparkling wine to enjoy during the holidays (and year-round!).  Chill a bottle and enjoy. Cheers!