Ever Wonder What 'Expedition Liqueur" Is?

While recently reviewing a sparkling Rosé Brut from Chile, the tech notes mentioned the addition of 'Expedition Liqueur" after fermentation. It might come as a surprise to some that 'liqueur' is added to sparkling wine. But, it's actually a common practice used in the making of Champagne and other sparkling wines.

So first let's do a review of the making of Champagne and sparkling wine. Both begin like all wines, with traditional fermentation of the juice of the grapes to produce a still wine.  After this first fermentation is complete, the wine is bottled and a small amount of yeast and sugar are added to the bottle.

In the past, this process was referred to as the "Champagne method" or "Méthode Champenoise". But these terms were outlawed in 1994 for all wines other than those produced in the Champagne region of France. Now, if this process is used anywhere outside of the Champagne region of France, it must be referred to as the "traditional method". You may also see it referred to on labels as "méthode traditionnelle", "méthode classique", "classic method", or simply "bottle fermented".

Regardless of what it's called, this addition of yeast and sugar to the bottled wine leads to a second fermentation, this time occurring in the bottle. Because the bottle is tightly sealed, the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during fermentation remains dissolved in the wine. This gives the wine its carbonation.

Once this second fermentation is completed, the bottle is unsealed and the dead yeast is removed (disgorged). But just before the bottle is sealed for the final time with the traditional Champagne-style cork and wire cage (muselet [myz-le]), a small amount of sugar and/or alcohol is added to the bottle.

The added sugar can come in several different ways. Typically, it is in the form of a sweet wine, but it can also be a mixture of sugar and wine. It's a rare practice, but if the sparkling wine needs its alcohol level raised a bit, additional alcohol may be added from a spirit, such as Cognac. Regardless, this final addition of ingredients determines how sweet the final product will be and its final alcohol level.

This final addition of sugar, and sometime alcohol, is most commonly known as 'dosage,' but the added liquid may also be referred to as expedition liqueur (or Liqueur d’expédition in French). So, yes, your Champagne, or sparkling wine, will have 'liqueur' added to it if is made in the traditional method. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 Amalaya Blanco ($12)

Amalaya wines was founded in Argentina in 2010 by Donald Hess of the Hess Family Wine Estates. The grapes are grown in the Calchaquí Valley in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range at altitudes as high as 5580 feet. This high altitude provides intense sun in the day and cool nights to produce concentrated fruit.

Amalaya Blanco is a blend of 85% Torrontés and 15% Riesling. It was cold-pressed, allowed to settle for up to 48 hours before being racked and fermentation started. After fermentation it was again chilled to prevent malolactic fermentation and then aged in stainless steel for up to 120 before bottling.

The Amalaya Blanco starts with fresh aromas of grapefruit and citrus and has bright, fresh, crisp and refreshing flavors with good acidity and just a hint of minerality. It is light-bodied with delicate flavors. Great to enjoy alone by the glass or with sea foods. 

Amalaya wines maybe relatively new to the wine scene, but Donald Hess of the Hess Family Wine Estates has got a very good thing going with this wine.  The label may say "Esperanza por un milagro" (the hope for a miracle) but none is needed with this one. And, as always here on Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week, this one's a great value! Give it a try!

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

Sample Provided by Donna White Communications

How to Reset Your Sense of Smell When Wine Tasting

While our tongue is only able to detect five basic tastes, our nose is capable of detecting millions of different aromas.

When wine tasting, one of the Five S’s is smell.  You stick your nose into the wine glass and take a sniff. You can get a very quick idea of what the wine will taste like and you may even detect some of the fruit aromas. But very quickly, after just about two sniffs, your nose tends to switch off and become insensitive to further sniffs of the same aromas.

One way wineries and wine tasting rooms will address this issue is to re-set your olfactory system by having you smell coffee beans.  This shifts the receptors in your nose and brain to something completely different. That way, when you sniff your next wine, your sense of smell is reset and once again heightened.

But you may not always have coffee beans with you when you are tasting wines. The one thing that you always have with you is your arm. And it can come in very handy when wanting to reset your nose. Just take a quick sniff of your arm (preferably while not wearing any scented lotions, sunscreen or other scented products). This quickly resets your nose and allows you to get back to smelling the intricate wine aromas.

So, here's to smelling your arm!  And, to being better prepared to experience all the wonderful aromas that wines have to offer  Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 Colomé Torrontés ($15)

Colomé is one of the oldest working wineries in Argentina and home to the highest vineyards in the world, some reaching altitudes of 10,000 ft (~3000m) above sea level. The winery, established in 1831, is based in the Calchaqui Valley, in the Salta region of northwestern Argentina.  Colomé joined the Hess Family Wine Estates in 2001.

Torrontés has become Argentina's signature white grape and one of the most widely grown.  Nearly all the world's Torrontés comes from Argentina.

Salta, on the edge of the Andes, is dry with desert-like conditions. But the significant diurnal temperature shift helps bring out the best in Torrontés.

This 2016 Colomé 100% Torrontés is dry and zesty. It is straw-like in color with aromas of citrus and pear. Dominate flavors include grapefruit and lemon. It's finishes with lingering acidity that is refreshing.  There's also a bit of salinity along with a smooth mouth-feel. 

Keep your eyes out for this one. It's a wonderfully refreshing wine that is easy to drink on its own, or with light fare.

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

Sample Provided by Donna White Communications

What to Do About Sediment in Wine

Have you ever gotten to that last sip of a glass of wine only to get a mouth-full of sediment? Instead of savoring that last sip, you end up spitting it out. An unpleasant way to finish.  And that's what recently happened to me as shown in the photo. But it doesn't have to go that way.

As discussed last time, lees (dead yeast cells and bits of grape seeds and solids) are natural in the wine making process and often desirable to be left in the wine during fermenting or aging.  This process is most common in red wines. Some wine makers will then filter out these solids (fining or racking), but others prefer to leave them in the wine as it's bottled to continue to add flavor.

There are several ways to avoid getting a mouth full of these particles in your glass of wine.

The first way is try to keep the solids in the bottle and not in your glass. If the bottle has been standing still and upright for a couple of days, the solids will have naturally fallen to the bottom of the bottle. As long as you are careful to not stir them up while opening the bottle and are gently tipping the bottle while pouring, the sediment should stay in the bottom of the bottle. But why take the risk.

The most dependable way is to do your own filtering before serving. There are several inexpensive devices on the market for doing this. The best one is a combination filter/aerator funnel. You simply hold this funnel above your decanter (or any other suitable container) and pour the wine through.  It has a micro-fine filter built-in that traps all those undesirable particles while allowing all the wine to pass through. As the wine exits the funnel, it gets aerated (exposed to air) which will usually help a young red wine. You'll then find all those undesirable particles trapped in the bottom of the funnel.  Not lurking in your wine glass.

While sediment is not harmful if consumed, it does significantly detract from a nice glass of wine.  So, filter and forget! Cheers!