Ever Wonder? - Does White Wine have to be Chilled?

A few months back a friend of mine told me that, in the past, he really didn’t like white wine. He said white wines just didn’t have as much flavor as red wines. He preferred the flavors of a red wine.

But, on a wine tasting trip he went ahead and tried a Chardonnay. And he really liked it!

What was immediately obvious to him was that the Chardonnay was very lightly chilled as opposed to refrigerator temperature.

His experience with white wines had all been with very cold white wines. And the chill had taken all the flavor out of the wine.

This is indeed true. And, often the reason that people like their wines (including red wines) heavily chilled — to make them have less flavor.

So, the answer to the question is no, white doesn’t have to be chilled at all. But a light chill will allow you to experience the white wine as it was intended by the winemaker.

A rule-of-thumb that I’ve always used is that for white wine is that you should take the bottle out of a standard refrigerator (which is typically 35-40 degrees F) approximately 30 minutes before you want to serve it. That should leave a chill on it. Or, if you own a wine refrigerator, you probably already know that it should be set to approximately 50 degrees F for white wines.

But, as my friend found out, the serving temperature of wine generally is a matter of personal preference. Whatever your preference, enjoy!

Ever Wonder? - Table Wine Explained

I was recently shopping in my local grocery store and noticed the overhead signs for the wine aisle included “Red Wines,” “White Wines” and “Table Wines.” Ever wonder what Table Wine really is?

Well, in the U.S., Table Wine is simply a designation for any non-sparkling wine with an alcohol content of 7% (min) to 16% (max). That’s it.

Before the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the U.S., a Table Wine had been defined simply as any wine up to 14 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) for taxation purposes, but that percentage was increased to 16%

In Europe, there are varying standards for wines designated as Table Wine. But, in general, they are the lowest category of wine and not strictly regulated like other “Old World” European wines. And, they are not often permitted to be sold outside of the country where they are produced.

If you do find a European Table Wine, the label will state “Vin de France” when it’s from France, “Vino da Tabola” when from Italy and “Tafelwein” when it’s from Germany.

Table wines are usually meant for immediate consumption as opposed to aging, and for enjoyment with even the most basic meal.

So, don’t overlook this category of wines. They are very good values and often very tasty. Cheers!

Ever Wonder Why there is a Dimple on the Bottom of a Wine Bottle?

Last time, we learned that a wine bottle’s glass thickness, or weight, doesn’t really tell you anything about the wine’s quality. But, the thicker glass can serve to make a sparkling wine bottle more structurally capable of holding the high pressure.

Then there’s that odd ‘dimple’ on the bottom of a lot of wine bottles. What’s up with that?

While you may hear or read multiple reasons for this ‘dimple,’ it seems that these indentations, called ‘punts’ were actually put there by early glassblowers to ensure a bottle could stand on its own. Without a punt, the rounded bottle needed some other means of staying upright, including the woven straw baskets so famously associated with Italian bottles of Chianti.

It’s also thought that the punt adds to the bottle’s structural integrity, such that the thin layer of glass at the end of the glassblower’s bottle would not so easily rupture.

Regardless of the many plausible reasons for a wine bottle punt, today’s bottles are much better made. So, the punt is simply part of tradition. Except, it may be useful for sparkling wines. Giving their bottles a bit stronger structure.

But, much like the thickness or weight of a wine bottle, the type of punt on a wine bottle really doesn’t mean anything about the contents of the bottle. So, while it may be difficult to ignore the packaging of the product, try to focus your attention on the content of the bottle rather than the bottle itself. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vine Garnacha ($14)

This wine is from the Valley of Valdizarbe, D.O. Navarra, in Spain. One of Navarra’s most historical viticultural areas. The grapes are from vines planted over 80 years ago.

After the Garnacha grapes were lightly crushed, they were cold macerated before fermentation. It was then transferred to French oak barrels for malolactic conversion. Finally, it was aged five months in new French barrels.

This is a very delicate Garnacha with flavors of red cherry and raspberry. It’s light on the tannin with moderate acidity. A nice easy wine that you don’t want to overpower with bold foods. Enjoy this one all by itself or with light fare.

Yet another wine that fits the bill to be featured in Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week as a great value for such a nice wine. Enjoy!

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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 Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, President 401 West Communications.

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2014 Ochoa Crianza Tempranillo ($23)

From the northern Spanish wine region of Navarra comes this 100% Tempranillo. It is one of six signature wines from Javier Ochoa.

Being a “Crianza” it has been aged for 12 months in American oak and then spends at least one year in the bottle.

The aromas of this Tempranillo are very mild with subtle hints of red berries.

It is medium-bodied, has firm tannin and noticeable acidity on the finish. It is lighter and more delicate than most Tempranillo and leans strongly toward the red fruit end of the spectrum.

If you prefer lighter red wines, this would be a great introduction to Tempranillo. Cheers!

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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 Rebekah Polster, Navarra Media Consultant, 401westcomm.com