Ever Wonder How to Tell if a Wine has Gone Bad?

Imagine ordering a glass of a light, crisp fruity Sauvignon Blanc expecting the glass to look like the one on the left side of the photo. But, instead you are served a golden-brown glass of wine like the one on the right. You will have been given your first clue. Then you lift your glass to take a sip but even before you do you get a whiff of a nutty aroma. That’s your second clue. But, you go ahead and take a sip and it tastes more like a sherry than a Sauvignon Blanc. You’ve gotten your final clue.

This wine has gone bad. The color, aroma and taste are dead giveaways of an oxidized wine.

Much like an apple or a banana will turn brown if exposed to air, so too will a wine.

Is an oxidized wine drinkable? Well, yes. It won’t hurt you or make you sick. And, if you are a sherry lover, you’ll probably like an oxidized wine. But you won’t get to enjoy the bright, crisp fresh fruit flavors that a Sauvignon Blanc, or most any white wine, should have.

Oxidation is just one of several wine faults that can occur in a ‘sealed’ bottle of wine. And, it can happen to both white and red wines. So, next time we’ll get into the various ways that wines can go bad and how to detect them. Until then, here’s to drinking good wine! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Silvia Cellars Old Vine Zinfandel

2013 Dry Creek Old Vine Zinfandel Reserve ($35)

The inspiration for Silvia Cellars began in 1885 on a family owned vineyard in Sicily. Striving to create quality wine for his dinner table, Nonno Silvia shared a passion for vendemmia (harvesting) of his vines with the members of his family. Over a century later, Antonio Silvia carried on his Grandfather’s legacy by starting his own winery with the same values. Silvia Cellars, a family owned winery, was born from the desire to capture the best of California appellations from seeking growing sites that fit their Sicilian winemaking style.

This Silvia Cellars Old Vine Zinfandel is produced from vines that are more than 50 years in age and in some cases, more than 90 years old. It is comprised of 90% Old Vine Zinfandel 5% Petit Syrah 5% Carignane. The Zinfandel in this wine comes from a blend of 87% Dry Creek valley grapes, 6% from Alexander Valley and 7% from Mendocino County. It was aged 14 months in American and Hungarian oak, 15% of which was new oak.

This Zinfandel is medium purple in color with aromas of dark red fruit and soft floral perfume. On the palate it’s very smooth with low tannin and peppery hints. It’s finish is most notable being long and complex with notes from the oak aging.

You can find Silvia Cellars wines on https://silviacellars.com

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

Sample Provided by Antonio Silvia, Managing Director of Silvia Cellars LLC

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!

Behind the Cork™ - Rockpile Winery Zinfandel

2016 Rockpile Winery Zinfandel ($47)

This Rockpile Zinfandel is produced by Mauritson wines in Heldsburg CA.

The Rockpile Ridge Vineyard is located at nearly 1,200 feet in elevation in the Rockpile appellation. This vineyard has sweeping sun exposures from southeast to northwest and consists of nine distinctly different blocks of Zinfandel. The blocks are harvested at different times and fermented separately to ensure the integrity and uniqueness of the individual blocks. The winery’s notes state “Working with the different sun exposures, soil compositions, slopes and drainages is a winemaking dream come true.”

This Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel gets a bit of a boost from the addition of 5% Petite Sirah.

It’s pale ruby in color with aromas of blue berry, blackberry and boysenberry jam. It’s easy on the palate with soft tannin and a light, peppery finish. This is truly an outstanding wine that deserves to be included in the Behind the Cork™ “Exceptional Wines” feature.

Checkout all the Mauriton Family wines on www.mauritsonwines.com or visit the Mauritson Family Winery at 2859 Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg California. 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!