Sip Your Wine for a More Enjoyable Experience

I had a recent conversation with another wine lover who complained that whenever their mother came over for a glass of wine she would down it like ice water. And, they noted, they had been serving their mother “really good bottles of wine.” So, they’ve now learned that “…going forward, when Mom comes over for a glass of wine, she’s getting the cheap stuff!”

It’s easy to understand that someone might be inclined to “chug” a glass of wine like a cold beer or an easy-to-down mixed drink. But, drinking wine is a better experience if it is sipped rather than chugged.

One of the reasons for sipping wine is to include and enjoy the aroma. Our nose is actually very important to our ability to taste the flavors in wine. It’s like the old experiment where you pitch your nose and take a bit of an orange - you don’t end up “tasting” it. It’s not that your tongue doesn’t work with your nose pinched, but when your nose isn’t working your brain doesn’t get all the information about what’s in your mouth. So, a slow sip of wine, with your nose above the bowl of your wine glass, significantly enhances the overall ‘flavor’ of the wine.

Another reason for sipping wine is to enjoy the front, middle and finish of the wine. If you take the time to sip and really pay attention to the wine, you’ll notice that the “front end” of the wine will be different than the “middle” and the “end” or finish. On the front, you may experience bright fruit flavors (fruit-forward wines) along with the wine’s texture (usually the astringency of tannin, or lack thereof). In the middle, or mid-palate, is where a wine’s ‘structure’ is discovered. If everything comes together in a balanced manner, a good wine will have lots of interesting flavors in the middle. Conversely, a wine without any structure will seem to be empty or weak. Then, on the finish (after you swallow), you are likely to notice things like its mouthwatering acidity, or you may experience lingering sensations such as tartness or spiciness.

So, slow down and sip your wine. You’ll find that you’ll enjoy it even more. And, you might also consider keeping some of “the cheap stuff” on hand for you wine guzzling family and friends! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wrap Up the Summer with these Refreshers

Summer Refreshers from Mack & Schuhle Imports

As we are quickly heading for the unofficial end of Summer, there are still plenty of sunny, warm days and evenings to enjoy these refreshing wines.

Art of Earth Organic Prosecco Frizante ($14.99)

This wonderful Italian Prosecco is from the Corvezzo family 100% organic winery. It is produced from 85% Glera grapes and 15% other allowed varieties. It is fermented with selected yeast for 10-15 days and held cold until blending. Before the second fermentation, it was filtered and clarified. Yeast and rectified concentrated must are then added to the must, for the second fermentation that creates the light fizz. It is pale gold in color with delicate aromas of pear and apple. On the palate it is slightly sweet (Brut: 11-12 g/L of residual sugar) with flavors of pear and apple that pairs well with most foods. It is 10.5% Alcohol by Volume (ABV).

Mosketto Frizzante Bianco ($11.99)

This Mosketto is from vineyards that are located on a hilly ridge that passes through the hills of Mombaruzzo, located in north-western Italy at an altitude between 250 and 400 meters (820 - 1310 feet) above sea level. It is produced from 100% Piedmont aromatic varieties. It is fermented for 25-30 days and left on fine dregs for an additional 20-25 days. It is pale yellow in color with floral aromas as well as those of citrus and pineapple. On the palate it is very sweet (104 g/L residual sugar) with flavor of peach and fruit cocktail. The natural carbonation adds a very light fizz to this wine. It is 5% ABV)

Art of Earth Bubbly Sangría ($11.99)

The Castilla La Mancha winery is located in central Spain in a unique setting surrounded by vineyards at 2300 feet above sea level. It is produced from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes that are blended with organic juices. This bubbly sangría is cherry red in color and sweet (63 +/-5 g/L residual sugar). On the palate it has nice flavors of spices, plum, red cherry, raspberry and citrus and medium acidity with very light bubbles. It is 7% ABV.

These three wines are light, bubbly and sweet for your enjoyment during the remaining warm summer days and evenings ahead. Cheers!

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

Samples Provided by Donna White Communications and Mack & Schühle Imports

Ever Wonder? What Makes Some Wines Sweet?

In wines, there is a wide spectrum of sweetness. Those that are not sweet are referred to as “dry” wines while those that are sweet are simple referred to as “sweet” wines. And, in the wine world, this all has to do with ‘residual sugar.’

When wine grapes are ready for harvest, one of the primary indicators to the winemakers is their sugar content. Using a device called a refractometer, they are able to analyze a drop of grape juice and determine its sugar content. By passing light through the juice and measuring the refraction (i.e., the amount that the light bends), the sugar content can be measured. This is referred to as Brix.

So, in simple terms, when the grapes are ready to be harvested they have ‘just the right amount’ of sugar. Anyone who’s had a glass of grape juice with breakfast knows that grape juice is naturally sweet. And, this natural sugar in the grape juice is the key to fermentation. Yeast is added to the grape juice and the live yeast feed on the sugar and converts it to alcohol. And, in general terms, once all the sugar is eaten up, fermentation ends.

But, wine makers have some control over this process. They can allow fermentation to go to the end which means that there is little to no ‘residual sugar’ in the juice that’s now wine. This is the ‘dry’ wine. But, if the fermentation is halted, or only a small amount of yeast is added to the juice, the wine ends up with significant ‘residual sugar.’ And, this results in a ‘sweet’ wine.

That’s a quick overview of sweetness in wine. For further reading, check out these past blogs:

Behind the Cork™ - Chile's Coastal Sauvignon Blancs (Part 2)

Chile’s Coastal Sauvignon Blancs

Chile’s Sauvignon Blancs are notably diverse, with the finest identified with the country’s coastal and cool-climate regions.

These are not standard supermarket Sauvignon Blancs by any measure, but wines of personality and nuance. More reasons to take a new look at Chilean Sauvignon Blanc include the rapid advances in the country’s winemaking culture during the past decade, and expansion into a growing number of new regions and terroirs.

Here are four more excellent examples of Chile’s coastal Sauvignon Blancs:

2020 Casas del Bosque La Cantera Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

La Cantera is from the Casablanca Valley of Chile. The grapes come from “La Cantera” or “The Quarry” on an east-facing hillside with plenty of exposure to the sun and the marine breezes that characterizes the Casablanca Valley. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts. It was then left for a few weeks on its gross lees (without stirring) before being blended, clarified and filtered. This wine is straw in color with aromas of citrus, green apple and grass. On the palate it has bright flavors of pineapple and citrus with good acidity.

2020 Viña Garcés Silva Amayna Sauvignon Blanc ($25)

This wine is from the Leyda Valley which is just 8.6 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It was fermented for 10 to 15 days in stainless steel and kept on lees for six months. It is straw in color with very light citrus and herbal aromas. On the palate it is bright with grapefruit flavor and subtle herbal notes and finishes with a very slight hint of salinity. The six months on lees makes for a smooth mouthfeel and additional richness.

2021 Viña Koyle Costa La Flor Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

This Koyle Costa La Flor is from the Leyda Valley of Chile from slopes located just 5.6 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The winemaker finds these slopes uniquely situated to catch all the saltiness from the sea and unique minerals from the ancient coastal soils. It is straw in color with delicate aromas of pear and green vegetables. On the palate it has pear, pineapple and citrus notes and a bright acidic finish.

2021 Viña Tabalí Talinay Sauvignon Blanc ($24)

This wine from the Limarí Valley just 7.5 miles from the coast next to the Fray Jorge National Park which is an area that UNESCO has declared a World Biosphere Reserve. It was fermented in stainless steel then subjected to daily stirring to bring out the full character of the wine. It is straw in color with delicate aromas of pear and green vegetables. It has bright acidity, subtle notes of citrus and a hint of tartness.

These are all wonderful Sauvignon Blanc wines from the coast of Chile as were those featured in Part 1. Look for these and other super Sauvignon Blanc wines widely available from Chile’s coastal region. Cheers!

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

Samples Provided by the Wines of Chile (WOC) -- Vinos de Chile -- a non-profit, private organization of Chilean wine producers and the noted wineries of Chile via Creative Palate Communications

The Italian Lacrima Wine Grape

The Lacrima (lak-kree-mah) grape variety is one that I recently came across in a rosé blend. It is a native grape from the Marche region of Italy.

It is also known by the name of the wine that is used produce - Lacrima di Morro d'Alba.

The name of the grape seems to have derived from the fact that the berries, when ripe, ooze juice droplets that appear as tears (lacrima means tear in Italian). This is one of the reasons that the variety has had such a decline in the early 20th Century – the split grapes attract pests and diseases and were largely replaced by grape varieties that were easier to cultivate. But, there has been a recent rediscovery of the Lacrima grape and it is being replanted.

It has a black berry, with thick and consistent, blue-black colored skin. It produces intense ruby red wines with purple hues. The nose can be aromatic with notes of violets. With age, it can develop notes of strawberry, cherry, blackberries and blueberries. Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is a medium bodied wine with smooth tannins. And, it also works very well as a blending grape. Cheers!