Behind the Cork™ - St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc

2019 St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc ($24.99)

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery  produces 100% estate grown, certified Napa Green wines, focusing on sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and additional red Bordeaux varietals.

Napa Green is an environmental certification program for vineyards and wineries. This program is one of the most comprehensive environmental accreditations in the wine industry, covering every step from soil to bottle and requiring continuous improvement to maintain their certifications. All of of their land is certified Napa Green.

This St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc is produce from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes that are estate grown in their Dollarhide Vineyard. The grapes were pressed to tank and immediately chilled and settled prior to fermentation. All fermentation was completed in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to maintain and enhance the natural flavors. The final blend was completed soon thereafter.

This Sauvignon Blanc is pale gold in color with hints of green. It has nice aromas of tropical fruit, grapefruit and lime. On the palate, this wine has delicate tropical fruit flavors, moderate acidity and finishes soft and balanced with a hint of honey. (ABV: 13.5%, Total Acidity: 6.8 g/L, pH: 3.29, Residual Sugar: 0.2 g/L)

This is indeed a ‘super’ Sauvignon Blanc from St. Supéry winery. It’s widely available and nicely priced for a quality wine from Napa. That makes it a perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

The Humboldt Current and Chile’s Coastal Wines

The Humboldt Current (Image from The Wines of Chile)

Behind some of the most distinctive wines of Chile lies an ocean current that has a major effect on vineyards in this area, not to mention weather patterns across the globe.

How is it possible that a tropical latitude can produce cold-climate wines of the kind found on the coast of Chile? Why do Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive all along the 600-mile wine-producing terroir of the Chilean coast? 

The underlying cause of these conditions is to be found out in the cold waters of the Pacific, where a powerful oceanic current runs from south to north — The Humbolt Current.

Of all the great oceanic currents, the Humboldt stands out:

• It generates one of the richest maritime ecosystems in the world

• It is so large and cold that it affects the coasts of South America from the 50th to the 4th parallels

• Whenever it shifts course, weather patterns around the globe change completely

The Humboldt Current flows up to the continent and rises to the surface at a latitude of between 50 and 40 degrees south. The volume of water is such that even six hundred miles out to sea it has a major effect on inland weather.

Due to its scale and length, the Humboldt Current changes the weather around it, creating a cold buffer in nearby air masses and lowering temperatures as it goes.

The contrast couldn’t be starker: where on land the earth is barren, the air dry and there is a total lack of plants other than in river valleys, out to sea the cold, nutrient rich water results in an explosion in marine life. The Humboldt Current sustains the richest marine ecosystem in the world on the coasts of Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Nothing escapes Humboldt’s icy breath, which is why it is so important to the coastal wines of Chile.

Next time we’ll take a look at the Coastal terroirs of Chile.

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Materials provided by The Wines of Chile

Behind the Cork™ - Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc

2020 Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc ($13.99)

One of the first two wines Ferrari-Carano ever made 40 years ago, this Fumé Blanc is from Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown in Sonoma County — Dry Creek, Alexander and Russian River Valleys.

When the grapes for this wine arrived at the winery, each lot was gently crushed and pressed into stainless steel tanks for 48 hours of cold settling. The juice was either transferred to stainless steel tanks (73%) or older French oak barrels (27%) for fermentation. The wine in barrels were sur lie aged and stirred every other week for two months, then blended and bottled.

This wine is a medium-gold color with pleasant aromas of tropical fruit. On the palate, this is a medium-bodied dry wine with medium-high acidity, flavors of pear, pineapple and grapefruit, and finishes balanced and bright. (ABV: 13.8%, Acidity: 5.6 g/L, pH:3.27)

This Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc is a tasty refresher that is priced nicely and is widely available. A great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Cheers!

Ever Wonder? What Exactly is in Wine?

Photo by Christine Isakzhanova on Unsplash

We know that wine is a lovely drink made from fermented fruit, but what exactly is in a bottle of wine?

Water

Wine is usually comprised of 80-90% water that is directly extracted from squeezed grapes. In rare instances, water may be added to dilute the wine when the alcohol content (or potential alcohol) and/or phenolics become excessive. However, this practice is quite uncommon.

Alcohol

Between 10% and 15% of wine consists of alcohol, specifically ethyl alcohol (also known as ethanol), which is the primary alcohol component in wine. Other alcohols, such as glycerol and methyl alcohol (also known as methanol), may also be present in wine. Why is alcohol significant in wine? It imparts a “body” and “weight” to the palate, providing a tactile sensation as the wine’s elements linger in the mouth. Ethanol plays a crucial role in your nose as well, as it evaporates rapidly and carries the wine’s aromas up to your olfactory receptors.

Acid

The amount of acid in wine typically ranges between 4 to 8 grams per liter (g/L). To put this in perspective, a bottle of wine is 750 ml or 3/4 of a liter. Thus, a typical bottle of wine has 3-6 gm of acid. This level can vary based on the style of wine, grape variety, and region of production.

Tartaric acid is the most common acid found in wine.

Sugar

Most wines, including common varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot contain less than 4 g/L of residual sugar or less than 3 gm. Glucose and fructose are the two simple sugars that can be found in equal amounts in the grapes. At harvest, grapes typically contain about 15 – 28% sugar. These sugars are highly fermentable, and the yeast converts these sugars into ethanol, making grape juice into wine.

Phenolic Compounds

This gets a bit technical, so hang in there. Phenolic compounds are tiny molecules, called polyphenols and phenolics and they can really make a difference in wine. Some of these compounds include anthocyanins, flavanols, tannins, and vanilla. We know that vanilla aromas and flavors come from oak barrels and tannins come from the skin, stems, and seeds of the grapes. But, the other compounds affect the wine’s color. Anthocyanins are the ones that give red wine its color. The more anthocyanins there are and the less acidic the wine is, the redder it will be. Flavanols are yellow pigments found in white wines. These compounds are sensitive to light, which helps wine look more golden in warmer climates compared to cooler climates.

So, there you have it! Wine is primarily composed of water, along with some alcohol, acids, sugar, and phenolic compounds. When a wine tastes ‘off,’ it’s typically due to an imbalance in these components. Acquiring the right balance is challenging, which is what makes winemaking such a captivating art. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Daou Chardonnay

2022 Daou Chardonnay ($16)

Daniel Daou always had dreams of becoming a winemaker, but as a young man in France, this was completely out of reach. He placed this dream on the back-burner, but the pulse of that dream never truly faded. It was always there in the background, calling to him. To feed that passion, Daniel ravenously studied and collected wines while raising his young family in San Diego. “When I would go to kiss my father goodnight, he was always reading a wine book,” his eldest daughter Katherine fondly recalls. This passion ultimately led him to follow his winemaking dream and discover what is now DAOU Mountain in Paso Robles, California.

This 100% Chardonnay, barrel-aged for five months, with 30% in new French oak, exhibits a deep golden yellow color and light aromas of tropical fruit, vanilla, and floral notes. On the palate, it strikes a balance between a bright, crisp, and fruity Chardonnay from stainless steel tanks and one with heavy oak aging. While it undergoes five months in French oak, pineapple and pear flavors persist, complemented by rich vanilla notes from the new oak. 

This Daou Chardonnay is another fantastic wine from Daou. And guess what? It’s super affordable and widely available. That makes it the perfect choice for this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week!

Pick this one up. I'm going back for more! Cheers!