What is your Real Wine?

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of money that is wasted on frivolous research. While half the world is starving to death researchers are telling us what kind of personality you have based on the type of wine you prefer. And marketers just love it. You will be debonair, smooth and smart when you eat our organic pita chip or any other product they want to promote on TV. OK, they tell us that it will allow them to figure out why the Western world has so many obese people and solve the problem. I think not.
Ah, but trust those ” wine gurus” to figure it out.

 

The “wine gurus”, in this case, were wine critics. They DID rate the much more expensive wines somewhat higher, but their ratings didn’t indicate much about how much most of us would enjoy the wine. And, as Wine Speculator, Peter notes, the wine critics were able to spot the costly wines, “although still not that much more often than by chance.” Blind taste tests often befuddle even the most experienced wine critics, as when Two Buck Chuck Chardonnay was judged to be the “Best in California” and “Best in Class” at the California State Fair wine competition.

Wine lover’s describe a wine having character or personality. No, no, that is backwards. Its people that are a lot like wine.

So what are you? A Cabernet, nice and dry? Or a Muscat, so sweet?
I guess I must be a certified vino. I like them all. It depends on the mood I am in, what I am planning to eat and most of all the people with whom I am sharing that bottle of wine.

The Result can you guess the one circumstance when expensive wine doesn’t beat the cheap stuff? It turns out that the one time when cheap wine fares about as well as expensive wine is in a blind taste test so try it and find in your Real Wine.

Salud

 

 

Do Wine Points Matter? Yes or No

I’ve been asked to sit on a panel and blind wine tasting several times at Societies and Brotherhood conference in Puerto Rico. The panel is titled “Do Points Matter”? Given I founded KoopWines we are not using points as a screening criteria for wines we bring into inventory – only 90 points or higher – it got me thinking about the role that wine ratings and scores play.

Wine Bottles

Do Wine Points Matter? Yes . . .

1. Helps Lesser Knowns. As the wine industry experiences the trend of consolidation of wineries as part of “uber-brands” and large, well-financed holding companies, we all run the risk of being subject to the almighty marketing dollar. Ratings help those wineries who are not as large, well-established or with deep pockets to secure distribution and marketing reach to the consumer.

2. Helps Consumers. For those who are not wine enthusiasts and painstakingly study and taste wine extensively, points are a way to help consumers navigate the myriad of varietals, brands, regions and price points. Points provide guidance and can instill confidence in consumers – helping drive demand.

3. Helps the Trade. As a small retailer and wine bar, like consumers, we too face a plethora of choice in what wines to purchase. While we like to think our team has sophisticated palates and a deep understanding of what our consumers will enjoy, we can only stock so many wines and using established point ratings from leading wine critics helps to simplify our operational challenge.

Do Wine Points Matter? No . . .

1. Homogenizes Differences Among Wine. Any point rating scale inherently buries or internalizes what are really material differences among wines (e.g. varietal, style, geography, “terroir”, etc.) How does a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand really compare to a Chianti from Italy?

2. Puts Too Much Power/Influence in a Few. Point ratings are often the opinion of a single critic. Given the diversity in peoples’ collective palates, this means that many will not be well served by another’s singular point of view.

3. Creates Irregular Patterns in Demand. Once a wine receives a positive rating from a prominent critic, it will spike demand for that wine. Great for a particular wine maker who receives a 90+ point score (and retailers who are fortunate enough to have access to that product). So the 92 point Napa Cab sells quickly often at premium prices, while the 89 point Napa Cab, which to many would be just as good or even better, languishes on the shelves even at discounted prices.

Are There Any Sulfite-Free Wine?

sulfites act as an anti-oxidant in wines

Sorry…there’s no such thing. Sulfite is a naturally occuring bi-product of fermentation. Any fermented product contains some sulfite…and that includes bread, soy sauce, beer, etc.

It is true that for centuries winemakers the world over have added tiny amounts (parts per million) of additional sulfite to act as an anti-oxidant. The amounts of sulfite in wine are so minute that they seem only to bother the most hyper-allergic…and you are much more likely to find quantities of sulfite that might cause a reaction on restaurant salad bars or in fresh seafood cases at the market.

Because of modern wine-making techniques (micro-filtration, etc)today’s wines have the least quantity of sulfite that they have ever had. These small amounts won’t hurt you. In fact, they may even be beneficial. Here’s some sound scientific advice from someone who not only attended and passed High School Chemistry but went on to earn a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology, WINE EXPO-ista Linda Olsen Weber, R.E.H.S., M.S.:

“We need these chemicals. Your body contains about 6 ounces of sulfur, mostly in amino acids, which combine to make proteins, which in turn combine to make all sorts of body parts – skin, hair, nails and connective tissues. Sulfur is also a part of insulin, heparin and polysaccharides in the matrices of your cartilage, bones and teeth. You NEED to consume sulfur to replenish the supply to your body. Sources include meat, legumes, cabbage, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic and – you guessed it – wine and beer! What do you smell when you chop garlic? Diallyl disulfide. Chives, leeks and onions? Other disulfides. And when you cook cabbage? Hydrogen sulfide, methyl sulfide and trisulfides.”

[...]“If you’re still bothered by the idea of sulfur products in your wine (you’re on your own with garlic), aerate the wine – pour it into another container before serving. This will allow excess sulfur dioxide to escape, but you may lose some good aromas as well. I think I’ll pour mine directly from the bottle to my glass, Bon appetit!”

That being said, there are a number of wineries who make it a policy not to utilize sulphur in either the vineyard or in the winery, and so there is just the bare, natural minimum in their wines. Frog’s Leap (who makes terrific Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon) and Frey (best for their Zinfandel and Petite Sirah) in California, for instance, follow that regime.

Richard Grant Wrotham Pinot may also be a solution for those with a sensitivity to chemicals of any kind. This amazing wine is made from grapes which developed a natural immunity to the diseases that chemicals are usually used to spray against. Their immunity means that the grapes have been grown entirely free of chemical sprays of any kind. The taste is also quite amazing. See the Wine Lovers’ Online Gift Store to order.

Another excellent source of wines made from organically grown grapes from France and around the world is the Organic Wine Company. Their web site contains a wealth of information about wine and health sensitivities.

Finally, recent evidence points to the presence of histamines in some wine (especially red wine) as being the real cuprit for some people with sensitivities. For the average person, drinking extra water after drinking wine is usually sufficient to help clear their system of any negative influence.