Wine Wisdom
Wine can go to your head, and other thoughts
Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series.
As we all know, wine is a personal matter. People have different tastes and choose to avoid convention drinking wine. But there are ways for everyone to enjoy the experience at a higher level. Last week we addressed three key issues in enjoying wine temperature, wine glasses and swirling. Now we look at 4-6.
4. A word here about wine and headaches. Many people are under the impression that it is the tannin in the wine that causes headaches. Not true. Most folks are sensitive to the sulfur in the wine lovingly referred to as sulfites. Sulfur is present in all wine, more so in red than in white. No matter how slick the wording on the bottle, the fact of the matter is that you cannot make wine without some trace elements of sulfur. However, sulfur is commonly added to inferior wines to enhance the flavor. If you are buying mass-produced, heavily marketed wines from your local supermarket and you are experiencing headaches, try going to your local wine store. Your favorite wine professional will be happy to introduce you to any of an abundance of tasty, inexpensive red wines that will likely solve your problem.
5. Now let's explore the subject of organic wines. The term "organic" conjures up images of a mom-and-pop winery hand-crafting wine from vines that are cultivated totally free of any chemical treatments. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that the word organic on a bottle of American wine means only that no additional sulfur has been added. A far cry from the image described. To truly enjoy a totally naturally produced wine product look for the term, "biodynamic," which is a complex agricultural process that emphasizes the balance of the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, and animals as a closed, self-nourishing system. It sounds a bit like voodoo, but produces very, very tasty wine. Unfortunately, the practice of biodynamic wine production takes a significant amount of training, hard work, dedication and money. So these wines are often hard to find and pretty pricey. For a sample, try any of the varietals from the Frog's Leap Winery of Napa, Calif.
6. For those of you who consume the recommended one or two glasses of wine each night, and want to preserve the flavor or your wine, we have a solution. Throw away that little pump that you purchased some years ago. Your effort to remove all of the air from the bottle will fall short, no matter how accomplished your technique. Instead, go back to your wine store and purchase a container of wine-preserving nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has the happy characteristics of being heavier than air, but having a totally neutral affect on wine. Just spray a small amount of the gas into your bottle. The nitrogen will settle and insulate the wine and protect it. How long will the wine keep? Well, that depends on the sensitivity of your palate. But if the wine smells and tastes good to you go for it. Remember to store opened bottles in your refrigerator (red or white) to slow down the transformation process. Refer to Rule No. 1 about serving temps thereafter.
Bob Monica is general manager of The Conference Center at NorthPointe and former owner of the Wine Shoppe Bistro in Dublin.
As we all know, wine is a personal matter. People have different tastes and choose to avoid convention drinking wine. But there are ways for everyone to enjoy the experience at a higher level. Last week we addressed three key issues in enjoying wine temperature, wine glasses and swirling. Now we look at 4-6.
4. A word here about wine and headaches. Many people are under the impression that it is the tannin in the wine that causes headaches. Not true. Most folks are sensitive to the sulfur in the wine lovingly referred to as sulfites. Sulfur is present in all wine, more so in red than in white. No matter how slick the wording on the bottle, the fact of the matter is that you cannot make wine without some trace elements of sulfur. However, sulfur is commonly added to inferior wines to enhance the flavor. If you are buying mass-produced, heavily marketed wines from your local supermarket and you are experiencing headaches, try going to your local wine store. Your favorite wine professional will be happy to introduce you to any of an abundance of tasty, inexpensive red wines that will likely solve your problem.
5. Now let's explore the subject of organic wines. The term "organic" conjures up images of a mom-and-pop winery hand-crafting wine from vines that are cultivated totally free of any chemical treatments. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that the word organic on a bottle of American wine means only that no additional sulfur has been added. A far cry from the image described. To truly enjoy a totally naturally produced wine product look for the term, "biodynamic," which is a complex agricultural process that emphasizes the balance of the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, and animals as a closed, self-nourishing system. It sounds a bit like voodoo, but produces very, very tasty wine. Unfortunately, the practice of biodynamic wine production takes a significant amount of training, hard work, dedication and money. So these wines are often hard to find and pretty pricey. For a sample, try any of the varietals from the Frog's Leap Winery of Napa, Calif.
6. For those of you who consume the recommended one or two glasses of wine each night, and want to preserve the flavor or your wine, we have a solution. Throw away that little pump that you purchased some years ago. Your effort to remove all of the air from the bottle will fall short, no matter how accomplished your technique. Instead, go back to your wine store and purchase a container of wine-preserving nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has the happy characteristics of being heavier than air, but having a totally neutral affect on wine. Just spray a small amount of the gas into your bottle. The nitrogen will settle and insulate the wine and protect it. How long will the wine keep? Well, that depends on the sensitivity of your palate. But if the wine smells and tastes good to you go for it. Remember to store opened bottles in your refrigerator (red or white) to slow down the transformation process. Refer to Rule No. 1 about serving temps thereafter.
Bob Monica is general manager of The Conference Center at NorthPointe and former owner of the Wine Shoppe Bistro in Dublin.
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