Author: rdilauro

Spring is around the corner and the one wine really that speaks Spring is ROSE

How does this wine get the pink color?  Are there pink grapes?

Wikipedia Answer:  Rosé wines are made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe. When rosé wine is the primary product, it is produced with the skin contact method. Black-skinned grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period, typically two to twenty hours.

When any grape is first crushed (white or red) the fruit juice is always clear. The color is determined by how long this clear juice is left in contact with the grape skins.  So basically, white wines do not stay in contact with the white grape skins very long, where red wines stay in contact with the red grape skins longer.   As Wikipedia’s definition (above)  Rose wines are made from red grapes, but the resulting juice does not stay in contact with the red grapes for extended periods of time.  The less time the juice is in contact, the lighter color rose will result, where the longer the contact, the darker the color.

Some misconceptions about Rose wine

“Rose wines are made by mixing White and Red Wine”   This is NOT true.
“White Zinfandel is not a Rose”  But it is, its just a very sweet rose.
“The darker the color of the Rose wine, the sweeter it will be”  NOT true             

The early days of Rose wine

While I do not have any accurate dates when Rose wines started to blossom in the wine world, but the early Rose wines came from:

France: 
Cote d Provence (light and refreshing)
Tavel ( more body and color and not as dry

 

 

Portugal:
Mateus,  Lancers were the big name brands and they tend to be on the sweet side

 

 

United States:
All the blush wines, the sweeter ones from the Finger Lakes in New York and the White Zinfandel from California

 

Where Rose is being made today

Just about every wine producing country/region is now producing Rose wines.  Each is somewhat unique, made from different grapes or a blend of grapes.

Some of the more interesting of these Roses are:

Italy:
Made from the Sangiovese grape resulting in a fuller body wine

 

 

 

Portugal: 
Now making Rose from many of the grapes from the Douro valley plus many other grapes

New Zealand:
Many made from the Pinot Noir grape resulting in a bigger and not a completely dry wine

Austria: 
Made from the blaufränkisch grape creating a light and lively wine.

 

 

Israel:
Made from the Made from cinsault and mourvèdre  grapes. Much richer
than the everyday rose.  Full bodied.

 

 

 

And there are many other countries making Rose’s today.  This includes Greece,  England, Georgia, South Africa.

 

 

Rose Profiles

Color

There are so many different color shades of Rose wines.   Much depends on the grape being used and how long the winemaker keeps the grape skins intact with the juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flavor

The flavors of  rose wines tend to be more subtle versions of their red wine varietal counterparts. The fruit expectations lean towards strawberry, cherry, and raspberry with some citrus and watermelon presenting on a regular basis. Rose wines can run from the extra dry and light to a full bodied semi-sweet wine.

Old world (Europe) roses tend to be drier in style, while New world (anywhere else) tend to be not as dry.  Most rose wine will be around 12% abv (alcohol content).  You will find some that are lower than 12% and they tend to be more on the sweeter side.

When can you drink Rose wine? 

ANYTIME.   For years, people always associate rose with Spring and Summer time.  There really isn’t anything more inviting than to have a bottle of Cote d Provence, sitting on the banks of the River Seine in Paris laying down with a picnic lunch of fine cheeses and breads.

Today, rose wines have become so food friendly that the can go with almost any meal and can be served year round.   This wine can handle Surf and Turf,  Outdoor BBQs, Italian, Chinese or even Mexican cuisine.

Most rose wine should be slightly chilled, some varietals can taste great at room temperature and some extremely chilled.   You need to experiment a bit here.  But there are no formal guidelines, your taste and preference is what really counts

So next time you are in a wine shop, browse the Rose section.  Its growing and growing.  And with Spring around the corner, most wine retail shops will have display after display of Rose wine.

 

 

 

 

Oh and another treat.  Many winemakers make sparkling Rose.   Thats an extra treat.

 

ENJOY

Organic vs Natural Wines

Basic Definition and Terms

“Organic wine” is made with grapes grown on an organic farm—the same way an apple orchard could be organic. … “Natural wine” is a loose term that describes wines made with minimal intervention in the vineyards and in the cellar, but it can be a bit of a misnomer.

Natural wine is more of a concept than a well-defined category with agreed-upon characteristics. In its purest form, it is wine made from unadulterated fermented grape juice and nothing else. “People think that natural wine is a fad or a new thing, but it’s the traditional way to make wine

“Organic” is a system of farming and food processing, as well as a label. … Sulfites are allowed in small amounts (less than 100 mg/L (ppm)); this wine cannot be labeled as “organic” but can mention the use of organic grapes. 2 – wine made from organic grapes with no added sulfites
Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. … Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.

I’ve read so many articles regarding Organic and Natural wines.   I’ve tasted many of them.  My overall opinion so far is that, these wines are not very expensive ($10-$20 range) and the taste is nothing to get excited about (so far)  This does not take away from the quality of the wine or the people that make it.

When I tried explaining this to many customers in the retail wine shop, I tried to keep it as simple as possible, without getting into the details and chemistry behind it.

Natural Wine  The main ingredient (Grape, Fruit, Plant, etc) is allowed to turn to wine naturally without the addition of any yeasts.   This was the method used in ancient Greek and Roman times.   Some natural winemakers will add a minimal amount of sulfites.  This is required to ensure that the wine stays the same from when it was first bottled until a consumer drinks it
What it isn’t

Organic Wine.   Many times, I use the phrase Green control.  This is very similar to Green Farming.   This means there there is  NO  non-artificial, chemical ingredients added.  No artificial fertilizers or insect control can be used. Only natural soil (compost) and minerals can be used and pest control is maintained using other living organisms (such as bees).   As with natural wines, there always is the addition of minimal amounts of sulfites.    

Different countries have different regulations and controls on what can be called organic wines.  In the United States the premium control given is Certified wine.  There is an intensive certification process that a wine maker must go through to obtain that level.   Chile, handles this differently.  They utilize  IMO Control (Institute for Market Ecology).

Now about the standard normal process of winemaking

“Conventional” winemaking — shorthand for non-natural wine — is defined by technical intervention. In the vineyard, that intervention comes in the form of pesticides and herbicides. In the cellar, intervention generally comes in the form of lab-grown yeast (to control the fermentation process and regulate flavor), acid (to increase the wine’s acidity, which in turn can help the wine age better), and sulfites added at the time of bottling (to preserve flavor). Many winemakers also add sugar, which doesn’t make the wine sweet but instead, through turning into alcohol, creates the perception of “body.” (It’s common practice in Burgundy.

Going off topic now!    Just the word sulfite brings up so many different discussions.  People blame the headaches that get after drinking red wine on sulfites.  In reality, white wine has more sulfites than red wine does.   Also, if you look at sulfite charts on different foods and beverages you will see that wine is always at the very bottom in the amount of sulfites they contain.
There is NO such thing as a wine without sulfites.   What you will look for are wines that do not contain any ADDITIONAL sulfites.   But always keep in mind that sulfites are a natural by product of grape fermentation.
So, the next logical question asked “Then why do I get headaches after drinking red wine?”

There are two answers:
–   Antihistamines.  Red wine can contain more histamines than white wine.
People with allergies therefor can get headaches after drinking red wine.
–   Consuming too much wine!

There is another method called Biodynamic   But for the purposes of this discussion,  I am not going to get into those differences or examples.  Thats another topic. 

Today there is a strong movement  to organic and natural products.   Most people are trying to move to products that overall are better for a person’s health.   This is very good movement.   My son, who besides being a professional chef, has a degree in Nutrition.   One thing he always told me when it comes to products….  “If the ingredients label contain more than a handful of items or items that you are hard pressed to identify, then GET RID OF IT”

Besides going to my natural and organic foods/beverages/etc, there is also a big concern regarding Vegetarians and Vegans.   But most wines are NOT!

WHY?

The reason that all wines are not vegan or even vegetarian-friendly has to do with how the wine is clarified and a process called ‘fining’. … Traditionally the most commonly used fining agents were casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein).

Adding to that, many of the oak barrels use in aging wines are held together by horse glue.  So, you have the animal influence right there.   There are some wines that are aged in OAK that the barrels are not held together by animal glue.  One method, is the stainless steel process.

Here are some wines that can be called 100% vegan

• Bellissima Prosecco. …
• Blossom Hill. …
• Charles Shaw Red Wine Varieties. …
• Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards. …
• Cycles Gladiator. …
• DAOU Vineyards. …
• Frey Vineyards. …
• JUSTIN Wines.

SO, what are the good Organic or Natural wine?

(I am taking this directly from the internet, these are not my personal choices, but instead an general. consensus)

Its here!  2020   What better post then to talk about Champagne

Any article that talks about Champagne, has to start out with the origin of Champagne and how it was made.

The history of Champagne has seen the wine evolve from being a pale, pinkish still wine to the sparkling wine now associated with the region.
The Romans were the first to plant vineyards in this area of northeast France, with the region being cultivated by at least the 5th century, possibly earlier. When Hugh Capet was crowned King of France in 987 at the cathedral of Reims, located in the heart of the region.

The cold winter temperatures prematurely halted fermentation in the cellars, leaving dormant yeast cells that would awaken in the warmth of spring and start fermenting again. One of the byproducts of fermentation is the release of carbon dioxide gas, which, if the wine is bottled, is trapped inside the wine, causing intense pressure. The pressure inside the weak, early French wine bottles often caused the bottles to explode, creating havoc in the cellars. If the bottle survived, the wine was found to contain bubbles, something that the early Champenois were horrified to see, considering it a fault. As late as the 17th century, Champenois wine makers, most notably the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon (1638–1715), were still trying to rid their wines of the bubbles.  Many people believed that Dom Perignon was the founder of Champagne, he was not..  Instead he developed the first bottle that would contain the pressure without bursting the bottle.

The person really responsible for the birth of champagne, was Madam Clicquot.    Advances by the house of Veuve Clicquot in the development of the méthode champenoise made production of sparkling wine on a large scale profitable, and this period saw the founding of many of today’s famous Champagne houses,

This describes the  méthode champenoise used in making Champagne

Step 1: Selecting the Cuvée: The cuvée is the base wine selected to make the Champagne. The most expensive Champagnes are made from cuvées from Grand Cru vineyards in the Champagne region. Cuvées can be from a pure grape variety, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, or can be a mixture of several grape varieties. Chardonnay is a white grape variety with white juice, Pinot Noir a red grape variety with WHITE juice. Pinot Meunier, a red grape, is a relative of Pinot Noir, also used extensively.

• Blanc de noirs means “white of blacks”. It is a white wine produced entirely from black grapes (another name for red grapes). Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier  are the only two black grapes permitted within the Champagne AOC.

• Blanc de blancs means “white of whites”, and is used to designate Champagnes made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes.

• Rosé wines (also known as Pink Champagne) are produced either by leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on its skins for a brief time or, more commonly, by adding a small amount of still Pinot noir red wine to the sparkling wine cuvée.

Step 2: Assemblage is the French art of blending still white wines to create the base wine for Champagne. Assemblage is at the core of all fine Champagne.

Step 3:  Tirage (the second fermentation): Next sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients are added, and the entire concoction, called the “tirage”, is put in a thick walled glass bottle and sealed with a bottle cap. The tirage is placed in a cool cellar (55-60 F) and allowed to slowly ferment, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Step 4 Aging: As the fermentation proceeds, yeast cells die and after several months, the fermentation is complete. However, the Champagne continues to age in the cool cellar for several more years resulting in a toasty, yeasty characteristic. During this aging period, the yeast cells split open and spill into the solution imparting complex, yeasty flavors to the Champagne. The best and most expensive Champagne is aged for five or more years. This completes the second fermentation.

Step 5: Riddling: After the aging process is complete the dead yeast cells are removed through a process known as riddling (Le Remuage). The Champagne bottle is placed upside down in a holder at a 75 degree angle. Each day the riddler comes through the cellar and turns the bottle 1/8th of a turn while keeping it upside down. This procedure forces the dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle where they are subsequently removed. A riddler typically handles 20,000 to 30,000 bottles per day.

Step 6: Disgorging: The Champagne bottle is kept upside down while the neck is frozen in an ice-salt bath. This procedure results in the formation of a plug of frozen wine containing the dead yeast cells. Finally, the bottle cap is removed and the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas in the bottle forces the plug of frozen wine out (“disgorging”) leaving behind clear Champagne.

Step 7:  Adding the Dosage: At this point the “Dosage”, a mixture of white wine, brandy and sugar is added to adjust the sweetness level of the wine and to top up the bottle.

Step 8: Corking: The bottle is then corked and the cork wired down to secure the high internal pressure of the carbon dioxide. The sweetness levels of Champagne range from very dry (ultra brut) to very sweet (doux), with brut being the most common.

Reference: https://mobile.henrisreserve.com/

Why Champagne?  Why Sparkling wine?

Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region in northern France. A typical Champagne or U.S. sparkling wine is made from a blend of three grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. …   Basically, that translate into no other wine producers of sparkling wines can call their product Champagne.  Even though the process is identical, there is a lot of respect given to the origins of Champagne.

How to open a bottle of Champagne 

All champagne bottles from any country, always have
a wire cage that surrounds the expanded cork.    To remove
this cork, you need to turn the cage exactly 5 and 1/2 turns.
That will completely open up the cage, so you can remove
the cork.

Sabering

This is another method, mostly for show to open a bottle of champagne.  Its
called sabering and you can use almost any device from a true saber to a simple kitchen knife.  Word to the wise, this is not always the easiest way to open champagne and many times it results in a lot of champagne being wasted

 

Types of Sparkling Wines

Champagne    – Only for the Champagne Region of France
Cremant           – Directly outside the region of France
Cava                   – Spain
Prosecco         – Italy
Sekt                   – Germany
Sparkling        – USA

Champagne or Sparkling Wine  – Dry or Sweet

• Brut Nature: 0-2g/L. Brut Nature is also known as zero dosage, ultra brut, brut sauvage and non-dosage. …
• Extra Brut: up to 6g/L. Extra Brut has no detectable sweetness with 0-6g/L of residual sugar. …
• Brut: up to 12g/L. …
• Extra Sec: 12-17g/L. …
• Sec: 17-32g/L. …
• Demi-Sec: 32-50g/L. …
• Doux: more than 50g/L.

Call it Champagne or Sparkling wine, whatever, for years it has been the trademark of celebrations.  For the crowning of a new ship,  to a toast at a wedding, or to ring in the new year.

Whatever the occasion, its a special type of wine that everyone should try