Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
A: Sulfur dioxide(SO2) is a naturally occurring type of sulfite. Mined sulfur is heated into a liquid and used to protect wine from oxidizing. The same method has been used to protect wine from oxidization for centuries. Sulfur dioxide is used to protect the wine's character by inhibiting the growth of molds and bacteria and by stopping the oxidation (browning) of the wine. In grape juice or wine, sulfur dioxide reacts with water molecules to form sulfites. A sulfiting agent can be added to foods and beverages in the form of sulfur dioxide (a gas) or as potassium bisulfite or metabisulfite (powders). In solution, all forms act the same way, releasing sulfur dioxide.
The very yeast that convert grape sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide also produce sulfites. (In fact, sulfites are also a natural byproduct of most living organisms. At this very moment, your body is producing some sulfites!). As such, they are present to some extent in every wine. For thousands of years, winemakers have been adding additional sulfites to wines to protect them from spoilage. Most modern wine producers use sulfites twice, first to kill wild strains of yeast and bacteria that might impart off-flavors and later in the process to protect young (especially white) wine from spoilage due to oxidation, etc.
Many smaller (better?) producers only use sulfites once, pre-bottling. They allow the strains of yeast in the vineyard/winery to ferment the wine.
More and more "organic" type winemakers today are not adding any sulfites and so do not have to use the warning labels (the naturally occurring stuff dissipates with time) if the levels are below 10 PPM (parts per million). Some of these wines are good (not great) and we carry a small selection of them.
BUT if you have drunk wine and are not dead, you are probably not allergic to sulfites! Perhaps one or two in a million people are actually allergic to sulfites. If you do react to some wines, it is probably something else and not sulfites. These reactions are very idiosyncratic and it's nearly impossible to predict which wines will bother you and which will not. In my experience, however, the red wines least likely to cause you problems are Pinot Noirs (also red Burgundies). The white wines least likely to be problematical are Sauvignon Blancs (also Fumé Blanc, Pouilly Fumé & Sancerre).
A: No. There is strong evidence that sulfur dioxide was used by Egyptians and has been in regular use since Roman times. European winemakers have used sulfur dioxide to prevent wine spoilage for centuries.
A: Yes. Wine yeasts naturally produce 8-10 parts per million of SO2 during fermentation, but sometimes up to 20 parts per million. Many winemakers innoculate grape juice or juice + skins with sulfites to kill off natural yeast. They then innoculate the juice or juice + skins with laboratory-grown strains of yeast for fermentation. The yeast produce some sulfites, so no other sulfite additions are necessary for four to five months. At the time of bottling, sulfur dioxide levels are often adjusted to 20-30 parts per million. Wine actually needs one of the lowest levels of sulfites of all products to ensure stability. Because of wine's alcohol content, naturally high acidity, and low pH, only low levels of SO2 need to be added to achieve stability. There are also naturally occurring and added sulfites in other foods (see below). In addition, our own bodies produce about 1,000 mg (!) of sulfites a day through normal biochemical processes.
A: Dried fruit, such as apples and apricots, are typically packaged with 500 to 1,000 ppm SO2! Wine is usually bottled with 20-30 ppm.
A: The concern over sulfites in the United States arose with the use of extremely high levels of SO2 (1,000 to 3,000 ppm) on salad bars to prevent the browning of fruits and lettuce. This use of sulfites resulted in asthmatic reactions--some serious. In 1986 the FDA banned the use of sulfites on fresh fruits and vegetables while other foods and beverages must now be labeled if they contain sulfites--even those which contain very low levels.
A: The reaction is a chemical sensitivity found in an extremely small percentage of the population. The majority of sulfite-sensitive people are asthmatic but represent less than 3% of asthmatics. In addition, there are a significant number of people with a genetic blood deficiency called G6PD deficiency. These people will have reactions to sulfites that range from minor to life-threatening. They should avoid foods, beverages, and even medications with high levels of sulfites as well as some foods in the legume family. We sell low/no sulfite wines to sulfite-sensitive people. These are generally not the very best wines in their respective category, but we usually receive positive feedback. One must be careful about the age of these bottles; they have a relatively short shelf life because sulfites are preservatives.
A: The vast majority of people report little or no problems when drinking wine. Some people do, however, and usually falsely blame it on sulfites. Sulfites are rarely the cause! Chemists have found over 300 naturally occurring chemicals in wine, so it's not surprising that some of them cause headaches, sensitivities, or allergic reactions in some people. The problem is that these situations are very idiosyncratic: different people react to different chemicals. To make matters worse, some of these chemicals are present to a greater degree in some wines but not in others. One usually can't generalize that "white wines" or "California wines" are the culprit. Some people react more to red wines than whites. Histamines are usually present to a greater degree in reds than whites, but so are many other chemicals. Sulfites are more common in white wines than in red. Anthocyanins, minerals, and other organic materials are present in both. Unfortunately, there are no good scientific studies on this subject. Some migraine sufferers react to tannins and should stick to whites or soft reds (Beaujolais, Dolcetto, most Pinot Noir, less expensive Merlot). Other red wines should be fully mature or aged.)
Curiously, in France, people tend to report more problems after drinking white wines. In the U.S., more problems are reported with red wines. It's nearly impossible to predict which wines will bother you and which will not. In my experience, however, the red wines least likely to cause you problems are Pinot Noirs (also red Burgundies). The white wines least likely to be problematical are Sauvignon Blancs (also Fumé Blanc, Pouilly Fumé, & Sancerre).
If you suffer from headaches and/or flushed skin when drinking wine, try drinking a cup of black tea before you drink the wine. If you will be drinking over the course of the evening, have another cup or two of black tea during the evening. Quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in black tea, significantly inhibits the headache/flush response (which is an inflammatory effect from histamines), according to Tareq Khan, M.D., a pain expert with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas.
If the problem you suffer from is bloating due to alcohol's dehydrating and water retention effects, try munching on magnesium-rich snacks like dark chocolate and unsalted nuts, according to Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. As if you needed another excuse to eat chocolate!
Headaches and hangovers can be minimized by making sure you 1) eat well before or while you drink, 2) get a good night's sleep the night before drinking, 3) drink a lot of water during the evening, 4) drink good wine, not crap, and 5) limit the amount you drink. Allergies are allergies, however. There's not much you can do to prevent them except perhaps take allergy medications. Most of these warn against combining with alcohol, so consult your doctor first. Most people with allergies can usually find wines that do not bother them. Experiment with small amounts of various wines, and then stick with the ones that you like and that don't bother you.
A: "RWH '' (red wine headache) can be reduced or even prevented by taking one aspirin one hour before drinking red wine. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen are not as effective. Nor is taking the aspirin after a headache has begun. You must take the aspirin an hour before drinking.
In 1981 Herbert Kaufman, M.D., reported that the prophylactic ingestion of aspirin prevented red wine headache syndrome, RWH, (Lancet 1981; 1: 1263). He also noted that once RWH begins, aspirin has little or no effect in altering the headache. Five years later, in a non-controlled study, Kaufman reported that aspirin inhibited the immediate and late phases of RWH, and the proposed mechanism was through interruption of prostaglandin synthetase (Immunology and Allergy Practice; 7: 279-84). In a subsequent controlled study, Kaufman and Dwight Starr, M.D., Mt. Zion Hospital and Medical Center, examined, through blind evaluation, various inhibitors of prostaglandin synthetase (IPS) drugs, aspirin, Acetaminophen, and Ibuprofen, to test if the RWH could be prevented by the prophylactic use of these specific medications.
During the first stage, twelve subjects (nine females and three males) with a history of RWH were challenged with red wine and all experienced RWH. The subjects returned one week later, stage two, and were given inhibitors of prostaglandin synthetase or placebo one hour prior to wine ingestion. The two who received the placebo were not protected. Kaufman and Starr reported that ten of the subjects who were premedicated failed to develop the RWH; two given Acetaminophen developed a “second phase'' RWH 6-10 hours after wine ingestion.
Kaufman and Starr conclude that RWH may be due to a metabolic defect and corrected by prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors, but mechanisms of correction remain obscure. For the layperson, this study suggests that taking aspirin and possibly Ibuprofin before drinking red wine may reduce or eliminate Red Wine Headache.
If big red wines continue to be a problem for you, switch to lighter reds such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, dry rosés, or (gasp) white wines.
Source: H. Kaufman and D. Starr, Prevention of the Red Wine Headache (RWH); A Blind Controlled Study. In New Advances in Headache Research, 2nd edition, ed. F. Clifford Rose. Smith-Gordon, 1991.
A: The wine snob's answer would be that it is never appropriate to serve blush wines. The reality is that many people like these wines, and that is fine. My personal view is that blush wines are only an introduction to wine. Good wine is meant to go with food. Blush wines are, for the most part, too sweet to really accompany food (They can be appropriate with hot and spicy dishes, however). Many Americans have been raised on the Coke ethic and expect sweetness (and, gasp, ice cubes!) in their drinks. However, the more one gets into wine and especially into the wine/food synergy, the more one finds out that with just a few exceptions, sweet drinks dull the sense of taste and don't synergize with food. It's the crisp acidity of a dry wine that seems to bring out the nuances of food.
If you are still a blush drinker, I would urge you to explore other options. You don't have to go cold turkey into austere, dry, tart, or tannic wines. There are many stops midway. One is to try a French Rosé d’Anjou; it’s lightly sweet and quite tasty.
The next step are the many dry (or softly dry) rosé wines available. Dry rosés have become very popular, especially in the summer and especially those from Provence. Simi makes a lovely rosé of Cabernet; Robert Sinsky, Copain, and Sanford each make a very nice Vin Gris from Pinot Noir grapes. Prices range from $15 - $25. In addition to the rosés mentioned above, there are some good ones from, Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Côtes du Rhône, Italy, Chile, and Spain that are mostly dry.
Other wines that you might explore are the Alsatian wines, which are not overly dry (but not sweet). Pinot Blanc is an especially nice and well-priced Alsatian varietal, but a Gewürztraminer, Tokay, or Riesling would also be of interest. American Gewürztraminers tend to be a bit too sweet, but there are exceptions. Look for American Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. There are also many drier German wines to try. "Kabinet" wines will be just slightly sweet, whereas "halbtrocken" and “trocken” wines will be almost dry. Labeling of German wines is confusing. Almost foolproof: look for bottles with alcohol levels above 10% (the higher, the drier). There are some softer style California Chardonnays, especially the inexpensive ones. Another possibility is a dry (sec) Vouvray from France's Loire Valley or an American (or South African) dry Chenin Blanc. Pine Ridge makes a nice one. Of course, we would appreciate your looking for these wines at Beekmans!
A: Much of the info online is either very commercial, very slanted, or for wine geeks. I highly recommend that you purchase Wine for Dummies (the basic one) and any book by Hugh Johnson. Another (advanced) great book is Jancis Robinson's The Oxford Companion to Wine. Any two or all three of these books will take you a long way in your search for wine knowledge. Of course, book knowledge alone is insufficient. You must taste. It would be helpful to find other like-minded people in your area to get together with. That way you could split the costs of some of the better wines and get to experience a wider range of wines than you could on your own. You will also get other opinions. If you live in the area of Bergen or Passaic Counties in NJ, contact us about a tasting group. If not, your local wine shop may be able to help you. Introductory wine courses are very hard to find. We used to offer an adult education course, but laws regarding alcohol on public school property and administrators fearful of liability have pretty much put a stop to such courses.
Good luck on your vinous excursion. Believe me, it is a lot of fun and rewarding if you don't get carried away and don't take sources like the Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate too seriously. Most people treat them like Gospel. The only Gospel is YOUR taste, not some experts.
Please remember these key points: 1) There are no right or wrongs regarding taste. Your opinion is just as valid as some "experts." Nonetheless, these “experts” may point you to new and wonderful wine experiences. 2) Beware the guru syndrome where people assume that the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectators of the world know all. Wine appreciation is subjective. Don't rely on the so-called gurus to tell you what is good. Every "guru" has his or her own taste. It may not match yours. 3) But be open to other possibilities. There are many other worthy experiences besides Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. 4) A wine's finish and its internal harmony are what separate the women from the girls. The longer the finish (assuming it's a pleasant one), the better the wine. The better wines also have harmony or balance between their elements, such that no one component stands out above the others. 5) It's easy to appreciate fruit, but serious wine is based on structure first (acidity, alcohol, and tannin) with fruit hanging on the structural support. In analyzing a wine, look at its structure, balance, and finish - not just the fruit!
A: I tried to make my own wine many years ago. It was a disaster each time. Terrible stuff! The lesson I learned is that you can buy better and cheaper commercial wine than you can make. However, there are certainly people out there who do it reasonably well and have a lot of fun doing it. I'm afraid I don't have any direct information for you, but there are numerous "How To" books in any good library or bookstore. Online, these may or may not still be active sites:
• http://winemakershop.com. You can purchase materials and get some good information. Beer too.
• http://www.homewine.com/ or www1.homewine.com - Advanced tips, but they may also help beginners.
• http://www.winesweekly.com - Wine Making: Online information on winemaking and beer brewing including various supplies and accessories.
If you do decide to go ahead, my advice: 1) Be fanatical about cleanliness. It's all too easy to get bacterial spoilage. The alternative is to heavily sulfite your wines and then they will taste like burnt matches. 2) Be very fussy about the grapes you get and pick them over very carefully, discarding those with any sign of spoilage. Make sure they are cool before you press them.
A: You've asked a question that is deceptively simple. The basic answer is: "It depends." 95% of all wines are made to be drunk within a year or two of their release and do not require aging. The other 5%, of course, are the better wines. Most whites are ready to drink upon release, but some of them will improve with aging (especially good white Burgundies and a few California Chardonnays such as Chalone, Grgich, and Montelena as well as better German whites). This is an oversimplification, but whites with good acidity tend to age well, while soft, low acid, and/or heavily oaked wines do not. There are many benefits to aging the better whites (additional complexity and richness), but there are also some risks. That is part of the fun. Wine is like other aspects of life: no risk, no reward!
With reds, it depends on varietal, growing conditions, and winery techniques. Again acidity is very important for age-ability, but so is tannin. Cabernet and Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco) generally have lots of tannins, so they tend to require aging. Of course, there are exceptions. Zinfandels have a bit less tannin and will age for a few years, but don't overdo it, especially if they are high in alcohol. Merlot and Pinot Noir generally have much less tannin (again, there are exceptions), so these wines generally require only short-term aging. Generally, less expensive wines (under $20) are made for immediate to near-term consumption. Many, but not all, of the more expensive wines will benefit from some bottle age.
A: Wine exposed to air via a loose or nonexistent cork spoils basically because the fruit components oxidize. Oxidation, as you probably know more than I (it's been 30+ years since I took a chemistry course), involves a chemical reaction where oxygen molecules attach to certain other large and, in this case, organic molecules. Oxidation occurs VERY GRADUALLY when a new wine is maturing in the cask as well as in the bottle as wine ages. These slow changes are beneficial and are part of the maturation process, allowing some of the molecules typical of very young wine to gradually change into molecules more typical of mature wines. But rapid oxidation, due to too much air getting to the wine, spoils the fruit components of the wine and turns the wine brown.
This is why good wineries go to great lengths to minimize air contact with the must (crushed grape skins and juice), the fermenting wine, and the wine as it ages in the winery. Some use an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon to protect the must/wine from oxygen.
How long to let a wine "breathe" is a controversial topic, since there are those who claim it is of no benefit. Most wine lovers, however, believe that it is helpful to aerate the majority of young wines. Basically, aeration artificially speeds up the maturation process. It should only be used if you suspect a wine is not yet at its peak of drinkability (never on a very old bottle). Aeration allows some of the aroma molecules to become airborne, so you can smell them. It also softens a tough, tannic wine to some extent by causing the tannin molecules to clump together, exposing less surface area to your mouth. There may be other subtle, yet beneficial, chemical changes that occur with aeration.
Decanting a bottle (pouring it into a container and then perhaps back into the original bottle) is a much more efficient way to aerate a wine than simply pulling the cork. Generally, the further a wine is from its peak drinkability (i.e., the younger it is), the longer it should air. However, if a wine needs more than a few hours of aeration, bad things (serious oxidation) could start to happen and you probably shouldn't have opened it yet. Vintage Port is an exception. It is often beneficial to open and decant a young vintage port the day before you plan to serve it.
Most people only think about airing red wine, but I am a firm believer that many white wines (especially young white Burgundies and some California Chardonnays) also benefit from short-term aeration.
A: If it's any consolation, most people share your problem. A little wine knowledge goes a long way to helping you or at least giving you some confidence. Keep in mind that most restaurant people know very little about wine. Sometimes they are told to push certain wines simply because the restaurant makes more money on those. Sometimes they can be genuinely helpful. The more information you can give them about your taste preferences, the more the second type can help you.
1. The first thing you should do is assess the wine list. There are three types of restaurant wine lists. The first type is found most often. It consists of mostly (boring!) common brands such as Cavit, Woodbridge, Beringer, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Kim Crawford, and may include a few French wines from a known shipper such as Jadot, Latour, Drouhin, etc. It probably also includes a well-known Cabernet and Chardonnay, such as Beringer, Mondavi, J. Lohr, Kendall-Jackson, or Simi. Not that these are bad wines; they are not. They indicate, however, that the restaurateur knows little about wine and that he/she lets the wine distributor put the list together. Safe, but not exciting. Don't expect much good advice here.
The second type will feature big-name wines (lots of famous Bordeaux, Burgundy, and California names) at high prices. They may have some less expensive wines that are worthy and you may get some good advice.
The third type of list is the best: generally small, but very well chosen. It will feature grapes that you may not have heard of, such as Grüner Veltliner and Viognier as well as unfamiliar places, such as Languedoc, Saint Chinian, Chinon, Alsace, Rias Baixas, Montsant, Basilicata, Puglia, etc. The wines will be in all price ranges, including a reasonable selection in the $50 - $70 range. Many of the wines will come from areas that are off the beaten path, such as the southwest part of France, Provence, Spain, Austria, or Argentina. Take a stab or ask for advice. You will probably get something interesting and different. It will almost definitely go well with the food.
2. Decide on the price range you are comfortable with. Be honest! One trick is to ask for a glass of the house wine as an aperitif. If it is good, you can feel confident in ordering one of the cheaper wines on the list. If not, go for something mid-range. Many advisors suggest that you never order the least expensive or even the second cheapest wine on the list (restauranteurs often choose really cheap wines that aren't very good for these spots on the list), but this isn't a problem if the list is well chosen.
3. Ask for help. The sommelier, wine buyer, or someone familiar with the list may well be a wine enthusiast. You'll be able to tell. Wine people thrive on wine talk. State your food choices, wine preferences, dislikes, and price range. Don't be shy. Ask which are the best values! Wine people will appreciate the challenge and will generally steer you to a good choice. Be open to something new and interesting.
By the way, many restaurants charge too much money for a bottle of wine. Restaurateurs need to make a profit because they have lots of overhead and don’t make a lot on the food. But charging double and even triple the retail price of a wine (which itself includes a modest profit) simply discourages patrons from having a bottle of wine with dinner (or a second bottle). In New Jersey, at least they have the excuse that they had to pay a lot of money (several to many hundred thousands of dollars) to buy a liquor license plus pay a fee each year, but in most states, they just have to pay a modest yearly fee. If you are disgusted by the prices on a wine list, don't order any wine! And tell the owner why you didn't! We all benefit from feedback. Restaurant owners hear plenty about their food and service, but they don't hear much about their wine prices. The ones who do price their wines realistically should be complimented. If you have a special bottle that you would like to bring to a restaurant that serves wine, call ahead and ask them if it's OK and what their "corkage" fee is. Most good restaurants are accommodating, especially if you also buy an aperitif or bottle off their list.
Since we live in NJ, we can generally avoid the problem by going to BYO restaurants and bringing a wine we have chosen ourselves ahead of time. (Philadelphia also has a lot of very good BYO restaurants.) This way, we get better wine for much less money. We generally bring a backup wine, just in case. As mentioned above, although they don't advertise the fact, many restaurants that sell wine will allow you to bring your own wine and charge you a nominal corkage fee. Call ahead to find out. If you do bring your own wine, please bring an interesting one. There is nothing more disheartening than looking around a restaurant to see that almost everyone has brought cheap or boring "name brand" wine. Actually, there is something more disheartening: a table with no wine!
A: The short answer: It doesn't matter. Open it and drink it! Many people are saving a special wine for that special occasion or are just saving it because they think it will get better and better (and more valuable). Often this is a mistake, and the wine is shot (well past its peak) by the time it is finally opened or it ends up getting left to the children. This is especially true if the special wine is Champagne! Most Champagnes are ready to drink when released and do not improve significantly. They will last a few years. Only the very best Champagnes actually improve with age and even these will improve only for a few years. If well stored, the maximum these sparklers will still be good is 10 years after bottling (13-16 years after the vintage date).
All wines have a finite lifespan. That potential life span is determined by the type of wine it is, the vintage, and the way it was made. That life span is extended if your storage conditions are ideal (constant 55 F., high humidity, no light or vibration), but it is still finite. Many people keep waiting for the perfect occasion (which never seems to come). Don't fall into that trap! If the wine was a gift, you don't know how it was stored before you received it. It's better to drink wine a little too soon than a little too late. As for value, this is another trap. Some people think that their bottle has become too valuable to drink! Silly!! Wine is meant to be drunk and enjoyed, not collected and bragged about. Or, heaven forbid, resold! People who invest in wine with the thought of selling it later at a profit generally know little about wine and have no appreciation for it. To them, I say: "Stick to pork bellies (whatever they are), copper, oil, and orange juice futures. Leave our wine alone and stop driving up the prices!"
A: I LOVE THIS QUESTION! Although there is room for individual preference, my strong opinion is that most people drink their red wines too warm and their white wines too cold. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, alcohol molecules become more active relative to the other components in a wine that is too warm. The result is that the wine is thrown off balance: you taste the heat of the alcohol over the fruit and other components. The alcohol then tends to overemphasize any bitterness in the wine. The absolute maximum temperature at red wine should be served at is 67 F. My preferred temperature: 62 - 65 F. Don't be afraid to put a bottle of red wine in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes (especially in the summer) or in an ice bucket for 2 - 3 minutes if your room temperature is 70 - 75 F. Light, fruity, non-tannic reds can take a bit more cooling if desired: upper 50's.
Most people serve white wine at or near refrigerator temperature (or even colder, if they do the ice bucket routine). At this temperature, the fruit is stunted. That's fine if you have a lousy wine. Over-chilling it may make it half palatable by hiding its defects. But it's a shame to do that to a good white wine. Time and again I've noticed that a good white wine gets better as it warms up in the glass. That's because you can taste the components. The absolute minimum temperature good white wine should be served at is 45 F. My preferred temperature: 48 - 52 F. If you've refrigerated your white wine, just take it out of the refrigerator for, say, 30 minutes before serving. The same is true for Champagne. Ice buckets are great for briefly cooling down a wine (red, white, or bubbly) that has gotten too warm on the table, but no serious wine lover should tolerate leaving a bottle on ice.
A: Neither can I (unless it’s really good). Wine changes once it is exposed to air. This change is a chemical reaction and may be beneficial in the short run (breathing or decanting), but after 6 hours or so at room temperature, most wines will start to degrade. By the next day, the fruit and aroma are generally quite subdued. Within a few days, the wine will be spoiled. This process cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed dramatically, allowing you to finish and enjoy a bottle several days after you opened it.
The keys here are air and temperature. More specifically, it is the oxygen in the air that degrades wine. Anything you do to reduce the contact between the wine and oxygen will prolong the life of the wine. Fortunately, there are several things you can try. First, get several bottle stoppers. The cheap ($1.50) ones are just as good as the $7 ones. We sell the cheapies at Beekmans. Both are better than trying to reinsert the cork.
1. If you want to spend lots of money, you can buy a nitrogen gas replacement system that forces oxygen out of the bottle and replaces it with nitrogen ($200 - $3000). Coravin is a popular one.
2. I didn't think so. You can spend $10 or so for a product called Private Preserve. It is a can of inert gas (mostly Argon) that, when sprayed into a partially full bottle of wine, places a layer of gas between the wine and the oxygen in the air, thus preventing the oxygen from contacting the wine. I use this at home with very good results. A bottle will be fine for 2-3 days. The can says it is good for 120 uses. That is a bit optimistic, but a can does last a long time and it's a cheap method. We sell Private Preserve at Beekmans. A newer option is a one-use device called Repour Wine Saver. It sits on top of an opened bottle and absorbs the oxygen. One device is good for one bottle. They're about $3 each, a little less if you buy in bulk. They really work, keeping a bottle fresh for a good week! We sell them.
3. Refrigerating a wine slows down the chemical reaction that spoils wine. Both red and white wines should be refrigerated after they are opened. Be sure to let the wine warm up a bit before serving, especially if it is red. This technique is OK for 1 - 2 days. You can combine refrigeration with some of the other techniques for even better results.
4. The Vacu-Vin and other brands are reverse pumps that pump air out of a bottle, leaving a partial vacuum. Many people use these devices, and we sell them at Beekmans, but we really don't recommend them. They still leave plenty of oxygen in the bottle because only a slight vacuum is formed. They also tend to suck out the aromatic molecules and any hint of CO2, leaving some wines a bit flat and definitely lacking in aroma. Never use a Vacu-Vin on a bottle of Champagne.
5. Buy a half bottle of wine. Drink it and wash out the bottle. When you next open a regular-size bottle, pour half of it immediately into the half bottle. Fill it to just below the top. Seal it and you'll have basically no air in the half bottle. The wine will last 3-5 days, perhaps longer if you also refrigerate it.
6. Buy marbles. Wash and dry them. After you are finished pouring wine from a bottle, drop marbles into the bottle, until the liquid level comes up just below the top. Again, seal the bottle and you'll have basically no air inside. Refrigerate the wine, even if it’s red (take a red out of the fridge 2 hours before you’re going to use it). Of course, be careful not to ingest the marbles when you next open the bottle. The wine will keep for 3-5 days. When done with the bottle, wash and reuse the marbles. No, I haven't lost my marbles. This really works! Sorry, we don't sell marbles at Beekman's.
7. I've heard of putting a bottle in the freezer, but somehow I can't bring myself to recommend (or even try) this method. It should be a fine way to save wine for future cooking or fill an ice cube tray and freeze it for just enough wine to deglaze a pan.
Whatever method(s) you try, don't try to keep a bottle for more than 4-5 days. Tawny Ports and sweet Sherries, however, will keep a long time with no special attention. Vintage style Ports and dry Sherries will keep 2-4 weeks, the more attention the better. Champagne will lose a bit of its sparkle, but it will keep one day in the refrigerator with no special attention. There are Coravin and other products that will add bubbles back and seal open Champagne, but we’ve never tried them.
A: Unless you plan to use the chilled (and I presume unopened) bottles in the next week or two, I would strongly suggest that you remove them from the refrigerator and store them in a cellar or at cool room temperature. Refrigerator conditions are too cold and too dry for long-term storage of wine. Letting them warm up won't hurt them. (Modern beers are also less subject to damage from multiple cold/warm cycles than they used to be. Just don't overdo it with extremes. IPAs are a little more sensitive than others.)
A: Where and how to store wines depends on how long you expect to keep them and how serious you are about collecting high-quality wine. Most good wines (especially reds, but also some whites) will benefit from short to medium-term aging (a few years), so I strongly recommend that you age at least some wine. Never, however, store wine or Champagne in a kitchen refrigerator for more than a week or two: it's too cold and too dry!
The ideal storage conditions for wine and Champagne are:
1. A constant 55 degrees Fahrenheit
2. High humidity (around 70%)
3. No sunlight and not much artificial light
4. Little or no vibration
Most of us do not have these perfect conditions. I certainly don't. Just be aware that the further from ideal your conditions are, the faster the wines will age. Also, they may not reach the same pinnacle of fabulousness as bottles that are perfectly stored. Don't be discouraged. Even storage under less-than-ideal conditions will be of great benefit to your wines. I've seen different figures in print. Some report that for every 18 degrees F above the ideal temperature, the rate at which wines age doubles. Others say the rate is 8 times! This means that storing wine for 15 years at 73 F is the equivalent of aging it for 30 - 120 years at 55 F. There aren't many wines that last that long. Whatever the actual figure, the changes in a bottle of wine as it ages are essentially chemical reactions: the speed of these reactions is a function of the temperature. Above 80 F, however, the fruit is actually degraded and wines tend to get "cooked."
For most of us, a house basement works just fine, especially if it is completely or mostly underground. Temperatures will fluctuate with the seasons, but the changes will be gradual. What hurts wine the most are temperatures much over 75 and rapid fluctuations in temperature. Most basements in the northern part of the country will range from around 50 in the winter to around 70 in the summer with daily fluctuations of 1 degree or less. Good enough!
Wine Refrigerators: If you don't have a basement, you have a problem. Even if you air condition in the summer, your average temperatures will probably be on the high side, and you will almost certainly have more short-term fluctuation in temperature than is desirable. You can still store wine, but don't plan to keep them for years and years. Long-term storage will require an investment in a wine storage unit. These start at a 12-bottle capacity and go up to many hundreds of bottles. Prices range from about $350 to several thousand dollars. The smallest units are pretty much a waste of time, but they may look attractive in your kitchen (some are built-ins). If you are at all serious about your wine, a 36-bottle capacity is a minimum. If you are torn between two sizes, go for the bigger one. It doesn't cost much more and you will probably end up needing it. The smallest units may lack humidity control. If you never see condensation on the bottles in a small unit, run a damp sponge along the inside of the cooler occasionally. Also, dual-temperature units are a waste of money. You want to store all your wines at the same temperature. Having your white wine at ready-to-go temperature may be convenient, but it is not ideal for longer-term storage, which is the point of a wine refrigerator. Dual temperature units also restrict your storage flexibility.
If you want to get serious about aging wine, have the room, and are fairly handy, you can build your own enclosed, temperature-controlled, storage area. The minimum investment will be about $1500 but this will give you substantial storage space, at least several hundred bottles. Even better, and to avoid some pitfalls, you can get a professional installation. In New Jersey, (and probably eastern PA) I highly recommend Jay Rosen at www.washingtonvalleycellars.com.
A: You certainly can find some good wines under $15. In fact, most of our monthly featured wines are in or just above that neighborhood. But we kiss a lot of frogs to find those few princes, and so will you. When you plunk down $20 to $30 (or more), you greatly increase your odds of finding a really good wine or even a remarkable one - a wine with an evocative combination of intense aromas and flavors and a balance between its many elements.
Ready to taste what that all means? Buy a good inexpensive, mass-produced wine. At the same time, splurge for a limited wine of the same grape variety, possibly but not necessarily from the same producer. This may carry the word "reserve" on the label or a single vineyard designation. Try the wines side by side, beginning with the less expensive bottle. You will see what you're paying for when you step up in price. Sometimes it’s a BIG WOW difference; sometimes it’s a subtler difference of harmony, balance, finesse, and refinement. Sometimes it’s both. Take into account that the mass-produced wine is manipulated to be drinkable upon release, while the better wine may well be earlier in its evolution and so may still have some harsh (tannic) characteristics. Look for one that's a little older or decant it.
A: There are many factors that determine the price of a wine. To make wine at the low end of the spectrum, one needs economies of scale. We're talking about mass production on a large scale by a sizable winery. In addition, the vines must be allowed to yield close to their maximum production (often 10-12 tons of grapes per acre of vines, sometimes even more), and the maximum juice from each grape must be extracted (i.e., the grapes will be pressed several times which releases bitter components into the juice), and they are often situated on cheaper land that is less suited to producing fine wine. For example, the land may be flatter, the microclimate may be too hot, or the soil may drain poorly.
In contrast, a top-quality wine cannot be mass-produced. These wines are made on a small scale, often only a few hundred or a few thousand, or tens of thousands of cases per year. Someone who makes only a few thousand cases a year (and who didn't inherit a fortune) must charge more for their wines. In addition, the grapes are often grown on more valuable land, adding to the capital investment. The land is often in a more marginal climate with less fertile soil and steeper slopes. Thus yields are naturally lower. In addition, the grower will reduce yields by severe pruning before the growing season begins and even clipping off grape bunches in the middle of the season. The resulting low production (usually 3 tons per acre or less, rarely more than 4, means the vines pack all their energies into fewer and therefore better grapes. The result is also a much greater cost of raw materials (the grapes).
Making a top wine also requires a larger investment in materials, time, and often equipment. Expensive oak barrels must be purchased (the best must be imported from France at a cost of over $1000 per barrel!). In addition, the wine must be aged, so a larger facility is required and the winery generally isn't paid until 2-3 years after the harvest. Mass-produced wines yield cash in less than a year.
These are some of the many factors that determine the cost of a particular wine. In addition, there is the "what the market will bear" factor. The reality is that prices much beyond $30 or so are based on the prestige and track record of the wine, not the cost of production. (An exception to this is Napa Cabernet; the grapes themselves have gotten so expensive that it’s hard to find a good one for less than $40.)
A: Red wine stains are easiest to remove if they are still wet. If you can't deal with the problem immediately, lay a wet towel over the carpet area or put the affected clothing to soak until you can treat it. The following methods work almost all of the time:
1. Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover - This is by far the most effective product we have found. It not only works almost every time on red wine stains, but it is also extremely effective on coffee, grape, grape juice, blueberry, pizza sauce, urine, and grease stains! The Food & Wine editors said it “makes red-wine stains disappear - even from white linens, as we discovered for ourselves...” The Good Housekeeping Institute reported that “Wine Away works great on upholstery & carpet (even white fibers). ...it gets the red out of cotton and linen tablecloths too...” We sell it.
2. Blot the stain with a paper towel. Dowse stain area with club soda or seltzer. Blot again. Repeat dowsing and blotting.
3. Keep cheap white wine around. Blot stain with a paper towel. Dowse stain area with white wine. Blot again. Repeat dowsing and blotting. This works because red and white wine have the same proteins (not to mention alcohol).
4. Blot stain with a paper towel. Build a mound of salt over the stain. Let sit overnight. Vacuum in the morning.
5. Use spray (pump) carpet cleaners such as Resolve or Woolite. Soak for 3-5 minutes. Then dab with paper towels or clean rags, but don't rub.
6. Use Dri-Clean, an automotive product sold in many automotive departments. The results are impressive.
7. Use Quick & Brite, a product sold on many late-night cable stations. Unlike the knives and other junk sold this way, this product works.
8. Other commercial products that work well are Spot Shot, DidiSeven, and Dev-Tec
9. The following home remedy from Consumer's Report works well on all materials except wool:
• Make a paste using 1 part grated Fels-Naptha soap to 10 parts water. Using a white paper towel, blot the stained area with the paste. Move the towel to a clean section until no more of the stain transfers to it.
• If necessary, do the same with a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water.
• If necessary, do the same with a solution of 1 tsp clear or white liquid dishwashing detergent to 1 cup water.
• If necessary, do the same with a solution of 1 tsp enzyme detergent such as Tide with Bleach Alternative to 1 cup water.
• Rinse with water.
A: Absolutely not! You definitely need two types of glassware: one for Champagne and one for everything else. Even better, get three types: a flute for Champagne, a medium-sized glass for white wine, and a larger glass for red wine. That’s what I have. That's all you need!
Avoid the new stemless glasses that are being advertised. They look clumsy. Worst of all, they will warm the wine too much (from the heat of your hands). All glasses should be clear, plain glass. Colors, metal, and fancy cut crystal are not only unnecessary, they get in the way. Avoid them. Thin glass is much better than thick glass. The champagne glasses should be tall flutes, never the flat "sherbet" kind which dissipate the bubbles and leave no room for the aroma molecules to concentrate. Wine glasses should have a large bowl with the lip curved inward and a stem. The larger the bowl (up to a point), the more room to concentrate those aroma molecules. The Riedel Bordeaux glass is a great all-around glass, but you needn't spend that much money (and they break very easily). There are numerous imitators that make a very competent glass. Remember, it should be large, thin, and unadorned. Also, never fill a wine glass more than 1/3 full (Champagne glasses can be filled 3/4 full, however).
A: The short, wide "sherbet" type of glass is beyond passé! Never use them for anything but dessert. They 1) dissipate the bubbles quickly so the Champagne goes flat; 2) don't display the beautiful bubbles well; and 3) leave no room for the aroma molecules to concentrate so you can smell the bouquet as well. Use the tall, thin "flute" shaped Champagne glass. It works beautifully to preserve and display the bubbles. In addition, it leaves room so you can smell the wine better. Fill the flute 3/4 full.
A trick to prevent the bubbles from foaming up and over the top of the glass is to pour a small amount in the glass, wait for the foam to subside, then pour the rest of the Champagne in. For you history buffs, the origin of the "sherbet" shaped glass is France where a glass blower honored Marie Antoinette by creating the "sherbet" glass in the shape of her breast. I kid you not! I couldn't make this stuff up.
A: Technically, dryness in wine is simply the absence of sugar. Hence, the opposite of dry wine is sweet wine. Many people commonly (and mistakenly) use the term to refer to wines whose naturally occurring acidity is apparent. People who generally drink sweet wines often refer to wines showing crisp acidity as "too dry." Acidity is present in all wines, but its extent varies. Generally, the riper the grapes were when harvested, the lower the acidity will be. Unripe grapes will be very high in acid. There is an ideal range for acidity. Too low and the wine will taste too soft and flabby and it will have very little finish. Too high and it will taste tart to the point of distinct sourness. That may be acceptable in a few very young wines such as Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé, but generally, real sourness is not a good sign. Sugar tends to mask acidity. That is, all wines have acidity, but sweet wines appear lower in acid than they really are.
A: The term "table wine" does not imply quality or the lack thereof. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is a table wine that will set you back $600 or more. Almaden Chablis is a table wine that costs around $7. (Of course, to some extent, you get what you pay for.) The term refers to the way the government taxes wines. There are only three categories: table wine, dessert wine, and sparkling wine. Within the table wine category, those wines with an alcohol listing of 14% and higher are taxed at a higher rate than other table wines.
A: Sweeping generalities are usually inaccurate. Certainly, French wines have the image of being the world's best, and certainly, many of the best wines in the world are French. That does not mean that all French wines are wonderful. In fact, there are many mediocre French wines and many outstanding wines from other countries, including the US, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa.
Part of the problem is that people "raised" on the wines of a certain country take the style of that country's wines as the standard of comparison, and all other wines suffer somewhat. For example, people raised on French wines often find American wines too soft and too fruity. That is because growing conditions in America are generally sunnier and warmer than in France. The grapes get riper and lower in acid and the wines reflect that difference. In addition, California winemakers tend to use oak to a greater extent than the French do, so many American wines appear "oaky" to the French palate. Conversely, those raised on American wines often find the French wines austere (less fruit-filled) and "dry" (when they really mean higher in acidity).
French wines usually age better because of their higher acidity and they thus develop the complexities that come with maturity. California wines generally have sufficient fruit to show well when they are relatively young, and many don't improve much with age. Some are more "French" in style and will greatly improve with age. Of course, we are talking here about the better wines. Both inexpensive French and California wines are meant to be drunk young.
A: Look at any bottle of wine made in the last 20 years or so and you will see a back label with the following information.
GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery and may cause health problems.
The US government decided that we needed protection from ourselves. But why stop there? Additional warnings would be even more helpful to an unsuspecting public. Here are a few suggestions. Write your congressperson! E-mail me additional suggestions.
• Do not drink alcohol and ski.
• Do not strike another person on the head with a bottle.
• Never use the neck of a bottle to clean out your ears.
• Never use a bottle of wine as a ladder.
• Do not drink alcohol while parachuting.
• Do not drink alcohol while donating whole blood, platelets, or vital organs.
• Never attempt to plug a bottle into an electrical outlet.
• Never throw a bottle at the TV because a show is terrible.
• Do not stick bottles into each nostril and your mouth at the same time. Suffocation may occur.
• Do not spill red wine on carpets, clothing, furniture, pets, or large zoo animals.
• Never boil wine and then place it between your legs while driving.
• Never drink wine while you are driving a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, tricycle, motor home, moped, snowmobile, or jet-ski.
• Do not attempt to inhale wine.
• Do not put wine in your mouth faster than you can swallow it.
A: I'm actually pleased that you don't recognize many of our featured wines. For two reasons. 1) The familiar wines you tend to see in supermarkets and discount stores are name brands that are designed to appeal to the masses. Their producers take no chances. They don't want to offend anyone. What you get is bland! What you get are the Chevys, Budweisers, and Coors of the wine world! We search for wines with character. 2) Most people who subscribe to our newsletter, order our wine selections for themselves, or are the recipients of our wine selections as gifts are interested in trying new and interesting wines, not wines that they can find anywhere!
A: Indeed it is. Brandy is made from distilled wine. Whereas whiskey, gin, and vodka are made by distilling fermented grains, brandy is made by distilling fermented grape juice. The best brandies come from two different regions in France: Armagnac (the original district, where the wine goes through the still only once) and Cognac (a newer, but better-known region, where the wine is distilled twice). The young, rough, raw brandies cannot be drunk when they come off the still. They require aging in oak barrels to tame and smooth them. The longer they are aged, the smoother and more complex (and more expensive) they will become.
Cognac is graded by age, but many of the best producers don't use the official grades, because their standards are so much higher than the legal minimums.
VS stands for "very special," but it's not at all special. VS Cognacs must be aged a minimum of 2 1/2 years, which still leaves them pretty rough. This is the lowest grade of Cognac and is really only suitable for mixing.
VSOP stands for "very superior old pale." It must be aged a minimum of 4 1/2 years. These are light and fresh and a big step up from the VS. This is entry-level sipping Cognac, but only the best of the VSOPs are good enough for sipping.
XO stands for "extra old." These must be aged a minimum of 6 1/2 years, but most of them are older, some of them much older (20 years or more). These are sipping Cognacs.
The term "Napoleon" has no meaning and can be applied to the cheapest or the best brandies.
A: One small barrel (barrique) = 60 gallons which is approximately 25 cases or 300 bottles (750ml)
One ton of Grapes = approximately 700 bottles of wine
One acre of a low yield (high quality) vineyards = 2-4 tons (116-233 cases or 1400 to 2800 bottles), sometimes even less
One acre of high-yield (for less expensive wines) vineyards = 10 tons (583 cases or 7000 bottles) sometimes even more.
A: Micro-oxygenation—“MO” or “MOx” for short—has been in use for over 25 years. Although too much oxygen will spoil wine through oxidation, a small amount during fermentation and/or aging is beneficial for softer tannins, color stability, aroma integration, and minimizing “reductive” flavors. MO measures oxygen and introduces it to wine in small quantities, thus giving winemakers complete control. Oxygen can be added to fermenting juice during a closed pump over or after primary fermentation but before malolactic fermentation. Think of the air pump in a fish tank; you will get the general idea. The procedure was first developed in France by Patrick DuCornau to reduce the tannins in the Tannat grape, the mainstay in Madiran. The technique is ubiquitous in Australia and has become common in other countries.
A: The chemical TCA (trichloroanisole) causes what’s commonly known as “cork taint.” A “corked” or “corky” wine is often described as musty, dank, or moldy like a basement, wet cardboard, damp cement, or the smell of old books. Brettanomyces (“brett”) is a spoilage yeast with elements politely described as barnyard (which sounds better than “cow shit”). Other descriptors include Band-Aids and horse stable, sometimes with a strange metallic note. Small amounts of Brett may be acceptable or even desirable; any amount of TCA is not. There are many other faults. Volatile acidity (“V.A.”) is often described as nail polish remover, vinegar, model airplane glue, or Magic Marker. Excessive sulfur smells like rotten eggs, struck matches, burnt rubber, or boiled cabbage. Oxidation is a desirable characteristic in Sherry and oxidative notes may add complexity to some whites and Champagnes, but it is a sign of premature aging in table wine with notes of nuttiness or bruised apples. There are “wine fault kits” that replicate these aromas if you wish to learn more.
A: They may look like rock candy or shards of glass, but those are actually tartrate crystals clinging to your cork. It’s a completely harmless and natural occurrence. Odorless and tasteless, they’re made of the same stuff as crème of tartar, which you might cook with. They are formed when the natural tartaric acid in wine combines with naturally occurring potassium. Under cool conditions, the two form the salt potassium bitartrate. Some wines go through a process called “cold stabilization” to remove this sediment, although it is purely for cosmetic reasons. If the crystals are at the bottom of the bottle, you can always decant to get rid of them before serving. The higher the quality of the wine, the more likely it is to have tartrates. This is because good wines tend not to be cold-stabilized, heavily filtered, or overly processed in some other way. So I consider crystals a good sign!
A: It’s not surprising that you’ve received many different answers because there are many different reasons why a wine might taste metallic. There’s a difference between “good metallic” and “bad metallic.” Some excellent Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings, and Chablis might be described as “steely” or “flinty,” positive descriptors that are often attributed to grapes grown in mineral-rich soil. On the other hand, unpleasant metallic or “tinny” notes can come from brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast. “Metallic” can also refer to a tactile sensation that comes from low-ethanol (alcohol), dry, high-acid wines or to the astringent feel of some highly polyphenolic (tannic) wines. Also, there are combinations of both medication and food that can impart a metallic taste to wine. Examples include antibiotics and pairing red wine with sushi. Young red wines that were aged in tanks (as opposed to barrels) can sometimes have a metallic quality.
A: Prices vary for many reasons. Prices differ in different markets. Highly sought-after wines are never cheap, but wines nearing the end of their shelf life may be discounted. Wineries rarely want to undersell their own distributors, so prices at wineries are rarely bargains. And shipping a single case is far more expensive than shipping that case through the normal distribution channel. However, wineries often offer club members special bottlings or give first dibs on wines before they are widely available.
A: Sounds like an excuse for a party! Refrigerators are horrible for long-term storage of wine. The temperature fluctuates inside a refrigerator, it’s usually too cold, they often vibrate, and the low humidity can make corks dry out and become ineffective closures. I recommend storing all wine in a cool, dark, still place like your cellar and only put a bottle of wine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before drinking. If you will not be using them soon, take them out and keep them at cellar temperature. If you are going to use them within the next few weeks, you might as well leave them in the refrigerator. My very serious advice is to find an excuse to pop the cork and enjoy it now. And promise you’ll never do that again!
A: Carmenère is rarely found today in Bordeaux, but it was widely cultivated in the Médoc in the early 18th century. The grape was transplanted to Chile in the 19th century before it almost disappeared from Bordeaux due to phylloxera. Carmenère did well in Chile, but over time its identity was lost, and it was often confused with Merlot. The two grapes often grew side by side and were picked simultaneously despite different ripening times. It wasn’t until recent DNA profiling that its identity was separated from Merlot, and Chilean vintners began to bottle wines under the Carmenère name. Now that Carmenère is being planted separately and picked at the proper time, the wines have improved, but they are still very distinctive with plummy, fleshy, and tobacco flavors.
A: Decanting does two things: it separates the wine from any sediment that may have formed, and it aerates the wine. While some feel that an extra boost of oxygen can open up a wine and give it extra life, others feel it makes a wine fade faster and that swirling wine in a glass is sufficient aeration. A fragile or old wine should only be decanted 30 minutes at most before drinking. A younger, more vigorous, full-bodied wine (and yes, even whites) can be decanted an hour or more before serving. I’ve had wines that were decanted for hours and even a day (Barolo, anyone?) that showed beautifully, but these experiments can be risky. All in all, there are no hard and fast rules. Decanters are pretty, but don’t leave wine or spirits in them for days or more. If they have a high lead content, lead can leach out into the liquid.
A: Most stains will come out if you use bleach diluted with lots of hot (not boiling) water. Make sure you rinse it thoroughly. If that doesn’t do the trick, the following will: put a squirt of dishwashing liquid into the decanter and fill it with hot (not boiling) water. Shake and let stand for two hours. Dump the water into the sink, but do not rinse the decanter. Pour 1/2 cup uncooked rice into the decanter. Add 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of hot water. Gently shake from side to side and up and down for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the sink, using a strainer to catch the rice. Rinse thoroughly.
A: Are you impressed by "reserve" on a bottle at the wine store? Do you think the winemaker cared so much about this wine that he "reserved" it for his most discerning customers? Not likely. Some countries, such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, have legal definitions of the terms "reserva" or "riserva." These wines have been aged (usually in barrels) for a specified period of time before release. But in the New World, the word "reserve" is used indiscriminately, even haphazardly. It may refer to the winery’s best bottling, but often it is a marketing decision, nothing more. Sometimes "reserve" is paired with other words to make a wine sound fancy: "Estate Reserve," "Founders Reserve," "Private Reserve." None of these terms have legal definitions. Some vintners bottle nothing but "reserve" wines. Caveat emptor!
A: Very few wineries bottle different wines for different markets under the same label. With rare exceptions, the wine that goes into the bottle is the same no matter where it is sold; however, wines that travel to reach their destinations face risks absent from those drunk closer to home. The best importers use (more expensive) temperature-controlled shipping containers, but that decision is up to each importer. There are other less quantifiable variables; for example, a rosé sipped in June at a café overlooking the Mediterranean is likely to show a different character than the same wine drunk in December at your kitchen table. There is also the “romance” factor. The same wine may taste better at a great restaurant with great food than at home with a Friday night pizza.
A: Many restaurants with liquor licenses will allow you to bring your own bottle; they will typically charge a corkage fee of $20 to $30. Call to be sure they have a corkage policy. Less well-known is that some restaurants have one day a week where they charge no fee. Also if you frequent a restaurant with a group, you may be able to work out a deal where you buy one or two bottles from them, and they won’t bother charging you to open the bottles you bring.
Tipping is tricky in these situations. Remember that if you bring your own bottle, the wait staff is doing a fair amount of extra work potentially without tip compensation. Be generous when it comes to tipping, especially if there are any special considerations such as handling and decanting a fragile wine. If a sommelier does the service, a side tip would be appropriate.
A: Tow-MAY-tow, tow-MAH-tow. Shiraz is the Aussie and South African name of the Syrah (See-RAH) grape. Down Under they say “Shee-RAZZ.” It rhymes with “pizzazz.” Most others soften the second syllable so it rhymes with “Oz.” Either pronunciation is fine.
A: A terrific question! There's an unfortunate tendency for people to believe everything they read. The truth is that we must read (and think) critically. What DOES that mean and who decides? Most wines are made to be drunk upon release and will continue to drink well for a year or two or three. But many more serious (and more expensive) wines are made more naturally, which sometimes means they are harsh when young, but smooth out and develop nuances with bottle age. Wine writers taste such wines at a very early stage of their development and take an educated guess as to when they will be most enjoyable. That said, some people prefer younger, fruitier wines; they should drink those wines early in that “window.” Others like the taste of age from giving such wines time to develop tertiary flavors; they should drink those wines later in the “window.” But not everyone appreciates the taste of old wines. Sometimes the reviewer gets it wrong, and the wine develops more slowly or more rapidly than they had expected. Storage conditions are also critical. And you expected a simple answer!
More: Drink windows are simply the estimate by a taster when a young wine will be drinking at its best. No one can predict exactly how a wine will develop, and there is no absolute best time to open any bottle. There are too many variables. If a wine’s suggested drink window is 2020 through 2028, does it mean that on Jan. 1, 2029, the wine has deteriorated? Of course not.
Frankly, the recommended drinking windows are intended more for novices than for serious wine collectors. If you’ve been collecting and drinking wine for years, you should rely on your own experience. Storage conditions and taste preferences are factors. The majority of wines can be enjoyed when they are young. The taste of wine changes as it ages. Not everyone likes old wine; it’s a bit of an acquired taste. But some people love the taste of age. And as many amazing bottles of perfectly aged wine I’ve enjoyed, I’ve had nearly as many that were clearly past their prime.
A: There’s a saying in the wine world that after a certain age, “there are no great wines, just great bottles.” It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause of bottle variation; it simply comes with the territory when aging wine. It sounds like you may have had a slightly defective cork that allowed some oxygen to get into the bottle causing it to age prematurely. As a wine matures, it becomes paler in color and takes on those brown tones you noticed. But there’s no way to know. Collectors just accept the lesser bottles as the price one must pay for the sublime ones.
A: With wine, dry is the opposite of sweet. A truly dry wine is made when all of the natural sugar in grapes converts to alcohol during fermentation. Sweet wine, on the other hand, is sweet because all of the sugar didn’t convert. The unfermented sugar left in the wine is called residual sugar. Wines considered “off-dry” have a moderate amount of residual sugar. You’re right that sensitivity to sweetness varies, but most people begin to perceive sweetness at concentrations of about 0.5 percent. It gets tricky because some wines that are fermented dry can give the impression of sweetness. The sweet sensation comes not from residual sugar, but from the taste of ripe grapes or from the sweet vanilla notes from an oak barrel. The sensation of sweetness is also influenced by acidity, tannins, alcohol, and glycerin. For example, a high-acid Champagne or German Riesling might seem dry even if it has moderate residual sugar.
A: Structure and balance are related but distinct. A wine can be analyzed in terms of its components - soft (think fruit, sugar, and alcohol) and hard (tannin and acidity). To be pleasing, these components must be in balance. But for the wine to be age-worthy, these components need to be both balanced and present in sufficient concentration. A wine with a good balance of fruit and tannins but with very low levels of extract is not a good candidate for aging. Similarly, a young wine with lots of tannins but not much fruit will probably not age well; the fruit will have faded long before the tannins soften.
A: The wine in half bottles, regular bottles, magnums, etc. is identical. Some producers bottle magnums because wine is thought to age more slowly (and perhaps better) in larger bottles. With fewer magnums available, they tend to be highly collectible. They are also impressive when served to company, but they don’t make sense if it’s just the two of you.
A: Even with perfect storage, corks don’t last forever. A regular corkscrew may break off the top of the cork (try again at a slight angle into the remaining cork), break the cork into pieces, or push the cork into the bottle. Always keep a strainer and some cheesecloth or a coffee filter on hand for emergency situations. If you suspect a weak cork, try a two-pronged “Ah-so” opener that slips between the cork and the bottle. Another possibility is the “hypodermic needle” opener where you jam the needle through the cork. Compressed or pumped air ejects the cork. A new and wonderful (but expensive - about $125) opener is the Durand, which combines a two-pronged and a corkscrew approach.
A: The short answer is that both statements are correct, but it really depends on what kind of flavor profile you prefer. In general, non-vintage bubblies are meant to be consumed while still youthful, with a fresh, crisp, firm acidity that pairs so well with food. The best non-vintage Champagnes as well as vintage sparklers will develop complexity after aging, but it is important to understand that they will deepen in color, lose some of their bubbles, and take on caramel, spicy, and toasty notes that can be truly wonderful. But don’t keep that bottle forever. No, that 25-year-old bottle of Dom Perignon is not worth anything. It may still be drinkable; it may be well past its prime. There's only one way to find out, and there's no upside to keeping it any longer. Only the very best Champagnes will keep 10 years after disgorgement. Regarding sparkling wines that are not true Champagnes, only the very best will improve for a few years; the vast majority are meant to be drunk within a year or two.
A: The short answer is that it wasn't just one person; it was a process over time. Historically, winemaking was much more seat-of-your-pants hundreds of years ago than it is today. Cleanliness techniques taken for granted now didn't exist then. Temperature control of fermentation was dependent on the weather. There was no filtration to remove any residual yeast. Wines would slow, then stop fermenting as fall and then winter approached. Some sugar remained, but the wine would be bottled. As temperatures warmed with the spring and fermentation sometimes restarted, trapping the carbon dioxide in the bottle and making the wine fizzy. Some bottles would be still, some sparkling, some would explode! You never knew what you were getting. Some people prized the fizzy bottles, but there was no way to get them consistently.
Back in the late 1600s, several producers tried to figure out how to control the process and produce consistently fizzy wines. Many of the details are lost in history, but there is evidence that the first success was in the Limoux region of southwestern France. Popular myths mistakenly credit the "invention" of Champagne to a Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon (1638-1715). The cellarmaster of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers, he recognized that in-bottle refermentation (now used to give sparkling wine its sparkle) was an enormous problem for winemakers. The carbon dioxide building up in the bottle would at best push the cork out of the bottle, and at worst explode, starting a chain reaction. Nearby bottles, also under pressure, would break from the shock of the first breakage, and so on, which was a hazard to employees and to that year's production. Dom Pérignon thus tried to avoid refermentation. He introduced some features that are hallmarks of Champagne today, particularly the extensive blending of grapes from multiple vineyards, but he didn't invent Champagne. In fact, there is evidence that the process of deliberately refermenting wine in the bottle (with thicker glass and a device attached to the top to keep the cork from shooting out) was being done in the Limoux area of southwestern France a few years before Dom Pérignon even arrived at the Abbaye in northeastern France.
Dom Pérignon is credited with emphasizing Pinot Noir, recognizing that a superior wine could be made by using grapes from different vineyards, reducing yields through aggressively pruning so the vines grew no higher than three feet, harvesting in cool, damp conditions (such as early morning) with every precaution being taken to ensure that the grapes don't bruise or break, discarding any rotten or overly large grapes, and using multiple presses to help minimize maceration of the juice and the skins (instead of foot treading).
A: Exactly how soil relates to the flavor of wine is still debated. Great wines come from many different kinds of soil. It’s difficult to isolate the influence of soil because there are so many other factors (rootstock, trellising, elevation, exposure, grape variety, etc.) to consider. Like all plants, grapevines seek out nutrients in the soil. And we know that the physical structure of the soil and how it helps moderate a vine’s water supply has a lot to do with how well a vine does. But while some vintners insist they can tell, there is still no clear proof of how these differences in soil translate into taste. There's a fine article on soil types in our Interesting Articles section.
A: “Reduced” is a term used to describe a wine that has not been exposed to air. That may sound weird because air is everywhere. But keep in mind that throughout the winemaking process, oxygen is very controlled. Some winemakers aim for as little oxygen exposure as possible by using closed stainless steel containers (as opposed to barrels or open-top containers) or blanketing the wine with an inert gas that acts as a barrier between the wine and oxygen. This can help preserve fresh fruit notes. Other winemakers encourage limited oxygen exposure through open-top fermenters (common with Pinot Noir), oak barrel fermentation and/or aging, or micro-oxygenation (think of the bubbles in fish tanks) to soften tannins.
Too much oxygen and a wine can spoil and become “oxidized” (sort of the opposite of reduced), where it takes on nutty, Sherry-like characteristics. A little oxygen exposure can be beneficial. The ideal state for a wine is to be somewhere between the extremes. When a wine is reduced, it doesn’t have enough oxygen to polymerize (to have its molecules combine). This may accentuate volatile sulfur compounds called mercaptans, resulting in skunky, stinky, sulfurous smells that remind you of rotten eggs, burnt matchheads, or sewage. Most winemakers aim for a middle ground. Certain wines, like Syrah, are more susceptible to reduction. If you come across a sulfury wine, decant or swirl it. Air exposure may blow off those funky aromas.
A: Ultraviolet rays from any light source can prematurely age wines. That's why most wines meant for aging come in colored bottles to give them some extra protection (and why wines best consumed young are often in clear bottles). It seems that incandescent lights are a bit better than fluorescent lights (which are a bit better than warm sunlight), and we haven't seen anything about LED lights, but for long-term storage, it’s best that you don’t expose your wines to any constant light. By the way, producers of white wines have a bit of a conundrum. To best protect their wines, they prefer to use dark glass, but white wines (and rosés) look much better on the shelves in clear glass. Customers looking for those wines will usually overlook one in a dark glass bottle.
A: Although there is a “natural” wine movement, modern wine practices are generally good things: as winemakers dealt with issues of sanitation and spoilage, modern wines became cleaner, more stable, and more consistent than their predecessors.
When people refer to modern-style wines, they’re usually talking about wines from countries with a long history of winemaking that are made in a New World style, specifically riper, fruitier, potentially higher in alcohol, and softer. A traditionalist might find these wines too fruity, too ripe, too high in alcohol, and too extracted. Some like these “fruit bombs” that are accessible in their youth, while others like more traditional wines that may age better. Do you prefer wines that are ripe and bold? Some would argue that they are easy to appreciate but flashy, soulless, too homogeneous, and less compelling. It’s all a matter of taste.
If you have a question that has not been covered in this section, ask us by e-mail (beekmanwine@gmail.com). We'll try to send you a straight answer. Beware that we have strong opinions and there are many other opinions out there.
Author: Some of the material is "borrowed," but most of it is by Joel Mitchel
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Revised: March 4, 2025.