Wine Tours

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Whether you conduct a self-guided wine region tour or partake in a guided tour offered by a local tour guide company depends on your personal preference. A tour company they will offer travel to a predetermined list of wineries by one of a various means of transportation, limo, bus or even bicycle.

If you elect the self-guided option, be sure to get a good map before striking out on your adventure.   

The advantage of the second option is that, if you are not familiar with the area and/or the wineries themselves, this method can be easy and non-stressful.  However, if you are familiar or prefer a more individualized experience with less likelihood of a crowd, then the first option is probably better for you.

A number of the larger wineries offer tours of their facility where a staff member will guide you through the winery and explain the process of making the various types of wine they produce.  It is beneficial to go on a tour as it will provide information that will help with your understanding of different varietals and wine making processes.  This information may be beneficial when making wine selections.

I suggest taking a tour at one of the larger facilities as they will most likely make both reds and whites, as well as use more than one fermentation process.

At the conclusion of the tour I also suggest partaking in a wine tasting if offered.  During the tasting the staff will review each wine and you will be able to relate back to the process used to create that wine.  This will help give a better understanding of how the various flavours are created.  Ultimately this may serve useful when you are staring at the shelves at your local wine merchant trying to decide which wine to purchase.

Sláinte mhaith

Wineries: Up Close & Personal

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Not all wineries have their products distributed for sale at your local wine merchant.  This may be because the winery does not produce the minimum prescribed quantity to enable distribution.  In other cases it may be a conscious decision by the vintner where they prefer to sell a certain wine or vintage at their own facility.  Thus without actually visiting the winery you may be missing out on some of the wine world’s best kept secrets.

There are other reasons for visiting a winery.  No one knows their wines better than those who make them.  Well informed staff can explain the process used to make each of their wines, as well as the varietal composition, cellaring capability, and food pairing suggestions.

You will usually have the opportunity to taste the various wines on offer.  I can’t think of a better way to determine whether a particular wine is to your personal liking.

I have had some very enjoyable experiences, as well as some not so pleasant ones.  The common denominator of a rewarding winery experience is having good interaction with knowledgeable and pleasant staff that are willing to spend the time to answer questions and listen to what you are looking for.   As a result, on several occasions I have gone to a specific winery in search of one wine but after some discussion I have happily left with a different one.

When I am planning a visit to either Niagara or Prince Edward County, I do my research and plan ahead as to which wineries I want to visit and in many cases, which wines I am interested in purchasing.  Otherwise, with about 100 wineries on offer in Niagara and another 40 in the County, I would be wandering aimlessly in my search. 

A winery may make it onto my list for several different reasons.  I may have heard about a specific wine that intrigues me; I may be simply looking to restock my cellar with a certain wine that I have previously enjoyed; I may research wine reviews and make some decisions based on what the experts have to say; or as in the case of a recent trip, I may be in search of a wine that my wife and I enjoyed in an area restaurant. 

In situations where I have visited based on reviewer opinions, sometime I have gone in search of a specific wine but in others I may have been intrigued by the winery itself.  In the case of the latter, the staff’s knowledge and expertise is most important to ensure a successful experience.

If nothing else, it is a good idea to search out which wineries have a restaurant so you can plan to be somewhere food is served when hunger pangs hit.  Many of these restaurants offer a unique experience in themselves as they will often pair their wines with the various menu items.

I often travel to the wine regions during the off-season, avoiding the period from Victoria Day to Labour Day.  This way there are less likely to be crowds and winery staff will have more time to answer questions and make suggestions, making the experience more rewarding and enjoyable.

When touring the various wineries you will see that the wineries themselves are unique from one another in appearance, ranging from very modest and plain, to rustic, to extremely elaborate.   Keep in mind that appearances can be deceiving.  I have purchased great wines from barns and cinderblock shacks located along obscure lanes and paths.  Remember it is the vintner behind the scene who puts the quality in the bottle.

Sláinte mhaith

The Rebirth of the Canadian Wine Industry

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While visiting my great aunt in St. Catharines many years ago, my cousin’s husband, who was a grape grower, was mourning the loss of the Canadian wine industry.  The cause of death was the Federal Government announcing the removal of tariff protection on wine imports.  It meant the end of the world for grape growers who were now being “forced” to destroy the vast majority of their vines, which for the most part consisted of lesser-quality grapes such as, Labrusca, Seyval Blanc, or Vidal.

At the time there were a just few local wineries and the majority of the grapes were harvested for the big 3 wine makers of the day – Bright’s, London and Andrès (remember Baby Duck?; it’s still being produced).

In order to compete in the world market, the Labrusca vines needed to be replaced with good quality European vines.  To help ensure the success of this process, the Canadian and Ontario governments brought in wine experts from around the world to determine which vines were best suited for Ontario’s climate.  It was concluded that Ontario was a close match for the Burgundy region of France and as a result, Ontario began cultivating Pinot Noir, Baco Noir, and Riesling grapes. 

As confidence and understanding grew, so did the number of grape varietals being grown.  In addition to the original 3, today you will find Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in abundant supply with lesser percentages of other varieties, such as Petit Verdot and Syrah.

Along with the variety of grapes the number of wineries has also expanded.  The new “estate wineries”, which follow the European model, are appearing at an increasing rate.  There is a new enthusiasm for grape and wine production whereby growers are now developing their own wine and creating unique variations, rather than selling it to the large corporations as they did in the past.

The original group of small wineries including Cave Springs, Henry of Pelham, Peninsula Ridge and Iniskillin have been joined by many more, whose numbers totaled 99 at last count.  These wineries now produce many great wines with a number of them having reached international acclaim.

It is true, the elimination of tariffs on imported wine was the end of the Canadian wine industry as we knew it along with the demise of mass produced cheap low quality wine.  However, it has been replaced with a wonderful selection of international class wines. The industry has never looked back and I for one am glad for it.

Sláinte mhaith

Before jumping into this week’s post, I just want to explain why I haven’t published anything in the past few weeks. On September 1st I sufferred a hemorrhagic stroke. My recovery is expected to take some time though I plan to continue to write as much as possible during this challenging time. Now on to the business at hand.

During a trip to Austria this past summer I was excited by the prospect of visiting the acclaimed wine capital, Winzer Krems.  Winzer Krems prides itself in its claim that the grapes grown by the 960 grape growers on 990 hectares (2,450 acres) of land are hand-picked.

The grape varietals in Winzer Krems include,

  • Grüner Veltliner, which is the most important indigenous grape variety in Austria.
  • Riesling, the most important white wine variety in the Wachau and Kremstal regions after Grüner Veltliner.
  • Blauer Zweigelt, the most widespread red wine variety in Austria.

The grapes are transported from the vineyards to the Winzer Krems winery where they are separated according to the varietal, quality, and the particular locations of origin, to enable a wide range of individual wine qualities and specialities to be bottled.

The grapes are gently pressed to extract the juice in the whole cluster pressing. This process is to ensure the quality produced in the vineyard is maintained in the wine. The juice is then fed into stainless steel tanks and fermented in a temperature-controlled process. Only perfect bottles with the necessary quality features are marketed.

The kicker is that the wine production process is operated as a co-op.  All of the producers ship their grapes to a single wine making facility where each varietal of grape is combined with other grapes of the same varietal using a single type of process.  Because of this, any subtleties in flavour that would result from the soil characteristics and the fermentation process are lost.  All wine of the same varietal will taste the same.  There is no opportunity for a vintner’s expertise or unique growing conditions to shine.

The advantages are that you have a consistent product with no surprises or variation.  On the other hand, I for one like to taste the uniqueness of wines produced in different soils, using different fermentation processes.  I like to see the vintner’s skills to be able to stand out.

Since the wines are produced in the same manner by a single producer, the consumer of Austrian wines has very limited choice of product.

I was told that these Austrian wines are good quality “table wine”, which means that all of the wines produced are intended for immediate consumption.  None of the wines are produced with the intention of laying them down, unlike neighbouring Germany where wines are developed by independent wine producers, each with its own characteristics.  Personally speaking, I have purchased and laid down some wonderful German Rieslings that I have been rewarded with some well-aged flavourful wines.

The advantage of the co-op manufacturing approach is that the individual grape growers don’t have to concern themselves with marketing, as the co-op takes on that responsibility.  However, from the way I see it, there are no opportunities or incentive for producers to develop their own personality, quality and uniqueness that can then be rewarded on an individual financial level.  It is a very socialistic approach and I feel that individual entrepreneurial uniqueness is lost, as well as the opportunity to create superior quality wine.

Sláinte mhaith

Wine Production in Austria

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Italy’s Quality Standards

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Similar to Canada, France and Germany, Italy has developed its own safeguards where grape growers and producers must adhere to strict regulations in order to be certified.  The laws also govern things like the type of grapes used, the alcohol content, and how long the wine is aged.

Italian certification falls into three categories of decreasing strictness: DOCG, DOC, and IGT.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines contain the DOCG letters on the label.  For the consumer this means that the producer followed the strictest regulations possible to make that wine. The wine is tested by a committee that then authenticates the geographic location and the quality of the wine. There are currently only a handful of Italian wines that qualify for DOCG status.  DOCG wines are easy to identify as they contain a numbered government seal attached to the neck of the bottle.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines are much more commonly found. The rules governing quality and authenticity are still very strict, but not quite as stringent as those containing the DOCG insignia. For instance, the geographic zone might be a little bigger or the rules about what kind of grapes might be a little more relaxed.  The letters DOC will be found on the label, similar to DOCG.

The final quality designation is Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT).   This category was created after the DOC and DOCG designations in order to accommodate growers who couldn’t meet all the DOC or DOCG requirements but were still producing good quality wines. 

The following will help provide an understanding of the information commonly found on an Italian wine label.

  • Abboccato = Slightly sweet
  • Amabile = Medium sweet
  • Amarone = Dry red wine made from dried grapes
  • Azienda/Tenuta/Podere = Estate
  • Bianco = White
  • Cantina = Winery
  • Cantina sociale = Co-operative winery
  • Chiaretto = Pale red or dark rosé
  • Classico = Denotes the traditional, theoretically superior, vineyard area within a DOC/DOCG zone
  • Dolce = Sweet
  • Frizzante = Slightly sparkling
  • Imbottigliato all’origine = Estate bottled
  • Metodo Classico = Sparkling wine made by the classic Champagne method
  • Novello = Describes light, fruity wines intended for early consumption rather than cellaring
  • Passito = Generic term for wine made from dried grapes (usually sweet but occasionally dry)
  • Recioto = Sweet red or white wine made from dried grapes (a form of passito)
  • Ripasso = Full-bodied, powerful wine style made by re-fermenting wine with amarone grape skins
  • Riserva = Denotes extended aging (in cask, then bottle) before the wine is sent to market
  • Rosato = Rosé
  • Rosso = Red
  • Secco = Dry
  • Spumante = Sparkling
  • Superiore = Wines with greater concentration and higher alcoholic strength
  • Vendemmia = Vintage
  • Vigneto = Vineyard
  • Vin Santo = A dessert wine style originally from Tuscany, generally made from air-dried grapes
  • Trebbiano = A name shared between many different Italian grape varieties, planted almost everywhere within Italy. It is dark gold or amber-coloured with high acidity and a rather neutral flavour profile

I myself have sampled quite a few Italian wines over the years and they have not all been DOCG or DOC.  I have found that IGT wines are often very similar in taste to their higher rated cousins.  In general, the quality standards are very good. 

With Italian wines I am more inclined to purchase what intrigues me and not pay so much attention to whether it contains a certain insignia.  It is also interesting to note that the price point of DOCG wines is often no higher than, and sometimes even less than DOC or IGT wines.

Sláinte mhaith

Drink or lay down and how to cellar those you keep

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Given all of the images of wine cellars out on the internet, people often get the impression that most wines should be held for many years before popping the cork and enjoying the contents.  However, in reality 90% of wine that is released by the wineries is ready for consumption when it is released and 99% within 5 years of release.  Only 5 to 10% of wines will improve after a year of cellaring and only 1% will continue to improve after 5 to 10 years of cellaring.

In order for a wine to benefit from aging, it requires a high acidity level.  Acidity adds to a wine’s vibrant, full-bodied texture. It fades with age, so cellared wines must start out with a high level of acidity. Wines with low acidity (<0.65g/100ml), like Pinot Grigio, will become flat much sooner and lose most of their flavour in a short period of time.

The second characteristic of a cellarable wine is a significant amount of tannin.  Tannin is created by allowing the grape skins, seeds and stems to remain in the juice after processing.  Additional tannin is created when the wine is stored in wooden wine barrels (French Oak or American Oak).  Bold tannins give wine the structure to age well.  Tannins create the dryness in wine and can make the wine somewhat bitter. In a young wine they can make your mouth pucker up, somewhat like a sip of a strong black tea.

Without tannins and acidity, there is nothing to be gained by keeping a wine for more than a year or two.  When a wine is kept beyond its prime it begins to lose its flavour and becomes very acidy.

Wine reviewers and vintners can give you suggestions as to how long to retain a particular wine.  Why guess when you can take advantage of their free advice.

If you are going to store wine, whether it be for a week, a month or a decade, there are some dos and don’ts to consider  to help ensure that wine tastes as good as it should.  You don’t need to have a wine cellar or even a wine fridge to store wine but there are some things to keep in mind.

Most importantly all wine should be kept in the dark.  Both sunlight and incandescent light can harm your wine.  Think of wine as being like fabric.  Fabric exposed to sunlight can bleach out the colour and eventually cause the material to rot.  Light has a similar effect on wine, causing the wine to begin breaking down, resulting in lost flavour and spoilage.

If you have a means of chilling your wine, the experts have differing opinions but generally speaking it seems safe to store them anywhere between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, although 55 degrees is believed to be about the perfect temperature.

If stored at a temperature over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the wine will age more quickly than expected and therefore begin losing flavour and aroma.  It is also beneficial to keep your wine stored at as consistent a temperature as possible.

Traditionally wine is stored on its side.  This is done in order to ensure the cork remains wet.  If a cork is allowed to dry out, over time it will shrink and allow oxygen into the bottle.  Once wine is exposed to oxygen, it quickly spoils leaving you with an undrinkable surprise when you open it. 

Even though not all wine has a cork any more, another reason for laying a bottle on its side is to allow for the equal distribution of the sediment that is often found in a wine with high tannin content.  During the aging process the tannins can solidify and drop to the bottom.  With the bottle lying on its side, the solids are distributed more evenly, keeping the flavour of the wine consistent from the first glass to the last.

Once you have placed your bottle in its resting place, whether that is in a wine cellar, wine fridge or even a closet, it should not be disturbed until you retrieve it to drink.  You don’t want to shake up the tannins that have been slowly settling in the bottle.

One final no-no and my pet peeve is never store wine in an open wine rack in a kitchen.  Kitchen designers seem to love including a wine rack in the end of an island or even worse, next to the stove.  I admit these wine racks often look very enticing and professional but resist the temptation to slip a bottle of wine into one.  The kitchen is the brightest room in the house with the greatest fluctuation in heat and humidity – a total wine killer.  The only time wine should appear in the kitchen is when it is being poured into a glass.

Lastly, when you go to serve that bottle of wine, both reds and whites should be pulled from the fridge or wine cellar about 20 minutes before opening to be allowed some time to warm up a little.  On the other hand, if your wine has been stored at room temperature, even most red wines should be chilled for a few minutes before serving.

Sláinte mhaith

Germany’s Quality Standard

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Germany’s wine governing body is the Association of German Quality and Prädikat Wine Estates known as Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweinguter (VDP).  This is an association of about 200 top German wineries. Membership is voluntary but requires adherence to strict standards well above those required by German wine law.

Since 1910, the VDP and its black eagle logo have been an important, although unofficial, symbol of German wine quality. The association has created its own wine quality system based on the vineyard classification terms ‘Grosse Lage’ and ‘Erste Lage’ (similar to France’s Grand Cru and Premier Cru).

Grosse Lage is used only for Germany’s very best vineyard sites – small, carefully demarcated areas with clear site-specific characteristics. Yields on these sites are limited to 50 hectoliters per hectare, which generally equates to about 8,000 kilograms of grapes per hectare, if that is any help giving you a visual.

Grosse Lage vineyards produce Grosses Gewächs (a dry wine). A Grosses Gewächs may be either white or red wine, depending on the vineyard.

Erste Lage identifies first class vineyards with distinctive characteristics, but which rank a little behind Grosse Lage in terms of quality. Yields are limited to 60 hectoliters per hectare.

From a government perspective, German wine is classified into 1 of 4 quality categories: Deutscher Wein, Landwein, Qualitätswein (QbA) and Prädikatswein. The latter is further divided into levels of ripeness: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese.

  • Kabinett = the lowest level of Prädikatswein.  It is lower in ripeness than Spätlese
  • Spätlese = a white wine made from fully ripe grapes harvested late in the season
  • Auslese = a late harvest white wine  made from grapes that are riper than Spätlese
  • Beerenauslese = made from individually selected grapes that are very ripe. Usually these grapes have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, (noble rot), further concentrating their high sugars. As a result these wines are rare and costly.
  • Eiswein = an icewine/dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine.
  • Trockenbeerenauslese = a medium bodied dessert wine with the highest sugar concentration of any German wine ity. Yields

Each of the quality categories is determined by the level of ripeness that the grapes have achieved by the time they are harvested. Generally speaking riper grapes provide more aroma and more flavourful wine. It is interesting to note that ripeness is used as the basis of the quality scale because it is not uncommon for grapes to not fully mature before being harvested.  This is due to the cool climate conditions which can reduce the growing season.

The German wine law identifies Prädikatswein (previously referred to as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP)), as representing graduating ripeness levels in ascending order: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, BA, and TBA. These wines are all naturally produced with no chaptalization (no sugar is added).   This sounds like a winner to me.

The second category is Qualitätswein (QbA).  These wines must comply with the regional appellation laws and are tested for compliance by an official committee.  The laws ensure that the wine is from one specific wine-growing region, is made of approved grape varieties and reached sufficient ripeness for a quality wine.  Those wines that successfully meet the standard receive an AP-Number.

About three-quarters of all German wine are in this category.  A QbA wine must be made exclusively from grapes grown in one of Germany’s 13 official wine regions, called an Anbaugebiete.

It is interesting to note that the wines in this category are chaptalized (have sugar added to the juice before fermentation to increase the alcohol level after fermentation).  

The third category is Deutscher Wein, which consists of normally ripe and slightly under ripe grapes. This class of wine is primarily consumed in Germany with very little being exported to North America. These wines only have to comply with few restrictions and the wines are not officially tested. They do not have an AP-Number.  This would be the equivalent of France’s Vin De Pays and Europe’s IGP category.

A superior type of Deutscher Wein is Deutshcer Landwein, which has a minimum of 0.5% more alcohol. The wine must come from one of 19 specified wine districts. A Landwein must not contain more than 18 grams of sugar per liter.

From my interpretation I would see only the Qualitätswein (QbA) and Prädikatswein being a worthwhile pursuit in your wine search.  Grosse Lage and Ertse Laga wines would be included in these categories. Personally I am not a fan of incorporating sugars that are not part of the natural fermentation process, so I limit my own search to Prädikatswein grade wines.

Here are some hints that will help you interpret German wine labels.

  • Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (A.P. Nr) = Quality control number, granted after official quality testing
  • Anbaugebiet = One of Germany’s 13 wine regions
  • Bereich = One of Germany’s 39 wine districts, which make up the 13 Anbaugebiete
  • Einzellage = Single vineyard, meaning the grapes used to produce the particular wine came from one vineyard.  This helps to ensure quality control and consistency of the grape content
  • Erste Lage = High quality vineyard, similar to France’s ‘Premier Cru’
  • Goldkapsel = ‘Gold capsule’, indicating a producer’s finest wine
  • Grosslage = Collection of vineyards; the opposite of Einzellage above
  • Grosse Lage = Top-quality vineyard, similar to France’s ‘Grand Cru’
  • Grosses Gewächs = Dry wine from a Grosse Lage vineyard
  • Gutsabfüllung = Estate-bottled wine
  • Halbtrocken = Medium-dry
  • Liebfraumilch = Semi-sweet style, made most often from Muller-Thurgau grapes
  • Oechsle = Unit of must-weight (grape sugar content)
  • Prädikat = ‘distinction’, or ripeness level
  • Rotwein = Red wine
  • Rotling = Rosé wine made from red and white grapes
  • Schillerwein = Rotling-like rosé style from Württemberg (and N.Switzerland)
  • Sekt = Sparkling wine
  • Trocken = Dry
  • VDP Verband Deutscher Prädikats = Qualitätsweinguter, which is described above
  • Weingut = Wine estate
  • Weinkellerei = Winery
  • Weissherbst = Rosé made from a single red-wine grape variety
  • Weisswein = White wine

I have had a number of wonderful German Rieslings and Gewürztraminers over the years and I must admit that I have not paid attention to the quality rating the wine has had.  However, not being a fan of overly sweet wine, I do pay attention to the scale of dryness.  

Sláinte mhaith

What Wine is Best for Me?

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I sometimes hear that although someone prefers red wine over white wine, they have to drink white wine because red wine causes them grief, usually in the way of heartburn or headaches.  Don’t give up hope quite yet; there are some potential remedies that may allow you to enjoy red wine again.

 For anyone suffering from heartburn after drinking red wine, quite often it is the tannin that is the culprit.  Therefore, I suggest trying younger, fresher wines, such as Baco Noir and Pinot Noir and stay away from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah/Shiraz.   The young fresh wines will contain less tannin.

Another good way to determine how much tannin is in a red wine is to look and see how long the wine can be kept for.  In the Vintages section of your local LCBO this is identified by the wine bottle icon found on the description card attached to the display shelf.  The bottle will either be vertical, on a slant, or horizontal.   Wines with higher contents of tannin are ones that can be retained for at least several years.  Those will be the ones with the horizontal or slanted bottle icon.

This being said, the reds with the slanted bottle icon should not be automatically rejected.  Those that have been released within a couple of years of being produced  and recommended for consumption within the next couple of years, will have considerably less tannin than those that can be cellared  for a number of years.  It will require experimentation to determine how much tannin your stomach will comfortably tolerate.

I also suggest avoiding red wines from warmer climates, such as Australia and South America.  These wines tend to be bolder and stronger in flavour than wines from countries such as Canada or France.  Wines from warmer climates tend to have longer growing seasons, thus intensifying the wine which can result in a higher degree of tummy agitation.

If red wine gives you headaches tannin again can be the instigator.  Tannin consists of plant chemicals that contain antioxidants that can generate neurotransmitter serotonin.  This in turn can cause headaches in some people.  Selecting a red wine that contains lower amounts of tannin may be of great benefit.

However, tannin is not the only cause of headaches.  Some individuals lack the ability to breakdown the high level of histamine that is contained within the red grape skins.  The result is a type of allergic reaction that comes in the form of a headache.  The recommended solution for this is to take an antihistamine before consuming your favourite red.

Finally, a local potter once told me that a pottery wine challis that is unglazed inside will neutralize the tannin thus making the wine easier on both the stomach and the head.  It may be worth the investment to see if it works for you.  The worst case would be you have a new fancy wine vessel taking space in your cupboard that can be repurposed.

Sláinte mhaith

Tasting Wine

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Of course when you drink a glass of wine you indeed taste it as you drink it.  It isn’t chugged like a beer might be or downed in a single gulp like you would if you were doing shots, or at least I hope not.

There are, however, different types of tasting.  There is tasting, as you would when you sit at the dinner table enjoying a glass a wine with a meal. And there is the other type of tasting, the one you do if you go to a winery or attend an event hosted by a sommelier, vintner, or other wine expert. 

This second type of tasting is more of an event than simply the enjoyment of a glass of wine.  Such wine tasting events take place for a variety of reasons, but the process is generally the same.  Perhaps you are visiting a winery and want to know which, if any, of their wines suit your palate.  In other situations you may be comparing and matching certain wines to various types of food.  That is how I acquired a passion for blue cheese, much to my wife’s chagrin, but that is a story for another day.  Another purpose of formal wine tastings is to learn how the various types of wines (grapes) relate to each other, whether it is dryer, sweeter, robust, etc.

In any event, the process for tasting wines in these situations is the same.  In order to truly judge the character of the wine to determine if it is to your liking, it requires the use of a few of your senses – your eyes, then your nose, and finally your taste buds.

The first thing to do once you are given the glass of wine is to hold it to the light to see how transparent or opaque it is.  Generally speaking, the more transparent a wine, the lighter the taste.  Although I have never tried it, it is said that you can read a book through a glass of Pinot Noir, where the same could not be said for a glass of Shiraz.  But I ask, why risk spilling the wine?

Second, you can determine the relative amount of alcohol in the wine by tilting the wine glass toward its side and then straightening it back up to see if there are “legs”, which are streams of liquid lingering along the side of the glass that was tipped.  The longer the legs, the higher the alcohol content.  The higher the alcohol content in the wine, the stronger the flavour.

The next thing you should do is swirl the wine in the bowl of the glass and sniff it to see whether there is an aroma or bouquet, and if there is, whether it is appealing to you.  Wine reviewers will describe what they smell, whether it be apples, pears, grass, etc. in white wine or hints of leather, turf, cocoa, etc. in red wines.  You may or may not smell any of these things; what is important is determining whether it is an aroma that is pleasing to you.

Finally, it is time to taste the wine.  It is best to close your eyes so as not to be distracted by the sights of what is going on around you.  When you taste the wine, let it linger in your mouth, being sure to completely taste before swallowing or spitting it out into the spittoon that will have been provided specifically for that purpose.  Spitting out the wine during a formal tasting is not being disrespectful.  If you are going to be tasting a number of wines, many people prefer not to ingest that much wine, especially if there are a number of varieties being sampled.

When tasting the wine you may find that there are recognizable flavours similar to what is found in the wine’s aroma, such as green apple or pear in some white wines, or cocoa or coffee, for example, in red wine.  Some wine experts will go so far as to say that red wines may have a hint of leather or an earthiness in their flavour, though having personally not chomped on a piece of leather or dirt, I am not sure how they can come to that particular conclusion.

Wine tastings are something that you can experiment with and conduct them with your friends and fellow wine enthusiasts in the comfort of your own home.  It is a fun way to learn about wines and experiment with wines you haven’t tried before.  There are all kinds of different things you can do and try.

Enjoy!

Sláinte mhaith

France’s Standard of Quality

/ A Layman's Wine Musings / 2 Comments

In a previous post I described Canada’s VQA standard for helping to ensure the wine you purchase is an enjoyable experience.  Not all countries take this same approach to standard identification.  Many countries, such as Australia and the United States, govern the wine industry with a general set of standards and controls and do not adhere to any particular categorization for wine quality.   However, there are other countries, such as France, Italy & Germany that do have quality standards specific to wine.

To begin I will focus on France, which has 3 primary quality groupings.   The first is AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée), which indicates the geographical origin, quality and the style of a wine.  The Europe-wide equivalent of AOC is AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée). All Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines fall into the AOC category.

Grand Cru is the very highest classification of French wine. The term can refer to a wine in one of two ways, either the plot of land where the grapes are grown or the chateau at which the wine is made. The former applies most famously in Burgundy, Alsace and Champagne but is also used in Languedoc and the Loire Valley; the latter being exclusive to Bordeaux.

Premier Cru denotes either a vineyard plot (most often in Burgundy) of superior quality, or the very highest tier within a Grand Cru classification (such as the ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé chateaux of Bordeaux).

The second wine category is VDP (Vin de Pays), which means ‘wine of the land’, although it is often translated as ‘country wine’. The European equivalent is IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée). This category focuses on geographical origin rather than style and tradition, and gives winemakers greater stylistic freedom than AOC. Vin de Pays was introduced in the 1970s, and by the year 2000 there were more than 150 individual VDP titles, covering about a quarter of French wine production

The final category, Vin de France, replaced Vin de Table in 2010, but remains the most basic quality tier for French wine. This is the least regulated (and least used) of the three categories; Vin de France wines can be made from grapes grown anywhere in France, but their labels do not mention a specific region of origin. Vintage and grape varietal statements are optional.

Some of the French quality scales can be easily identified on the wine label.  For example, if applicable the term ‘Grand Cru’ or ‘Premier Cru’ will appear somewhere on the label.  You will also notice a correlation between the quality rating and the price of the wines.  Generally speaking ‘Grand Cru’ wines are at the top end of the price scale, with ‘Premier Cru’ are somewhat less expensive.

Here are some helpful hints when interpreting a French wine label; some of the terms are more obvious than others.

  • Blanc = White wine
  • Brut = Dry
  • Château = The name of the wine producer
  • Côte/Coteaux = Slope of a hill/hillsides, for example Côtes du Rhône
  • Crémant = A style of sparkling wine different from Champagne
  • Cru = Means ‘growth’ – it is used to denote the status of a winery or vineyard
  • Cru Classé = Classified vineyard, suggesting a certain quality or age of the vines
  • Demi-sec = Medium-dry
  • Domaine = Estate
  • Doux = Sweet
  • Grand Cru = Signifying the highest quality wines
  • Méthode Traditionnelle = Traditional method of sparkling winemaking, like  Champagne
  • Mis en bouteille au château/domaine = Bottled at the winery
  • Premier Cru = First growth
  • Propriétaire = Identifies the estate or vineyard owner
  • Rouge = Red
  • Sélection de Grains Nobles = Sweet wine made from botrytized grapes (grapes containing botrytis fungus, which is seen as being beneficial to the wine)
  • Supérieur = Wine with a higher alcohol content as a result of being made from riper grapes
  • VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) = a mid-level classification used between 1949 and 2012
  • Vendange Tardive = Late harvest (sweet) wines
  • Vieilles Vignes = Old vines
  • Vigneron/Viticulteur = Vine grower/grape grower
  • Vignoble = Vineyard
  • Vin = Wine

Hopefully all of this will help take some of the mystery out of how to find an enjoyable French wine.  I have found that the French wines that are exported, especially any of those that appear on the shelves of the Vintages section of my local liquor store, are all worth a try.  I think you will find that French wine does not need to be expensive nor of a specific quality standard to be enjoyable.

In the future I will take a similar look at German and Italian wine classifications.

Sláinte mhaith