Home Consumer You Have Wine Related Questions – We Have Answers!

You Have Wine Related Questions – We Have Answers!

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By TOM MARQUARDT and PATRICK DARR

We are often asked questions about the complex world of winemaking.  Here are a few recent ones that struck a chord for us.

I had a bottle of white wine the other day and noticed a lot of sediment at the bottom of the last glass.  Was something wrong with the wine?

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No, but we understand your concern. A recent dinner guest of ours was disgusted when she unwittingly drank some of these crystals in the last glass of a delightful Cormorant grenache-marsanne blend.  We too were surprised to see as much as a teaspoon of the crystals in the glass but assured her there was nothing harmful in the wine.  Nonetheless, it wasn’t pleasant to ingest.

Faith Based Events

But if you weren’t in the presence of someone who knows better, you may assume the wine was flawed. For that reason, many winemakers subject their wines to cold stabilization to remove the crystals before the wine is bottled, but that process comes at the risk of stripping the wine of its important acidity. It is purely an issue of aesthetics that winemakers struggle with all the time.

First, a lesson on where these crystals originate.  Affectionately called “wine diamonds,” these crystals are formed from naturally occurring tartaric acid critical to stabilizing chemicals and giving color and structure to a wine.  While some of it is removed in the filtering process, a bit is often soluble and thus unseen when purchased. But once you cool the wine in a refrigerator, the crystals form and sink to the bottom.

We spoke with Coromorant winemaker Charlie Gilmore who admitted that his grenache-marsanne blend leaves behind a lot of crystals after it has been refrigerated. He said there are ways to remove the crystals at the winery but he is focused on making a pure, unadulterated wine.  He argues against cold fermentation, however.

“It’s a major energy use,” he said. “To make a quality wine, I’m not going fine, filter or freeze.  And I think it’s a better wine if I don’t.”

Second, we discovered a wine that remains for days in the refrigerator has a greater likelihood of forming crystals. In fact, the Cormorant blend was in Tom’s refrigerator for several days in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner.  Had he put the wine in the refrigerator a few hours before dinner, there may not have been as many crystals.

We respect a winemaker who follows the natural process of winemaking and injects fewer chemicals and processes in clarifying a wine.  No fining or filtration were used and very little sulfites were added in the Cormorant. The result was a very fresh, crisp wine we would pour again – with less time in the refrig.

I love red wine but I always get headaches even if I have only one glass.  I don’t get headaches from white wine. Is it me or is there something about red wine that makes my head hurt the next day?

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/medium-shot-woman-dealing-with-anxiety_28694090.htm#query=wine%20headache&position=0&from_view=search&track=ais&uuid=090a1cdf-c1f6-49ab-b2c7-01869c17a0f6Trust us, this issue has been researched and debated for decades.  We have told readers it is not the sulfites, as they assumed, but most likely the phenolics or histamines that are more prevalent in red wine than white wine and even beer.  But a recent report in the Scientific Reports put an entirely new spin on headaches and red wine.

Authored by Apramita Devi, Morris Levin and Andrew L. Waterhouse, the report pins the blame on quercetin which screens ultraviolet light as if it was a suntan lotion.  Only a chemical scientist can decipher the technical aspects of this scholarly report, but what we got from it is that red grapes exposed to more sunlight gather more quercetin.

While the liver does a good job filtering alcohol, it is stressed when quercetin is added. The toxin that results from this incomplete filtering makes the head pound like a John Deere piston. In fact, alcoholics are often given high doses of these chemicals to create symptoms that discourage them from consuming alcohol.

The study also found that flavonols, which is a broad group that includes quercetin, were “four times higher in ultra-premium wines than in high-volume wines.” This could be because the grape growers are exposing the vineyards to more sun to enhance ripeness and leaving the skins in contact with fermenting juice for longer periods. Vineyard practices aren’t so discriminating in making inexpensive wines.

If you get headaches from red wine, check their price tag.

The report can be found at www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-46203-y.

Does wine served in a plane at high altitude taste any differently?

https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/business-travel-by-airplane-man-looking-through-window-drinking-champagne-during-flight_118329210.htm#query=airplane%20wine&position=12&from_view=search&track=ais&uuid=84efd328-46ca-4807-9c50-4d99fe4cfc36Count us among the surprised when we recently read that altitude will impact a wine’s flavor.  A press release from TAP Air Portugal said the airline sends its wine panel in the air just to taste the differences.  Imagine a bunch of white-coat wine nerds flying in circles and tasting wine. Not a bad gig.

Research shows that you taste about 20 percent less sugar and 30 percent less salinity in wines consumed 3,000 to 5,000 feet in altitude.  It’s not that the wine changes, but your taste buds may. Because both of those elements can have a profound effect on wine, it’s important to airlines that they select wines that won’t noticeably suffer, i.e. wines that are fruity and less tannic.

Wines with high salinity are those from vineyards near the sea – think albarino from northern Spain, assyrtiko from Greece or grillo from Sicily. Frankly, we haven’t found any of these wines traveling to and from Europe. But we wonder if a slightly sweet chardonnay from California will taste the same in the air that it does on the ground.

Fliers often dehydrate, which is why you are advised on long flights to drink water instead of alcohol. Dehydration dampens the aromas of wine by as much as 25 percent, according to the research. Since the palate only picks up five elements – sweet, bitter, salt, acid and umami (the savory character that is akin to beef stock) – most of a wine’s character is determined by the aromas.

Wine picks

Villa Maria New Zealand Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (Vivino)

All Saints Estate Durif 2021 ($38). Wow. If you like your reds big and bold, this durif from the northeast Victoria region in Australia is an incredible discovery. Durif is a cross between peloursin and syrah and produces a tannic, dense wine with an inky black color and intense ripe berry flavors.  This has the tannins to preserve the wine for a decade or more.

Coto de Imaz Reserva 2018 ($23).  We just can’t enough of Rioja, or so it seems. Every time we taste a new one, we wonder why tempranillo doesn’t grace our table more often.  This gem, entirely tempranillo, is chock full of dark berry fruit. Aged in American oak for at least 18 months, it has a pronounced vanilla and caramel nuance.  For a few bucks more the 2016 Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva ($37) has more concentration and richness. The additional bottle age gives it a round, sumptuous texture.

Villa Maria New Zealand Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2022 ($16).  Those of you who like zesty and bright sauvignon blanc will be pleased with this version from the Marborough region. White grapefruit, a kiss of freshly mown grass and fresh acidity.

[vc_message icon_type=”typicons” icon_typicons=”typcn typcn-wine”]Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr, MoreAboutWine, posted on SouthFloridaReporter.com

Republished with permission

Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr have been writing a weekly wine column for more than 30 years. Additional Wine reviews on MoreAboutWine

All photos are randomly selected and do not indicate any preferred wine. Listed prices are subject to change and do not include tax or shipping.

You can send questions to Tom Marquardt marq1948@gmail.com

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Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr have been writing a wine column since 1985. They have traveled extensively to vineyards in France, Spain, Italy, Greece and the United States. Tom currently resides in Naples with his wife, Sue, where he conducts wine tastings. His web site is MoreAboutWine.com. Patrick is in the wine retail business in Annapolis, MD.