So I decided to add a new category about wine. This will include all aspects of wine, from vineyard practices, to wine making, to wine tasting. In this category, I’ll try to expose some common myths as untruths, and add some fun facts from time to time to spark some discussion among anyone who feels intimidated about the world of Enology.
Where to start? We’ll start with a basic one, I suppose.
Red grapes can make white wines.
Whether a grape makes a red wine or a white, almost all grapes have a yellow-greyish pulp and produce clear juice. You can therefore make white wines from traditional red-skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noir, for example) or Merlot. The continued contact of the red skins throughout fermentation is what gives red wine its pigmentation.
There are very few grapes with red pulp which produce pink juice. The French call these grapes teinturiers, or “dyers”. The Alicante Bouschet grape of French origin is one of these exceptions. Its pulp is dark red, resulting in an intensely crimson wine often used in small quantities as a tinting grape in red blends. On its own, Alicante Bouschet is quite tannic and bitter with a coarse texture and problematic acidity.
If anyone has any wine related questions, please email me and I’ll address them here. My hope is that I’ll learn a lot along the way, and hopefully de-mistify the world of wine for some folks out there. Plus, wine facts make a good conversation starter at the dinner table.
screw caps rule, although much less romatic!
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/about/news/articles/2005/12/screwcap.cfm
Good one, Stephanie. My winery was one of the first California wineries to use the screwcap closure on one of their lines: Bishop’s Peak. The response was mostly positive, although we do get some negative comments from those who are not “in the know” about Cork Taint. I’ll use that as another myth-buster!!!
Oh, and I LOVE Sauv Blanc from down under (although I normally favor those from the Marlborough region in NZ). They have that great “Cat piss on a tomato plant” element that California SB’s just can’t imitate. 🙂
Funny fact indeed. You know something? I’ve always loved wine. I hate beer and seldom have any alcoholic drink other than wine. There are some great wines here in the Canary Islands, especially white. Do you recommend any book for a beginner? One that covers all the basic aspects. Thanks beforehand.