Due to the oft-cryptic wine terminology, and common yet unnecessary, dose of wine-snobbery at parties and tastings, newbies often find it rather intimidating to ask a question or two. Mostly because they scared the whole room will burst into laughter at the thought of simply asking when to use to a decanter.
Fear not, some of these questions are also a basis for disagreement between wine professionals, because at the end of the day wine is all about personal taste.
Below are some basic guidelines that should help better your wine experience, but always remember that if you like red wine with fish, or sweet wine with home-made hamburgers, nobody should tell you otherwise!
How long can I keep an open bottle of wine?
The short answer is about 3-5 days in a very cool, dark place with a cork or screwcap to shut out the oxygen. Generally, the more tannin and acidity the wine has, the longer it will keep. Therefore, Cabernet Sauvignon would tend to last longer than Pinot Noir or Gamay. I've recently been drinking a great bottle of Chablis by Maison Régnard for the past three days and it's remained delicious.
Though it will invariably go bad after some time, it won’t kill you. Taste it before pouring it down the sink, you may be pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, very young, bold and full-bodied wines may even improve the following the day and it’s not the first time I preferred a young bottle of wine the following day. I find that keeping the opened wine in the fridge will help to preserve the wine a tad longer then if left out. By this, I don’t just mean white wine, but also red wine. I usually, pour a glass straight from the open bottle stored in the fridge and let it get back to room temperature in the glass.
Opened wine usually starts to lose the fruit flavours after a day or two and evolves into tertiary aromas of earth and barnyard till it eventually turn to vinegar.
At what temperature should I store my wines?
If you intend to store your wines for a couple of months or even years, it is important to store horizontally, in a cool, dark place. Preferably, away from any sunlight and any vibrations. So, the wooden rack behind the vibrating fridge, directly under the heater is probably not the right place.
The ideal storage temperature for all wines including red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling is between 13°C and 17°C. however, if you received a bottle of wine, which you intend to open in a couple of months, don’t fret. Leaving it horizontally in a cool cupboard for a couple of months shouldn’t spoil the wine. On the other hand, if you’re taking it somewhat seriously and looking at storing a couple of bottles for your kids eighteenth birthday, it may be worth investing in a little specialist wine-fridge, otherwise opening that great vintage bottle in ten years’ time will be nothing short of a let-down.
What about serving temperature?
This is when the different types of wine are to be treated differently. The general rule is that white and sparkling wine is to be served 7 °C and 12°C, where the fuller bodied whites, such as Chardonnay, can be served at the warmer end of the scale, whereas the lighter bodied Pinot Grigio or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tend to be served on the colder side.
It’s pretty similar with the red, where the light-bodied wines can be served slightly colder than the full-bodied ones. A light and fruity Pinot Noir or Beaujolais can be served at a cool 15°C, but a rich and decadent Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentinian Malbec or Port wine would be more enjoyable at a warmer 20°C. take note, that the old adage of room temperature for red wine, doesn’t really hold during the typical Maltese summer. A five-minute chill-out in an ice-bucket may help during the hot summer months.
Do I get headaches because I am allergic to sulfites?
Most probably not.
Sulfites are almost certainly not the culprit. If you eat packet noodles, dried fruit and bottled soft drinks without a headache, then it’s not the sulfites. The amount of sulfites in wine pales in comparison to a packet of dried raisins or packet noodles. I would also add that those few that allergic to sulfites generally suffer from hives or shortness of breath, not headaches.
Sulfites have been used as an added preservative to food for many years and is also a natural by-product of fermentation.
So, if Sulfites are not the cause of your headache, what could it be? Most commonly, tannin (usually found in red wine) prompts your body to release serotonin, which may cause headaches in some people.
Occasionally, it is down to the histamines found on grapes skins that cause headaches. In this case one may ask a doctor to prescribe an antihistamine which may solve the problem.
However, one must realise that grapes, skins and stalks have a huge number of various compounds that may cause your headache and it may difficult to pin-point the exact culprit. Organic wine, grown from organically grown grapes would have less chemicals and additives and this may reduce the possibility of headaches caused by chemicals, so it may be a good idea to look out for these types of wines as a possible alternative. Bear in mind that many of the worlds best wines are in fact organic but have no mention on the label.
Last, but not least don’t forget that wine has alcohol! It may just be you had a great time and overdid with the wine last night?
Are the legs an indication of quality?
The legs, sometimes referred to as tears, are simply a measure of the amount of alcohol in the wine. So, if the wine-snob across the table comments that the wine has ‘great legs’, all it means is that the wine has high alcohol, which can never be an indication of quality.
If you’re unsure what the legs actually are, it refers to the viscosity of the wine, which is determined by swirling the wine in the glass and waiting for the clear liquid droplets that form at the top of the glass to drop back into the wine. The slower they take to fall, the higher the alcohol content.
What are Tannins?
Have you ever drunk a red wine that makes your mouth pucker up with dryness? That’s the tannins! Tannins come from the skin, stems, and seeds in grapes. This is why red wines are generally more tannic than whites. When the grapes are crushed, they are kept in contact with their skins for some time in what we call maceration. This brings out the colour and phenolic compounds, including tannins, that make the red wine what it is. Sometimes, tannins can also come from wood, so wines aged in oak will also have some tannic presence, though usually softer than the grape tannins.
With time tannins are softened and this is one of the reasons people age their wine. Age-worthy wines such as Bordeaux are often too astringent with tannins upon release, but leaving the wine for some time in the bottle (usually years) will help to soften the tannins, and allow room for other complex notes to emerge to their full potential.
Why do wine professionals swirl and slurp the wine?
I confess that I have swirled my morning coffee. Obviously it was unintentional, but old habits die hard. It has indeed become a habit to swirl my wine. Swirling and slurping the wine simply introduces the oxygen to the wine and aerates the wine further on the palate. It therefore opens the wine to expose the aromas, flavours and complex components that will enhance the overall experience of wine tasting.
It’s similar to pumping up the volume on your car stereo when you hear one of your favourite songs. You will still enjoy the song if you left it at a low volume, but letting it rip from the surround-system speakers makes it a whole new and wonderful experience.
Speaking of the stereo system, I have no doubt that you would prefer listening to that favourite song of yours on a professional sound system, as opposed to the little old cassette player still laying around your parents’ house. Likewise, use a proper wine glass to taste the wine. Any old plastic cup is like listening to that favourite song on an old stereo-system that has louder interference noise than song volume.
What is your favourite wine?
This is by far the most common question I get.
At my last wine tasting, someone stopped me mid-sentence and asked me this very question. She continued to say that I seemed to have loved every wine we tasted throughout the course.
I admit that she wasn’t far off from the truth, and I admit that I love most wines and large array of styles. I choose my wine depending on the time, place, food and experience I am having, or intend to have. I like to think I have an open mind to wine and will taste pretty much anything. I don’t always love it, but I will savour and appreciate the experience. I do not necessarily rate the wine on whether I like it or not, but on the typicity of the wine, grapes and region. Does it taste as it should?
I then evaluate the aromas, taste, complexity, structure and length of the wine. I guess it’s a combination of the technical aspect and enjoyment factor. A bit like reviewing a book, I will rate the wine not only based on each separate component, but also according to the overall impression it leaves.
Ok, so is their one particular favourite wine?
I cannot say there is. Like everyone, I pass through phases where I’m drinking more of one type of wine over another. There are times Bordeaux trumps Californian or I’m looking for certain producers, but as much as I love a rich and powerful Meursault from Burgundy, I’m still choosing the lighter styled Albariño If I’m having a delicately grilled fish. The former would have overpowered the dish. It’s all about the whole experience where the scenario and food pairing trumps everything.
However, if pressed further I would say that there were wines that have wowed me. Wines that I enjoyed so much I got that warm fuzzy feeling inside and was lost for words. These particular wines from specific vintages were not necessarily the most fancy or expensive, but that were tasted at the perfect moment in time to leave an impression I’d remember forever.
