wine facts Archives

Pouring wine to aerate it by Wines With Attitude

To decant or not to decant? That is the question…

To decant or not to decant? That is the question… Often regarded as an old-fashioned, even somewhat pretentious practice, decanting wine has its fair share of doubters. Is decanting simply done for show or does it serve a useful purpose? If so, which wines should be decanted and how long before serving should wine be decanted? This blogpost looks into the why, which, how and when of decanting wine. WHY DECANT WINE? The main reason historically for decanting wine was to remove it from any naturally-occurring sediment often seen in wines that have aged a while in bottle. This sediment can taste bitter and, let’s face it, is unpleasant in texture – no-one likes to get that gritty last mouthful of wine. You would expect to see a sediment in vintage & crusted port and wines, mostly red wines, that have been aged for a number of years in bottle. Some younger wines can also benefit from being decanted. There is a small but growing number of natural winemakers who prefer not to filter their wine and so you can also find younger wines with a deposit (at Wines With Attitude I warn you in my unique tasting notes when I expect you to find sediment). But in general we have moved to drinking wines that are younger and younger and most have not had chance to develop a sediment before consumption and have also usually been clarified, fined and filtered to remove any solid matter. Removing wine from its sediment is not the only reason to decant wine however. Most wines, even my nemesis, those cheap and nasty ‘commercial’ wines, can taste better after being decanted simply because the aeration caused on pouring the wine into another receptacle releases aromas and flavours. This is especially true for younger wine and those sealed with a screw cap where the wine may have had less exposure to oxygen than a wine from a bottle sealed with a cork and can be ‘closed’, i.e. displaying few aromas and flavours. Decanting wine can help any closed wine to open up or you could simply swirl the wine in your glass to aerate it. Aggressive tannins can also be softened a little by decanting as adding oxygen can suppress them. And if a wine smells musty or slightly off – and increasingly wines are being made with little or no sulphur which acts as an antioxidant and preservative – decanting can help remove some unwanted aromas. It cannot however save a corked or spoilt wine (read about wine faults in another of my blogposts). So it can be worth decanting most wines – but be careful not to over-expose older wines as too much oxygen can spoil them or make the aromas and flavours fall flat. And whatever you do, please do not take up the craze in the USA in the early years of the last decade of hyper-decanting, believe it or not, putting young red wines in a blender for aeration! Simple decanting or swirling is sufficient. WHICH WINES SHOULD BE DECANTED? Aggressive tannins can also be softened a little by decanting as adding oxygen can suppress them. And if a wine smells musty or slightly off – and increasingly wines are being made with little or no sulphur which acts as an antioxidant and preservative – decanting can help remove some unwanted aromas. It cannot however save a corked or spoilt wine (read about wine faults in another of my blogposts). So it can be worth decanting most wines – but be careful not to over-expose older wines as too much oxygen can spoil them or make the aromas and flavours fall flat. And whatever you do, please do not take up the craze in the USA in the early years of the last decade of hyper-decanting, believe it or not, putting young red wines in a blender for aeration! Simple decanting or swirling is sufficient. HOW TO DECANT WINE Decanting does not have to be complicated or take a long time – nor are elaborate crystal decanters required. In its simplest form just pouring the wine from the bottle into a jug or carafe and back (after removing any sediment from the original bottle) – known as double decanting – can be sufficient. If you are decanting an old wine, treat it with care and pour gently. Younger inexpressive wines may benefit from a more lively pouring. The traditional method of decanting was to place a candle below the neck of the bottle (with capsule removed) to help you see the deposit and stop it going into the jug or carafe. This is not necessary – any lamp may be used under the neck of the bottle or simply pour in a well-lit area keeping an eye on that sediment. Try to pour the wine in one go to avoid mixing the sediment back into the wine. Older wines that have been lying in the wine rack should be placed upright for a day or two before decanting so that the sediment falls to the bottom of the bottle. HOW LONG BEFORE SERVING SHOULD YOU DECANT WINE? I have seen advice that you can decant wine four hours or more before serving but I would recommend decanting no more than an hour before serving – and for older (15+ year-old) wines, just before serving is sufficient; too long before and there is a danger that aromas and flavours will fall away. If you are unsure, just decant a little and try the wine to see how it develops in your glass. And if even the simple method seems too much trouble, just pouring wine from a height or swirling a wine in your glass will often be sufficient to improve the experience. Certainly for young red wines, highly tannic wines and closed wines, swirling will have the same effect as decanting. I am not alone in this advice – in a recent review of Candialle Chianti Classico JancisRobinson.com said “Vigorous nose with signs of development while

Sulphites in wine by Wines With Attitude

Contains Sulphites on wine labels

What's in my wine?

A guide to sulphites in wine What “Contains sulphites” on wine labels means Every year I pop into RAW, the natural wine fair held in London – and other cities. There is some debate about exactly what a natural wine is and it seems to be the Marmite of the wine world at the moment (you either love it or hate it). Perhaps it may come as a surprise to find that even many so-called ‘natural’ wines and organic wine have the words “Contains sulphites” (or sulfites) on their labels, words which don’t sound very wholesome… SO WHAT ARE SULPHITES AND WHY ARE THEY IN WINE? In wine sulphites are effectively sulphur dioxide (E220) which is a natural by-product (in very small amounts) of the fermentation process; but it is also often added to wine at various stages of the wine-making process as a preservative, to stop oxidation and to kill bacteria. Potassium metabisulphite (E224) may be added as an alternative as it releases sulphur dioxide from grapes for the same purposes. SO WHAT ARE SULPHITES AND WHY ARE THEY IN WINE? In wine sulphites are effectively sulphur dioxide (E220) which is a natural by-product (in very small amounts) of the fermentation process; but it is also often added to wine at various stages of the wine-making process as a preservative, to stop oxidation and to kill bacteria. Potassium metabisulphite (E224) may be added as an alternative as it releases sulphur dioxide from grapes for the same purposes. WHAT LEVELS OF SULPHITES ARE IN WINE AND HOW SAFE ARE THEY? It is as a result of the EU food allergens labelling regulations that those words of warning are required on the label of wines if they contain more than 10 parts per million (“PPM”) of sulphites, equivalent to 10 mg per litre, so a very small amount. Sulphites and/ or sulphur dioxide are an allergen for a small number of people who can display asthmatic symptoms when in contact with them. Obviously if you are one of the unfortunate few with that sensitivity you should avoid wines containing sulphites or choose those with very low levels – sulphur detection strips are readily available online. Sulphites in wine have also been thought to be the cause of headaches for some people. However following several studies this theory has largely been disproved. See below my tips for avoiding wine headaches. The level of sulphites in wine range from about 10 PPM to c.350 PPM. A range of 10 to 40 PPM is considered ‘normal’ i.e. the wine has only naturally occurring sulphur, so you may see on labels “No added sulphites”. But to put things in context, many foodstuffs contain higher levels than most wine e.g. fresh fruit salads, fruit squash, soy sauce and most processed foods. Dried fruits can be especially high in sulphites at up to c.3000 PPM so in comparison 350 PPM does not seem particularly high. By the way, white wines generally have more sulphites than red wine as they are more susceptible to oxidation, not having the high levels of natural antioxidants that red wines have. REDUCING SULPHITES IN WINE The good news is that the permitted levels are much lower than they used to be so winemakers have to control contact with oxygen much more tightly and should therefore use sulphur dioxide sparingly. Harmless sulphites can sometimes be detected by a struck match aroma which some people think adds character to certain wines. If you don’t like this aroma in your wine the simple solution is to decant the wine and chill it. One way to reduce sulphites in wines is to add hydrogen peroxide; this substance oxidises the sulphites and converts them to the inoffensive hydrogen sulphate. There are some products based on food-grade hydrogen peroxide being marketed as a means of removing sulphites from wine but they are not yet available in the UK. The jury is still out though personally I think adding even food-grade hydrogen peroxide sounds far more scary than drinking a wine with safe levels of sulphur dioxide. WHAT ABOUT SULPHITE-FREE WINES? As traces of sulphites are produced during fermentation, no wine is truly sulphite-free. It is possible however to make wine without introducing any additional sulphur dioxide but great care has to be taken from the time the grapes are picked through to bottling the wine to avoid oxidation which can kill a wine’s fruit flavours. As you can imagine larger, more commercial wine companies are less likely to invest the time and precision needed to control exposure to oxygen so it is generally smaller producers who are looking for a more natural wine reflecting the ‘terroir’ who produce wine without added sulphites. The results can be amazing – wines without added sulphur dioxide are considered to have brighter flavours and colour (especially for red wine since sulphur dioxide boosts the extraction of pigments in the wine-making process). But given the risk of oxidation these wines won’t keep long and can spoil very easily thus ruining those brighter flavours that the producer has strived to encourage. There is also the danger of the wine developing a very unpleasant ‘mousy’ character which cannot be cured by decanting or any other means. So, don’t be put off by those words “Contains sulphites” unless you have or suspect you have a sensitivity to them. And if you get chance to try a “No added sulphites” wine, give it a try – but don’t keep the bottle open for long! WINE HEADACHES If you are one of those people who suffers from headaches whenever they drink wine even in small amounts, I firstly recommend avoiding cheap wine – you may think this is just an effort to tempt you to buy wines with attitude but in general cheaper wines are less well made and more likely to have been adjusted with additional sugar, alcohol, oak flavourings etc. It may also be worth trying to avoid oaked wines and grapes particularly high in tannins like Cabernet

Guide to Tawny Port by Wines With Attitude

A guide to Tawny Port

Wine Regions, Wine Styles

Guide to Tawny Port Ever wondered about the difference between ruby and tawny port? Ruby port seems to be more popular but tawny port is having a bit of a revival either slightly chilled or with tonic as an aperitif or as a more traditional after-dinner drink. Having written in detail about ruby ports in another blogpost, I’m now writing about tawny port and how it is produced, how tawny port differs from ruby port, the different styles of tawny port that you can get (and one you may want to avoid), what tawny port tastes like and which foods it goes with – and it’s not just cheese! HOW PORT IS PRODUCED All port is produced in a similar way to still wine up to the fermentation stage; quite early during that fermentation process, grape-based alcohol is added to interrupt the fermentation, effectively killing off the yeast in the grape juice so that it can no longer interact with the sugar to produce alcohol. This means that some unfermented sugar is retained in the wine making it a naturally sweet wine and raising the ABV from 5 – 9% to about 19% – 22%; the increased level of alcohol also stabilises the port whilst it is ageing. The level of sweetness depends on how soon the fermentation is halted. Other fortified wines produced by this port method include most Madeiras and Vins Doux Naturels. Sherry is made in a similar way but the grape spirit is added after fermentation. The English can take some credit for creating port as English merchants added brandy to still red wine to preserve it for transportation. Port is produced in the Douro region, a denominated wine region since 1756 and then moved for ageing to the coastal town of Villa Nova de Gaia. The wine used to be transported on the river Douro by the beautiful rabelos but these days are moved by road. Many grape varieties are approved to be used to make port and they are usually all grown and fermented together in complex blends. Touriga Nacional is perhaps the best of the port grapes and the best known. It is also used for the ever-improving Portuguese still red wines like Churchill Estate’s Douro Touriga Nacional HOW TAWNY PORT (USUALLY) DIFFERS FROM RUBY PORT Most tawny ports are wood ports which means that they are matured in barrel or cask for several years and therefore have some exposure to oxygen (more than they would if aged in bottle) and this exposure contributes to the ports losing their red hues and gaining a complex array of flavours and a silky texture. They are generally therefore tawny coloured as opposed to ruby red nutty & dried fruit-flavoured compared to the berry fruit flavours of ruby ports and more syrupy in texture than ruby ports which are aged in bottle Tawny ports are bottled after ageing in barrel, when ready to drink, and do not age further in bottle so they should be drunk within a couple of years of bottling. As the ageing of tawny port has been in barrel there should be no sediment in the bottle so decanting should not be required. Note however that tawny port oxidises fairly rapidly after opening so do not keep it for longer than 1 or 2 weeks, possibly longer if you use a simple wine preservation system like a Vacuvin to pump out excess air from the bottle. Very old and Colheita port should keep longer – see below for the various serving suggestions to help you make the most of tawny port before it spoils. In contrast most ruby ports are bottle-aged (after an initial ageing in cask) and therefore have little exposure to oxygen so that ageing is very slow leading to a smooth, redder, more fruity style of port. They are also rarely filtered before bottling so generally require decanting. DIFFERENT STYLES OF TAWNY PORT & WHAT THEY TASTE LIKE SIMPLE TAWNY PORT However, beware, some ports labelled as tawny ports are no older than ruby port and are not really representative of the general tawny port style. These are produced from lighter coloured wines from grapes grown in the cooler part of the Douro valley that may not have had chance to ripen fully. Consequently these unaged tawny ports are not deep coloured, nor are their flavours very intense. There are however ways of intensifying the colour even simply by leaving them in the hotter part of the valley for longer than normal to “bake” but this leaves the port with a baked, flat taste without many fruit flavours and a lack of freshness. This lighter style may be your preference but if you like the amber-coloured, nutty-flavoured style, you might be disappointed if you were to buy one of these. AGED TAWNY PORTS Given my lack of enthusiasm for straight tawny port you will not be surprised to read that my advice would be to ignore anything labelled simply “tawny port” and select an aged tawny port which means that it has been aged in wooden barrels or cask for at least six years. Ageing tawny ports are kept in Villa Nova de Gaia where it is cooler to prevent them from spoiling in the heat. Tawny Reserve Port Reserve or Reserva on the label of a tawny port means that it has been aged in wood for a minimum of six years; it still retains some fruity characteristics but shows some signs of wood ageing. Tawny Port with an indication of age -10, 20, 30 & 40+ years old Port These tawny ports are older than reserve tawny port but note that the age is only an indication as the ports are made up of a blend of wines and therefore the age indication is an average of all the wines in the blend. Port houses will mix a blend according to their “house style” and it will remain fairly consistent year on year. As you might expect given the length of

Grape tannins are in the skins, pips and stalks by Wines With Attitude

Guide to tannins in wine

What's in my wine?

Guide to tannins in wine Tannins in wine tend to have a bad press but is it justified? This blogpost takes a look at exactly what tannin is and how you can detect it in wine, which wines are the most tannic and which the least and how levels of tannin can be altered during wine-making and during ageing from the effects of oak. I’ll also cover the best foods to match with tannic wines and try to answer whether tannins are good or evil. Firstly, let’s look at how to detect whether the wine you are drinking is tannic. HOW TANNINS IN WINE TASTE It is in fact impossible to describe the smell or taste of tannins. It is easier to detect them through the sensations they create in the mouth… When taking my Diploma in Wine & Spirits I asked almost every lecturer and wine expert that came to talk to my class at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust how tannins can be detected and measured particularly as we were expected to describe tannins with words such as ripe, soft, green, stalky, chewy, coarse and fine-grained. It is very hard to describe how tannins can be measured and there were a lot of attempts to answer my question but the best explanation came from Michelle Cherutti-Kowal, now a Master of Wine, and it helped immeasurably in my general understanding of tannins and in those descriptions required for the blind wine tasting exams. Here’s how to tell if a wine has tannins and what kind of tannins they are. When you have a small amount of wine in your mouth, keeping your mouth closed, carefully rub your tongue over your top front teeth. With a tannic wine you can feel a bit of roughness on the teeth. Try it with several different wines and you will begin to be able to differentiate between coarse- and fine-grained tannins, wines with finer tannins feeling slightly smoother on the teeth than those with coarser tannins. In addition tannins leave you with an astringent sensation in the mouth, astringency being detectable by a mouth-puckering dryness on the inside of your cheeks such as you would get from sucking on a lemon. This feeling is caused by tannins interacting with proteins in the saliva; this interaction dries out the mouth. Some say that tannins create a bitter taste but in fact it is astringency evidenced in highly astringent wines by a chalky, powdery feeling in the cheeks but in less astringent wines with balanced or low tannins by a smooth silky texture. WHAT ARE TANNINS IN WINE? To understand tannins in wine and the effect they have, it helps to know where tannins come from. Tannins are found in many plants like the vine, tea plants and rhubarb. On the vine they are concentrated in the skins of grapes but are also found in the pips and in the stalks and leaves of the vine itself. Without being too technical, tannins are natural compounds and as mentioned above they react with proteins to make an unpleasant astringent sensation, thought to be nature’s way of deterring animals from nibbling on some plants. I am often asked if white wines have tannins. In fact since all grapes have skin and almost all have pips, all wines have tannins but to varying degrees. And in general white wines and rosé will have fewer tannins but the level of tannins depends on a number of factors – all of which I expand on below – such as the amount of time on the vine before harvesting, the grape variety itself and on the wine-making process. In the vineyard as grapes develop and ripen in the sunshine and warmth, the tannins in the skins and pips soften and become less astringent. Grapes grown in warm climate wine regions have more chance of creating wines with softer tannins than grapes grown in cool climate areas. The best time to harvest black grapes isn’t just about reaching the optimal level of sugar and acidity in the grapes but also about making sure the tannins are ripe and not too “green”. HIGH TANNIN WINES Some grapes are naturally higher in tannin than others. Grapes that are particularly high in tannins (often thicker-skinned grapes) include Cabernet Sauvignon (think of young Left Bank Bordeaux wines), Shiraz, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Malbec and Pinotage. But bear in mind that this does not mean that all wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon for example will display high levels of tannins because so much depends on the vintage and on the way the grapes have been treated in the vineyard and in the winery. In general younger red wines will have harsher tannins than aged red wines but, if they are well-made wines, their tannins will soften after ageing in a vat or in bottle. LOW TANNIN WINES Grapes that are naturally low in tannins include Pinot Noir, Dolcetto and Gamay. In a similar vein this does not mean that all Gamays for example will be low in tannins because winemakers could for example ferment and age the wine in new oak barrels, the effects of which are explained below. Grenache and Merlot are fairly low in tannins. In general white wines have lower levels of tannins because of the way they are processed during wine-making. TANNINS IN WINE-MAKING Tannins change during the wine making process and during ageing but the chemical process is still not fully understood despite numerous research projects. Aside from the ripeness of the tannins when the grapes are picked, the following can have a significant effect on the level of tannins in wine: – The length of time the grape skins are in contact with the juice and whether the grape stalks are included during maceration. In making red wine production it is essential to extract colour and flavours from the skins of the grapes and therefore tannins are unavoidable. The key is not to over-extract. For white wine the juice of the grapes is

Guide to rosé wine & the rise in premium rosé

Wine Styles

Guide to rosé wine & the rise in premium rosé The ‘too pink, too girly and too sweet’ reputation that rosé wines used to have has finally been shaken off though it has taken several years. Improvements in the production of rosé wines together with a rising interest in dry, paler pink wines to be consumed throughout the year and not just in the summer have led to a prevalence in really crisp rosés displaying summer fruit flavours and aromas often with ‘steely’, mineral notes that emphasise the dry, refreshing style of wine. And the improvements just keep on coming, so much so that there is now a growing premiumisation of the general rosé wine brand. Read on to find out all about how pink wine is made, the different styles of rosé, how and why the market is seeing more and more examples of premium rosé wines & which foods to eat with rosé. ROSÉS POPULARITY KEEPS ON GROWING Rosé’s previous poor reputation was long-standing. Back in the 1970s and 1980s the preferred style was for fruity yet slightly sweet, dark pink-coloured rosé wines from Portugal, France – largely in the form of Rosé d’Anjou – and from the USA where, even today, medium-sweet Californian Blush or white Zinfandel still remains popular. Even when improvements started to be made in its production, rosé was still seen as a bit of a sweet, ‘girly’ drink, a reputation that it has finally shaken off. Whilst some of the sweeter, uncomplicated, more commercial styles of wine still remain, they tend to be at the entry level or lower end of the market. There is increasingly more choice of the generally preferred drier style of rosé in the middle and the top end of the range. HOW ROSÉ IS MADE All rosés are made from black grapes (which have white juice); the colour comes from the grape skins. In fact, rosé wine was originally produced simply as a by-product of red wine production where the initial juices from the red grapes were drained off so that the red wine would be darker and more concentrated. Those paler juices were used for rosé; this method is known as saignée, which translates as ‘bled’, and is still used today especially in the USA’s Napa Valley although it is not the most commonly used method. Even fewer rosé wines are made from blending red wine and white wine; some New World wines follow this method which is also used for pink champagne. Most rosés are made by maceration – the fermenting juice of the black grapes used for the rosé wine is left in contact with the skins for a varying degree of time, from just few hours to a few days so that the white juices pick up some of the colour, flavours and tannins from the grape skins. After maceration the wine-making process then continues as if for crisp white wines i.e. fermentation usually in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures without further contact with the skins. As they are made from black grapes, rosés have tannins although in a good rosé wine these should not be obvious but soft and integrated. To help with this the grapes will usually have been de-stemmed before pressing so that harsh tannins from the stalks are not included. Wines will generally not have been in contact with the skins (and pips) for long because the majority of rosé wines are made for drinking in the short term and not for keeping. However this is changing as some producers experiment with longer maceration times and, after fermentation, leaving the wine on its lees for a few weeks or even months, both of which will add complexity and texture to the wine and structure which means that the wine can be kept for longer before drinking. It is actually considered more difficult to make rosé wine than to make red or white because a delicate balancing act is required to achieve the right amount of colour without losing any of the fruity characteristics and the finesse of the wine. DIFFERENT STYLES OF ROSÉ Rosé wines are made all over the world from all sorts of different red wine grapes though the popular ones are Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Tempranillo. I recently tasted an English 100% Pinot Noir rosé and a Canadian 100% Cabernet Sauvignon rosé so the possibilities are endless. Of course it’s all a matter of personal taste but my view is that good rosé is all about fruit and finesse which is quite a difficult balancing act to achieve. Flavours vary according to the grapes used and complexity is obviously better than one-dimensional wine and the finesse comes from making sure that the acidity (which leaves your mouth watering) balances the sweetness of the fruit flavours in order to avoid that sweeter, old-style of rosé. Here is a very brief summary of different rosé wine styles – naturally there are many exceptions so I generalise… As mentioned above, off-dry or medium-dry rosé continues to be made mainly in the USA under the label of Blush or white Zinfandel and there’s also a sparkling version. The similarly styled Mateus rosé, once hugely popular in the UK, is now thankfully just a nostalgic memory for baby boomers. The Provence region of France is largely considered to be the best source of good quality rosé wines although it is increasingly seeing competition from other wine regions. Provence AOP rosés are estate bottled, i.e. made and bottled by the grower under AOP regulations to guarantee a certain quality. By the way, France is the largest consumer (and producer) of rosé drinking c.20 bottles per head per year and rosé accounts for 31.5% of all wine consumed in France. Many of the new, improved rosés are produced in the Provence style from a mix of grapes, usually Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah – dry, really crisp and displaying summer fruit flavours like strawberry, raspberry, red cherries, citrus fruit and melon. In more premium rosés you

Precedent Evangelho old vine Zinfandel from Wines With Attitude

Do old vines make better wines?

What's in my wine?

Do old vines make better wines? Chances are you will have seen the term “Old Vine” or one of its foreign equivalent terms such as “Vieilles Vignes”, “Alte Reben”, “Viñas Viejas”, “Vinhas Velhas” or “Antico Vitigno” on some wine labels. There is no requirement under any wine regulations that I know to mention the age of the vines used for wine grape production and yet old vine is a term that seems to be used increasingly frequently and with the implication that old vine wine should be held in high esteem. In this wine blogpost, I’m looking into whether grapes from older vines really do make better wine. HOW OLD ARE OLD VINES? Here in the UK we have an amazing old vine at Hampton Court Palace. Planted in 1768 under Capability Brown’s direction, it is said to be the largest vine in the world but even at circa 250 years old, The Great Vine cannot claim that it is the oldest vine in the world as for a long time Georgia, Slovenia and Italy have claimed to have vines planted in the 17th century. Nor can it claim that its fruit is used for wine since it produces a table grape variety. In fact the 17th century has now been trumped as Weingut von Racknitz, a former monastery, in Germany claims to have a 600 year old vine found on an old abandoned terrace. It is hard to imagine when looking at a woody, gnarly old vine that it could produce good quality fruit or indeed any fruit but vines can still produce grapes when very old – those Georgian, Slovenian and Italian 17th century vines are said to be producing grapes still used for wine today. Good quality grapes are not a given however – according to the Old Vine Registry, of which more later, grapes from the 600 year-old German vine taste “terrible, like cucumber”. REGISTERING & DEFINING OLD VINES California started a register of its old vines in 2011; it is believed to have the highest number of old vines and ironically Prohibition played a major role in this as vines were simply abandoned at that time and later “rediscovered”. According to the Californian Historic Vineyard Society website “To qualify as a Certified Historic Vineyard, a vineyard must be a currently producing California wine vineyard with an original planting date at least 50 years ago, in which at least 1/3 of existing producing vines can be traced back to their original planting date.” Over in Australia, the Barossa Valley is proud to have some of the oldest continuously-producing vineyards in the world. It is one of the few wine regions that avoided the phylloxera aphid which is the reason why most of the world’s vines are now grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. Understandably keen to protect its precious ungrafted old vines especially after many were uprooted in the 1980s it saw what California was doing and started its own register of old vines. Australia’s Old Vine Charter categorises the old vines further according to their age: Barossa Old Vine – Equal or greater than 35 years of age like the one to the right Barossa Survivor Vine – Equal or greater than 70 years of age Barossa Centenarian Vine – Equal or greater than 100 years of age Barossa Ancestor Vine – Equal or greater than 125+ years of age South Africa in fact has the oldest records of old vines dating back to 1900, a database run by the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS). Since I first published a blogpost on this subject in 2017, South Africa’s Old Vine Project, set up in 2002 by viticulturalist Rosa Kruger, launched a Certified Heritage Vineyard seal which certifies that a wine is made from vines of 35 years and older. But producers don’t necessarily always put the seal on their bottles. Conversely some wine producers don’t wait until a vine is 35 or 50 years old before labelling it an old vine; since there is no legal definition of the term ‘old vine’, it is very much a matter of personal preference or perhaps more of marketing preference but as old vine wines are generally and increasingly revered, the term old vine can be misleading. However we are beginning to see some signs of conformity in the registering and defining of the term ‘old vines’… The most significant step in coming up with a worldwide recognised age for old vines since my last update is the 2023 launch of the online registry of old vines that was initiated on a spreadsheet in 2010 by Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages. Now maintained by the Old Vine Conference, a non-profit organisation that aims to highlight the value of old-vine vineyards and make them economically viable, The Old Vine Registry is still very much a work in progress but is already the most comprehensive online database of old vines worldwide. You can search by country or by age and there are links to the vineyard owners’ websites. The ultimate aim is to also provide links so consumers can see where to find a particular vineyard’s wines. But, as mentioned, it is an on-going project and, since few countries have detailed records like South Africa, sometimes an estimation of age is all that is possible. NEW VINES OR OLD VINES – WHICH ARE BETTER? New vines take time to establish themselves; they don’t tend to produce many grapes until year three first concentrating on establishing their root structure and a sturdy trunk. It is usually only by year five or six that the grapes are of use for commercial wine production. After that the vine’s growth below and above ground is more balanced. As it ages further the vine’s growth becomes less vigorous and as a result fewer grapes are produced; this reduction in yield starts as early as the age of 20 years old. This reduction in yield is in fact the very reason why older vines are sometimes ripped out (often with

Frozen healthy grapes for ice wine by Wines With Attitude

All about ice wine or Eiswein

Wine Styles

All about ice wine or Eiswein You may have heard of ice wine (also known as Eiswein or icewine) but you will be excused if you don’t know much about it because ice wine is quite rare and also expensive – but it is also a beautiful wine so if you get chance give it a try. But before you do, read all you need to know about ice wine. This blogpost looks at what ice wine is, where and how ice wine is produced, how ice wine tastes and which foods are the perfect match with ice wine. THE FIRST FEMALE WINEMAKER Ice wine is a sweet wine so usually consumed as dessert wine. It differs from other sweet or dessert wines for which grapes are dried, raisined or infected with the botrytis fungus that causes noble rot. For ice wine only healthy grapes are used; they are left on the vine until they are frozen. The temperature of the grapes must be as low as -7 to -8 °C before they can be picked. Ice wine differs from fortified wines like port which have spirits added to fortify them. In fact the alcohol level or ABV of ice wines is only about 10%. HOW IS ICE WINE PRODUCED? Harvest is usually very early in the morning to keep the grapes frozen and by hand. Usually harvesting is in November or December – sometimes later although ice wine produced from grapes picked early in the year are generally considered to be inferior. The grapes are then pressed whilst frozen so that the frozen water from the grapes is removed and just the sweet juice is used for the wine. This makes for concentrated, naturally sweet wines. In addition and less commonly known is that the acidity in the grapes is also intensified meaning that the sweetness of the wine is or should be balanced with refreshing acidity. In fermentation yeasts convert as much sugar as they can into alcohol. You might think therefore that the alcohol level for such sweet wine would be high but yeasts struggle to function in low alcohol environments and it therefore takes a few months for fermentation to complete and then not all the sugar is consumed and any remaining yeast has to be filtered out. Levels of residual sugar in ice wines fall in the range of 160 – 220 gram per litre which compares to less than 1 gram per litre in many still dry wines. Ice wine or eiswein is not produced every year – the winter obviously has to be cold enough for the grapes to freeze to the required temperature before picking. Global warming is a concern to winemakers especially in Austria and Germany where the frequency of eiswein production is diminishing. In the 10 years to 2018 for example there were 5 eiswein harvests classified as good in Austria, one vintage classified as little and 4 as very little or hardly any eiswein. In the 10 years before that there were 3 classified as top vintages, 5 good and 3 with very little or hardly any. WHERE IS ICE WINE MADE? Ice wine can be produced made anywhere cold enough to allow the grapes to freeze on the vine but traditionally they have been produced mainly in Germany, Austria and Canada (it is known as eiswein in Germany and Austria and icewine in Canada). The main difference between production in Canada compared to Germany & Austria is that the levels of sugar in the grapes prior to harvest must be higher in Canada. WHICH GRAPES ARE IN ICE WINE? In theory any grape varieties could be used to produce ice wine but in practice ice wine grapes tend to be aromatic and cool climate varieties like Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer and Chenin Blanc . Most frequently white grapes are used but you will see icewine produced from black grapes especially from Cabernet Franc in Canada. My own current favourite is made in Austria from black indigenous variety Zweigelt also known as Blauen Zweigelt. The wine itself is a very pale pink colour. Ice wines are generally pure varietals, i.e. not blends and in Canada they must be pure varietals to be designated as icewine. WHY ARE ICE WINES EXPENSIVE? Sadly ice wines are expensive but as you can imagine this is mainly because they cost so much to make plus you need five times as many grapes to produce a bottle of ice wine as you do to produce a bottle of still wine. You may see cheaper versions of ice wine but these will usually be labelled as dessert wine or as iced wine and they will have been produced from grapes artificially frozen in the winery and or with sweet reserve added to the wine. You get what you pay for as they say. HOW LONG WILL ICE WINE KEEP? Generally genuine ice wines will keep about 10 years though some will keep longer; bear in mind that the flavours and aromas will change as the years go by. Once opened however your bottle of ice wine should be consumed within a week or so using a wine pump in between – unless you have a Coravin of course. WHAT DOES ICE WINE TASTE LIKE? Ice wines are medium to full-bodied and very smooth in texture. Because they’re made from aromatic varieties generally the taste will be fairly typical of the grape variety but with more intensity. For white ice wines flavours tend towards apricot, peach, pear, pineapple and lemon with honey whilst red ice wines will taste of cherries, red berries and spice. All good ice wine will have mouth watering acidity so that even though sweet the wines don’t taste sickly sweet. If you do keep your ice wine for a few years before opening, it will be darker in colour and richer and nuttier in flavour plus the acidity may fade a little so the sweetness will be magnified. My preference

Damien of Gaby at harvest courtesy of Chateau Gaby

Where is your wine really from?

Misc., Wine Regions

Where is your wine really from? WINE PROVENANCE: CLUES TO LOOK FOR ON THE LABEL You may not pay too much attention to the specific origin of your wine but many consumers are increasingly concerned about the provenance of their wine just as much as they are about their food. So, you would think that a wine label would tell you exactly where your bottle of wine is from, wouldn’t you? The country and wine region that the wine is from should surely be given, maybe even the specific vineyard that the grapes were grown in for a more upmarket wine? But all is not as it seems on the origin of wine on some wine labels. Read about clues to your wine’s provenance from the wine bottle label and misleading terms on wine labels to look out for. GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS ON WINE LABELS – COUNTRY, REGION, SUB-REGION & VINEYARD All wine bottles should give some indication of the provenance of the wine inside. Using France as an example, what you may see on the label may just be the country as in Vin de France, the general region as in Vin de Bourgogne, the more specific region, sometimes a village area such as Gevrey-Chambertin or even a specific vineyard as in Gevrey-Chambertin La Romanée. All of these classifications are known in the EU as Geographical Indications (“GI”) or appellations except for the country level Vin de France which is used for wines without a GI. The equivalent for wines without a geographical indication in Italy and Spain is “vino”, in Portugal “vinho”, in Germany “Deutscher Wein” and in Austria simply “Wein”. This means that Vin de France for example may include wine from different regions of France, wines that have failed to meet appellation regulations or wines that the producer prefers to market by its grape variety rather than by its origin. These latter wines tend to be simpler, consistent brands at lower price points. In the EU there are two categories of GIs for wine: the general region level, e.g. Vin de Bourgogne, is known as a Protected Geographical Indication or PGI (logo on left) and the more specific geographical areas like Gevrey-Chambertin or Gevrey-Chambertin La Romanée are known as Protected Designations of Origin or PDOs (logo on right), essentially the appellations but the difference between the two is significant as you will see below. Wine bottle labels displaying the region of origin of a wine will not necessarily include the country of origin. Some French producers for example may deliberately avoid using France on their labels in case their wine is confused with a Vin de France. Many producers choose to focus on the wine region and the chateau or winery name and so you might be expected to know that Fixin is in France (in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy) for example. As a general rule, the more specific the location that a wine comes from, the better the wine is likely to be – and therefore the more expensive it is likely to be as well. A wine labelled with a specific vineyard name rather than just Vin de France should have been produced according to specific, tight regulations for that vineyard appellation. THE 100% “RULE” If you choose an EU wine from a PDO, like Gevrey-Chambertin or Gevrey-Chambertin La Romanée in our example, you can be sure that 100% of the grapes used for that wine will originate from the specific PDO area mentioned. It is like a guarantee for you when you want to know the provenance of your wine. You might expect that would be the case for all wines but in many countries regulations allow wine producers to declare a wine is produced in a certain region when only a certain percentage of grapes originates from that region or to state the wine is one vintage when it may be a blend of vintages or to advertise a wine as one grape variety when it may contain more than one. In the EU a PGI wine also known as IGP wines (the old vins de pays) must have only a minimum of 85% grapes originating from the region on the label, 85% of any grape variety declared on the label and 85% of wine from the vintage on the label. Fattoria di Sammontana Sangiovese Toscana IGT above (not currently in stock) could have 85% to 100% Sangiovese therefore; in fact it has the same blend of grapes, 90% Sangiovese and 10% Caniolo Nero, as it had when it used to be a Chianti DOC. I have focused so far on EU examples as these have more long-standing regulations; other countries are gradually adopting geographical indications but the rules are more diverse though several countries follow this 85% “rule” or similar. Like the EU PGI wines for example, Australian and New Zealand wines follow the 85% rule so a wine labelled as Australian Barossa Valley Shiraz 2019 need only contain 85% of grapes from Barossa Valley and only 85% need be from the 2019 vintage and only 85% need to be Shiraz. Wine producers may put 100% Chardonnay on the label if they want to erase any doubt about the contents of their wine. In Australia the geographical indication is not compulsory on the label which might indicate that a wine doesn’t have a minimum of 85% of wine from one region. Conversely it is possible to see a mix of geographical indications: according to Wine Australia, a wine produced from 83% Barossa Valley grapes, 13% Heathcote grapes and 4% Pemberton grapes would need to be labelled ‘Barossa Valley Heathcote’, Pemberton being excluded as it is below 5%. The same 85% rule applies to South African wine but if a winemaker chooses to state “Wine of Origin Franschhoek” or “WO Franschhoek”, then 100% of the grapes must come from Franschhoek or whichever production area follows or precedes Wine of Origin or WO. In the USA the minimum can be

Anna Flowerday of TWR and Lindsay of Wines With Attitude

Women Winemakers

Winemaking

Women Winemakers In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, I’m celebrating female winemakers in this blogpost. Wine production has traditionally been very male-dominated and that situation has been slow to change however in the last 30 years or so there has been a quiet evolution with more women than ever involved in wine. And, if the general consensus that women are more sensitive to aromas and flavours than men is to be believed, then the industry – and wine – can only benefit from more women in wine. THE FIRST FEMALE WINEMAKER Back in the early 19th century winemaking was certainly not considered a suitable profession for women. But, after the death of her husband in 1805, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, became the first woman to run a champagne house, Veuve Clicquot. Rather than just a figurehead of the business, the widow Clicquot was heavily involved in the business and is thought to have come up with at least two important inventions: – the riddling process whereby champagne bottles are moved upside-down over a couple of months from a horizontal position to dislodge the yeast sediment and – adding a little red wine to champagne to create rosé champagne. So we have a lot to thank Veuve Clicquot for. 3 MODERN FEMALE WINEMAKERS None of the main educational organisations offering oenology courses provides a breakdown of the number of women attending or passing its wine courses but it is evident to me visiting wine regions, attending trade fairs and reading wine trade press that there are an increasing number of women involved in wine. Here are just three of the amazing female winemakers that I work with and whose work and wines I admire: TIZIANA SETTIMO OF AURELIO SETTIMO In 1943 Tiziana’s grandfather, Domenico Settimo bought what is now the Aurelio Settimo estate in the hamlet of Annunziata in Piedmont and the family they practised mixed farming, producing fruit, corn, hazelnuts and grapes and breeding hens, rabbits and cows. Most of the grapes were sold off to local wineries with a small amount used to produce wine for the family as was the custom although by the late 1950s Tiziana’s father Aurelio had begun to bottle some wine. When he took over the winery in 1962 he decided to grow only grapes and expanded the vineyards, producing wine under the Aurelio Settimo label. It was only in 1974 that the winery stopped selling 50% of its grapes and kept them all to produce more wine. Tiziana worked alongside her father from 1987 until his death in 2007 and then took over the wine-making. The business is still a family affair and the philosophy remains the same: a focus on quality and respect for tradition. They continue to produce only red DOC and DOCG wines from the Nebbiolo and Dolcetto grapes from their own six hectares of vineyards. Whilst respecting traditions in her wine-making, Tiziana keeps yields low and practises careful maceration to avoid over-extraction, with the aim of elegant, balanced wines that are not excessively tannic – and wow, does she succeed! The 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo which she describes as her “baby Barolo” is fresh, fruity and smooth in texture – and drinking beautifully in 2023. The 2011 Barolo is fuller in body and more complex given its age and wood ageing but it still retains elegance, balance and a silky long finish. MADELINE FERRAN, DOMAINE DES ESCARAVAILLES In recognition of their daughters’ involvement in the business, the Ferran family business name is Ferran et Filles. Fourth generation and elder daughter Madeline has been involved since 2018 after studying oenology and gaining experience both in France and overseas. Working alongside her father, Madeline is now at the forefront of the business with a growing influence on the 30-hectare vineyards in the southern Rhone and on the wines themselves. Practising sustainable viticulture, Madeline is driving the estate towards organic farming certification, a process that takes a number of years. The aim is to “produce authentic and unique wines, a reflection of our terroirs and our work”. The vineyards are the highest of the Rasteau appellation which allows them to achieve freshness and balance in their wines which many in this warm region cannot. Domaine des Escaravailles benefits from a number of different soils ranging from the water-retaining blue marl famous in the appellation, large stones (“galets”) as can be seen in the photo and sandy soils all of which have their advantages (and challenges). The range of terroirs also allows plot-specific wines to be produced from 15 different grape varieties, though Grenache dominates. Most of the vines are old which combined with low yields means wines that are concentrated, complex with depth. ANNA FLOWERDAY, TE WHARE RA Anna Flowerday and her husband, Jason, produce a number of stunning wines at their 11-hectare vineyard and winery, Te Whare Ra (pronounced Tea Far-ee Ra and Maori for ‘House in the Sun’) in Marlborough, New Zealand. From McLaren Vale in Australia, Anna is the sixth generation of her family to be involved in wine. Having met in Australia and gained experience in winemaking overseas, Anna and Jason bought TWR in 2003, restoring the vineyards and starting the conversion to organic growing and production by saving old vines, the oldest in the region that others told them to rip out, and bringing the soil back to life. The health of the soil is the key according to Anna. Yields are kept low and the wines are made with minimal intervention as the aim is to make wines that best express their origins. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the TWR approach showing respect for and with the environment produces the best wines in Anna’s view. Whenever I talk with Anna I am struck by her clear passion for what she does and this is reflected in the quality of the TWR wines which show finesse, balance and elegance with subtle richness, complexity and texture from their old vines and from lees contact

Terroir & its impact on wine by Wines With Attitude

All about terroir and how it affects wine

What's in my wine?, Wine Styles

ALL ABOUT TERROIR & HOW IT AFFECTS WINE Terroir is a much-used and much-debated term but what exactly does it mean? Some say terroir produces better wines with more character, so-called terroir wines – but is that right? I confess I have long been a great fan of terroir and I use the expression quite liberally in my unique tasting notes. But there are many who think the term terroir is over-used and the concept over-rated, little more than a marketing ploy. This blogpost looks at what terroir means, how terroir affects wine and why it is such a topic of hot debate. WHAT DOES TERROIR MEAN? It is not, as some have suggested, pretension that dictates the use of the French word “terroir” in the English-speaking world; there is simply no one word that can describe the concept in English and it originated in wine’s old world. Terroir is a concept that has dictated the appellation system in many old world wine regions. Burgundy’s small ‘parcel’ vineyards for example were ranked centuries ago according to the perceived quality of each specific vineyard and these rankings formed the basis of Burgundy’s appellation systems formalised in 1936. The top ranking or Grand Cru wines of Burgundy originate from the vineyards with the best terroir of the region; consequently they command the best prices. There have been few changes to the system since and classification by terroir has been copied in other wine regions of the world. It is mistakenly thought by some, since vineyards are the basis for this sort of classification, that terroir must refer specifically to the soil in the vineyard; after all there are hundreds of different types of soil and they are known to affect the taste of the grapes/ wine but soil is just one component of terroir. Terroir in fact comprises the whole ‘natural’ environment in which the grapes are grown and is therefore a combination of: the soil, with differences in structure, texture, depth, pH levels, water drainage & storage capabilities all having an effect. Note – contrary to popular belief, it is not well-watered vines on fertile soils that produce the best fruit but vines on well-drained soils that have to struggle to find water the general climate of the region the climate of each specific vineyard, a so-called meso-climate and even the vine’s own micro-climate since the climate at one end of a vineyard may differ to the climate at the other the topography of the land including: the aspect, with south-facing vineyard considered superior in the Northern hemisphere and north-facing in the Southern hemisphere elevation or altitude, considered to be a significant factor as it affects temperatures in the vineyard incline, with slopes facing the sun generally preferred to flat land proximity to water, not necessarily for watering purposes but for the water’s ability to store heat and warm up land areas close to it the surrounding vegetation which can affect not only the local climate but also the taste of the wine e.g. the taste of eucalyptus often detected in Australian wine plus the interaction of all these components for example in governing how much direct sunshine the grapes receive and in dictating how much water is available to the vines etc. Therefore each vineyard (or even each plot within a vineyard) has its own unique terroir and this is in part what makes each well-made wine unique. Terroir determines the quality of the grapes grown and therefore is a significant (but not the only) contributor to the character of a wine. DOES TERROIR INCLUDE WINE-MAKING? Many argue that the wine-maker and the wine-making process are necessarily also part of terroir. It cannot be denied that human intervention greatly affects the elements of terroir listed above whether winemakers choose to let nature take its course and intervene as little as possible in the vineyard and in the winery or whether they throw every chemical permitted at the vines and in the wine-making process. After all the wine-maker must decide whether and how much fertiliser and pesticide to use, how densely the vines are planted, which training system to use for the vines, which date the grapes should be harvested, whether natural or bought yeasts are used for fermentation, whether to use oak barrels, stainless steel vats or concrete tanks etc etc. The list is endless. But for many others, myself included, ‘natural environment’ is the key phrase in the definition of terroir; terroir is about the naturally-occurring elements that affect the wine not about the decisions made to create the resulting wine. But it is the wine-maker who dictates how well the terroir is reflected in the wine and therefore has a huge effect on the character, as well as the style and quality, of the wine they produce. It is a combination of good terroir and great wine-making that produces great wine. ‘TERROIR WINE’ The phrase terroir wine seems to be increasingly used in marketing wines but surely all wine is terroir wine since all vineyards have terroir – and a terroir that is unique to them? Be a little wary of the expression as the implication is that terroir wine is superior wine and it may be used simply to justify a higher price label than a wine deserves. Whether labelled as terroir wine or not, wines that don’t display terroir can sometimes be the subject of snobbery. New world wines especially were accused in the past of being devoid of or ignoring terroir and it could be argued that that was why cheaper, more commercially-produced wines were the focus for new world exports to Europe from the 1980s to the 2000s. It could however just be that they wanted to do something different from the strict classifications and regulations of the old world, that the wine-maker preferred to accentuate a wine’s fruit flavours rather the terroir, that the winery wanted to produce a consistent style of wine year on year or, as was the case with South Africa,

What does acidity in wine mean?

What's in my wine?

WHAT DOES ACIDITY IN WINE MEAN? This Wines With Attitude guide covers everything you need to know about acidity in wine – how you taste acidity in wine, what causes it, which wines have high acidity and which are low in acidity, whether high or low acidity is better plus tips on matching high acid wines with food. Wine writers use the word “acidity” frequently – I know that I write the term often in my Wines With Attitude tasting notes. Conscious that some consumers may be wary of the words “acidity” or “acidic”, I try to vary the words I use to describe wines displaying acidity so you will see terms such as fresh, bright, zesty, zingy, refreshing, tangy and crisp though whether these really convey the true meaning could be debated. It is simply difficult if not impossible to avoid using “acidity” because it is one of the essential components of a good wine. So, if we can’t avoid the term, let’s find out more about it. HOW TO TASTE ACIDITY IN WINE Acidity is not a taste as such (if your wine tastes of acid then you have a problem) but it can be detected by a tingling sensation on the sides of the tongue. When you taste a wine with high acidity such as a Sancerre, your mouth will water more than usual – just as it does when you bite into a sharp Granny Smith apple or drink unsweetened lemonade. It whets the appetite, making you want to take another bite or sip. WHAT ACIDITY ADDS TO WINE structure and longevity; a wine low in acidity is less likely to age well stability by helping to keep bacteria and microorganisms at bay colour; the more acid, generally the more stable, intense and more vibrant the colour flavours; just as lemon can lift flavours in fish, acidity makes wine refreshing or crisp and leaves you wanting more similarly, acidity can sharpen the aromas of a wine. Hot tip: Tannins and acidity in particular can clash so avoid wines with high levels of both WHAT CAUSES ACIDITY IN WINE? Acidity is naturally present in grapes as it is in many foods and different varieties have different natural levels of acidity – Nebbiolo and Sauvignon Blanc for example are at the high end of the scale and Grenache and Viognier are at the low end. The level of acidity is also affected in the vineyard by soils, location and the weather or vintage. The level of acidity in grapes first increases but then declines as the grapes ripen on the vine and the level of sugar rises. It is therefore key to the natural balance of a wine that grapes are picked at the right time i.e. when acidity and sugars are at “optimal” levels. Why? Well, if acidity falls too much, a wine could be considered flat or “flabby” with dull flavours and a higher susceptibility to spoilage and infection. Too much acid can make a wine seem too sharp or even bitter. It is all a balancing act for the winemakers as they also need to consider fruit flavours, sugar and therefore alcohol levels. Winemakers might be tempted to adjust the acid (or the sugar- or both) and are generally permitted to do so within the boundaries of local regulations. Acidification, generally by the addition of tartaric acid, the most dominant acid in grapes, can be undertaken to increase acidity in warmer climate areas but can result in poorly made wine, especially where the adjustments are made post fermentation where the added acid has less chance to blend with the wine. A good taster can often recognise poor acidification as there is a very artificial acidic taste to the wine. Acidity is usually naturally lowered by malo-lactic fermentation or secondary fermentation, a process often encouraged by winemakers as it softens the acidity, converting malic acid into lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Deacidification may also be permitted by adding a carbonate – and though acid levels are reduced this can leave calcium tartrate crystals in the wine. These crystals are harmless but can deter some consumers from buying or drinking a wine. One type of acidity in wine that is not desirable is volatile acidity, essentially acetic acid or vinegar. A small amount is produced during fermentation but it increases in a wine exposed to air and in large quantities spoils the wine. Hot Tip: If you smell vinegar or nail polish remover in a wine, send it back WHICH WINES HAVE HIGH AND WHICH HAVE LOW ACIDITY? I could get scientific and talk about measuring total acidity and pH levels in wine but I’ll keep it short and just say that wines generally have a pH between 3.3 and 3.7 which sits in between black coffee with a pH of 5.0 and orange juice with a pH of 3.0. Few wines therefore are more acidic than a glass of your morning orange juice. But which wines should you opt for if you prefer to avoid wines with high acidity – here are a few tips: Hot tip: White wines tend to have higher acidity than red wines Almost all red wines undergo malo-lactic fermentation to convert harsh malic acid to softer lactic acid but not all white wines do; for example producers tend not to use MLF for Sauvignon Blanc but for producers of white Burgundy it is essential for the style. Lighter style red wines tend to have higher acidity than heavier, more full-bodied reds. As mentioned above as grapes ripen the level of acidity in them increases but then declines as the level of sugar rises. In cool climate areas such as Burgundy vines can struggle to ripen fully so grapes generally have higher acidity and lower sugar. Conversely grapes grown in warmer climates tend to have low acid and high sugar. Hot tip: Cool climate wines tend to have higher acidity than wines from warmer regions Very dry wines tend to have good acidity but this does not

Vintage-champagne-for-celebrations-from-Wines-With-Attitude

Vintage Champagne: Is it worth the price?

Wine Prices, Wine Styles

VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE; IS IT WORTH THE PRICE? Vintage champagne is often talked about in much revered terms and the prices it can sell for suggest a far superior product to non-vintage champagne but is vintage champagne so much better than non-vintage? This blogpost looks into what exactly vintage champagne is, how vintage champagne differs from non-vintage champagne and what vintage champagne tends to taste like in comparison to non-vintage. In addition we look into the best vintage champagne years, how long vintage champagne can keep, how best to appreciate vintage champagne and whether it is worth the premium. First let’s look at non-vintage and vintage champagnes and the differences between the two. NON-VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE Non-vintage champagne is produced year on year in a consistent house style and, to achieve that consistent style, champagne houses have to use a blend of wines produced from grapes from different vineyards picked in different years, often many different years, and usually, though not always from all three of the authorised champagne grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Reserve wine is kept back each year to use in the non-vintage blend (or cuvée) and accounts for about 20% of the total blend. It is a real skill producing that consistency of style that non-vintage champagne tends to have given the differences each year in grape quality and weather and taking into account the effects of ageing on the reserve wines. So, if you find a non-vintage champagne that you really like, I always recommend that you stick to that brand because you can be pretty sure that the taste and quality will stay the same. In my case de Castellane non-vintage Brut Champagne (above) has been my favourite for many years and remains so which is why it was the first wine that I wanted in the Wines With Attitude portfolio. VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE Vintage champagne is not produced every year but only when the producer deems the vintage to be worthy – it is usually about three or four times each decade. Some champagne houses only produce vintage champagne, Dom Perignon for example, which means that they don’t produce champagne every year, adding to the rarity value – and to the price. All the grapes used to produce a vintage champagne must be from the year’s harvest specified on the front label of the bottle. No reserve wines from other years can be added. They are generally still blends however as the winemaker mixes the juice from different grapes and from grapes from different plots with different terroirs but instead of looking for a consistent style, they are trying to achieve the best tasting champagne from the best grapes grown in the specific conditions of that vintage. Each vintage champagne will therefore taste different; even a specific champagne house’s vintage champagne will taste different each year it is produced. There are some who think that, even in vintage years, the priority for most champagne houses has to be the non-vintage champagne as that is what they sell most of; it has to be hoped that using the better grapes for the vintage champagne does not compromise the known style of the non-vintage champagne but there are some who believe that it does. HOW & WHY VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE TASTES DIFFERENT Non-vintage champagnes must mature in bottle for a minimum of 15 months of which 12 months must be on the lees (mainly a deposit of yeasts which forms after the second fermentation in the bottle has finished, as seen in the photo). Vintage champagne spends longer ageing, at least three years. In practice it is often much longer before any wines are released – two to three years for non-vintage and four to ten years for vintage. The additional ageing time means that vintage champagne develops more body, more complex flavours and a smoother texture. In younger non-vintage champagne the primary flavours will be fruit – citrus fruits like lemon and grapefruit and stone fruits like peach and apricot. In non-vintage champagne that has aged a while a buttery or creamy texture and secondary flavours like brioche/ toast and nuts may start to develop. These secondary flavours will be more intense in vintage champagne because of the longer ageing; in addition the body will be fuller, the wine richer and further earthy flavours and aromas like leather and mushrooms may be present. HOW LONG VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE CAN KEEP Vintage champagne is likely to age better and for longer. Non-vintage champagne should generally be drunk within 36-48 months of bottling (remember it has already aged at least 12 months in bottle before release) whereas non-vintage champagne can be kept for five to ten years or longer (after its minimum three years ageing in bottle). THE BEST VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE YEARS Of course it is all a matter of taste but generally the following years are considered to be the very best vintages of the 2000s – 2018, 2012, 2008 and 2002. HOW TO ENJOY VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE I would recommend serving vintage a little less chilled than non-vintage champagne say at 12-14°C so that the complex flavours of the wine are not masked. Also allow the champagne to breathe for 15-30 minutes so that the layers of unique aromas and flavours have time to unfold. Sit back and enjoy! IS VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE WORTH THE PREMIUM? Vintage champagne is generally currently priced at around £40-£60 but can be hundreds of pounds per bottle; the fact that vintage champagne represents only 5% of total champagne production and the longer ageing time account to some extent for the difference in price. But at the end of the day, you are taking a bit of a chance; although the winemaker is trying to impress with a wine made from the best fruits from the best years, it really is all a matter of taste. Whether you think a wine is worth the premium, depends on the particular vintage and the particular wine and your own preferences. I recall one blind tasting of

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