Enjoying Wines

Archive for January, 2010

David Artsmith  -  Champagne is a celebration, it’s a toast, and it’s the way to bring in the New Year with good cheer. This form of sparkling wine is the beverage of choice for our most joyous occasions, and our most formal ceremonies. So, how did this bubbly brew get to have such a place of honor and dignity in human society?

Part of the reason for champagne’s upscale reputation is that the nature of the liquid itself is festive. Store under high pressure, the bottle opens up slowly, with someone teasing the cork from the head of the bottle slowly. Even as they do anticipation rises in the room as everyone waits with bated breath for that one, loud, POP, that burst of sound that signals that the party is ready to begin. This is often followed by a spray of foam as it escapes eagerly from the body of the bottle

Then, when you put the champagne to your lips, it’s like the liquid is actually dancing on your tongue. A thousand tiny explosions of flavor pop in your mouth, until it almost feels alive inside of you; alive and ready to party.

Champaign is often coupled with wine coasters, or upscale drinks coasters in order to enhance the effect of the bottle through presentation.

There is also another explanation as to why Champagne has been so associated with celebratory events over the years. Its relatively expensive. The only liquid that can actually be legally labeled as “champagne” has to be made in the Champagne region of France. Anything else which is called champagne is actually just a sparkling wine, at least according to the government of France. Because of the limited amount of the beverage which can be produced in this one region, it is priced higher. The higher price makes it a “special occasion” beverage.

This perception of being “special” and “celebratory” is one which champagne makers do their best to preserve. That is why the law exists determining who can and cannot name their product using that specific label. It is also why millions of dollars are spent each year to hold contests to see who makes the absolute best champagne in the world.

Champagne is a festive beverage that naturally excites all five of the senses. This combined with a perception as being special, have combined to make this one of our most beloved celebratory drinks.

If you’re just starting to explore the wonderful world of wine, you may find yourself confused by the amazing variety of wines – reds, whites, blends, bubblies – and the many, many choices within each of those broad categories. We’ll focus on just one of those for this brief intro – white wines. We’ll provide a short tour of the most common varietals (types of grapes), tell you what you might expect from each and what sets them apart from each other.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is absolutely the most enjoyed white wine in the U.S. – in fact, it’s quite commonly the only white wine many wine fans consume. Chardonnay is quite often the first white wine a beginning wine fan will try, largely because it is so easy to enjoy. Chardonnay is typically on the dry side, meaning that it’s not very sweet, and it tends  to have flavors of vanilla, apples, tropical fruit, and butter, and varying degrees of oak, depending on how it was produced. “White Burgundy”, from France, is almost always 100% Chardonnay. Many other wine regions around the world produce Chardonnay, among them Australia and Chile. It’s quiteeasy to obtain good choices of American Chardonnay available for under $20. Popularand consistently good producers include BV, Columbia Crest, and Chateau St. Michelle, among others.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc, also known as Fume Blanc, is another very popular white wine. Sauvignon Blanc is often described as “freshly mown”, meaning that it reminds the taster of freshly mown grass. It is a medium-bodied white wine with fruity aromas like melon, grapefruit, and peach, and is dry and refreshing with medium acidity. Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful wine for enjoyment in summer, especially good with seafood and it’s one of the best all around matches for appetizers and picnics. A very nice choice, for under 15 dollars, is offered by Babich (New Zealand).

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, sometimes called Pinot Gris (the actual grape name), is Italy’s most popular white wine, and is popular throughout the world, although the Italian Pinot Grigios are a littlebland. Pinot Grigios are easy to drink, because they have a crisp, light taste. The Pinot Gris offerings from Oregon tend to have more character, offering medium body, with more pronounced fruit and more acidity. Higher quality bottles have fruity flavors of apple, pear, honeydew and a bit of spice. A pair of very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon, available for between $12-$18, are King Estate and Chateau St. Michelle, among others.

Riesling

Riesling wines are generally considered the most popular German wine, and they are produced in two vastly different styles – dry and sweet. Rieslings are categorized by the ripeness of the grapes when picked. Kabinett indicatesnormally ripe grapes, and is a light to medium-bodied, mostly dry wine. You’ll oftenfind the word “trocken” on a bottle of Riesling, which is German for “dry”. “Spatlese” is made from riper grapes, and results in a bit richer, slightlysweeter, wine. “Auslese”, which means late harvest, is made from an even riper grape, and is usually verysweet. Rieslings are typically fruity, with apple, peach, and honeysuckle flavors and floral undertones. Rieslings are relatively inexpensive – you can find excellent selections for under $10. One reliably excellentchoice is Strub Niertsteiner Riesling Kabinett, as isChateau Ste. Michelle Riesling.

Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is another very popularGerman white wine, while also being produced in Australia, New Zealand, France, and the U.S. Gewurztraminer is also availablein both dry and sweet styles. Gewurztraminers have a bold, full-bodied taste, considerably more so than most other whites. Typical aromas associated withGewurztraminer are rosewater and lychee nuts, and its flavors include apricot, honeysuckle, and honey. A nice, inexpensive Gewurztraminer is fromTrimbach (France, under $15).

A final note

The best way to determine your preferencesin white wine is to just pick out a samplingof bottles, and just try them. For each varietal, you’ll want to choose a bottle that’s representative of the style you’re investigating. Websites such as Wine.com can be immensely helpfulwith finding solid, yet inexpensive choices. Once you find a varietal and producer you like, you might want to pick up a case to have on hand for entertaining, or to just enjoy at home. Most white wines do not improve with aging, so you shouldn’t keep them around for years. You do, however,want to be sure to properly store your wine, so they retainthe wonderful flavors and aromas you appreciate. You might think about investingin an inexpensive wine fridge, to keep all your wines at their best.

White wines are best served moderately chilled, so you might want to refrigerate them beforehand, then take them outabout 15-20 minutes before serving. Better yet, is tobuy a single bottle electric wine chiller, which will chill (or warm) a single wine bottleto the optimal temperature automatically – just set the pre-programmedwine varietal, pop in the bottle, and the chiller will automatically cool your wine to the right temperature, and keep your wine at that temperaturethroughout your wine tasting.