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 We’ve all met him…the guy who
pours a glass of wine, smells, swirls, and sometimes even spits. Then he pontificates,
mumbling French words like Pouilly-Fuissé, that make the rest of us nervous.
Wine
snobs beware. This article is about to blow your cover.
Here’s the real veritas about vino. When it comes to wine, you’re the boss. Wine’s not
brain surgery, no matter what the guy with the souped-up
corkscrew has to say. It’s about the individual palate.
Unfortunately, plenty of myths, lies and legends exist, and they foster the
kind of snobbism that makes the average wine drinker uncomfortable. Listed
below are a few of the most common ones.
Myth #1: The wider the “legs,” the better
the wine.
Not true. Let’s first understand what “legs” are, then see why their presence
(or lack thereof) is unrelated to quality. Legs, referred to by the English
as “tears,” are transparent residue that streams down the sides of a glass
after wine has been swirled. Legs are composed of water that clings to the
glass as wine is exposed to air. It can be an indicator of alcohol content,
but it has nothing to do with quality. Wines exhibiting prominent “legs”
don’t necessarily taste better.
Myth #2: Old wines are better than young wines. (Corollary: Old wines
are worth a lot of money).
Only a fraction of the world’s wines will increase in complexity and value as
they age. To be on the safe side, wine should be drunk within a year or two
of harvest. In the U.S.
most wines are consumed within 24 hours of purchase.
A rule of thumb:
Most white wines should be drunk within a year or two of production (maybe three
depending on the method of aging and conditions of storage.)
Red
wines can be cellared a bit longer, three to four years, under the right
conditions.
Wines such as Beaujolais Nouveau should be consumed within a year. These
contain very little tannic structure and are not meant to be
aged.
Myth
#3: Expensive wines are better.
This is a tricky one. The cost of materials, both inside and outside the
bottle, should have some relationship to the selling price. Quality
fruit is expensive because careful viticulture is labor intensive. Cheap,
mass-produced products often lack the character and quality of handcrafted
wines that are prepared in small lots by vintners who make costly decisions
in the name of quality.
However, a $50 price tag on a bottle of wine is no guarantee. Plenty of good
(maybe not great) wines can be found in the $10-$25 price range.
Myth # 4: Wine should be allowed to
"breathe" before consumption.
“Breathing” means the introduction of oxygen into wine. Most wines can be
sufficiently aerated by swirling in the glass. Older wines, especially reds
and rich whites, can “open up” with additional aeration. Decanting is
probably the best idea if a wine truly needs to “breathe.” The narrow neck of
the wine bottle doesn’t admit enough oxygen to make a difference.
Myth
#5: White wine can be refrigerated indefinitely.
No wine can be stored indefinitely, even under ideal conditions. Most red
wines (excluding, for example, Nouveaux and some Rosés) should not be refrigerated.
White wines can and should be refrigerated before serving, but not
necessarily stored in the refrigerator, where the temperature is
around 40 degrees. The dehumidifying conditions can cause corks to dry out
and shrink, thus compromising the quality of the wine. To be on the safe
side, store wines at a consistent temperature and refrigerate before
serving.
Myth
#6: Wines can be made without sulfites.
No wines are
sulfite free. Sulfites occur naturally in grape skins, and sulfur is used as
a disinfectant in the winemaking process. Even wine labeled as “organic,”
contains the by-products of sulfur used as a cleansing agent.
U.S. laws require winemakers to
include the words “Contains Sulfites” on their labels. Wines from other
countries also contain sulfites, whether or not this is indicated on the
labels.
“Organic” wines should not contain added sulfites. If the
sulfite level exceeds 10 parts per million, the wine must be labeled with the
words “Contains Sulfites.”
Myth
#7: The “best” wines come from France,
Italy and California.
“Good” wine is a product of careful viticulture and
competent winemaking. Great wines can come from places you might not expect,
like Canada or Pennsylvania.
Remember, California
was not known or respected as a wine region as recently as the 1970s. Now Napa and Sonoma
wines are regarded as some of the finest in the world.
Although the winemaking tradition runs deep and long in France and Italy, these countries do not
possess a monopoly on making good wine. Wherever quality grapes can be grown
and processed by knowledgeable winemakers, good wine can be produced.
When it comes to wine, you, not Robert Parker, (no disrespect intended) are
the boss. It’s not about fancy words or fancy names. It’s about your taste
buds. The best wine is the wine you like, no matter what the experts say.
You may contact Chris at:
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