Category Archives: Study Hall

Cool for the Summer: Avaline Rosé 🩷😎

I think we can call it official – summertime is here!😎🥂

And when that mercury starts to climb, we want less heat and more chill in our glass. A clear choice to beat the heat this season is Avaline (ah-vah-leene) Rosé.

Cameron Diaz and business partner Katharine Power bonded over both a glass of wine, and a shared philosophy: to make great quality wines that are purely organic. They partner only with growers who share their commitment; using only natural methods to create wines from 100% certified organic fruit, with zero synthetic pesticides. No artificial colors, refined sugars or additives are present, and transparency in all winemaking, and labeling, is key. Current regulations do not require nutritional/ingredient information on wine labels. Other than the percentage of alcohol and short varietal list, most of us don’t always know what’s in our glass. This is something Diaz and Power wanted to highlight.

With respect to sustainable winemaking, their sourced vineyards are generally lo-irrigation, or they are dry-farmed, relying only on rain water to provide moisture. With water shortages becoming globally prevalent for growers, decreasing fresh water consumption has become a necessity.

Benefits of lo-irrigation and dry-farming are many: it’s an environmentally responsible choice, and produces more intense flavor in the fruit. Like all things, balance is important. Dry- farming is best with well-established vines that have deep root systems. However, it can take years before this happens. Vines that have regular irrigation tend to have more shallow root systems – they don’t have to work as hard to find their water source. To coax the younger vines into strong fruit producers, sometimes low irrigation, only when needed, is essential.

Avaline Rosé, a Vin de France wine, is cultivated in Provence by Famille Negrel wines. Their vineyards are lo-irrigation, adding moisture only when necessary, especially if the crop is in danger. Chickpeas are grown on site to provide vital nitrogen to the vines. Their vineyards are certified organic by ECOCERT.

Sometimes rosés can taste watered down, as though the crop had too much rain at harvest. Others taste as more heavy-handed, trying too hard to be flavorful. This wine, with its blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauv, Syrah and Caladoc is flavorful, fresh and well-balanced.

Tasting notes:

Flavors of honeydew melon, orange zest, cardamom/ginger spice, and tart white peach lingered gently on the finish. Ethereal and delicious, and possessing a light-bodied, yet lingering mouthfeel.😙

A 5FL OZ pour was 107 calories, 2.6G carbs and zero fat (says so right on the label).

Ok, my pour was a little larger than that. 😉

See you on the patio!⛱️

Cheers!

©️Copyright. 2023. The Wine Student.

Field Trip: Biltmore Estate Winery🍷🏰

Visiting the Biltmore Estate is like taking a journey back in time. An awesome example of both architecture and design, its esthetic influenced by the great chateaux of France.

Click the video below to tour with me!👇

We’d originally planned this trip with our friends Carl and Deb, in May 2020… and we all know what wasn’t happening then. So it was wonderful to finally have all our schedules reconnect!

When I first researched Biltmore, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about their winery. Documents dating back to 1916 show that George Vanderbilt had begun collecting wines for his cellar. Jump forward to the early 1970’s, William Cecil, George Vanderbilt’s grandson, established vineyards on the property. The first Biltmore wines were made available for sale in 1979 under French winemaster Phillipe Jourdain’s direction. In May 1985, Biltmore Estate Winery opened its doors to the public for tours and tastings. Building on the original French-American hybrid plantings, Jourdain planted additional vinifera varietals to ensure the future of their wine cultivation.

Sharon Fenchak joined Biltmore in 1999, eventually becoming winemaker in 2003, then head winemaker in 2018, further crafting on the foundations laid out by previous winemakers, Jourdain and Bernard Delille. She now oversees an annual production of approximately 150,000 cases.

Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at an elevation of 2,500 ft, growing conditions in this part of North Carolina can be challenging, especially with rapidly fluctuating temperatures during growing season. Days here are warm yet humid, with cooler nights, a high incidence of rainfall, and risk of late-harvest frost. This combination makes growing more delicate varieties difficult. Heartier varieties flourish here. Polk County, just south of the estate, has a lower elevation and a ‘thermal belt’ micro climate, reducing the risk of damage to the fruit.

Locally sourced wines include robust varietals including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. Their Biltmore Reserve NC Rosé is a home-grown, balanced blend of heartier Cab Sauv and Cab Franc of both estate and lower elevation North Carolina vineyards.

To produce a wide array of offerings, grapes and juice are sourced from not only North Carolina but California and Washington. Their American Series wines reflect this diversity.

The winery also maintains a commitment to sustainability; using locally sourced water from nearby Long Valley Lake, and recycling their plastic, glass, paper and steel. Adjacent to the Winery, is a nine-acre, 1.7 megawatt system that includes more than 7,000 solar panels to help counterbalance estate energy usage. Grape byproducts such as crushed stems and skins are used for mulch and compost. Retired barrels become planters and used corks are repurposed as wine racks to display their wines in retail stores. Biltmore has also partnered with Cork Reharvest and the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance to reuse corks and help decrease the depletion of cork trees. Visitors are encouraged to drop off used corks at the winery, all estate restaurants, and Whole Foods stores throughout North Carolina.

Out of town? You can mail your used corks to:
Biltmore Estate Wine Company
Re: Cork Recycling
1 North Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801 👍

We tasted some wonderful wines on our tour but here are the three we took home:

2021 Biltmore Estate Grenache Blanc

My pick: The 2021 Limited Release Grenache Blanc. While it’s not from indigenous grapes, I loved the bright, refreshing and flavorful alternative to Rosé. I’m used to grenache as a lovely red so this was a treat. a nice, bouncy alternative. Tropical flavors of banana, melon, citrusy mandarin, and a light, playful mouthfeel. I can’t wait to pair with some delicate cheeses, fruit or charcuterie.

2020 Biltmore Estate Tempranillo

Dougie’s pick: The 2020 Limited Release Tempranillo. American Appellation with flavors of dark fruit, fig, and nice grippiness from the tannins. Aged 16-20 months in oak.

13% alcohol. $24.00

2020 Biltmore Estate Malbec

Our pick: The 2020 Limited Release Malbec. Something fun for Malbec Mondays! We haven’t had Malbec in some time so this was a nice change from our go to Pinot Noir. Rich blueberry, blackberry and plum with a hint of spice on the finish. Also aged 16-20 months in oak. It’s one to savor slowly and enjoy with maybe a nice beef brisket. Yum!

13% alcohol. $ 22.40

The best part about the trip was finally reconnecting with our friends again, and to take a little step back in time. ♥️

Biltmore is definitely worthy of a place on your bucket list; and the wine makes it even better!

Cheers!🍷

©️Copyright. 2023. The Wine Student.

Dry Spell

The last of the holiday treats are gone, and you feel like you need to take a little break. You’ve decided to embrace Dry January. Good for you! In your quest, maybe you’ve noticed a few alcohol-removed, dealcoholized or non-alcohol wines on the shelves of your local store.

Although the tipsy factor might not be there, alcohol-removed red wines, like their boozy cousins, contain resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant contained in the skins of red wine grapes.

Here are some other health benefits of drinking dealcoholized red wine:

• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease

• Decreased risk of cancer, inflammation, diabetes

• Decreased blood pressure

• Less calories than regular wine

• Decreased passing out while binge-watching your favorite show and missing the best part

What’s the difference between dealcoholized and the non-alcohol version? Dealcoholized wine has gone through the traditional processes of winemaking: fermentation – which ensures skin contact, and turns grape juice into wine. The alcohol is then removed before bottling. Non-alcohol vino goes straight from juice to the bottle with no fermentation.

Still, it can be a little confusing when you’re searching for these wines. So check the label.

On the front, look for the term ‘alcohol-removed wine’. The back will have a nutrition facts label, and the terms ‘contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume’ and ‘dealcoholized wine’. Some non-alcohol offerings simply state “wine alternative” which means it is juice that hasn’t been fermented.

So how do you take alcohol out of wine?

Here are three methods:

Spinning Cone Technology:

Freshly fermented wine, made in the traditional way, is poured into the top of a spinning cone column. Rotating cones transform the wine by centrifugal force, and turn it into a thin filmy liquid. Nitrogen gas is then fed into the bottom part of the column to extract flavors and aromas of the wine, and to prevent the wine from oxidation. The remaining liquid is passed through the column again to remove the alcohol. Flavor and aroma essences are then recombined with the dealcoholized wine, and blended with unfermented varietal grape juice to replace any lost volume. This creates a wine with less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The entire process is done repeatedly and at low temperatures.

Vacuum Distillation:

Similar to spinning cone, traditional winemaking occurs before the alcohol is removed by extracting off the alcohol at a low temperature in a vacuum, keeping the wine’s flavors and aromas intact. Once the alcohol is removed, the essences and flavors are mixed back in.

Reverse Osmosis:

We’ve heard about this for water purification; in winemaking the process is the same. Wine passes through a very fine filter that water and ethanol pass through. The ingredients of wine, such as tannins, and other elements responsible for color, flavor and aroma are left behind.

According to liquor.com, here are some of the more popular alcohol-removed wines:

Best Red:

Ariel Cabernet Sauvignon – $32.45

Fre Merlot – $9.99

Best White:

Giesen Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 0% Alcohol – $16.99

Luminara Alcohol-Removed Chardonnay – $16.99

Best Rosé:

St. Regis Nonalcoholic Shiraz Rosé – $17.99

Best Brunch Bubbly:

Freixenet Sparkling Alcohol-Removed Wine – $9.99

I tried the Fre Merlot. The consistency is thinner than its traditional counterpart. It tastes sweet, like a natural varietal grape juice. It had a nice, bright mouthfeel, and a beautiful claret color. And the looks you get when you pour a glass at 10:00 am are pretty comical. 😆

If you want to enjoy a dry new year, but still want enjoy the health benefits of red wine, take a closer look at some of these wine options. And let me know what you think in the comments!

Cheers!🍷

©️Copyright. The Wine Student, 2023.

You Smell Like a Wet Dog: The Fault in Our Wine

Dig if you will the picture: you’re in a great restaurant, your sommelier has just opened a wonderful bottle of wine at your table. They pour a bit in your glass. You swirl, then you sniff, then you sip. You nod to the somm that all is well, and the remaining glasses are poured. Easy, right?

But what happens if you get a wine that smells (or tastes) awful? The immediate impulse (aside from spitting it all over the tablecloth) is to just grin and bear it, and pretend that it’s delightful. Don’t make waves, and don’t seem like a wine snob. Wait. You’re paying for that bottle; it should be delightful.

How can you detect the fault in our wine? Start with your nose. Especially with things like cork taint, the nose always knows. Think back to the restaurant example, and the swirl, sniff, sip. This isn’t just fluffy posturing, there is a point to it. If the wine is corked, it’ll smell like wet newspapers, musty cardboard or, yep, a wet dog. We love Fido, but not in our wine.

What to do at a restaurant if you’ve noticed cork taint or another fault? With kindness, send it back. Yes. Send. It. Back. This is precisely why they have you sample the wine before pouring for the rest of the table. Be polite but don’t be shy. Most restaurants want to know if they have a bad bottle. It might not be an isolated situation; the entire case or shipment may be off. You’re paying a lot of money to not drink bad wine.

Please remember to be kind to your server or somm. Any fault isn’t their fault. They are there to help you.♥️

Now, if you’ve opened your wine at home and it’s corked, don’t dump it! Pour the remaining wine back into the bottle and take it back to your place of purchase. Most wine sellers will happily take it back or will offer an exchange. In fact, it’s good to let them know so they can notify their distributor or the winery. Companies need to know if they have a bad batch floating around; their reputation’s on the line.

Some Causes of Faulty Wine:

Cork Taint ~

• Infected cork – caused by chlorine (TCA-Trichloranisole) coming in contact with corks

• TCA compounds may also be present in wood/rubber in the winery (barrels, beams, rubber transfer tubing, etc) – this is why even some screw cap wines can become corked

• Smells like: wet dog, wet cardboard, musty cellar

• Remedy: None. Be kind and send it back

Also: cork in your wine doesn’t mean your wine is corked. A crumbly cork doesn’t always mean the integrity of the wine is compromised. But be safe and taste the wine before you serve it!

Remedy: to get rid of floating cork bits pour your wine through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter

Oxidation ~

• Wine (red or white) has a brownish tinge

• Not always bad – sometimes oxidation can be a winemaking choice

• It can be prominent (in a good way) in Sherries or Tawny Port

• Oxidation can happen over time to all wine, white or red, and happens when storage allows too much oxygen into the bottle (e.g. storing bottles upright instead of sideways)

• If you find this in young, light wines, like Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Sauv Blanc, it’s a fault

• Smells like: sharp scents of bruised apples, linseed oil, a nutty or caramel vibe (which is not always a bad thing)

• Ask whether the wine is meant to be oxidized before sending it back⚠️

Brettanomyces ~

• Not technically bad, Brett is a wild yeast that ferments along with wine yeast

• Earthy, rustic aromas permeate the wine which many enjoy, and can be a winemaking choice

• Smells like: bandage (medicinal), sweaty leather or a barnyard ~ and if that’s your thing, it’s not a fault!

Reduction ~

• Occurs when wine doesn’t get enough oxygen during winemaking – balance is everything

• Smells like: garlic, rotten eggs, burnt matches, sulfur

• Remedy: Decanting the wine can help (by providing needed oxygen) or stirring your wine with a silver spoon. If it doesn’t help, kindly send it back

Volatile Acidity (VA) ~

• In small amounts, VA can contribute to the complexity of wine, giving it depth, though many people can be very sensitive to this, making it unpleasant to drink

• In larger amounts, it becomes a nice mix for salad dressing

• Having some VA doesn’t make it necessarily a fault, but if it’s not for you, see if you can exchange it for something different

Smells like: nail polish remover, sharp vinegar

Heat | UV Damage ~

• Damage from UV rays doesn’t just happen to skin, it is a serious issue for wine as well.

• Light + heat increase chemical reactions that cause premature aging of wine and heat can cause the bottle to expand a bit, loosening the seal, and letting air in

• ‘Light strike’ happens when wine is exposed to direct light – e.g. if the wine is left in a sunny window

• Wine can also suffer damage when left in a too hot car (even for an hour) or stored in a room that has wide temperature fluctuations or is too hot.

• Many hot climate wineries will not ship their wines in peak heat seasons to avoid heat damage in shipping.

• Sparkling and white, and older wines are the most vulnerable.

• Smells like: not much on the nose, and it tastes ‘cooked’

• Remedy: don’t leave your wine in a hot car or store in sunny window!🥵

Now that you know what to look for, hopefully you feel a little more confident in deciding if your wine should be enjoyed or sent back.

The more you sniff (and taste) the better you’ll get at detecting the faults in your wine.

And with any luck, it won’t happen too often!

Cheers!🍷

©️Copyright 2022 The Wine Student

Orange is the New White

A long time ago, when I worked as a bartender, I once served a wine that was orange.

It was not a design choice. It was just bad.

So when I saw that orange wine has been making a big splash, I was a little skeptical. Fool me once…

Orange wine is not made from oranges. It’s also not a rosé. It’s actually a natural white wine that gets its colour and flavor from keeping the white grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice for between 4-30 days. The orange colour comes, in part, from the lignin in grape seeds. The longer the contact, the deeper the colour. Most white wines have little to no skin contact.

In most wine production, seeds get discarded prior to any processing of the juice and fermentation. That’s because seed contact can make wine taste bitter. So how do orange wines stack up? Do they taste sour or bitter? It depends. While technically a white wine, orange wines are very dry and tannic, much like a bold red wine. Flavors are bold and brassy with aromas of honeyed jack fruit, sourdough, juniper (like gin), brazil nut, apricot, orange blossom, and bruised apple. They can be very intense on the palate with a sour vibe much like a fruit based beer.

What is jack fruit? I don’t know jack $&@! about jack fruit so I did a little research. When ripe, jack fruit has a strong aroma and tastes like tropical fruit: mango and pineapple, and banana.

Orange wine is not a new ‘oops’. It is an ancient process dating back roughly 5000 years. All elements were left to ferment for time in large buried clay vessels called quevri (kev-ree).

Check out the video below for a little summer fun!

Pairing:

Bold for bold, orange wines pair well with bold foods like curry and Moroccan dishes, Korean and traditional Japanese cuisine. Because of the high tannin, and hint of almond-like nuttiness, it can pair with beef and fish. This is something you can play around with to find your favorite.

It’s a white wine that thinks it’s a red so the pairings could be really colourful. But be careful of the spice quotient: it will bring out the heat in some dishes.🌶🌶🌶

If you’re looking for ‘grippier’ offerings with increased tannin, look for 30+ days of skin contact; fresher, lighter versions have maybe 4-10 days. Because they’re natural with little to no preservatives, drink within 2-3 days after opening. Store in cool, dark areas (between 50-60F). Serve chilled, at around 55-65F. If it’s too cold, you’ll lose the nuance of the flavors.

Look for wines from Italy, Solvenia, Australia, France, South Africa, Austria, and the US.

I recently tasted a 2021 Bonny Doon Vineyards Le Cigare Orange (California). It is the ‘skin-contact wine of the earth’ (says so right on the bottle) and is made from 10% Grenache, 80% Grenache Blanc and 10% Orange Muscat. It had a hint of orange blossom on the nose, and a sour, almond vibe on the palate with a dry, puckery, yet bouncy mouthfeel. Flavors of white peach, early-ripe apricot and citrus lingered on the finish.

It sells for $17.99

Here are three others that might float your boat:

• Cos Pithos Bianco (Italy) $27

• Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato (Italy) $20

• Field Recordings Skins (California) $24

I chose the Field Recordings Skins to share and here’s what we thought:

(Pairing with Thai food)

These orange wines restored my faith that not all orange wine is wine gone bad. And they can be very different than what you might be expecting. But isn’t that half the fun about summer wines ~ trying something new, refreshing and just a little bit different?

Cheers!

©️Copyright. The Wine Student. 2022.

Earth Day 2022 🌎: Rethinking Capsules

You’re opening your favorite bottle of wine, you take the sharp cutter blade and begin to cut, scrape or pull the foil capsule off the bottle. Where does it go next? Probably into the trash. Hey, we all do this; I’m guilty as well. And it’s just a little bit of foil, no big. But when you consider that the US alone generates approximately 286 tons of waste per year, much of which ends up in landfill, a little foil can become a big problem.

Click the video below for more info!👇

In days of old, foil capsules were placed on corks because they prevented rodents and cork weevils from getting into the bottle.

Historically, these foils were made from lead, which we now know is poisonous. Lead was phased out by law in many countries beginning in the late 1970’s.

Capsules are now made from polyethylene or aluminum, which can be recycled, but more often than not, ends up in landfill.

Another issue with capsules is that they obscure the cork and fill level in the bottle. This is important – if the fill is not close to the cork, the wine may become oxidized. Which means not-so-great wine for you.

Additionally, there’s a great expense to the winemaker by using capsules, costing approximately $25,000 per year.

Now, there’s a growing movement to eliminate capsules altogether. With advances in quality control and cellar management, weevils and rodents aren’t the problem they once were. And with screw caps, there’s no issue at all.

Screw caps have steadily become the preferred choice for bottle closure, with many benefits. According to George Zaboura of Royal Park Fine Wines, “screw cap closures are better for the wine. There’s less chance of air getting into the bottle and less chance of the wine being tainted.”

And since they’re made from aluminum, you can recycle your screw caps!

An easy way is to put them back on the empty bottle and place in the recycle bin. You can also collect them in a large can, and once filled, crimp the top and place with your recyclables. This keeps the caps from flying about.

There is still much love, however, for the cork. Cork has, historically, been the preferred wine closure for generations, steeped in tradition. Made from the bark of the cork oak tree which is grown primarily in Northeast Africa, Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco and Tunisia; one tree’s bark can provide enough cork for hundreds of bottles. The tree remains unharmed during the harvest – the bark is scraped off the surface.The material is a renewable, sustainable and biodegradable which makes it an environmentally friendly bottle closure. Natural corks can be recycled. Find out how to recycle yours here!

Additionally, microscopic pores allow minute amounts of air to contact the wine which is key for proper aging, something the screw cap is lacking. With many reds, some of them investments, sometimes that microscopic bit of air can be the difference between a spectacular sip, and one that’s pretty good.

And where would we be without the ceremony and tradition? Popping a cork is much more romantic and satisfying than twisting off a cap.

You may occasionally notice some bottles are dipped in a wax. This is another way to seal the wine without the capsule but it’s very time consuming and costly for the winemaker. That’s why you’ll probably only see the wax seal on very select, more expensive wines. When I was out looking for wines, I found only three vintages (out of the entire wine shop) that had a wax seal.

Cork has its share of drawbacks – the quality can be variable, the material can be fragile and the cost is up to three times more than a screw caps. As well, there is the issue of cork taint – which can make your wine taste like wet newspaper. No one wants their wine to taste like wet newspaper. That’s nasty!

As with any debate about the environment, there are many points of view. So the choice is yours. With more of a push towards sustainability, reducing waste and recycling, there can be many ways to love our wine and help make a healthier planet. 🌎🌱💚

Cheers!🍷

©️Copyright. The Wine Student, 2022.

Wine Reads! 📖🥂

If you live where there is a regular accumulation of snow, then this winter has been a long one. And if you’ve been a little reluctant to go out right now, and just finished bingeing SuperPumped, The Dropout, or S2 of Bridgerton, here’s a way to unplug, and decompress. And apart from just drinking wine, which is always nice, reading about it can be just as interesting (without the buzz).

Below are two books that helped me get through many a long winter’s journey into night.

Packed with lots of info, and so well-written, they’re like taking a comprehensive, self-directed wine course without the hefty fee and stress-inducing exam at the end.

Check out the video below for a little taste of what you’ll find!

Wine Folly: Magnum Edition by Madeline Puckette & Justin Hammack

Image via The Wine Student

From the #1 ranked wine education site winefolly.com, Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is a culmination of many viewpoints: from wine writers and educators, to wine professionals and scientists.

Madeline Puckette is a wine sommelier, writer and visual designer. Justin Hammack is an entrepreneur, digital strategist and web developer.

This book takes you on a journey through the basics and beyond; how wine is made, facts about drinking wine (and how to avoid that pesky headache), a funny section on wine etiquette, and how to smell wine (to actually detect faults, not just to look fancy). It lays everything out with super cool graphics, and easy to digest descriptions that make learning easy if you’re new to wine, and a great review if you’re an old pro.

Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm w/ Christine Muhlke

Image via The Wine Student

Sohm was named 2008 Best Sommelier in the World by the Worldwide Sommelier Association and namesake of the Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in New York City. Christine Muhlke is former food editor of the New York Times Magazine, and contributing editor at Bon Appêtit magazine.

Wine Simple also has great depth of information, fun graphics, and cool side bars. An added feature: the main points of each section are highlighted for you, saving you time (and highlighter).

Check out the ‘Wine With Bad Raps” section for a good rundown on pre-conceived wine reputations that might make you go “hmmmm…”. It may have you completely reconsidering your next wine purchase.

There’s also an honest view about boxed, bagged and canned wines (spoiler: they’re not all that bad).

Both books examine wine regions, flavor profiles, practical magic of storing and serving, and much more.

Each have excellent chapters about food and wine pairing, which can be daunting at the best of times. And each have fun graphics, charts and practical info about cooking with wine. Wine Folly has a little pairing exercise that involves potato chips, cheese, honey and a pickle. I am SO going to try this in an upcoming post!

Both books are excellent and make learning accessible, enjoyable, and will have you understanding, pairing and enjoying wine like a pro in no time!

If you read either (or both) let me know what you think in the comments! 👇

Have a safe and happy Easter weekend!🐰💜

Cheers!🍷

©️Copyright. The Wine Student, 2022.

Wine in the Raw

Totally natural. Wild and unfiltered. Just as nature intended. Wine in the raw refers to how some wines are made. It doesn’t mean you have to drink it without your clothes on. But I guess if that’s your thing, by all means.

Circling back to ancient winemaking techniques, natural wines came to prominence again in France and Italy in the 1980’s. And now there is a growing natural wine movement here in North America, dovetailing with farm-to-table philosophy.

So what’s the difference between natural, biodynamic and organic wine?

Biodynamic winemaking embraces a holistic view that everything in the universe is connected; man, the moon, the planets and the stars. Respecting the environment, and ethical, self-sustaining agriculture, it’s more about the processes before harvest; farming, cultivating and tending to the land and fruit.

Like natural wines, no pesticides or unnatural herbicides are used. Ducks, horses, cows and sheep living on the vineyard provide natural fertilizer, and weed management.
Discarded grape skins are recycled into compost and spread back onto the land to nourish future vintages.

Biodynamic wines are also cultivated and harvested based on the biodynamic calendar – planting and harvesting on moon cycles and daily tasks broken down into the earth’s four elements.
It sounds a little trippy but you have to love the philosophy; great, sustainable wine production that literally gives back to its roots and the environment.

Organic wines are GMO free with no synthetic additives, pesticides or herbicides. Organic winemakers also respect sustainable farming practices and must pass yearly USDA inspection to retain certification.
Certification can be seen on the label and is an assurance that what you’re pouring into the glass is 100% organic.

Like Organic and Biodynamic, natural wines use grapes that haven’t been sprayed with herbicides, and only natural predators are used to manage pests.
Grapes are hand-picked, and only native or wild yeast is used in fermentation. The wine is unfiltered and there are less than 50ppm sulfite additives, if any. Natural wine can be seen as an excellent display of terroir – the true expression of the wine growing region – since what you pick and cultivate on site is precisely what goes into the bottle.

Many natural winemakers prefer ancient techniques such as fermenting in clay or concrete ‘amorphae’ vessels that impart no flavor to the wine. Oak barrels can sometimes be rejected because of the additional flavors they may add to the wine. But, again, that’s a choice. Many natural winemakers want their wines to taste of the grape, and only of the grape.
Some also allow their white wines a little bit of skin contact; just enough to produce an orange hue (more on that in an upcoming post).

Natural wine can have a lower alcohol content and higher acidity. Since it’s unfiltered, it can sometimes look cloudy with natural sediment that floats and then settles at the bottom of the bottle.

Bottle for bottle, natural wines taste…just as lush and lovely as commonly cultivated wines, but not all travel well. As Jake, Wine Steward at Giant Eagle said, “Because they are natural, they don’t always do as well with shipping.Your best bet for natural wines is to buy them directly on site if you can.”

While natural wines can be stored for a few years, it’s best to enjoy them sooner rather than later. They typically require refrigerated storage because of their volatility. The lack of preservatives can make them less able to handle changes in temperature and therefore are more prone to going off.

Be sure to look for the terms ‘minimal intervention’, ‘natural winemaking techniques’ or ‘unfiltered/unfined’ on the label.

I have to admit, it isn’t always easy to find all-natural, unfiltered wines in a local wine shop. I did manage to find one: Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay from Napa Valley, California. And it was one of the last bottles available.
When I looked at the bottle, I was expecting to see something cloudy or with sediment resting gently at the bottom like an unshaken snow globe. This wine was crystal clear.
During maturation, their winemakers hand-stir the wine, as needed, to re-distribute any sediment. The reason is clear: many people seeing sediment or cloudiness in a wine assume that the wine has gone bad, is tainted or off, and are less likely to purchase a wine that looks this way. In the world of wine, looks can be everything.

Newton Vineyard has a decades long commitment to sustainable winery practices and are Napa Green Certified; held to strict requirements including water | energy conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the winey’s carbon footprint, pollution prevention, and a commitment to social equity.

Going natural might be a little more expensive to buy but consider the amount of time and care taken to cultivate and produce these wines. Great things sometimes take time. And with the growing numbers of wineries adopting sustainable practices, they’re headed in the right direction.

Here are some other notable natural wines to look for.

In these times of growing global environmental awareness and truths, it makes sense to support those who have made a commitment to sustainable wine production.🌱🌿🍇

And you can enjoy them with or without clothes.☺️

Cheers!🍷

©️ Copyright The Wine Student, 2022

Sparkler Series – Part 3 – Paired Off!

Happy New Year!

The general rule of thumb for pairing sparkling wines – fish, cheese, chicken.

But what if you’re not feeling that? What if you’re feeling adventurous and want to be free of all rules?

I say, go for it. For the most part, the sky’s the limit, just keep a few tiny guidelines in mind:

Serve your sparkler well chilled – the bottle opens easier and more safely when it’s cold. Allow a bit of time for the bubbly froth to settle and the delicate aromas to unfold.

Here’s a great chart from bubblysideoflife.com gives the levels of sweetness to look for when choosing. Not all sparklers are the same.

And the answer is usually right on the label!

Sweetness Levels🥂
[Image via Bubbly Side of Life]

From dry to sweet, when pairing all wines, not just sparkling, you want to:

Match Flavor and Texture – For the most part, you don’t want your food to overpower your wine, or vice versa. You want both to compliment each other; bringing out each other’s best. Intensity of food and wine means its weight, which includes things like, salt, sweet, acidity, spiciness, etc. You want balance. For instance, I don’t enjoy a delicate, low tannin Pinot Noir with a hearty, fatty, juicy steak. The steak, (especially if served with a smoky or spicy sauce) overpowers the delicate flavours of the Pinot Noir, which doesn’t have enough tannins to cut through the robust fattiness of steak. It’s not that the wine is bad, it just doesn’t match with the weight of the food.

A beefy, hearty Cabernet Sauvignon, with it’s higher tannin and alcohol punches within its weight class, and matches the steak sip for bite.

Likewise, pairing a Cab with a delicate white fish, overpowers the flavor and weight of the fish so all you taste is the Cab.

When pairing sparkling wines with food, the same principles apply. Lighter, brighter effervescent wines provide a delicate acidity, and in the case of Champagne, have some richness and aged flavors that give you a different experience. I’ve paired Prosecco with a rich, creamy buttery orecchietti pasta dish that was amazing. The bright, fruitiness and acidity cut through the heavy cream of the dish, cleansing the palate with each sip. So if you’re craving mac and cheese (with any combination of cheeses), do it! Experiment! See what you like!😍

The key is matching the prominent aspects of the food and the wine.

Traditional Pairings [Image via Glass of Bubbly.com]

Sweet with Heat – To avoid feeling the burn, pair spicy fare with a sparkling wine that has some residual sugar in it. Sugar cools down the heat of your dish, creating balance.

⚠️Avoid pairing spicy foods with wines that have high alcohol. These will ramp up the heat, creating a three alarm blaze in your mouth. 🔥Most of us don’t enjoy sweating our way through dinner. 🥵 Going spicy? Choose a sparkler that has Extra-Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec or even Doux on the label.

Acid with Fat – Fatty or fried foods play well with high acid wines like Champagne. The acidity cuts a swath through the fat and fried, salty goodness; cleansing your palate for the next bite!

Try fried chicken or french fries, or put out a bowl of potato chips and watch them disappear!

Smoke ‘n’ Oak – Pair gently charred foods with sparklers aged in oak. Think traditional method Brut or Extra-Brut. And keep the meat on the lighter side; chicken, shrimp. Grilled foods tame the oak intensity and bring out the fruity aspects of the wine.

Sweet and Salty – If you love Chicago Mix popcorn (cheddar cheese and caramel blend) you know what’s going on here. Pairing salty foods with a sweet or almost sweet wine makes sweet wine more fruity (and less sweet), and salty foods more savoury. Try… corn dogs! Think about it – you have the gentle smokiness of the sausage inside, combined with the subtle sweetness of the corn bread on the outside, deep fried, and the sauce you put on top (dijon mustard, sweet bbq, ketchup) can change the vibe even more.

I like to keep it classy!😉

Sweet for the Sweet – with dessert, pair a wine that’s at least as sweet, if not sweeter. Sweet wines tend to highlight the sweet aspects of food. If your food is sweeter than your wine, the wine will fade, and seem dull. Again, go for sparkling wines that are higher on the sweet list; Dry, Demi-Sec or Doux.

Pair it with leftover Christmas cookies, Kit Kats, ice cream.🍪🍫🍨

Whatever sparkler you choose, whatever glass you have, whatever food you pair it with, please have yourself have a very happy, safe and healthy New Year!🎉🥳🍾

**Don’t forget to join me tomorrow, Thursday, December 30th, 11:00am on 900CHML’s Bill Kelly Show -with guest host Shiona Thompson!🎙

Thank you so much for visiting and your support!🥰

Cheers!🥂

©️Copyright. The Wine Student, 2021

Sparkler Series – Part 1 – Your Pocket Guide to Sparkling Wines


With the holidays fast approaching, we’re all turning our attention to fun, festive wines to fill our goblets. Even if our evenings may still be a little on the quiet side, enjoyable sparklers are out there to lift your spirits.
But finding the right one can take little prep and planning; there are so many options to choose from. Where to begin? Not to worry! In this 3-part series, we’ll explore several to help you decide which sparkling wines might make your holiday a little brighter.


So what IS the difference between Champagne and other sparkling wines? What glass should I serve it in? I don’t want to serve it with the same old tidbits…what’s unique and fun? These are the burning questions.
We have a bit of ground to cover so… settle in and check out the little video below for a
crash course!👇


Let’s take a closer look at four types of sparkling wines: Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and Asti.


Champagne:
Champagne can only be called Champagne if it’s made in the Champagne region of France. No other place. Everything else is sparkling wine and as we’ll see, there are many, many bubbling options.
Made in the Traditional Method, and using a blend including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (and Pinot Meunier), grapes are picked by hand, then quickly and gently pressed in whole bunches to mininmize any skin contact with the juice – leading to unwanted color or tannin in the end product.After press, it goes through a settling process to remove any solids.
Primary Fermentation: is much like still wine at a temperature of 64-68F. The fermentation vessel can be stainless steel tanks, concrete egg vessels, oak vats or barrels. It’s here that many go through malolactic fermentation (where good bacteria convert the hard malic acid (green apple like) to the softer lactic acid (a creamier vibe) which lowers the overall acidity of the wine.
The still wine is then aged, sometimes clarified by filtering, fining or centrifugation. The wine can also be aged on the lees (or dead yeast left over from fermentation). This is what gives the sparkling wine it’s bready or biscuity flavor and creamier mouthfeel. A pink color can be achieved by adding back some red wine, or giving the still wine a small amount of contact with the red grape skins.
After the addition of sugar, nutrients and yeast (liquer de tirage) bottling occurs – here is where the sparkling magic happens! Once bottled, it’s capped with what looks like a bottle cap so that the secondary fermentation can occur. This occurs at a cooler temperature (50-54F) – and a longer process than before. At the end of secondary fermentation, the bubbles have formed, and as the yeast has gobbled up all the sugar, it dies and decomposes. Bottles are then moved to storage where the now sparkling wine will rest on the yeast (lees) for a desired amount of time.

While resting, the bottles are gently and gradually rotated over time until they are in a vertical position – neck of the bottle upside down -to bring any sediment into one smaller area. At this point, the neck of the bottle is placed in a shallow freezing solution of liquid nitrogen and the semi-frozen sediment ‘plug’ is then propelled out of the bottle by the built up pressure. The beauty is that very little liquid is lost, and all of the dead yeast and sticky sediment is gone from the sparkling wine.


The bottle is then topped up with a small mixture of wine and sugar (dosage) to provide the desired amount of residual sugar, which acts to balance the high acidity of the wine.
Bottles are then corked, secured with a wire cage, and ready to ship or cellar.
Traditional method is why there is a higher alcohol content, and it’s why Champagne can be cellared for many years.
A true luxury item, this takes considerable time, skill, and craft to create what goes into your glass, and explains why many are so expensive.
Flavors: citrus, yellow apple, cream, almond, toast.
Brands: Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, Louis Roederer, and the big daddy, Dom Pérignon. **Keep your eyes open for Blanc de Blanc ~ Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay.


Prosecco:
Like Champagne, Prosecco can only be a true version if it is produced in Veneto region, Italy, the some of the best being from the sub-region of Valdobbiadene. Primary grape is Glera (though it is often blended) and it’s made in the Charmat or single tank method. Here, the base wines are added together with the sugar and yeast in a large stainless steel tank. As the wine goes through it’s secondary fermentation, CO2 is released causing the tank to pressurize. The wines are then filtered, then bottled without aging.
Prosecco generally has a fresher character (with only minor secondary yeast flavors) and should be enjoyed young, within 2-3 years of bottling.
Sweetness levels:
Brut: Dry, little or no detectable sweetness. 0-12 grams of sugar/litre.
Most Champagne is Brut.
Extra Sec (Extra Dry): Some detectable sweetness/sugar. 12-17 grams/litre residual sugar Sec (Dry): Noticeable sweetness/sugar. 17-32 grams/litre
Flavors: green apple, honeydew melon, pear, lager, cream.

Brands: Toresella, Ruffino, Tesoro Della, LaMarca


Cava:
From Spain, and made in the Traditional Method, this is made from three varieties; Xarello, Macabeo, Parellada.
This is a very earthy, rich and complex wine, can be cellared.
Flavors: marzipan, white chocolate, brioche.
Brands: Freixenet, Segura Viudad Brut Reserva, Elyssia.


Asti:
Another notable offering from Italy, Asti is produced in Piedmont using the Moscato Bianco grape. It’s made sparkling by single tank fermentation, giving it a bright and crisp quality, and is sweeter and lower in alcohol than the other three types.
Flavors: tangerine, apricot, peach and pear.
Brands: Martini & Rossi, Spumante, Risata.

This gives you a little more to think about when going to purchase your fun wines for the holidays.


Next post, we’ll explore which is the best glass to truly showcase the look and flavors of your sparkler!🥂


Cheers!🎄 🍾


© Copyright, The Wine Student, 2021.