Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Every Label Tells a Story

Every Label tells a Story …
For many reading a wine bottle label can certainly be a daunting task…You might feel you’d need to be a connoisseur to decipher what all of the information means. But most wine labels can tell you a lot about what's inside the bottle of wine you’re holding in your hand. Just knowing what to look for between the large and small print will tell you a great deal, such as, the source of the grapes, types of grapes, region names, percent alcohol and more.

Let’s take a look at a label and break down what it all means. This label is from a French wine from Domaine de la Janasse. With the French, the most important piece of information is the winery and the region. The French have been making wine for so long (centuries!) that most people who like French wine know the wine type by those two things. If the winery is particularly well known, the name of the winery will be the largest script on the label otherwise the region will take centre stage.

The year (or vintage as it is called in wine terms) is also very important, as it indicates how good the wine is going to be. Before purchasing a more expensive Bordeaux or Burgundy wine it would be worth your while to check out the value of the wine, by region and vintage.

Next comes the section within the region, which further defines what style the wine is made in. In France, every region is pretty set in what grapes it grows and what styles it uses to create wines. For that reason, very few labels from France list the grape variety; they're assumed to be known! Finally alcohol content is listed and possibly a term like “Mis en Bouteille au Domaine” which simply means the wine is bottled on site. Usually little more is on a French label. There may be a back label describing the wine with a tasting note but more than likely it will be ‘En Francais’.

In France the average yearly production is 70 million hectolitres (about 9 billion bottles!). A few terms that you are sure to come across on a French label are the 4 grades under which French Wines are classified:

AOC Appellation d’Origin Controllee These wines are of very high quality with strict rules of production. But this strict legislation guarantees an excellent quality wine. The rules cover methods of growing , localization, grape-variety, alcohol content...The word "Origine" is often replaced by the name of the place of origin of the wine "Appellation Cote du Rhone Controlée".

AOVDQS Appellation d'Origine Vin De Qualité Supérieure In the hierarchy of wines, this classification comes just after AOC. They are also strictly controlled. Rules apply to the area of production, grape variety, minimum alcohol, methods of growing and producing.
Vin de Pays About 25% of French wine production are Vin de Pays. Winemakers must use specific grape varieties and the label can list the grape used while AOC wine labels cannot. All wines must be analysed, tasted, approved and accepted as "Vin de Pays". These wines are increasingly popular these days, rather inexpensive and perfect for everyday drinking.

Vin de Table About 40-50% of the wine produced in France falls under this category. It is the every day wine of France and the lowest classification. There are very few restrictions. The label does not have to mention the area of origin. Typically this wine is a mix of several grapes sometimes coming from different countries within the European Union.

Wines from the New World; Australia, USA, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand are a little easier to figure out. This label comes from the Casas del Bosque vineyard in Chile. The front label gives pretty much all information that the regular wine drinker is interested in. First, the winery name in big letters, so you know what you're getting. Next the grape variety, in this case Sauvignon Blanc. Then the region name; Casablanca Valley. Below that, the year, so you know how old the wine is. All of this combined information lets you know that the wine is from a very highly rated area, and that it's a certain type of white wine that many people adore.

Another line of information, tells you that this is a "Reserve". If you know the particular winery well, you might know that they make a "normal" and a "reserve" version of a given wine, and know which one you prefer.

Also on this label you will see “Estate Bottled”. This simply means the wine was bottled on site. If a wine is not an estate wine, it means the grapes were grown in other peoples' vineyards and then brought in to make wine by the winemaker. There is no requirement to say if your grapes are grown on your estate or elsewhere.

On a new world wine you will also expect to see a back label. This gives lots more information. In most cases it will give you a description of the wine, a tasting note and recommended food to serve with the wine, which is always useful in making your final decision to purchase. It will also give you the alcohol content and perhaps an address or contact for the vineyard, which could come in handy if you decide take a trip. It may also give you the importers name.

As with French wines there are legal constraints governing the information that a new world wine label must provide, but that’s for another day.

David’s Top Tips of the Week

Wine Loyalty Cards available at The Wine Vault, High Street. Buy 12 bottles of wine and receive 1 free. Offer available until 30 June

Look out for this years slow food festival of the year – Terra Madre Ireland 2008 will be held in Waterford 4th to 7th September, bringing together Artisan food producers from all over the South East … an event not to be missed. For more information, visit http://www.terramadreireland.com/

Weekend Winetastings at The Wine Vault every Friday & Saturday 10.30am to 6.00pm.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

This Wine IS Definitely Corked ....

Are we ever sure or confident enough with our wine knowledge to say
‘Excuse me sir, this wine is corked’. It happens time and time again in restaurants in Ireland. Wine is ordered, we sample it with a swirl of the glass, take a quick sniff (we don’t want to seem to confidant), sip and say with a nod and a smile ‘Ya, that’s fine, pour away’. Even when wine tastes like old socks, we often tend to believe it’s our poor choice of wine – the Bordeaux for €10 more would have been better.Well, all wines on a wine list should be palatable and taste good, no matter what the price. So if your wine doesn’t taste good, it is more than likely corked.

Now, the truth is, many of us, including wait staff and retail staff, do not know what ‘Corked Wine’ means. As most of us know, it’s not the crumbly bits floating on the top of your wine glass. Let’s understand the actual true meaning – a corked wine means that an invisible mould, that exists in the bark of old trees, sometimes, ends up in the pores of produced wine corks. When this mould combines with traces of bleach used to sanitize the wine corks, a reaction called TCA (tri-chloro-anisole) occurs. These damaged corks are then stuffed into wine bottles by bottlers, who are unaware of their existence. The cork inevitably becomes in contact with the wine, moistens and begins to taint the wine. The result is a bad tasting wine that often exudes very recognisable aromas of wet carpet or Hessian sacks. However, in most cases, corked wine smells flat and displays ‘musty’ flavours that can often be difficult to detect by the untrained palate. The wine colour may be off – the white wine more yellow than usual or your favourite red more brown.

Now, although this unpleasant tasting wine ain’t going to kill ya, it is currently a high profile worldwide debate among wine experts. It is said that one in fifty bottles of wine produced each year is corked. This is an outstanding statistic considering 26 billion corks go into wine bottles each year (1.4 billion spoilt wines) How many do we drink? Corks are mainly produced in Portugal from old oak tree bark and cost anywhere from 7 to 40 cents (depending on the quality). The wine experts, mostly from New World wine production countries, are blaming this traditional Portuguese cottage industry for the growing problem and point out that cork substitutes will have to start being produced.
Synthetic corks are now being used by some wine companies but are often difficult to extract from bottles. And we are all aware of the controversial screw cap, aka The ‘Stelvin Closure’ which is still slow to be accepted by wine lovers despite its tried and tested success to date.

For now, the ‘corked wine’ situation is out of our hands. So the best advice is to take your time when tasting wine. Do smell, do examine and do give the wine some time on your palate. If it doesn’t taste right to you, send it back. If it is a wine you are familiar with, it should be easy to detect a bad bottle. Wait staff should be fully trained to recognize your complaint and deal with it. When ordering a second bottle of wine with your meal, insist on tasting it again. Often, wait staff tend to top up half glasses second time round – it may be corked! Wines by the glass, same story, send it back if you think it doesn’t taste right.
And whether you purchase a bottle from a supermarket, petrol station or specialty wine shop to enjoy at home, if you open your wine and it tastes bad, no matter what you have paid for it, pour the glass back into the bottle and return it for an exchange.


Davids Top Tips of the Week

For more information on how to taste wine and all other interesting wine facts & information, visit http://www.wineboard.ie/

Sparkling Wines from France, Italy (Prosecco) & Spain (Cava) are the new chic drink this year. Try adding some fruit puree to your bubbles (peach or raspberry) for the perfect Summer cocktail.

Win a free bottle of Mont Marcal Brut Nature DO Cava – Spanish Sparkling Wine – visit http://www.dennisonwines.com/ and sign up for mailing list. Simply write ‘Cava’ in the Comment box. (closing date 27/5/08)