Where in the World do you want to go?

The frantic calls come in on a regular basis.  A dear friend, lost in the liquor store wine aisles, dials WINE 911…me.  I listen to whatever it is that requires the flare of wine, which might be anything from impressing a new flame to calming down after a crazy workday.  I ask one question: “Where do you want to go?”  As much as I am a passionate supporter of Canadian wines, I do love to travel and what better way than with my palate as a passport.

More than just an open ear to my over-worked, frazzled friends, I like to think of myself as a wine therapist.  This zeal for all things wine means sharing my knowledge with you, dear reader, so that you can equip yourself with not only a bit of wine savvy but also a heap of adventure.

Meeting so many people from all walks of life in my work as a wine consultant, I am frequently asked certain questions.  If you have always wondered but never asked, here are the answers.  You may know a lot more than you think. Instead of throwing them all at you at once, I will focus on the more straightforward topics first and next month, I will take it to the next level. 

So, assuming you know what wine is…let’s cover a few general questions:

What are the differences between red and white wine?

It’s all in the skins…red wine is made with the juice of the grape, the skins and the seeds.  The colour of the wine comes from the skins of the grape, and the tannins (bitterness) on the finish of the red wine comes from the seeds.

White wine is made with only the juice of the grapes.  If you slice open any grape, the pulp is green.  By crushing the grapes soon after harvesting and separating the skins, you use only the ‘white’ (actually yellow) juice to make white wine.

Case in point, you can make a white wine (often referred to as Blush or Rose) with red grapes.  White zinfandel has the pinkish hue as a result from having skin contact for only about 4-6 hours.  One of the major grapes used in making Champagne is Pinot Noir.

What’s the best way to taste wine?  This has 2 parts:

If you find yourself hosting a dinner party or participating in a wine festival, there are a couple of rules to help get the most out of the experience. 

·       Tasting order: start with the lighter, more refreshing whites and work through to the fuller bodied reds.  I like to think of starting my evening by kicking off my shoes and adjusting with a pinot gris and then, as I relax, my taste buds can handle a bigger, bolder wine.   This is especially important if you are at a tasting.  Walk through and try the whites first, then go back and sample the reds.  Your palate will be exhausted and not much use if it’s bombarded with too many styles of body.

·       Serving temperature: I do not own a thermometer, so giving me exact degrees of what my wines should be sipped at means little to me.  My general rule of thumb is: if you are buying in un-chilled wine to enjoy that evening, throw the red in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes and a white in the freezer for 30 minutes.  Wine connoisseurs may shudder at this practice but it works for me.  Red wines are often served too warm and whites too cold in North America.  Imagine if you had a cellar or owned that old French chateau with no central heating; reds are made to be drunk slightly chilled.

Each wine you try should be given the full experience; here are the crucial steps:

5 S’s of wine tasting-

q      Swirl – First hold the wine up to the light or against a white background to see the clarity of the wine.  Then swirl the wine around in the glass.  When stopped, you should see the “legs” (also called tears) of the wine form on the side of the glass.  This tells you that you are drinking a pure wine that hasn’t been ameliorated with water and if it has a high alcohol content.  The swirl aerates the wine and brings out the nose of the wine, which leads to the next S.

q      Sniff – Don’t be shy…to get the full nose of the wine you can stick your whole nose in the glass.  This is the most important part of wine tasting as our olfactory senses can distinguish thousands of different notes. The bouquet should tell you if the wine has fruity or floral notes, if it has been on oak (spice, vanilla, etc).  We’ll cover how to develop your nose next column.

q      Sip – When sipping the wine, make sure to take some air in with you sip.  This allows all of your mouth to experience the wine and not just at the front.

q      Savour – Savour the wine on your back taste buds to see what your palate thinks of the wine.

q      Swallow/Spit – If tasting many wines, it is best to spit the wine (into a spittoon, preferably) so that your taste buds don’t get tired and you can enjoy tasting other different wines.

What are sulphites?

Without bogging you down with science, sulphites are a naturally occurring preservative within the grapes.  All wines contain some amount of sulphites, even if they are organically grown. 

Current laws require that each label let the consumer know that the there are sulphites in the wine.  This is ambiguous because the real issue is how much sulphite content is in the wine.  Wineries add sulphites to the grape juice during production depending on a number of factors.  For example, many large commercial wineries put in up to 180 parts per million, while small farm gate wineries may put in only 30 parts per million.  Organically made wine may have 13 parts per million.

There is controversy on what it is that people may have sensitivities to that cause allergic reactions: sulphites or the histamines that are present in red wines. 

How long does the bottle last once opened?

Again, this can be related to sulphites described above: the more sulphites in the wine, the longer it can be left open.  For my own well-being, I don’t like heavily sulphited wines.  The basic rule I follow is: consume the wine within 3 days of opening.  In a restaurant, ask your server how long the bottle has been open before you order a glass.

This month I tried:

Wine: Ping

Year: 2002

Producer: See Ya Later, Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards: http://www.hmvineyard.com/

(this is a wine made under ownership of Vincor)

Region: Okanagan Falls, B.C. (near Oliver)

Local folklore behind the name is that the original owner of the land, Major Hugh Fraser, left his wife and all his belongings with a note that simply stated: “See Ya Later”.  Ping was the name of his beloved dog.

Tasting experience: This Bordeaux blend does its best to dispel the myth that BC can’t produce a full-bodied red.  A heady mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it’s bold yet soft.  Rich berry notes and warm roasted notes on the mid-point make this a wine to either enjoy on its own or pair with roasted meat or rich aged cheese.

Price: $24-$27 CDN.

Coming next month: More Wine FAQ’s and a Blushing pink review…stay tuned.

If you have any comments please direct them to the contact section.

Wines reviewed in this column are sourced from Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Fine Wines, 1075 Hornby Street (Phone: 604-893-7254).  Rob, the manager, is a great guide to helping you locate the hard to finds or suggesting something adventurous.

Jennifer Katona has 12 years in hospitality management and for the past 2 years has been a sales representative for a boutique winery in the Fraser Valley.  She also conducts wine training seminars for service staff and holds the occasional food and wine pairing seminar.  Her passion for wine has taken her all over Europe, including Italy where she lived for a year discovering the country via her palate.  Jennifer currently resides in Vancouver with her cocker spaniel, Dudley Dragon.