WINE WHINE # 13
NOVEMBER, 2009
Welcome Chris Byrne and Jim Bickerton, both of Antigonish, to the Whine. Hope you enjoy at least some of the blurbs; and by the way, I love to hear from readers.
The third Thursday in November: If you go to your local wine shop in the near future you will probably see a large display with a sign boasting that “the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau” has arrived. This is because Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday in November. It is then rushed ‘round the world and wine merchants proudly lay claim to being the first to have bottles on their shelves. In Paris, restaurants compete to be the first to serve Beaujolais Nouveau to their diners.
The phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau is only about 40 years old and it is one of the world’s great marketing scams (thanks to Georges Dubeouf who got the ball rolling), because Beaujolais Nouveau is a truly dreadful wine. Tom Stevenson, the editor of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia suggests that it smells like fingernail polish and tastes like bubblegum. Sometimes referred to as “lollipop” wine this slightly sour-tasting, watery liquid is produced and actually sold in humungous quantities.
NOVEMBER, 2009
Welcome Chris Byrne and Jim Bickerton, both of Antigonish, to the Whine. Hope you enjoy at least some of the blurbs; and by the way, I love to hear from readers.
The third Thursday in November: If you go to your local wine shop in the near future you will probably see a large display with a sign boasting that “the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau” has arrived. This is because Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday in November. It is then rushed ‘round the world and wine merchants proudly lay claim to being the first to have bottles on their shelves. In Paris, restaurants compete to be the first to serve Beaujolais Nouveau to their diners.
The phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau is only about 40 years old and it is one of the world’s great marketing scams (thanks to Georges Dubeouf who got the ball rolling), because Beaujolais Nouveau is a truly dreadful wine. Tom Stevenson, the editor of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia suggests that it smells like fingernail polish and tastes like bubblegum. Sometimes referred to as “lollipop” wine this slightly sour-tasting, watery liquid is produced and actually sold in humungous quantities.
If you don’t believe me resurrect one of your Halloween masks and go pick up a bottle. After you are certain that you weren’t recognized at the wine shop pop the cork and try the stuff for yourself. Better still, offer a glass to an unsuspecting guest, noting that you were first in line at the LCBO or the NSLC or wherever. Watch your guest desperately try to find something nice to say.
Now that I have warned you about Beaujolais Nouveau, let me say a word or two about other Beaujolais (see also the Whine for November, 2008). Beaujolais is a small region at the very south of Burgundy. The wine is made almost entirely from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais is a light, fruity wine that has a freshness to it. It should be drunk chilled (colder than you would drink other red wines) and is a great “starter” wine (that is the first wine of the evening). Not counting Beaujolais Nouveau (and it shouldn’t count for anything) there are 3 levels of Beaujolais. The first level is simply labelled Beaujolais, the second level is Beaujolais Villages (a blend from the 38 villages of the region). The very best Beaujolais comes from one of the individual villages (such as Brouilly, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent or St. Amour). One of the nice things about Beaujolais is that it doesn’t need time in the cellar. This makes it a good choice to order in a restaurant that has only a modest quantity of wine on hand at any point in time, and which doesn’t attempt to age its wines (i.e. most Canadian restaurants).
“This wine contains sulfites”: Since all wines contain sulfites, this statement which appears on some bottles of North American wine is a tad silly. Sulfites occur naturally as a by-product of the yeast metabolism during fermentation. Sulfites (sulfur dioxide) are formed when sulfur reacts to oxygen. Thus the formation of sulfites reduces the amount of oxygen that is present in wine, and reduces the oxidation (rotting) of the wine itself. Some commercial wineries add sulfur when the wine is bottled and this allows the wine to age without going bad. I should also repeat that all wines naturally contain some sulfites, even those wines labelled organic.
You all have
met someone who makes the following claim: “I can’t drink red wine because it gives me a headache; I’m allergic to sulfites you know.” It may be true that some people are allergic to sulfites. In fact humans can be allergic to almost anything (peanuts, shellfish, even their spouses on occasion). However, since white wine contains more sulfite than red wine, the above statement suggests either that the speaker has a psychosomatic allergy or is allergic to something other than sulfites.
Now that I have warned you about Beaujolais Nouveau, let me say a word or two about other Beaujolais (see also the Whine for November, 2008). Beaujolais is a small region at the very south of Burgundy. The wine is made almost entirely from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais is a light, fruity wine that has a freshness to it. It should be drunk chilled (colder than you would drink other red wines) and is a great “starter” wine (that is the first wine of the evening). Not counting Beaujolais Nouveau (and it shouldn’t count for anything) there are 3 levels of Beaujolais. The first level is simply labelled Beaujolais, the second level is Beaujolais Villages (a blend from the 38 villages of the region). The very best Beaujolais comes from one of the individual villages (such as Brouilly, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent or St. Amour). One of the nice things about Beaujolais is that it doesn’t need time in the cellar. This makes it a good choice to order in a restaurant that has only a modest quantity of wine on hand at any point in time, and which doesn’t attempt to age its wines (i.e. most Canadian restaurants).
“This wine contains sulfites”: Since all wines contain sulfites, this statement which appears on some bottles of North American wine is a tad silly. Sulfites occur naturally as a by-product of the yeast metabolism during fermentation. Sulfites (sulfur dioxide) are formed when sulfur reacts to oxygen. Thus the formation of sulfites reduces the amount of oxygen that is present in wine, and reduces the oxidation (rotting) of the wine itself. Some commercial wineries add sulfur when the wine is bottled and this allows the wine to age without going bad. I should also repeat that all wines naturally contain some sulfites, even those wines labelled organic.
You all have
met someone who makes the following claim: “I can’t drink red wine because it gives me a headache; I’m allergic to sulfites you know.” It may be true that some people are allergic to sulfites. In fact humans can be allergic to almost anything (peanuts, shellfish, even their spouses on occasion). However, since white wine contains more sulfite than red wine, the above statement suggests either that the speaker has a psychosomatic allergy or is allergic to something other than sulfites. There is an easy test for sulfite allergies. Since 2 oz. of dried apricots contains 10 times the sulfites that is in a glass of red wine simply eat a few dried apricots. If there is no headache then there is no allergy.
While it is quite unlikely that sulfites in wine cause headaches there are other possible causes of the so-called “red wine headache”. All wines contain various impurities, any of which could be allergenic for some people. However, cheap wines contain more impurities so it is quite possible that a bottle of Valpolicella can give you a headache and a bottle of well-aged Margaux does not.
Arguably the 3 greatest pleasures in life are sex, golf and good wine (not necessarily in that order). My advice is to serve and drink only good wine. It won’t lower your golf score but it may keep you from having a headache and it will perhaps improve your sex life.
“Couldn’t finish the bottle eh?” Unfortunately most wine bottles contain 750ml. An exception is in this month’s Opimian Offering which has a number of 500 ml. bottles. Frequently, one would like a glass or two, but doesn’t want to drink 750 ml. For some of us 750 ml. is not quite enough and we would like one more small glass (this seems to be happening to me more often than not).
What do you do with the leftover wine? Air is the enemy of wine so once the bottle is opened the air rushes in to replace the poured wine and quickly oxidizes what’s left in the bottle. The solution, in theory at least, is to remove the air and reseal the bottle. Gerard recently sent me information on a new product that does just that. It’s called the Wine Keeper system and you can see it described on http://www.wikeeps.com/. After a thorough search of the web I concluded, unfortunately, that this product is not available in Canada.
So, what do you do? Since cool temperatures retards oxidation you should re-cork the bottle (saran wrap works just as well and is easier that trying to shove a swelled cork into the top of a bottle) and put the wine in your refrigerator. Unless the wine is a wonderful old vintage, in which case you’ll want to drink it right away, the wine should still be good for 24 – 48 hours.
“You say Syrah, I say Shiraz”: Contrary to myth this wine did not develop in Persia, it is a purely French hybrid, the name of which, however, comes from the capital of Fars province in southwest Persia. Over time the French came to call it Syrah, but the Australians, went back to the original name Shiraz.
Australian shiraz is extremely popular in Canada and is a thick, heavy wine that can be best described as spicy. On the other hand, the same grape when grown in the much cooler climate of the northern Rhone valley has a very different taste. Although tannic when young the French version is less thick, less heavy, less spicy but very fruity and like most French wines quite subtle. After a long day yesterday of bathroom renovations Betty and I celebrated the end of the day with a bottle of Gilles Flatcher’s 2004 Saint Joseph (pure syrah). It was fabulous.
Opimian Special Offering 46: This is your chance to stock up on 500 ml bottles for those occasions when you want less than a regular-sized bottle. I would recommend #5289 a Chilean Cab/Merlot or #5291 an Australian Shiraz/Cabernet.
If you are willing to lay a wine down for a bit I recommend #5307 a Passetoutgrain from Bourgogne. Although the last time I had a bottle of this was on March 4, 2000, my notes tell me that I found it “extra smooth”.
Although expensive, you might want to add a case of #5309 Cote de Beaune-Villages to your shopping cart. Compare it to a Beaujolais Nouveau (trashed above) and see how the same grape can be both the best and the worst in wine.
Finally, if you or your guests like a glass of good brandy after that special meal, here is your chance to buy at a good price a case of Armagnac. If you like Cognac you will love Armagnac, which is sometimes confused with Cognac. However, the price is better and some would argue it has a more interesting taste and is perhaps even better than the better known Cognac.
Postscript: In preparing Whine # 12 my “spell-check” failed to distinguish between terroir and terror. Thus, one reader has visions of horrible monsters running up and down the rows of Mendoza’s best vineyards.
