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Do Wine Streaks Reveal The Character Of Wine?

November 11th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

After swirling red wine in a glass, there are streaks of the wine clinging on and flowing  down the wall of the glass.  Do these streaks reveal the character of the wine?

Streaks, “legs” or “tears” appear to be a constant source of mystery and intrigue to wine drinkers.  It is perfectly true that I have forgotten more chemistry than I can recall,  but this phenomenon has much to do with the differences between the surface tension properties and the boiling points of the water and alcohol, the major liquid constituents of wine.

Without entering into a complex - and frankly rather boring - dialogs to explain the process, the arcs of liquid that accumulate on the inside of the glass, which then roll back into the wine in arcs or streaks, tend to reflect the alcoholics strength of the wine.

You do not het these tears or streaks in solutions of either pure water or alcohol - they are much a reflection of the point of difference between these constituent parts - so the more alcohol there is in the wine, the greater the effect.

Similiarly, late harvest dessert wines made from grapes affected with botrytis cinerea tend to contain a higher level of glycerol than normal  table wines, so they cal also develop significant streaking in the glass without exceptionally  high levels of alcohol.

From the drinker’s perspective, there is some value to be gained by examining these tears.  That is because it is not unusual these days to find table wines (mainly reds) with alcoholic strengths well over 15% by volume.

Very few table (non-fortified) wines can carry strengths of this nature, and still remain balanced, high quality wines - although it is undeniable that some can and do.  If you share my view, it is worth remembering that labeling regulations permit a fairly high degree of elasticity when recording the alcoholic strength of wines.

That is largely because it is difficult to get consistent results for the same wine, since the precise measurement of alcohol in wine is a relatively inexact science.

Different laboratories frequently arrive at different results for the same wine.  So it is entirely possible  that a wine whose label declares a strength of 14.5% could in fact be a whopping 16% by volume, well in excess of what I believe is a balanced level in table wines.

So, do examined the tears.  If it is a style of wine that does tend to be made into ultra-high alcoholic strengths, you may have reason to question its quality and balance having checked the extent of the streaks in the glass.

Don’t reject a wine on this visual basis alone, but let it be an indicator that the wine might smell excessively spirity, or taste rather too warm and/or sweet, which are the most obvious effects of an unbalanced measures of alcohol.

Remember, however, that wine is there to drink.  Don’t let a visual cure upset  your enjoyment of an otherwise wonderful wine.

How To Choose A Wine Bottles Decanters

September 22nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

There are 2 criteria when choosing wine bottles decanters. The first relates to the design, while the second relates to the sort of wine you want to use it for.

To begin with, here are some general tips. Regardless of how expensive or stylish the glass or crystal might be, get a wine decanter that is easy to clean.

The shape of some wine bottle decanters make them virtually impossible to clean. And with wine, cleanliness is not so much a virtue as a prerequisite. You can tell a decanter is clean by the way it smells of absolutely nothing.

As with stemware, wine decanters should also be made of clear glass or crystal so you can easily see through the wine to check its condition. Some wine decanters have rounded lips to our over and they usually drip. I cannot think of many things that are worse than a decanter that drips. So check to see that it has a cut lip that will prevent drips.

As you pour the wine, a well designed decanter will encourage the wine around its lip to spread out inside like a film. This film of wine should extend all the way inside the wine decanter, enabling the wine to be powerfully aerated in a very think layer before it arrives at the bottom of the vessel.

Now, on matching decanters to wine. There are only two kinds of decanters from this perspective: those that provide a large internal surface area, and those taller kinds - similar to wine bottles - that offer a small area.

If you are decanting with the specific intent of aerating wine - especially red wine that are young - you would need a decanter that provides a large internal surface area. This will enable the wine to continue its process of aeration and gas exchange after the decanting has finished.

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Wine Tours In Southern California

August 28th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Wine in the Southern California Desert

Southern California is not as noted a producer of quality wines as Napa Valley,  however, it makes millions of gallons of all kinds of wine a year and ships it everywhere.  Wine tours in Southern California focus on two areas where most of the wine is grown. The first of these two areas is the coastal region around Santa Barbara which includes the beautiful Pala Mesa Mountain area and the Cape Horn area.

The second of these areas is the Temecula wine country just south of Los Angeles and a little north of San Diego.  This little wind swept frontier town is truly remarkable and provides a focus to those wine tours in Southern California stopping there.

Try The Temecula Wine Country Tours

A tour to this region can be a wonderful experience.  Although Temecula has a comparatively young set of wineries, they are already well into the process of providing a selection of wine tours in Southern California that are world class.   Day trips from Los Angeles or San Diego are a popular format used in Southern California wine tours that are offered in this area.  However, luxury is also available.  French Chateaus with elegant dining are now also part of the expanding program.

There are twenty over wineries in the region to visit. Most of them provide a wine tasting room and a wine-tasting session available for less  than twenty dollars, often fewer than ten. Wines from this region are not too expensive and are good value for the quality provided.  Southern California wine tours in Temecula often result in considerable amounts of wine being purchased.

This particular region is also very popular with the avocado growers. This makes the Temecula variety of wine tours in Southern California quite likely to see a fresh sample of this unique fruit served alongside a fresh white wine in any restaurant, or tasting room.

Santa Barbara Wine Country

The Santa Barbara coastal region, particularly Santa Ynez, is yet another unique wine growing area with a culture all of its own.  Nestled between beaches and mountains, Southern California wine tours in this area may just as likely be a walking tour of downtown Santa Barbara, or a limo ride in the gorgeous green hills just outside of the city.  In fact, the Santa Barbara Winery is itself located in the heart of Santa Barbara, not far from the beach.

Organized Southern California wine tours in this area are a little less popular, as the access to the wineries is so straightforward and the lifestyle of most of the local inhabitants a little more casual.  However, those that do offer organized tours also offer an all inclusive pricing that can be well worth the deal.  These tours might last five or six hours, visit two or three wineries, but most importantly, the providers of wine tours in Southern California usually do the driving.

Wine country tour

August 19th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Look out for the post on wine country tour here!

Wine country tour

August 19th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Look out for the post on wine country tour here!

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