Wine Labels

What attracts people to a wine? Is it the brand? Is it the type? Word of mouth? Or is it the label?

I would bet dollars to pesos for most it is the label.
Of the almost 3000 codes at my store, I would say more than 3/4 are wines. Many of them with interesting labels and equally interesting names. Every so often companies change their labels to refresh themselves in the eyes of the purchaser. Some have bright, attractive labels to draw your eye to them and pique your curiosity. Some have elegantly designed labels to convey a message of a "refined", more "mature" beverage. Some have cute pictures to conjure up ideas of a fun, tasty glass of wine.

I suppose you could buy a wine by its label for just about whatever mood you may be in. If you are feeling snobby you could get a more stodgy looking bottle for the night. If you are in the mood for a fun night, a bottle that makes you think "fun" when you look at it will be on the agenda. I suppose if you were entertaining, who your guests are and the reason they are coming by would dictate what "style" of wine and label you would choose. I'm sure for a dinner with the boss you aren't going to buy a bottle with picture of a pair of flip flops on it. If the girls are coming over for an afternoon chick flick, that bottle would serve just fine.

There are a few that I am interested in trying just because the label caught my eye, or the name of the wine "sounded" fun. Of course there are the word of mouth ones as well. Lots of different categories and thousands of different wines to try. Maybe I will do that. Create categories like "fun" or "reserved" and try different wines that give those impressions from their labels.

Cheese!

Such a little thing; cheese. But, I will say this, the right cheese can make a wine taste awesome. They can weirdly complement each other. During my wine classes, I tried so many different cheeses with the different wines, I'm just upset that I didn't write down which cheeses they were (tried to rely on my memory. Shouldn't have done that). And, quite honestly, I can't really find any truly gourmet cheese shops around here. I may have to broaden my search. I did learn I like Bleu Cheese with certain red wines. I have a "cheese table" I found clicking around on the internet. Not quite sure where it came from, but it is interesting. I may try some of the combinations it suggests. Assuming, of course, that I can actually find these cheeses at my local store.

White Zinfandel anyone?

White Zinfandel. One of the most popular wines we have. It is the go to for everyone, almost like a regular punch or something. People that don't like wine will drink it just to say they drink wine. Want something not too sweet, not too dry, something right in between? Head for the White Zin. Don't know what someone likes and you want to take a wine for a gift? Try a White Zin.

White Zin is sort of the geeky child in the wine household. Often snubbed by wine aficionados, but it can have its redeeming qualities. On a hot day it can be refreshing if chilled well. There are quite a few different companies out there, so trial and error can bring you to the one you may like. I personally am not too much of a fan, but then I haven't tried all the different ones that are available. We even have a White Zin Chardonnay blend and a new White Zin Moscato blend which I actually do want to try.

White Zinfandel just sometimes seems so run of the mill, it runs out our doors faster than we can put it on the shelves at times. There are so many other choices available, some with much more character. Maybe I will give it another go, one of them might change my mind about it.

Beaujolais Nouveau!

It's here it's here! The new Beaujolais Nouveau! Woohoo!

At least that's how people act.

Beaujolais Nouveau is basically the first release of the grape for any particular year. It's young and has just barely fermented to wine from grape juice.

Well, just for giggles, I bought a bottle. We aren't allowed to put it on the shelves until the third Thursday of November, so I put up the display yesterday. Such a big deal is made about this wine, I had to get one to see what the hubbub was all about. Well, I gotta say, I was completely...

UNimpressed. It had a nice smell, very enticing. Unfortunately for me, the first sip of this drink fell flat for me. It was, well, flat. No structure that I could find and did nothing for me. Too young, too green. I had it slightly chilled, I think it could have been chilled a little more. There are very little tannins and it is very light, which I did like, but really, I don't see what all the hype was about.

I'm thinking maybe if I pair it with some chocolate or a nice piece of cheese it might make it easier to drink for me. Ah well, I tried it. I'll continue to drink it and experiment until the bottle is gone, maybe I can find what it is that everyone rants and raves about.

Pretty bottle though.

Gluten Free Wine? Really?

Yes really.

Wine is considered a gluten free product. I had gotten this question a few times before and was never quite sure what to say. I did some poking around on the handy dandy internet and found out that wine is considered gluten free and a safe choice for those with gluten sensitivities.

Some winemakers may use a wheat paste to seal the barrels wines are aged in. This paste is washed away before the wine gets into the barrel; they use hot water to wash out the barrels and help the wood expand for a better seal.
Some may use a gluten substance to fine the wine. It adheres to particles to take them out of the finished product. This gluten is being removed with the particles, plus the gluten levels are below 20ppm, which is the threshold to be considered gluten free.

If someone is super sensitive to gluten products and are concerned about it, I would recommend going for unoaked wines as they are aged in stainless steel vats with no oak influences. There are reds and whites available. Even call the winery to inquire whether they use any kind of gluten products in their fining process.

And don't worry about the corks, they do not contain gluten.

It was recommended to contact manufacturers of wines with added coloring or flavors just to be on the safe side.

German Riesling

So I wanted to try a German riesling. I had one in class a while back and actually liked it. It was slightly sweet, apparently German rieslings tend toward the sweeter side. Anyways, I picked up Carl Reh riesling, a Spatlese (which just means a late harvest). Very nice. Not terribly sweet but refreshing. Nice light straw color to it and a pleasant aroma. I can actually say I taste a minerality to it. Still a newbie at the whole "what do I taste" thing, but I do know that I like this one. I will have to try a couple different ones as from what I understand, different areas will give a different taste. This one was from Mosel. Very tasty.

The Cork, or the Screw Cap; which is better?

Does it really make that much of a difference? A cork or a screw cap?
Well, screw caps have a bad reputation and are often associated with cheap wine. But honestly, that is not necessarily the case anymore. Wine snobs turn their nose up when you mention the word. So what.

I mean really; screw caps are easier to open and close, plus, they can't crumble if they get dry, nor can they infect the wine if they get contaminated. It's important to remember, though, to lay a wine in it's side here and there to keep the cork moist so it swells and creates a better seal with less chance of drying out and therefore crumbling into the wine when you try to take it out.

Although they do say that corks are good for the wine because they allow a bit of air in which helps the wine "evolve". I don't know. Sure it's fun to pull a cork out of a bottle, and yes it's basically a renewable resource, but I don't think screw caps are all that bad.

I say to each his own; if you believe a screw cap makes for an inferior wine choice, then so be it, but you may miss out on some excellent choices just because you are eschewing screw caps.
I like the idea of a screw cap just to reseal wine a little better. Either way, I am choosing a wine for the wine, not the way it closes.

And corks make for a cool collection.

Organic Wines?

Another question I get a lot at work is about organic wines. I won't name any of the ones we carry, I'm not endorsing any, but we do have a few. Now, organic is a funny thing. It basically means no chemicals or preservatives are used during the growing period, nor can it have any added sulfites, only naturally occurring ones. This means they should be consumed within a few years, they are not made to hang around.

If preservatives are used in any way, they cannot label themselves as organic, they can only say "made from organic grapes". It's all how you word it, isn't it? These can have added sulfites. More on sulfites at a later time.
I am going to eventually try one, just to see if there is some sort of difference in taste. Doubt it though.