The Scoop on Tannins
You’ve probably heard the word “tannins” many a time, and if you asked what they are, you probably got a vague explanation like “it’s the thing in wine that makes your mouth feel dry and your lips pucker.” While this is a good description of the sensation tannins cause in your mouth, it doesn’t really…
How Sweet Wine Is Made
Sweet wines are sweet because they contain residual sugar. Residual sugar is natural grape sugar that either remains unfermented at the end of the fermentation process or is introduced to the wine after fermentation via a sweetening agent. Dry wines typically have only 0.1–0.2% residual sugar. By comparison semisweet wines usually have 1–3% residual sugar,…
Climate’s Impact on Wine
Climate has a major impact on the quality of a wine because is the most important factor influencing the yield and quality of grapes. The best wine growing regions in the world tend to lie between the 30° and 50° latitude on both sides of the equator. Wine producing areas are divided into two climactic types,…
Phylloxera: Tiny Pest, Huge Impact
In the late 19th century, an insect commonly referred to as phylloxera, spread throughout Europe destroying every vineyard in its path, and then made its way to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, continuing its rampage. At the time it was thought to be the biggest disaster in the history of wine,…
How Soil Influences Wine
Soil influences wine by impacting the development of the grapes from which wine is made. Thinking of starting a vineyard in your backyard? If so, the good news is that wine grapes can grow in a diverse variety of soils, including volcanic, calcareous (a combination of calcium carbonate, limestone and seashell fossils), clay, and loam…
Fortified Wine
Fortified wine is made by adding a neutral distilled spirit or Brandy (a spirit produced by distilling wine) to wine. Preservation was the original reason that wines were fortified. When people began exporting wine, they found it went bad before it reached its destination, so, in an effort to preserve the wine, distilled spirits were…
The Alcohol Content of Wine
Wine Expert Stephanie Caraway discusses the factors that influence the alcohol content of wine.
Rosé, Perfect for Summer
For a lot of folks, summertime is synonymous with a chilled glass of Rosé. Yes, it’s pink. No, it’s not “girly” — any more than watermelons or grapefruits are “girly”… Rosé can, theoretically be made from any red grape and is produced in three different ways depending on the winemaker and, often, the location. …
What is Biodynamic Wine?
We’ve all seen it – a wine list marked with asterisks indicating a wine is “biodynamic.” Is this just a fancy way of saying “organic?” Not exactly, but it does mean that the wine was probably made with organic methods and, usually, then some… Many winemakers both in the US and abroad have been frustrated…
The Cork and the Screw Top
The cork and the screw top — is one better than the other? Here’s a quick overview of both. The Cork A cork is traditional and romantic — who doesn’t have memories of bungling an attempt to pop a cork at a most inopportune moment — or smile at the satisfaction of getting that “pop”…