What's Your Preferred Corkscrew?

So the other night I was going to open a bottle of wine to enjoy while watching the Olympics and was searching the drawer where I keep the corkscrew and started to realize we have collected a few over the years.  Some are quite simple, some are decorative and others I rarely use because I don’t like how they work.  I decided to do a little research as to how many styles of corkscrews are actually out there.

            Well there are too many to count!  Actually, there is such a wide variety ranging from the very simple pocket travel corkscrews that have a plastic cover with a hole in the end you just take off, insert the corkscrew which forms a “T” and you’re ready to go.  Then there are the fancy electric kind that can cost a pretty penny too.  There seems to be four basic styles: Waiter style, Lever style, Twist style, and Pump style.

            The Waiter style seems to be the most popular. Even in this style you can find some simple basic versions to fancy decorative wood insert styles including some that have built in foil cutters.  Some of the foil cutters just look like a pocket knife you unfold while others have a pull out ring you squeeze to cut the foil.  One possible problem with this corkscrew is if you insert the “worm” (squiggly metal part) at an angle or not quite in the middle of the cork, you may end up breaking the cork.  A broken cork is not the end of the world and does not mean your wine is “corked”.
                                              


            The Lever style is more efficient (less broken corks) and requires less strength to pull out the cork.  Just squeeze the wings around the neck of the bottle together with the worm just above the cork.  Lift the handle up and out pops the cork!  Couldn’t be easier.

          

            The Twist Style is somewhere between the Waiter and the Lever.   This style has a frame that wraps around the neck of the wine bottle and the worm is placed on top of the cork.  As the handle is twisting the worm is actually pulling the cork up and out.

                                                                  

            Last but not least is the Pump style.  This corkscrew opens bottles with ease using pressurized, inert gas. Push the needle through the cork then push the CO2 cartridge and the cork will pop out!  A fun trick for impressing friends.            

            Of these basic styles of corkscrews, there is a vast array of different versions.  I didn’t even mention the antique versions that have their own stand or bar mount.  The high tech electric can be fun too.  Then there are the kits that come with the corkscrew, stopper, pourer and drip ring.  Depending on your budget, you can enjoy showing off your collection or stay with what works best for you.

             Cheers!
              Lisa

WORD OF THE WEEK

VERAISON:  A viticulture term meaning "the onset of ripening".  It is originally French, but has been adopted into English use.  The official definition of Veraison is "change of color of the grape berries".  Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur during veraison.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veraison)  

Does the wine make the glass or does the glass make the wine?

     In our cabinet sit a set of beautiful crystal glasses. There are white and red wine glasses and champagne flutes. They are trimmed in gold and are cut with beautiful designs that reflect light like a prism. And they are never used. While these glasses are unique and pretty to look at, they are not functional for anyone who truly wants to have a proper wine experience.

      Conventional wisdom suggests that one does not get the most out of individual wines unless the wine is drunk from a specific glass. The first problem with the crystal glasses we own is their size. While the red wine glasses are the largest, they are not large enough to swirl the wine. Further, they do not accommodate one's nose to fully take in the wonderful aromas wine offers. A red wine glass is round and full with an opening that allows one to dip their nose into the glass to get a sufficient whiff. A red wine needs a large glass with enough surface area so the wine comes in contact with more air.

       Basic-wine-knowledge.com suggests having a Bordeaux and a Burgundy glass. The Bordeaux glass is taller with a smaller bowl. The tallness of the glass allows heavier, full-bodies reds like Cabernet and Merlot, to proceed to the back of the mouth, allowing maximum flavor. A Bugundy glass, on the other hand, is not as tall but has a larger bowl. This design allows the wine to cross the tip of the tongue, letting the individual enjoy the more delicate favors.

     There is also a glass known as a Pinot Noir glass, and, a more specific version known as an Oregon Pinot Noir glass. This glass has a large bowl and a flared top.

     For white wines, the glasses are more upright and U-shaped, allowing aromas to be released while maintaining a cooler temperature. Two white wine glasses are suggested, one for younger, crisp whites which has a larger opening allowing the wine to hit the sides and tip of tongue, so the individual enjoys the sweetness of the wine. The other type of glass is for more mature, fuller wines. This glass is straighter and taller, directing the wine to the sides and back of the tongue, thereby allowing the enjoyment of the bolder favors.

      There are also sparkling and dessert wine glasses. The sparkling wine glass, like a champagne flute, is upright and narrow to retain carbonation and allow the flavors of the wine to emerge. The dessert wine glass, on the other hand, should be smaller, directing the wine to the back of the throat so as not to overwhelm the individual with sweetness. Since a dessert wine has a higher alcohol content, a smaller glass is the perfect portion.

     A few things to remember with your wine glass:

• hold your glass by the stem, so as not to increase the temperature of the wine through the heat in your hands.
• if you are a novice, swirl the glass while it sits on the table, rather than while holding it in the air. (This will allow you to drink your wine, rather than wear it.)
• when smelling your wine, stick your nose into the glass, don't be shy!
• when viewing the wine, tip the glass away from you with a white napkin as the background.
• most of all, enjoy!

"Wine is music, the glass is the speaker." Georg Riedel

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week:

Lees:  left over yeast cells from fermentation that settle to the bottom of the container. Wine that is left in contact with the lees (sur lie) can have added complexity, flavor, and viscosity.

The Emerald Green Bottle

     Imagine this:  you are sitting in a street café in Rome, 90 degrees, in the middle of the afternoon. All you want is something cool and refreshing. The waiter brings out an unusual shaped green bottle and you are wondering if something was lost in the translation. Luckily it is just what you were looking for, a light refreshing white wine that was perfect for a long lunch and people watching.

     The wine was Fazi Battaglia Titulus, a white wine made of the Verdicchio grape. It is a beautiful straw yellow color, and the nose is crisp with a bit of citrus, peach, and apple. The mouth is light and refreshing with a bitter almond finish, typical of the Verdicchio grape. It was a great match to the Margherita pizza I ordered for lunch. This refreshing gem comes in an emerald green amphora shaped bottle. It was a perfect wine for our last lunch in Italy!!

     Once back in the states I began looking for this gem to no avail. My favorite wine shops tried, but it isn’t distributed in this part of the Midwest, so I went searching on line. I am happy to inform you that I found it at www.empirewine.com. Best of all it costs just under $12 with shipping. Now I have it to enjoy all summer. I served it at a dinner party recently and everyone enjoyed it with cheese and tomato brushetta for appetizers. Best of all, every time I see that green bottle, it takes me back to my wonderful trip to Italy.

Ciao,

Beth

Grilling From the Garden

     What a great night the Stay At Home Winos had last night at O’Fallon Parks and Recreation’s first ever Grilling From The Garden event. The food was prepared by Chef Brian Taborski from the Regency Hilton Garden Inn in O’Fallon, Illinois with some of the fresh produce coming straight from O’Fallon Garden Club’s community garden. We were lucky enough to pair the wines for not one, but three entrees that came straight off the grill. The Chef had grills set up so everyone had a chance to put some of their newly learned grilling tips to the test. Let’s just say no one went away hungry.

     It was almost like watching a cooking show on television. The chef worked from a raised platform with a large screen behind him which displayed a video close-up of the techniques he was demonstrating. Everyone enjoyed the Watermelon Gazpacho while the chef and his team prepared the meal. When it came time to grill the meat, everyone had the opportunity to grab a steak and/or swordfish to grill with all the new techniques learned from Chef Brian. The chef and his assistant chef had prepared all the BBQ chicken prior to the event. The fun part for the Winos was the opportunity to pair wines with the three entrees. This is what we chose:

·         Grilled Swordfish with Roasted Polbano, Strawberry, and Peach Salsa – 2010 Loredona Riesling from California

·         Grilled Chicken with Kansas City BBQ Sauce – 2007 Consilience Syrah

·         Grilled Ribeye steak with Red Wine Shallot Butter – 2009 Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon

     The rest of the menu included Grilled Romaine Salad with Balsamic Caesar Dressing, Potato a la Lyonnais, Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Red Pepper, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled Biscuits, and for dessert-Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Yogurt or Ice Cream.

     Despite the warm temperatures, it was a wonderful evening and we look forward to participating in future dinner events with the Parks and Recreation. If you are looking for a place to eat, you can find Chef Brian at the restaurant in the Hilton Garden Inn in O’Fallon, IL.  He specializes in using fresh ingredients.  Last, but not least, a thank you to Andrew Dallner from O’Fallon Parks and Recreation for making the evening possible.

Cheers,

Lisa, Mary Jo, and Beth

P.S.  Wine serving temperatures

·         White:  45-55° Rieslings should be on the colder end of the range with Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio at the higher end

·         Chianti, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel: 60°

·         Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz: 63-65°

    

Wine Class-Italian Whites (July 9, 2012)

 

Fazi Battaglia Titulus Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

 Color:  Light, golden straw

 Nose:  Crisp citrus

 Mouth:   Hints of lemon, light and refreshing with almond on the finish. Loved this with the  Margherita pizza and the Fleur de Sel Olive Oil Truffles from Bissinger’s.

        Price:             $12

Cusumano Insolia

Color:  Golden with hint of green

 Nose:  Herbs with hint of floral, apple and a slight toastiness as it opens up.    

 Mouth:  Light and crisp, finish was a bit lacking. Enjoyed it more paired with food.

        Price:             $14

Bolla Soave Classica

Color:  Golden with hint of green

 Nose:  Light, crisp with peach and citrus notes

 Mouth:  Very light, with lemon notes and peach on the finish. We definitely enjoyed this with the chocolate.

                        

Pairings

 Cheeses:

   Manchego

   Rembrandt Gouda

   Trugole

   Australian Cheddar

Margherita Pizza; Tomato Bruschetta; Fleur de Sel Kreta Olive Oil Truffles from Bissinger's Chocolates

Sulfites- What are they really for?

As I was researching for a topic to write about, the term sulfites came to mind.  I’ve heard people talk about not wanting to drink wine because “the sulfites in red wine cause headaches”.  Well, that got me to thinking…could it be sulfites or did you just drink too much or did you not drink enough water and become dehydrated?  Many things can cause headaches.

I’ll concentrate on the sulfites topic.  First, what are sulfites? They are a natural by-product of fermentation and nature uses them to prevent microbial growth. They are found on not only grapes but other growing plants such as onions and garlic.  According to Wine Intro, an easy way to find out if you are allergic to sulfites (i.e. what may be causing those headaches) is to eat a food high in natural sulfites such as dried apricots.  Since, on average, 20 oz. of dried apricots have 10 times the sulfites as a glass of wine does.  If you eat those apricots and have a reaction, then you may want to check with your doctor.

Sulfites are also used as a preservative in wines because of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties.  So if you find a “sulfite free” wine, you may want to drink it soon.  In the United States, labels must state “contains sulfites”.  Just like someone who is allergic to peanuts, humans can be allergic to just about anything and need to be aware of their limitations.  There are natural sulfites that come on the grapes themselves, but wineries will sometimes add sulfites.  According to Wine Intro, this practice has been occurring for millennia.  The Greeks and Romans used sulfur candles to sterilize their wine barrels. Sulfur protects damage to the wine by oxygen, and again helps prevent organisms from growing in the wine.  This allows the wine to “last longer”, therefore lets it age and develop all of those complex flavors we all love and enjoy so much. If you didn’t add sulfites, the wine would turn into vinegar in a matter of months.

One of the myths of sulfites is that red wine contains more the white.  Actually, that is quite the opposite.   According to theKitchen.com red wines contain tannin, which is a stabilizing agent.  Additionally, almost all red wines go through malolactic fermentation.  Therefore, less sulfur dioxide is needed to protect the wine during winemaking and maturation. 

Now, if you have eaten those high sulfite dried fruits and don’t get headaches, then sulfites may not be your problem causing those menaces.  Could it be you enjoyed one too many glasses?  Or better yet, stay hydrated by drinking a glass of water for every glass of wine (ladies maybe two glasses of water)!

Cheers!

Lisa

Word of the Week

Flabby:  A wine that is too fat or obese is a flabby wine.  Flabby wines lack structure and are heavy to taste.

"The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All The Lawyers" - William Shakespeare

I take issue with this often misinterpreted quote from William Shakespeare.  However, I am sure there are those in the wine world, as well as many other industries, that look sideways at the laws imposed on them.  Believe it or not, laws are in place for a reason.

"Taste cannot be controlled by law."
-Thomas Jefferson

While this is true, the law has its hand in wine just as it does everything else.  As an attorney, it would only be fitting that I write about the wine laws of different countries.  This will just be a brief overview to demonstrate the differences between United States laws and two countries, Italy and France.  Obviously, all countries have their own laws, but so as to not make this blog entry become too cumbersome, I will only examine three.

In the United States, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) govern wine laws in the United States.  They have written a Beverage Alcohol Manual Booklet which establishes clear definitions of wine laws.  These are set forth at www.ttb.gov/regulations.  In the United States, wine laws are more flexible than the European standards with regard to what viticultural and winemaking practice are allowed in each wine region.

In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms defines and approves applications for areas to become American Viticultural Areas.  Augusta AVA in Missouri was the first AVA to be named on June 20, 1980.  There are also standards in the U.S. related to the grape variety and how much is harvested in that vintage year (75% and 95% respectively).  Some states, such as Oregon, have raised the percentages.  The bulk of U.S. laws surround wine labeling practices and include these stipulations that if an AVA name appears on the label, at least 85% of the grapes used to produce that wine must come from that AVA.  In addition to AVA's, every American state and county can produce wine and label it under their state/county wide appellation, provided 75% of the grapes come from that area.

(Information obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_law)

United States' laws state what must be contained on a wine label.  This is another area where the U.S. differs from other countries.  In the U.S., wine labels must contain:

     1.  Brand-Any name is fine as long as it does not mislead the consumer;

     2.  Vintage date-the year in which the grapes were harvested;

     3.  Appellation of Origin-the place in which the dominant grape used were grown.  The appellation

          on the label means that 75% of the grapes were grown from the region named;

     4.  Viticultural Area-grape grown region with soil, climate, history and geographic features which

          set it apart from other areas;

     5.  Net contents-stated in the metric system and is the amount of product in the bottle;

     6.  Varietal designation-names of dominant grape(s) used in the wine.  75% of the grapes must be

          of that varietal and 75% must have come from the appellation of origin stated.

     7.  Estate bottled-100% of the wine came from grapes grown on land owned or controlled by the

          winery which must be located in a viticultural area.

     8.  Name and address-the name and address of the bottler or importer must be on the bottle.

     9.  Country of origin-a country of origin statement is required on all imported wines.

     10. Alcohol content-a statement of alcohol content in percent by volume appears on most labels.

          (Wine with 7-14% alcohol content can be labeled as "light wine" or "table wine".

     11. Declaration of sulfites-required on any bottle that contains more than 10 parts per million of

           sulfur dioxide.

     12. Health Warning Statement-must appear on anything containing .5% or more alcohol.

     13. General requirements-this includes the size of the lettering.

     14. Other designations- Bottles are not required to included a varietal designation.

(information obtained from https://ussommeliercom.terrasite.com/)

ITALIAN WINE


Italian wines are classified under four designations:

     1.  Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG):  This is the highest classification
          for quality Italian wine.  Some regions only have DOCG status for certain wines.

     2.  Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC):  DOC is the quality classification equivalent to
          the Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) in France.

     3.  Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT):  This category is the same level as vin de pays in France.
          Many of the finest wines in Italy may be named IGT to avoid strict DOC or DOCG regulations.

     4.  Vino da Tavola (VdT):  Table wine accounts for the vast majority of Italian wine production.
          It is usually of low quality, but exceptions still exist.

FRENCH WINE

French wines are also classified in four categories:

     1.  Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC or AC):  This acts as a guarantee that a wine has been
          produced in a designated area in accordance with local laws and regulations.  Rules cover factors
          such as the boundaries of the appellation, permitted grape varieties, the style of wine, vine
          training, and yield harvest dates, among others.  Some AOC regions in France further rank and
          categorize estates or vineyards (i.e. Bordeaux)

     2.  Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (VDQS):  This is a relatively unimportant category which
          is in the process of being phased out.  It is a stepping stone for regions to attain AOC status.

     3.  Vin de pays (VdP):  Country wine originates from a broad, designated area.  Regulations are
          not as strict as those for AOC and VDQS, and certain producers adopt the category in order to
          make wine from grape varieties prohibited under AOC and VDQS.

     4.  Vin de table (VdT):  Humble table wine can originate from any region in France.  This is the
          most basic, least regulated category and neither the vintage, the region, nor the names of
          individual grape varieties are permitted on the label.

(Information obtained from Wines of the World, Susan Keevil.)

These are just a few examples of wine laws that differ from the United States.

United States' laws state what must be contained on a wine label.  This is another area where the U.S. differs from other countries.  In the U.S., wine labels must contain:

Wine Fact:  Thomas Jefferson helped stock the wine cellars of the first five U.S. presidents and was very partial to fine Bordeaux and Madeira.

Wine Fact:  Chilling tones down the sweetness of wine.  If a red wine becomes too warm, it may lose some of its fruity flavor.

(Information obtained from http://www.800wine.com/winefacts.cfm)

There are many on line resources that list the legal classifications of wine in each country.  It is very interesting to note that not everything you see on a U.S. bottle of wine can be found on a European bottle.

Take a good look at the bottle the next time you sit down for a glass of wine!

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine word
Must - the juice and liquidy pulp which is a result of pressing or crushing grapes before the fermentation process.