The Spitting Image - Why and How to Properly Expectorate Wine

Enjoying wine as much as I do, the concept of sipping wine, only to spit it out, always stupefies me! Why on earth would one waste such a wonderful beverage unless it was either corked or really, really bad??  Further, doesn't part of the true tasting of wine require that the wine hit the back of the tongue?  So, I decided to research the reasons why anyone would treat wine so disrespectfully and what, if any, requirements there are to expectorating wine.

First, "spitting" is actually referred to as expectoration and the receptacle is generally referred to as a spittoon.  Interestingly, expectoration is expected and, often, encouraged at wine related events and most will offer spittoons for attendees.  I found several reasons offered for an act that, at first blush, seems like a waste.

First, imagine if your job every day was to taste wine.  First, WOULDN'T THAT BE GREAT!??  But second, how would you travel from place to place?  How would you be able to interact with your family?  How bad would the effects be on your body?  There are those individuals whose life's work revolves around wine or they frequently attend formal tasting events that "require" them to taste dozens of wines.  Without the option to taste the wine, but not actually ingest it, it would be impossible to properly taste multiple wines or stand up at any given point in the day/evening.  Even given the expectoration of the wines during the tastings and depending on alcohol content, alcohol is still absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth and one can still become intoxicated on some level.

Second, what if you are offering wines for tasting and (as I referred to above) the wine is either corked or has some other significant issue that requires you to get rid of it before it goes down your throat?  Having a spittoon available allows one to avoid that wide-eyed, desperate look that can be found on someone's face that wants to expectorate, but has nowhere to do so.  Even if a spittoon is not used, it is always advisable to have one available.  Just in case....

So, should you opt to expectorate (only refer to it as spitting if you are really close to the people you are with), there are a few important steps to take to properly taste the wine.  First, make sure the wine hits every surface of the inside of your mouth.  As we know, different parts of your tongue pick up different tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, etc.)  Also, to pick up tannins, the wine needs to make it all over your mouth. Also, it is recommended that one "chew" the wine to the proper parts of the anatomy that brings together our mouth and noses.  While "chewing" the wine, it is recommended to suck air into your mouth to enhance the taste.  While all this may feel odd, it is necessary if one is to get the proper taste from the wine.  Sucking air in can be tricky, however, and takes practice.

While I personally have never taken advantage of a spittoon, I would not hesitate to offer one, or utilize one if the proper situation presented itself.  However, it is my understanding that it is a learned art and that more than one individual has been left with wine running down their chin or have missed the spittoon altogether.  It takes practice to acquire good aim.  Like any part of wine tasting, don't be self conscious about it.  No one gets it right the first time.

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week

 

Enology - the science and study of wine and wine making. This is not to be confused with viticulture, which is the study of grape growing. Enology may aslo be spelled as, oenology.

Carignane-An Unexpected Surprise!

I enjoy wandering through a wine shop looking at all the wines available, some familiar and some not so familiar. Lately I’ve been exploring Italian wines, learning about unfamiliar grapes and regions and trying to find new wines to taste.

 

What a pleasant surprise I had recently when I discovered a new wine, not from Italy, but from a familiar source much closer to home, Cline Cellars, at one of my favorite wine shops, Fezziwig’s Marketplace. The wine:  Cline Ancient Vine Carignane.

 

Carignane (Karen-yawn) is a widely planted grape in Southern France, especially Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence regions. It is grown mainly as a grape to blend with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvédre and as a table wine in France. The French began widespread planting of this grape after Algeria became an independent nation and France lost its inexpensive source for Carignane. In Spain the grape is known as Mazuelo (mah-zoo-eh-loh) and is grown in the Rioja region for blending with Tempranillo in the production of Reserva and Grans Reserva Riojas. In Italy Carignane is known as Carignano and grows best in the Southwest corner of Sardinia. Carignane is also grown in Algeria and California.

The Carignane grape is bluish-black in color with large round, thick skins. It is not usually known for its aroma. This variety is known to mutate like the Pinot Noir grape. France recognizes 25 clones of the Carignane grape. It is naturally high in acidity and tannins which adds to its value as a blending grape. It is known for high yields and requires a long, warm growing season.

So you may be wondering what possessed me to write about a grape that is mainly used as a work horse blending grape. The answer to that question is ancient vines! Ancient Vine Carignane is believed to have stronger aromas with notes of black plum and vegetal aromas. And they naturally have lower yields which elevate the tasting experience. I found this to be the case when I had my first bottle of Carignane.




When I first opened the 2010 Cline Ancient Vine Carignane I found the nose to be an explosion of chocolate, dark fruits, and cloves. I so much enjoyed the nose on this wine that I couldn’t wait to try it! I was not disappointed. This wine has wonderful dark berry flavors with a nice touch of spice. Just think Zinfandel, but bigger and bolder. I found it to be nicely balanced, and would pair well with firm cheeses, pizza, grilled meats, and dark chocolate. Or even better yet at only $18 a bottle, share with some friends around a fire, on a cool, fall night.

Cheers!

Beth


                                                      WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

Length: When we call wines long or short, we're not referring to the size of the bottle or how quickly we empty it. Length is a word used to describe a wine that gives an impression of going all the way on the palate--you can taste it across the full length of your tongue--instead of stopping short halfway through your tasting of it.  Many wines today are very upfront on the palate--they make a big impression as soon as you taste them--but they don't go the distance in your mouth; they're short.  Generally, high alcohol or excess tannin is to blame.  Length is a sure sign of high quality!

Wine School September 11, 2012, Chilean Wines

Oveja Negra Carmenere 2009

Color: Bright purple

Nose: Earthy, wet leaves, some pepper

Mouth:  Bold tannins, big and chewy with a nice, long finish with a touch of bitterness. Red fruit comes out with food. 

Price: $ 19.99

Conclusion:  Excellent, unique red that gets better with food, especially the Satori Bella Raspberry cheese and mini quiche!

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Color: Purple

Nose: The producer suggested decanting this wine. The aroma before decanting had a hint of coffee notes with a bit of smoke. What a difference decanting this wine! The nose was beautiful after decanting, with big, red fruit.

Mouth: We first tasted this wine without decanting. It had a great finish, with red fruit and was well balanced. After decanting, a bit of spice came through as well as all the flavors really opening up. We were very happy we decanted.

Price: $17.99

Conclusion:  A well-balanced, delicious wine that was made even better by decanting.  

Montes Alpha Syrah 2008

Color: Purple

Nose: Red fruit with some spice and smoky notes.

Mouth: Full bodied, not a fruit forward Syrah. Some bitterness on the finish.  Very food friendly Syrah.

Price: $20.99 

Conclusion:  Excellent Syrah, especially with food.  Not fruit forward, but bold and delicious in its own right.

Pairings

Cheeses:

• Sartori Bella Raspberry
• Vintage Irish Cheddar

Quiche-Spinach and Cheese

BBQ ribs

Mozzarella with spicy salami and basil

Billy Goat Chips

Lindt Chili Chocolate

Final Thoughts:

Beth:  Wow, what food friendly wines. I enjoyed all of them, but if I have to pick a favorite it woul be the Montes Alpha Cabernet. The Satorie Bella cheese with the rapberry washed rind was an excellent pairing with all the wines! I would definitely buy these wines again in the future.

Lisa:   All three wines were winners from the start, however, when we added the different food pairings they really came to life! My favorite pairing, by far, was the Satori Bella Raspberry cheese. WOW! After decanting the Montes Alpha Cab, that one became my favorite of the evening.

Mary Jo:  These three wines were all very enjoyable, especially with the food pairings!  They were all three very different from each other and delicious in their own ways.  I agree with Beth, in that the Montes Alpha Cabernet was truly my favorite.  It was a very good wine prior to decanting and just became that much better after being decanted.

What's in the Shape?

So the other night when the three of us were doing a blind tasting, I originally thought "this might be easy, if I can figure out the shape of the bottle, I can figure out the wine".  Not quite so easy.  I decided to do a little research on bottle shapes.  First of all, there are no hard and fast rules and there are countless variations of even the most basic shapes, as seen below.

There does seem to be a few common shapes, mostly based on the region or style of wine. The three most common shapes are the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Hoch.

1--Bordeaux has straight sides with high/tall shoulders.  It is used commonly for the red Bordeaux style wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and most Meritage or Bordeaux blends. This shape is also used for white wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  This bottle has a pronounces punt.

2--Burgundy has gently sloping shoulders and has a fatter girth than other wine bottles.  The two most common wines using this shape are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which are the two key grape varieties used in the Burgundy region of France. In Italy it is used for the Barolo.  Also, many wines from the Loire Valley. The punt on the Burgundy is smaller than the Bordeaux. 

3--Rhone is similar to the Burgundy but slimmer.  Traditional Cotes du Rhone bottles have more angular sloping shoulders, while bottles like Chateauneuf du Pape may beara coat of arms on the neck. Some New World Shiraz use this shape too.

4--Champagne also has a gently sloping shoulder, however, it is a heavy, thick glass with a pronounced/deep punt to keep pressure inside the bottle.

5 & 6--Hoch is more slender and narrower in style and slope of the shoulder and taller compared to the previous shapes. Depending on the region of origin and glass color, the bottle carries different names: Mosel in a green bottle from Germany, Alsace in a green bottle from France, or Rhine is a brown bottle from Germany. 

7--Fortified Wines such as Port, Madeira, and Sherry, are in sturdy bottles that sometimes have a bulge in the neck. Many of these wines are sealed with a cork stopper rather than a long cork.

8--Unique Bottles As mentioned earlier, there are no hard and fast rules to bottle shapes.  Sometimes it's fun just to display something different.

So now with a little more knowledge of what wines may be in stored in certain bottle shapes, I might have a head start in determining what I'm drinking in a blind tasting!

Cheers!

Lisa

WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

PUNT:  A punt, also known as a kick-up, refers to the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle. There is no consensual explanation for its purpose. The more commonly cited explanations include:

• It is a historical remnant from the era when wine bottles were free blown using a blowpipe and pontil. This technique leaves a punt mark on the base of the bottle; by indenting the point where the pontil is attached, this scar would not scratch the table or make the bottle unstable.
• It had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over—a bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection to make it unstable—the dimple historically allowed for a larger margin of error.
• It consolidates sediment deposits in a thick ring at the bottom of the bottle, preventing much/most of it from being poured into the glass;
• It increases the strength of the bottle, allowing it to hold the high pressure of sparkling wine/champagne.
• It provides a grip for riddling a bottle of sparkling wine manually in the traditional champagne production process.
• It consumes some volume of the bottle, allowing the bottle to be larger for the same amount of wine, which may impress the purchaser.
• Taverns had a steel pin set vertically in the bar. The empty bottle would be thrust bottom-end down onto this pin, puncturing a hole in the top of the punt, guaranteeing the bottle could not be refilled [folklore].
• It prevents the bottle from resonating as easily, decreasing the likelihood of shattering during transportation.
• It allows bottles to be more easily stacked end to end.
• Bottles could be stacked in cargo holds on ships without rolling around and breaking.
• Punts are also used to help pour the wine, providing a grip for the thumb on the bottom bottle for easy pouring.

  

For the Best Smell, Don't Use Soap??

One of the most used appliances in my house is the dishwasher.  It runs one to two times a day and I will put just about anything in it.  One thing I won't do, however, is put my wine glasses in it.  Now some wine glasses can stand the dishwasher, but it is not recommended with the ones I own.  So, I hand wash them...nightly.  That is how much I love wine.  :)

Recently I read an article, however, that discourages using dish soap on wine glasses.  Really?  What do you use?  I had never thought there was a proper way to wash wine glasses.  It makes sense, however, that a beverage that one places so much importance on its aroma, would need protecting so as not to let anything interfere with the nose.  

About.com lists four ways to properly wash wine glasses.  First, you can utilize dish soap - sparingly.  One drop of soap, wash and rinse several times.  Unfortunately, as indicated above, this method can leave residual soap smell, interfering with the aroma and taste.  I also read that utilizing any dish soap can cause a film in beer glasses that can cause beer to go flat.

Second, About.com recommends just washing with hot water and rinsing three times.  I can't wrap my mind around not using soap, however.  I am not sure why, as it is just wine and hot water should be sufficient to remove all stains.  They also recommend to turn the glasses upside down to dry.  The only problem I find with this is if water gets trapped in the glass, it can sometimes smell musty.

Third, the site recommends utilizing washing soda or baking soda.  Washing soda can be found at grocery stores.  The soda will clean the glass and absorb any residual wine.  Some sites say this method is recommended for crystal glasses as they are more porous and can absorb odors from cleaning and items (coffee) stored with the glasses.   Other sites say this is a myth.  Ultimately, this is the most recommended method on almost every site I checked. 

Finally, the site discusses using the dishwasher.  As discussed above, this isn't a safe method for some types of glasses such as crystal and those with longer stems.  It is recommended to use less detergent than you normally would and to not utilize the heat dry setting.  Once the cycle is complete, remove the glasses and dry with a cotton, lint free cloth.  Having said all of that, most sites do not recommend utilizing the dishwasher for wine glasses.

One recommendation, no matter what your method of washing your glasses, is to rinse them at the end of the night.  If you are like me, the last thing you want to do after a night of wine drinking is wash dishes.  However, it is best to rinse them out well before letting them sit for the night.   

Another tip, if you are able, is to let them dry naturally, rather than using any type of cloth.  If you must dry them, utilize a lint free cloth to dry (avoid terry cloth).  

Also, if you notice a white gray film, uncork.biz recommends soaking your glasses in a weak vinegar solution for an hour or two.  The vinegar eats away the organic buildup.   One company sells a product called Restaurant Crystal Clean (crystalcleanglass.com) if you are really serious about keeping your glasses clean, odor free and streak free.

Even if enjoying the full wine experience (color, nose, mouth, etc.) is not the typical way you drink wine and you just like to open and taste, you still don't want to taint your drinking experience by having unintended smells lingering in your glasses.  While washing with baking soda is a bit more work, it is worth it in the end and you will know that what you smell is straight from your wine.

Cheers!

Mary Jo

WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

Fattoria:  In Tuscany this is a term that refers to a farm or wine estate.  Some Chianti producers will use this term as part of their names. A few examples are:  Fattoria dei Barbi, Fattoria di Basciano.