Wine Culture

The Vine, the Varietals, and the Soil.

A simple escapade in a renowned winemaking region and one is immediately overtaken by rows of vines as far as the eye can see. Herein lies the fundamental element required for creating this magical beverage, one that has excited our imaginations for centuries. The Kosher vinification process requires the establishment of onsite teams at each location, every member of which possessing expert knowledge both of the practical winemaking aspect and of the religious responsibilities at hand. Each vine is characterized by its variety. Among the existing set, only thirty are internationally recognized: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and chardonnay being the most notorious representatives. The variety is the first factor affecting wine’s taste by the distinct flavor it gives. However, the complexity extends past the plant itself. If two identical vines were to be grown in different climates and in different soils, the difference would be expressed as nuances to their respective aromas. Such is the influence of the soil. Thus, a cabernet sauvignon in a cooler climate will have a peppery vegetal aroma, whereas a warmer climate will bring out hints of berry preserves. Ultimately, all grape varieties require certain climactic conditions to attain perfection. The creation of the most classic wines is a product of finding the symbiosis between climate, varietal, and soil. Understanding wine varieties and their regions is above all a question of humility…

Human influence

The existence of wine owes its thanks to the will of man. It would seem that two human qualities are essential to the issuing of a great wine: attention and hard work. Firstly, the soil must be listened to in order to be understood. The type of soil not only affects the grape varieties to be cultivated thereupon, but also all technical choices involved in the growing process: planting density, pruning style, geographical orientation of rows, type of soil work, and harvest timing… Since any action has an effect on the grapes, there is no room for error. Additionally, as every acre of vineyard and every season in different, much attention to every detail is required to maintain the quality of the grape. Moreover, the domestication of the plant asserts another level of work. The vine is by nature wild and requires pruning, protection against disease, production in limited quantities, and finally cultivation of top quality grapes. The work of a winemaker is hard labor under the open sky. Although the machine is now a reasonable substitute for human hands in certain domains, the great ones still require the skill and accuracy of man’s touch.

Why does wine go off in the first place?

Wine has quite a few enemies - light and heat amongst them. But exposure to oxygen is the greatest threat it faces.

Oxygen turns wine into vinegar. So when considering how to preserve wine, it’s key to make sure that your wine is protected from exposure to the air as much as possible. A good start is remembering to close the bottle after each pour, but this doesn’t really go far enough.

1/ Store opened wine bottles in an upright position

Once opened all wine bottles (whether screwcap or cork) should be stored in an upright position to reduce the surface area exposed to oxygen.

2/ Keep your wine in the fridge

Because they’re usually best enjoyed chilled, putting opened white wines in the fridge feels instinctive. When it comes to red wine, because its characteristics are better expressed in warmer temperatures, any form of chilling might seem like a faux pas.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of storing opened red wine in the fridge. Cooler temperatures slow down chemical processes, including oxidation. A re-closed bottle of red or white wine in the fridge can stay relatively fresh for up to five days.

Some light-bodied reds can actually be very enjoyable while served slightly chilled .

3/ Use a wine preservation system

If you don’t mind paying, a professional wine preserver can help you keep your wine fresh for even longer. Although there are many gadgets and devices available, two wine preservation systems seem to be the most popular and effective.

Vacuum pumps suck the air out of an opened bottle so it can be re-sealed hermetically without the oxygen affecting the wine. This is an affordable option commonly used in restaurants and bars.

Vacu Vin is the best-known brand – this company invented the vacuum pump wine preservation system. They promise up to two weeks extra life for an opened bottle of wine.

Inert wine gas preservation systems can keep your opened wine fresh for even longer, but this is usually more of an enthusiast option since they can be quite expensive. This system is based on inserting an inert gas – usually argon - into the bottle. This gas, being heavier than oxygen, creates a protective layer on the surface of the wine.

The best-known brand is Coravin. This brand offers a device with a needle which punctures a hole in the cork to extract wine without pulling the cork out thus avoiding any contact with oxygen. The wine is then replaced with argon gas and the cork naturally re-seals as if the bottle had never been opened.

There is also an option for screwcap wines that, according to Coravin, can keep wine fresh for up three months.

A more affordable solution is a gas canister system, such as Private Preserve. This works in a similar way to Coravin. You insert a mixture of gas into the bottle to protect the wine from oxygen. With this system, you have to uncork the bottle and use the gas when re-sealing it, so there will be some exposure to oxygen.

Private Preserve promises that the wine will last “for months and even years”.

4/ Take advantage of smaller bottles

Wine bottles come in at least twelve different sizes. If you don’t want to invest in an expensive wine preservation system, you could consider decanting your left-over wines into smaller bottles and keep them in the fridge under screwcap. There’s less room for air in small bottles so less exposure to oxygen.

Alternatively, you can simply buy your wine in smaller sizes. Although half bottles or splits are less frequently available in supermarkets, you can easily buy them online.

How to store Champagne, Prosecco and other sparkling wines after opening

Direct light is dangerous for all wines and they should always be stored in the dark. Strong light can damage a wine’s flavors and aromas and lead to discoloration. Sparkling wines are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of light. That’s why you’ll find Champagnes or Cavas nearly always sold in dark bottles.

Wine preservation systems, unfortunately, do not work for sparkling wines. Inert gas-based systems are only suitable for still wines, while the vacuum pumps will suck out the bubbles, leaving the wine flat.

5/ Use a sparkling wine stopper

If you want to keep a sparkling wine fresh, your best bet is a Champagne stopper. They are inexpensive and can keep your bubbles going for up to five days. Traditional method sparkling wines like Champagne and Cava will last longer than tank method wines like Prosecco. Don’t be tempted to put a teaspoon in the neck of your bottle - this is proven to be ineffective.

Tasting the Wine

"Seeing the difficulties that may be encountered is an extraordinary stimulus to approach the perfect tasting, never reached and therefore always more desirable." Emile Peynaud

Tasting mechanisms

There is first a purely physical sensation when our nose is excited by a scent molecule: "I feel a smell." Then there is a perception that announces the presence of the sensation to the brain by comparing it to our memory: "I feel a smell that reminds me of my childhood." Finally, there is an expression that characterizes the perception through the filter of culture and language: "It smells like bitter chocolate."

Because each of these phases feeds the next, changing one of them changes our final assessment. Coffee before tasting will inevitably affect our sense of taste, fatigue can dull our memory, and a lack of tasting vocabulary can hold back our expression.

Working your senses to improve your tasting

We must first understand the senses involved in tasting to know our own strengths and weaknesses: the stage of understanding. Cut off at a young age from natural scents and tastes by artificial flavoring and additives, we tend to lose the use of our senses. Just as a blind person develops acute hearing, one can work to regain optimal smell and taste: the stage of education. Finally, like a muscle, our senses and memory need regular training: the stage of training.

Proper use of the wine glass

The transparent crystal glass was born in the 17th century, and its balloon shape came into use in the 19th. Larger glasses are best: they make it easier to smell the wine, a smooth bowl does not obstruct vision, very thin crystal allows the finest tasting, and a proper stem lets you hold the glass without warming the wine.

Hold the glass by the stem. When swirling, any part of the glass may be held, but it is poor form to cup the bowl unless you are warming a wine that is slightly over chilled. Fill the glass to only a third of its capacity so the wine can be swirled; the motion spreads the wine up the sides of the glass and releases its aromas. Beginners can practice the movement with the base of the glass resting on the table. The "tears" that form on the glass reflect the alcohol content of the wine, not its quality.

Examining the wine

Vision is the first sense involved in tasting and it strongly shapes our perception. Tasted from an opaque glass, it can be hard even for an expert to tell a dry white from a rosé, or even a light red. People regularly detect berry aromas in white wines tinted with red food coloring.

Examine the color against daylight or a white background. Its intensity foreshadows the structure: a deep, dark wine will be structured and rich in tannin, a lightly colored wine more supple and airy. The shade shows age: reds evolve from purple to brown to ochre, whites from pale yellow with green hints to deep gold. Clarity depends on how the wine was filtered; sediment or crystals are a natural part of aging, even if amateurs find them off putting. Grape variety matters too: Burgundy's Pinot Noir gives naturally light color, while Bordeaux Merlot gives dense, bright red pigment.

Olfaction

Smell is shaped by the shape and volume of the glass, how full it is, how much the wine has been aerated, and where you place your nose. Professionals smell in three steps: first right after pouring, before swirling, to catch the strongest aromas; then after swirling to bring out the more modest ones; and finally the empty glass, where the heaviest aromas linger. Take two or three inhalations of two to three seconds each, with a pause between sets so as not to saturate the senses.

Wine aromas fall into broad families: animal (fur, game), wood (resin, oak, sandalwood, pencil), chemical (rarely desirable), spice (mint, cinnamon, clove, thyme), empyreumatic or toasted (coffee, cigar, tar, chocolate), ethereal (honey, yeast), floral (acacia, rose, geranium), fruity (berries, exotic fruit) and vegetal (cut grass, dried leaves).

Primary or varietal aromas come from the grape itself and are usually vegetal, floral or fruity; they vary with variety, soil and ripeness at harvest. Secondary aromas come from fermentation, as yeast turns sugar into alcohol. Tertiary aromas develop with aging in the cellar, shaped by temperature and light, and form the bouquet.

Tasting on the palate

There is no single technique, but professionals proceed in a similar way and repeat it identically for every wine in a comparative tasting. Take a small amount, around 6 to 10 milliliters. Swirl it gently around the mouth, then draw small, discreet breaths through the nose so the wine warms slightly and its aromas reach the back of the nose.

In a professional tasting of many wines it is best to spit after each sip; at a relaxed amateur tasting that discipline is unnecessary. Note how long the sensation lingers, and wait at least twelve seconds before the next wine. Keep food neutral, such as bread or plain crackers. Avoid cheese, nuts and dried fruit, which change how tannin reads.

The five basic tastes are sweet, acid, salt, bitter and umami. Sweetness is noticed immediately but does not last; salt and acidity come quickly and persist; bitterness arrives later and stays longest. Beyond taste there are physical sensations: the prickle of bubbles in Champagne, the burn of alcohol, the drying roughness of astringent tannin.

A red wine unfolds in three phases: the attack, the first impression, marked by sweetness from alcohol; the evolution, as those first tastes transform; and the finish, where bitterness and tannin develop. A great wine shows a clear attack, a slow and long evolution, and a supple, harmonious finish. Lesser wines are short, sometimes harsh, and can turn unpleasant on the finish.

Balance

A wine's harmony comes from how its aromas, flavors and textures work together, and from the quality of each on its own. A young Beaujolais combines berry and banana aromas, moderate acidity and supple tannin into an impression of freshness. A great Rhône Syrah pairs violets and sweet spice with gentle acidity and concentrated tannin, and its harmony comes from power.

Serving wine

Young wines may show harmless mineral crystals. Older reds can throw sediment; stand the bottle upright for 24 to 48 hours before serving and decant if needed. Decanting gives the wine intense oxygen and is essential for young wines or those with slight faults, but avoid it for very old vintages, whose delicate bouquet can fade with the slightest air.

Serving temperature changes everything. Below 8°C aromas are muted; from 8 to 12°C they are barely perceptible; warmer, alcohol comes forward. As a rule, the more tannic the wine, the warmer it is served (around 18°C); the fruitier, the cooler (around 15°C). Heavier, higher alcohol wines benefit from being served slightly cooler. In a warm room, serve the bottle a little below the target, since it will warm quickly in the glass.