Celebrating More Than

20 Years of Wine and Food Appreciation

Ask Tasters Guild

By Joe Borrello

Q.  Are “blush” wines as light as white wines?

A.  In recent years the making of blush or rosé wines has become extremely popular. Most of these wines are made from red grapes whose skins are separated from the juice very early in the winemaking process. The result is a light-bodied wine with a light red hue that falls in between the rosé and white categories. The most popular example is White Zinfandel, which is made from the red grape Zinfandel. However, more wineries are increasingly producing premium quality, dry rosé wines from fine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Grenache and others. There are some fantastic wines of this category from France, Italy, Spain, and the U.S. that are great with summer fare.

Q: I was told there is a wine made from Limburger cheese. That can’t be true, can it?

A: There is a red wine made from the Limberger (or Lemberger) grape grown prominently in the state of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. The wine is very pleasant and usually made dry and fruity (similar to Gamay) to complement dining. It does not have the characteristics of Limburger cheese, although the name is taken from the same Belgian province (Limburg) famous for the origination of the highly odorous dairy product.

Q. Please settle a friendly wager. I say white wine is made from white or green grapes and red wine is made from red or black grapes. My friend says you can make white wine from any grape. Discounting blush wines, who’s right?

A.  Oops! you lose. The juice of virtually all grapes is clear. The color of wine actually comes from the grape skins when they are in contact with the juice during the annual crush. This mixture of grape pulp and skin mixture is called the “must.”  During early fermentation, red wines derive their color, body, and other natural properties that determine the quality of the finished product from the must. Eventually, it is filtered away from the wine juice and discarded. If the skins are not allowed to come in contact with the juice, the result will be a white wine. The best example of white wine from black grape is Pinot Noir which has been used for centuries in the making of premium Champagnes.

Q.  A friend served me a glass of wine with some sort of fruit liqueur in it, but I don’t remember what it was called. Could you tell me?

A.  The wine cocktail is called Kir and is made by adding an ounce of a black currant liqueur called Crème de Cassis to 4 or 5 ounces of a dry white wine. You could also use a fruit wine like Cherry or Raspberry with sparkling wine for a refreshing cocktail called Kir Royale.

  Q.  I have a collection of wines that are kept away from heat, light and vibration and are lying on their sides. Do I have to periodically rotate the bottles as well?

A.  No, you’re doing just fine. In fact, the less movement of wines in storage the better. You are probably concerned about the accumulation of sediment on the side of the bottle, but don’t worry. Sediment is a natural process of wine development and it won’t hurt you or the product. It does have a slightly bitter taste, however, and may cause the wine to be cloudy and unattractive. Before serving, you may want to stand the bottle upright for a few hours to let the sediment settle to the bottom, then carefully “decant” the wine into a clean carafe, thereby leaving the sediment in the bottle. More important in the storage of fine wines is maintaining a constant temperature around 60-65 degrees F. Frequent increases or drops in temperature may disrupt the wine’s development and cause rapid deterioration.

Q:  A friend of mine said she always uses sparkling wine in her sauces.  How much difference would Champagne make?

A:  The high acid content of Champagne and its bubbles, add a real sparkle and tantalizing tanginess to light cream sauces. While Champagne generally is considered a festive beverage only, it is also an excellent wine for cooking, especially delicate dishes. It may seem a bit extravagant to cook with Champagne, but use only about half as much “bubbly” as you would a “still” wine, due to the higher acidity. Sparkling wines will add a little zest to your recipes, but they will retain the bubbles for a short time only. You would be better served if you put it in your sauce just before serving the dish.

Q.  Is there really that much difference between a bottle of $5 wine and one that costs $50.00?

A.  Like any consumer product, the price of wine is often determined by supply and demand. Production techniques also play an important part in the cost of wines. For instance, wines that offer subtlety and charm generally cannot be produced as economically as simple table wines, since they require selective soils and severely restrained vineyard yields to concentrate flavor and quality. These wines possess complexities derived from painstaking winemaking that usually adds to the cost of production. For those who really enjoy wine, the price is worth the added dimension these limited production wines offer. Many U.S. wines are produced using these methods, however, they may not be as well known or as expensive as their European cousins. The worldwide value of the U.S. dollar also plays a major role in the price of imports – and that has nothing to do with the quality of the wine. Makes you think about comparing taste with value, doesn’t it?