Comments on: 2006 Hospice du Rhone - Part 4

By: Tommy Z

Tommy Z — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:34:02 +0000

Generally speaking, Americans serve their red wines too warm and their white wines too cold. Apply the 30 minute rule. Place your red wine in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, and take out white wines 30 minutes before serving. If all else fails, drink your wine at YOUR favorite temp.

Keep up the great work.

By: Randy K. Walker

Randy K. Walker — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 08:09:07 +0000

Vinho Verde is grown on tall root stock.

The Vinho Verde region (known as the Minho region, after the river that forms the border with Spain) is damp and temperate, with no mountain ranges to shield it from the mild influence of the Atlantic. So damp is it, in fact, that vine growers are forced to train their vines high off the ground to avoid fungal infections aggravated by the wet weather. Although in recently-planted vineyards vines are trained along wires up to two meters above the ground or along double rows of wires with wooden cross-piece supports. This way of training can produce huge yields as the foliage rampages along overhanging supports or up into the highest branches.

Hence the strange sight of harvesters picking grapes up tall ladders at vintage-time, still a common spectacle in Vinho Verde region. This traditional way of cultivating vines was encouraged by legislation - still in force as recently as the 1974 revolution - which dated from the introduction of maize in Portugal during the sixteenth century.

By: Thomas Huyer

Thomas Huyer — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:47:39 +0000

Wine Fact #1: One must drink wine to taste wine.
Wine Fact #2: I do not drink wine, however I would like to start - with a good bottle and a good book.

By: Luir Cuellar

Luir Cuellar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:34:24 +0000

Did you guys know the first vineyard and Winery created in the Americas was created in 1597 in Mexico? It is now Called Casa Madero and it is one of the oldest winery in the world that is still working

Maybe in the future you guys could do a Show on wines from Mexico

I heard it is the first winery outside Europe but I am not sure about that.

By: Ryan Mullins

Ryan Mullins — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 06:06:26 +0000

When Magellan circumnavigated the globe he spent 60% of all his budget on Sherry. More on Sherry than food, men, or even arms. Now hows that for a great fact!

By: RyanP

RyanP — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:05:02 +0000

Prunes were the primary fruit crop in Napa Valley during the 1940’s.

By: John Lowery

John Lowery — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:04:15 +0000

Airen is the most widely planted wine grape in the world (Spain)

By: JEM

JEM — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:35:19 +0000

It takes exactly 6 1/2-turns (or 3 full turns) to completely open the wire cage from any bottle of Champagne.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:44:05 +0000

Wine Fact:

In the state of Washington, a variety of red and white grapes are grown and used in the making of wine. Which grape led the pack in 2006? Chardonnay. (in terms of crushed grapes per ton @ 28,600 tons)

Second, Riesling. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is the largest producer of Riesling in the world. (approx. 600,000 cases per year).

Third, Cabernet Sauv.; Fourth, Merlot; and finally, Syrah, rounds out the top 5. Including all grape varietals, the total crop was 120,000 tons. More than half of the production are white grapes.

While this still pales in comparison to California, the number is up 9% from 2005.

Go Northwest wines!

By: Theo Heselmans

Theo Heselmans — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:41:31 +0000

Wine Tip: Even a small country like Belgium produces excellent wines. Give ‘Kasteel Genoels-Elderen’ a try if you can find it. There Chardonnays and Bubble-wines are great. (http://www.wijnkasteel.com)

By: Doug Hackett

Doug Hackett — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:32:57 +0000

….well, I guess that particular aroma may be familiar to those of us who own a cat and have had the glorious task of litter box duty! It’s funny, but I have smelled this (pungent) aroma come through in several Sauvignon Blancs I have tasted! Here are a couple of more fun facts for your consideration (I really love this column and this is the first time I have been compelled to submit a comment - thanks all!!!).

WINE FACT - A bottle of wine is roughly %86 water. (Zraly)

WINE FACT - It takes Chateau Petrús, the most expensive Merlot in the world, about 1 year to make as much wine as it takes Gallo to make in six minutes! (Zraly)

By: Tim Beauchamp

Tim Beauchamp — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:24:25 +0000

So much more to wine than just it’s taste.

Many people can not identify a white wine from a red wine purely on taste.

If a white wine and red wine are served at the same temperature, from a container that delivers the wine directly into the taster’s mouth (a water bottle for example), and the taster is blindfolded, most people (even experienced wine consumers) will be unable to identify the color of the wine.

I can not understand why anyone would want to drink wine this way. But, try it for yourself.

By: GrapeRadio Bunch

GrapeRadio Bunch — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:16:00 +0000

Doug, I am not sure everyone would agree with your cat pee comment. Some feel that the aroma is a result of grapes picked before they have fully ripened.

I was wondering how do people know what cat pee smells like?

By: Doug Hackett

Doug Hackett — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 05:41:49 +0000

WINE FACT - “Cat pee” is an aroma commonly associated with many Sauvignon Blancs, and is not considered a flaw with respect to the wines overall balance!

By: rmrd0000

rmrd0000 — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 02:59:50 +0000

Wine Fact:
Moonshiner’s son’s can do well. Mac McDonald’s father was an Afircan-American corn moonshine maker in Texas. Mac became interested in wine after tasting his first, a 1952 Burgundy at age 12 in 1955. He vowed to one day make a wine as fine as that one. Afters years of travel including into Burgundy and tasting Pinot Noirs, he and his wifepurchased the best grapes they could find. He devloped Pinot Noirs based on his vision. He and his wife, Lil, founded Vision Cellars. The first bottling was 1997.
The Pinots have won multiple awards. The 2003 Pinot Noir Rosella was served at the White House.
McDonald strives to improve wine edcuaction in the Black community through the African-American Vintners Association.

By: Georgina Frost

Georgina Frost — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:24:11 +0000

During World War II France was occupied by Germany and cooperated with rules set by Germany for occupation which included that french wine could only be sold to Germany. Many of the top chateau’s and champagne houses built fake walls in their cellars to prevent the theft of their prized vintages by German officers as they left their path of destruction across France. It was well-known that many of the German officers high up in the Third Reich desired wine from the top french Chateau’s especially those in Bordeaux, namely Rothchild, ironic since he was a jewish winemaker. Hitler built a huge cellar atop his summer home called the Eagle’s Nest (if I recall correctly) where the officers would store their most valuable stolen or cheaply purchased french wines. The cellar was so high up that Hitler had a special elevator created by his engineers so it could be reached. Hitler did not even drink or appreciate wine.

German officers were not the only ones to enjoy the wines, Champagne was ordered for the ground troops to boost moral and celebrate victories, bought an an extremely low-balled price. Many of the Champagne houses cooperated with the French resistance and would report these orders to their contacts as it indicated where the german army was headed and how many of them there were.
Wine and War is a very interesting topic.

By: Cesar

Cesar — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:12:33 +0000

Wine Fact:

The Biltmore Estate Wine Company in Asheville, NC is the most visited winery in the United States receiving more than one million visitors annually.

By: Tom Cook

Tom Cook — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:17:04 +0000

Wine grapes subject to mold when there is too much moisture. Tight clustered Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir are most susceptible to mold. The loose clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon allow for faster drying of moist grapes and thus less suseptiple.

By: John Miller

John Miller — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:24:51 +0000

Wasn’t sure where to post my factoid and I’m posting it here and under the Giveaway section….

Fun Wine Fact:

Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc are related to each other?

In 1997, researchers at UC Davis determined through DNA testing that Cabernet Sauvignon is the genetic child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Aren’t you glad Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc met each other!

By: Chris/the WINE C.A.R.T.

Chris/the WINE C.A.R.T. — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:05:45 +0000

FACT: Cincinnati, Ohio was where Nicholas Longworth started the wine industry in the Ohio Valley during the 1820s. His grapes flourished on the slopes above the river. More vineyards appeared and wine fanciers praised Ohio Valley vintages.
By 1850 Cincinnati, shipping 120,000 gallons of wine annually, had become the center of a prosperous wine-growing region. Largely as a result of Longworth’s encouragement, the cultivation of the grape spread through the Midwest. Winemaking reached a peak during the following decade when the Ohio River became known as “the Rhine of North America.”

By: Richard Velez

Richard Velez — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:26:30 +0000

WINE FACT: There is a Spanish dessert from the region of Spain where sherry is made, called “Tocino Del Cielo”. It’s hard to describe this dessert, as it’s literal translation equates to “Bacon of the Sky” or “Heavenly Lard”. Suffice it to say that this dessert is VERY rich, being made with 24 egg yolks.

And where do you get all of these yolks? Why, they’re left over once you extract all of the egg whites you need to fine the sherry that is made there!

Egg whites are used to remove proteins or particles in cooking and winemaking.

By: Nestor Leal

Nestor Leal — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:45:11 +0000

Mexican wine fact:
Grapes were brought to Mexico by the spanish conquistadores and missionaries since 1521. The missionaries used the wine produced from the “mission” grape variety for the catholic mass celebration but other grape vines got used very fast to the excellent soil and climate of Mexico extending vineyards in Querétaro, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Parras Coahulia, Puebla, Baja California and Sonora. In the late 1500’s the Spanish Crown ordered to stop planting and destroy Mexican Vineyards fearing that the quality will compete against their own Spanish wines. Many vineyards were destroyed but few were protected by the missionaries.

By: Rod Bauer

Rod Bauer — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:30:58 +0000

In Italy it is well know that the herb fennel makes even poor wine taste better, so opportunistic Italian wine makers would sometimes offer food with fennel (for example, the great Tuscan sausage finocchionato) to buyers of their wine to encourage the sale. Thus there is an expression among Italian wine merchants, who say, “buy with bread and sell with fennel.”

This practice is also the source of the verb infinocchiare in the Italian language–finocchio is fennel in Italian, which means to cheat or deceive.

By: Marty

Marty — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:12:47 +0000

NFL legend and former Chicago Bears Coach, Mike Ditka has released his own label of wines.

By: Tom Delmonte

Tom Delmonte — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:33:44 +0000

Not sure this is the right place to leave a wine fact - but the links kept sending me back to this page - so if there is another place to send the fact it is not very obvious.

Most white wines, including ice wines, benefit from being fermented at low temperatures, this helps avoid potential bitter and unpleasant flavors.
Many wine-makers actually keep the temperature of the fermentation containers or the rooms they are in to help get a more fruity aroma that results from a lower fermentation temperature.

By: Michael Amigoni

Michael Amigoni — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:59:10 +0000

What is the number of cases of wine in a standard 59 gal barrel?

Answer: 25

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:06:15 +0000

Hate to break it to you but #18 about the origin of the word “Honeymoon” is inaccurate. Several educated guesses have been made as to how the phrase originated, but none have proven to hold water. Sorry!

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:59:05 +0000

Wine Fact for Giveaway: The custom of clinking glasses before tasting wine dates back to medieval times when wine was one of the only drinks considered safe because milk spoiled and water was often contaminated. To prove that the wine was good, the host would drink a glass first and then clink his glass with the guests’ glasses as a show of confidence that the wine was safe to drink.

By: Dag Zapatero

Dag Zapatero — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:23:55 +0000

Fun wine fact giveaway.

The world best knows South African wine as Pionotage.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:28:36 +0000

China produces more wine than Australia (1.3M vs 1.27M tonnes in 2005).

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:24:47 +0000

The most expensive wine ever sold is a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite which sold at Christie’s London in December, 1985 for £105,00 (about US $160,000). The wine is reported to be from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the former US President, and this most expensive bottle of wine had the initials Th.J etched into the glass bottle. However new technology has brought to light that the bottles were engraved with electric power tools, not the implement of choice back in the 18th century!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:20:05 +0000

SURPRISING FACT: Half of Bordeaux’s wine production was once white.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 04:03:11 +0000

Viognier is closest related to Nebbiolo.

By: Mac McCarthy

Mac McCarthy — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:57:15 +0000

Not all wines benefit from “old vines.” Specific types such as Zinfandel do get better with older and older vines, almost without limit apparently (some Livermore Valley vines are over 100 years old). But other types, such as Merlot and even Carbent Sauvignon, peak after a certain number of years — perhaps 30 or so — and then need to be ripped out and replaced.

By: Michael Bryan

Michael Bryan — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:28:02 +0000

Bordeaux, a household name for red wine afficianados and cellar-class winer lovers, is has 8x more vineyard land than Napa Valley. Bordeaux produces half of all AOC-level wine in France.

By: Gregg Johnson

Gregg Johnson — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:15:41 +0000

FACT:
Turkey has a history of winemaking longer, probably, than any in the world, but since most of its population is Muslim it might not seem best placed to take advantage of it. Kemal Ataturk did his best to revive the wine industry in the 1920s, but even now, although Turkey has some 600,000ha (nearly 1.5 million acres) under vine, only about 2% of the grapes are turned into wine.

http://ewineplanet.com/country.asp?id=26

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:10:04 +0000

Untill the end of the 17th century, the Dutch used to ship wine from Bordeaux in large oak casks, or ‘Ton’ in Dutch, of 900 Liters that had a total weight of 1000 Kg, including the wood. From there the Metric Ton, but it is also the equivalent
of 100 cases of wine, or ‘un tonneau’, which is still used as the measure in which the Bordeaux wine trade deals.

By: Jo Olkowski

Jo Olkowski — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:00:15 +0000

The Angel’s Share is the phrase that describes the wine (or fortified liquor) that escapes through evaporation during the barrel aging process, usually at a rate of 2% per year. Breath deeply!

By: Mary Brown

Mary Brown — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:52:19 +0000

Among the world fruit crops, wine grapes rank #1 in terms of acreage planted.

By: Jo Olkowski

Jo Olkowski — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:42:16 +0000

In ancient Babylon, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead (fermented honey beverage) he could drink for a month after the wedding. Because their calendar was lunar or moon-based, this period of free mead was called the “honey month,” or what we now call the “honeymoon.”