Inspired by this article in the San Francisco Chronicle this week, I've decided the word for the week will be chaptalization.
A relatively rare process, it is one by which the winemaker adds sugar (or honey, in the case of the ancient Romans) to fermenting wine in order to raise the alcohol level--not the sweetness. This is typically done in cool climates, where the grapes might not reach their full maturity, and thus ideal sugar levels. Without ripeness and sugars, there won't be enough material for the yeasts to convert to alcohol at the proper levels. Some winemakers say for certain vintages chaptalization is necessary to stabilize the wine--others say it can cause an imbalance. It depends on the harvest year and the climate. It's a fairly common practice in Champagne, Austria and Germany, less so in the New World, though it is used in New Zealand and Oregon.
How to use this term: to look ridiculously pompous at wine tastings. "Oh my gawd, Buffy--this Beaujolais Nouveau is 16.5 percent alcohol. They must have used chaptalization."
NB: The process is named after Jean-Antoine Chaptal, "Napoleon's minister of the interior, who gave it the French government's official endorsement and promoted it in his 1801 book 'Traite Theotique et Pratique Sur la Culture de la Vigne.'"
Showing posts with label Wine Word of the Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wine Word of the Week. Show all posts
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wine Word(s) of the Week: Residual Sugar (RS)
Once again, my wonderful friend Scriptoress asked an excellent question about how to talk about sugar levels in wine. While brix refers to the sugar levels in grapes before, during and after harvest, the way to discuss the sweetness in a finished wine is to talk about residual sugar (RS).
Sugar remains in wine, usually, in one of two ways. One is by choice--a winemaker can change the temperature of a wine--either cooling or heating the wine--during fermentation to kill or stall the yeast from converting the sugars into alcohol. Another is naturally, resulting in stuck fermentation. Due to natural temperature changes, or just chance factors, the yeast may stop converting. At that point, the sugar you have is what you get in the finished product.
Thus, the sugars that remain in the wine after the fermentation process finishes are the residual sugars, which cause the sweetness in wine. Dry wines will have no or close to no residual sugars, dessert wine will have a high level of RS.
Sugar remains in wine, usually, in one of two ways. One is by choice--a winemaker can change the temperature of a wine--either cooling or heating the wine--during fermentation to kill or stall the yeast from converting the sugars into alcohol. Another is naturally, resulting in stuck fermentation. Due to natural temperature changes, or just chance factors, the yeast may stop converting. At that point, the sugar you have is what you get in the finished product.
Thus, the sugars that remain in the wine after the fermentation process finishes are the residual sugars, which cause the sweetness in wine. Dry wines will have no or close to no residual sugars, dessert wine will have a high level of RS.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wine Word of the Week: Brix
One of the more fabulous wine-related terms (pronounced like “bricks”) brix quantifies the sugar levels in wine grapes. Grapes must be harvested at the ideal sugar levels in order for proper fermentation during the winemaking process.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wine Word of the Week: Decanter
My good buddy Scriptoress asked a question earlier this week about the volatilization of esters—which makes me think this is a good time to discuss decanting.
Many wines, especially young, “tight”, New World reds, and big Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style wines can benefit much from decanting. In fact, those wines are sometimes even better a day or two after opening. Older wines can benefit from pouring them out, opening up the "nose" by exposing the wine to oxygen, and pouring the wine off the sediment before serving.
When I organized tastings for wine writers, the rule we followed was to open all bottles (even whites) a minimum of one hour before tasting. This will help any weird smells to come off the wine and, in some cases, mellow the taste (especially green tannins). While opening the wine before serving is a good idea, decanting reds is even better.
I’m not a scientist, but this is how I understand the physics of decanting: the more surface are a wine has, the greater the volatilization of esters will be, ergo the better the bouquet (smell). Hence, once a red wine is ready to be served, the more oxygen exposed to the wine, the better.
Sometimes pretty, sometimes pretty weird looking, decanters come in all shapes in sizes—many are designed for specific wines. The picture above is of a pretty standard red wine decanter. Once a bottle of wine is poured in, the wine will only be up to about two to three inches off the bottom of the container--therefore creating much more surface area as opposed to in a bottle. When you pour the wine in, you will also be exposing the wine to oxygen.
Double decanting is another alternative for red wines. One pours out the bottle (exposing the wine to oxygen once) into a decanter or any container, then pours it back into the bottle (exposing it to oxygen for the second time). You can then pop the cork back into the bottle and wait for your friends to arrive with the giant cuts of meat for the barbeque.
NB: Decanter is also a great wine magazine published in the UK—http://www.decanter.com/
Many wines, especially young, “tight”, New World reds, and big Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style wines can benefit much from decanting. In fact, those wines are sometimes even better a day or two after opening. Older wines can benefit from pouring them out, opening up the "nose" by exposing the wine to oxygen, and pouring the wine off the sediment before serving.
When I organized tastings for wine writers, the rule we followed was to open all bottles (even whites) a minimum of one hour before tasting. This will help any weird smells to come off the wine and, in some cases, mellow the taste (especially green tannins). While opening the wine before serving is a good idea, decanting reds is even better.
I’m not a scientist, but this is how I understand the physics of decanting: the more surface are a wine has, the greater the volatilization of esters will be, ergo the better the bouquet (smell). Hence, once a red wine is ready to be served, the more oxygen exposed to the wine, the better.
Sometimes pretty, sometimes pretty weird looking, decanters come in all shapes in sizes—many are designed for specific wines. The picture above is of a pretty standard red wine decanter. Once a bottle of wine is poured in, the wine will only be up to about two to three inches off the bottom of the container--therefore creating much more surface area as opposed to in a bottle. When you pour the wine in, you will also be exposing the wine to oxygen.
Double decanting is another alternative for red wines. One pours out the bottle (exposing the wine to oxygen once) into a decanter or any container, then pours it back into the bottle (exposing it to oxygen for the second time). You can then pop the cork back into the bottle and wait for your friends to arrive with the giant cuts of meat for the barbeque.
NB: Decanter is also a great wine magazine published in the UK—http://www.decanter.com/
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wine Word of the Week: Carbonic Maceration
Ok, actually it's two words, but they're really fun.
Weekly Wine Word(s): Carbonic Maceration
Just say it a few times...let the words roll around in your mouth, much like a Beaujolais Nouveau on a crisp, late November day. But why are these words like a Beaujolais Nouveau, you ask? Why, because carbonic maceration is the way Beaujolais Nouveau is produced!
Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine, which hails from the (you guessed it) Beaujolais region of France, and is made with the Gamay grape. Purple, sometimes pinkish in color, the wine is fermented for a few weeks (quite a bit less than the standard minimum of a few months with other wines--and that's even before the ageing process begins). In fact, the period between harvesting and the finished product can be less than six weeks! The wine is then officially released on the third Thursday of November--which is probably one of the reasons it is a popular Thanksgiving wine. Also, it pairs nicely with turkey and cranberry sauce.
But carbonic maceration is the secret behind Beaujolais Nouveau. While typical wine making methods call for wine grapes to be pressed after the grapes are harvested--and at this point either then juice will be removed for white wine, or left on the skins and seeds (where one finds the color and tannins) to begin the first fermentation process for red wine--carbonic maceration is unique. The grapes are left intact, where yeasts already present in the grapes begin tiny little fermentation processes inside the grape skins. Some grapes on the bottom of the fermentation tank are inevitably crushed, where they will begin the typical fermentation process, but most of the grapes will remain intact, before they are quickly pressed. The result is a light, very low tannin red wine with bubble gum notes. Seriously. I didn't believe my wine tutor when he told me this, but it actually does taste a bit like bubble gum.
Because Beaujolais Nouveau lacks the tannic structure of most red wines, it doesn't really age, or even keep very well, so you should drink it the year it is produced. It pairs well with Thanksgiving foods, as well as some stews, creamy soups and gamey meats. I like it with cranberry bread, or the classic turkey, cranberry sauce and cream cheese sandwich.
Thank you Wikipedia, for confirming some of my facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonic_maceration
Weekly Wine Word(s): Carbonic Maceration
Just say it a few times...let the words roll around in your mouth, much like a Beaujolais Nouveau on a crisp, late November day. But why are these words like a Beaujolais Nouveau, you ask? Why, because carbonic maceration is the way Beaujolais Nouveau is produced!
Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine, which hails from the (you guessed it) Beaujolais region of France, and is made with the Gamay grape. Purple, sometimes pinkish in color, the wine is fermented for a few weeks (quite a bit less than the standard minimum of a few months with other wines--and that's even before the ageing process begins). In fact, the period between harvesting and the finished product can be less than six weeks! The wine is then officially released on the third Thursday of November--which is probably one of the reasons it is a popular Thanksgiving wine. Also, it pairs nicely with turkey and cranberry sauce.
But carbonic maceration is the secret behind Beaujolais Nouveau. While typical wine making methods call for wine grapes to be pressed after the grapes are harvested--and at this point either then juice will be removed for white wine, or left on the skins and seeds (where one finds the color and tannins) to begin the first fermentation process for red wine--carbonic maceration is unique. The grapes are left intact, where yeasts already present in the grapes begin tiny little fermentation processes inside the grape skins. Some grapes on the bottom of the fermentation tank are inevitably crushed, where they will begin the typical fermentation process, but most of the grapes will remain intact, before they are quickly pressed. The result is a light, very low tannin red wine with bubble gum notes. Seriously. I didn't believe my wine tutor when he told me this, but it actually does taste a bit like bubble gum.
Because Beaujolais Nouveau lacks the tannic structure of most red wines, it doesn't really age, or even keep very well, so you should drink it the year it is produced. It pairs well with Thanksgiving foods, as well as some stews, creamy soups and gamey meats. I like it with cranberry bread, or the classic turkey, cranberry sauce and cream cheese sandwich.
Thank you Wikipedia, for confirming some of my facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonic_maceration
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