CorkSavvy
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Our Savvy Reporter
Jill's Wine of the Week
Ratzenberger Bacharacher Riesling Kabinett 2008;Fresh, fruity wine. [Ask CorkSavvy
Is Cognac a town or a drink? [Discussions & Interviews
Winemaker Scott McLeod of Rubicon Estate talks about the Cabernet Sauvignon grape flavor profiles and how it grows in Napa Valley and some of his favorite food pairings. [Wine & Food Pairings
Sommelier Nicholas Nahigian of La Fonda del Sol pairs Albariño. [Wine Travel
Looking for something fun and different to do on a beautiful fall day?
Consider taking a scenic drive through bucolic landscapes infused with
the smells and colors of autumn with your destination being the North
Fork of Long Island Wineries about 75 miles from Manhattan.
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Questions submitted by readers
Submit Your Questions to CorkSavvy
- Is Cognac a town or a drink?
Both. Cognac is a town near Bordeaux and a grape based spirit.
- Where is the Languedoc region? The Languedoc is a region in southern France.
- Is Rioja a wine or a region?
Rioja is a region in northern Spain.
- What is a fortified wine? A fortified wine is a wine in which a spirit is added (usually a distilled grape spirit) during fermentation.
- What is a corked wine? A corked wine (also referred to as tainted wine) is caused from contact with a bad (tainted) cork with the wine.
- What is a wine flight?
A flight is group of wines tasted together for the purpose of comparison.
- How do you know what types of wines to decant (or not decant) for optimal enjoyment?
Maximilian Riedel of Riedel Crystal answers this question for us.
- I like to bring white wine when I am invited for dinner at someones house and I usually buy the wine on my way to the dinner, how can I be sure that it is served at the correct temperature?
The quickest way to cool a bottle of wine is to stand it in iced water for 15 to 30 minutes.
- I have never heard of the Falanghina grape, where is it from?
The Falanghina grape is indigenous to the Campania region of Italy which is just north of Naples.
- I have heard the word terroir used often when describing wines. What does it mean and is it important?
Terroir is a French word that means “a sense of place”. It refers not only to the types of soil where the grapevines grow, but it also refers to other factors that influence the character of the grape such as climate, altitude and wind.
- What foods could I pair with a bottle of red Burgundy?
Red Burgundy, and Pinot Noir in general, are very versatile when it comes to food pairings.
- What is Cava?
Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain made from macabeo, xarello, and parellada grapes.
- What kind of grape makes red Bordeaux wine?
In Bordeaux almost all wines are blended wines. The permitted red grapes in Bordeaux are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
- What is the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine?
Champagne must be made in the Champagne region of Frace. A sparkling wine can be made from the same grapes and production methods but not called Champagne.
- What is a "Grower's Champagne"?
A Grower’s Champagne refers to a Champagne that is produced by the same estate that grows the grapes (owns the vineyards on which the grapes are grown).
- What is "hangtime"? Hangtime refers to the delay of harvest until grapes reach very high sugar levels.
- What is a wine's "bouquet"?
The bouquet refers to the smells a wine gives off.
- What is the difference between wine collecting and wine investing?
Wine investment is focused purely on purchasing wines to be sold at a later date for a profit. Collecting wine is for one's personal enjoyment.
- What are tannins?
Tannin is a natural compound found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes.
- Why are some wines white, some red, and some pink?
Almost all grape juice, even from black grapes, is colorless or light golden in color.
- What does it mean to season a wine glass?
Seasoning is the practice of pouring a small amount of wine into a glass, swirling the wine and then pouring it out into the next glass.
- What is the Appellation System and is it important in selecting a bottle of wine?
The Appellation System was created around the concept that unique wines come from unique areas. In the EU, the system protects this designation of origin so that a winemaker from outside the Tuscany region, for example, cannot label their wine “Chianti.”
- I just had a delicious sweet wine with a German name, but unfortunately I did not take a picture of the label and email it to my journal at www.corksavvy.com. Could you help me find what kind of wine this might be?
The wine that comes to mind is Gewurztraminer which comes from the German word “gewurz” which means spice.
- I have visited beautiful vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, California, but I was wondering if there is any place I can visit where the vineyards are in higher altitudes?
The place to visit is Argentina where their vineyards are located at the highest altitude known for wine cultivation ranging from 300 to 2400 meters above sea level, with the average being 900 meters above sea level.
- Does any state in the US have as their state flower grape flowers?
In 1892 the Oregon Grape Flower became the State Flower. It is a low maintenance plant that is used in landscaping.
