Posts Tagged ‘sugar’

The “Rough” Times: Acidhead Part 1

{ September 9, 2009 @ 1:35 pm } · { 1 }
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rough sandpaper

rough sandpaper

The “rough” parts of wine acid and tannin are crucial for adding structure, backbone, uniqueness and longevity to wine. If you have ever slurped some vinegar then you not that harsh sensation that I am talking about. By the way, vinegar is derived from the Old French word vin aigre, meaning “sour wine”.

Now we are getting into my favorite part about wine, the acid. Acid comes from the Latin word acidus, meaning “sour”. If you’re like me and love slightly under ripe fruit, lemonade, sour patch kids, vinegar, and citrus fruits then you too will enjoy this post.  If you don’t then you might as well leave now.sourgummy

Some people say that variety is the spice of life, well I say that acid is the spice of life.  It plays a fundamental role in giving wine flavor, freshness and that so called “interesting” factor. I cant stress enough how crucial acidity is in both red and white wines.  In whites, the proper amount of acids give the wine a fresh, vibrant, focused and clean sensation.  In reds, the acidity  adds character while balancing the darker fruit flavors.  Total acidity in wines fall in the range of .6%.

The principal acids found in wines are tartaric and malic acids, others include acetic, lactic, citric and carbonic.  Tartaric acid (TA) is the most important so we will discuss this in detail.  This type of acid is rarely found in other fruits and is one of the key factors for the suitability of grapes for wine making.  TA is also important for giving wine its longevity.  Wines destined for greatness will always have a solid and sometimes austere core of acidity and tannin that can make them undrinkable at their inception. Tartaric acid can also precipitate out into it’s salts that form on the wine side of  the cork.

The climate plays a huge role in determining the percent of acidity in a grape.  The cells of all living organisms go through  a process called cellular respiration.  The is the biochemical process by which cells break down nutrients  and convert them to energy(ATP).  In warmer climates, cellular respiration is increased  and tartaric and malic acids are lost and sugar is gained through the extra sunlight.  Learn about sugar and photosynthesis here. In cooler climates, the opposite happens, respiration slows down and acids develop while sugars take the back seat.

Cooler climates (Chablis, Champagne, Germany)—-> higher acid/lower sugar

Warmer climates(California, Australia) ——> lower acid/higher sugar.

One more thing before we go.  There is a process called malolactic fermentation that sometimes takes place after the initial alcoholic fermentation. This is when the harsher and rougher malic acid(the acid in apples) is converted into lactic acid(the acid in  by another set of yeasts.  Lactic acid is responsible for giving Chardonnay  its buttery and creamier characteristics.  I think I might have to turn this acid article into a two parter because there are a couple of more things that I would like to talk about, so stay tuned for part 2.

Balance is Key

{ August 5, 2009 @ 2:37 pm } · { Rants and Raves, Wine Facts }
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L. V.  writes

Francesco:
Here is one for you… many people enjoy wine at dinner but most believe that drinking different wines with different courses is a sure way of getting drunk or sick. Especially when offering whites and reds and finishing with a Sauternes. Can you give us your thoughts?

Thanks.

I hear this so often and the bottom line is – YOU GET SICK WHEN YOU DRINK ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.  Frankly, anyone that hasn’t had a sparkling, white, red, and Sauternes (sweet wine) in one dinner is missing out on life.  OK so having 4 bottles of wine between two people is not such a god idea, but a glass of each with 6-7 other people is a great dining experience.  Not only do you get to taste different styles of wine but you also will have great company to share your experience.  Wines were made to be drank with food and friends, and finding the perfect food/wine combinations can be a symphony for you palate.

The best wines are the best wines because they are perfectly balanced.  When you begin to drink more wines you will start noticing that the wines you like are usually the ones that are in equilibrium with itself.  In wine, 4 things must be insync to create a harmonious elixir; alcohol and sugar on one side and acid and tannin on the other.  It comes down to the smooth components (alcohol/ sugar) vs. the rough(acid/tannin). You are probably thinking “Alcohol, that’s not smooth”.  I’m sure you have taken a shot of vodka before now compare that feeling to taking a shot of vinegar.   The alcohol has viscosity and “roundness” while vinegar has the opposite flavor sensation.

marble

Everything in life is one big balancing act.  We are alive right now because everything that came  before us was balanced on a perfect string.  If our moon was ever so slightly bigger there would be mass flooding through out the world.  If the tilt of the Earth was .5 of a degree in the wrong direction, the sun would sizzle us like eggs in a frying pan.   There must be balance in everything we do from drinking to eating to having fun and being serious. Next time you are outside stop and take a look around, everything you see is there because of the trillions of balancing acts going on this very second.  I think we should follow in “their” footsteps.

As you can see, wine has the ability to transcend its barriers as just being an alcoholic beverage.  In fact, anything that ignites passion has this same effect.  What are you guys passionate about?

The Importance of “Vintage”

{ July 29, 2009 @ 2:43 pm } · { Rants and Raves, Wine Facts }
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In today’s post I will be discussing  the importance of a wine’s vintage in relation to this question asked by Joe S. ,”The knowledge area I have the least expertise in is knowing which vintage of a wine are “drink now” and which need to be aged. Can you please speak to this issue in future postings.”

A wine’s vintage can be a very important factor in determining when the right time has come to pop that special bottle or even in buying a particular wine.  Most bottles of wine that you come across will have a year printed on the label.  There will be exceptions to this rule like for some non-vintage (NV) champagnes and some “jug” wines.  The year  that is printed on the label is the vintage for that particular wine which means that the grapes were harvested in that year.

“Wine is sunlight held together by water.” – Galileo Galilei.

redwine This is one of my favorite wine quotes because it is so   simple yet undeniably true.  It basically says that all wines are products of their environment.  The weather where the grapes are grown ultimately determines the quality of the wine sunproduced that year.   A philosophy that I ascribe myself to is that great wines are made in the vineyard, not in the winery.  The reason why some vintages of a particular wine are better than others has to do with the weather of that year.  In order to produce a great wine all factors in relation to weather must be in perfect balance.  Most important are the day/night temperatures and the amount of rain that the vines receive. A perfectly balanced vintage along with other factors can create a wine that has the capability of living for waterat least 20 years. In the realm of vintages, basically four types exist: balanced, too hot, too cold, and too much rain.  However, we all know that the climate in California is going to  be different than weather in France, so one must take into account that climate in a vintage is only relative to the location of where the grapes are grown.

A too hot of a vintage ripens the grapes too fast.  Grapes need a long steady maturation in order for the acids, sugars, and tannins to be in the right balance. Imagine for example you are cooking a stew.  So instead of slow cooking the stew for a couple of hours you put all the ingredients in the pot at one time and put the flame on high for 30 minutes.  We all know that this stew will taste like garbage.  The flavors would not have had enough time to develop and some parts would probably be burnt and what not.  Well this is what happens in grapes as well.  The sugars develop really fast while the tannins and acids take the back seat.  The resulting wine will be very fruity but will not have the other ingredients to make a balanced product.  Hot vintages like those of 2003, which happened to affect most wines produced in that year, will produce  a wine with a lower than average cellaring capabilty, due to the lack of acid and tannin.

In a vintage that is too cold, the grapes do not fully mature leaving them with a high acid/ low sugar content and a “greenish” quality in the tannins.  These wines are very tart and would be like tasting an unripe fruit in simple terms.

Grape vines typically produce their best fruit when they under some stress. A year that is too rainy makes it too easy for the vines to produce grapes.  The grapes then become diluted with water and lack flavor and concentration.  Rains are especially bad right before or during a harvest.  The vines suck up the rain and the grapes take on a certain wateryness, <—-this is definitely not a word, which again dilutes the flavor of the grape.  Ever eat a fruit with no flavor?   The same thing can happen in wine.

So with all this being said, when is the right time to drink a wine and which vintages should I buy?  Most wines on the shelves are ready to drink now or within a couple of years of the vintage.   It would be impossible to list drink dates for all wines from around the world.  Usually the more expensive wines need some time to mature before being opened depending on the year.  If anyone has a bottle like this just let me know and I will  tell you when to pop it.

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