Wine in Cans

Believe it or not, wine in cans is in our future. The Aussies have been using them for years. Environmentally friendly, they have half the transport-related CO2 emissions of glass, are completely recyclable and back on the shelf within 60 days. They’re cheaper than glass to produce, lighter, unbreakable and more compact, reducing transportation and shipping costs. More mobile and quicker chilling, they can go places that bottles aren’t allowed like picnics and other events. They even come in single serving sizes. Concerned about the aluminum affecting taste? Not to worry! Like beer in cans, they’re coated inside so no metal taste exists. The only drawback may be a perception or image issue.

Wine for Game

If you’re a fan of game like venison, bear, elk, wild duck, wild boar, etc, then you know their flavours can be aggressive. Light wines simply don’t match. You need equally, aggressive, full-flavoured wines, sometimes with a slight sweet note. The match further depends on whether the game is wild or farm-raised. Wild game tastes more aggressive so the biggest of all possible wines will be required. In fact, making a sauce reduction with some fruit and utilizing the wine of choice, will help pull the overall combo together. Look to varietals like Syrah/Shiraz, Pinotage, Nebbiolo, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir or styles like Amarone, red Bordeaux, Portuguese reds and slightly sweeter whites.

Homogenization of Wine

Homogenization can be a potential problem in the future for wine. Modern winemaking technology and skill are so advanced, that poorly made wine will not be an issue. However, with everyone using new oak and many countries blending in non-traditional varietals, it’s robbing wine of its indigenous character. More and more, European wines are tasting like New World selections and vice versa. If this continues we’ll be swimming in a sea of well-made vino, but it will lack country, region or even stylistic character. This is not a good thing. The reason we buy specific country or regional wines is because of their specific character, taste and food affinity. If this is void, then wine’s unique charm is lost.

Back Label Descriptors

Back label descriptors indicating a wine’s taste and possible food matches are helpful. By reading these, you can decide if you’ll like the wine and if it will work with a desired meal. However, far too often, these are created by marketing folks who’s sole purpose is to sell wine but often don’t really know it very well. How many times have you read a back label that said “crisp, clean and fresh…goes with chicken or fish” or not actually experienced any of the tasting notes described? Probably lots! With all due respect to marketing folks, this important back label information should be created only by the winemaker for tasting notes and by a chef and the winemaker for possible food matches.

Generic Labeling

Ever buy a wine from some country, other than the original, that called itself Champagne, Port, Burgundy, etc., but it wasn’t? This generic labeling of wine is problematic as they often have little or nothing to do with the original. Certain similarities to the original may exist but different grapes or production practices may have been utilized. Sometimes back labels will specify, other times not. Only those wines produced in the country and region of origin under strict control qualify to wear those special names on the label. All others are a product of marketing. EEC countries forbid this type of labeling, but it runs rampant in the New World. Something important to keep in mind when shopping for wine!