The Night Before Christmas

It was the night before Christmas and Santa was busy. Picking wine presents was making him dizzy. Wine bottles, corkscrews and books by the dozens. Decanters, glasses and screwpulls for cousins. Storage equipment, racking and tags. Stuff for the cellar, maybe even some bags. If feeling inspired, don’t give up hope. A trip to wine country will help them cope. If feeling confused, here’s what to do. Gift certificates will always come through. Seminars, tastings, courses and more. The gift of wine sure ain’t no bore. So remember you this when the big guy comes calling. Milk and some cookies might not be enthralling. A small glass of Icewine might just do the trick. To put a big smile on the face of St. Nick. Happy Holidays!

Port

With the cooler weather here, a small glass of Port seems enticing. This famous fortified wine from northern Portugal has brandy added to it during fermentation, increasing the alcohol to around 20%. There are several distinctions in port. First, most Port is blended and not from a single year. Secondly, some Port is wood-aged while others are bottle aged. Wood-aged Port spends the majority of its life in barrel taking on woody characteristics. They tend to be more elegant and round. Bottle-aged Port spends little time in barrel and is meant for the long haul in bottle. These guys are much bigger and sturdier. With the exception of white Port, both styles are sweet, unctuous and pack quite a punch, so sip sparingly. Enjoy! 

Wine and Chocolate

Are you a “chocoholic” and wonder what wine works best with it? Normally, wine and chocolate don’t mix. Chocolate has a real coating effect on the palate, with which most wines can’t compete. However, there are some exceptions. Certain “New World” Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz possess a chocolate note so they may work together. Surprisingly, old Amarone provides an interesting partner. Sweet wines tend to mesh better though. Dessert Muscat with its peachy character is actually one of the best matches. Icewine also works. Bottle and wood-aged ports do an admirable job. Even sweet bubbly stands up pretty well. Finally, non-grape wines like strawberry or raspberry can hold their own with chocolate. Enjoy! 

Sur Lie

In winemaking, after fermentation is complete, the dead yeast or “lees”, as they are called, fall to the bottom of the container and the wine usually poured off of it. Some winemakers opt to leave the wine sitting on the lees for a while thus imparting more character. The resulting wine is then said to be bottled “sur lie”. It is most often used in the Loire Valley for Muscadet that is produced between the Sevre and Maine Rivers. Here the wine takes on a light carbonic spritz felt on the tip of the tongue. Sometimes it is used in Chardonnay to give the wine a slight creamy note. Either way, this interesting, winemaking procedure is but another option open to the winemaker to add complexity to a wine.