Wine Service Complaint

Ever notice that in many restaurants when you order a bottle of wine, the waiter comes along frequently and tops up your glass to almost full? A wine glass should never be filled to the brim as it inhibits swirling for aeration and encourages spillage. In some cases, it’s just that the waiter doesn’t know any better or feels they are providing good service, but much of the time, I feel there is another reason for it. As they make most of their wages from tips, they know they will only get one tip from your seating. Therefore, I wonder if they hurry you along so you’ll finish your meal quicker and leave, making room for another seating and another potential tip. The more seatings, the more tips! That concept really bugs me.

What Determines Wine Prices

Ever wonder why some wines cost more than others? It comes down to vineyard practices, winemaking techniques and marketing. In the vineyard, certain grapes are harder to grow than others requiring more work. Older vines produce less fruit and hand harvesting is more labour intensive. In winemaking, soft pressing is more expensive than hard, some fermentation vessels are more expensive and longer aging at the winery costs more (even more so if in barrel, especially new). Packaging and type of closure can add dollars to the final price. Beyond this, small production and limited availability will translate to a higher cost. Even gold medals obtained in competition and rave reviews from the media can drive the selling price up.

Ziraldo After Inniskillin

Donald Ziraldo was the co-founder of Inniskillin Wines in Niagara and a pioneer in the Ontario wine industry and the creation of Canadian Icewine. Ever wonder what happened to him after he sold the winery to Constellation Brands? He started his own brand of Icewine and Riesling table wines under his own name and in 2011 took on management of a Port winery (Senhora Do Convento) in Portugal’s Douro Valley along with his wife Victoria. The Ports are fabulous as are the table wines produced by this house. His own brand of Icewine from the old Inniskillin property is pretty fantastic too. He now divides his time between Portugal and Niagara and spends much time on the road promoting all his ventures.

Decanters

Big red wines definitely benefit from aeration and the best way, other than just opening a bottle and letting stand, is to decant them. A decanter can be any vessel that has a substantially larger opening than a wine bottle. Ensure that it is made of glass or glazed ceramic only. Never use metal of any kind as this will leach. A decanter allows maximum air into a wine. It doesn’t have to be one that is fancy or specifically manufactured for wine either. It can be a pitcher or vase of sorts, as long it has more surface area at the opening. Decanters will allow a wine to breath and open up a lot quicker than simply letting an open bottle stand for a while. Generally, it can reduce the amount of aeration time required for most wines by about half. 

Wine Aerators

On the market these days are tools that will quickly aerate your red wine. They are usually small, hand-held devices that fit in the bottle, decanter or glass and mix air into the wine as it flows through or over it. They’re great for young, big reds that usually require a fair bit of breathing time before consumption. This method also softens the tannins somewhat, but is not a substitute for natural aging in the bottle that really does the job properly. I’ve noticed that these units don’t work well for mature wines though. The process speeds up their evolution and they seem to die in the glass. I’ve also found the process seems to make a particular varietal stand out in blended wines like red Bordeaux or Meritage. Interesting!

Crushing Grapes by Foot

Ancient man made wine by crushing grapes by foot and today there still may be some isolated communities or home winemakers who utilize this technique. Today, however, there are no commercial producers who do this, except for one part of the world, the Douro Valley in northern Portugal where world-famous Port is created. Teams of people, directed by a captain, walk bare-footed, back and forth, in a large granite tank called a “lagare” to crush grapes. Some producers use mechanical equipment that simulates foot trodding, while others stick to the old method. It’s labour intensive work, but Port wine made by foot-trodding is often better than those whose fruit has been crushed by mechanical means. 

Wine and the Tongue

The human tongue is an amazing tool, especially when it comes to tasting wine. It can experience 5 components: sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami (the succulentness of a wine). However, taste buds are varied. The average adult has between 2,000 and 10,000 taste buds. Folks who have more than 10,000 are considered "supertasters" because they experience more. Furthermore, taste buds are constantly changing. At any time we have buds that are developing, existing (the normal life cycle of a taste bud is about 10 – 14 days) and dying off. With this ever-changing landscape going in our mouths, it’s a wonder any of us can taste the exact same thing in the same wine at different times, let alone taste the same thing as someone else.