Perception of Components

When it comes to perceiving components in wine, like sweetness, acid (sourness), tannin (dry puckering sensation on the gums), consumers are all over the place. Some folks think a particular wine is too dry while others not so much. Many people find a specific vino too acidic (sour) when other tasters find the same wine quite palatable. Many more react extremely to tannin or bitterness in one wine while others find the same wine fine. It all comes down to an individual’s threshold or sensitivity to certain components. We’re all different and only by tasting with others and comparing notes can individual perceptions to components be realized. Once realized, you can compensate for your individual sensitivity to some extent.

Nouveau Wines

This is the time of year when all the “nouveau” wines come out on the market to celebrate the latest harvest. Whether it’s French Beaujolais, Italian Novello or others, these are wines made in a hurry that cut corners in their production. Hype is built up about them weeks before urging the consumer to be the first to taste the new wine from the harvest. It’s a great excuse for restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and private individuals to host celebrations to herald this event. Artistic labels, that become collector items, are often commissioned for the bottles. It’s really marketing genius. One must however keep in mind that these are not serious wines that will keep or age. They’re theoretically created to be consumed before Christmas.

Versatile Riesling

One of the greatest white grape varieties on planet is Riesling. Why? First of all, it’s relatively easy to grow as compared to other varietals and what you get out of the vineyard basically goes into the bottle. There’s very little manipulation in the winery and it remains pure as it does not see oak. Secondly, it is extremely versatile. It can be made bone dry, dry, medium dry, medium sweet or even extremely sweet. It is very susceptible to noble rot making some amazing dessert-style wines. Riesling Icewine is fabulous and probably the best in the world. Some great sparkling wines are made from it as well. From a taste perspective, it has great acidity that makes it amazingly food-friendly and age-worthy.

World’s Largest Wine Producer

For the last number of years, it’s been a battle between Italy and France as to who produces the most wine on the planet. Sometimes Italy, sometimes France! Last year France reigned supreme, but this year Italy has regained the lead edging out France as top dog. Italy was up 10% from 2014 while France increased only 1 %. There are so many wines produced in Italy that some aren’t even definitively documented and many do not leave the area of production. They simply get consumed right where they are made. Spain took third spot while the U.S. Argentina and Chile followed. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand were next. Overall, global wine production was up 2% from last year and the year isn’t even over yet.

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.