Jan. 18, 2015: Wine gives us so much that it’s easy to overlook its role in
the experience. As the reason for the life of the party, as the device that
enhances a meal, as the gift that demonstrates appreciation and respect, wine
can become just a conduit, a method for execution.
But what does wine get from us? What in its chemical or
other specific properties makes it work with us, and not against us? And why
should we care?
I ask this because it can get tiring always taking from a
bottle of wine. Sometimes you just want to give back. And sometimes the best
way to do that is not with honors, awards or compliments, but by trying to
understand where a wine comes from in the first place.
A good wine to start with is the 2011 Murphy-Goode Liar’s
Dice Zinfandel from Sonoma County, California. Or,
at least you’d think it’s a Zinfandel if you read the label. Do a bit of
research, though, and you’ll find that 7 percent of it is Petite Sirah. So, is the label living up to its clever name? Or is
this label technically right, given laws regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department?
The answer is it’s technically right. According to www.napavintners.com,
winemakers are required to list the type of wine on the label. Wines using varietal names like Zinfandel or
Chardonnay must derive at least 75 percent of
their volume from the designated grape. “Although
not required, many wineries voluntarily list the
proportions of the grape varieties that comprise their wine blends,” the
website said.
On that last point, the Liar’s Dice decides to gamble; it’s
not giving up anything more than what it’s required to do by law. Still, it’s a good buy for only $16.59 at the
Newburgh Schnucks. This Zinfandel blend offers a
nose of cassis, brown sugar and cigar box. It’s
light-bodied but yet, at 15.5 percent alcohol, deceptively powerful.
Another worthwhile wine coming in at a higher price is the
2012 Honig Napa Valley, California, Cabernet Sauvignon.
This wine has an earthy edge but also includes cherries and spice. It’s
smooth, round and impressive. But it’s also not purely a Cabernet Sauvignon
despite what’s written on the label. According to Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants, 7
percent of it is Petit Verdot and another 4 percent is Cabernet Franc. $37.99. Binny’s Beverage
Depot in Chicago.
The 2011 Dry Creek Vineyards
Heritage Vines Zinfandel from Sonoma County, California, is a good food wine.
It has a blackberry nose and a smooth texture, but the nose is better than the
flavor, which is somewhat muted and tastes watered down. However,
it went very well with beef marinated in wine.
This bottle is also not what the
label says it is. Dry Creek Vineyard’s website explains that it contains 16
percent Petite Sirah. It has 14.5 percent alcohol, and The Wine Vault sells this
for $17.09.
What makes some wines more aromatic than others? The answer
is complicated and involves chemistry. Cold temperatures can detract from the
aroma, and volatile and non-volatile compounds in the wine can also impact its
nose and flavors. Wine aromas change depending
on the age of the wine, their interaction with
oak, the grape varieties and their degree of ripeness. Roughly 80 percent of
what we taste is attributable to our sense of smell, according to Total Wine
& More. Since each scent (apple, clove and
vanilla, for instance) is essentially a chemical compound, this opens up
possibilities for doctored aroma profiles.
Some wines don’t pass the smell test. According to an article in The Daily Beast called “The Great Wine
Cover-up,” winemakers at the KWV winery in South Africa were caught adding
vegetable flavorings to several of their Sauvignon Blancs to give them
“varietally correct aromas of green pepper and grass. They were successful: The
wines racked up several awards before the fraud was discovered” in 2004.
So what can we take from wine that also allows us to give it
something in return? I’d argue for mutual respect. If you want to learn more
about a wine, do the research. Read the law and see what’s allowed and what
isn’t. And then do your best to make and appreciate wine within those
constraints. But wineries should not allow the pursuit of fame and fortune to
distort their purpose in making wine in the first place. That’s not how to
honor wine. That’s not how to honor people, either.
