Nomadic Wines

Haas Wine Industry Series... Week 1 Q&A

Here is a list of the questions asked during this session. They were great questions, especially for people just getting introduced to wine. Rod Santos, from Wine Thieves, did an excellent job answering our questions. In general, he was a classy host for our first class.

I will try to recreate his answers, adding my own in some cases.

How big is a barrel of wine?
A typical barrel yields 25 cases of wine which is 300 bottles. This is 225 liters and about 59 gallons.

What is old oak? What does it do? What is the difference from new oak?
Old oak can refer to any barrel that is not recently purchased. Usually it refers to an oak barrel that is 2-4 years old. Older barrels are then called neutral barrels. As a barrel gets older it imparts less flavor into the wine. Also, winemakers often use older barrels because they allow the wine to breath, which means oxygen comes in contact with the wine. This can smooth out a wine's acidity or tannic character.

What is the typical mark-up for wine at retail?
Wholesalers usually pay about 50% of the winery's MSRP. So if it is $50 at the winery, the wholesaler pays $25. Retailers usually

How much do barrels cost?
About $650 for American oak, slightly more for Hungarian oak, and more for French oak (~$800 is typical). More prestigious barrel makers can demand higher prices.

How much does stainless steel cost?
Stainless steel fermenters cost about the same as oak barrels, for similar sizes. Larger fermenters vary in price depending on the technology; prices get into the thousands of dollars pretty easily.

What does "dry" mean when describing wine?
A wine is dry as long as it does not have any sugar or bubbles in the finished product.

What does "crisp white" mean?
Crisp is usually a positive description of a wine's acidity. Some would also call it a "pleasing tartness".

The bottoms of wine bottles are indented/convex... why?
Simply, this shape makes them more durable.

What do you think of twist caps?
Rod was a major proponent of screw caps. He supported them because he believed it was worth it to avoid corked bottles and it is easier to open.

What is the dripping coming down the side of a glass?
Many people refer to these drippings as the wine's "legs". There is a misconception that legs equate to quality. In reality, the legs are just related to alcohol and evaporation. Because alcohol evaporates faster than water and has lower surface tension, the water's surface tension increases. The legs get pushed up the glass until the surface tension pushes the water into beads. The wine that moves up the side of the glass then forms droplets which fall back under their weight.

How long does it take for a cork to dry out?
It actually doesn't take very long - most folks recommend storing wine on its side. It will be interesting to see how screw caps impacts this.

What does "still wine" mean?
A still wine is a wine without carbon dioxide. I.e. it isn't effervescent or sparkling.

What does "IGT" mean for Italian wine?
IGT is the abbreviation for Indicazione Geografica Tipica. The Italian government strictly controls the winemaking methods. DOCs and DOCGs are regulations that are based on specific regions within Italy. IGT offers regulations, but they are not as strict as the DOCs and DOCGs. Specifically, they are more flexible about winemaking methods and where varietals can be used.

What about sulfites?
In the United States, the bottle has to say whether it has sulfites. People will often say they have a negative reaction to sulfites, but most wines have some sulfites. Sulfites are a by-product of the process used to preserve wine while it ferments.

What do you think about Robert Parker?
The Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator are the most influential wine publications in the world. They definitely have an influence on popularity. The positive for Rod: they make it easier to sell wine in many cases. The negative: they can carry a little too much influence for pricing and consumers' choices. The hidden positive: wines that get okay ratings (<90 points) but consumers like can be had for reasonable prices.

Where does the name "shiraz" come from?
Shiraz is the name of the town in Iran where it is believed that Syrah was first planted. Genetically, they come from the same grape.

For more answers, I recommend a few resources. Many good websites have glossaries of wine terms. For example, check out GrapeRadio (also a great source of podcasts on wine). If you are looking for a truly complete reference, I recommend purchasing Jancis Robinson's The Oxford Companion to Wine.

Labels: Haas, wine

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 10:41 PM