Monday, February 24, 2014

The Red Stuff

The best Red Wines can range from a light earthy Pinot Noir to a full bodied juicy Cabernet Sauvignon, and include everything in between. Whether you enjoy a bit more sweetness in your wine like that of a Zinfandel, or more tart cherry aromas like those found in Sangiovese. Whatever your preference there's a great red wine out there just waiting for you.

What differentiates a white wine from a red wine is how the wine is made. A white wine is made using just the juice from the grapes, in fact a white wine can be made from red grapes, however a white grape cannot be made into a red wine. . While a red wine is made using the skins, seeds, juice, meat, and stems of the grape. It is from the skin and meat that the colour comes from, and the seeds and stems are where the marjority of a red wines tannins come from. During fermentation red wines are left in contact with their crushed skins to extract as much colour as possible, while some are left in contact with the seeds and stem to extract as much tannins as possible. 

Blending a combination of grapes to make a wine is something done with both white and red wines, Champagne is a blend after all. But the most famous blend in the red wine world is a Bordeaux. The grapes permitted to be used in a Bordeaux are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Carménère. However Malbec and Carménère don't get much play in today's Bordeaux blends. The most dominant grapes used in today's Bordeaux depends on a variety of things but typically left side Bordeaux (Lafite, Haut Brion) is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant while right (Pétrus) is Merlot domainant. A red Bordeaux blend can also be known as Claret. But when those grape varieties are used to make a blend in another area of the world they are known as Meritage. Surprisingly blends are more common then you would think, especially when it comes to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Typically laws dictate that there need only be 85% of a grape variety for it to be listed on the label so more often than nought when you choose a Merlot at the store it has 15% Cabernet Sauvignon blended into it. Winemakers do this because Merlot can be sometimes too flabby and boring on it's own while Cabernet can be too tough, blend them together and you get a delicious wine.

The myth that red wine is best served at room temperature comes from a time when room temperature was a Castle in France. Nowadays room temperature is actually too warm for red wines. For lighter fruitier red wines like Pinot Noir serve between 10º and 15º Celsius (50º to 60º Fahrenheit).  For more full bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon serve between 15º and 18º (60º to 65º). When it comes to the glass you choose for your red wine, I like to think the bigger the better, but you should never fill it more than halfway. This has to do with putting oxygen into the wine and helping it give off more aromas. More of a bowl shape is good for Pinot Noir, while a deeper glass with a smaller opening is good for Cabernet. Another factor in getting the best from your red wine is to choose a wine glass with a thin rim and clear glass. The thinner the rim the less to influence the way the wine tastes.

Decanting is really only necessary with a fine bottle of red wine, meaning minimum $50. It is done for 2 reasons. The first and most overlooked is to avoid sediment that may have formed in the wine over time and if not done properly will leave your red wine cloudy and gritty. The sediment comes from age so the older the wine the more likely a decanting is necessary. When decanting for sediment you want to hold a candle or flashlight by the neck of the bottle after the bottle has stood upright for a few hours and when you begin to see the sediment in the neck stop pouring and toss the inch of wine that will be left. The second and most common reason for decanting is to add oxygen to the wine opening it up and giving the wine more flavour. Some prefer to use their glass to do this, while others enjoy tasting the wine unfold and develop in the glass as they drink it. But for those who want ta more powerful and flavourful wine right off the get go the decanting should be done slowly and steadily try to aim the wine onto the side of the decanter so it splays out thus putting more oxygen into the wine.

The aging of red wines is also something reserved for the top tier of the best wines. Most regular red wines will not benefit from any period of long term aging, and actually tend to lose their desirability within the first few years. This includes many of the mainstream brands we can easily find, therefore most everyday wines you buy should be consumed without a second thought. But for those top 5% of the best red wines from the best wineries like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Amarone, Barolo, or Tuscany, or Napa Cabernet they can be aged 8-20 years easily. Keep in mind there is a limit to any wines life so a good rule of thumb is to not let it pass it's 30th birthday unless it is a fortified wine like Port or Madeira.

The amount of time a red wine will stay good in the bottle after you have opened it depends on a few things. First it depends on the amount of sugar in the wine the higher the sugar content the longer it will last. So digestif wines like Port will last longer than a Sangiovese. It also depends on exposure to oxygen. The amount of wine in the bottle, less wine in the bottle means a larger oxygen pocket so the wine will go bad faster. If you leave the cork off more exposure to oxygen, so try to keep it on if you are trying to make a wine last. Another factor in the longevity of wine is the amount of tannins in the wine. A wine with less tannins like a Pinot Noir will go bad faster while a Shiraz will last longer. A good rule of thumb is to keep it in the fridge as a cooler temperature will slow down the wine's destruction. A generalization you can loosely use as a guideline is an average of 3 days, maybe less for light red wines like Pinot Noir and more for bigger sweeter styles like Cabernet or Carménère.

The main factor that has led many physician's to believe red wine has health benefits  is from a natural phenol known as resveratrol. It can be found in many plants like Japanese knot weed but also in grapes. The health benefits include everything from heart benefits, and lower cholesterol, to anti aging, and cancer prevention. Studies are still being completed on th e long term affects of resveratrol but the important thing to remember is that moderation is best. A glass of red wine a day may keep the doctor away but a bottle will surely not be beneficial to your health. Resveratrol is found in both red and white wines but the amount in red is much higher. The verdict is still out on which red wine has the highest resveratrol content but the Valpolicella producer Tedeschi has taken up the research and believes the grapes surrounding the Valpolicella area naturally have a higher resveratrol amount, they have been researching ways to increase the amount in their wines as well. Meanwhile some tests have shown Spanish wines to have the highest amount, while others debate Pinot Noir. The best way to ensure you get a good dose of resveratrol; keep switching it up, try as many red wines as you can (in moderation). Although the verdict is not 100% of the health benefits, you can be certain your taste buds will be 100% happy.
The important thing to remember when choosing a meal to accompany that great bottle of red you opened up is to think about weight. The weight of the wine and the weight of the dish. What does this mean? Think about how skim milk, versus 2%, versus cream feels in your mouth. That is what light, medium and full bodied wine is like. Or a meal of fish, chicken, or beef can be like. It is not about matching flavours as much as it is about matching weight. The important parts that determine the weight of a meal is the sauce, and the fat content. The higher the fat content and the richer the sauce the bigger the red wine can be. Which is why the full bodied Cabernet with beef is a classic pairing. It is also for that reason that fattier fishes like salmon can work with the typically light bodied Pinot Noir.

 Most of the wines in the world grow between the latitudes of  30° and 50° in both hemispheres. Ideal temperatures are 10º and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F). But what makes a great red wine? It is a combination of soil, climate, topography, and a great winemaker at the helm. Why are some wines so much more expensive then others and are they worth it? The easiest way to think about an expensive red wine is to think about it like a famous piece of art. You collect them for the history of it, for the blood sweat and pain that the artist (winemaker) put into it. For the sheer beauty of them. There are great red wines for incredible prices, just like there are talented unknown artists. But the Dali, the Botticelli, the Monet of the wine world are well worth investing in if that is the type of thing you value.

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