1 DOES CANADA MAKE CHAMPAGNE?
No. Only sparkling wines from the Champagne region of northern France can legally be called champagne. Even if wines elsewhere are made using the Champagne method (secondary fermentation in the bottle), they cannot lay claim to the title. Canada, like the rest of the world outside Champagne, including other French regions, can only call their bubblies “sparkling wine.”
2. IS IT WRONG TO DRINK RED WINE WITH FISH?
No. You would usually choose a white wine with fish because you need the acidity to refresh the palate, but some chillable red wines from cool-climate regions have good acidity (for example, Beaujolais, young red Burgundy, Ontario Gamay and Pinot Noir). If you do drink red with fish, chill the wine for 20 minutes or so to bring up the perception of acidity and freshness.
3. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TABLE WINE AND A FORTIFIED WINE?
Yes. A table wine can contain anywhere from 7 to 14.5 per cent alcohol by volume. A fortified wine will contain 16 to 22 per cent alcohol. Wines are fortified by the addition of grape spirit (brandy) to stop the fermentation – as in port – which leaves a significant amount of residual sugar in the wine.
4. IS IT DESIRABLE TO HAVE A “CORKED” WINE?
No. A “corked” wine is a wine tainted by the cork. A fungus from the roots of cork trees can interact with the chlorine used to bleach corks to produce Trichloroanisole, a compound that makes the wine smell like a musty basement or wet cardboard. Just like the Richter scale for seismic activity, there are degrees of corkiness. When it's 7 or 8, say, it's readily detectable on the nose, but if mildly corked (1 or 2) the wine might not smell any different but its flavours are flattened and you're left wondering why it tastes different from the last bottle you had.
5. WOULD YOU SAY “NO” TO WINE DIAMONDS?
Not necessarily. When a wine is subjected to sudden cold – for instance, left sitting out on a dock in winter – it can precipitate potassium bitartrate crystals. These crystals look like splinters of glass and will stick to the cork or sink to the bottom of the bottle. They are completely harmless, odourless and tasteless and are no reason to send the wine back in a restaurant. In fact, the presence of wine diamonds can be seen as a sign of quality; they show the wine has not been cold-stabilized at the winery to remove them, a process that can diminish flavour.
6. ARE RED WINES THE BEST CHOICE FOR “RUNNY” CHEESES?
No. White wines such as Chardonnay or Pinot Gris go better with mature Camembert and Brie because of their acidity.
7. DOES “MERITAGE” ON A WINE LABEL MEAN IT'S A GREAT WINE?
No. The term “Meritage” was coined in California for red or white Bordeaux-style blends. (reds may include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; whites include Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon). These wines can be great, but it's not necessarily the case. It depends on the producer.
8. DOES A CHAMPAGNE CORK TRAVEL FASTER THAN A GREYHOUND LEAVING THE STARTING GATE?
Yes, indeed. With a pressure of 90 pounds per square inch behind it, a champagne cork will fly off the bottle at 65 kilometers an hour, which is marginally faster than a greyhound. So be careful where you point the bottle.
9. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LATE HARVEST VIDAL AND VIDAL ICEWINE?
Yes. Grapes for Late Harvest Vidal are left on the vine several weeks after the normal harvest date to concentrate their sugars. Icewine grapes are left until the temperature drops to –8 C. Harvested frozen, the grapes are then pressed to drive out the water as shards of ice. The juice from Icewine grapes is about one-fifth the volume of a normal pressing. That's why Icewine is expensive. Late Harvest wines are not quite as expensive, especially Special Select Late Harvest, which is marginally less sweet than Icewine and less than half the price.
10. IS TASTEVIN A SYNONYM FOR SOMMELIER, SOMEONE WHO TASTES THE WINE BEFORE YOU DO?
No. A tastevin is the shallow silver cup sommeliers used to wear around their necks — more as a badge of office than the tasting cup that is still used in Burgundy cellars.
11. SHOULD ALL WINES BE ALLOWED TO BREATHE?
Not necessarily. The concept of “breathing” is intended to expose the wine to air. This happens when you pour the bottle into a decanter or even pour a glass. Pulling the cork of a red wine and leaving the bottle standing for an hour is merely exposing the meniscus of the wine to air. It's the tumbling effect of pouring that introduces oxygen into the wine. Most red wines will benefit from decanting an hour before serving. Oxygen in small measure opens the bouquet and flavour. Too much air turns wine to acetic acid (vinegar). Very old wines should not be given too much time exposed to air.
12. IF A WINE IS SPOILED OR CORKED, CAN YOU USE IT FOR COOKING?
Absolutely not. Why would you want to introduce a taste to your marinade, soup or sauce that you wouldn't enjoy in a glass? Toss it.
Tony Aspler is the author of 17 books on wine, including his latest, Canadian Wineries.
No. Only sparkling wines from the Champagne region of northern France can legally be called champagne. Even if wines elsewhere are made using the Champagne method (secondary fermentation in the bottle), they cannot lay claim to the title. Canada, like the rest of the world outside Champagne, including other French regions, can only call their bubblies “sparkling wine.”
2. IS IT WRONG TO DRINK RED WINE WITH FISH?
No. You would usually choose a white wine with fish because you need the acidity to refresh the palate, but some chillable red wines from cool-climate regions have good acidity (for example, Beaujolais, young red Burgundy, Ontario Gamay and Pinot Noir). If you do drink red with fish, chill the wine for 20 minutes or so to bring up the perception of acidity and freshness.
3. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TABLE WINE AND A FORTIFIED WINE?
Yes. A table wine can contain anywhere from 7 to 14.5 per cent alcohol by volume. A fortified wine will contain 16 to 22 per cent alcohol. Wines are fortified by the addition of grape spirit (brandy) to stop the fermentation – as in port – which leaves a significant amount of residual sugar in the wine.
4. IS IT DESIRABLE TO HAVE A “CORKED” WINE?
No. A “corked” wine is a wine tainted by the cork. A fungus from the roots of cork trees can interact with the chlorine used to bleach corks to produce Trichloroanisole, a compound that makes the wine smell like a musty basement or wet cardboard. Just like the Richter scale for seismic activity, there are degrees of corkiness. When it's 7 or 8, say, it's readily detectable on the nose, but if mildly corked (1 or 2) the wine might not smell any different but its flavours are flattened and you're left wondering why it tastes different from the last bottle you had.
5. WOULD YOU SAY “NO” TO WINE DIAMONDS?
Not necessarily. When a wine is subjected to sudden cold – for instance, left sitting out on a dock in winter – it can precipitate potassium bitartrate crystals. These crystals look like splinters of glass and will stick to the cork or sink to the bottom of the bottle. They are completely harmless, odourless and tasteless and are no reason to send the wine back in a restaurant. In fact, the presence of wine diamonds can be seen as a sign of quality; they show the wine has not been cold-stabilized at the winery to remove them, a process that can diminish flavour.
6. ARE RED WINES THE BEST CHOICE FOR “RUNNY” CHEESES?
No. White wines such as Chardonnay or Pinot Gris go better with mature Camembert and Brie because of their acidity.
7. DOES “MERITAGE” ON A WINE LABEL MEAN IT'S A GREAT WINE?
No. The term “Meritage” was coined in California for red or white Bordeaux-style blends. (reds may include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; whites include Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon). These wines can be great, but it's not necessarily the case. It depends on the producer.
8. DOES A CHAMPAGNE CORK TRAVEL FASTER THAN A GREYHOUND LEAVING THE STARTING GATE?
Yes, indeed. With a pressure of 90 pounds per square inch behind it, a champagne cork will fly off the bottle at 65 kilometers an hour, which is marginally faster than a greyhound. So be careful where you point the bottle.
9. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LATE HARVEST VIDAL AND VIDAL ICEWINE?
Yes. Grapes for Late Harvest Vidal are left on the vine several weeks after the normal harvest date to concentrate their sugars. Icewine grapes are left until the temperature drops to –8 C. Harvested frozen, the grapes are then pressed to drive out the water as shards of ice. The juice from Icewine grapes is about one-fifth the volume of a normal pressing. That's why Icewine is expensive. Late Harvest wines are not quite as expensive, especially Special Select Late Harvest, which is marginally less sweet than Icewine and less than half the price.
10. IS TASTEVIN A SYNONYM FOR SOMMELIER, SOMEONE WHO TASTES THE WINE BEFORE YOU DO?
No. A tastevin is the shallow silver cup sommeliers used to wear around their necks — more as a badge of office than the tasting cup that is still used in Burgundy cellars.
11. SHOULD ALL WINES BE ALLOWED TO BREATHE?
Not necessarily. The concept of “breathing” is intended to expose the wine to air. This happens when you pour the bottle into a decanter or even pour a glass. Pulling the cork of a red wine and leaving the bottle standing for an hour is merely exposing the meniscus of the wine to air. It's the tumbling effect of pouring that introduces oxygen into the wine. Most red wines will benefit from decanting an hour before serving. Oxygen in small measure opens the bouquet and flavour. Too much air turns wine to acetic acid (vinegar). Very old wines should not be given too much time exposed to air.
12. IF A WINE IS SPOILED OR CORKED, CAN YOU USE IT FOR COOKING?
Absolutely not. Why would you want to introduce a taste to your marinade, soup or sauce that you wouldn't enjoy in a glass? Toss it.
Tony Aspler is the author of 17 books on wine, including his latest, Canadian Wineries.
