Wine questions

Here are some reader questions that have come up recently with answers that may be helpful for all wine consumers.

"I recently removed the cork from a bottle of wine to find crystals attached to the cork, what are they and is the wine spoiled?"

The crystals that you see on some natural corks when you remove them from the bottle are called tartrates and the presence of them does not mean the wine is spoiled. As wine ages solids that exist in almost all wines precipitate out of the wine, tartrates are one of those solids. They result from tartaric acid which is naturally created during the winemaking process and in baking is known as cream of tartar.

You will find tartrates like all precipitated solids more often in older wines. The reason they sometimes end up on the cork has to do with storage at the winery. Stored case boxes at the winery are stacked on palates with 56 cases to a palate, 4 courses or levels of 14 cases each. In order to fit on the palate and resist breakage the case boxes must be stacked straight up and down, not on their sides. Also to keep a natural cork moist the boxes are turned upside down so the top of the bottle is facing down. As the wine ages and the tartrates precipitate out they naturally collect on the cork.

Tartrates actually are found in many more bottles than you realize though. Since at home we store wine bottles on their sides many times you will see a "dusty" spot or accumulation of things on the side of the bottle after it is emptied. These deposits are the very same tartrates although the crystalline nature of them is not detectable since they are not in the light like the ones on the end of the cork.

Although there are two processes that can be employed during winemaking, cold stabilization and fining that can remove some of the solids; it has only limited effectiveness so you will still see solids in older bottles. In fact age is about the only fool proof way of eliminating the solids from wine. Also there are many winemakers who feel that the artificial removal of the solids during winemaking negatively impacts the flavor of wine, which is why many will designate their wines as unfiltered and unfined.

Your judgment on whether the wine is flawed or spoiled should always be based on how the wine smells and tastes so when you see deposits in the bottle, on the cork or in your glass you should always still smell and taste the wine to determine if it is still good. If you find the solids off putting you can filter them out using a funnel equipped with a screen when pouring the wine into your glass or a decanter.

"Are varietals like Pinot Noir, Grenache and other lighter bodied grapes age worthy?"

Absolutely, all you need to do is try Pinot Noir from Oregon, Red Burgundy and Gigondas from France, Spanish Tempranillo, and many of the same varietal selections from winemakers here in the U.S. What determines the age ability of wine has little to do with varietal selection and much to do with grape growing, harvest and winemaking.

What preserves wine in the bottle and makes it age worthy is acid. If grapes are harvested with too low of an acid level they will taste very good at a young age, they will likely be vibrant with fruit flavors but will likely fade rather quickly once opened and will have limited life in the cellar.

Wine grapes that are harvested in the early morning hours or in the middle of the night are likely to have the best acid and sugar balance as cool nighttime temperatures concentrate sugars and elevate acids. Wine grapes that are harvested later in the day will have the opposite profile.

Region matters a lot too, the cool nights throughout the growing season in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the Carneros district in Napa and Sonoma Counties, and Burgundy and Champagne in France all have very firm acid in their grapes giving the wines great longevity. It also explains why Pinot Noir predominates in these regions.

Winemaking also influences acid levels from the temperature at which fermentation is conducted to the time in oak barrels and the type of oak used are only a couple of the decisions that will affect how the wine ages.

If you are interested in ageing lighter bodied varietals like Pinot Noir, Grenache and others stop in the store and talk to us or your trusted wine professional about which wines are most likely to last the best. We are very familiar with winemaking styles, and harvest conditions on most of the wines we stock and can guide you to the ones that will age gracefully and reward you as they naturally progress through their cellar life. Remember too that price has little correlation to how a wine will age.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.