Solutions for divergent tastes

Wine choices in general and more specifically here in North Idaho continue to expand, notwithstanding some of the current supply disruptions from the implementation of initiative 1183 in neighboring Washington. As our choices expand it is only natural that our palates and desires to have new and different wines does too, resulting in shops like ours stocking more and more varietals, appellations and producers.

We have always said that for us as wine consumers this is great fun! We are always excited to try new things, and to have the option of consuming a variety of different wine based on everything from our mood to the weather, from the meal we are having to the friends and family we are sharing the experience with.

Even in our small wine consuming household our tastes differ some. I still enjoy a good glass of rich California Chardonnay from time to time, while Mary rarely touches the varietal anymore. While we both enjoy lighter bodied red varietals in general, every once in a while a robust Cabernet still hits the spot for me.

This leaves us with an interesting quandary, should we open two different bottles when our tastes diverge like this? What are we to do with the left over wine so we don t ultimately waste it, or don't end up cooking with a wine more economically suited for drinking? There are answers and solutions, here are a couple of ideas for all that go through the same challenges.

The best and most popular solution here in our shop is half bottles. As winemakers continue to increase production of existing varietals, and as they add more types of wine they produce, a natural progression is for them to bottle at least some of these in alternative sized formats including both larger magnums, 3 liters and the like, but also half bottles.

We sell a lot of half bottles just for the reasons we talked about above, and the selection is improving. Whether your tastes are in white or red, still or sparkling there is wine to choose from in virtually every category and taste. As consumers you should be aware though that most times a half bottle will be slightly more than 1/2 of the full bottle price. This is almost entirely due to production costs. When producing wine in the small bottles wineries need to have smaller labels, smaller corks and foil caps, or if sealed with a screw cap those need to fit the smaller glass as well.

As with all parts of the alcoholic beverage industry these different labels need to go through the same approval process with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission or ABC. The other source of increased production costs is in the bottling line. Seeing a bottling line at work is a fascinating event to witness if you are ever around a winery when they are bottling. However, the bottling line whether a permanent or mobile unit must be stopped and switched over to handle different size bottles like the smaller 375ml bottles. The new labels, corks, foils and glass must be loaded into the device and the program changed to dispense the proper amount of wine. All of this takes time and labor increasing the cost slightly; compared to having the wine spoil though it may be more economic to purchase the slightly more "spendy" half bottles.

Our other favorite solution is a can of Private Preserve. We sell several different systems designed to pump the oxygen, which is responsible for spoiling or oxidizing wine, out of an opened bottle. The Private Preserve though is in our opinion the most effective, inexpensive and closest to what they use in a winery solution on the market today. The cost is $12 for an aerosol can that holds 120 applications. When you pick the can up it feels empty, but it holds a combination of inert gasses nitrogen and argon.

Both of these gasses in combination or on their own are heavier than oxygen so when you spray into the bottle the gas forces the oxygen up off the surface of the wine. You then re-cork the bottle and as long as you do not shake the bottle it will help preserve the wine and gain you 24 to 48 hours additional time with the wine being fresh and tasty. The product originated in wineries where they top both barrels post fermentation with gas to keep the wine fresh, and in the tasting rooms where unfinished bottles are topped with gas overnight to carry them to the following day.

As you tastes evolve both the consumption of half bottles and the use of a wine preserver like Private Preserve will allow you to try a wider variety of wine and avoid wasting any of the juice we all enjoy.

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. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.