Wine Guide: A Guide to Good Wine Drinking, Part 3

Vilma Mazaite is the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at the famous Little Nell hotel in Aspen, Colorado. She has a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, has been awarded the Advanced Sommelier title and is on her way to becoming the Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. In this final part of the series, transcribed from an interview by our reviewer Vilma Darling, Vilma shares some of her knowledge with Bon Vivant.

Part 3: When in the Shop… Vilma’s Crash Course on Popular Grape Varieties

If you know the main characteristics of some of the most popular grape varieties, you’ll find it much easier to navigate in the shop. You could refer to a book or check on the internet which flavours are typical to certain grapes, otherwise, read on for a crash course on the most popular wines.

Cabernet – has a specific structure, with lots of black current, cassis flavours, definitely high in tannins and high in acidity, which means it is a food friendly wine. Tannins in wine from Napa Valley will be overshadowed by fruit. Cabernet from the Old World usually develops more tobacco and leather aromas – for example, Cabernet form Bordeaux is more earth than fruit driven.

Merlot – almost opposite from Cabernet, Merlot has softer tannins and is less acidic, so it is a bit rounder and softer. It has plum aromas and is more fruit driven. People love Merlot wine; it’s a real crowd pleaser.

Pinot Noir – is always lighter, has good acidity and a medium body, with strawberry and red berry aromas versus black. It’s more tart, doesn’t have much of the tannins and so is smoother, more elegant and food friendly.

Nebbiolo – very, very tart. Barolo Barbesco made from Nebbiolo grapes is very high in acid and tannins. When grapes are high in tannins, you want to buy them a little bit older. When they get older, the tannins soften – the acidity of tannins mould together in a bottle and is much more appealing to drink.

That’s why Bordeaux wines aregreat to keep for longer. You put them away because the tannins can be a little bit too harsh in their youth, so a little older Bordeaux would be much more enjoyable.

Pinot Noir will also become a little bit softer and more elegant with age, so the tartiness and the acidity will mellow down. Some white Burgundies can age for many, many years. The tannins and the acidity of the sugar are the two key elements for wine to age. These are the preservatives that work their way into the wine flavour. As white Burgundy is very, very acidic, it ages extremely well.

German Riesling can age for a hundred years because of high sugar and will still be amazing.

Beaujolais Nouveau – very trendy, it comes out right after the harvest. The wine is very fruity and easy to drink. All Beaujolais are made from the Gamay grape, but Beaujolais wine from the 10 Grand Cru villages taste more like Burgundy.

Pinot Grigio – has medium acidity and medium body. It is tempting to say that people who like Pinot Grigio like very neutral whites or neutral wines that don’t have much of anything really. Some Pinot Grigio wines are better than others, but many are made in a very cheap way. It’s not my favourite thing to drink, but of course some Pinot Grigios are fantastic. For example, one of my favourites, Venica Pinot Grigio, is very good.

If you like Pinot Grigio, you might like wines that have similar characteristics. For example, Grüner Veltliner, can be a little bit spicier. Many Italian whites, such as Gavi de Gavi also have similar characteristics.

Chardonnay – it really depends where it comes from. A lot of Chardonnays now are made with active oak, so they are creamy and buttery. But Chardonnay from Burgundy is more mineral and acid than oak driven.

Sauvignon Blanc – is bright and has good acidity. It also has lots of grassy characteristics and smells like jalapeños, gooseberries and asparagus, especially if it’s from New Zealand. The most famous Sauvignon Blanc region is Sancerre in France and its wine is one of the best whites in the world; it’s really amazing!

Sauvignon Blanc isn’t normally aged in oak, so it is fresh and bright and food friendly, but of course as always, it depends on what area the wine comes from. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is definitely going to be sharper and will have a little bit more of the jalapeño and gooseberry aromas while Sancerre wines posses all that greenness, but has more subtle flavours.

Champagne – sparkling wine was actually discovered in the South of France and not the Northern Champagne region. Today sparkling wines from the Champagne area are considered to be the finest in the world.

The area is quite small, but cold and perfect for sparkling wine as the grapes do not get too ripe and have lots of acidity. Champagne is made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes according to the traditional method, which is labour and money intensive. The second fermentation starts in an individual bottle, so you have to add yeast and sugar into each bottle to begin it.

Italian Prosecco is much cheaper, because both fermentations are done in huge tanks. Spanish Cava, however, is done according to the traditional method, but from different grapes than in the Champagne region.

Cristal Champagne, made by Roederer Champagne house is one of the most expensive because it is a special cuvee (best grape juice, cuvée is the first 2,050 litres of grape juice from 4,000 kg of grapes). Cristal was specially made for the Russian tsar and has only been sold commercially since 1945.

Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are red grapes, but of course you can make white wine from red grapes when you don’t leave contact with the skin (juice is white from all the grape varieties). Champagne made from only Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier grapes is sharper and has spicier aromas. Champagne made from only Chardonnay grapes is more creamy, yeasty and has rounder flavours. Rose champagne has more strawberry aromas and is sharper.

Cheers!

For further information on Vilma Mazaite, please click here to visit her blog. What’s your favourite wine? We would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave your comments below.

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