Tips and Tricks

Terroir is a term you often hear in relation to wine production. Terroir, in French, means "a sense of place" and encompasses all of the factors influencing wine grapes. Terroir refers to local climate, soil type, terrain (aspect, elevation), and even plants and animals indigenous to the region. Human intervention also plays a part, as factors in the vineyard (irrigation, pruning stems, thinning leaves, and positioning shoots) and traditions in winemaking techniques unique to a specific area can alter the final taste and quality of the grapes and the wine.  

Another way to think about terroir might be to consider all the physical and human elements of a "place" that go into growing grapes and winemaking – its unique terroir.

Wines produced by the same grape variety may be very different depending on where and how they are grown. For example, wines produced from Gamay grapes in Beaujolais, France (grapes grown on bush vines in a cool-continental climate on granite soils) will be different from wines made from Gamay grapes on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia (grapes grown in the vertical shoot position on a wire, in a moderate maritime climate on fertile loam soils). Both wines are very different and might be described as an expression of their terroir.  

Aging a wine generally means storing it in a cool, dark place for several years, allowing it to improve in the bottle. However, only about 1% of all wine is meant to be aged. This means 99% of wines need to be drunk young to be enjoyed. Wines that are past their best will start to deteriorate and lose many of the qualities that make them delicious. The rule of thumb is to drink light aromatic white wines like Sauvignon Blanc as soon as it is released. In fact, most affordable whites, roses, and light reds (like Pinot Noir and Gamay) are best consumed young. Fuller-bodied red wines can often benefit from a bit of aging, but again need to be stored correctly and away from heat and light (so not above the stove in the kitchen) and probably only applies to the premium (more expensive) reds. Knowing what to age and how long is best left to the experts. If you look your wine up online, the producer will often indicate when the wine is at its best (assuming it has been stored correctly).

Wine blending is when different wines are combined to create a "blend" better than any of the wines separately. For example, wines might be blended from different grape varieties, different regions (even differently fermented blocks from the same vineyard), oaked/unoaked, and different vintages. 

Wine blending is a process winemakers can use for a variety of reasons.

1- Wines from the same year of harvest (vintage) can be fermented differently and blended to create a signature flavour profile. Chardonnay is an excellent example, and you will often read on the label "30% oak" or “30% malo”. This means that 30% of the wine in the bottle has gone through oak aging or malolactic conversion, which will give it subtle hints of vanilla, toast, and butter. 

2- Wines made from different grape varieties are combined so they can add their characteristics to the blended wine. The Bordeaux region is famous for blending its wines, and the Bordeaux blend makes up the vast majority of wine produced from the region and is blended mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In recent years, winemakers have been experimenting with different blends of grape varieties to create new flavour profiles for consumers. 

3- Wines from various vintages (years) are blended. Blending is particularly important in regions with climates where it can be a challenge to ripen grapes consistently year after year. For example, non-vintage Champagne is wine blended from different years to produce a consistent "house style". 

Winemakers use oak to vary a wine's colour, flavour, and tannin profile. Traditionally this was achieved through fermenting or aging the wine in oak barrels. However, adding oak chips or staves to wine fermented in stainless steel can achieve a similar flavour profile. Oak adds flavour and aromas to the wine, such as vanilla, clove, spice, smoke and char. Oak barrels will also impart other qualities to wine through low-level exposure to oxygen. 

The oak's porous nature allows for the wine's micro-oxygenation, which winemakers can employ to produce a smoother, rounder finish.

Semi-carbonic maceration is a process where whole bunches of grapes are placed in fermentation tanks. The weight of the grapes at the top crush grapes at the bottom of the tank, releasing their juice and starting the fermentation process. The fermentation tank floods with carbon dioxide (a by-product of fermenting grapes), and the grapes at the top of the fermentation tank go through a different anaerobic fermentation. This secondary anaerobic fermentation produces different flavours and aromas in wine. Beaujolais is often made this way, giving the wines flavours and aromas of kirsch, banana, and bubble gum.

Whole bunch fermentation describes a winemaking technique where intact bunches of grapes are placed in the fermenter rather than the grapes being de-stemmed and/or crushed. Whole-bunch fermentation affects a wine's aroma, texture, and tannic structure. Whole-bunch fermentation is similar to semi-carbonic maceration and brings bright and fruity flavours and aromas to the wine.

Unless you are in a fancy restaurant, most of us just pop (or, more commonly, twist) open a bottle and start to pour. However, there are a few things that you can consider to help you enjoy your wine.

1- Be careful not to go too far through the cork with the corkscrew. 

2- Don't pour too much wine into the glass. This allows the wine to have a little exposure to oxygen (which, in most cases, enhances the wine). It also ensures the wine in the bottle makes it all the way around the table.  

3- Always ask before you top up someone's glass. This enables your guest/friend to control how much and what they are drinking, aka “responsible service of alcohol”!

Sparkling wine has tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide trapped in the wine and can range from full-on bubbles to a very light effervescence. Sparkling wines can be made from any white or red grape and can be white, rose, or red and range in flavour profile from dry to sweet. 

Champagne is the most famous sparkling wine. Premium sparkling wines like Champagne are produced worldwide and use the Méthode Champenoise or Method Traditional. This process involves a secondary fermentation inside the bottle where the wine spends time aging on its lees (dead yeast cells). The contact with the lees imparts aromas, flavours, and texture to the wine of biscuit, bread, pastry, brioche, and nuts. 

 A faster and cheaper way to make sparkling wine is the tank method. The most famous of these sparkling wines is Prosecco. The process sees the second carbon-dioxide-creating fermentation taking place in a large sealed pressurized tank where the bubbles are trapped in the wine. The wine is then bottled under pressure. Because the wine spends less time in contact with the lees, the tank method produces lighter and more fruit-forward sparkling wines.

Another process, which uses aspects of both the traditional and tank methods, is the transfer method. In this technique, the sparkling wine goes through secondary fermentation in the bottle and is stored on its lees before being transferred to a tank where it is filtered. This process is much more cost effective and means you get the flavours and aromas from the lees aging without all the associated labour and storage costs. 

One final method is carbonation. Yes, that's right, think of putting wine in a huge soda stream (although I wouldn't advise doing this as it makes a huge mess and tastes nasty – and yes, I have tried it). In this method, carbon dioxide (CO2) is injected into the wine, which is then bottled under pressure. The resulting wine has all the flavour and aroma profile of the wine with bubbles. Again, think of a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.

 Sparkling wine is produced all over the world, although most famously in France and Italy. 

Champagne is the most prestigious sparkling wine, although Crémant (sparkling wine) is produced across France and is mainly made using the same traditional method. Italy is famous for Prosecco; however, it also produces Asti Spumante and Lambrusco. Cava is Spain's most famous sparkling wine and is most commonly associated with Catalonia. Sparkling wine is also made around the world, with fantastic sparkling wines coming from Germany, England, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

 There are four main sweetness levels in sparkling, often printed directly on bottle labels. Zero Dosage and Extra-Brut are the driest styles of sparkling wine. In these wines, there is a complete absence of sweetness in the wine. Brut and Extra Brut are dry, with a hint of sweetness, and are the most popular type of sparkling wine. Prosecco is the most notable example of the Extra Dry style. This sparkling wine is also dry, although a hint sweeter than Brut or Extra-Brut. Finally, Demi-sec is a sweet sparkling wine perfect for pairing with dessert.

The temperature is the most important of all the factors impacting the quality of stored wine. Generally, the ideal temperature for wine storage is around 13ºC, and should not be kept below freezing or above 20°C. However, more importantly, wine should be stored at a stable temperature. Temperature fluctuations can cause the cork to expand and contract, allowing the wine to seep out (or air to seep in) around it.

It's okay to keep screw-top wine bottles upright. However, storing wines with corks horizontally helps keep the cork moist, which helps prevent the cork from drying out, leading to wine seeping out or air getting in, which can cause spoilage and premature aging. Humidity also impacts wine storage. Lower humidity levels can lead to your corks drying out, leaving the wine vulnerable to the effects of oxygen. Your wine cellar humidity should generally be between 60 and 68 percent. Whether you're storing wine for years or days, keep your wine in the dark as much as possible. Light, and in particular direct sunlight, can damage wine's flavours and aromas. A wine fridge is a good idea if you need a consistently cool, dark, and moist storage space. A wine fridge keeps wine between 10-15˚C and at the proper humidity.