Several years ago I started the Wine-phabet, a series that explored the alphabet through wine. I tried to find fun and different wine terms that would be both educational and fun to read. I thought I would re-post some of the Wine-phabet in case you never had the opportunity to read it. I hope you enjoy it.
Dosage is the adding of sugar to Champagne to increase sweetness levels.
Here is a closer look at Dosage, you need to sing it to the tune of Eric Claptons “Cocaine”.
If the bubbles are dry and you gotta ask why; Dosage.
They fermented away, how do we make it stay; Dosage.
It’s not dry, It’s not dry, It’s not dry…Dosage!
They used to use beet just to make it sweet; Dosage
At 32 its a Demi-sec, I’m talking ’bout sugar content; Dosage.
It’s not dry, It’s not dry, It’s not dry…Dosage!
At 10 grams its a brut, a little less its extra-brut; Dosage.
If Blanc de Blanc won’t do, try the sweeter, Doux; Dosage.
It’s not dry, It’s not dry, It’s not dry…Dosage!
How come it’s not dry, when its extra dry; Dosage.
So what do I think? Brut, you should drink; Dosage.
The Cabernet family has deep ancestral roots. Cousins, brothers and sisters interbred creating off springs, some worthy of being kings and others lost in the king’s courts. The king is Cabernet Sauvignon…the principle grape of Bordeaux and California. Prior to its rise to greatness, it had been raised by two other great grapes…Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Mother Sauvignon said to her husband, “My deary, look at his skin it is just like yours, thick and dark. In fact, he resembles you more than me!”
“Yes baby”, replied Father Franc. “But he has your personality, bright fruitiness and everlasting finish.”
As genetics would have it, each parent passed on his & her traits to their son, Cabernet Sauvignon. The outcome was a son stronger than his father and more adventurous than his mother. This led him to travel around the world and conquer hundreds of regions all the time making more and more winemakers his disciples. All other grapes bowed to him and winemakers foolishly treated the other grapes like him. Today they are learning that Cabernet is Cabernet…the king. Other grapes need to be treated differently and the king is only as strong as his court. So blending his cousins and friends with Cabernet has only made Cabernet more approachable and regal.
Several years ago I started the Wine-phabet, a series that explored the alphabet through wine. I tried to find fun and different wine terms that would be both educational and fun to read. I thought I would re-post some of the Wine-phabet in case you never had the opportunity to read it. I hope you enjoy it.
What is that mold and rotting fungus growing on my grapes? What is so noble about it? For many years, grapes infected by Botrytis were deemed ruined, and thrown away. It wasn’t until courageous winemakers dared to make wines from these “diseased” prunes, that we saw it’s magic. Botrytis is like a parasite that sucks the water from the grape and in its place leaves a shriveled berry with a mere tear of nectar. It is in that tear that we see why wines made from these berries are so said to be noble and come with a high price tag. The final product is juice with intense aromatics, rich sweetness and lively acidity. The only problem is that it takes the right amount of humidity for it to occur, no more no less. Lucky are Bordeaux, Hungary, Canada and Germany. Ahhh Botrytis! How is it that something so ugly tastes so pretty!
Several years ago I started the Wine-phabet, a series that explored the alphabet through wine. I tried to find fun and different wine terms that would be both educational and fun to read. I thought I would re-post some of the Wine-phabet in case you never had the opportunity to read it. I hope you enjoy it.
Oh Campania! Italy’s finest region of the south is home to the Aglianico grape. One might want to address him as Signore Aglianico, because it is best to approach him with age. His wines are not for the weary at heart. Signore Aglianico is rustic, grippy and masculine! He is thick skinned and if not nurtured properly, he can be a miss-behaved outright bully. Signore Aglianico as a young boy might come across as a problem child, but put him in “time out” in a bottle and watch him mellow out. He tastes of black fruit, tobacco leaf, black tea and comes with a double spine backbone. Approach him with care, let him chill before you engage and his ill tempered youthfulness gives way to beautiful floral aromas.
In this new series called “Now I know my Wine-phabet”, I will explore letter by letter wine and what I believe are some of the most important and/or influential aspects in the world of wine. Since I am only choosing one topic per letter, many will be missed. Hopefully these posts come across as being whimsical and informative.
You might have thought that Zinfandel would have been an ideal way to end the Wine-Phabet. Although Zinfandel is great representation of California, I decided to dig deeper and get to the nitty-gritty of California wine history. James David Zellerbach, better known as Ambassador Zellerbach, is one of the most influential figures in the California wine history. (more…)
