I love going to my dentist. I never leave without learning something new. The whole staff takes time to explain in exquisite detail, complete with visuals, what’s happening in my mouth. I do my part by doing my best to be intelligible regardless of what instruments are in use, or how numb my lips and tongue may be. It’s my imagined obligation, you see, to bring the office up to date on any recent travels or local culinary adventures.
Little do I know, my passionate rambling and tangents make an impression. So much so, I’m invited to dinner at an area restaurant, where we discuss food and wine.
As we nosh and talk, I learn that my dentist’s favorite is white zinfandel. Blush wines have their place, but white zin is what I call “grandma wine.” While approachable and slightly sweet, it’s also mostly generic and one-dimensional. There’s a whole kaleidoscope of flavors in the wine world that it’s a shame not to explore.
We try some other more challenging reds with great success. I encourage further exploration through reading old Drink More Wine columns and having a tasting party. Wine needn’t be intimidating, and learning wine is a fun, lifelong journey.
Another place to begin is understanding wine labels. You don’t have to stare blankly, and then choose the most appealing graphics. First, understand that Old World wine labels show location, while New World wines indicate the grape. So you need to know that wines from Burgundy are mostly chardonnay (white) or pinot noir (red), and Bordeaux is sauvignon blanc (white) or cabernet/merlot (red) blends.
Let’s use California chardonnay vs. white Burgundy for sake of comparison. Generally, the more specific the information on the label, the higher the quality of the wine. This doesn’t always correspond to the best value, but at least you’ll know the particular origin of the grapes.
To start, look for the winery, say Maison Louis Jadot in France vs. La Crema Winery in California. The simplest wine is labeled for the region, Bourgogne (Burgundy) or Sonoma County. The next step up sources grapes more specifically: Mâcon-Villages for a precise area in the Burgundy region, or, in Sonoma, perhaps the “Russian River Valley.”
If the grapes come from a specific Burgundian village, then that name is spelled out on the label. In addition, some villages have been classified as “premier cru,” meaning the vineyards have special characteristics. The most highly rated wines, with the lowest yields (pruned for concentrated flavors), such as Corton-Charlemagne, are labeled as “grand cru.” This indicates the best soil and longer oak barrel aging.
For Sonoma (or other New World wines), the higher quality bottlings are shown on the label as being harvested from a single vineyard — La Crema’s Saralee’s Vineyard, for example, which is also from the Russian River Valley but a step up.
La Crema’s premier bottling is called “nine barrels” because the wine is created using the very finest wine from that year, or vintage. If you’re unclear about vintages, look back to my column from April 2015.
Next month, we’ll look at demystifying German rieslings. But in the meantime, visit your favorite local wine shop and develop a personal relationship with the owner or a merchant. The only way to grow is to taste as many wines as possible.
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 7, 2017.
