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In this episode we’ll talk about how to store your wine, make fun of a woman who microwaves her wine, give you the skinny on wine clubs and learn about one of your new best friends, Pinot Noir.

Hi. My name is Mark Adams and welcome to “The Really Fun Wine Show”.
The show that entertains and educates you about wine

People do some crazy things when it comes to wine. I talked to a woman a while back at a wine class and we were talking about the temperature of wine. I asked her if she liked here reds at room temperature or slightly chilled? She responded in a matter of fact way…”I microwave my wine for 60 seconds”.

Huh?????

OK, I was waiting for the punch line that never came. The class fell silent. They had the same reaction I did. We were all perplexed. The lady went on to say she just likes her wine the same as her coffee, which is almost boiling hot. OK, to each their own. I finished the class but couldn’t get the comment out of my mind. As least it wasn’t an annoying song you can’t get out of your head.

I couldn’t resist. I didn’t want to miss out on anything so when I got home, I poured some wine in a mug and put it in the microwave for a minute. My expectations were extremely low. I let it cool slightly and took a sip. Well, you’ve heard me use the expression bitter beer face. Imagine the worst bitter beer face you’ve ever seen times about a gazillion. That’s what it tasted like.

Have you ever heard the term cooked wine? It means a wine has been exposed to heat for a prolonged period of time, spoiling the wine. The wine had lost its flavor and was extremely bitter. “Cooked Wine” simple breaks down the flavor molecules and just destroys the taste. This is what can happen if you don’t store your wine properly and your wine gets hot.

So OK, now that we know what not to do to our wine and how heat can spoil it, so how do we keep and store wine so ya don’t have to make the bitter beer face when you taste it?

Very simple and here’s what you do.

Take your wine out of the car as soon as you get home. The biggest enemy of wine is heat. Never leave your wine in the car for any prolonged period of time. Remember in the summer the temperature can be well over 100 degrees in your car.

Once you get your wine inside, keep it away from a window that gets direct sunlight.

Keep it away from the top of the refrigerator. It’s really hot up there and if left long enough, it will go bad. Use the wine store as your cellar!!

Try and find a cool dark place. Your basement would be ideal. If you don’t have a basement, the bottom of a pantry would be fine. Remember heat rises and the floor is always cooler than the rest of the room.

The shelf life for most modern wines is 2-3 years. Most wines today are meant to be consumed as soon as you purchase them. They won’t benefit from any additional ageing. Use the wine store as your cellar!!

Lastly, its best to store your bottles on their side. This keeps liquid on the bottom of the cork, which keeps the cork from drying out, shrinking and letting air get in your bottle and spoiling your wine.

Well, there you have it, taking care of your wine is actually pretty easy.

Now lets go to our question of the week

Latoya Hanson writes in:

Dear Mark:

I see a lot of different wine clubs out there. I would like to join one. What’s the difference between them?

Latoya, glad you asked. I imagine a lot of people will give wine clubs as presents this year so let’s dive in.

For those of you unfamiliar with wine clubs, they are simply different wines that are bundled together and shipped to you or to someone else as a gift on your behalf. Wine clubs can be from individual wineries or from companies that package wine from different wineries. You will receive you wine usually monthly or quarterly depending on the club and your preference.

One of the fun things about wine clubs is that in addition to having your wine arrive at your door in a nice package is that in many cases you get to choose the category of your wines. For instance there are California only clubs, red only clubs, certain variety only clubs and even clubs from wineries that support charitable causes. Latoya, there is probably a wine club available for about any variety or theme.

If you like to try different wines, a wine club is a wonderful way to go. If you don’t know what to give the wine lover on your list, I guarantee they’ll appreciate you for having wine show up at the door on a regular basis.

Once thing you could do that really stands out is consider our Create Your Own Wine Club here at Amber Crest Winery. We have designed a club that not only allows you to pick your wine, your quantities and frequency, but does something that I don’t think any other wine club is doing.

That’s design your own labels as well. How much fun would that be? Think how cool it would be to show off your signature series private reserve at your next dinner party or put your logo on the label and have regular shipments go to your customers? The possibilities are endless. If you would like to learn more about our custom wine club see the link on the screen or click the link below.

Latoya, I hope that helps. Wine clubs in any style are a great way to enjoy wine.

Do any of you belong to wine clubs? If so, let us know your experiences below in the comments section.

If you would like to hear more wine tips, follow us on twitter and facebook.

For reading her question on air, Latoya Hanson receives a $25 gift certificate to use toward custom labels wine at AmberCrestWinery.com If you would like to submit a question to be read on air, click the ask mark pages and type away.

Now lets go to our wine of the week.

Pinot Noir

Maybe the world’s most complex grape. Hummm. Big statement. What does that mean you wonder. Well let me explain.

Earlier we talked about pinot gris or grigio. Completely different grape. In this case, the word noir means black or dark. Think film noir, as in dark film. This grape is of course a red grape. But not too red. Remember all wine juice is clear. What makes a red wine red is that the skins are mixed in during fermentation and the pigments from the skins give the wine its dark color. In white wines the skins are discarded before fermentation and the juice remains clear or “white”.

Look at a glass of pinot. It’s not dark like a glass of cabernet. Why is that? Simple answer. The skins on a cabernet or most other red grapes are thicker and thus have more pigments to dye the juice. The pinot noir grape on the other hand has a very thin skin.

(It’s a sensitive grape. We have to be nice to it…)

With a think skin, less pigments, ultimately you get a wine that is not as dark. How about that for some serious wine knowledge????? But I digress.

Back on topic.

Another thing that a thin skin does is make this grape incredible hard to grow and even harder to make into wine. You simply don’t have as much room for error as you do with other reds. That’s one reason it usually costs more than other reds. But the upside is that when all the stars and moon align and you get most of the variables right, you have a wine that’s taste could make the biggest wine snobs drool.

When someone is talking about investment wines or wines that are traded on wine exchanges, many times they are talking about pinot noir.

Like other wines some pinots can be light or full, smoky or not, but always has delicate flavors. When done well the flavors jump right out of the glass and make your taste bus eternally grateful.

Pinot Noir is grown all over but primarily in the Burgundy region of France. When someone is describing a wine from this region, this is the variety that they are no doubt referring. Remember, in Europe they refer to the wine by region, not by variety.

Pinot also does well in California. The Russian River area of the Napa Valley is well known for their pinot noir.

So here’s the wine skinny on Pinot Noir:

*Thin skin gives the wine great color
*Delicate and subtle flavors
*Called burgundy in France
*A must try wine

Give Pinot Noir a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Now its time for the big finish

OK wine fans, that concludes our show for this week. Thanks for watching. Please remember to sign up for show updates and leave your comment in the comment section. Our next episode we’ll show you what wines to serve for the holidays, show you how to figure out how much you’ll need and talk about a special November wine beaujolais To see all of our past episodes go to Really Fun Wine Show.com So see ya next time. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Cheers!

Mark Adams

 
Click here for custom labels at www.AmberCrestWinery.com

In this episode we’ll learn why it matters what region your wine comes from, talk about the differences between wines from the US and Europe, all while slaying the dreaded wine snob and discover a really unique wine, Gewurtztraminer.

On a recent trip to Rome in between dodging scooters, watching my Italian friends gesture constantly with their hands and appreciating all things Italian, I decided to embark on a quest.  Not a normal quest, mind you, but quest to end all quests.  A quest to determine the differences between American and European wines. 

After about 16 seconds of careful planning, I decided the sojourn would begin the next morning.  As we headed north on the Autostrada and I approached 120 mph, I knew if the shaking Fiat wasn’t going to kill me, my now paralyzed with fear wife and daughter would do the trick. 

So I slowed down to a respectable 95 mph only to be passed by a Magnum like, red Ferrari going no less than 200 mph. 

He must have liked wine, too. 

But back to the quest. 

I was determined to talk to several winemakers to find out what the differences were and here’s what I found.

Weather has a large impact on how long the grapes are on the vine.  Typically the warmer the climate like California or Italy, the longer the growing season, the longer the grapes are on the vine, the more sugar is produced and the sweeter and more flavorful the wine.  Usually reds do better in warmer climates. 

But once you get to cooler climates like Germany or the American Northwest like Washington and Oregon, white wines are king.  The shorter growing season creates less sugar and makes a drier, more crisp and acidic wine. 

So quest answer 1.  Know your regions climate

OK, next, what about the soil or as our French friends would say “Terrior”  OK as regular viewers of the show you know my thoughts on the French so no need to insert joke here.  Europeans claim the variables of the soil and microclimate give the wine its unique flavors.  That’s the real reason they call the grape by the region. 

As a professional winemaker and one who plays one on TV, I believe ‘terrior” plays a little but not as much as my European friends.

So quest answer 2.  Believe in the Terrior or not

Last part of the quest.  The winemakers influence or the process in making the wine.  I toured several wineries and couldn’t find much difference in European winemaking techniques than in the US.  Both places use modern equipment and techniques.  The only difference is that many French wineries don’t filter their wine. 

They say filtering takes away the flavor, I say who wants to see wine cooties in their wine?  I think they just don’t want to go to the effort and expense of filtering.  But they are French, you can’t tell them anything….

So quest answer 3.  Wine production is very similar

The completed quest.   In 2009 wines are very similar, the biggest difference is the climate.  If you like flavorful wines with a touch of sweetness always go US, if you like drier wines that are usually better with food always go European.

For me I had so much fun I think I will change this from a quest to end all quests to a never ending quest so I can go back to Italy.  I think there’s a Ferrari with 200 mph with my name on it.

Now lets go to our question of the week

Shelia Bryant writes in, 

Dear Mark:  I’m going to a wine tasting party where we’re supposed to bring two similar wines, one from the US and one from Europe so we can compare the differences.  What should I do?  HELP!

BTW, my hostess is a borderline wine snob.

 helia, ah, a chance to impress Ms. Wine Snob.  For all of you who are watching, remember we don’t care for wine snobs of any kind.  So that’s prepare you to do wine battle.  Think iron chef here….

OK Shelia, here are a few quick tips.  In Europe the wine is named after the region, everywhere else the grape.  Here are a couple of comparisons.

In the US, its Pinot Noir, in Europe is burgundy.

In the US, its Chardonnay, in Europe its white burgundy.

In the US, its Cabernet Sauvignon, in Europe it’s Bordeaux.

In the US, its Sangiovese, in Europe its Chianti

In the Us, its sparkling wine, in Europe its Champagne

In the US, its Pinot Gris, in Europe its Pinto Grigio

Now that you know some differences, let choose.  I’m going to make some assumptions here about Ms. Wine Snob.  She probably prefers cabernet. (most wine snobs do) So I would suggest some type of Bordeaux and to play it safe a cab from the west coast.  Or, if you’re feeling good, try a cab from your local winery.  To me, local wineries are always more interesting than national brands.  Plus if you go local, you’ll have a great story to tell about the wine.  Or if you’re really want to be the big cheese give me a call and we can custom label something that will knock her wine snob lovin’ socks off.

Shelia, hope that helps.  Lets all help shelia out.  What wines would you recommend?   Leave your comments below and we can all help Sheila defeat the dreaded wine snob.

For having here question answered on the air, shelia wins a $25 gift certificate to Amber Crest Winery.  If you would like to have your question answered on the air click the ask Mark button below and type away.

If you would like more tips on wine follow us on twitter and facebook.  

Now its time for our wine of the week.

Gewurtztraminer…Say that three times in a row

Gew is a white wine originally from Germany.  Gew is actually one of those wines most people have never had, but once they do, they really like.  Gew actually mean spicy in German. 

This wine reminds me of Donnie and Marie Osmond, ya know, a little country, a little rock and roll.  Ok if you’re under 30 go ask your parents, they’ll laugh and then tell you what that means.  What I really mean is it’s a bit like a traditional white wine in flavor, but unlike most white wines has a bit of a spicy kick as well.  Ergo, a little country and rock and roll.  It’s the spice that endears it to most people. 

So heres the wine skinny on Gewurtz.

Originally a German wine

Gewurtz means spicy in German

Non Oaked

Great with spicy foods

So give ole Mr. vurtz a try, you’ll be glad you did.

That concludes our show for this week.  Please remember to sign up for show updates and leave your comments in the comments section.  Our next show we’ll talk about glassware and explore our first red, your soon to be best friend, Merlot.   So see you next time, same bat time, same bat channel.  Cheers!