For custom wine and labels go to www.AmberCrestWinery.com

As I’m drinking that wine and thinking about my health, I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about the health benefits of red wine.

The health benefits of red wine are a very popular topic now.  It all stated with something called the “French Paradox” Most of you know my thoughts on the French, so you can insert your own joke here…

But the French Paradox is that the French typically eat lots of thick creamy sauces and foods high in cholesterol, but live longer, weigh less and are usually healthier than most other people.  That’s the paradox.  Researchers have finally determined that since their diet is usually accompanied by red wines, there must be something in the wine that is good for you.  OK, besides the alcohol…

What they found is a large number of anti-oxidants and something called Resveratrol.  It’s a naturally occurring chemical that aids in anti-ageing, cancer prevention and preventing heart disease. 

Now lets go to our question of the week

When I’m at the wine store there are lots of different choices, even within the same variety.  I like trying new wines.  Is there a way to know if I’ll probably like a wine before I buy it?

It’s actually quite simple.  Here’s alls ya got to know.

The first thing Larry is to know your flavor profile.  In our last episode we actually had a fun little quiz that would help you determine what style and variety of wine you will like.  Once you take that quiz or know from experience what your flavor profile preferences are then take a look at the label and look for things that represent that flavor profile.  For instance in you like sweeter wines, look for wines lower in alcohol percentage or higher in you like drier wines.  The sugar in the grape turns to alcohol during fermentation.  The higher the alcohol, usually the longer the wine has fermented. Meaning more sugar has been used, leaving a drier wine because very little sugar remains. 

Next decide in you like light, medium or full bodied wines.  Alcohol percentage again here is key.  Alcohol is more dense that water so usually the higher the percentage, the more full bodied the wine.  Wine that has been on oak is typically more full bodied, also.

For reading her question on air, Larry Hampton receives a $25 gift certificate to use toward custom labels wine at www.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.

Well, my friends, Chardonnay is like the popular kid.  The one everybody knows. 

The reason it’s so popular is because it grows almost anywhere and can grow well in a variety of climates.  Combine that with high consumer name recognition, great taste and voila, the number one selling white.

The main distinction of chardonnay is that probably 99% of the time, it’s made with a heavier oak flavor.  Most whites have no oak or a nominal amount.  So if you like an oak or woody flavor, this wine is for you.  Usually all or most reds are stored in oak.  The fuller flavors of red can handle the oak.  Chardonnay on the other hand, is full flavored enough that the oak becomes a compliment to the flavor.  It doesn’t overpower the wine in most cases like it would with other whites.

May times you will hear people describe chard as buttery or have a flavor of vanilla.  Huh?  OK, here’s why.  The vanilla is derived from the oak.  Since most whites are not in oak, the vanilla is somewhat unique to chard.  Stick the ole schooze in your glass and look for the vanilla.  It’s actually very pleasant.  The butter is actually a factor of how the wine is fermented.  Without getting into details, the fermentation is similar to what milk goes through to make butter, ergo the buttery flavor.

 So here’s the wine skinny on Chardonnay:

*Typically drier and more full bodied that most whites

*One of the few whites with an oak flavor

*Usually has a butter and vanilla flavor with hints of citrus

*America’s most popular white wine

 Give Chardonnay a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Cheers!

Mark Adams

I have seen thousands of people taste wine and I’m convinced that we all are predetermined to like certain wines.  So I decided to come up with a very simple way to help you determine which wines you’ll probably like.  Obviously this is not scientific but over time has proved to be pretty accurate.  So lets ask the million dollar question…

What wine profile am I?
 
Give yourself 1 point for every time you answered # 1
2 points for every time you answered # 2
and 3 points for every time you answered # 3

OK, there’s only 4 questions if you want to use brain instead, I think you can remember.

What types of foods do you typically eat most?
1  Lighter foods like soups or salads
2  Medium foods like grilled chicken or fish
3  Heavier foods like steaks or fried foods
 
Assuming you eat chicken wings (and who doesn’t) how much heat do you like?
1  Mild
2  Medium
3  Hot
4  Thermonuclear (Hey, if enough people pick this one, maybe we’ll add a line of Amber Crest hot sauces…
 
How old are you?
1  21-39
2  40-59
3  60-up
Remember like wine, we get better with age!!
 
Which do you prefer?
1  Sweet Tea and soft drinks
2  Unsweet Tea
3  Coffee
4  Wine…OK don’t count this one, but you should get bonus points if you picked number 4 here…
 
 
Now slide up to the edge of your seats.  Hold on and prepare to be amazed!
 
Light

If you scored between 4 and 5 you will probably prefer lighter wines and should try fruit infused wines and maybe something like a Pinot Grigio.  Most people start out in the range.
 
Dry and Crisp

If you scored between 6 and 8 you will probably prefer more crisp whites like a drier Riesling or maybe a Chardonnay
 
Bold and Full Bodied

If you scored between 9 and 10 you will probably like most red wines.  Try a Cabernet or a Spanish Rioja.
 
Dry and Spicy

If you scored between 11 and 12 you will probably like spicy wines like Shiraz or Red Zinfandel.
 
OK, this is not a scientific test but is actually a pretty good indicator or what types of wines you will probably like.  Give it a try!
What varieties of wine are best for tailgating parties?

In most places across the county this time of the year is still a little warm so fruit infused wines would be refreshing and make a great first drink

White zinfandel or any rose is served chilled and goes with almost any type of food especially hamburgers

For whites I would recommend a drier white like chardonnay.

For a red, pinot noir is an excellent choice.  It goes really well with a variety of foods.  I really like it with fried chicken and it’s strong enough to go with fancier red meats, also

But something that would really make your tailgate party and any party for that matter stand out is if you custom labeled your wine to reflect the occasion.  For instance you could create labels that say Malone Tailgate Reserve, Raleigh, NC October 12, 2009  Think of the fun that would be….
Lets stick with our fall and tailgating theme and talk about White Zinfandel

White Zin is the first blush we have talked about.  Its not really white, its pink but its called rose, huhhhhh???  The juice from all grapes is clear.  Squeezed out juice is used to make white wine.  For red wines the skins are mixed in and the pigments from those skins colors the wine red.  For rose or blushes, the skins are only mixed in for a little bit and taken out before the wine becomes dark red.

White Zinfandel was made popular in the country all by a mistake.  The story goes that Robert Mondavi, one of the wine pioneers in California in the 70’s and actually one of the biggest wineries in the country was fermenting zinfandel a red wine, when he took the skins out of the fermentation tank too soon.  The wine was pink.  Unsure what to do with this “damaged” wine he served it to his staff at their harvest picnic and as word spread how good the wine was and orders starting coming in, he decided to continue making mistakes on his zinfandel and the rest as they say is history.

So here’s the White Zin 411:

*Some of the same flavors as red without all bite and dryness.
*Has a touch of sweetness
*Actually a really good food wine
*Became popular because of a mistake
*Usually inexpensive
*Guys hear me when I say this, chicks dig this wine
*and BTW, chicks dig wine men

I’ll leave you to ponder over that wineism…

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 will show talk about the health benefits of red wine and we’ll learn about one of the most versatile wines, Chardonnay. See ya next time. Same bat time, same bat channel. Cheers!

Understanding Those Crazy Wine Words

Vintage

The year the grapes were harvested.  In the northern hemisphere harvest is in the fall.  In the southern hemisphere, the harvest is in the spring.

Sweet

I usually don’t try and tell someone whether a wine is sweet or not because its so subjective.  All I can tell you is you have to taste enough wines for you to establish a baseline of what is “sweet” to you.

Dry

Dry is like the term sweet and is very subjective.  Usually, the drier the wine, the more your mouth will pucker.  This is caused by tannins.

Tannin

Tannins are all throughout the leaves, the vine, but primarily the skins of the grape.  They are bitter and they don’t taste good.  When you hear that wine has to be aged, it’s because of tannins.  What starts out as something very bitter, over time chemically breaks down, changes from bitter to a very smooth taste and gives the wine a different flavor.  But for our purposes, all you really need to know is that tannins are what cause your mouth to pucker.

Acidity

Well in reality, acidity in wine is what your taste buds recognize as sour.  The sour balances off the sweetness and dryness of wines.  Acidity is what gives wine its “bite”

Body

Body of wine refers to the weight of wine or how heavy it feels on your tongue.  Think of water as you baseline.  Alcohol is more dense than water so it is heaver.  So usually the more alcohol the heavier body the wine.  .

Finish

It’s simply how a wine tastes on the back of your throat.

Complex

Wines that have several flavors and aromas.  You can detect the sweetness, the dryness, the acidity, the fruit and any other flavors like spice.

Well Balanced

Wines that are complex, but the flavors and aromas are in perfect proportion

Question of the week

Charlie Smith writes in and asks, Mark, I would like to visit several wineries in my area.  What should I expect to see and do?

Typically you will go the tasting room and be offered 4-5 samples for either a nominal cost or sometimes even free.  Realize the samples are about 1 ounce. 

Usually the tasting is followed by a tour.  Most people choose to buy several bottles after a tasting. 

 Heres the skinny on Pinot Grigio:

Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris

For one sip of wine…same grape or not??  Actually, yes.  For two sips of wine…same flavor and style or not??  Actually, no.  The grape is technically called pinot gris (gris means grey but the wine is really gold but is called white) Still with me?  It is grown and fermented throughout the world.  Most winemakers believe and logic would suggest that somewhere some bored winemaker grafted parts of the pinot noir (red grape) onto some other form of white vine to create pinot gris.  Kinda of confusing.  Its called pinot gris throughout the world except in Italy.  There it’s called pinot grigio.  

Cheers!

Mark Adams

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

Ya know, somewhere along the way, wine became stuffy and snooty.  I don’t know why, but somehow I think we ought to blame the French… 

As wine becomes more popular, it seems that I’m meeting a large number of people who think because they know a little bit about wine, it gives them license to act like a pretentious jackass.  When I hear somebody spout off like this I’m thinking… Dude…it’s just grape juice….

I think that sums up my philosophy on wine.  The good news is that most people are not wine snobs.  I think that 99% of the people I’m around have what I think is the right idea.  Which is…wine tastes good, its fun to learn about and its great to share with friends.  It’s those 99% of youwho I hope watch this show.

I don’t like wine snobs…We’ll make fun of them here.  What’s your best wine snob story?  Leave it in the comments section.

I do own a winery, AmberCrestWinery.com and earn my living as a winemaker.  I have written a book on wine and speak about wine quite often. I created the Really Fun Wine show because I wanted to show you how easy learning about and enjoying wine can be. 

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach thousands of people in my wine classes and I’ve found that one of the main things that keeps people from getting more involved with wine is that there is almost a concern or in some people a downright fear that they are going to embarrass themselves or make some kind of ‘wine faux pas” Well, I’m here to tell you, you can’t and who cares if you do.  Even if you did, I think that somehow, life will probably go on.  So to get the most out of this show don’t worry about it, relax and have a good time.

As we progress, we will cover topics, like how to get the most out of tasting wines, how to determine your wine flavor profile and answer questions that most people have about wine.  Each week we’ll even discuss the characteristics of a different variety of wine.  After a few episodes, you’ll no doubt be an expert on wine.  Just promise not to turn into a wine snob on me….

Our wine this week is fruit infused wines…What are they?  Why should I start out drinking them? 

Basically, these wines start out as a traditional wine and then have a fruit flavor added.  For instance, maybe a merlot with raspberry or a zinfandel with pomegranate, maybe even a riesling with green apple.   They are great first wines to try.

Fruit infused wines will typically don’t have a “bite” to them and they will be smoother than traditional wines.  A perfect description would be light and fruity. 

So thanks for watching, let me know your thoughts on the show and remember to sign up for show updates.

Cheers

Mark Adams

Really Fun Wine Show

The Really Fun Wine Show will launch in the next few days.  It will be a weekly show on how to enjoy and learn about wine.  Sign up for show updates and we will notify you when our first episode goes live.      Thanks.     See ya soon.