Date: Aug-Sep 2002
Vanilla and Fluted Bottles: Wine Wizard
MEMBERS ONLYQI often hear about the vanilla flavors in red wines. I know that those flavors are derived over time from aging in oak barrels. I wanted to know what would happen if you added a vanilla bean or vanilla extract to a red wine? R. Circe East Lyme, Connecticut AIt’s illegal for commercial winemakers to
Do fluted bottles serve any useful purpose other just for looks?
MEMBERS ONLYAh yes, the beloved fluted tops. I’ve heard many justifications for them from various folks, usually that the tops help you to pour the wine without dripping down the side of the bottle, but I really think it’s just one more packaging trend (like neon-colored synthetic corks). The Robert Mondavi winery was one of the
What would happen if you added a vanilla bean to red wine in hopes of getting some vanilla flavors traditionally given off by oak barrels?
MEMBERS ONLYThe Wine Wizard replies: It’s illegal for commercial winemakers to add anything non-Vitis vinifera to their table wine and still have it be labeled as such. However, I’m sure that many an enterprising home winemaker has done what you suggest. Indeed, since vanilla (natural or artificial) is a lovely flavor and aromatic component of many
Gewurztraminer: Varietal Focus
FREELike the proverbial little girl with the curl, when it’s good, Gewürztraminer is very good; but when it’s bad, it’s awful. This noble white variety with the pinkish grapes can produce spectacular
How Sweet It Is: Chaptalization
FREESome time ago, I had the pleasure of receiving four sommeliers into my home winery to sample my Cabernet Franc. Three of the four gentlemen were from France, one of them from