Is it true that the longer the wine is kept, the better the quality ?

Similar to all living things, each wine has its own life span. Not all wines can be aged. Some wines are designed for drinking young (eg. Beaujolais Nouveau) and some wines will go downhill quickly, especially those easy drinking ones with lower tannin, acidity, body and concentration.

Why do I often get headache after drinking wines from certain countries only?

Sulphites is inevitably added in winemaking to preserve grapes from oxidation. In warmer regions where grape will get oxidized easily after harvest, the proportion of sulphites to be added in have to be higher. People that are sensitive to sulphites will tend to get headache.

How long can I keep an opened bottle ?

To preserve an opened bottle for next day consumption, it is suggested to re-bottle into a smaller bottle. Results will be even better if this bottle can be filled up, leaving as little space ( air ) as possible. However, if the opened bottle is left in room temperature for a few hours before re-bottling or fridging, performance can hardly be guaranteed.

What means by Old World and New World ?

Old World is Europe and the rest of the Mediterranean Basin – Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, etc. Both viticultural and vinification practice can be traced back to 4th Century and the concept of terroir influence on wines is emphasized. New World countries include US, Chile, Argentina, S.Africa, Australia, New Zealand where latest and scientific techniques are adopted and viticultural development is comparatively shorter.

Some people will get facial flushing after a few sips while some people will not, even after heavy drinking. Why ?

An enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is key in breaking down alcohol ( Acetaldehyde) when we drink wines. Facial flushing and rapid heart beat are physical effects of individuals having "inactive ADH" where blood concentration of acetaldehyde can be much higher than normal.

Is it a must to lay bottles horizontally in order to age ?

It all depends on the material of bottle cap. The reason to lay cork capped bottles horizontally is to maintain cork moisture in order to avoid cork to become dried up, shrinked or cracked and air leaked at the end. Wine in an air leaked bottle will get oxidised and damaged. Theoretically speaking, keeping screw capped bottles in either vertical or horizontal position will do no difference.

Why 750ml for a standard wine bottle?

Although the technique of glassblowing was invented by ancient Romans, the adoption of glass wine bottles was not common until the 17th Century. The size was not standardized and glass bottles were a "lungful" of the glassblower's air –usually between 700 to 800ml. In 1979, glass wine bottle was standardized to 750ml to ease international trade.

How to clean fresh (wet) red wine stain from washable fabrics?

The first important step is not to rub it but blot the stain with a clean cloth. Then use salt or white wine to dab the stain and continue blotting. Do not heat dry before the stain is completely gone or the stain will become set from the heat and impossible to remove. Other than using salt or white wine, there is wine stain remover – Wine Away

Wine breathing

To let wine breathe actually means aerate. By maximizing the wine's exposure to air will open up the wine's aromas, soften tannins and improve overall flavor characteristics of wine. For powerful reds, decanters will be used. For lighter reds, just pouring into wine glass for 15-20 mins before drinking will be good enough. However, mere uncorking a bottle and let it sit can hardly help.

Drinking wine for anti-aging?

High concentration of anti-oxidants called polyphenols and resveratrol are found in the skin and seeds of grapes. During red wine fermentation, these chemical properties are released. With a balanced diet, a glass a day will not only get your skin glow. There are studies indicating that you will have a significantly lower risk of Alzhimer's disease and cancer as well. It will be interesting to note that the amount of polyphenols varies with growing methods rather than grape varieties and European wines tend to have higher levels of polyphenols than US wines.

Wine tears and legs

Wine is a mixture of water and alcohol. When we swirl the wine in glass, a thin film of wine is created on the inside surface of the glass. As alcohol in this mixture evaporates (creating wine aromas), the leftover water-wine mix will create droplets (tears or legs) that fall back into the glass. It is a phenomenon of the Gibbs - Marangoni Effect, a result of fluid surface tension caused by evaporation. The amount of tears or legs hardly reflect the quality of wine. More "legs" only reflect higher levels of alcohol or residual sugar in wine. Temperature and humidity of a room greatly affect the evaporation rate, thus affecting the rate at which wine leg form. When you shake a closed bottle, there will have no formation of legs because no evaporation is taking place.

Sediments in Wine

Sediments only form in red wines that have been aging for at least eight years or more. These are formed from tannins and other solid matter that gradually falls to the side or bottom of the wine bottles. But for wines that have low tannins and cannot be aged, sediments will not form. Sediments are actually a sign of wine quality and can give the wine character and complexity. These sediments have a chalky texture, bitter flavor but harmless to health. Interested to try ?

CHAMPAGNE GLASS

Basically, there are four types in use nowadays: 1. Flute Glass, 2. Tulip Flute Glass, 3. Champagne Coupe, 4. Stemless Champagne Flute. 1,2 and 4 share the same long and narrow shape. This shape helps the bubbles to have a slow and steady rise in the glass while also enhances aroma concentration. Champagne Coupe is believed to be designed specifically by the English in 1663 to drink champagne and it was in common use in the 1930s. However, the shallow and wide shape of the Coupe glass allows the bubbles to dissipate too quickly and falls out of fashion.

Alternatives to Champagne

Champagne is not Champagne if it is not produced in Champagne. How Sparkling Wines are called then ?
Areas in France other than Champagne : Cremant *
Spain: Cava*
Germany / Austria: Sekt
Italy: Franciacorta *, Prosecco, Moscato d' Asti
South Africa: Cap Classique *
Australia / New Zealand / USA: generic term Sparkling Wines
For sparklings marked with * above and those labelled as "traditional method" or "methode champenoise", they share the same production method as Champagne. Prices range from < $100 to around $1,000, depending on production methods or vintages. Some are competitive to Champagne in terms of price and quality. Worth trying!

Sweetness in the Air

Today is the Moon Festival and sweetness is in the air. A few sips of cool sweet wine will certainly magnify the joy. The types of sweet wines available in market are:
1. Wines from Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac of France
2. Labels that print "Late Harvest"
3. Icewine from Canada or Eiswein from Germany
4. German Riesling with sweetness level reaching Auslese, BeerenAuslese(BA), TrockenBeerenAuslese(TBA) (TBA being the sweetest)
5. Moscato d'Asti from Italy
6. Tokaj / Tokaji from Hungary or Slovakia (sweetness level from Aszu 3 to 6 puttonyos, with 6 puttonyos being the sweetest)
7. Pedro Ximenez(PX) Sherry from Spain
8. Port from Portugal
Although the sweet wines introduced above have their unique aroma, palate and sweetness level, they all share a common effect when you drink to celebrate the seasons of life - enhance romance and deepen happiness. Will you get a bottle for celebration tonight?

Which style of Wine Opener suits you?

Explore the 8 major types of wine openers available in the market and find out which one suits you.
1. The Waiter's Friend - portable but need some skills when using it, price varies from $30 to exceeding $2,000 for the luxurious "Laguiole" brand.
2. The Winged "Butterfly" Corkscrew - user friendly style, commonly available in supermarkets for family use but the "screw" part tends to shread apart corks easily, price ranges from $40 to $100, depending on quality.
3. The Air Pump Corkscrew - easy to use by pumping air into the bottle whilst pushing out the cork. However, the mechanism will not work properly if the cork is already leaking air. Prices from $40 to $100.
4. The "Bunny Ears" Lever Corkscrew - perfect tool for beginners but needs some drawer space to keep. Depending on the quality and brand, prices vary from $150 to over $1,000.
5. The AH-SO Wine Opener - designed for uncorking aged wines, need patience and skills to avoid pushing the cork down the bottle when opening. Price varies from $60 to $200.
6. The Twist - Pull Corkscrew - very difficult to use if one does not have the force, price ranges from $30 to $150 according to the handle material and quality.
7. The Electric Wine Opener - best for those that cannot handle any other type of corkscrew as this one requires no skills or power at all, price ranges from $150 to $500.
8. The Table Top Wine Opener - easy to use and take up space, more suitable for restaurants and bars that sell Wine-by-The-Glass. Price varies from $200 to$600.

How to Chill Wines Faster

Normally we need to wait for a few hours before we can serve chilled wines at home after putting them in a fridge or freezer. Following are some hints to shorten the waiting time.
If we have ice available, we can put ice, huge amount of water, a few handful of salt and the wine into an ice bucket or container. Freezing point for salty water is 7°C lower than pure water which will speed up ice melting and quicken the chilling time by 1/3. It will take only 10-15 minutes and we can have a nicely chilled wine. If we want it quicker still, we can spin the wine around every one to two minutes. By this act, we maximize the contact of wine with an icy cold glass surface. However, it is better not to do it with sparkling wines as the pop up of wines when uncorking can be quite "threatening" and messy.
If we do not have ice around, we can wrap the wine with a wet towel before putting it into the freezer. It will take an hour and we shall have the icy cold wine.

Garage Wines & Cult Wines

Garage wines started in 1990s on the right bank of Bordeaux where some innovative winemakers produced wines of microscopic volume on tiny acreage without mechanical equipment. Garage wines tend to have lower tannin level, fuller body, higher alcohol level, more intense oaky notes and place less emphasis on "terrior" as compared to Bordeaux wines. The pioneer Chateau Valandraud from Saint Emilion handcrafted their first 1991 vintage in a garage and thereafter garage wines became the literal name for wines of tiny volume from high-precision vinification with sky-high prices. To list a few are Le Mondotte, Le Dome, Les Asteries, etc.
Cult Wines started in Napa Valley US where most of the wines are Bordeaux blend. They share the same characteristics of Garage wine in minute volume production, high scores from the famous wine critic Robert Parker, high price points and scarcity. Examples are Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Dominus Estate, Caymus, Colgin Cellars, etc.