…and more geeky stuff

Did you know that there are many things that affect the way wine tastes? Of course, the variety and ripeness of the grapes, the location, soil, climate and style of grape growing, the way the wine was made, the age and storage (elevage) of the wine, the temperature of the wine, what you’re eating (or […]

“Red, red wine goes to my head…”

…and heart, circulatory and lymphatic systems and evidently to my hands! We’ve been talking about phenols, and polyphenols. Let’s continue with another branch of the phenolic group: anthocyanins (and their sugarless counterparts the anthocyanidins). Anthocyanins are highly pigmented, water-soluble phenols. They contribute the red, purple and blue colors in fruits and vegetables. The colors that […]

Wine, all the way to the top!

We do this periodically to prevent the wine from spoiling. A barrel is not an airtight container such as a stainless-steel drum. A barrel will allow evaporation of wine through the wood itself and the tiny spaces between boards of the staves and the heads. This evaporative process drives the phenomenon called microoxygenation (or microx) […]