Hi from Rick: Wine 101 on Location
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| Vineyards demand careful tending, but — lucky for us — the roots have minds of their own. |
Dear Traveler,
I'm no wine expert and would never claim to be, but a few days ago I learned a lot by spending a little time with a sommelier in Paris.
Olivier Magny gathers tourists in a royal French wine cellar, a block from the Louvre. Two crude lamps hang under a rustic vault. Before us, sparkling empty glasses await an impressive array of fine French wines. As we drink, Olivier gives us a wonderful commentary. Here are a few excerpts from my notes (check my blog from Europe later this month, where I'll post a more detailed version):
At a tasting, when you sip a little wine and then suck air in, it exaggerates the wine's character. You're not making it better but bringing out its flavors, so that it's easier to identify the characteristics of that particular wine.
Terroir is a uniquely French concept. It's the "somewhere-ness" of a wine that can't be duplicated. Grapevines are creepers with roots going through the topsoil and into the geology deep down. While topsoil can be influenced by the vintner, the deep geology cannot; and this gives the wine a distinct character.
Because of global warming, wine in general is sweeter these days. A grape can't be harvested properly until it's both sweet enough and the tannins are right. This used to happen at about the same time. But lately the grapes are sweet enough many days sooner than the tannin is ready. Consequently, when the tannin is right and the grapes can be harvested, they are sweeter than is optimal. Before, the average wine was 11 percent alcohol; now it's 13 percent.
Back when rooms were cooler, the idea that red wine is best drunk at room temperature was established. But room temperature is higher now than it used to be. Consequently, many restaurants serve their reds too warm. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for it to be chilled. Five or 10 minutes in the fridge, and it'll be right.
White wine should be clear...if not, it's Spanish.
People want their cars and dishwashers made in Germany, not in France. And they want their wines French, not German. Since World War II, according to Olivier, the French have lifted their glasses and — after bottoms up — said, "That's one thing the Germans won't take from us."
In this month's Travel News we're uncorking even more of France, with an article and video clip on the delights of the Dordogne region. You'll also find tips on traveling solo, simple cell phone solutions, another magical travel memory from an Irish pub, and more.
Here's to celebrating all the living and learning we can do through travel. Be thankful no one can take that from us. Santé!
Happy travels,
Rick