Wine

Red -

Rose - soaking red grapes quickly (short maceration) and then getting rid of the grape skins

White -

Riesling - dry or sweet - White grape - peaches, yellow apple - high acide which makes it food friendly especially spicy food

Champagne - fermented in individual bottles;

Structure

Structure refers to body, alcohol, acid - physical elements that make it the way it is vs aroma/ flavors

Acid - high acidity makes you salivate

Alcohol level - take a sip of the wine...does it burn more after you take a sip? Alcohol level high so likely from a warmer climate;

Dry - little pieces of grape skin that attach to proteins in your mouth so pair with fatty meat or oil to reduce that effect

Key Terms

Isinglass (iceing - glass) - fish blatter - used to clarify wine after filtering the wine to remove cloudiness; cant call it vegan and you cant add too much or itll make the wine fishy

Organic wine - doesnt mean there are no additives and does not mean vegan; in USA = a wine made from organically grown grapes without added sulfites; Eurrope & Canada = a wine made from organically grown grapes that may contain added sulfites

Sulfites - greatly reduces a wine’s shelf life and, in some cases, can substantially change the flavor

Non-organic wine - Non-Organic wines can use chemicals like herbicides and fungicides in the vineyards and other additives (like sulfur or Mega Purple) in a wine

Mega Purple - used to bolster or enhance sensory attributes such as color, taste and mouth feel; Found in most $20 or less bottles to help standardize the bottled product ensuring a more uniform product.

Maceration - technical term for soaking grape skins in grape juice, a necessary step in order to extract color (plus flavors and tannins

Oaked - Wines that have spent time in oak barrels - flavors include vanilla, cedar, cinnamon, baking spices - usually Chardonnay

Argon gas - Coravin tool punctures small hole in cork and pumps argon gas into the bottle (heavier than oxygen so blankets the wine protecting it from oxygen "enemy of wine")

Sugar - check for listed sugar level (not all stores have it listed) anything under 10/11 is not going to be sweet (dry) ie "D - 11g/L" v " S-46g/L"

Kabinett - (literal meaning: a wine set aside in a cabinet); "Reserve" originally implied a wine of superior quality, set aside to be kept in a special cellar by monks (the Cabinet-Keller)

Chaptalization - is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation.

Where is it from?

Warmer region - higher alcohol = more sugar ripeness which turns to alcohol later in fermentation

Types

Torrontés - From Argentina; their signiture white variety; Cilantro of the wine world (soap to some vs roses/ floral); good chilled sipping wine

Chablis

Chianti Classico - Look for Rooster = better value; Great aging wine; In Italy at the leg; Pairs well with bigger dishes, medium to full body

Gruner Veltliner - Austrian white wine that goes well with salad dishes; white pepper notes;

Aligoté (ali-Go-te) - white grape from burgundy, France (usualy white burgundy = chardonnay or pinot) - lemon, citrus, fennel

Lambrudco - sparkling red wine from Italy; served cold is amazing; good bottle around $15

Chardonnay - very neutral grape variety so most the vanilla cinnamon rich flavor comes from the oak; Never sweet;

European vs Cali Chardonnay - Europe = lemon, lime, apple-like characteristics vs fruitier ripe pinesapple

Cabernet Franc

Mencia

Syrah

Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Cali, Australia, Burdeaux France - Blackberry aromas but also oaked so vanilla cedar - good to pair with heavy dishes

Chablis - Northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region in France. Its cool climate produces wines with more acidity and less fruitiness than Chardonnay vines grown in warmer ones. It's un-oaked chardonnay

Pinot Noir - Earthy, high in acid, red fruit

Chenin Blanc - especially in south Africa in large volumes (good value wine); Peachy, citrus, slight honey hints

Glasses

Coup - short wide used for sparkling wine

Flute - most common sparkling wine glass

Recent Recipes

Salmon Stew (+Collagen)

Fry - Salmon diced up (season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder)

Bring to boil - Organic beef bone broth; 2/3 slices of anchovies (flavor/ salt), chopped cilantro; diced onions; shiitaki mushrooms

Add salmon to broth + raw egg -- mix well so egg cooks in the broth heat