WineSpectator.com: Q&A's

What is the difference between claret, Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon? (Wine Spectator)
Dear Dr. Vinny, What is the difference between claret, Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon? —Allen, Armadale, Scotland Dear Allen, These terms all overlap slightly, so let me take them one at a time. Cabernet Sauvignon is both the name of a grape and the name of a red wine made from that grape. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted wine grape in the world. One of the places that Cabernet does well is the Bordeaux region of France, another one of the terms that you asked about. In Bordeaux, red wines are blended from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes, along with smaller amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot. (Bordeaux-style whites are blended from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle.) Similar types of wines made outside of Bordeaux are sometimes referred to as "Bordeaux-style," since technically Bordeaux can only come from Bordeaux. That leaves claret, which always surprises me when it comes up. It’s a nickname British wine lovers gave to the wines of Bordeaux (which include Cabernet Sauvignon), dating back to the 1700s. These days it doesn’t necessarily refer to Bordeaux (or Bordeaux-style) wines, but it’s more of a generic term for red wines or the color of red wine. I’ve speculated its revival might be related to the recent popularity of Downton Abbey—there was even a claret named after the show. —Dr. Vinny
>> Read more

Which wines have the most tannins? How can you tell? (Wine Spectator)
Dear Dr. Vinny, Which wines have the most tannins? How can you tell? —Debi, Fort Worth, Texas Dear Debi, All wines have tannins, which are naturally occurring polyphenols. There are a lot of foods that have tannins, including berries, beans, chocolate and berries. The tannins in wine are absorbed from grape skins, stems and seeds (and a small amount can be absorbed from oak barrels). Tannins aren’t something you taste, but they are something you feel, and are an important part of a wine’s structure (that said, a wine with a lot of tannins can taste bitter). Tannins create that sensation of tugging on your cheeks, and can make a wine seem chewy or drying. For those not familiar, it’s similar to the mouth-puckering sensation of drinking strong black tea (which also has tannins). But tannins can also be velvety and supple. You won’t know by looking at a wine how tannic it is. But red wines tend to have more tannins than white wines. That’s because red wines go through maceration, a process of steeping the grape skins in the wine to extract color and tannins—like a strong cup of tea—while white wines have limited tannins because the juice is typically separated from the grape skins and seeds soon after the grapes are crushed. Lots of winemaking decisions can impact how tannic a wine is, starting with the grape variety (some varieties have more tannins than others). Harvest conditions, the temperature and duration of fermentations and macerations and other winemaking choices will also affect how tannic a wine is. Winemakers can even add powdered tannins if they feel a wine lacks structure. The wines that tend to be most tannic are big, dense reds like Nebbiolo, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet. —Dr. Vinny
>> Read more

What’s your favorite wine? (Wine Spectator)
Dear Dr. Vinny, What’s your favorite wine? —Linda, Sacramento, Calif. Dear Linda I was just having lunch with a winemaker, and she told me that she gets this question all the time when she tells people what she does. I think many wine professionals can relate, even cartoon ones. This is a difficult question to answer, because I like all kinds of wines, and I don’t only drink one type of wine every day—that would be boring! It would be like asking me what my favorite song is. I have a favorite Miles Davis track, a favorite Beastie Boys song, and so on for classic rock, pop and country. What I listen to depends on my mood and what I’m doing. The same goes for what outfit I want to put on when I wake up (though as you probably know, I wear a cape and a bowtie and have a glass of red wine in my hand on most days). So while I have some wines that I gravitate toward, and there are lots of winemakers and châteaus and vineyards I admire, my favorite wine is very much a product of my mood—and at any given moment, it's usually the wine that's in my glass. —Dr. Vinny
>> Read more

Can TCA or cork taint manifest as just a flavor in wine, without the telltale moldy aroma? (Wine Spectator)
Dear Dr. Vinny, I recently opened a 35-year-old red Bordeaux that has me confused. All was well until the second glass, when I noticed the flavor of old, wet newspaper, the telltale sign of TCA. But there was nothing on the nose to suggest cork taint. Can TCA manifest itself in flavor only? Or was this just the natural taste of this particular old wine? —John, Chicago Dear John, Let me back up and explain TCA and cork taint for those not already acquainted. There’s a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA for short) that can make its way into wine. It’s not harmful, but it is super powerful and can impede our ability to smell and taste a wine's true aromas and flavors, leaving us with the impression of a wine that smells moldy or musty, like wet cardboard or newspaper. TCA is caused by the intersection of chlorine and plant phenols, which are organic compounds. Because corks are made from the bark of an oak tree, TCA can originate there, but there are other places it can come from, like oak barrels or wood pallets or cardboard boxes. Tainted wines are often referred to as "corked," due to the not entirely correct conception that the cork is the source of the taint. That musty smell is very distinctive, and it’s the first clue your wine might be tainted, but the only way to know for sure is with a lab test. There are lots of other reasons a wine might taste funky. I think that it's also harder to pick out TCA in older wines, because as wines age their fruit flavors fade and more notes of earth, spice and leather emerge, which can make it more difficult to pinpoint a tainted element. Thresholds of perception for TCA vary broadly, but once suspect a wine has it, I find it difficult to get any enjoyment out of it. —Dr. Vinny
>> Read more

Are wine-bottle capsules going out of fashion? (Wine Spectator)
Dear Dr. Vinny, I bought a bottle of Bedrock that arrived without a capsule over the cork. Is this a new trend? —Bob, Chalfont, Pa. Dear Bob, It sure is! More winemakers are doing away with capsules, the plastic or foil sleeves on the top of wine bottles. Historically, capsules were intended to protect corks from nibbling rodents and other pests (they also contained lead). As long as you don't have rats in your cellar, they're purely decorative today (and lead-free). I checked in with Morgan Twain-Peterson, the proprietor of Bedrock, to get his take. “My general thinking is that [capsules are] more an aesthetic decision than one that has an impact on wine aging or quality," he says. "I would much rather use the money saved on foil and invest it into a higher-quality cork—something that does have an impact on wine quality and aging.” —Dr. Vinny
>> Read more