Enzymes are a natural and fundamental element of the winemaking process. Nowadays, they are also a commercial product found in many wineries, another utility in a winemaker’s toolkit. They have the potential to make more extracted and more aromatic wines and to accelerate the winemaking process. They also have the
Serenaded by drum, tambourine and accordion, workers clad in navy shorts and red plaid shirts march around the concrete tank of port grapes, a few couples clasping arms and gamely waltzing in the knee-high purple soup. The evening treading session during harvest at the Quinta do Vesuvio owned by the
The nose is very fruity, a blend of sweet stone fruits and tart citrus, peaches, Meyer lemon and white grapefruit. The citrus doinates on the palate, Meyer lemon and white grapefruit pith on the attack, adding yeasty biting ginger snap on the mid-palate. Citrus pith shows on the short-lived finish.
I recently polled a few friends to get their quick take on Austrian reds. Replies ranged from “Yum!” to “Huh?”—but heavily weighted toward the latter. True, Austria’s better known for crisp whites like Grüner Veltliner, but red grapes are grown everywhere, too, and make up a third of vineyard plantings.
It would be hard to fault Eric Asimov for taking shortcuts or being too categorical in his new book, How to Love Wine. The New York Times’ wine critic is a careful man, who doesn’t hide his opinions but does express them in nuanced, detailed ways, giving readers the lay
A very pleasant wine at a very pleasant price: easy to drink, pairing with a surprising number of food flavors. Beginning with a white plum aroma, the wine is lightly fruity on the palate with an undercurrent of crisp chalkiness. A respectable amount of acidity provides balance throughout. Try it
This golden amber wine has scents of apricot, fig and raisin, with a touch of flowers. On the palate, there’s a suggestion of smoky honey at first, then it becomes more rounded into orange and fig flavors. A very slightly syrupy texture on the tongue is immediately balanced by the
This fall, instead of just talking about the Champagne Harvest, I decided to join the army of pickers who, every year, descend upon the region. In order to immerse myself in les vendanges (the harvest) I contacted Champagne Jacquesson, a small Champagne House that farms about 19 hectares of vineyard