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How many times have you heard someone say that they really like red wines, and don’t care for whites? It’s a common reaction, but in my experience, it is something one is more likely to hear from a wine novice, rather than someone who has really explored wine. Nothing wrong with that, but the more one learns about, and experiences, the joys of white wines, the more one is likely to see that they are equal to, and often surpass, many very good reds. Like lagers and ales in the beer world, white wines and red wines are simply different beasts, and comparing them is sort of pointless.
In fact, I like the “lagers and ales” analogy. Think of a rich, highly flavorful ale—say, Guinness Stout, Sierra Nevada Pale, or Anchor Porter. These beers are deeply flavorful, and best enjoyed at “cellar” temperatures around 55 or 60 degrees. Contrast these with fine pale lagers, such as Pilsner Urquel, Tsing Tao, Spaten Helles, or Dortmunder Union, all pale beers meant to be enjoyed at cooler temperatures. Can we really say one group of fine beers is superior to the other? I don’t believe that’s realistic. Pilsner Urquell is the epitome of a pale-colored, refreshingly crisp beer, while Guinness Stout is the epitome of a rich, black, dry roasty brew. The same variety is found in wines. White wines are the “lagers” or “pilsners” of the wine world, while red wines are the “ales.”
This analogy carries over into the making of wines. Reds (like ales) tend to ferment at warmer temperatures, while whites (like lagers) are often best fermented cool. Because red wines are full of complex flavors and textures, flaws may be less noticeable. The same is true of ales—especially some of the darker brews. Beer brewers tend to acknowledge that the true test of a master brewer is to make a light lager that is free of the many flavors that come from fermentation by-products, microbial activity, and complex yeast strains. The same is true of white wines. Their (relative) simplicity makes it hard to hide volatile acidity (vinegar), horsy aromas and flavors (Brettanomyces yeast infection), wet cardboard or sherry-like flavors (due to oxidation), etc. Likewise, cloudiness, hazes, browning and other “visual” faults are much more readily detected in a white wine. Making really good white wine is a challenge to our winemaking skills.
That said, there is still a huge variety of different white wine styles. Recently someone told me that he really liked the “Sauvignon blanc style” of wine. I simply nodded acknowledgement, but what I was thinking is: “Wow! Is there any other grape made in a more widely disparate range of styles than is Sauvignon blanc? Some wines from the Loire Valley, and from some California wineries, taste “smokey”—e.g., Pouilly Fumé and Fumé blanc—while many other Sauvignons produce grapefruit or banana or cocoanut flavors. Some of the best from Bordeaux and from New Zealand are full of grassy, herbal notes. Bordeaux and California also produce late harvest, botrytis-infected grapes that produce the deep-gold, apricot-tinged, honeyed dessert wines that savvy folks pay a fortune for.
In future columns, we will explore the varieties of white wine styles, and some of the tricks for making them right! Meanwhile, if you’re one of those folks who automatically gravitates towards reds, I recommend you buy a bunch of good white wines and start learning what these tasty treasures have to offer. For winemakers, Virginia offers chardonnay, pinot gris, viognier and other white-wine gapes for sale. There are dozens of excellent white wine kits available, as well, ranging from the fruity to the austere, from the crisp to the chewy. If you don’t really know white wines, now’s a good time to start learning!
I would like to make a port
style wine from Chambourcin grapes. To
make a 5-gallon batch, how much brandy should be added? What type of
brandy should be added?
Tom
Tom,
You should add NO brandy. It is not exactly true that “brandy” is used to make
port. What is added to fermenting must in Oporto is actually a clear, very
high-strength grape distillate that is much more like Everclear, or full-powered
white lightening than like brandy. Brandy will give you very un-Port-like
flavors. Best to use Everclear (grain alcohol) or 100 proof vodka.
To determine how much, you need to use the "Pearson Square," which is a device
for determining blending proportions. You can search on Google for "Pearson
Square" and find lots of info, or look in almost any basic winemaking book.
Better yet, check my column of February 2004 at:
http://www.weekendbrewer.com/Dans%20Cellar%20Notes/February-04.htm
Good luck!
Dan
Hi Dan,
I am getting ready to order some of my supplies for making my first
batch of wine from my own grapes. I was wondering two things:
1 - what yeast would you recommend to make Chambourcin?
2 - what do I need on hand to adjust pH and TA?
Thanks in advance to all who reply. Thanks in advance.
Bruce
Bruce,
Since you're just beginning, I assume you are making a relatively small batch
and want to use what is readily available from local and online winemaker supply
shops. That said, your Chambourcin will do fine with any of the mainline red
wine yeasts, such as Lalvin's RC 212, or 71B (for a fruitier wine). The Red Star
line is also good: consider their Cotes de blancs
(Epernay II). Champagne yeast is also an excellent, clean fermenter and rather
neutral. These include Lalvin's EC-1118 and Red Star's Premier Cuvee.
For adjusting acid and Ph, you will need a bit of tartartic acid (although
Chambourcin generally doesn't need acid additions, depending on where it's
grown, etc). You need a simple acid testing kit to determine TA. For Ph you will
want a Ph meter. I find litmus paper impossible to read when measuring red wine.
If your Ph is over 3.5, you'll want to add tartaric acid, even if the TA is
pretty high, just to protect the wine from spoilage.
Good luck, and save me a bottle!
Dan Mouer
The single individual on the label is meant to suggest that this proprietary wined, Lirico, is made from a single grape. In this case, the French-American hybrid grape known as Vidal blanc. Vidal is a grape that is loved by growers, because it is far less vulnerable to most of the diseases that plague Vitis vinifera vines and fruit. It is also much more cold hardy than most. Unlike some of the hybrids, Vidal shows none of the “foxy” flavor typically associated with the native grapes of the New World.
Lirico is a clean, dry, medium-body, white wine with real character! The winemakers at Villa Appalachia tend to model their creations after classic Italian styles. Lirico is designed to resemble Orvieto, one of Italy’s most abundant white wines. Villa Appalachia is planning to soon replace the Vidal blanc grapes that make up their Lirico with Trebbiano, a real Italian grape, but not one that is typically associated with Orvieto, which is usually produced from Procanico, Verdello, Malvasia, Grechetto and Drupeggio varieties.
Italy produces oceans of weak, under-ripe, over-acid glugging wines from the Trebbiano grape, as well as lots of very undistinguished “Orvieto.” Lirico, as it is now, is a much finer wine than most of these. That’s not to say there is no such thing as a good Orvieto, or a good Trebbiano, just that I believe the winemakers may find that it is actually harder to make a good wine from this Italian grape than it is from the French-American hybrid substitute they’ve been using thus far.
The Lirico I tasted for this review was that monthly selection of the Virginia Company’s Wine of the Month. The accompanying literature said that, while this was labeled as a non-vintage wine, all the grapes came from the 2003 vintage. Well, 2003 was a very, very, challenging year for Virginia winemakers, due to cool, wet conditions from first flowering to the harvest. If Villa Appalachia is making so nice a white wine from a supposedly “inferior” grape in such a bad vintage year as this Lirico, they should just keep it up. It’s hard to imagine their Trebbiano grapes will make something better.
In general, this is one of my very favorite Virginia wineries, and with good reason. They make really good wine at really reasonable prices. Try Lirico this Summer or Fall, and you won’t be disappointed.
Also, see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CentralVirginiaWinemakers/
Copyright 2004 L. Daniel Mouer