Dan’s Cellar Notes
Questions For the Vintner
By Dan Mouer
Comments? Questions? Write me at dan.mouer@verizon.net
Headaches - Choosing the right
Wine Bottle
My wife suffers from rapidly occurring, very
bad--sometimes migraine-like--headaches from some wines. Mostly reds. So do
many other people. Why?
There is no telling what you are sensitive to, and
know surefire way to know where you may find it. The principal culprits
generally blamed for such headaches are:
1. histamines. These are natural products that
result from the maturation and fermentation of the wine. Folks who feel they
are sensitive to histamines sometimes take an antihistamine before drinking
red wine.
2. fusel alcohols or "higher" alcohols. These are
byproducts of fermentation. They may be more likely found in wines with a high
alcohol percentage.
3. tannins. There are lots of different "phenolic"
compounds in red wine. These are the chemicals that give the wine much of its
fullness, mouth feel, color and flavor. Among these phenolics are a variety of
tannins derived from grape skins, grape seeds, grape stems, and from oak
barrels.
There is no sure way to decide which of these--or
some other--compounds are effecting you. However, some guidelines to follow:
Go for major brands which produce large quantities of wine, such as Wyndham.
Their mass-produced Shiraz wines are well filtered, and generally of modest
alcohol content. Shiraz is generally much lower in tannins and other phenolics
than Cab Sauvignon. Likewise, mass-produced cab franc and merlot are generally
lower in phenolics than cab sauvignon.
If you really like the Bin 555, I'll bet that you
would find most of the relatively inexpensive Aussie Shirazes acceptable. You
may want to avoid the high-end Shirazes, however, as they will have more
phenolics and more alcohol. So look for major brands and a modest price tag.
I hope this helps!
Dan
Do you have any information
that pertains to the correct wine bottle shape
and color that should be used for the following wines:
Good question!! There are three basic bottle
shapes: claret (straight sides), burgundy (sloped shoulders), and hock (tall,
long neck, also known as Rhine Wine or hoch). Bottles can be flint (clear),
green or brown, with lots of shades and variations on colors. In some cases,
the appropriate bottle is determined by the style of the wine, rather than the
grapes.
Chardonnay is the the
white wine of Burgundy. Use green burgundy bottles.
Riesling should be bottled in green or brown
hock bottles. Brown bottles are used in the Rhineland, while green bottles
are traditional along the Mosel valley.
Claret, flint or green.
Claret, green.
Claret, green
claret or burgundy, flint or green. If made in
Alsatian style (pinot gris): brown hock.
Green burgundy
Italians: brown claret. Otherwise, it depends on
the grape and style.
Depends on the grapes and style
Dan Mouer
