Category: Wine

I recall clearly an evening at a glass of Bordeaux in a company with my old French friend. That was the time when my interest to wine had just started to arise and I was a grateful listener of any wine related topics. Michel told me that the real wine is a product of earth. It is born by terrain and baptized by a good blend of several different varieties. I felt as if an oracle mystery had just been shared with me. Later on the time working with wine, constant desire to learn new and interaction with wine makers helped me to find the answer to the question where the wine is born and what it takes to get a good wine. So was the oracle right?

4 whales

Trying various wines you couldn’t help but notice a very interesting fact – all of them differ from one another, they have different tasting characteristics, personal notes and some of them do have very expressive meaningful taste which stands for their good quality. For a better understanding what makes the wine different we have to think about following: a grape variety, the land it’s born at (terroir), production method and a wine maker conscience. Those factors are like the 4 whales that all good wines stand on.

Grapes

Hundreds of grape varieties can be divided in 2 groups international and local. The former are met all around the world like Chardonnay and Merlot, the latter are normally grown in one particular region like Cataratta in Sicily or Tempranillo in northern Spain. Every variety gives the wine certain aromatic characteristics, tannins, sugar and acidity level. That’s why the ripeness of the grape is highly important. But you’ve known for a fact that Cabernet from Chile is not the same as Cabernet from France. German Riesling is not the same as the one from New Zealand. Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley can hardly be confused with any other Sauvignon. And the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of Burgundy are so unique. So the answer to our question put its roots deeper to the land where the vine is growing. And it’s called terroir.

Terroir as a key ingredient

The notion of terroir hasn’t been translated into other languages as its concept has been underestimated everywhere but France. So it became a pure French notion that is proudly known in France as a key ingredient to a successful winemaking. The French have always believed that the great wine is born by the land and nothing on Earth can make them change their mind. Even quite interesting and successful experiences of New World’s wine makers that put into their philosophy the wines of a single variety to show their indigenous characteristics.

What does the notion involve? There is a concrete definition that leaves no questions behind. The terroir is not just a soil or climate it is a combination of 3 factors: climate conditions of the area – day and night temperatures throughout the year, quantity of rainy and sunny days, the quality of the wind; the 2nd is the soil content and the drainage quality; and finally the exposition of the vineyard ie the direction to the sun among which the south east considered the best and the angle of the vineyard location on the hill. All of the factors are deeply considered before planting a vineyard in the area.

A great wine is born from the union of a high quality grape grown on the generous terroir suitable to this particular grape. Before planting any grapes the soil is studied very thoroughly.

The importance of the soil

All the factors mentioned above are important however I’d like to put more light on the importance of the soil. The soil nurture the roots with life important minerals. The Earth gives all the necessary to the vine to form the grape that acts as a link between the wine and the soil. It translates all the secrets of the earth and wine receives a strong body. The best quality soil for wine growing are limestone or calcarious rock, volcanic, clay (argile). The soil has to be well drenaged.

Winemaker’s responsibility and production methods

Wine maker is responsible for guiding and controlling all the processes starting from the vegetation of vines to bottling. That’s why the best case scenario is when all the vineyards are in the property of the wine estate. But alas it’s expensive. In that case a serious estate establishes trustworthy relationships with vine growers or rent vineyards to take care of them in person.

The terroir concept for a long time wasn’t used by other countries but nowadays all wine regions invest a lot to explore and find the best terroirs to produce the great wines.

PS. All wines contain alcohol that is bad to your health

This article was written by Svetlana Kasparova, a wine expert who has been working with wine estates across Europe for over eight years. She is a graduate of the famous wine school “Entoria” and a Wine Games medalist.

Svetlana runs an online course “Become a wine expert in 3 days”, you can learn more about it here:

Champagne must be the most famous sparkling wine in the world – it is always associated with celebrations and luxury. In a wine shop, however, you will always see other names next to Champagne: Prosecco, Sekt, Cava, Cremants, Franciacorta… It is natural to assume that they are inferior in quality comparing to Champagne and to choose the most expensive bottle of the famous French bubbly drink – but according to wine experts it is not necessarily the best choice!

If you are new to sparkling wines, choosing the right one can become a daunting task. Luckily, there are only a few things you need to know about the difference between champagne and other sparkling wines to understand the quality of the drink:

1. Region of wine production

The main difference between Champaign and other sparkling wines is the region where it is produced. As the name suggests, the sparkling wine by the name Champaign is produced in Champagne, in northern France, the North Pole of the wine globe.





If you happen to pass by the Champagne region you wouldn’t even think of it as a wine producing area. It’s a dull, windy place with frosts in spring. Nowadays no one would dare to plant a vineyard down there. But the Romans proved us wrong centuries ago as the climate may have been different. Today the temperature is never high enough to make the grapes ripen well. The limestone chalky soil with high concentration of minerals make Champaign simply powerful, generous and most sensual drink on the planet. The most exquisite samples are produced from 100% Chardonnay and called Blanc de Blanc.

Madrid Treaty 1891 gives France protection of the term Champagne. No other drink can legally have the same name. Some other regions, however, give birth to absolutely excellent sparking wines as well – they are just called differently.

2. Method of production of sparkling wines

The other major difference between cheaper and expensive sparkling wines (including Champagne) is the way it is produced.

La Methode Champenoise – Classical Method of production

It’s a complicated historical type of production but it gives birth to most beautiful and exquisite ones like Champagne, Cremants, Cava, Sekt, Franciacorta and some others.

It starts as per normal with an alcoholic fermentation when grape juice turns into wine. After that when the still wine is already in bottles they add sugar and yeast and close bottles with a temporary plug, leaving them in racks for at least 9-15 months to form perlage. After the 2nd fermentation is over it’s time to get rid of yeast sediments inside the bottles. For this purpose masters of wine caves use a traditional and mysterious trick called remuage. The famous widow Veuve Clicquot has contributed to creation of its modern look. The bottles are placed down to riddling racks and turned every day to several degrees until the sediments come down to the bottle neck, which afterwards gets frozen with a special freezing tool. Then they open the bottle, the iced sediment shoots out, the bottle gets corked and in several months we’re already enjoying it.

Reservoir method of sparkling wines production

Other types of sparkling are produced by reservoir method. The bubbles formation takes place in steel tanks under pressure. It takes little time and much more modest investments.

3. Alternatives to Champagne: world’s best sparkling wines

Some sparkling wines that are produced by classical method can easily compete with Champagne when it comes to its quality. Here is the list of the best and most famous of sparkling wines, including the region of production:

Cremant (France)

Cremant is a sparkling wine produced in other regions in France, from French varieties, aged from 10 months sur lie. Cremant d’Alsace, Cremant de Bourgogne, Cremant de Loire are the best examples. Very classical, elegant with a hint of buttered toast.

Franciacorta (Italy)

Franciacorta is considered the most “Champagne” sparkling wine outside Champagne which is reflected unsurprisingly in its price. Produced in a beautiful Lombardy in the North of Italy from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc it dictates her own rules, so no man in the area ordering a bottle can ever call her a sparkling or Champagne. The name Franciacorta means “a free from taxes land” from Lombard language. Lombards of today, however, believe that it is the main competitor of Champagne and refer the name to Francia Corta, implying that French Champagne glory is soon to fall.

Sekt (Germany / Austria)

Sekt is a German and Austrian version of Champagne produced mainly from Riesling variety, very elegant and crispy at the palate, it has clean aromas of green apples and pears. Aged at least 12 months sur lie.

Cap Classique (South Africa)

The new world gives us many decent samples, but the highest ranked sparkling is South African Cap Classique. It is aged from 12 months sur lie from Champagne grape varieties.

Cava (Spain)

Cava is one of the best sparkling wines where price meets quality. Born in 160 villages all around Spain it is apparently the only wine that is not linked to the particular area, though 90% of it is produced in Catalonia. It is made from 3 Spanish grape varieties: Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada. Chardonnay is a very important ingredient as well, it has only natural sugar (unlike Champagne) and is aged at least 9 months in a bottle sur lie. You can easily define its age by a sticker on a bottle – a black one indicates over 30 months of ageing, a green one stands for 15-30 months, and a white sticker tells us that Cava is young and fresh, between 9 and 15 months old.

4. Cheaper alternatives to Champagne

Sparkling wines that are produced by reservoir method will always have a smaller price tag. Here is what you want to look at:

Asti Spumante (Italy)

Asti Spumante is the best alternative for those who consider Champagne and Champagne-like sparklings too serious, acidic and expensive. Asti is a light, fruity and tender aperitif from Piedmont made of Muscat grape. This sparkling is sweeter in taste, so it’s best enjoyed when it is nicely chilled.

Prosecco (Italy)

There is nothing better than a glass of joyful and fruity Prosecco on a terrace on a warm summer evening. The famous Italian easy-going sparkling that is enjoyed by the Venitians and the rest of the world is born in Veneto and embraces a vast territory of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG area. It is kept in the caves for several months before release. Some producers experiment with Champenois method as well.

Sparkling wine is a classic and most amazing aperitif. It’s a drink that no event should go without. Easy-going sparklings go well with fruits and salads. Champagne, Franciacorta, aged Cava make exquisite pairings with caviar, sushi, raw salmon, dry desserts. And a powerful structure of aged Champagne is capable of handling a nice steak.

Make up your mind and enjoy!

P.S . Drink responsibly: all wines contain alcohol and should be consumed in moderation.

This article was written by Svetlana Kasparova, a wine expert who has been working with wine estates across Europe for over eight years. She is a graduate of the famous wine school “Entoria” and a Wine Games medalist.

Svetlana runs an online course “Become a wine expert in 3 days”, you can learn more about it here:

How to behave at the tasting

You may have seen professionals at a wine tasting talking about aromas and tastes of a wine with a thoughtful conceptual look on their faces. You would probably think that they simply show off. Well, some of them certainly do. But in fact every stage of a tasting has a meaning behind it.

Normally, wine tasting starts with dry white wines, then it goes to reds and sweet ones. But in the end it’s down to the wine expert to set up the right order.

– Don’t miss the label. First, have a close look at the bottle label. It will give you most information about the wine.  Where it comes from, when it was born (vintage), its alcohol level.  The style of the label may even give you a hint about the style of wine.

 

We say that wine has an eye, a nose and a mouth, which refers to the way the wine looks, smells and tastes.

– Take a note of the color. Take a glass of wine and place it in front of a white surface. Use a napkin or a sheet of paper.  It will help you distinct the colour. Spin the glass and see if the colour has changed or not. How it changes from the centre to the sides. How transparent the colour is. If it’s more purple or brick red colour, the it witnesses the age of wine. Light yellow colour says to us that the white wine is young and fresh. Deep yellow usually appears in oak aged or sweet whites.

– Indulge in wine smells. Put the tip of your nose into the glass and smell the wine.  What do perfumes that you smell make you think of? Fruits, herbs, flowers, wool, leather gloves, cigars, animal farm, smoke, chemicals. Yes, all these types of aromas can be found in wine. Try to identify which aroma families you’re finding in the glass and then specify them. Your ability to catch the smells quicker will depend on your experience in tasting and ability to memorize fragrances.

– How to taste the wine. Now taste the wine. Take some wine into your mouth, don’t swallow it right away. Don’t forget to breathe through your nose as you normally do. Try to feel which tastes prevail on your tongue, how acid, bitter or sweet the wine is. Take a sip of air into your mouth to mix with the wine and feel wine aromas in your nose. Feel if they remained the same as you smelt them or if they changed. Swallow the wine. Think of the first impressions you had when you just took the wine into your mouth, how it felt while keeping it there and after swallowing. The aftertaste is the feelings of taste and aromas that remain in your mouth and nose after you have swallowed the wine.

– Take notes. You can use a notepad to write down your impressions and give wine a mark.

 – Don’t drink more than required. If you are at a tasting with many samples you can spit the wine into a crachoir, a vase used at tastings to spit the wine to. 

Where shall I find a wine tasting?

Whether you live in a wine producing region or not, in a city or in a small town it doesn’t matter. Nothing should stop you if you have a will to learn more about wine and your mind is set up for it.

Wine tastings are very often held by wine distributors such as wine caves/wine boutiques, wine shops etc.  You can take a look at a winery or a wine estate while travelling. It’s just another perspective to explore a region you are travelling about! Find and book a wine tour that suits you the best and get your chance to meet a wine maker and to listen to their wine story.

But if a travel is yet on your schedule you can always find some interesting events in your town- like our signature wine tastings in Moscow. 

Enjoy your next tasting!

PS. All wines contain alcohol that is bad to your health

This article was written by Svetlana Kasparova, a wine expert who has been working with wine estates across Europe for over eight years. She is a graduate of the famous wine school “Entoria” and a Wine Games medalist.

Svetlana runs an online course “Become a wine expert in 3 days”, you can learn more about it here: