Monthly Archives: July 2010
When you think of wine, it’s most likely that you’re going to think of grape-based wine, which accounts for most wine produced in the world. Grapes are certainly the substance most conducive to producing wine, but it’s possible to create wine out of non-grape materials. Here are a few examples:
 Fruit wines
Any fruit can be used to make wine, but grapes are the only fruit that naturally have the proper combination of sugar, water, tannins, and acid to naturally ferment into wine. For all other fruits, the fermentation requires some extra adjustment in order to produce a potable alcoholic beverage. For acidic fruits, such as citrus, the winemaker will add sucrose, which allows the acids to develop the fermentable sugars fructose and glucose. This process is known as chaptalization. Due to a lack of natural yeast in these fruits, the winemaker may also add potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus to encourage yeast growth.
Some popular types of fruit wine include Ume (Japanese plum wine), Maui Blanc (Hawaiian pineapple wine), and Kijafa (Finnish cherry wine).
 Flower wines
Some flowers, notably the hibiscus, elderflower, and dandelion, can be used as the base of easily produced homemade wines. In the case of flowers, significant additives are required, including sugars and acidic fruit juices, as well as yeast and possibly chemicals such as sodium metabisulfite. Dandelions are at peak bloom during the spring and summer months, but when one takes the time to prepare it properly, the wine isn’t ready for uncorking until the following fall or winter! If you live in an area where you know you can gather plenty of dandelions, you might enjoy the experience of making your own.
 Rice wines
Extremely popular in east Asia, rice wines are unlike most other wines for a few reasons. Firstly, the average alcohol content of a rice wine may be up to 15% higher than one could expect from a grape-based wine. Secondly, the process of making a rice wine is significantly different than that of a fruit-based wine…the wine does not form as a result of fermenting sugars, but rather of fermenting starch, which is then converted into sugar. Japanese sake is an internationally known and respected type of rice wine, but other Asian countries, such as Tibet, South Korea, and Thailand also have their own varietals.
Creative and adventurous winemakers continue to try and create wine out of all manner of things, including such unusual materials as carrots, turnips, fish, and marijuana. A particularly offbeat winemaker from Minnesota has even produced a favorably reviewed wine out of army worms! Although it’s unlikely that you’ll ever taste every grape-based wine in existence, perhaps the next time you’re feeling the urge to try something new, you’ll give the grape a break and try a bottle of something altogether different.
 As you know, Strongbox wine cellars utilize state-of-the-art technology to limit and maintain temperature, humidity, light exposure, and vibrations, keeping your precious bottles safe from harm. But before such modern storage techniques were developed, there were your basic wine caves—underground caverns, either natural or manmade, that did an excellent job of preserving wine without the benefit of technology.
Some of the earliest wine caves were not wine caves at all; they were the catacombs of the Roman Empire, which were used primarily for their convenient location. The Romans seemed to have discovered the possibilities of wine storage as an accident, using the caves left behind from mineral excavations—the first wine caves in France, most likely, were former limestone mines dug by the Romans. It didn’t take shrewd winemakers very long to hatch the idea of building caves with the sole purpose of storing wine, and soon caves were being dug throughout all of Europe.
Although the United States was still over a century away from establishing its presence in the world wine markets, immigrants to the New World brought with them the skills and ingenuity to make their own caves in American soil as well. The Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, New York, is the United States’ oldest surviving winery, and makes use of caves and cellars that go back as far as the mid-1800s. Other long-surviving wine caves in America include those belonging to the Schramberg and Beringer wineries, which were dug in the late 1800s by Chinese laborers who had just finished the transcontinental railroad.
Prohibition ended the first wave of wine cave excavation in the early 1900s, but by 1970, new construction tools and the rise of California’s vineyards created a demand for new ones. The wine caves of today have decided to do as much with form as with function, creating lavish underground areas in which wineries not only produce their wine but also hold tours, weddings, and even the occasional concert!
The next time you’re in wine country, remember that for as scenic and exciting as the wineries are above ground, there is even more to experience if you’re willing to go underground. Several companies dedicated to wine cave design operate today, and much of their work is available for viewing via wine cave tours. It will certainly give you a great perspective on the long, long history and the effort it took to come up with the perfect wine storage environments we have today.
The world of wine comes with its own set of uniquely dramatic politics, of course, but it’s rare to think of wine in relation to the major political arguments taking place in society today. Climate change, occasionally mislabeled as “global warming,” is one of a number of hot-button political topics currently inflaming the passions of pundits and legislators alike. No matter which side of the debate you happen to be on, if you care about the future of wine, it’s worth considering any changes in the world’s climate may have on the delicate art of growing wine grapes.
Eduardo el Calvo, a California teacher and wine enthusiast, has put together a short video discussing what he sees as the dangers of climate change on Napa Valley wines. Go ahead and give it a look, and consider whether you agree or disagree with Mr. El Calvo’s warnings.
 If you’re just starting to discover the joys of tasting wine, you might have found yourself confused by a lot of the terminology being tossed around by more experienced wine drinkers. These are some of the more common ones, used to describe the many different components of a wine:
Body — The body of a wine is how it feels when you hold it in your mouth. The lighter it feels across your palate, the less body it has. In contrast, a full-bodied wine feels heavy and seems to take up the entire interior of your mouth.
Bouquet — Also known as the aroma or nose of a wine, the bouquet is the scent or combination of scents that you observe when you put your own nose into the wineglass. Bouquet is generally the preferred term when describing a wine that is considered complex, or one having many different smells.
Finish — All wines have some sort of aftertaste that lingers after the liquid has gone down your throat. This aftertaste is called the finish. Wines with a good finish will have pleasing tastes that linger for just long enough to make you think about having another drink. A wine with a short aftertaste or with an aftertaste full of unappealing flavors, has a bad finish.
Structure — A wine’s structure is a general term to describe the taste and feel of various qualities of the wine. The wine could have a lot of acidity, for example, or be especially heavy on alcohol content. A properly structured wine will carefully balance these qualities against each other, creating a wine that has a distinct character but not a single overpowering quality.
But these aren’t the most exciting adjectives to be found at a wine tasting, not by a long shot. You will regularly hear sommeliers spout such terms as earthy, oaky, jammy, chewy, or musty to describe the wine’s taste. Although taste is subjective, and you can probably use whatever descriptive word seems best to you, it’s both useful and fun to learn the adjectives more experienced wine drinkers will use when discussing the wine’s taste.
You can download a common list of white wine character descriptions from here and a second list of red wine descriptions here. Learn how to use them properly, not just as a way of sounding smart! You’ll appreciate your newfound ability to communicate.
 You may have heard in passing that a glass of wine a day is “good for you.” The use of wine in medicine dates as far back as the ancient Greeks, who understood wine’s properties as an antiseptic and anaesthetic despite their lack of hard scientific data. For nearly two decades now, modern researchers have been testing whether wine does indeed impart some health benefits…and thus far, the research seems to offer great news for wine drinkers.
Red wine, in particular, has been shown to be a positive force against heart disease, ulcers, the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, and other maladies. The key ingredient is a compound known as resveratrol, a flavonoid found in the skins of red wine grapes. Resveratrol works within the body to reduce “bad cholesterol,” also known as LDL, while promoting “good cholesterol,” HDL. The results—fewer incidents of heart disease caused by clogged arteries, as well as fewer incidents of stroke. In addition, the antioxidant properties of wine have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, although many scientists currently agree that the powers of antioxidants have been overstated somewhat.
One thing all of these researchers agree upon is that moderation is the most important element when it comes to enjoying the possible health benefits of that fine merlot or syrah. One or two glasses of red wine a day may do your body good, but more than that causes you to run the risk of even more dire health problems, such as obesity and liver disease. Just remember: it’s always possible to have too much of a good thing.
Although most wine marketing will focus on the taste and mystique of the bottles, you can be sure that wineries are only too happy to spread the information far and wide that red wine is not just delightful, but also medicinal. It’s certainly a comforting thought that red wine might keep you alive and healthy even longer…giving you more time to try out other wines, of course!
 The world of wine and winemaking is one of deep passion and romance—so it’s not surprising to hear all manner of fables and legends related to the art. Whether you’re discovering the mythology of wine gods or stories of rare wine bottles from the bottom of the sea, you’re bound to find something intriguing that has nothing to do with the taste of the grapes on your tongue.
Many people may not realize that Dom Pérignon, that most famous and respected of sparkling wines, was named after an actual person. Those who did know about the real-life Pérignon may have a number of misconceptions about him and his role in producing the first sparkling wines. Here’s a short list of fact and fiction about the noted champagne pioneer.
Dom Pérignon was a Benedictine monk.
TRUE. Dom Pierre Pérignon entered the order of Benedictine monks at age 19, and gradually rose to the position of cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers. During his tenure, the Abbey’s vineyards doubled in size and production—an accomplishment that so impressed the order that, upon his death in 1715, he was buried in a section of the Abbey typically reserved only for abbots.
Pérignon invented Champagne.
FALSE. In fact, Pérignon’s life’s work was involved in removing the bubbles from the fine wines of Champagne. The same process that caused the bubbling to occur had also, during Pérignon’s time, made the bottles likely to uncork or even explode, causing a dangerous chain reaction that injured workers and destroyed an entire cellar’s worth of wine. Pérignon was not the first person to intentionally make sparkling wine, although his research into the nature of such wines would allow later winemakers to perfect the process.
Pérignon made most of his own wines from white wine grapes.
FALSE. Pérignon declared that fine wine should only be made from the red grapes of Pinot Noir. Due to the tendency of white wine grapes to enter the refermentation process that produced bubbles, he discouraged their use in winemaking.
Pérignon was a passionate advocate of “natural” winemaking.
TRUE. In addition to Pérignon’s rules against the use of white wine grapes, he also established a number of rules against using “foreign substances” in the making of wine. Among his other strict rules of cultivating a vineyard: all grapes were to be harvested in cool, damp conditions such as those to be found during early morning. All vines were to be aggressively pruned, and not allowed to grow more than three feet high. Pérignon also frowned upon the tradition of “trodding” grapes into wine, preferring to use multiple presses instead.
Pérignon was blind, but capable of determining simply by taste the origins of a wine’s grape.
FALSE. This particular story about the talents of Dom Pérignon does have its roots in truth. Although it is most likely that Pérignon’s powers were exaggerated by monks looking to gain prestige for the Abbey, he did believe in not knowing where a grape came from before it was pressed into wine. Pérignon’s intentions were to remove his own bias for certain regions and simply taste the wine that was offered. The myth that he was himself blind is probably a misconception of the idea that this practice was known to his fellow monks as “blind” tasting.
Winemakers are constantly attempting to achieve a type of perfection in their wine production, and although Dom Pérignon was merely a man, his legend, both fact and fiction, may be just the sort of inspiration that a winemaker needs.
Have you been to a wine tasting for the first time and found yourself feeling confused and out of place? That’s understandable. Wine tasting is a ritual, comprised of many different activities and attitudes, and a novice in that world is bound to experience some anxiety.
Frank Mangio is a noted wine columnist and host for TasteOfWineTV.com. In the below video, Frank gives you a quick primer on the four steps of tasting wine, walking you through everything you’ll need to follow along with the aficionados in the room—and start you off on the path to becoming an expert yourself.
Looking to enjoy a film about wine and winemaking? Here are a few movies for you to check out the next time you’re at the video rental store or updating your queue.
 Sideways (2004, dir. Alexander Payne)
One of the most critically acclaimed comedies of the past decade, Sideways won multiple awards for its screenwriters, director, and stars. Set during a single wild weekend in the Santa Barbara wine country, the film follows the misadventures of a lovelorn English teacher and wine aficionado named Miles and his scoundrel best friend. The film was so widely seen and acclaimed that it even had a measurable impact on wine sales in countries where it was shown. Characters within the film speak admirably of Pinot Noir and disparage Merlot—after the film was released, sales of Merlot dropped 2% and sales of Pinot Noir rose a significant 16%!
 Bottle Shock (2008, dir. Randall Miller)
Bottle Shock dramatizes the 1976 “Judgement of Paris,” a tasting competition that shook up the winemaking world’s prevailing wisdom that French wines were inherently superior. The film stars Alan Rickman as internationally reknowned sommelier Steven Spurrier, who first set up the competition.
 Autumn Tale (Conte d’automne) (1998, dir. Eric Rohmer)
The final installment of Rohmer’s “Four Seasons” cycle, Autumn Tale follows the life and passion of a widowed winemaker named Magali, played by Beátrice Romand. It is set and filmed within the Rhône Valley wine region of France. The film has been described by various critics as “sensuous,” “sublimely warming,” “beautiful, witty, and serene,” and a film that “elegantly seduces us.”
 A Good Year (2006, dir. Ridley Scott)
Possibly the least well-received film on this list, this Russell Crowe/Marion Cotillard romantic comedy does at least boast some stunning visuals—from a filmmaker famous for stunning visuals—of the Provence wine country. And Crowe and Cotillard, as well, are also pretty easy on the eyes.
 Mondovino (2004, dir. Jonathan Nossiter)
We finish up this list with a celebrated documentary—it was nominated for the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s highest honor—that takes a look at the economics and politics of wine in a global economy. Nossiter, a trained sommelier, casts his critical eye on the battle between large winemaking corporations such as Robert Mondavi and the smaller, single-vineyard wineries. Originally planned as a small, two-month project, Nossiter ended up spending significantly more time interviewing dozens of wine personalities in seven countries, across three continents, and five different languages.
You may wish to watch these films with a bottle of your favorite wine, but be careful—you may finish the film even thirstier than you were when you started!
A truly adventurous wine drinker won’t be content to simply purchase a bottle and enjoy it in the privacy of their own home. Atmosphere is as much a part of the wine experience as anything, and trying out a new wine bar can be an exciting element of a night trying new wine.
There are dozens of wine bars in the Chicago area, and sometimes the best way to decide where you’d like to go is to check out the online buzz from everyday customers like you. Metromix is an excellent resource for finding out which wine bars are receiving accolades and which are receiving complaints.
To help you out, Strongbox is happy to give you this starter list of highly rated wine bars in the city of Chicago, according to users of Metromix. Check them out for yourself and see if you agree or disagree with other customers. If you find a bottle of wine you really like, make sure to pick one up for yourself…and if you need to store it for awhile, you know where to find us.
Webster’s Wine Bar
1480 W Webster Ave
Considered the best wine bar in Chicago by a majority of Metromix users, Webster’s offers a conversational atmosphere and knowledgeable staff, as well as featured regional wines each month.
Eno
505 N Michigan Ave (Location #1) and 200 N Columbus Drive (Location #2)
Not just a wine bar, but a wine, cheese, and chocolate bar, Eno’s gives you the opportunity to experiment with taste combinations.
BeviAmo Wine Bar
1358 W Taylor St
BeviAmo boasts of its romantic atmosphere and its wide variety of international wines, coming primarily from more obscure vineyards.
The Tasting Room
1415 W Randolph
As the name would imply, this bar prides itself on the variety of wines available…but it also has an extensive food menu of items that are designed to be paired with the wine. A perfect spot to make a full evening of your wine adventure.
Just as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t judge the quality of a wine by the attractiveness of its label—although it’s true that many novice wine buyers will be drawn to pick up a bottle with an eye-catching design. Still, it’s clear that some winemakers care as much about the image they present on the bottle as they do about the contents within, so let’s take a moment to appreciate the artistry of wine labels.
In the United States, the federal government requires certain information to be present on every bottle of wine sold. This information includes the brand name, location bottled, and alcohol content, as well as the standard Surgeon General’s warning about the effects of alcohol on pregnant women and operating machinery. Certain types of wine, such as those that wish to be labeled “organic,” must also meet a certain set of standards maintained by the USDA. Beyond these standard regulations, however, a wine label may contain all manner of buzzwords and adjectives. These “unregulated terms” include such enticing phrases as “Special Selection,” or “Limited Release” — phrases that may not in fact mean anything at all!
The imagery of a wine bottle may not tell you much about the taste of the wine, but it will surely give you a sense of the winery, which may influence your enjoyment of their product.
Perhaps you appreciate a wine label with a classical vintage look, something that impresses as part of the décor as well as part of the meal:
Or maybe your own events are low-key and casual, just an excuse to have a good time. You and your guests might enjoy bottles of wine with labels that entertain and inform:
Whether you prefer elegance or excitement, it’s likely that you can find a wine label that fits your mood…and if that label is attached to a wine you love, even better. There are a number of online galleries that offer photographs of several different wine labels, which you might enjoy browsing even if you could never see yourself purchasing the bottle. Here are a couple to get you started on your career as a wine label aesthete:
Bourbon Street Photography Wine Label Gallery
Grape Nutz Gallery
 It’s a kernel of wisdom so ancient that it first appears in Latin: de gustibus non est disputandum. “There is no disputing about taste.” While this maxim holds true for all art, with wines it holds an especially literal connotation. With so many varietals and so many different palates to sample them, it is unlikely that you will ever find a room full of wine enthusiasts who agree on which wines are superior. Of course, many wouldn’t have it any other way—part of the fun of tasting new wines is arguing with your friends about them!
Despite the extremely subjective nature of the art, scales have been developed to try and standardize a rating system for wines. However, even the rating systems are the center of controversy…do you use a 20-point system or a 100-point system? What do the point totals on each system even mean in terms of wine quality?
Here’s a quick look at two of the most widely used wine rating systems.
UC Davis – The 20-Point System
A truly scientific system, the University of California (Davis) 20-point scale was first developed by Dr. Maynard Amerine, esteemed professor of Enology and Viticulture. In 1959, the university was known for its experiments in winemaking, and in order to quantify the successes or failures of their experiments they needed to develop a consistent method of measurement.
The UC Davis scale looks at the following characteristics of a wine: appearance, color, aroma and bouquet, volatile acidity, total acidity, sweetness/sugar, body, flavor, astringency, and overall quality. Each of these characteristics is assigned a score, most of them from 0-2. On the UC Davis scale, truly excellent wines achieve a score between 17-20, with anything below 8 points being considered below commercial acceptability.
Parker Scale – The 100-Point System
In direct contrast to the UC Davis scale, this 100-point system developed by influential wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. relies heavily on the emotions and personal preferences of the wine taster. Although it is loosely based on the grading system of American schools, very little about the system is hard-and-fast. A number of reliable publications, including Wine Spectator and Vinquire also use a similar, 100-point methodology.
Although Parker insists that his wine scores are based on a number of utterly random and subjective observations, there does exist a set of guidelines for less experienced wine tasters to utilize.
Begin with 50 points after you’ve opened the wine for the first time. Add up to 5 points for color, 10 points apiece for nose and finish, 15 for taste, and 10 for an overall impression of the wine. A perfect score is rare indeed—Parker himself has only given out 150 or so out of the thousands of wines he has tasted.
On this scale, scoring anything below an 80 is considered a grave insult, and a wine that scores below 70 is only suitable, possibly, for cooking.
As with the wines they rate, both systems have their proponents and detractors, not just for the methodology but also for the ways that rating systems as a concept have affected the wine industry. For the beginner, however, the ratings can be an excellent tool for the wines you intend to experience. Just remember: don’t let the ratings bully you. Your taste in wine is yours alone…be proud of it, even if wine professors and critics disagree.
 To appreciate wine you have to appreciate the creativity that goes into making it. The delicate arts of growing and picking the right grapes, the precision of blending and aging; every step of the process requires a keen aesthetic sense to accompany the technical know-how.
The good folks at Wine Spectator know that interest in creative pursuits isn’t the sole domain of winemakers—the ranks of wine drinkers are also flush with artistic types from all fields. To give these artists a chance at the spotlight, Wine Spectator launched an annual video competition that asks for short films from people passionate about wine.
These films can be on any topic, and produced in any style or genre, as long as it relates to the filmmakers’ love of wine. Past winners have included a Sex and the City-styled light comedy about screw-cap wines…
…and a funky rap video about the rivalry between the east and west sides of the Paso Robles, California vineyards.
If you have a story or special report about your favorite wine experience, or something else you’d like to share with the global community of wine drinkers, gather up your friends and a video camera, and enter! You will receive a prize just for entering, and the finalists can win prizes that include tickets to the 2010 Wine Spectator Wine Experience event, this year being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We know that it takes patience to enjoy wine, but this contest has a deadline, so there’s no time to waste if you want to enter. The deadline for contest submissions is August 31st. Good luck to all of our blog readers!
Noted wine variety expert Steve De Long has estimated that there are over 10,000 different varieties of wine being sold in the world today—and that the true number may never be known, as new varieties of wine are often being created and other wines, for various reasons, pass into history. Still, 10,000 different kinds of wine is an intimidating number for even the most adventurous palate. If you were to have one different bottle of wine every day, it would take you nearly 28 years to try them all (and of course, by that time, other wines will have been developed)!
Still, some wine enthusiasts are up to the challenge of trying as many different varieties of wine as time and money will allow. Strongbox is a perfect place for such prolific collectors to store their vast caches, but there’s another important detail to consider when you own that much wine: how do you find it again?
 Luckily, there’s Cellartracker.com, a free database website designed just for such collectors. Not only can you use Cellartracker to accurately track your wine, you can also maintain comprehensive information on each bottle, and compare tasting notes on each bottle with other wine collectors.
Scott McDonald, a Strongbox client, offers this short testimonial for Cellartracker:
http://marshall-creative.dreamhosters.com/wp-content/uploads/video/loft/cellartracker.flv
You don’t have to own a hundred different bottles of wine to use either Strongbox or Cellartracker… but wine collecting is an exciting hobby and it’s easy to get carried away by it. In anticipation of your obsession, it might be a good idea to start tracking your bottles now!
Winemaking is among the oldest surviving art forms, dating as far back as 6000 BC. It has been a part of nearly every major civilization since that time, and wine is still, today, a cultural centerpiece for many regions and religions, including Catholicism and Judaism.
Many ancient societies held wine in such regard that their mythologies often included a god or goddess who was considered the overseer of wine. Here’s a look at few of these classical deities:
 Dionysus—The Greek god of wine was known to the Romans as Bacchus, and is arguably the most famous such wine god. He was also known as a god of agriculture, fertility and theater. The Greeks considered Dionysus the purveyor of ecstasy, which could occasionally slip into outright madness. As the story was most often told, Dionysus was the child of the thunder god Zeus and a mortal woman, Semele. Semele had been tricked by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera into requesting that Zeus appear before her in all his glory—the vision utterly consumed Semele, leaving behind her son. Dionysus appears in a number of well-known stories, most notably the tale of King Midas.
 Osiris—The Egyptian god of the dead was also credited with teaching the Egyptians how to raise grapevines, and therefore make wine. Believed to be an early king of the Nile, Osiris led his people to adopt agriculture instead of their previous savage behaviors, which included cannibalism. The legends of Osiris tell of how he was killed and torn to pieces by his brother Set, but then resurrected by the gods as lord of the underworld. Although Osiris was the god of wine, wine itself was occasionally referred to as “the tears of Horus,” (Osiris’ son, god of the Sky) or “the sweat of Ra” (the sun god).
 Sumerian Goddesses—The Sumerians, not content with one god to watch over their wine, worshipped a number of deities—all female—with poetic titles to accompany their given names. Some of these goddesses included Nin-kasi, “Lady Who Fills The Mouth,” and Geshtin, “Lady of the Vine.”
 Aegir—Uniquely, the Norse pantheon included no specific god of wine, but wine was nonetheless a significant component of Norse mythology. Aegir, a giant nature spirit, was the feared and respected king of the sea. He was also especially known among the Norse gods for his lavish parties, at which the gods would be permitted to partake of his especially excellent mead.
Mythology was often invented by societies to explain the wonders of the unexplainable. It’s no surprise, then, that ancient civilizations considered wine an important enough product to merit its own gods and goddesses.
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Fruit wines
Rice wines
