Wine Myths Debunked- "Legs"

At every wine tasting that I have been to, without exception, there has been someone who swirled wine in their glass, looked at it, and said "wow- look at the legs!" For the uninitiated, the "legs" or the "tears" are the droplets of wine that run down the glass after you swirl it, it sheets on the glass, then forms into droplets. I don't want to say that the legs cannot tell you anything about the wine. Under the right circumstances, they can. However, at a wine tasting at your average liquor store, with some dude that is just spouting something he heard another "expert" say, it's highly unlikely. In that instance, the legs most likely tell you how clean the glass is, and what kind of detergent the store used in washing it.
In a perfect setting, a fuller, more developed tear is an indication of higher alcohol. At Shop-n-Save, it's an indication of someone just talking.

Wine Myths Debunked- Sulfite edition

I think that, in light of me trying to be more informative about the subject that gives me my paycheck, I would like to start progressively addressing some of the myths that are out there about wine. Many of you have been to a dinner, wine tasting, etc, and heard someone say "Oh, I don't drink red wine, the sulfites gives me a headache." Sorry, charlie, the red wine you drink might give you a headache, but it ain't the sulfites.

Sulfites are a naturally occuring chemical compound that are on various parts of the grape. They are also added to the wine in the form of Sulfur Dioxide, as a preservative. In the early 70's, the FDA determined that about 1% of the population has an allergy to sulfites, therefore requiring that the words "Contains Sulfites" appear under the government warning on the label. Because of the proximity to the warning, some people incorrectly assume that these sulfites are a bad thing, then blame a headache after drinking red wine on them. The trouble is that this warning appears on all wines, not just reds. There is such a phenomenon as a Red Wine Headache, but it isn't the sulfites that cause it. You don't hear about people saying they get "White wine headaches", yet white wines typically have more sulfites in them than red wines do. This also goes for dried fruits- sulfites are used there for preservatives, but people don't talk about "dried fruit headaches" either. Even for those that have an allergy to sulfites, the results would not be a headache- but rather shortness of breath. The only people that would get a headache from sulfites would be those that had a really rare combination of a sulfite allergy and asthma.

The answer to the red wine headache is most likely in the other stuff in the wine. Red wine is a chemically complex item, that has hundreds of different compounds in it. If you get a headache from it, the cause is likely either:
a) You drank too much red wine, and have a hangover (most likely)
b) You are allergic to one of the other compounds in it. Try taking a Claritin before drinking red wine and see if that helps.

Cool?

Celebrate the fact that we have now "Freed the Sulfites" by toasting with a glass of non-headache inducing red wine. I suggest the Hope Estate "Ripper" Shiraz- a really neat wine that is macerated in tanks on trucks while driving across Australia. It should cost you around $15 retail.

Cheers!

Crazy Grapes wine dinner

This is just a reminder for my throngs of loyal followers that I will be hosting a couple of events coming up:

Tuesday, Jan 12, 7-9 pm
Intro to Wine Class
Foam (corner of Jefferson and Cherokee)
6 wines, only $12

Thursday, Jan 14, 7:00
"Crazy Grapes" wine dinner
Five Restaurant (On the Hill), 314-773-5553
5 courses paired with wine, $60 plus tax and gratuity
Call the restaurant for reservations

I hope some of y'all can make one of these events- totally different vibes, but they both should be a lot of fun!

Cheers!

Snow day

Alright folks,

Our regular Thursday classes will begin again next week, picking up with the rest of Burgundy. As for today, most people are experiencing a snow day. Here's my suggestion. Go make a snowman, and take a picture of it holding a bottle of wine. Email it to me at kyle@sipofknowledge.com . Whomever sends me the best one, I will give a bottle of wine.

Oh yeah, it is also worth noting that snow drifts are extremely good at keeping bottles of riesling cold. Just drink straight from the bottle as you create your masterpiece.

Cheers, and be careful out there!!!

Wanna get dangerous?

On New Years eve, I did something with wine that I had never done before. I "sabred" a bottle of Cava. You might have seen this in movies or on TV- you slide a big knife along the side of a bottle of bubbly wine, and cut the top portion of the glass and the cork off. Mythology holds that Napolean used to do this with a bottle of Champagne to celebrate each military victory he had. I don't know if it is true, but it sure is a lot of fun.

I got the courage to do this, because I had seen it on a couple of different tv shows, most notably "Three Sheets" on the Fine Living Network. It's a goofy show, but I have actually grown to like it a bit. At any rate, I figured if Zane Lamprey can do it, so can I.

Here are the basics:
Get a bottle of champagne, cava, prosecco, etc, and chill it down. I later went back and saw that you are supposed to chill the top and neck of the bottle in ice water before you sabre it. We didn't, but I'm sure it would help (our first attempt took several whacks). You then take the foil off of the bottle, as well as the metal cage off of the cork. BE CAREFUL. At this point, you are holding a "loaded weapon" as the cork has nothing but friction holding it in, and has about 4 atm of pressure behind it. Locating the seam along the side of the bottle, slide a heavy knife or sabre, if you have one, along it, striking the bottom lip of the glass, right where the seam hits it. It's all about using your elbow, not your wrist. The top of the bottle, and the cork, should break off cleanly, and everyone will be amazed. Don't worry about chards of glass in the bottle, the pressure blows those right out.

After that, yell "opah", "Salud", "Cheers", "Go Chiefs" or something else, pour, and enjoy.

In case you need another "expert's" word on it, here is a link to a video demonstration:
http://video.about.com/wine/Saber-a-Champagne-Bottle.htm

Enjoy the new year folks, 2010 is going to be a helluva year.

Cheers!

New Year's Resolutions

Years come and go- at a seemingly increasing rate, as it turns out. It also seems as if people's New Year's Resolutions do the same. It's interesting that most people almost set themselves up for failure from the beginning instead of coming up with something that they can really stick to. Last year, I had the goals of

1) not drinking regular soda for a year- which I did, except for one drink of a coke at a wedding that I thought was diet

2) Learn how to cook French food better- which I did

3) Get my CSW and my Certified Sommelier status- which I did

4) Going to Farmer's Markets more- Which I kind of did, at least I went a couple of times

5) Eat at a locally owned restaurant once a week- which I did, whether it was in STL or somewhere else.

This year, I'm a lot less specific about my food and wine related goals. Quite simply, I want to eat and drink less, and the stuff that I do consume I want it to be better quality.

This holds true when it comes to wine. This year, I want to have a purpose behind having a glass, or opening a bottle of wine. I want to have fewer instances where I have a glass "just because", and more where I'm paying attention to what I'm doing. This is not to say that I want to be overly critical about everything that I try- that goes completely against the points I try to make on this blog. Instead, I just want to be intentional about what I drink. This is about my waistline and my checking account more than anything else.

What about you? Do you have any food or wine related goals for 2010?

If I might recommend, go find a bottle of 2006 Peter Michael "Les Pavots" Cabernet. It will be pricey. Like, special occasion, "I can't believe I just spent that", pricey. However this wine is the epitome of what "silkyness" portrays in a wine. It has a beautiful balance of fruit, tannin, and oak, and will only get better with age.

Cheers, and Happy New Year!!!!

Ninja Fingers has started

Alright folks, it's time for me to get serious about this health thing. I will still be blogging on here as frequently as possible, but please check out my new project:

http://www.ninja-fingers.blogspot.com/

Thanks!