Champagne is Queen of Sparkling Wine

While Champagne is the motherland of the effervescent nectar served in a tall, skinny flute, quality sparkling wine is also made in other areas of the globe like Prosecco in Italy and Cava in Spain.  However, keep in mind that, technically, you should not call, and in most places cannot call, a sparkling wine “Champagne” unless it is from that region in France. Another thing to keep in mind is that the best sparkling wines are made in the style of Methode Champenoise, or the traditional method.  This means that the wine is fermented and aged in the same bottle that you are drinking out of and the bubbles tend to be tinier, another indicator of quality.  There are other methods that can be used, but the traditional method is considered the best way to make high-quality sparkling wine.  Here is a cool video that explains the basics of Methode Champenoise:

Champagne can only be made from up to 3 grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and some common types of Champagne you may have heard of or will discover:

• Blanc de Blancs – “White from whites” = mostly Chardonnay
• Blanc de Noirs – “White from blacks” = mostly Pinot Noir, which is a red grape, but the juice is clear so if there is little to no skin contact the sparkling wine will be a light color

How to Open

There are so many ways to open a bottle of Champagne.  There are hundreds on YouTube alone so we won’t bore you here with another demonstration, but if you often struggle opening a bottle there is a cool opener that really makes it easy.  Using a saber is pretty cool too, but be careful!  Against common practice, the best way to open a bottle of sparkling wine is very carefully, twisting the bottle with one hand, while holding the cork steady with steady pressure.  Instead of a huge “POP!” you really want to just let out a “contented sigh of a woman” to maintain the integrity of the wine before the first pour and, of course, not to end up wearing half the bottle!  Then again, who are we to tell you what to do with your wine?

Style

When reading the label on a bottle of sparkling wine there will be terms that will help you determine which style, in terms of dry or level of sweetness, you may like:

• Brut Zero/Brut Nature/Sans Dosage: No added sugar
• Extra Brut: Nearly dry, contains no more than 0.6% sugar
• Brut: Nearly dry, contains no more than 1.5% sugar
• Extra Dry/Extra Sec: Slightly sweeter, can contain up to 2% sugar
• Dry/Sec: Can contain up to 3.5% sugar
• Demi-Sec: Just sweet enough, can contain up to 5% sugar
• Doux: Sweet, more than 5% sugar

Happy Holidays!

We know it’s the season for celebration with Christmas and New Year’s still yet ahead of us so, go ahead, grab a few bottles of bubbly.  If you’re a fan of the fizz make a resolution for 2012 to sip more bubbles regardless of date on the calendar.  You won’t be disappointed.

The Wine Check is a safe, convenient, and economical way to ship up to one case (12 bottles) of wine to and from where ever you travel, in an FAA-approved package! Your wine is protected by Wine Check’s patent-pending design, that encloses your wine in the included wine shipper box inside the secure padded case. The bag is lightweight (under 5 lbs.) and the attached wheels and strap make it easy to roll behind you! When packed with 12 bottles, The Wine Check stays under the 50 lb. airline weight limit for luggage and is collapsible and reusable, so you can store it and use it whenever you want to take wine with you.

The wine shipper box that is included is the same type of package used by wine shipping services so you know your wine will be protected.  This also allows you to take the Wine Check collapsed without the shipper and stored in your suitcase and then you can easily use a shipper from the winery or any packaging store for your return trip.  Furthermore, the baggage fee most airlines charge these days is often much less than the cost of shipping a case to your home from the winery or using a shipping service.

With Summer almost here and temperatures throughout half the country already soaring, you’d have to wait until late Fall at the earliest before any of that new wine you bought or want to ship arrived by a service.  Wines can become damaged by heat, or “cooked,” when shipped in the hot summer months.  Corks will often push and cause leakage leaving too much headspace in the bottle which speeds up ageing and oxidation.  Ultimately, the aromatics and flavor profile will be greatly affected in a negative way making your wine undrinkable and a waste of money.  With the Wine Check, you can safely and conveniently take some of that wine with you and enjoy soon after your trip.  Not to mention, you are sure to make some new friends in at the concourse while your wheeling your liquid luggage to the ticket counter.

Don’t let the weather, extra costs or inconvenience get in the way of your enjoyment of wine.  Take your wine with you with Wine Check.  Cheers!

Understanding why oak is used and where they come from is another entire story.  The most popular and distinguished wood for barrel-making come from the forests of France including Limousin, Alliers, Vosges, Troncais and Nevers.  American oak is used more and more, but it depends on the style of wine that is being made.  Regardless, the important thing to note here is that trees are a natural resource and while these places have implemented sustainability practices to allow these great forests to replenish and thrive into the future, there is still more we can do at the end of the barrel’s lifecycle in the form of “repurposing.”

Barrel Stave Table and Stools

We’ve all seen flower planters made from barrels cut in half, but thanks to creative artists and craftsmen/women like Tyson and Genine Gilbert of Barrel Designs, there are now more, unique and classy ways to enjoy repurposed wine barrels.  Using Authentic, aged oak wine barrels, Tyson and Genine work side-by-side designing and building each piece, giving these romantic vessels new life.  The wine stained barrels, toasted in the winemaking process, have a variety of oak hues with natural color contrasts.  Each intriguing piece has distinctive markings and the original cooperage imprints of thebarrels and the brilliancy of the wood grain is preserved and enhanced with careful hand finishing.  The result is a romantic collection of tables, bar stools, wine racks and entertaining accessories to suit any wine lover’s palate.  Each environmentally friendly piece is truly one-of-a-kind, and is sure to add warmth to any décor.

If you have other ideas or suggestions on how a wine barrel can be repurposed, let us know in the comments.

Stave Serving Tray

Stave Wine Rack

If this is the experience you’re looking for then you need to consider proper storage conditions, much like what Transtherm has to offer, to ensure that the optimal ageing potential of your wine is achieved.  Sorry, the timer that dings when the bottle has perfectly reached nirvana is not included.

Terminology

When speaking about the longevity and temperature aspects of wine, it’s helpful to get a basic understanding of the terminology used first.

Preservation – To keep the wine in its current state as long as possible (0 – 3 years).  When the wine has already reached its peak, as an example.

Ageing (or Aging) – The process of wine developing and improving with time (10 – 20+ years).

Service – The ideal temperature at which to serve wine such that its phenolic attributes (aromas and flavors) are expressed optimally.

Conditions

To ensure the optimal ageing of wine, the storage environment should have the following attributes:

• Constant Temperature – Temperature should be constant between 50-57°F (10-14°C)
• Controlled Humidity – The ideal level of humidity should be between 60-70% to preserve cork elasticity
• Air Circulation – Constant air circulation helps reduce odors in the cellar that could be transmitted to the wine as well as potential for mold
• No Vibration – Vibration can slow the process of biochemical development of wine, may accelerate ageing and diffuse oxygen in the wine leading to oxidation, which is not desired in most cases.
• Permanent Darkness – Ultraviolet light degrades wine by irreversibly oxidizing tannins.
• Suitable Design – A good design allows for various bottle sizes, efficient access and reduced footprint.

Castel

Temperature Zones

One of the many cool features of the 3-temperature version of the Prestige models, the Castel, is the separate temperature zones that serve multiple purposes.

• Chilling – For bringing white wines and sparkling wines to their serving temperature, which is approximately 9°F (or 5°C) below the ageing temperature setting
• Room Temperature – To keep red wines at their serving temperature, which is preset at 64-68°F (or 18-20°C)
• Ageing – The central section of the cabinet for the long term development of the wine

Transtherm is Unique

Transtherm prides itself on being one of the quietest around and is one of the few wine cabinets that has a thermadynamic pump system, which is responsible for ensuring constant humidity levels, natural ventilation and constant air circulation.  Furthermore, it is one of the few wine cabinets that heats AND cools to ensure a constant temperature.  As with any wine cellar, the air temperature may fluctuate a little, but studies have shown that 2 or 3°C difference in air temperature only results in a fluctuation of 0.2°C on the wine, which is negligible for ageing.  For more detailed technical information, please click here.

We sincerely hope you reach nirvana with your favorite bottle of wine.  To that end we offer the following approach to help determine where your wine peaked and its ageing potential.  Start with a half case of wine and drink a bottle now.  Then, every 2-3 years, drink another bottle.  If you have reached 10 years and it still tastes good, hold that last bottle for another 10 years and see how it turns out.  Please be sure to comment below about a well-aged bottle you’ve experienced and the results.

Cheers!