Nothing delights us more than fielding your wine questions. Each one offers a glimpse into your curiosity and concerns. So many of you preface your inquiries with “This might sound stupid, but …” when truly, no question deserves such a disclaimer.
Wine itself is uncomplicated — a fermented grape beverage that we “experts” have sometimes wrapped in layers of intimidating terminology and ritual. If anyone owes an apology here, it’s those of us who’ve turned something joyful into something daunting.
Here are a few questions we recently fielded that may pique your curiosity. Get a glass of wine and enjoy:
How much is considered a glass of wine?
Yep, you’ve been to the doctor and struggled with the question: “How many glasses of wine do you drink a week?” Well, that depends, doc. Our glasses tend to be fuller than probably the average patient. But, technically, an average glass of wine is four ounces. Put that in a red wine goblet and it looks pathetically small. For a restaurant owner, though, that four-ounce glass gets him or her six pours from a bottle. If it’s charged at $10 a pour, that’s $60 — a nice profit margin if his or her wholesale cost is $15-25.
In a recent column you noted that the rosé market was once dominated by Mateus and Lancers. I used to enjoy these wines many years ago, yet they don’t seem to be available anymore. What would suggest as a substitute?
These wines are still popular in their native Portugal, but less visible in the United States. Dry rosés have stolen the market from these sweeter wines. But if you like a rosé with a touch of residual sugar, look for lambrusco. These fizzy wines, made from grapes grown in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, are gaining in popularity. Cleto Chiarli makes a particularly good one. The cost is less than $20.
How many pounds of grapes does it take to make a bottle of wine?
Assuming the bottle is a standard 750ml, the estimate is 2.5 pounds — about the size of a small bag of flour or a big grapefruit. That doesn’t seem like much, does it? And despite what you might think, reputable winemakers don’t add water to the wine.
What’s with all this organic nonsense I see on wine labels?
We wouldn’t call it nonsense. Organic farming means the grape grower did not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Sulfites are naturally in grapes, but no additional sulfites can be added to be called an “organic wine” in the United States. But look at the label carefully if you are concerned about sulfites. “Made with organic grapes” means some sulfites can be added. In the European Union sulfites can be added and still called organically farmed. This kind of confusion can drive a person to drink.
Aha, those sulfites are why I get headaches in red wine, right?
Nope. There is no scientific evidence that headaches result from sulfites, which also occur naturally in dried fruit and other products. Most likely, you drank too much wine and dehydrated. Otherwise, the culprit is more likely a wine’s histamines and tyramines, which occur during the fermentation process. Another possible cause is the wine’s tannins commonly found in young red wine.
What is a natural wine the same as an organic wine?
Pretty close. Generally, a natural wine is organic. In addition, no yeast, sulfites or other additives such as sugar and coloring agents have been added. The winemaker does not manipulate the wine with fining, filtration or micro-oxygenation. While all this sounds good, we hope you like cloudy wine with suspended sediment because that’s what you’ll see in natural wines.
You didn’t ask, but here are more wine esoterica to drop in party conversation:
- The Bible mentions “wine” 247 times — 40 warnings against overindulgence, 145 positive references to meals and worship. Even the prophets knew how to enjoy a glass without going overboard.
- Wine is produced in 60 countries. Italy is the mother lode with the production of one-fifth of the global total. Nonetheless, Italians don’t drink the most. The United States is the biggest consumer by total volume and, boy, don’t we know that. If you measure consumption per capita, the Portuguese win.
- There are 10,000 different grape varieties grown in the world. Thirty-three grapes make up half of that with cabernet sauvignon being the most popular. Many are hybrid grapes used to make raisins and table wines. Italy has the most grape varieties with 350 being recognized by the government. Some historical estimates go as high as 2,000 different grape varieties. Clearly, our tasting journey has only just begun
- There are 10 million bubbles in a bottle of champagne. Old studies estimate 49 bubbles per bottle, but who’s counting? Not us. We’re more worried about extracting the cork without hitting a guest. There are about 70 to 90 pounds of pressure per square inch — more than twice the pressure that is in a tire. Just stick with still wine.
- Wine was first made in Georgia — the country not the place where the Bulldogs play. It probably happened when someone left grapes in a clay bowl too long and natural fermentation occurred. Eureka— humanity’s favorite accident was born. Archaeologists estimate this discovery occurred around 6000 BCE (Before Common Era).
Wine picks
If you have read this far, you must be exhausted by all this information. Here are this week’s picks to refortify you:
Troon Vineyard Druid’s Red Oregon 2024 ($26). We have fallen in love with Troon’s wines because they are fun and exciting. This one is a vibrant blend of syrah, cinsault, mourvedre, carignan and grenache. There are no additives, acid or sugar adjustments, enzymes or additional sulfur at crush in any of their wines. They use biodynamic wines and only native yeast. There is a purity to the wine with red fruit character.
Benziger Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($20). Juicy red and dark berry flavors with hints of spice and coffee.
Archery Summit Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2023 ($65). Pear and apple flavors dominate this lively and understated chardonnay from Oregon’s Dundee Hills. Its acidity makes it an ideal match to fish dishes.
Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr have been writing a weekly, syndicated wine column since 1985. See their blog at moreaboutwine.com. They can be reached at marq1948@gmail.com.
