Trivia du Jour: Sparkling Wine Feels the Pressure

Did you know that the pressure in a bottle of traditional method sparkling wine is typically between 60 and 90 pounds??? The pressure has been compared to the tire pressure in a double-decker bus!! Open with care…

Care to ace our Wine Trivia Challenge?

Or, maybe you’d like to know a little more about the bubbly stuff. Santé!

Open That Bottle Night Strikes Again!

You know who you are. You’re one of those people who’s hording a very special bottle of wine for reasons known only to you. Maybe it has sentimental value. Maybe it cost so much that you’re afraid it has you outclassed Whatever… The point is that this beverage has been placed on a such a lofty pedestal that there’s simply no occasion good enough for it.

Enter my favorite wine columnists, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. They’re here to help you. On February 26, 2000, they established what has become a marvelous tradition, and great excuse to over-indulge, called “Open That Bottle Night”. Marching orders: Don’t be silly! It’s just wine, after all… Have yourself a fabulous meal and pop that baby open!

Now, maybe you’re one of those who likes to save the good stuff for yourself, like Nixon, which calls for an extremely intimate dinner party of one. Brings to mind the sad image of Miles, in Sideways, drinking that Ch. Cheval Blanc out of a paper cup all by himself.

Or, instead, you’re the person who, once he realizes he has permission to indulge, can’t wait to trot that coveted wine out and share it with his nearest and dearest. Imagine the potential Bacchanalia if each of those loved ones brings a special bottle of his own.  Whoo-hoo!!!!

In any case, it’s just over a week away, so get busy! Get thee to thy wine storage area, pluck that special bottle down from its celestial perch and have yourself a blast on Feb 28!  Cheers!

NVWR® 78 – Mushrooms!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode, our good friend Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways delves into the world of mushroom foraging. Renowned forager, Connie Green of Wine Forest Mushrooms tells Sherry about the mushrooms that can be found here in Napa Valley and shares some of her favorite recipes including her recipe for chanterelle vodka!

In the cellar today – Topping Barrels

Topping up barrels is a year-round necessity, if somewhat mind numbing. I suppose it’s a great opportunity to run through the entire play list on your ipod or hear your co-worker’s life story…

The great thing about barrels is that they let the wine evaporate, which causes the evolution we treasure.

The bad thing about barrels is they let the wine evaporate, which imperils it. Depending on the humidity in the cellar, up to 5% of the wine can be lost to evaporation each year – read $$$$ evaporating, literally, in front of your eyes. Kind of the cellar equivalent of cluster thinning. The loss is called the “angel’s share”.

Any head space, at the top of the barrel, exposes the wine to bacteria, which can make it smell and taste like “Martha’s Sox” instead of “Martha’s Vineyard”. Soooo sad. And quite unneccessary.

What to do? Add more wine. In fact, let a little wine spill over the top to make sure the barrel is absolutely full. In many cases, one barrel is “cannibalized” to top up the rest. The left-over wine goes into a demi-john for next time (topped up with inert gas).

How often? A good, but controversial, question. Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker, tops up each of our approximately 220 barrels at least once a month, depending on the time of year and the barrel. For instance, new barrels can be very thirsty, so they may require more frequent topping at first.

It’s a thankless job, kind of like unloading the dishwasher, but there you have it. Stay tuned for the next spell-binding cellar activity! Cheers!