What’s the difference between a regular bottle and a Reserve one from a given winery ? Why should I pay more for the Reserve bottle ? Does it really taste better ?
Today’s question was sent in from Tom from Tottenville (Staten Island, NY) who asks “Where does the dryness in wine comes from?”.
Part 1: Dryness in Red wines
Part 2: Dryness in White wines
Video sum up: Where does the dryness in wine comes from?
In red wines the dryness is the result of tannins.
“The tannins in wine are from two sources: firstly from the grape seeds, skins and stems, and secondly from the oak barrels (typically Quercus petraea or “French oak”) in which wine is made.” (Wikipedia)
Over time the tannins allow the wine to mature.
In white wines essentially it is the absence of sugar.
Wine like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay are dry because they don’t have a lot of sugar.
Today’s question was sent in by Mindie from lower Manhattan who asks “Why should you use a decanter and how do you choose a decanter?”.
Video sum up: Why should you use a decanter and how do you choose a decanter?
Basically, a decanter is a device in which you pour wine.
Why / When should you use a decanter?
It is a lot of a ceremony, it looks nice and it is a special container for special wines
If a wine is old it is going to have sediments in it. When you decant a wine try to leave the sedminents in the bottle
If a wine is young it needs aeration and decanting is a good way to provide this aeration
How to choose a decanter?
When you choose your decanter make sure your decanter:
is stable,
is easy to hold
has a wide mouth in order to easily pour the wine in it
When you have a decanter which respect these three practical criteria, your choice will be based on aesthetic and how much you would like to spend. Decanter could cost from a couple of bucks to hundreds of dollars.
You could find a selection of decanter here for example.