About Our Wine Grading System

Since the number system seems to be inconsistent for us, I'm going to start using the old fashioned school system. A, B, C, D & F.

We could never agree what number "barely drinkable" should be and I don't think it was translating well to the blog either. Barely drinkable should probably be a D to a C-. An F graded wine gets poured down the drain -- literally.

I'm not going back and re-rating all those wines previously blogged, that would be too much like work. Going forward though, it's the new system. I hope everyone likes the new letter grades as much as we do.

A side note on buying a wine again: We take into consideration how much we liked it with dinner and how it drank to the bottom of the bottle. We also put a heavy emphasis on price. With all that factored in, sometimes a lower rated wine ends up on the buy again list, while a higher rated wine doesn't.

What A Difference A Vintage Can Make

Can the same brand and type of wine vary from vintage to vintage? You bet. Sometimes, the change can be huge. Here's one very dramatic example:

Alamos Malbec 2006. Rich and deep with dark berries, flowers and popcorn on the nose. The taste was thick and fruity with cherry, pomegranate, leather, spice and black pepper. The finish was lingering and floral. Very smooth. Real wine for 7.99. We loved it.

Alamos Malbec 2007. Sour, hot, angular and bitter. It seemed as though the wine's entire structure was off. Husband called it, "the red headed step child of malbecs." At first we thought it was just too young so we decanted it. Twelve hours later it wasn't any better. I don't think I would even cook with this one. To make matters that much worse, the 2007 was two bucks more than the 06. Just to be clear, it wasn't corked.

Why can there be a difference between vintages? There are many factors. Growing season, when the grapes are picked, processing at the winery, etc.

So if you read a review of one vintage, don't assume the same description fits all vintages for the same wine. To add insult to injury, some stores use the same description for all vintages. Is this practice lazy, dishonest, or both? I can only speculate.

Simple red wine advice from Eclectic Dilettante; the non-expert, budding wine snob.

Decant or Not to Decant

Decant or not to decant, that is the question.

In our wine reviews, I often mention if a red wine should be decanted or not and for how long. How can a person tell if a wine needs to sit for a while?

Let’s start with when not to decant.

Fruity, lighter bodied, sweeter wines that are meant to be drunk young and lightly chilled are never decanted. Some examples are Sangria, Beaujolais, Hazilit Red Cat, and Raspberry Ripple.

So how do you tell when a red needs air?

Often younger wines are sold before their prime. This is where adding air (instant age) can turn a so-so wine into a really good or great wine. If the wine is tight, acidic, angular or sharp, it will benefit from some air. The tighter the wine, the longer it needs to sit.

Tight: when all the flavors seem coiled together and competing for attention. Decanting allows the flavors to relax and soften. A friend of mine calls wines like this ‘monsters’. The bigger the monster, the longer it needs to sit. We’ve found that some Italian reds fall into this category. If they’re allowed to decant for at least an hour they blossom into something grand and the beast totally disappears.

Acidic: some acidity is necessary to give a wine lift. Too much makes the wine tart or sour. If the problem is only acidity, fully decanting the wine can leave it flat and boring. For this reason, we just open the bottle and let it sit for a few minutes. This is what we call airing.

Angular/Sharp: is a combination of tight and acidic. Simply put, it tastes harsh in the mouth. Decanting can take care of this.

How long? Well, that depends upon the severity of the problem. The harsher the wine, the longer it needs to sit. Sometimes just pouring the wine in the decanter gives it enough air to soften it. With some bolder reds, hours are necessary to release the wine’s full potential.

Is there a difference in decanters? The more the wine is exposed to air, the quicker it ‘ages’. We use a Captain’s style decanter with a diffuser. This gives maximum exposure in a minimum amount of time. All the decanting times listed in our reviews are timed this way. If a narrow bottom decanter is used, more time may be necessary.

Weather or not the wine has been decanted, notice the subtle changes in taste from the first to the last pour. Paying special attention to the changes as it’s exposed to air is an excellent way to get a handle on this. Some reds will change dramatically and others will change subtly. Trial and error is really the best teacher. Of course, keeping notes helps too.

When it comes to old or expensive or collector type wines, I give no advice on those. They’re out of my league. Contact a real expert.

Simple red wine advice from Eclectic Dilettante: the non-expert, budding wine snob.

Red Wine Gone Bad

Some simple red wine advice from Eclectic Dilettante, the non-expert, budding wine snob.

Sometimes red wine is corked (gone bad) straight out of the bottle and sometimes it just sucks. The big question is how to tell the difference between taste bud issues and 'spoilage'. Especially in a restaurant where wine can get real expensive real quick. When are there grounds for legitimately refusing a bottle of wine?

The answer is really easy. There are 4 distinct aromas/flavors that indicate a wine is corked; burning rubber, vinegar, mildew and mold. Any one of these elements is enough to get a refund.

1. Burning rubber should not be confused with road tar. Road tar is good. Burning rubber is bad.
2. Mold and mildew are just that. Nasty side effects from poor hygiene at the winery. Mold and mildew should not be confused with damp earth. Damp earth, like road tar, is good.
3. Vinegar. That's usually a defective cork.

Any of these four problems should net an apology and a different bottle from a restaurant. Don't ever suffer through an overpriced bottle of corked wine. If the waiter balks, invite him to try it. That should fix his bippie. Bad bottle at home? With a receipt the wine can be returned to the shop it came from. My favorite store limits returns to one year. Throwing a real special dinner party? A back up bottle can be a good idea.

If the wine fails to please and doesn't have one of these 4 aromas/flavors, it's not corked. It probably just sucks. Unfortunately, wines that suck don't get refunds. There is some hope for a wine that sucks....decant it.

The Glass Matters

I've read all over the web that the shape and style of the wine glass makes the same wine taste completely different. I didn't believe it so I tried it. I've tried it on friends who like wine, those who don't and even die hard beer drinkers. Everyone noticed a huge difference.

Glass A: The most common wine glass. Cheep and heavy, it has a lip or a bead around the edge. This glass is commonly used in restaurants and is the easiest to buy.
Glass B: Reidel white wine. Made of thin glasss it has a smooth edge.
Glass C: Reidel pinot noir. This also is thin glass without a lip. The Reidels are much harder to find and more expensive.

Experiment: French Bordeaux, Chateau Suau Cuvee Presitge 2000. The same wine, from the same bottle, poured into 3 different glassess netted 3 different results.

Glass A
Nose: Some earth and green apples.
Taste: Not much going on. 1 dimensional wine. The high acidity completely overpowers the fruit. It's so sour I would hesitate to cook mushrooms with it.
Glass B
Nose: Some earth and flowers. The green apple has disappeared.
Tate: The acidity has dropped considerably netting a more balanced wine. It's smoother with flavors of light red fruit. The finish is quite dry (tannic). In this glass the wine is more dull than sour.
Glass C
Nose: Oak, leather, purple florals of lilac, violet and lavender.
Taste: The acidity and tannins are now balanced giving the wine length and structure. Spice, dark current, a hint of leather and plum give this wine character and complexity. Complete review below.

Eveyone is always shocked after playing this stupid party game. The 'experts' aren't full of bull. When it comes to wine, the glass really matters.