There are two sorts of wine drinkers: the insecure and the very insecure. Because most of us don’t want to make a fool of ourselves, we are less likely to question wine wisdom when it is delivered by someone we regard as an expert.
If I were to dream up a piece of wine wisdom and repeat it often enough, it would have a good chance of becoming an established wine myth. For example, I might claim that wine sealed with a screwcap should be stored standing up to avoid contact with the aluminium liner in the cap. That is not true, but it is believable.
Sparkling wine seems to have spawned more myths than most wine types. You may have heard that you can extend the life of sparkling wine in an opened bottle by dangling a silver teaspoon in the neck. “That’s nonsense,” said the late, celebrated Australian winemaker Dr Tony Jordan, the most sparkling-savvy man I have ever known. “Sparkling liquids of all sorts have a remarkable ability to retain bubbles,” Tony explained. “If you have half a bottle of Dom Pérignon and half a can of Coke sitting on the kitchen bench for a few days, they will froth when you finally get around to tipping them down the sink. If you’d had a silver teaspoon in the neck of the Dom, you would probably have given it the credit.”
Many people believe that cellared wine needs to be turned regularly. That myth probably started when someone witnessed champagne bottles being turned in underground cellars to gradually rock the sediment into the neck, where it can be frozen and removed. In fact, you should move stored bottles as little as possible, according to Dr Neil McCallum, founder of Dry River Wines in Wairarapa, who believes that movement breaks the hydrogen ions, which then re-form, but not completely. Neil adds that this is only a theory, so we should not embrace it until it’s scientifically proven.
“Don’t pop a champagne cork, you might bruise the wine” is another very odd myth that we can safely ignore. The author of that might have also spawned the even more bizarre belief that if you put your thumb up the punt of a champagne bottle when pouring (a very tricky operation), you reduce the risk of froth-over. You can reduce frothing by holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle when opening it, to increase the surface area. We do the same when pouring a beer into a glass held at 45 degrees.
Another piece of sage advice to do with sparkling wine is to store bottles upright, not on their sides. The gas in the wine keeps the dry cork cells expanded, offering a tighter seal, or so I have been told by a sparkling-wine maker. I tried unsuccessfully to verify that fizz fact so the jury is still out, but my sparkling-wine bottles remain vertical.
Allowing wine to breathe by opening them and standing them upright for an hour or so is not very effective because the surface area of the wine is too small for the wine to aerate. Better to slosh the wine into a decanter or use one of the many aeration devices on the market.
Drinking red wine at room temperature is another myth. Serving temperature does make a difference, but don’t get locked into room temperature. I store my wine at 14 degrees, which is too cold for most reds. I pour myself a large (stemless) glass of 14-degree red, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds, taste it and either give it a few more seconds or add some cold wine to cool it down. Result: red wine at the perfect temperature … for me. My wife likes her red slightly cooler.
Bob’s Top Picks
Investment Wine
René Rostaing 2017 Côte-Rôtie, Côte Blonde, $230
Top wine from a top producer in a top vintage and in very short supply – immaculate credentials for an investment. The wine is delicious, just in case you decide to liquidate your investment by drawing the cork. 98 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Weekend Wines
Top White
Muddy Water 2018 Chardonnay, Waipara, $39.50
Intense chardonnay with peaches and cream, sizzled butter and delicate nut characters that are beautifully integrated. Seductively textured wine supported by a thread of ripe acidity. Beautifully balanced chardonnay with energy.
Top Red
Craggy Range 2019 Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, $39.95
Trophy winner at the Hawke’s Bay Wine Show. Dense syrah with red-fleshed plum, cassis, a hint of floral and black pepper. It sits on the cusp between blockbuster and finesse, with a nod in both directions. Great now but will age well.
Read more from Bob at therealreview.com
