Wine Myths Uncorked!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Here at Sydney Bar School, we like wine … we like it a lot! There are many myths surrounding the delightful grapey good stuff and we thought we would take a look at a few and give you our thoughts on them.
Vintage Champagne is better quality …
We tend to think this because vintage Champagne is often at the pricier side of the cost scale. Vintage Champagne is produced from specific harvests and the vintage status is a reflection of the character associated with that particular vintage. Non-vintage Champagne, however, is made up of different harvests that have been blended together and the style is more consistent. This does not mean that one is of a higher quality than the other, merely different.
Champagne doesn’t age very well …
This is not true! Champagne matures very well but it does need to be kept in certain conditions for this to happen. Optimum conditions for storing Champagne are found in cool, dark and humid environments. When aging Champagne, it may become less fizzy over time, but the flavour becomes more complex. It can, in theory, be aged for decades!
You should drink Champagne out of a flute …
The reason they say this is because higher levels of carbon dioxide gather at the top of the tall, narrow glass which is how we get that lovely tingling feeling that we fondly associate with Champagne. But actually, a wide glass similar to that typically used for red wine is also suitable for Champagne as it allows the aromas to air better.
Red wine will give you a worse headache than white …
Speaking of red wine, it does have a bad reputation for causing worse hangovers! But it’s an unfair reputation apparently … these headaches are merely a result of over-indulgence and dehydration, unless you are unlucky enough to be allergic to the sulphites found in red wine. But it’s more likely that you just went a bit overboard!
The wine is allowed to breathe when you open the bottle …
Actually, the narrow neck of the bottle doesn’t make for effective aerating … if you want to let it air properly, you are much better off using a decanter.
It is easy to measure the quality of wine …
This is a tough one! Everyone has different tastes and therefore the word ‘quality’ when it comes to wine, is open to interpretation! But that is what makes wine so great - would it be as interesting if we all had the same preferences?
Want to learn more? Check out our Bartending Course at the Sydney Bar School.
