Captured History in a Bottle (A Wine’s Vintage Year)
With each opportunity to taste, enjoy and experience what a wine has to offer, we should be appreciatively reminded by the fact that a winemaker has only one opportunity a year (a Vintage) to get it right.
There is something unmistakably ceremonial about opening a bottle of wine that contains a cork. Even romantic in its ritual, that many swear by. This visceral experience has helped cork retain its public persona but is the wine industry moving in another direction?
Unless you enjoy living life on the edge, (which is often a fun approach) as with any indulgent purchase, reading the finer details will ultimately help you to make better informed choices.
A key factor in the finished product of many wines is the age and type of the wood it is fermented or contained in before it is bottled. Winemakers often refer to the use of new oak, old oak or neutral oak. What are some of the differences?
Decanting is not just the act of pouring a wine into a fancy vessel. It is a powerful tool to keep in your arsenal, one that can vastly expand what you get out of this beautiful beverage.