The Story of the “Electronic Nose”—And A FREE Move!!

No, the “Electronic Nose” is not a bad sci-fi movie. It’s a new technology that is able to pinpoint where wine was made--even identifying the barrel where it was fermented!

The technique exploits the complex mix of thousands of compounds found in each bottle of wine that gives the wine the subtly different flavor.

Using the “electronic nose,” also known as a “mass spectrometer,” scientists from the University of Bourgogne, in Dijon, France analyzed the compounds in vaporised wine samples to produce detailed chemical signatures. These can then be matched against a database of characteristics to identify a wine's source.

This could be invaluable in proving the age of a wine. If it's proven to be younger than the claimed vintage of the wine, it must be a counterfeit.

This begs the question—will the mass spectrometer be mass produced for the average consumer?

In the mean time, any consumer can now win a FREE move! Just enter Moishe’s Moving Movie Madness (http://www.facebook.com/MoishesMoving). Moishe’s invites aspiring filmmakers to produce videos that document their entire move with Moishe’s Moving from beginning to end. The winner of the competition, as chosen by fans on Moishe’s Facebook Page (Moishe’s Moving ), will have their video published on Moishe’s Official Site (Moishes.com), and will have their entire move refunded to them in full! The contest ends September 8, 2009—so get moving!!

Wine Cellaring 101

If you're prepared to store your wine in your first wine cellar, here’s three vital tips:

Wine bottles should be stored in a place where the temperature doesn't fluctuate wildly. Also, relative humidity around 70-75 per cent is ideal because it prevents corks from shrinking.

Wine bottles don't like vibration. This moves the sediment that often lies at the bottom of aging bottles; making for murky wines.

Store them in dark places. Ultraviolet light is a wine bottle's worst enemy. If it shines on bottles, it penetrates the glass and produces a nasty reaction in wine. (NOTE: Never buy a wine that’s been sitting on display in a window or under ultraviolet light).

The Oldest Wine-Growing Region in the U.S. Is—

If you said California, you are wrong. It’s New Mexico!

Spanish settlers planted European-style grapes along the Rio Grande River in the early 1500’s. A hundred years later, missionaries planted grapes for religious purposes; well before grapes were planted in California.

New Mexico has a combination of geographic and environmental conditions for growing grapes. Also, its high elevation, warm days, and cool, refreshing nights makes it ideal for wineries. The elevations are some of the highest in the United States, so no matter how hot the days get, the night temperature can drop as much as 30 degrees. This allows the grapes to develop character and complexity while retaining their all-important acids.

In short, wineries are another reason why New Mexico is called “The Land of Enchantment.”

A Little Wine from Little Rock--and Beyond

Arkansas wineries are holding their own during the recession, partly due to the fact that they're not aiming at the high end of the market.

Michael Post of Mount Bethel Winery south of Altus which is the center of Arkansas' wine country noted, "However, our cost of goods and cost of doing business has risen, making our profit margins somewhat slimmer. Wine bottles, wine labels, sugar - all those things have gone up."

Arkansas wineries generally keep their prices in the $5 to $8 range. Indeed, luxury vintners - those producing wines selling for $25 a bottle or more - are hurt by the recession. But most Arkansan wines sell at prices well below would put them in a "luxury" category.

Cap versus Cork

Australian and New Zealand winemakers have learned that something as natural as a wine cork sliced off a cork tree can sometimes contain a foul-smelling and tasting taint that can harm wine.

These two countries have decided that the aluminum screw cap is here to stay.

Back in 2001, the Clare Valley Riesling makers in South Australia were angry about the level of cork taint turning up in their wines, especially in Riesling. Cork taint was occurring at a rate estimated somewhere between seven and 12 per cent in wines.

The Clare Riesling producers went out on a limb and changed to aluminum screw cap and were followed by more than 40 equally angry New Zealand winemakers. That's when powerful supermarket chains in the United Kingdom came on board. They saw that cork taint was ruining the wine experience and that screw caps give a 100 per cent guarantee against cork taint. Soon, supermarkets put the pressure on their suppliers to make the change.

And the rest is drinking history!

Does Bottle Size Effect A Wine’s Flavor?

No, there is no taste or quality difference in wine bottled in a magnum or any other large format from those bottled in a traditional 750ml bottle.

However, wine in bigger bottles do tend to age more slowly than in smaller bottles. This is supposedly since the amount of oxygen trapped inside the bottle isn't as great.

Occasionally, if you see the results of a blind retrospective tasting of older wines, it is often mentioned if it was tasted from magnum bottles. This takes into account that it might not be showing its age as much as if it was tasted from a 750ml bottle.

Wine Time at—Starbucks?

Right now, it's just a coffee bar. But soon it may be a real bar.

Starbucks is about to add beer and wine to its menu. That is, the retailer is testing this boozy option in one of its Seattle outlets. However, if the concept is successful, Starbucks may expand these types of stores across the country.

By serving beer and wine, Starbucks is looking to drum up some more evening business.
"If you stop innovating, you're dead," Scott Bedbruy, CEO of consulting firm Brandstream and former marketing chief at Starbucks, said.

He notes there is one drawback:

“The reason Starbucks became the No. 1 place to go for a blind date is because women are comfortable there — and the men aren't drunk."

Too Much Wine Before Their Time

For the first time in Italy's history, a city council has banned alcohol for those under 16 in an effort to curb drinking problems among youths.

Amazingly, Italy has no minimum drinking age. The wine-soaked country does have a rarely enforced ban on serving alcohol in public to those under 16. It is common to see children sharing a sip of vino with their parents at restaurants.

But in recent years, alcoholism among youths has become a concern for authorities. In Milan, a whopping 34 per cent of 11-year-olds have had problems with alcohol!

So if you’re traveling to Italy and want to do what the natives do, that is, let their children take a sip, beware of the new consequences!

Time to Keep It Cool In the Summer Time

A long-standing convention says that white wines and roses should be served cool, while red wines should be served at room temperature. But if it’s hot outside and you happen to be outside, sometimes it’s time for you and your wine to cool off.

However, over chilling white wines can have a negative effect because you reduce the overall flavor and aroma of the wine.

A good guideline to use is the wine's body (as opposed to its color). Lighter bodied wines are better when they’re chilled to a lower temperature. Full-bodied wines would be spoiled if chilled to the same degree. So, serve your Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling cooler than your Chardonnay. Also, keep your Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir cooler than Cabernet or Shiraz.
As British wine expert Jancis Robinson explains: "Because white wines tend to be lighter than reds, the conventional wisdom of chilling them does usually work -- but there are exceptions."

Champagne Sales Aren’t Bubbling

Consumers are bypassing champagne in favor of cheaper sparkling wine.

Rémy Cointreau, the American subsidiary of France-based luxury wine and spirit company Remy Cointreau, reported a 40 per cent fall in sales of its bubbly brands due to “difficult worldwide trading conditions.”

France’s second-largest spirits group attributed the fall, which mostly effected its Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck champagne brands, to a drop in demand within France and also a drop at airports all over the world.

Literally—Cutting Back on Wine in Italy

This year, wine output growth in Italy, a major producer, will slow down after farmers dug up vines because of incentives under the European Union wine sector reform.

The EU reform offers money to less competitive winemakers to dig up vines. The cash premium is the highest in the first year.

Italian growers' increasing efforts to prune grapes to improve quality also reins in quantity. Still, Italy's wine output is expected to rise 5 percent from 4.6 billion liters produced in 2008, when it jumped 8 percent.

So—don’t worry. Wine still flows in Italy.

Wine with—Pizza

It appears that Italians—especially those running restaurants--aren’t big on vino with pizza. There is one pretty obscure exception: Gragnano, a frizzante red that comes from the town of the same name outside of Naples.

Served chilled, Gragnano has a touch of sweetness and a slight effervescence that cuts the fattiness of oil and cheese. . It is now on the menu of New York City based restaurants Una Pizza Napoletana, Motorino, and Zero Otto Nove. If you don't want to "do" restaurants, it costs $15-17 at local wine stores.

New York Wineries Rise—

--as does the state’s unemployment rate.

Expansion of New York's wine industry makes it one of the state's few growth businesses; as the number of wineries now totals 275. The New York State Wine & Grape Foundation reports that with new licenses pending, the figure could top 300 by year's end which is a gain of nearly 10 percent.

Wwineries are now in 46 of New York's 62 counties; with the Finger Lakes region and Long Island the major growth areas.

"More wineries have been created in this decade than in the previous two decades combined, bringing with them the strong multiplier effects on the manufacturing, agricultural and tourism sectors of the economy," cited James Trezise, president of the Canandaigua-based foundation.

Where Wine Flows Like Niagara Falls--

--which happens to be near Niagara Falls!

Within the last five years, the Niagara region on the Canadian side has seen the number of wineries grow to 98. Some produce less than 1,000 cases each year while others are publicly traded corporations approaching a million cases. Even Wayne Gretzky has a winery!

Since the closure of fruit-processing plants in Niagara, grape growers have turned to the grape known as “Vitis Vinifera.” Currently, 90% of all grape production is supplied to the wine industry. A winery called Chateau Des Charmes Estate even uses windmills to moderate the cold temperatures by pulling in warm air then pushing it in among the vines in the vineyards.

So the next time you hear about a barrel going over the Falls, don’t be surprised if the barrel is from a winery!

Hungary—for Wine?

It’s not the obvious destination for wine connoisseurs—but it is for thousands on September 9th when the Budapest International Wine Festival begins.

Set against the backdrop of the Buda Castle which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, this festival takes place from September 9-13. There, wine lovers can drink in the scenery—as well as wine from around 170 Hungarian wineries exhibiting. There will be some 1,000 wines to sample; as well as a grape wine auction and grape harvest procession.

So if you’re looking for a reason to vacation in September, visit Hungary!

Take to the Higher Ground

..in Spain!

Climate change is forcing winemakers in Spain to consider moving their vines to higher ground to escape the heat. Spain, which has more acres of vineyard than any other country in the world, is the driest in Europe. Yes, grape vines love the sun. But too much heat is harmful to the proper ripening of the grapes as long heat waves rob the grapes of sugar. Spanish vintners must choose between an early harvest that produces wine with the right amount of alcohol but is still "green" or a later one in which the grapes produce a better quality wine but have more alcohol.

One possible solution is planting vines in a higher altitude—which means vines suffer less from the heat and the nights are cooler, which allow the grapes to ripen better.

Wine expert Lionel Gourgue believes that a shift to higher ground would be a return of good sense. "The vine has always been planted on the hillsides. But in the 1980s, mistakes were made, and we planted them anywhere."

Yes, Spain learned from their mistakes--and wine lovers are grateful!

Keeping Wine in the Family

The Salerno family, that is!

In just their second year of wine production, Jack and William Salerno of Manzanita Creek Winery have made wine that made the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 list. The brothers are on a roll; as they collect gold medals for their Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, Syrahs, and Pinot Noirs.
Also, last year at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair they received eleven medals--two Double Gold Best of Class, eight Gold, and one Silver.

The brothers are as even keeled as their wine as Jack explained how they first got into the wine business:

“We read some text books on winemaking,” says Jack, “then threw them away!”

Wine Is Cheaper Than Water?!

It is when it’s Australian wine!

To explain, due to of an oversupply of grapes, lower international demand and the struggling worldwide economy, some Australian wine retailers are now selling their products at dirt cheap prices.

Major wine retailer Dan Murphy's is now selling some wines for $1.99 a bottle -- cheaper than some bottled water!

"We've seen growers who didn't bother picking their grapes this year," said wine industry critic Stuart Gregor. "There is a huge oversupply and we have more grapes than we are selling, and prices are being pushed down."

Indeed, Australia's biggest winemaker, Foster's, has been forced to sell 31 vineyards as the industry faces its worst crisis in 100 years.

So when wine is cheaper than water--try not to drink like a fish!

Mercer Row

Something else comes from Washington State besides apples—grapes that are expertly used by two Washington State farming families, Hogue and Mercer. From these, comes the great 2007 Mercer Estates Yakima Valley Riesling from Hogue Cellars.

Some American wine drinkers are familiar with Hogue Cellars, the second largest winery in Washington State. The Mercers, who settled in the state in 1886, are less well known, but have been farming grapes since the 1970s.

Recently, members of the Hogue and Mercer families, along with winemaker David Forsyth, presented their second vintage of Mercer Estates wines. This includes a fruit-filled 2007 pinot gris.

So if you want a taste of Washington State without traveling there, try their Mercer Estates wines!

Ice Wine for Hot Weather

“Ice wine” is not ice with wine. It’s a dessert wine made from grapes that were frozen while they were still on the vines.

Since the water in the grapes freezes but the sugars and other dissolved solids don't, the result is a sweet and concentrated wine. There are also "non-natural" ice wines, when grapes are picked and frozen in a freezer. These are known as "icebox wines" or "iced wine" to give them a distinction from the original.

Typical grapes used for ice wine production are Riesling, Vidal, and Cabernet Franc.

So to take the sweat out of your summer, sip some ice!

It's not the Temperature--it's the Humidity too!

A “wine tradition” is that wine should be stored in a temperature and humidity controlled place. However, some believe humidity is a less important factor.

Winemaker John Kongsgaard notes “Humidity is far less important than temperature controls. Lack of humidity will ultimately dry out a cork, but that would take decades, especially if the wine is stored cork down or cork sideways.”

But, if you plan to eventually sell your wine, auction houses prefer wine be exposed to humidity as well as temperature controls. As such, place a bucket of water or a compact humidifier in your cellar.

Unlike some humans, wine doesn't mind a little humidity!

Low Alcohol In Wine = Low Quality?

This is still open to debate.
Beringer Blass Wine Estates has come out with “White Lie Early Season chardonnay.” It adds up to 9.8 percent alcohol compared to the 13 and 14 percent found in some vintages—which adds up to less calories (has 97 calories per 5-ounce serving) and sells for less than $10 a bottle.

The reason behind White Lie’s lower alcohol is that it’s made from earlier picked grapes picked earlier--when their sugar levels are lower. Technology is then used to extract some of the alcohol.

“White Lie” is being marketed to women because:

“Women are all ‘juggling’ so much,” said Tracey Mason, director of global innovation for Beringer Blass Mason. “If you can have what you want but cut out a little bit of what you don’t want, we felt like that would be a really positive thing to do.”

Indeed, when a man drinks, 30 percent of the alcohol is eliminated in his stomach, but for women only 10 percent metabolizes, resulting in a higher blood level of alcohol…which is no white lie!