How Wines Get Their Names
Wine names can be somewhat confusing – a Burgundy and a Pinot Noir are the same sort of wine, so why are the names so different? This difference foxes many novice drinkers – and quite a few experienced ones as well – so let’s break it down.
The different types of names come from the fact that wines are named after either their grape variety or the region they’re grown in – Burgundy is a region, after all, not just a wine or a color.
The naming traditions also vary according to region, and winemaking regions are, largely, divided up into Old World and New World. The rule of thumb is that Old World wines take the name of the region and New World wines are named after the type of grape (or the main type of grape in blends).
New World names
With New World wines, the growers tend to name the wines after the main grape varietal that’s gone into the wine. If a wine uses primarily Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, then it’s a Cabernet Sauvignon. Even if the wine is made from 80% Cab grapes, with the remaining 20% being made up of one or more other varietals, then it’s still a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Old World names
Old World wine names are almost always named after the region in which they were made. So, if a wine was made in Bordeaux and is made from mainly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, it’ll be called Bordeaux because the region of Bordeaux, being in the Old World, holds sway over the varietal.
Old World winemakers tend to use the name of the region rather than the name of the grape because these winemakers feel that the region has a huge impact on the end product. The sense of place – the sun, the winds, the soil type and the climate – is known as the terroir and this terroir all affects the taste of the wine when it’s finished.
Many people believe that a good quality wine expresses its terroir as well as the characteristic of the grape it’s made from, so a Cabernet Sauvignon made in France will taste a bit different to one made in Italy.
Why Do Different Wines Taste So…Different?
If all wine is made from grapes, then why do all the different varieties, and even different vintages of the same variety, taste so different? Everyone talks about wine as if it was made from everything except grapes! Vanilla, cherries, tobacco, oak, mushrooms and even coffee are all adjectives that come up when someone’s trying to describe a wine. How does this happen? We all know that no-one pours a slug of espresso into the barrels, or drops in cigarettes…
Grapes are very delicate beings and so anything that happens to them before and after they’re picked leaves an impression. The soil they grow in, how they’re picked, how they’re pressed, everything leaves a mark, so to speak.
The process starts in the ground
Many winemakers say that a good wine starts in the vineyard itself – great wine comes from great farming. It’s in the vineyard that the grapes first come into contact with the air, the pollinating insects, the competitor plants, the rain, dryness…you name it, all these environmental conditions have an impact on the grapes.
Then there’s the air
The air itself has a definite effect on the grapes as they grow and ripen. If the grapes are grown near the sea, they may well pick up salt water spray and this in turn leads to them absorbing some of the sea salt minerals. This can actually impart a coastal taste, as if you’re drinking a sea breeze.
Once the grapes have been picked, everything they go through, every decision taken by the winemaker, influences the end result and flavour. How the grapes are crushed, whether the juice ages in steel or oak barrels and how long it’s allowed to ferment all makes a difference.
Thinking about all the variables at play, it’s hardly surprising that wines taste and smell so different. It’s learning to discern what you can taste and why it’s there that’s part of the fun of drinking wine.
How to Drink Alone With Class
Everyone spends the occasional evening alone – maybe your partner is out of town, or you’re a busy mum who dreams of a day or two to do whatever you want. There’s nothing wrong with being alone and having a drink, as long as it’s not every night and you’re not actively avoiding other people.
So, you’ve got the evening to yourself and you fancy a drink, but you’re worried about how it’ll feel; are you a bit sad? Do you have a problem? The answer is probably no, but there are ways to enhance the solo-drinking experience further so that you turn it into something classy.
Listen to some new music
This should absolutely not be break-up music or anything notoriously depressing. Try listening to someone’s new album, or an entirely new genre and really try to get into it. That artist everyone’s been telling you to listen to for years – now’s the time.
Try a different drink
Don’t just take to the sofa with a six-pack or a cuddly bottle of red, try something new. This doesn’t mean shopping for agave syrup and obscure Chilean spirits, just try crushing some raspberries into your Cava, or that weird red wine hot chocolate combo that has been touted in recent months.
Make sure you have some snacks
When we have company over for a drink, we get all artistic with the blinis and the bruschetta, right? When we’re alone, it’s pyjamas and a bowl of M&Ms (don’t deny this). Up your solo snack game and try some new bites – maybe try out some new blini toppings and really concentrate on what you’re doing.
Notice what you’re drinking
If you’re mixing a new cocktail or trying a new red with a view to making a bulk order, drink it in an investigative way. Take notice of what it actually tastes like – even make notes if you need to. It’s for research purposes, right?
Avoid social media
It's tempting to go onto Facebook or Instagram after a couple of drinks, but don’t. There’s always the risk of looking up your high school sweetheart or nemesis and letting rip after all those years.
Just don’t.
Common Dinner Party Wine Conundrums
Hosting dinner parties is great fun – when it goes right, that is! Planning a party can be stressful, especially if there’s quite a few of you and you don’t know some of your guests that well.
One problem is choosing the right wine so that everyone is at least content with their drink. Here’s how you navigate the minefield.
Some will want white and some will want red
This is one of the main dilemmas and while it can often be sorted out by looking at the food you’re serving, sometimes it’s not that easy. Of course, some people place regular bulk orders of red and white wine so they always have lots in, but if you don’t have a bulging cellar, the answer may well be a rich rosé.
The great thing about the better rosés is that they appeal to white drinkers as they’re crisp and dry, and red fans as they have depth and complexity, even when chilled.
Dry or sweet?
This problem often comes up when extended family visits – our oldsters do love a sweet wine, but the rest of the family doesn’t. However, very often, people ask for a sweet wine when they’d actually be just as happy with a fruity one with low acidity.
California can offer some great options here – a Sauvignon Blanc is a great catchall, with big fruity notes while still being dry.
Some want oaky, others want light and clean
Whites seem to fall into two camps – oaky and rich against light and fresh. There is a middle ground between Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, with some whites that have a hint of oak, acidity and fresh fruit flavors. Try a Chenin Blanc or a white Burgundy.
Some want a lighter red and others want to go dark and heavy
For this you need a full-bodied red with a lot of acidity. Acidity tends to lighten things up – a wine can have a surprisingly high alcohol content but because of its acidity it can seem very light and innocuous (be careful here!). Try an Italian red, such as an Umbrian Sagrantino or a Barolo.
If you prefer to stay local, then try a full-bodied red with a low tannin content. High tannin can make a red wine seem coarse and this will put off people who are used to lighter reds. You can offer a full-bodied Californian Merlot or a Zinfandel, especially if you chill it slightly to bring out more flavors.
Spaced Out! Astronauts and Alcohol
It’s the fantasy of many of us earthbound types – sitting by a window on a space station, gazing at a galaxy while sipping down a Cosmic Cosmopolitan – but how many astronauts actually get to live out this dream?
The answer is not many, and most of them are Russian! It’s true that Buzz Aldrin TOOK. COMMUNION. ON. THE. MOON. However, NASA kept that fact under wraps for a long time, mainly because it wanted to keep religion and state separate, not so much because drinking in space is a bad thing.
So, it is physically possible to have a drink in space – it’s just not that great an idea. It’s unlikely that future space missions will set off with bulk orders of wine in the tanks!
Sherry onboard the Skylab
It almost happened in the 1970s though. During this period of the space-race, poor astronauts had to endure some awful packaged food and so NASA took pity on them and allowed them a drink. The scientists got together and decided that a sherry would be best as any drink going into space would have to be repackaged and the effects would be uncertain. As sherry has already been cooked during processing, it would be more resistant to the rigours of space travel. It was a cream sherry that was earmarked for going into space on these missions.
It never took off
Sadly, the sherry didn’t make it after all. Skylab 4 commander Gerry Carr let slip during a public lecture the fact that sherry would be included in the astronauts’ packaged meals on the next mission and the public didn’t like it at all. Since this outcry, NASA has imposed a strict ban on extra-terrestrial alcohol.
As you might imagine, Russian cosmonauts have it that little bit easier. Space program doctors over there actually recommend that cosmonauts drink a tot of Cognac to maintain their immune systems. If you’re pulling a sceptical face right now, stop; there’s actually evidence that the resveratrol in Cognac helps to counteract the various physical effects of space travel.
This doesn’t mean that the International Space Station is about to start partying – it’s still very much a dry place. Even though you can drink alcohol when you’re in space, it might leave you unable to react rapidly or sensibly enough to deal with the sudden problems space travel can throw at you.
Brosé – It’s a Thing
Thinking – and drinking – pink used to be an exclusively female pastime and rosé wine was the white wine spritzer of the early 21st century, delicately sipped at by ladies while the men had hefty reds.
Now, however, as gender norms fall by the wayside and men realise that they’re missing out on a whole section of the wine spectrum, rosé is becoming brosé, with more and more men hitting the pink. What’s more, they’re doing it in front of each other, not using being on a date as an excuse as they may have done in the past.
Rosé rehabilitated
Rosé tends to be dry and crisp, especially the varieties that hail from France. American versions tended to be seen as excessively sweet, sickly drinks, favoured by aunties and teenage girls. Thankfully, regions like California are changing this perception by producing a range of more complex, challenging and varied rosés. This change has made wine buffs take rosé more seriously – by both genders.
More choice
Quite simply, more bros are drinking rosé because it’s a third way! Where there was the simple binary choice of red or white, men can now choose another option. It’s equal opportunity wine and lots of men are enjoying the fact that they can branch out from white or red, red or white, beer or whisky. It’s very liberating. Liberating to the point at which sales of rosé in the US have risen by almost 50% since 2014.
It’s the millennials
People aren’t just drinking rosé, they’re talking about it too, with online conversations on the rise. The millennials are the main drivers of this revolution, as they are notoriously indecisive and unwilling to commit. Rosé offers the chance to not make a choice at all, to have the best of both worlds – to have the light, refreshing crispness of a dry white and the complexity and challenge of a good red.
So, when you see a group of bros necking rosé, don’t mock them inwardly – head on over and find out what the fuss is all about.