I was teaching a private wine class, and presented each attendee with two glasses.  One held wine poured straight from the bottle, and the other wine poured from a decanter into which I had poured wine an hour earlier.

They were convinced we were drinking two different wines, the difference was that amazing.

Decanters are a valuable tool when it comes to letting wine open up and breath. You may have heard this before, but may wonder, “What does it mean to let wine breathe? And why are people swirling their wine acting pretentious?”

Wine making 101 – grapes are picked and squashed giving us grape juice. While grape juice can taste pretty good, it is kind of flat. It smells like grapes, and tastes like grapes.  So, we mix in some yeast and magic starts to happen.

The acids, sugars, yeasts, and chemical compounds called polyphenols interact during fermentation and aging to create new smells and flavors such as tropical fruit, honey, blackcurrant bud, chocolate, coffee, and over 200 other aromas, called esters.  The possible esters present in a wine are based on many different factors, such as varietal, climate, types of yeast, and many, many other factors.  Let’s get back to letting a wine open up.

When a bottle is first uncorked (or unscrewed), you can think of all these esters as being bundled tightly together – for lack of a better analogy, perhaps as a rubber band ball.  Trying to get a sense of the aromatic make up of the wine can be difficult; it might hit you like a solid indistinguishable mass.

With red wines in particular, the mouth-feel may be very harsh and tannic.

As we swirl the wine, we allow oxygen to get in there and start loosening things up. We are able to start picking up some of the distinguishable flavors and in the case of tannins, they can become softer and more velvety on your tongue.

In a glass alone, this process can take quite some time.  Swirling, swirling, swirling.  Who can wait that long to hold this nectar of the Gods in your hand and … not drink it?  While it can be interesting to keep sampling a wine to see how it changes as it opens up, sometimes we just want to jump to the good stuff.

Enter, the decanter.

Pouring the wine into a decanter can help offset the temptation to down this tightly wound wine, and also can give us more surface area to let the wine breathe.

You can pour wine into a decanter an hour before guests arrive and treat them to an incredible experience. This can greatly improve younger wines – and more affordable wines – that may first exhibit harsh tannins.

A word of warning, ALWAYS test your wine before decanting! Sometimes, older wines may have aged gracefully and are in fact very delicate. Decanting may cause them to lose their aromas and flavors.

Try it out yourself.  Find a wine that is “tight” and pour it in a decanter. Check it after 30 minutes, after an hour.   Sometimes, it may take longer. I once forgot to cap a wine I had opened, and tried it again 2 days later – it was AMAZING how much it improved.  It seemed to have turned my $11.99 Pinot Noir into something much more valuable.

Pour a glass from the bottle and another from the decanter and see if you can tell a difference. 

As depicted in this wonderful illustration by Elizabeth Keating, more esters are released from decanters than a wine glass alone.

Another experiment you might try is to pour boxed wine into a decanter before guests arrive. This has been one of my favorite things to do lately, as the shock value when pulling out the box is very high. Boxed wine has improved in recent years, but still carries a stigma. It’s amazing how this trick has helped people get past their preconceived notions.

I prefer a decanter with a nice wide bottom, allowing for more surface area. Check out the Infinity Decanter in the Wine Toys section.

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MONDAY – OCTOBER 12th, 7pm – $10
Banksville Road – Pittsburgh

This is the first tasting in a series of tastings being sponsored by Waddell & Reed.

Thanks to financial advisor and wine lover Chris Rondinelli, Grape Thoughts is offering a series of affordable wine tastings.

The tastings will only be $10, and you will be entered to have a chance to win $2500 for yourself and $2500 donated to your choice of charity.

These tastings will be once per month, and Chris will be making short 5-10 minutes presentations.

You will only be able to attend one event during this series.

For every friend that you invite that attends with you, or attends a later event, you will get another entry into the $5000 drawing.

Chris will be showing an energetic 5 minute video called “The Infinite Loop” which shares interesting facts about the world economy.
It looks at different financial opportunities related to world growth, and with that theme, this event will be focusing on wine growths from around the world. There will be cheeses and some snacks from around the world as well.

This tasting will be at the Cut N Run Productions studio on Banksville Road.

Cut N Run Productions

1701 Banksville Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
412 440 6951

Space is limited, RSVPs are not final until payment is received.

You can pay by check, sent to
Grape Thoughts
460 Porter Street
Springdale, PA 15144

or you can pay online, via

Meetup.com

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We begin our journey at the Windgate Wineries store at the Mills Mall.
Its a cute shop with wine tastings and wine paraphernalia.

We then board the bus, and head to La Casa Narcissi for a tour of the winery from the owner, hearing his personal story of being in the wine business, along with a sit down tasting.

Then we head North to Rustic Acres.
I like my fancy shmancy wines, but dear God!
They have a Rhubarb wine which is DIVINE.

Don at Oak Spring Winery will be welcoming us with appetizers and tasting of his 27 varieties of wine.

Winfield Wineries will then welcome us with seating at their outdoor patio.

We then will head back to the Mills Mall, and those who wish can decide on dinner.

The cost for this trip is $40. This covers the cost of the bus, tours, and tasting.

RSVPs are final only with payment.

Hope you can make it!

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Have you ever felt paralyzed when someone asked you, what do you think of this wine?

Sure, you can say “I like it”, or “I don’t like it”, but have you ever wished you could comment more on the bouquet, the flavors, the way it feels in your mouth?

In this relaxed, introductory class, you will be able to learn how to pick out some characteristics of some popular wine varietals, and feel more confident when asked this question.

Some other factoids will be shared during the class will clear up some common misconceptions about wine tasting, related to tannins, sulfites, cork smelling, and how to spit gracefully.

Wine will be provided (but of course!) along with cheese and crackers.
Please bring a notebook with you.

A little bit about me, for those of you who I haven’t met yet.

I have trained at the Culinary Institute of America’s Professional Wine School, and have been teaching people about wine since 2006.

I am a member of the La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, and am passionate about wine and adult learning!

Cost of this class is $35.00, and is limited to 20 participants
RSVPs will only be considered Yes, along with payment.

Please contact me to RSVP - judy@grapethoughts.com- and for more details.

Springdale is 17 miles North of downtown Pittsburgh, via Route 28

Hope to see you there!

Judy

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This is the day that you take that bottle you have been saving for a special occasion and open it. Maybe you have been saving it for years, just waiting for just the right occasion. And waiting. And waiting. Wait no longer. Its a holiday just for us wine lovers, a reason to celebrate!

So, your special assignment is THIS:

Create the right setting for yourself. Invite friends over, or go it solo, plan a meal around your wine, or take it to your favorite BYO restaurant. You may want to have a backup, just in case it doesn’t satisfy your craving for a good vino.

Whatever you do, take notes. Does it live up to your expectations? Does it exceed them? Did it age well, was it corked?

However you plan to celebrate, please enjoy this special day, then stop back here to share your experience by leaving a comment.

We look forward to hearing your stories!

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