Why is Tommy’s Bottle Bigger Than Mine?

Have you ever been to an Old Spaghetti Factory? Of course you have. Their garlic butter is delightful. But more importantly, they have wicker-basket-wrapped Chianti bottles as candle-holders, and those are neat.

I was eating there the other day, and I started to think, “why are Chianti bottles shaped that way, and why are some wine bottles shaped other weird ways?” and I realized something: this is a good excuse for me to avoid work today!

So I buckled down…and then I checked Facebook. Then I posted a witty comment on twitter about last night’s Boston-Orlando game. Then I realized I needed some coffee. I spent about 20-minutes getting coffee because our new coffee pot has a touch screen and WiFi so you can read the day’s top headlines as you fill your cup…then I posted a comment on Facebook how awesome that is. And now? Now I’m watching a Youtube video of Eddie Murphy’s 1985 hit single “My Girl Likes to Party All The Time” but after that I’ll be ready to talk about wine bottles.

Okay…lets go.

Turns out, according to The Wine Doctor (which is basically exactly the same as this blog…but based in truth, science and expertise) the bottle shapes are not at all important to the taste or development of your wine. The different bottle shapes you’ll find are more for recognition purposes. The “burgundy” bottle is shaped how it is to offer an easy way to recognize that you’re looking at a burgundy.

These bottle shapes have become regional standards, so they’re not an exact science. You might find various different French wines sharing the same bottle shape, but if you look closely, chances are they’ll be grapes from the same region.

The exception to these standards mainly lies in America. In the New World wines, various European standards have been adopted across the board for recognition purposes that add to people’s comfort level with trying something new. Also, when you see a really funky-shaped bottle, it’s probably American. We don’t have to follow the rules. You’re not the boss of us Europe!

The Wine Doctor has a deeper analysis of different bottle types and the regions they come from here.

Something else you might have noticed: The punt. This is the concave bottom of a wine bottle. It’s conjectured that punts were originally blown into early wine bottles to allow for more stability, especially in hand-blown bottles. Today, it’s an unnecessary inclusion, but it still feels kind of neat. For a deeper look, check out Cellar Notes take on this.

Again, game night is tomorrow and Thursday is the tasting. Come down and get a beating in Scatergories, and then taste some wine on Thursday. I’m not sure who is doing the tasting yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.

Let me know if you have any questions that you want me to waste time at work researching! Kevin@de-vinewines.com

If you can beat me, I’ll buy you stuff…but you won’t beat me

I’m probably going to taste some wine this week.

There, I said it. Wine Reference: Check. Now I have more important things to talk about. Much more important things. Important things that affect your life in ways you couldn’t possibly understand.

Game Night.

That’s right, game night.

Next Wednesday is the monthly game night at the wine shop, and you know what? You’re probably afraid. You probably should be. And I’m probably awesome at games.

Just ask all the people who my team beat in Pictionary last month. We’ve been drinking all their wine. If you were one of those people, you should know that it was delicious. I especially liked the $35 bottle of William Church someone was so polite to buy in with. You know that you can buy in for an $8 bottle from the discount rack right? Either way, thank you.

Now, I’ll probably get yelled at for the snarky tone I used there, but this is trash talk, so I don’t care. I’ll do it anyway.

Game Night starts at 7PM on Wednesday the 26^th, and this month we’ll be playing Scatergories. I’d tell you to bring your best team, but it doesn’t matter.

I’m issuing a personal challenge. If anyone beats my team at Scatergories next week, I’ll PERSONALLY buy you a bottle of wine and two appetizers for the night. That’s confidence. You might want to just stay home.

I’ll be reminding you about this on Facebook all week, but I just wanted you to know early…you’re going to lose. If you have any questions on the details of the walloping you’re in for if you come, email me at any time. Kevin@de-vinewines.com. You’re also welcome to join the trash talk on facebook by becoming a fan.

Seacrest out.

Tannin: I ask the tough questions, like “Hey, what is this stuff?”

Saddle up boys and girls. It’s Bill Nye the Science Guy time. Hop on this Magic School Bus and we’ll take a trip through the…um…Sesame Street.

Sorry, I ran out of educational children’s TV shows and my lead-in kind of suffered for it. But that’s alright; today we’re going to get into some sciencey stuff about tannins.

“Tannin” is derived from the Latin word “Tannin” which is roughly translated to mean “Griffey for President!” but scholars maintain different interpretations on this fact. Also, there’s some debate on the validity of the word “fact” in the previous sentence.

Boring Definition Ahead: Tannins are astringent, bitter plant polyphenols that either bind and precipitate or shrink proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The astringency from the tannins is what causes the dry and puckery feeling in the mouth when you drink red wine. Likewise, the destruction or modification of tannins with time plays an important role in the aging of wine and the ripening of fruit.

Wow…okay I have no clue what the Encyclopedia Britannica entry I just regurgitated for you actually means…there were a lot of big words in there. In retrospect, my translation of “tannin” may have been a little off as well. I think it’s time we go to the expert: Mom (aka Paula Shively, owner of DeVine Wines and Wine Bar). It was a very enlightening conversation.

Editor’s Note: Some of the details of this conversation may have been altered…like the fact that it actually happened and wasn’t just an email she sent that Kevin formatted to look like a conversation because he’s too lazy to write anything original.

Kevin: Hi Mom.

Mom: Hi Kev (she calls me Kev).

Kevin: Drop some tannin knowledge on me.

Mom: Well you’re pretty smart, I’m sure you know almost everything about anything, but I’ll do what I can.

Kevin: It’s true, nothing you say will be new to me. I’m a wine expert…but the other people out there need to learn too, and I’m not so smug that I don’t want to help them along their journey as well.

Mom: How courageous and selfless of you. And just so you know, you’re like the best son ever. Way cooler than your brothers.

Kevin: I know, but I this isn’t about me. This is about tannins. Tell me a little about them.

Mom: Tannin, as you know is a natural substance found in the skins, stems and seeds of all grapes. How much of the tannin is found in a particular bottle of wine depends on the winemaker.

Kevin: Interesting, tell me more. What affects the tannin levels of a wine?

Mom: Tannin levels are affected by several things: how the grapes are crushed/pressed and de-stemmed can make a huge difference. Grapes that are very gently pressed or de-stemmed by hand will have lower levels of tannin, while grapes that are pressed/crushed hard or with machinery tend to have higher levels of tannin. Grapes that are left in contact with the skins for a longer time during the winemaking process will have higher levels of tannin. Oak barrels will impart some tannin as well, so longer barrel aging will create higher tannin levels. Winemakers experiment with each of these aspects in order to find the right levels for the wine they are creating.

Kevin: How can I tell when a wine is especially tannic?

Mom: We recognize tannin in wine by the way it makes our mouth pucker and feel dried out, even though we have wine in our mouth. If you have ever had strong tea you get the same sensation, because tea has tannin. Bite into a grape seed and you get that bitter, astringent taste. That’s tannin. Chew on apple skin – same thing.

Kevin: Wow. Does tannin do anything positive for a wine?

Mom: Yes. Tannin adds structure and texture to a wine – and higher levels of tannin will tend to help a wine age for longer periods than a low tannin wine. Winemakers who want their wine to age for several years know that they need a good tannin structure to hold the wine. Over the years the tannin will soften and mellow. That’s why, when you have the pleasure of tasting a bottle that has aged for a long time, it is usually so silky and soft.

Kevin: So, with all that info, what would you say is the consensus on tannic wines? Do people love them or hate them?

Mom: Some wine enthusiasts love high tannin levels in their wine. They love the feel in their mouth when the tannin is high. Others don’t care for this taste at all. That’s the beauty of wine – its so personal.

Kevin: Wow, the people who don’t know as much as me probably learned a ton there! Thanks Mom!

Mom: No, thank you Kevin. You’re truly an inspiration to us all.

If you have tannin or other wine related questions, feel free to email me at Kevin@de-vinewines.com or just post it to the facebook fan page.

Be honest, it’s Friday afternoon and you’re mentally checked out…you’re thinking about Happy Hour

Right now, I’m sitting in an office, staring at a screen with an outlook calendar and another with a website performance chart. My brow is furrowed, my gaze intent. And to anyone passing by, I look like I’m deep into something really “workey”…And yes, I realize that “workey” is not a real word…yet.

Lucky for you, this is all a ruse. I never furrow my brow when I’m actually working. I’m really thinking about wine (don’t pretend you’re not…it’s 3 o’ clock on a Friday).

This week, we’re tasting Langetwins Winery out of California. The thing that caught my eye about this winery? Every bottle is only thirteen bucks!

That’s hard to top. I’m pretty sure the wine that comes in a box is ringing up steeper than that these days and this is a recession! I’m trying to save you some coin. At these prices, this is a good wine to stock your wine rack with. Buy a mixed case and receive 10% off. Wine club members, you get 15% off.

You’re not a member? Don’t look at me with those big puppy dog eyes, I’m a sucker for that. Just go to www.de-vinewines.com and join up!

Another thing I like about Langetwins is that they’re a fifth-generation farming family. I’m told they’ve been making good wine perennially, or for my less vocabulary-equipped friends, they’ve been making it for a while.

We’ll be tasting the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This excited me too because I actually know what these are. The tasting will be from 1-4 Saturday afternoon. This is a perfect start to a date or just an escape from the kids while they throw water balloons at the cat.

Mention how awesome this blog is during the tasting and receive an extra 25% off your appetizers!

If you can’t make it, don’t sweat it, but if you can, it should be good. Plus, we’ve got 70-degree weather so that means you can sit out on the patio with a glass of Chardonnay and watch the people walk out of hot yoga expecting relief, realize that it’s still warm outside, and then they’ll try to cry…although they won’t be able to because they just sweat out the reserves in their tear-ducts. Don’t get me wrong, hot yoga seems like a great work out, but it looks awful doesn’t it?

Hey look at that! Happy Hour starts in an hour! Crazy how that works. See you at the tasting!

I don’t usually post the specials up here because…well…that requires a lot more work than I like to do, but they really have some good ones right now on the discount rack, and if you’re like me, during the summer you have more people over so things go quicker. Here they are, straight from the newsletter which you can sign up for on www.de-vinewines.com as well…notice the theme?

This Week’s Super Values!!!

Need something for an everyday house wine? Want something special? Having a party this weekend and don’t want to break the bank? We have fantastic deals on our $15 and under rack! Mix and match a case to get the best deal at 10% off. We also offer 5% off on a 6 bottle pack.

Los Rochas Garnacha, Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Bouchard Aine & Fils Pinot Noir, Olivares Rosé, Arbor Crest Cliff House Red, Hudson Shah Malbec, Cline Viognier, Louis Martini Sonoma Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Sterling Limited Release Chardonnay, Sterling Limited Release Merlot, Martin Codax Rioja,…Just to name a few. These are selling like hotcakes, and if we are out of some of them, we will have them back in by tomorrow or again next week.

Don’t forget that you can simply put in an order for any wine you would like ~ that way you don’t have to worry about whether or not it will be in stock when you come in. Sometimes it is impossible to know what wine will fly off the shop on any given day! So feel free to place an order if you don’t see it on the shelf. There is no extra charge for a special order, no minimum quantity, discounts still apply, and we can usually have your wine here within a week.

Help! My wine has sulfites! Wait, what does that mean?

I made a point of including my email, Kevin@de-vinewines.com on each post, and lo and behold, emails came flowing. Thanks to Dave for the question.

Hey look what I did! It's a wine glass filled with sulfites! That was clever of me.

Question: What are ‘sulfites’ in wine?

Good question Dave. I keep hearing about sulfites in wine, but I don’t have any idea if they’re good or bad, or even a double-agent pretending to be good, and then at the last second turning on you like the first girl James Bond meets in every movie.

So I turned to the experts on the internet. And trust me, I saw a guy wearing a wicked-awesome TRON outfit on Youtube the other day, people on the web know their stuff!

Sulfites, or Sulfer Dioxides, occur naturally in all wine, but mainly, they’re introduced to stop the fermentation process at a desired time. They’re also used to prevent oxidation, kill bacteria and wild yeasts, and encourage quick and clean fermentation in a bottle of wine. In general, you’ll find more sulfites in white wine than red, but the most in sweet dessert wines.

Okay, so what does that mean? Basically, sulfites are what keep wine from turning into vinegar. So thank you sulfites, because this steak would be less delicious with a nice glass of vinegar (I just said that for dramatic effect, I’m not actually eating a steak…its 9:30 in the morning and I’m not a Soprano).

Common Misconception: Organic Wines are sulfite-free. This isn’t true. So get off your high horse. Yeah, surprised? Here’s another bomb: Your Whole Foods $17 slice of pizza might have fetta cheese and artichoke hearts, but it’s still covered in grease. Sorry to rock your world like that.

So are they bad? Yes. If you drink sulfites you’ll die.

Just kidding; For the most part, they’re harmless. The reason you see the “Contains Sulfites” warning on your wine label is that roughly 1% of the population are allergic to them.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. GO JOE!!!

Paula’s More Educated Notes:

Somewhere along the way, in the past 20 years or so, as people became more and more aware of additives in foods, they decided that sulfites were bad. They also heard about someone who was allergic to sulfites and had a bad reaction and that just added fuel to their fire. People started blaming sulfites for any and all maladies associated with drinking wine. This is absolutely unfair.

First of all, without sulfites added to wines, there would be no chance at stocking a beautiful cellar because wines just simply would not hold for years. Everything would need to be consumed in a relatively short period of time. For those of us who have enjoyed some terrific wine from vintages past, this would be a great loss.

Secondly, it is only a very tiny percentage of the population that is allergic to the sulfites in wine. A true allergy to sulfites is typically a fairly serious one; symptoms would most likely be something on the level of an asthmatic reaction. Headaches associated with drinking wine are not usually from a sulfite reaction, unless coupled with some other symptoms. One of the tests we often use is the dried apricot test. If you can eat a single dried apricot without getting a headache, then it is certainly not the sulfites. One dried apricot usually has more sulfites in it than a glass of wine.

Headaches associated with drinking wine are usually caused by the histamines in the grapes, or even something as simple as overdrinking, dehydration, lack of sleep… People often tell me that they don’t get headaches when they drink wine from Italy or some other place in the world. That may be true – grapes grown in different regions have different histamines. Just as your doctor may tell you to move to a different location for your health – the same is true with grapes. Add to that the fact that when in a different country, the laws on what needs to be on a wine label are different. Just because a wine does not say that it contains sulfites, does not mean that sulfites are not added! Its amazing how much a few words on a bottle, or lack of words in this case, can change our perception of the wine and how we feel when we drink it. The best advice I have is that if you find yourself getting headaches often from either a particular varietal of wine, or a particular region of wine, try a few different things. First – make sure you are drinking responsibly and don’t overdo it. Second, make sure you are hydrated before you drink. I also like to make it a personal rule to have a glass of water for every glass of wine I drink. Finally, try wines of a different varietal or the same varietal from a different region. I think most of you will be surprised to find out that maybe you can drink Chardonnay after all – or whatever wine has been giving you problems!

Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion still floating around about sulfites. And remember – just because it has a chemical name does not mean that it is bad!

Give me a shout with any questions you might have. Kevin@de-vinewines.com

The DaVino Code

I’ve been lied to. So have you America (And I say “America” because clearly the blog for your neighborhood wine bar has a national readership). This is a scandal so deep, it spans centuries and crosses oceans. But don’t worry; I’m about to go all Tom Hanks for you.

But before I do: “The DaVino Code”? That was nice right? It’s like a gift. It’s like I can’t control it. But back to the scandal.

Did you know that different countries call the same grape varietals different names? I know! It’s like they don’t even speak the same language! How am I supposed to become a wine expert when I don’t even know if the two bottles I’m comparing are the same thing or not?

I recently discovered that Mourvedre and Mataro are THE SAME GRAPE. So I did some digging in ancient and sacred archives called “Wikipedia”.

And the mystery started to unravel. This was just like the scene in DaVinci Code where Tom Hanks finds the dead guy’s writing on the back of the Mona Lisa…only I’m in my office with headphones blaring Tom Petty and pretending to stare at a spreadsheet…oh, and I’m better looking.

Turns out “Mourvedre” is the French name for this grape that is used to make dark, rich red wines and rosés.  “Mataro” is the name used in Portugal for the same grape and “Monastrell” is the Spanish name.

There’s gotta be a reason for it, so I started looking around. I found a few more names for this same grape. But just a few:

Alcallata, Alcayata, Alicante, Arach Sap, Balzac, Balzar, Benadu, Beneda, Beni Carlo, Berardi, Bod, Bon Avis, Buona Vise, Casca, Catalan, Cayata, Caymilari Sarda, Charnet, Churret, Damas Noir, Drug, English Colossal, Espagnen, Espar, Esparte, Estrangle-chien, Flouron, Flouroux, Garrut, Gayata Tinta, Karis, Maneschaou, Marseillais, Mataro, Maurostel, Mechin, Monastre, Monastrell Menudo, Monastrell Verdadero, Mourvedre, Mourvegue, Mourves, Murvedr Espar, Negralejo, Negria, Neyron, Pinot Fleri, Plant De Ledenon, Plant De Saint Gilles, Reina, Ros, Rossola Nera, Spar, Tintilla, Tire Droit, Torrentes, Trinchiera, Valcarcelia, Verema, Veremeta, Vereneta.

And that’s copied and pasted from Wikipedia so it’s GOTTA be true.

Basically anything from national pride, language barriers, accents used in oral histories, preference, ego, and just about any other part of the human condition contribute to this. Grapes are named the different things for the same reason most of the world uses the metric system and the US uses inches and feet: people are stubborn and do things their own way.

Maybe this helps. Maybe it doesn’t. People could be creating a very distinct taste that’s unique to their grape simply because it’s their grape…But maybe not.

I couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone in the 20-minutes of internet research I did, so I did what any self-respecting man would do: I asked my mom.

“It’s really hard to say because there doesn’t seem to be a benefit to it,” mom (aka Paula Shively, owner of DeVine Wines) said. “Unfortunately what it does, at least here in the US, is confuse and possibly hurt sales because although someone may have heard of a mourvedre, and may even love it, they see mataro or monastrell and think they don’t know the grape. It keeps people from trying a bottle of wine they might really enjoy.”

To that, I say be more adventurous and trust the shop owner or vintner who suggests a new wine to you. They know their stuff and seldom steer you wrong.

My take on the grape names: who cares what it’s called? I had something the other day called a “parsnip” and I didn’t know what I was eating, but you know what? …ok it was gross, but then I washed it down with a glass of really good wine, and I have no idea what kind of grape it was.

So it turns out that my conclusion wasn’t as exciting or faith-shaking as Tom Hanks, but it was a lot more delicious. See you at the tasting this week!

Editor’s Note: Sorry Parsnips, I was just kidding because you have the funniest and nerdiest of vegetable names. You were actually very good. Also, parsnips are a member of the carrot family….ANOTHER vegetable that is lying to us!

We Don’t pop Cris, We Pop Rosé

I really should stop using rap lyrics for the titles of posts…but I won’t.

As you all know, this weekend marks a very special celebration filled with joy, presents, happiness and appreciation for the person who matters most…and once my birthday is over, it’s Mother’s Day.

Little known fact that has no impact on your life at all but I’m going to write about it anyway: I was born on Mother’s Day. It’s true; if you ask Paula, she’s obligated by law to say that I was the best Mother’s Day present she’s ever gotten. The downside of this is that she had to share Mother’s Day with me several times during my childhood.

This year? She gets to share it with you! On Mother’s Day, she’ll be pouring J. Sparkling Rosé, which is on sale for the next two days only. It’s normally $38 a bottle, but for the next two days is $25 and if you buy a full case, only $20 a bottle. In the newsletter, she used some big wine words like “elegant” and “pinot noir mixed with chardonnay” but I don’t know what any of that even means.

Trust me guys: your mom would rather have Rosé than the macaroni frame you made her last year. You’re 28 years old dude!

Okay guys, I got things rolling, but honestly, I have a lot of “work” to do today and need to “get back to it” and “stop using sarcastic quotations in places that don’t merit them”…so basically, I’m going to cut and paste the tasting notes from the DeVine Wines newsletter and insert my own commentary in red. Here you go:

Next, for an everyday wine, try Kelso Red or Kelso White. The white is Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc and has a bit of sweetness to it; the red is Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and is a perfect little food wine. At only $6 a bottle and $72 a case before discounts, you can’t go wrong! Mix and match for all your summer barbecues.

Looking for something outside of the US? I have an amazing find on some Chardonnay and some Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France. The Chardonnay is only $10, lightly oaked, buttery, and easy to drink, while the Pinot Noir at only $12 is a steal! It is an excellent value and a treat to be able drink Pinot Noir without breaking the bank!

Call the shop before Thursday at noon and we can have your cases here in the shop by Friday afternoon!

…Okay turns out I didn’t have any commentary. But I agree: buy some wine for your summer barbecue. You can still get the Coors Light, but this will make it classier so women will come! Also: The patio is open now! Come down on the next warm afternoon (if we get one) and sit outside with a glass of something awesome and a plate of something super delicious.

I’ll see you tonight for the tasting. Stay thirsty my friends (man, I’m nowhere NEAR cool enough to say things like that).