Hallielujah! We Have a Sparkling!

Almost all of you know my big brother Winston, but not all of you know that I have another older brother and a few older sisters scattered around the United States (and world!). I don’t get to see them very often, but when I do, I cover them with hugs and kisses and beg them to play chase – which is my favorite game of all time! Well, this past weekend, Mom and Dad were really excited to go visit my sister Hallie. They said she had an important job to do – which was news to me  because I thought Winston and I pulled all the weight around here.

It turns out that Mom and Dad named their newest wine after Hallie, and they needed her to say that it was delicious enough to release to the public. Hallie’s wine is called Hallielujah, and it is perfect for any celebration – just like her! The flavors are zingy and bright, and the bubbles are a delight to anyone who indulges in a glass of our Sparkling White and Sparkling Rosé wines.  

Sparkling wines might be new to our line up, but they aren’t new to the wine world. These bubbly wines were first noticed in the 1500s, but came about in a very accidental way. Wine makers were storing their wines in areas that had less than ideal conditions, and the warmer temperatures were causing the bottled wines to undergo secondary fermentations.

Everyone loved this new variety of wine to drink, so the winemakers decided to figure out a method to create sparkling wine on purpose. Over time, their trial and error processes became established practices, and now we have several processes in use today to create the sparkling wines that are so popular.

The most well-known method is the traditional method that takes the grapes through their first fermentation to create a base wine. This wine is then bottled with an addition of yeast and sugar.  After aging anywhere from 9 months to 5 years, the bottle is rotated to force the dead yeast cells to the top of the bottle. The yeast plug is removed, another shot of sugar is added to the bottle, and the cork is inserted. 

Another method, used mainly for Prosecco and Lambrusco, is the tank method. In this method, the base wine goes through its second fermentation in a pressurized tank to achieve the desired amount of bubbles (called atmospheres in the wine world). After the process has finished, the wine is bottled and dosed with sugar. A benefit of this shortened process is that wine tastes a little younger in bottle and brighter in flavor.

A third method that is revered in the wine world is the Ancestral method (lovingly referred to as Pet-Nat). In this method, the base wine does not complete its full fermentation process before it is bottled. Instead, the fermentation is halted so the wine can be bottled; fermentation finishes in the bottle. Eventually the bottle will be disgorged (when the yeast plug is removed), but no sugar will be added. This method gets as close to the original sparkling wines as winemakers are able.

Another common method of creating sparkling wines is to simply add carbonation to the wine. This is the simplest method, and is often employed in the newer sparkling wines hitting the markets.  

Regardless of the method used, you can be sure the product is delightful and ready to be enjoyed with your family and friends – even if it isn’t a special occasion!

What Winston and I want to know is when our wine is being released?  Of course it will be delicious, approachable, and sweet – just like us – but what would we call it? Until that day comes, Hallielujah will have to top your list of must drink wines at Brix & Columns Vineyards.

 

Structure: Not Just for Buildings!

Boy, oh boy, over Christmas, Mom and Dad went on a vacation, and the three of us boys had the adventure of a lifetime!  Ryland, Winston, and I invited Erin and her daughter Halla to stay with us for the two weeks our parents were gone, and it was like a constant party.  We ran, we played, we ate, and we napped. There were rules (but we broke them), there were early nights (but we refused to go to bed), there were new toys (but we destroyed them), and there was an attempted structured schedule (but we overruled it). It. Was. Glorious.

Then Mom and Dad came home and straightened us all back out. It turns out that pups like us need a little bit of structure in our lives. I was reading the front of Mom’s shirt when she was giving me a few extra cuddles today, and I realized that the tagline for our vineyard is “Wine with Structure”. That makes sense because the structure of our tasting room is a little hard to miss when you are driving up to visit us. Our building is one that announces itself with a classical elegance that is reminiscent of the Jeffersonian architecture that influences it. Or so I am told. Who the heck this Jefferson guy is, I may never know. I’m just a little boy still!

Structure in wine, though?  How does that work?

After reading a bit, I found out that the structure of wine is a little bit different than the structure of a building EXCEPT that without structure, both wines and buildings fall flat. In order to find the structure of your wine, you have to put the flavors aside, and, instead, notice the way the wine feels in your mouth and what sensations it brings about.

There are five components that make up a wine’s structure Each of these components brings different qualities to the overall product, so it is important that they are in proper balance. 

Acidity – The higher the level of acidity is in wine, the lighter and brighter the wine seems and the more your mouth waters. When tasting, you can determine the acidity of your wine by noticing if it creates a tingling sensation on the front and sides of your mouth; if it does, the wine is high in acidity. You might also notice a rough sensation when you rub the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth.

Alcohol – The body of a wine gives you clues about its alcohol content.  The fuller-bodied wine is, the more alcohol it likely has (and tannins and acidity, too).  Wines that are lower in alcohol feel lighter in your mouth. Beware, though, you don’t want to be able to taste or smell the alcohol in your glass.

Body – When you notice how heavy or light a wine feels in your mouth, you are noticing the body of the wine. A fuller-bodied wine will not only present more robustly in your mouth, but it will also have a noticeably longer lingering finish. When you encounter a wine that you want to describe as bold or powerful or assertive, you can be sure that you have met a wine that is full of body!

Sweetness – When you perceive the sugar present in wines, you are recognizing how sweet they are, but sometimes that perception can be influenced by the smell of sweetness in the wine. The acidity levels or presence of tannins can also make wines seem sweeter or drier. To accurately measure this component, use the very tip of your tongue to dip into the wine to detect sweetness without being influenced by the aromatics. When you are drinking wines on the sweeter end, you may also notice an oily sensation in the middle of your tongue.  

Tannins – If you have ever tasted a wine that made your mouth feel dry even after you swallowed, you can be sure that the wine was high in tannins. Tannins make their way into wine from the skins, seeds, and stems of the cluster, and they help to add color and ageability. Wines that are lower in tannins present as softer and rounder when you drink them. Tannins will make their presence known by creating a bitter taste on the front and sides of the tongue. 

I know you already have a lot to think about when tasting wines, so just start while you are drinking a glass of your favorite wine. Notice the different sensations the wine is causing in the different locations of your mouth. By recognizing the structural elements of your favorite wines, you can start to fine tune your sense of what characteristics you are seeking when on the hunt for your new favorite bottle. . 

After reading all of this it seems like structure is important for buildings, wine, and puppies; I guess Dad was onto something when he came up with our tagline!