Ask a Wino – June ’08

With Christine Go

Welcome to “Ask a Wino” – if you have any wine-related questions, this is where you can get an answer. About me: No, I’m not an expert—the more I learn about wine, the more I realize how much there is to know—but wine and I go way back. Remember Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers? Well, maybe you don’t. Anyway, it was just puppy love. After that phase, I had a brief crush on white Zinfandel. Then, I slowly developed a relationship with real Zinfandel (although the alcohol levels are getting ridiculous these days, but that’s another story). It’s still my first love, but I’d like to think that both my palate and I have matured over the years. Now I’m proud to be a Wino who appreciates most wines, especially those from the Pacific NW. So what’s your wine story? Why do you love it, and what do you want to know about it? Send your questions to askawino@winomagazine.com and stay tuned.

To become an official appellation, an application has to be submitted detailing how the region is distinct. Why do people do this? Who benefits and how?

As part of the process of applying for a new American Viticultural Area (AVA), you have to prove that your region’s terroir makes it unique from the surrounding areas. This requires extensive data collection that may take years. So why do growers and wineries go through the expense of applying for an AVA? Because, an AVA is a valuable marketing tool that conveys quality. For example, you’d pay more for a Walla Walla wine, wouldn’t you? That’s because the Walla Walla folks have done a good job of convincing the consumer that their AVA produces superior wines. Same thing with Napa Cab. Obviously, this improves wine sales. However, it’s not just the growers and wineries that benefit from an AVA. Consumers benefit, too. If you pick up a bottle of wine at the grocery store, and there was no indication where the wine came from, would you want to buy it? Probably not. On the other hand, if you had a great Merlot from Yakima Valley, you would feel more comfortable trying another wine from Yakima Valley. The AVA designation gives you a point of reference, and helps you find wines that you’ll enjoy.

I once heard that you can tell a lot about the quality of the wine by the weight of the bottle (say, in the grocery store). Is this true?

In my opinion, no. I checked some bottles in my cellar, and honestly, there doesn’t seem to be any correlation between bottle weight and quality. When you’re talking about wine, “quality” is so subjective—if the fruit, acid, and tannins of the wine are balanced, you can say it’s a well-made wine, but who cares about that if you don’t like how it tastes? Just because the wine comes in a heavy bottle doesn’t mean you’re going to like it any better, however it does mean that you will pay more for it. Why? Because heavier bottles cost more (and take more energy) to make, and they cost more to ship (higher fuel costs). Twenty years ago, wine bottles were lighter, and now, with the focus on global warming and carbon footprints, it’s just a matter of time before the wine industry starts shifting back towards “green,” lighter-weight bottles, along with alternative packaging (e.g. tetrapaks).

There is a lot of Pinot Noir coming out of Oregon. Why is it so scarce in Washington?

The short answer: terroir (tare-wha). That’s French for anything and everything to do with the location of the vineyard: the climate, soils, elevation, slope, orientation—all the things that affect how grapes (and the wine made from those grapes) taste.

So what does terroir have to do with Pinot Noir? Well, just look up “persnickety” in the dictionary, and you’ll find Pinot Noir. Supposedly it prefers a cool climate, however it needs heat to ripen. Not too much heat, though; Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned grape, prone to sunburn. Historically, Pinot Noir originated in the Burgundy region of France, where many of the world’s great wines are still produced. Burgundy’s climate is similar to Oregon’s, which is why growers in Oregon have had much success with Pinot Noir. For the most part, Washington’s wine country is just too hot for Pinot Noir. There are a few cooler areas in the Columbia Gorge AVA (e.g. Celilo vineyard) that successfully grow Pinot Noir, but I don’t think you’ll ever find much Pinot Noir from Washington.

Why do wine bottles have divots in the bottom, and of varying sizes?

Those divots are called “punts” or “kick-ups,” and I’ve heard many different reasons for their existence. They allow sediment to collect in the ring at the bottom of the bottle; sommeliers can put their thumbs there to pour wine; punts make wine bottles more stable. Personally, I like the explanation I learned in my Wine History class: Ever heard of Sir Kenelm Digby? Back in the 1600’s, he discovered a better process for glass-blowing which produced stronger bottles. Apparently he’s the guy we have to thank for the original “punt” in the bottom of the bottle, which is where the blowpipe was attached. Nowadays, punts are a marketing tool. Producers would like you to think that the bigger the punt, the better the wine. (Not true.) Also, a bigger punt can allow for a larger and more impressive-looking wine bottle, which has no correlation to the quality of the wine that’s actually in the bottle.