KEY POINTS:
One thing I love about Kiwis, is that they're not afraid to ask questions. Back in the UK when I was running wine courses, even some beginners were happier feigning knowledge than engaging in the kind of interrogation that would have lead them to become better informed wine drinkers.
However, here in New Zealand, where so many are discovering the joys of wine for the first time, intelligent questions come thick and fast, which I see at my wine classes and in my postbag and inbox.
I thought the time ripe to answer some of the questions that I've recently been posed and tend to come up regularly.
How long can you keep an open bottle of wine?
While there are a number of gizmos promoting themselves as wine preservation aids, at home the fridge is still the best place to put your opened vino. Lower temperatures slow chemical reactions and inhibit the production of vinegar-forming acetic bacteria, meaning a re-corked (or re-screwed) bottle in the fridge should last for up to three days. A far longer life can be guaranteed by the Enomatic machines that are slowly spreading through the country's wine establishments. These use a blanket of nitrogen to prevent opened wines from oxidising, keeping them fresh for up to three weeks.
I don't like oak. Which wines should I drink?
Firstly, ascertain it's the oak that you don't like rather than its overuse. Employed judiciously it can add texture and subtle spice to a wine, but many wine drinkers have written it off through experiencing excessively oaky examples where it's overwhelmed the fruit. If you really can't stand it, choose a chardonnay labelled unwooded or varieties such as sauvignon blanc and riesling that tend to be oak free. Reds are harder, but descriptors such as spicy, cedar and mocha are a giveaway that a tree's played a part in its production.
I've come across some older wines. How can I find out if they're drinkable or have any value?
Most standard wines deteriorate rather than improve with lengthy ageing. If that's what you've got, you can afford to crack one open and see for yourself. But if it's something more special, have a squiz at the New Zealand-based online search engine www.wine-searcher.com, and see what similar wines are selling for. Then if you think you've struck gold, you'll only get top dollar if they've been stored properly.
My wife likes fruity whites and I prefer mine dry. Is there such a thing as a dry fruity white wine?
There is indeed. Ripe fruit often gives the impression of sweetness, while the wine can actually be technically dry. Beyond the cheapest wines, which are often made with a slug of sugar to disguise their inadequacies, varieties such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc tend to be made dry. If you're not into ultra ripe fruit, ask your local wine store to recommend a more restrained style of one of these as a compromise.
Wine is such an infinite topic that even those who've been making it or studying it for a lifetime are often the first to admit that the more they know, the more they realise there is to know about the subject. They continue to ask questions, so no one else should be ashamed to do the same.
MIXED BAG
INTENSE AND INEXPENSIVE
Brown Brothers Everton Victoria Cabernet Shiraz 2006 $14.95
A great everyday Aussie blend, which for the price has some surprisingly rich and succulent blackcurrant fruit that's supported by notes of charred cedary oak and a dash of liquorice.
(Widely available.)
BRILLIANT VALUE BURGUNDY
Caves de Lugny 'Les Charmes' Macon-Lugny 2006 $23.50
There's not a whiff of oak in this classy chardonnay from Burgundy's southern Macon appellation: just unadorned apple and zingy citrus fruit overlaid with notes of mineral and almond.
(From Maison Vauron, Point Wine, Bacchus, Wine Circle.)
T-RIFFIC PINOT
Montana Letter Series 'T' Terraces Pinot Noir 2006 $39.95
Boutique wineries often have the edge when it comes to the care it takes to make great pinot noir, but this silky textured and savoury example proves that big boys Montana can produce some pretty special stuff despite their scale. A bright acidity drives through its complex earthy, truffley and minerally palate, with its ripe cherry and plum fruit and nuances of spice and rose.
(From most branches of New World, Foodtown, Woolworths.)
