The American Cancer Society’s Cattle Barons’ Ball of Amelia Island
March 14, 2012.
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This May Be The Wine Talking…
March 12, 2012.
A Guide to Wine Faults – Tartrate Crystals
March 11, 2012
Tartrate Crystals [Tar-trate]
I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life and have encountered tartrates quite a bit.
Before a wine is bottled to be sold, wineries usually employ a procedure called cold stabilization (which brings the wine down to a near freezing temperature) in order to remove these “wine diamonds” as they’re sometimes more fondly called. It’s worth noting that Potassium Bitartrate (to give tartrates their full name) is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process.
After the tartrates are removed, the winery can then go on to sell them to the baking industry as Cream of Tartar. Winemaking is the only known source of Cream of Tartar.
The main problem is that consumers in the U.S. are used to seeing clear, pure, filtered white wines with no particles, and so the presence of crystals can sometimes create panic in the streets! Maybe a slight exaggeration, but I know there must be a good amount of wine needlessly wasted each year due to “wine diamonds”. I’ve even heard of wine distributors refusing to carry certain wines due to the presence of tartrates.
In Europe, tartrates in a bottle of wine tend to be more common-place and even encouraged, due to their presence being an indicator of a more naturally made wine.
How to tell if your wine is affected
Tartrate crystals unfortunately can resemble tiny shards of glass, but more often just resemble salt granules, and are usually quite noticeable in white wines. You’ll also sometimes see them on the underside of a cork.
Your course of action
Let the wine warm up for a few minutes, normally they will just disappear into the wine. Don’t go to the trouble of sending the wine back. Normally tartrates sink to the bottom of the bottle, so just pour it slowly, the same as you would if your bottle has sediment.
Click here for the rest of my —-> A Guide to Wine Faults posts.
Posted in Facts | Tagged A Guide to Wine Faults, cold stabilization, tartrate, tartrates, tartrates in wine, wine diamonds | Leave a comment //Renowned Wine Dealer Could Do Hard Time for Alleged Wine Counterfeits.
March 11, 2012
Rudy Kurniawan was known as much for his palate as for his keen eye, fixed often on the highest of high-end wine bottles. His presence at wine auctions was constant, at events in Beverly Hills, and offerings at Sotheby’s in New York. His interest by itself was enough to drive prices at the top of the market.
But on Thursday, in the culmination of persistent rumblings about the veracity of his products, Mr. Kurniawan, 35, of Arcadia, Calif., was arrested in Los Angeles by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges that he had tried to sell counterfeit wine that, if genuine, would have been worth $1.3 million. He was also charged with fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans to finance what prosecutors called his “high-end lifestyle.”
The criminal complaint in the case said that in 2008, Mr. Kurniawan consigned for auction at least 84 bottles of counterfeit wine purporting to be from Domaine Ponsot in Burgundy, France, which were expected to sell for approximately $600,000. Although he represented the wine as authentic, it was not, prosecutors said.
Posted in News | Tagged Burgundy, Counterfeit wine, fake wine, France | Leave a comment //Sweet 16 Pinot Noir Tournament Tasting Package at Omni Amelia Island.
March 10, 2012
A unique twist on a traditional wine tasting, this first annual Sweet 16 Pinot Noir Tournament takes on a blind tasting bracket format with pinot noirs from Chile, California, Oregon, France, New Zealand and Germany. The Sweet 16 tasting will begin with a blind barrage of half ounce samples of 16 different wines paired side by side in a customary 16-team bracket. Once guests have marked their scorecard to choose their favorites for the great eight, diners move on to delight in an array of tasty tapas by Ocean Grill Chef, Chris Pickren while the judges tally the results. Once the votes are in and the great 8 advance, guests will re-taste the wines and choose the winners for round two. The taste and tapas format will continue until an overall Pinot Noir winner is selected.
Is California Being Faced with a Grape Shortage?
March 9, 2012
Grape growers in California finally have something to cheer about—grape prices are going up. But what do those higher prices mean for consumers? Winery owners are trying to cut costs so they can keep prices low at a time when drinkers still want value.
After nearly three years of sluggish sales and an oversupply of wine, vintners have cleared their cellars of older vintages and are looking to increase their grape purchases. But two small harvests and an absence of new plantings mean they are competing for a smaller amount of fruit.
In order to guarantee grape supplies at a set price, larger producers like E. & J. Gallo are actively signing long-term contracts with vineyard owners.
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