Question: I decant a lot of my wines. Never sure whether to put the stopper back into the top of the decanter after pouring out the bottle. Your thoughts?

Answer: I also decant most of my wines at home. Young whites and reds usually are helped from the aeration of the act of pouring itself and I leave the stopper out for even more exposure and help open the aromas. Particularly good for screw top closures to help get rid of any reductive issues that may show up initially in the wine. For older whites and reds the decanting is an important procedure to get a clean clear wine off the tartaric acid crystals or sediment that may have resulted from time in the bottle and freshen it up. Be careful. In those cases it is preferable not to aerate too much so put the stopper back in to avoid extra airing and the loss of the delicate bouquet. Stopper is also good protection if you are dining outdoors or there are any insects around. Use your own good judgment on the stopper based on how the wine is showing while you are decanting it.

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Lots of buzz out there these days on what is the preferred vessel to be used for producing wine. Stainless steel and oak continue to lead the way but lots of support is growing for amphora (clay/terracotta), concrete both in vats and egg-shaped, glass, fibreglass, or plastic carboys – well maybe not plastic! The 5th Grape Debate (an educational joint project of @alumniUBC, @dineoutvanfest & @winebcdotcom) was held last week with a lively discussion on the pros and cons of all vessel types. Check back to the UBC site later on for the video presentation of it. Your scribe participated again for the fifth time on the side in support of the more traditional stainless steel and oak being introduced this year with the appropriate music playing of Tony Orlando’s Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’round the Ole Oak Tree!

My opening thoughts were that as a wine consumer like most of the audience I didn’t really care what vessel was used. I compared it to the popcorn that was served on arrival at the event. We aren’t analyzing whether it was air popped or micro-waved aided by more or less butter, or olive oil, caramel or sea salt. The question is “How does it taste”? Stated that I was really from Missouri and you had to show me what worked best. My own experience has been that the wine treasures I have enjoyed from around the world usually have some wood used to provide complexity, improved stability of colour and clarity with benefit of wood tannins, and smoother deeper textures and improved aromatics from controlled slow oxygen infusion. Also provides a lot of subtle seasoning elements from vanilla, coconut, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, caramel and the like. Of course the age of the barrels, their size, their level of toasting and the type of oak are all important. Recalled how Lucien Lemoine using very fine oak with slow toasting from Jupilles forest for all his Burgundies but adapted each year by ordering late to suit the vintage’s cru specific flavour definitions from the grapes. Also in Chablis with lower Ph and higher acidity levels similar to the stats in the BC northern Okanagan extra dimensions can be obtained for the wines from being in used oak with 2012 Christian Moreau Le Clos & Vaillons Cuvee Guy Moreau good examples of this. Poured for tasting in support of my argument the 2013 The Waltz pinot noir Naramata Bench from Foxtrot Vineyards (www.foxtrotwine.com) as an example of a wine that was improved by 20 months in Francois Freres oak (50% new, 50% second & third use) with malolactic fermentation in cask. Wouldn’t be the same made in concrete or clay!

Lots of good arguments raised on the other side. Stainless steel is inert and can be reductive We argued that concrete is not flexible and can be attacked by the high acidities of the fermenting musts plus are very difficult vessels to keep clean. Terracotta eggs have attracted the interest of Michel Chapoutier and even Screaming Eagle & Harlan. The stable temperature without the need for refrigeration is helpful in the cellar and some wines result in a better mouthfeel. Told the story of my visit last year to Frank Cornellisen on Mt. Etna with his unique terracotta in ground volcanic rock for Magma from Nerello Mascalese that results in an excellent earthy elegant red. Final opinions were divided with most people feeling oak suited cabernet well while gamay prefers a clean fresh vessel. Maybe they do have a better use than just for large clay flower pots.

Have your tried wines made in stainless steel, oak, clay, concrete…? Do you have a preference?

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By Joseph Temple

Beginning in 1967 when over 60,000 fans paid an average ticket price of nine dollars to watch the Kansas City Chiefs face the Green Bay Packers in the first ever AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the Super Bowl has morphed from an experimental football endeavor pitting rival leagues against each other into a must-see extravaganza.  And over the decades as television screens have gotten bigger and bigger, so has this annual spectacle, which is watched in over 100 million American homes.  In fact, the festivities have become so huge that several petitions have been launched to make the following Monday a national holiday.

But how can you talk about the big game without mentioning the pivotal role that food plays?  After all, Super Bowl Sunday represents the second largest day for food consumption in the United States, second to only Thanksgiving.  As one author wrote, “Unlike Thanksgiving … it’s all about football and food.  Thanksgiving may go food, then football, but Super Bowl Sunday is simply eat food, watch football while you eat food, and then eat more food.”

So in honor of the big day, here’s a spin on ten classic dishes that no Super Bowl party can go without.  Enjoy!

1. Chili (for a spin on the classic, skip the habanero and add some spicy smoked sausage)

2. Pulled Pork Sandwiches (for something fun even the kids will like, try slow cooking pork in root beer)

3. Hamburgers (jazz up a traditional burger by making them into bite sized sliders – try different cheeses too like pepper jack or smoked Gouda for something special)

4. Pizza (for a crispy and smoky crust, grill your favorite pizza on the BBQ)

5. Bean Dip (for a healthier alternative, mix in some veggies like fire roasted corn and peppers)

6. Pigs in a Blanket (don’t limit yourself to tiny franks – see what your guests think of duck or chicken sausage)

7. Nachos (for a low carb option, replace tortilla chips with zucchini medallions)

8. Chicken Wings (for a more exotic flare, bake in a curry sauce and serve with a cool yogurt dip)

9. Meatballs (buns, sauce, cheese,
veggies…presto! A meatball sub bar!)

10. And of course, you can never go wrong with a football shaped cake and team themed cupcakes

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Question: Where on the wine label does it tell you whether or not oak has been used?

Answer: Good idea. Wish it was that simple. Usually it doesn’t tell you. There may be a specific word like unoaked or unwooded used – especially for chardonnay. There may be some helpful information on the back label including descriptors like crisp, fresh or vibrant that probably indicate no oak was used. Even those terms can be confusing though because say wines like Chablis Premier or Grand Cru are in that style but still may see some old oak barrels. It can be a difficult issue somewhat like the sugar one in a wine – though many producers now are providing more information about residual sugar on their back label. It really depends on the overall balance of the wine whether the oak or sugar seems prominent to you. Remember that new oak diminishes with bottle age. Best way is to smell and taste the wine for oak but you raise another good reason why I support ingredient labeling.

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The name Leoville is a magical one in Bordeaux. The Estate was one big St. Julien property for a long time until being divided in 1840 resulting in the 1855 Classification as three all highly rated Second Growths. Since then over the years there have been ups and downs but Leoville Poyferre (LP) fell behind their well respected neighbours Leoville Las Cases and Leoville Barton. However the modern era starts in 1979 with a young Didier Cuvelier replanting vines with more cabernet sauvignon while expanding vineyard size (48 to 80 hectares) yet lowering yields and raising quality at LP. Today it is clearly recognized as an equal to and in some vintages (like 2009) arguably better than the other two Leoville estates. Last week your scribe was fortunate at a tasting/dinner to update his knowledge on how 9 key older vintages of LP are presently showing:

2005: Dark colour 68% cab sauv. Nose backward somewhat closed and not giving much. However improves with airing and outstanding cassis fruit on the palate with refined tannins & admirable balance. A classic in the making and just needs more time to blossom.

2000: Good depth. Impressive cedar black currant bouquet. Delicious with full rich wonderful weight and sweeter supple textures that should appeal to everyone – even California cabernet aficionados. Drinking on lovely plateau more forwardly than its 2 sister Estates.

1996: Deep still dark. Young solid aromas. Bit brawny perhaps but 70% cab sauv results in a full bodied ripe traditional St. Julien that continues to slowly develop well. Lots there. Promising. No rush.

1995: Much lighter rim. Quite herbal red cranberry notes but nice balance. Good merlot vintage that can be slightly overrated in the Medoc because of the lesser quality of the 4 years from 1991-1994 that preceded it.

1990: Maturing rim. Pure elegance majestic complex perfumed nose! Somewhat similar to 2000 in that spectacular style with a seductive exotic personality. Exquisite lush fruit on a beautiful plateau of enjoyment now. Group favourite.

1986: Dark. Backwardly cellar nose at first but opened more later. Highly thought of by their cellar master on initial release. Harder tannins sterner more abrupt taste. Believe it will get better with cellar patience.

1983: Briary fruity plums yet sound surprisingly drinkable and enjoyable with food. Under rated.

1982: Great anticipation of this vintage. Not pleased with this atypical bottle showing more shoe polish with mint smells than the cigar cedar spices text book St Julien expected. Extract and the kind of smooth polish you like on the palate. Still good. Can be more outstanding.

1975: Inconsistent wine with no Parker rating. Experienced the same. However, this bottle shows very well indeed with open complex mature bouquet plus smooth round rich textures on entry full of life before the drier tannins show on the finish. Has come around much better as shown here.

Have you tried one of the Leoville wines? Do you have a preference among the 3 properties?

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