This season marks the 20th Anniversary of our Wine Club in Upton and after the obligatory AGM,
we started the year by looking at some myths and facts about wine that could be of use to us all! Here
are a few things we discussed during the evening.You may have put a silver spoon in an opened
bottle of fizz and put it in the fridge, to drink it a few days later … in reality, it’s probably the cold
that is preserving the bubbles not the spoon! Putting a stopper in the top and keeping it upright
in the fridge (ideally not in the door, which will disturb the wine every time you open it) is likely to
give you a few extra drinking days!Like many things, we are more confident in trying
and recommending something if it has been personalised to us. There are a few wine apps in
the market now that will give you information on your wine just from taking a photo of the label and
if you give some feedback on your preferences, it will make recommendations on similar wines you
might like to try. I like everything about a Chardonnay from Burgundy except the price, so
my app suggested trying South African Chardonnay’s, where there are some exceptional
wines at a very good price!
Do all wines improve with age? Well, in a word no! Broadly, the wine needs to contain a stabilizer to
allow it to last for several years. For red wines, these are tannins and for white wines, a high
degree of acidity, sugar or alcohol to help preserve it over time. Over the years, wine will soften and
change in complexity and colour. Some wines for example need to age by law: for example, a Rioja.
Crianza will have been stored before bottling for a minimum of 24 months, while a Gran Reserva will
need storing for a minimum of 60 months! Both spending some time in oak barrels, which give it
an added layer of flavour and complexity.If you’d like to see what wines we tasted this
month or are interested in coming along to the club please take a look at our website. You need no
knowledge of wine, just an interest in trying it!!
Next month we have Nicholas Corfe from Go Brazil taking us through some exceptional wines from
Brazil. I hope you can join us on Wednesday 16th October at the village hall at 8:00 pm