Clearing up wine myths can enhance enjoyment

Clearing up wine myths can enhance enjoyment

KEN COLLURA
WINESPEAK May 08, 2002

As a kid, I remember being fascinated by mythology, especially "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." I dreamed I was Odysseus, tied to the mast of his ship, his ears left uncovered to hear the dreaded sirens' song. Then, after felling the giant Cyclops, I returned home to reclaim my wife and lands from usurping rivals. Arriving disguised in their midst, I revealed my identity by pulling back the string on the giant bow, shooting the arrow that only Odysseus could shoot.

Eventually, I woke up and realized it was only a myth, a dream, and I reluctantly snapped back to reality. If left unchallenged, myths may become mistaken for reality. The world of wine is filled with such fallacious tales that many take for truth. As a wine educator, I constantly strive to debunk these ideas that have become so set in the minds of wine drinkers. Let's go about clarifying a few myths:

Room temperature. What is room temperature? Can't one room have a different temperature than another? I would think that the temperature of a room in Oslo, Norway, for example, would be different from one in Tampa, Fla. The point is that red wines taste better when served at the correct temperature. The optimum would be about 60 degrees to 65 degrees, give or take a few degrees. I always place a warm bottle of red in the fridge for about 30 minutes before my meal. When served cool, reds become more focused, showcasing their fruit, which tends to be muted and flat when warm. The temperature of the room in which the wine is poured is immaterial.
Cork sniffing. When one picks up a cork and smells it, what odors are prevalent? Generally, the predominant aroma from a cork is, well, cork. Take it from someone who has seen a few, the way a cork looks or smells sheds very little light on how the ensuing wine will taste. I've had corks crumble to dust around the corkscrew, yet the wine was spectacular. Conversely, absolutely pristine corks have been followed by liquid that would have been better poured from a pesticide bottle. Eventually most corks will be replaced with plastic enclosures anyway. Guess what they smell like?
Price dictates quality. Somewhere, many years ago, a revered sage must have pointed a soiled index finger to the sky and said, "The best wines will be the most expensive wines." And the prophetic utterance was hammered into stone. Well, let me tell you how it is today: Never before has this statement been less valid. Prices of new releases from wineries with little or no track records have seen astronomical rises over the past decade, driven by comments from the adoring wine media. The high prices of these cult favorites have caused an imbalance, forging a "false market." Some competing wineries have felt compelled to raise their prices also, lest they be considered inferior by the consuming public. Truth be told, there are more delicious bottles priced at $12 to $25 being made today than at any other point in vinous history. The people reaping the benefits of these fine values are adventurers willing to try wines beyond their scope.
Vintage dates are very important. There is a simple adage I have always followed when addressing this: In off vintages, good winemakers make good wine; in top vintages, good winemakers make exceptional wine. Bad winemakers make bad wine. All the time. The next time you are out wine shopping, try to put less emphasis on which vintage it was made in and more on who made it. The most important piece of information on a label is the name of the producer.
Understanding the above points will enhance your knowledge and put you in a position to enjoy each wine more fully. And remember, don't believe everything you read or are told about wine. Take the time to do the necessary homework and become an educated consumer, then you can replace mythology with lucidity.

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Ken Collura is head sommelier at Bern's Steak House in Tampa, Fla.

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