It's in the Bottle!

Did you ever wonder about the different shapes and colors of wine bottles? Well we have come a long way from the clay pots or amphoras used centuries ago and there is a reason different wines are stored in different bottles.

Although the oldest glass bottle was discovered in 1867 and dates back to 325 A.D. it wasn’t until fairly recently that glass bottles as we know them today became the common vessel used to transfer wine from the barrel to the table. The first bottles were hand-blown, somewhat fragile and mostly used for filling from the barrel for immediate consumption at the table. The creation of the modern elongated bottle came into being in the eighteenth century. In Europe, many wine producing areas developed unique wine bottle shapes which became the traditional bottle for wines of that region. As winemaking spread around the world, new wineries often adopted those traditional European bottle shapes in order to communicate with their consumers. The shape of the wine bottle suggests certain information about the wine inside.

There are four main bottle shapes all containing 750 ml of precious juice! The “Bordeaux Bottle” is the high shouldered bottle used by most wineries for Bordeaux varieties including, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux blends such as Meritage and Claret. This is also the bottle style you will find Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Grenache and many Italian red varietals such as Sangiovese. White varietals found in this bottle are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The “Burgundy Bottle” has sloping shoulders and is most commonly used for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Wines from the Loire Valley in France are found in this bottle as well. The “Hoch Bottle” is the tall slender bottle used in Germany and the Alsace region in France and is the bottle used for Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Muller -Thurgau. The Champagne Bottle shape is used for sparkling wines and some say is the only bottle that has a compelling scientific justification behind its design. It has thicker glass that is able to withstand the higher pressure that is found with Champagne and sparkling wines.

Within these basic shapes there are other variations with regard to color. The traditional colors used for wine bottles are dark to medium green for reds, light green for dry whites and clear for sweet whites or Roses. Some producers in parts of France have traditionally used amber colored bottles.

And finally the last variable in the design of a wine bottle is the punt, also known as a kick-up. This refers to the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle. There is no consensus explanation for its purpose and I have read many differing opinions as to what it is actually for. Some think it may have come into use when bottles were hand blown and severing the bottle from the pontil could leave a jagged scar easily able to scratch a table. By indenting the bottom, the scar would not touch the table surface. Depending on who you ask or what you read, the explanation for the design of the punt of a bottle can be attributed to everything from making the bottle more sturdy and less likely to topple over, to being there to accommodate the pourer's thumb. Some will argue it is there to trap potential sediment. All of these make sense to me. The most cynical explanation is the exaggerated punts displace wine meaning taller, heavier bottles making it appear there is more wine in the bottle. Some believe the more pronounced the punt the better quality the wine and premium wines often come in bottles with deeper punts.

A Barrel of Fun

In the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to taste a number of wines still in the barrel. Some of these wines have been in the barrel for a few weeks and others for several months or years. I never pass up an opportunity to sample wine this way and can even remember the very first time I tasted wine from the barrel years ago in California. To witness wine in the various stages of its journey into the bottle and to see how it evolves and changes seems not only miraculous to me but gives me a front row seat into the process of turning mere grape juice into fine wine!

Tasting wine still in the barrel and being able to advance that particular wine along in your mind to its potential at bottling, is not always easy. It is a bit like eating raw cookie dough and from that taste experience determining what the actual cookie will taste like! The best way to get a feeling for the direction a young wine is heading is to taste it while referencing your understanding of taste profiles in more mature wines. Knowing what will change and evolve and how that shapes every taste component as well as how the wine maker will be directing the wine needs to be considered. Some wineries sell “futures” which are orders of wine placed before the wine is finished and bottled. This is a great way to buy wine if you like to gamble. If the wine becomes a big award winner after bottling, the price the bottled wine can demand is often much more than the “futures” price you paid.

Vintage plays a huge role in wine quality. Tasting barrels from different vintages tells a different story. Most recently I have been sampling ‘08s and ‘09s. The overall consensus from experts on the growing season for the Umpqua Valley in 2008 was that after a late frost in April which was of initial concern the weather cooperated very nicely and 2008 wines will be of high quality. 2009 was an even better year in terms of a longer, warmer growing season and even with the bit of rain over Labor Day and Columbus Day 2009 looks to be a classic vintage! I have to say this is what my taste buds have been revealing to me as I barrel sample my way through some of my favorite wineries here in the Valley. After a difficult year in 2007 where the talent of the grape grower and the wine maker was put to the test, the 2009 season was a gift. Even the very young ‘09s I have had the chance to sample are showing beautiful fruit and complex layers. I have sampled several Syrahs and predict these wines will be big, bold and luscious. I have great expectations for the whites as well.

Having the experience of tasting wines still in the barrel is something I would hope everyone with an interest in wine will experience. Many of my tour clients have never had the opportunity to sample wine from the barrel before touring with me. Some have never been into a barrel room before. There is no doubt a barrel room visit and barrel sample changes peoples understanding of the connection from fruit on the vine to wine in the bottle.

Thanksgiving Wine

As Thanksgiving approaches most of us have a much more difficult time thinking about which wine to serve than what dishes to make. Food traditions for this celebration are often passed down from generation to generation and certain dishes are a staple on many families Thanksgiving tables. Without those family favorites it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving. The same can not be said for the wine pairing and each year we are posed with the same dilemma - what wine should I serve with Thanksgiving dinner?

I have some great advice to help you, so take a deep breath and relax. It isn’t as complicated as you think and there are a number of good choices which are sure to make everyone happy! I strongly suggest serving a few wines you think might be interesting and polling your friends and family on which wines showed best. The first rule of thumb when deciding on your holiday wine is if you prefer red wine, serve reds and if you prefer white, serve whites. I happen to be a former “red only” wine drinker (I think it is fair to say “red only” wine snob) who has rediscovered how stunningly beautiful a quality white wine can truly be, so I will serve both. Two excellent white choices are Brandborg Vineyard & Winery’s Dry Gewürztraminer and HillCrest Vineyard’s Orsation Style Riesling. Both of these wines are beautifully complex with big fruit and layers of flavors that seem to go on and on. Try them for Thanksgiving but be prepared to want to serve them over and over again as these are the kind of wines that linger in your memory and leave you wanting more.

Pinot Noir is such an obvious choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only because we are after all, in Oregon (And what’s that old saying? When in Oregon do as the Oregonians do and drink Pinot? Something like that!) but because Pinot can be a very versatile wine. For those of you who like a bigger, meatier style of Pinot, Becker Vineyards and Misty Oaks Vineyard provide very good choices. If a more traditional, Burgundian style Pinot is your preference you must try Hillcrest Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir just released last week. Brandborg Vineyard & Winery offers three different Pinots all excellent choices and in three different price points.

For those of you who prefer red but Pinot is not your cup of tea, choices abound here in the Umpqua Valley. Feel free to think outside the box. While whites and lighter reds are a more traditional choice for the turkey dinner there is no hard and fast rule that says you can not pair a meatier red with your traditional meal. Palotai Vineyard’s Arany Szarvas a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah is a full bodied, well balanced wine I think would show very well at your table. This wine may be difficult to pronounce but I guarantee it is easy to drink! I think a Cab Franc could pair well with many of our favorite dishes. Check out last weeks column on Cab Franc to help guide you to find just the right choice.

Finally, for dessert check out Sienna Ridge Estate Winery and Giardet Wine Cellars and try their excellent selection of sweet wines. Pecan pie paired with a late harvest Gewürztraminer is just over the top and I can’t think of a more perfect way to end the meal. Of course pecan pie is really good with a very cold glass of milk too but how unromantic is that?