There are actually a wide variety of fortified wines in the world, for which Port is just one kind. But it is a special one, and of the fortified wines, it is the oldest. Fortifying means that a grape spirit, or brandy, is added to the wine to help preserve it. The brandy is added during fermentation, which then kills the yeast as the yeast can only survive in an environment that is just so high in alcohol. This means that wine retains its sweetness. From here, the wine goes into a series of ageing containers. Depending on how long the ageing process is, the wine maker is making Ruby or Tawny port.
As we all go into celebrating Labor Day this coming weekend, we pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of workers here in the United States. So, it is fitting that we take time to acknowledge all the labor that goes into making a bottle of wine.
Friday, September 2nd marks National Chianti Day. I think we can all embrace a pseudo-holiday that involves wine! This wine-oliday was inaugurated in 2020 by Santa Margherita, in order to highlight and showcase the Tuscan’s star wine, Chianti.
Have you ever put a glass of wine up to your nose and noticed prominent aromas of flower, and wondered those notes come from? I can, with good conscience, confirm that floral scents in wine DO NOT come from a winemaker dipping an extra-large tea bag of dried flower petals into their tank or barrel of wine. The answer to the question, “Well, from where then?” is chemistry. I know that your eyes are now glazing over, and you are being flooded with memories of high school lab, and the smell of burning sulfur is filling your nostrils and making you cough. Bear with me, okay?
This weekend, City Vino, invites you to taste wines to pair with a Spanish-inspired picnic!! “Picnic” often conjures up a pretty blanket on the ground in a beautiful setting, surrounded by a cooler, straw basket, and straw hats shading one’s head from rays of the strong sun above. Or, perhaps, a beach towel on the sand and sandwiches. These days, there are companies that will set up a fancy table with a vase of flowers low to the ground, surrounded by ample pillows and glorious food and wine. Not quite “glamping,” aka “glam camping,” but very close. These days, for me, my joints prefer that I not sit on the hard, because I may not be able to get up off said ground, so I’d surely opt for a nice table under and awning or large umbrella.
