When we think of sparkling wine, our thoughts focus on a coupe, flute or tulip glass, partially filled with a light to medium-gold wine, with bubbles rising in a stream to the top. Or perhaps, you think of a pink bubbly. City Vino is here to tell you that All That Sparkles is Not Gold (or Pink). Red sparkling wine exists, and has its place in your glass and on the table.
City Vino’s weekly tasting on Friday, November 19, and Saturday, November 20, features two wines labeled as “old vine” wines; one wine that is not labeled as such, but is; and one, just for fun. Let us delve into the meaning of “old vine” winemaking.
Gabriele Rausse may not be a household name in your home, but much of the post-Jeffersonian modern success of the Virginia wine industry can be tied back to this unassuming man from Valdagno Italy. The Zonin family hired Rausse to come across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States in 1976, to start Barboursville Vineyards.
White grapes usually have their juice separated from their skins prior to fermentation, thereby avoiding additional color, tannins and other flavor components found in the skins (phenols). In recent years, there has been interest in producing white wines more like red wines, wherein the grape juice is in contact with the skins and seeds during fermentation.
