How to Select and Buy Wine?Whether in a store or a restaurant, whether buying for an immediate use (with tonight’s dinner), a gift, or a future event-or even as an investment for the future, we all want to know if what we are purchasing meets the tests of quality and value. Who and what can we trust to guide us?Hopefully, much more than a pretty or entertaining label. Where can we rely that the wine can be bought with some assurance of dependability-it’s not been stored or shipped improperly, thus becoming spoiled? How can we make own judgment when there’s no “expert” around to advise us? Are there any standards we can learn? What can a label on the bottle tell us? Is a bottle with a screw cap an indicator of cheap wine (like the terrible old “jug” wines we uses to so often see)? Does price always determine the quality of a wine? These and many questions are just a few of the concerns we can address by educating ourselves to even some few, simple rules. It does not need to become “rocket science”! First we must think about the purpose for selecting our choice of wine. It may be for a specific use-to go with a particular entrée at dinner-or as an appetizer, or again, as a dessert. It may be a special occasion like a holiday or anniversary,etc. We may want a sweeter wine for dessert-or a sparkling Champagne style to toast the occasion. Then we should try to identify the type of wine that best meets the need and determine about what we may want to spend. Many afford and wine guide publications exist that can suggest appropriate taste combinations. Matching wines to a specific food may be hard to do without knowing the sauces and ingredients. And, yes, old myths like matching only white wines to fish don’t always apply at all. It helps in a good restaurant if there is a wine steward (sommelier) that can best suggest appropriate wine to food matches. He or she can best know how the food is prepared, the seasonings, etc. and also know the qualities of their available wine selections. In a fine wine specialty store, one can expect some guidance and recommendations to answer most questions. Also the selections may be more varied and at all price levels. However, in a supermarket or a Costco, you may be entirely on your own, although this is fast changing. The more upscale markets, like a Central market in Poulsbo, have wine buyers often present to advise their customers. At most stores, however, wines are often identified with any tagged ratings or awards-usually one quoted form Wine Spectator magazine or Robert Parker, the originator of the first, universally accepted wine rating scale based upon 100 possible points. A few really, really good wines warrant ratings at 90 or above points. Most decent quality wines range from the low to high 80’s. Anything below 84-85 usually isn’t identified. Not all wines are rated and ratings are not always a guarantee as they result from subjective opinions, even by “experts”. Also a gold or silver medal winner is only as good as the level of competition at a particular judging-like a state or county fair, etc. (is the “ best” wine in Oklahoma really significant?) Regardless of fine credentials, even an excellent rated quality wine can be ruined by improper storage or handling. One day at over 80 degrees can “cook” most wines. This could occur anywhere on the wine’s way from the vineyard to you: enroute shipping, sitting in some warehouse, or on a store shelf. This concern makes the reputation of a wine store a factor to consider. At a good store –and also at a good restaurant, a defective bottle of wine can usually be returned-but not simply because you didn’t like it! We next need to know to understand something about the types of wines available-and where to find them on a store shelf or in a perhaps complicated wine menu in the restaurant. Most vinifera (fine wine) is produced from a specific grape. Called a varietal, most originally developed in Europe-France, Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. Yes, there are wines made from Native American grapes: Concord, Niagara, etc. but they generally produce less complex characteristics and afford lesser quality. There are well over two hundred distinct varietals-the most popular are Chardonnay and Pinot Gris ( Pinot Grigio, is the Italian for the same grape) among white wines. Sauvignon Blanc has become nearly as popular. Riesling is perhaps more popular around the world than here in the States, but is regaining lost prestige. Spicy Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Blanc and Viognier (vee-awn-yeah) are some other more common white wine grape types you may find. An unusual white grape, Aligote (al la goat tay) is made in Port Townsend, WA. by Fairwinds Winery.Little known, It originates from Burgundy where it is the second white grape to Chardonnay. Among red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,Syrah and Malbec are best sellers. Pinot Noir, made famous lately in the movie, “Sideways” has nearly a cult following. Although the movie touted Pinot Noir produced down in California, Oregon produces some of the best in the world, closer to the Burgundies of France. Oh yes, traditionally, in much of Europe, wines have been by their geographic origin. Burgundy is one example, where the red wine is all made from Pinot Noir by varietal and the White Burgundy is nearly all made from Chardonnay. Chablis is another specific location where the wines are made also from the Chardonnay grape. Yet in anther region, by contrast, Bordeaux, the wines may be made from any combination of about seven varietal wines, principally Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, the blended mixtures often legally prescribed by a locally designated regional board, called an Appellation Controllee or A.O.C.s In the USA, wines were often mislabeled, particularly by the old California and New York jug wine producers who might call any white wine “Chablis” or any red “Burgundy” with no relationship to their European namesakes.This abuse has now been controlled by strict federal and state labeling requirements. International winemaking areas have also demanded proper identification of wines by origin: Chablis should only be Chardonnay wine produced in that village in Burgundy, France. Champagne is only properly used to identify sparking wine produced in that region of France. Elsewhere, “methode Champenoise” or “methode Traditionelle” is an common practice used to denote sparkling wines produced in the same, authentic rather complicated fermentation process used in Champagne. Beware of cheap imitations that misuse the “Champagne” label! They are usually made from inferior grapes and by “short cut” vat production processes that limit quality. In the Pacific Northwest, St. Michelle, Argyle and other good wineries produce very good quality sparkling wine using the traditional methods of the original Champagne region. In stores, the American wines are often organized by area, then by varietal with sparkling and dessert wines clustered separately. So you’ll find Washington, Oregon or “Northwest” as distinct from California wines-then segregated by reds and whites, then specific varietal. Most Zinfandels, (the good red ones) will be part of the California wines, etc. American wines are governed by federal, state and sometimes regional labeling standards. The US defines specific location identities of origin by where the grapes for any wine are actually grown. These are called “AVAs” or Agricultural Vinification Areas). To be labeled by a single varietal name which has been easier to market in the US, a wine must be at least 75% composed from that grape. As the US market has matured though, blended wines have become more common. Bordeaux style blends are often called ‘meritage’ given hybrid monikers like “Cab-Merlot” and labels often indicate the actual percentages of each grape used. Some wines are designated as “estate”, which simply means the wine is made by grapes owned and grown at that wineries same location and ownership. A particular producer may also label many wines “reserve” which legally means nothing other than denoting a special selection of grapes. In Europe, however, a certification of “reserva” (usually Spanish and Italian wines) may indicate the time the wine has been aged in oak. This all sounds complicated and does take time and experience to learn in depth, but point is to take the time to peruse the label of a wine to determine its origin, the year and age of the wine, what certification credentials it may have: D.O.C.(Italy), A.O.C.(France), “Qualitatswein (Germany and Austria) are just a few others to learn. These usually, at least assure, a given plateau of quality standard for that wine. Additional areas of information are found on labels that specify the vintage of grapes used (this may affect relative quality or maturity of the wine). Alcohol content is a legal requirement. American wine must not exceed 15% alcohol or it is then considered as a liquor-Port and other “fortified” wines are an example. The relative sweetness of wine is often defined to enable its most appropriate use. Sugar content may be specified or the sugar content of the grapes at picking which is useful to gauge the intended use of the wine. An “ice wine (or eiswein)”, for example must be made only from grapes, handpicked after freezing on the vine. Some ranges of wine sweetness are defined by their geographic origin, In Germany and Austria, a”Kabinett” may be quite dry, a “Spatlese” a medium dry, or an “Auslese” a sweeter wine. Even sweeter wines are denoted as “Beernauslese” or the elegant “Trockenbeernauslese (TBA)”. These describe the use of even later picked grapes affected by “noble rot” which give even higher sugar intensities. In this country, wines called simply ‘late harvest” mean more basic sweet dessert types. In the case of sparkling wines, sweetness versions are denote from “brut” for dry to “demi-sec”, then “Sec” for increasing levels of sweetness. Also, be sure to read the back of the bottle labels as they often give specific information on the grapes used, the winemaker, exact vineyard source,amount of oak aging, production methods, or other interesting details. Again, ask the steward or the wine clerk who can add more specific information. As for price, a large supermarket types store will tend to carry wine brands produced in large quantity-think Gallo, Kendall-Jackson, or the ubiquitous “Yellowtail”. They tend to aim their supply at the lower price ranges and more basic quality. That is fast changing though as the American market demands higher quality and selection. Even most of these bulk produced wines are now of much higher quality than the old “jug” wines we used to see in former years. Gallo now produces quality, pricier wines from its Sonoma vineyards and Washington's Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest wineries sell value priced wines nationally that regularly achieve high ratings form Wine Spectator, Enthusuast and others.Small or boutique wines (making less than 10,000 cases produced annually) are more generally only found in a fine wine shop, on a selective restaurant list or directly from the winery. They may usually cost more as they aim at a higher expectation of uniqueness, cost more to produce and distribute. Big conglomerate wine companies simply have greater cost efficiency and marketing power enabling sales at lower price points. Kendall-Jackson, Columbia Crest and some others produce hundreds of thousands of cases annually. What they can’t often do is produce the “hands on” types of fine wines requiring special attention and the exacting skills and styling of an individual winemaker. Pinot Noir is such an example where most, if not all, is produced by small to medium producers. It is also made from grapes that are more difficult and expensive to grow and less plentiful in supply. Ratings can drive costs, so can the laws of supply and demand. We can see that Pinot Noir simply costs more to produce than, say Cabernet, which is easier to grow. Yet both grapes may be made into very high quality wine. Not all big producers make inferior wines; they may have good quality controls and high-technology efficiencies, alternative sources of grapes and a greater variety selections of wine types to efficiently market. for example in Washington state, the large St. Michelle Wines organization produces excellent products in all price ranges under several brand labels. Their Columbia Crest Merlots, Chards, Cabs and Syrahs, particularly their “Grand Estates” categories receive perennially high ratings but may be found in the ten to twelve dollar price range-the supply is great, keeping prices low. As a result, they nearly always are rewarded with best value recognitions (i.e. Wine Spectator magazine’s annual “Top One Hundred Wines”, etc.). Most of the state’s wineries, though, are small to medium sized. Unfortunately, marketing “hype” creates high peaks of demands for some wines, similar to how a “hot stock” prices through the roof due to extreme buying demand.I just hate it when a favorite wine I’ve discovered gets a 90s rating or special review by one of the major wine magazines; then the price may often double or triple if the supply is limited. Also, some new wineries find that if, for instance, they come out with a Syrah or some other, newly popular type of wine, that if it’s priced too low, the American market won’t think it’s of decent quality. On the other hand, some types of wines,Chenin Blanc and Riesling, have fallen out of favor in recent years by poor quality jug style renditions that hurt their reception in the domestic market. Their prices have commanded less, forcing many producers to plough under those fine grapes in favor of more popular, pricey varietals. Yet, some American buyers, not knowing the difference, might buy Vouvrey from France, not knowing that it’s made from the same Chenin Blanc they’d never buy as an American grape. Again, don’t assume that the higher price always insures a higher quality. This a fallacy much perpetuated by false wine snobbery where buying a known pricey label wine conveys wealth and status. It might –or it might not! Many other old wine snobbery prejudices and myths have also become casualties of modern technology and the spread of winemaking skill around many new regions of the world. It used to be that Europe, especially French wine was most revered and given highest prestige, Eventually California, especially led by Napa Valley pioneers like Robert Mondavi, began to produce wines of startling high quality-even beating the French in direct award competitions in the mid-seventies for Cabernets and Chardonnays- Then other areas of the US like the Pacific Northwest began to evolve in similar fashion. In 1976, the late, great winemaker, David Lett, with his Eyrie Vineyards Winery in Oregon made a Pinot Noir that won top awards in Paris, beating French favorites and firmly putting that state on the map in worldwide prestige. In short, we are extremely fortunate and blessed with having world quality wines of nearly all varieties grown and produced domestically, especially in the diverse areas of the Pacific Northwest and California. Remember when a screw cap rather than a cork clearly denoted a “cheap” wine? Well, no more! Modern bottling technology has found that improved screw caps can be and are used for higher priced, quality wines. The main reason is that nearly five to ten percent of all wines produced with bottle corks are defective due to TBA, a chemical taint associated with use of cork. Would you buy a car or many other products with that amount of quality risk? If the “romance” of opening a wine may be lost by using these simple bottle caps, do remember there's little romance in tasting a “corked”, bad wine. Don’t ignore the growing use of the Internet to furnish wines by mail order. They usually also give very full appraisals of quality and can be often offered at lower prices since they don’t incur as great distribution and warehouse space overhead cost. You won’t, however, get more personalized recommendation for that special meal, gift or occasion, nor can you return the wine as easily if found defective. At the least though, by using the many good wine websites available you can find give great recommendations and benchmarks for pricing comparisons.Wine Spectator (www.winespectator.com) and Natalie Decants (www.nataliemaclean.com) are two good ones just to start. These are just a few guidelines, suggestions, and cautions to get you started. But with a little care, learning to read the label can tell the savvy wine buyer much and, when in doubt, at least raise the proper questions to evaluate quality and worth. -Bob Bentley
