What Makes Good Wine Good?

The simplest answer comes from a Duke Ellington paraphrase, if it tastes good, it is good. However, the “experts” for years have told us what we like and what not to like, but we can certainly decide for ourselves. The more wines you taste the more developed your palate will become. You’ll start to develop a quick sense for what you do and do not like. When my husband and I seriously started drinking wine, we never drank the same wine twice. We kept a wine spreadsheet, yes we’re wine dorks! We rated how we liked each wine on a scale of one to five. After tasting several, we went back and resampled some to see if we still felt the same way. It was a good way to measure how our palate was changing.

 

The biggest mistake most individuals and restaurants make is serving wine at the incorrect temperature. To enjoy the full richness and complexity of the wine it must be served at the proper temperature. White wines served at 45-50 degrees, will bring out the aromas of fruit and acidity on the palate. Red wines should range between 55-60 degrees, the perfect temperature of a French cellar. With the red wine, your mouth will taste the powerful fruit flavors and mouthwatering tannins.

 

Great grapes make great wine. Centuries of experience have taught winemakers and wine lovers which grapes are responsible for the most prized wines in the world. Cabernet Sauvignon has proven to be one of the greatest red wine grapes, while Riesling, when ripened under ideal conditions, yields a unique and remarkable wine. It is important that a grape be given optimal growing conditions. Different grapes prefer different soils, temperatures and moisture. Discovering the grapes ideal growing conditions will yield the best juice and thus the best wine. For example, Chardonnay grows best in soil with a chalk or limestone component. However, Riesling grapes prefer the slate-rich slopes of the Mosel valley.

 

The production of good wines comes from winemakers with the knowledge and desire to produce high caliber wines. Detail is paid to every step of the winemaking process. In some instances, the attitude of no expense spared is taken. This can lead to a higher priced bottle of wine for the consumer. As consumers realize the superior quality of one particular wine, the winemaker and winery gain a reputation. Most well-known winemakers produce high quality, low quantity wine,thus making it more difficult to find and more expensive.