Mothering Wine

Mothering

BY RICCARDO TARABELS Wine

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there, especially to my wife Marybeth! When it comes to wine, there’s a certain amount of “mothering” that is involved, especially if you’re a collector of fine wines. One of the most frequent questions I am asked is how to know what wines are worth aging and how do you store or “mother” these wines. Well, here is a rough guideline for determining which wines you come across are in need of a good guardian.

Wines with Little to No Aging Potential:

Asti Spumante Moscato d’Asti Rosé European table wine Inexpensive varietals The majority of Vin de pays All Nouveau wines

Wines with Aging Potential:

Chardonnay (2 – 6 yrs.) Riesling (2 – 30 yrs.) Loire Valley Chenin Blanc (4 – 20 yrs.) Cabernet Sauvignon (4 – 20 yrs.) Merlot (2 – 10 yrs.) Brunello (3 – 20 yrs.) Nebbiolo (4 – 20 yrs.) Pinot Noir (2 – 8 yrs.) Sangiovese (2 – 8 yrs.) Syrah (4 – 16 yrs.) Zinfandel (2 – 6 yrs.) Classified Bordeaux (8 – 25 yrs.) Grand Cru Burgundy (8 – 25 yrs.) Aglianico (4 – 15 yrs.) Tempranillo (2 – 8 yrs.)

Please keep in mind that this is a very rough guide to aging wines. There are so many variables that it is always wise to consult the wine store, wine representative, or broker from whom you are purchasing the wine. The ratio of sugars, acids, and phenolics to water is a key factor of how well a wine can age. The less water in the grapes prior to harvest, the more likely the resulting wine will have some aging potential. Grape variety, climate, vintage, and viticultural practice are all important. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Grape varieties with thicker skins, from a dry growing season where little irrigation was used, and yields were kept low will have less water and a higher ratio of sugar, acids, and phenolics. These make fantastic wines to “adopt” into your wine cellar.

When it comes to mothering your wines, storage conditions can influence a wine’s aging ability dramatically. Vibrations and heat fluctuations can hasten a wine’s deterioration and cause adverse effect on the wines. In general, a wine has a greater potential to develop complexity and more aromatic bouquet if it is allowed to age slowly in a relatively cool environment. The lower the temperature, the more slowly a wine develops. On average, the rate of chemical reactions in wine double with each 18 °F increase in temperature.

Wine expert Karen MacNeil, recommends keeping wine intended for aging in a cool area with a constant temperature around 55°F. Wine can be stored at temperatures as high as 69°F without long term negative effect. However, most experts believe that extreme temperature fluctuations (such as repeated transferring of a wine from a warm room to a cool refrigerator) would be detrimental to the wine. The ultra-violet rays of direct sunlight should also be avoided because of the free radicals that can develop in the wine and result in oxidation.

Wines packaged in large format bottles, such as magnums and 3 liter Jeroboams, seem to age more slowly than wines packaged in regular 750 ml bottles or half bottles. This may

be because of the greater proportion of oxygen exposed to the wine during the bottling process. The advent of alternative wine closures to cork, such as Stelvin closures (screw caps) and synthetic corks have opened up recent discussions on the aging potential of wines sealed with these alternative closures. Currently there are no conclusive results, and the topic is the subject of ongoing research.

And since we’re on the topic of mothers, there are probably some mothers-to-be out there who are taking a 9-month sabbatical from drinking wine. Their palate no longer enjoys a glass of Pinot Noir with dinner, instead it has been replaced with morning sickness and heart burn. Wine goes through this stage too! Known as bottle sickness or “bottle-shock,” one of the short-term aging needs of wine is a period where the wine is considered “sick” due to the trauma and volatility of the bottling experience. During bottling, some oxygen is exposed to the wine, causing a domino effect of chemical reaction with various components of the wine. The time it takes for the wine to settle down and have the oxygen fully dissolve and integrate with the wine is considered its period of “bottle shock”. If you haven’t seen the movie Bottle Shock, you’re missing out on a great movie all about Chateau Montelena making history for Napa Valley wines.

It’s never too late to start a wine collection… all it takes is one good bottle. Here’s a quick tip on how to get started: buy a Chianti Classico Riserva (at least $20-$25) or find a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley (2012-2014 vintages have great ratings.) Get one. Get two! My first was a 1997 Barbaresco; what’s yours going to be? Carpe Vino!

Riccardo will spend Mother’s Day with his wife, Marybeth, and their three sons, Dante, Berent (fiancé Molli,) and Jaxon. When they are not picking out the perfect wines for their cellar, Riccardo and Marybeth are the owners of R Wine Bar & Kitchen on the East Bank of Downtown Sioux Falls, Brix Wine Bar at Washington Square on Main Ave, and R Catering. Contact Riccardo at riccardo@rwinebar.com.