Wine for Normal People

View from Beaux Frères

Remember -- the show is based on my opinions with some facts (as I have always said, Wine For Normal People is not a study guide for an exam nor is it impartial. I offer facts but always with my spin or interpretation on it. If you don't like it, that's fine, but never has this show pretended to be a journalistic look at regions or a show that doesn't give my spin on things. In a show like this, it's especially important to remember that).

View from a high point of the Dundee Hills

Regions mentioned:

• Dundee Hills
• Yamhill-Carlton
• Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge
• Eola-Amity Hills
• McMinnville
• Willamette Valley
• Van Duzer Corridor
• The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA (for that epic Syrah)

Wineries mentioned:

• Domaine Divio
• Beaux Frères
• Lenné
• Domaine Drouhin
• Purple Hands
• Le Cadeau (the Syrah I mentioned is their other label, Aubichon)
• Methven Family Vineyards
• Coeur de Terre

The area is gorgeous, the people very kind, but ultimately not much has changed for me from the original Oregon podcast. I remain skeptical of the value for money that Oregon offers and the quality and consistency of the Pinot Noir. I have become a big fan of the Chardonnay of the area, and I think Gamay has a big future here but the region is still young and it has staked its entire reputation on Pinot Noir, so we'll see what happens in the years to come.

One final shoutout to Caravan Coffee, for the best cup I've ever had in the US!!

*All photos (C)Elizabeth Schneider

____________________________________________________________

Thanks to our sponsors this week:

Our new sponsor: Wine Spies!

Wine Spies uncovers incredible wines at unreal prices - on Zinfandel, Barolo, Champagne...you name it - up to 75% off! It’s not a club and there’s no obligation to buy. They have a build-a-case option, so you can mix and match wines while enjoying free shipping on every purchase. Visit www.winespies.com/normal you’ll get $10 credit to use on your first order! Check them out today!

If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and clas...

Photo: Chante-Alouette from Chapoutier, the wine we mention in the show. Credit: Wine For Normal People

Although not a grape you will encounter as a standalone varietal that often, its contribution to the great whites of the Rhone can’t be underestimated. This grape is vital to understand if you are interested in diving deeper into the world of Rhône whites (which you definitely should do!).

Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally.

Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to join my co-branded wine club with Wine Access and www.wineaccess.com/wfnp so see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection. Get 10% your first order with my special URL. Check out Wine Access today!

To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Sources used in the show:

1. Wines of the Rhone, Matt Walls (also listen to Episode 458 with Matt Walls)
2. Wine Grapes, Dr. José Vouillamoz, Jancis Robinson, and Julia Harding
3. Grapes & Wines, Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand
4. Tablas Creek Blog (Also, episodes 162, 281, 440 with Jason Haas of Tablas Creek)
5. Tahbilk Winery Site
6. The Wine Cellar Insider

Note: I recorded this right before I got sick so I sound a little 'throaty' but I hope you'll enjoy the show nonetheless!

For the first show of 2022, we start out with a dorky one and answer the question:

Where does aroma come from and are the things people describe in wine like roses, smoke, and pepper real or total BS?

We take the questions head on and give some answers that may surprise you! Enjoy and thanks for your continued support of the show and all we do!

Here are the show notes:

We start with the basic, defining aroma, as I do in the Wine for Normal People book: The smells unique to the grape variety, demonstrated in a varietal wine in its youth.

We discuss perception, wine tasting, and then I review some very cool findings from this article, “Aroma Compounds in Wine” By Fengmei Zhu, Bin Du and Jun Li, Published: October 19th 2016

"File:Head Olfactory Nerve Labeled.png" by Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator is licensed under CC BY 2.5

At a high level we talk about aromas from the grape, from yeast and enzymes, from amino acids, and those from malolactic fermentation. We talk about the effects of weather and soil briefly as well.

Then we go through the laundry list of compounds in wine, and what each brings to the aroma, bouquet, and flavor:

Terpenes: In grape skins also in fruits, flowers, leaves of some plants. Big component of aromatic whites – Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Riesling. Includes:

• Linalool: When in contact with other things in the wine, makes lavender, orange blossom, lily, bay leaf notes
• Geraniol: Rose petal smell
• Nerol and citronellol:Floral, citrus notes, also in flowers and fruit
• Limonene and citral: Found in citrus peel
• Hotrienol: Elderflower, gooseberry
• 1,8-cineole and alpha-pinene:Eucalyptus, garrigue (airborne and can cling to the skin of grapes)

Rotundone: In skins, aroma of peppercorns, particularly white pepper

Photo: Pixabay

Aldehydes:

• Hexanal and hexenal: Fresh cut grass, tomato leaf
• Vanillin:Vanilla beans, vanilla
• Benzaldehyde:Bitter almond or marzipan in Italian white wines
• Furfural: Dried wood, caramel, oak

Pyrazines/ Methoxypyrazines:

• Green bell pepper, herbaceous notes

Esters: Created by reactions between alcohols and acids

• Primary fruit aromas like apple, orange, citrus, banana, pear

Photo: Pixabay

Ketones and diketones:

• Beta-ionone: Violets, dark flowers
• Diacetyl: Butter, creaminess in wine - byproduct of malolactic fermentation. When combined with new American oak with its vanilla- nut notes - like buttered popcorn

Thiols/Mercaptans: Volatile sulfur compounds in grapes, released by fermentation (when bad – like garlic or onion!)

• 3MH (3-mercaptohexan-1-ol):Passion fruit
• 3MHA (3-mercaptohexyl acetate):Guava and gooseberry
• 4MMP (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one): Blackcurrant (Cab)

Lactones

• Sotolon:Sauternes, Madeira -- either Botrytis or age has an effect here - spice, nuts, maple syrup
• Octalactone: Coconut notes

Phenols are derived from oak aging:

• Guaiacol: Smoke, roasted, toasty notes
• Eugenol: Clove

Other common wine aroma compounds

• TDN (1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene): Petrol or kerosene in Riesling
• Noriosoprenoids: Spice, raspberry, rose, vanilla

Photo: Pixabay

What's the point of this show? Forget all the technical terms and just know: what you are tasting and smelling is based on something REAL -- not some nonsense made up by wine snobs. There is a legitimate reason for why wine smells the way it does!

_____________________________________________

If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

_______________________________...

Today, these regions are magnificent but receive so little press that we can get exquisite bottles that have the fullness, richness and depth for less than US$20.

In the podcast, we take you through the wine history of the region --from the early days with the Phoenicians to the Romans and then the Moors, and then a few strange brushes with the phylloxera root louse that at first propelled the region’s wines, then decimated the land and ultimately saved this area from a fate of nasty bulk production to make it a quiet haven of powerful reds.

We discuss the conditions in Murcia, discuss Bullas, a small Denominacíon de Origen and then we move to the big guns of this area: Jumilla and Yecla.

Jumilla

Jumilla is the best area quality in Murcia and also makes the most wine. Vineyards are spread across a wide valleys and plateaus surrounded by mountains. A few geological and climate facts:

• The high elevation of the vineyards -- between 1,300 -2,600 ft (400 -800 m) make it possible for grapes to cool at night and maintain acidity.
• The soils here are dark and have a high limestone content. They’re permeable but have good moisture retaining properties, allowing the vines during the harsh summer droughts.
• This is a very difficult place to grow things – it’s a harsh, dry, continental climate that is tempered a bit by Mediterranean breezes but is brutal in its dry heat.

Jumilla is one of Spain’s oldest DOs – its historical legacy as a high-quality wine producer is well known in its native land. It now makes whites, reds, and rosés, although the reds are the flagship for the region.

• Red grapes include: Monastrell, Tempranillo (called Cencibel here), Garnacha Tinta, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The French varietals were added to the Monastrell to create more dimension in the finished wine (read: international appeal). This has been critically acclaimed, however some of it muddies the character of the grape.
• White grapes include: Aíren, Macabeo, Pedro Ximenez, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Mosacatel de Grano Menudo
• Although not mentioned in the podcast, the Jumilla DO has several areas it draws from: Jumilla, Montealegre, Fuenteálamo, Tobarra, Hellín, Ontur, and Albatana. 40% of the wine is from Jumilla proper.

Monastrell represents 85% of the vines planted and 80% of any blend must be this grape. The character of the wine is superb: it tastes like dark fruit, earth, and minerals with a brambly, gamy character. With age, these flavors mellow to be more like dark soil, coffee and spice.

Although it isn’t prevalent, Jumilla makes rosé from 80% Monastrell too -- in the best versions it’s similar to the rosé of Bandol, in Provence, France with some acidity and tannin and, from a careful producer, the opportunity to potentially have a longer life than 1 year.

Modern technology, good farming and a consistent climate mean there isn’t a lot of vintage variation here although the region does have aging classifications similar to Rioja:

• Vino joven ("young wine") or Sin crianza: little, if any, wood aging.
• Crianza:
  • Reds: aged for 1 year total -- at least 6 months in oak, 6 months in the bottle.
  • Whites and rosés: at least 1 year with at least 4 months in oak.
• Reserva:
  • Reds: aged for at least 2 years -- at least 12 months in oak, 12 months in the bottle.
  • Whites and rosés: aged at least 18 months with at least 6 months in oak.
• Gran Reserva: Made only above average vintages.
  • Reds: 4 years aging, 12 months of which in oak and a minimum of 36 months in the bottle.
  • Whites and rosés: aged for at least 4 years with at least 6 months in oak

Yecla

Towards the end of the show, we discuss the smallest and northernmost wine zone in Murcia, Yecla. This area is landlocked by other DOs: Jumilla DO to the southwest, Almansa DO to the north, and Alicante DO to the east. It’s 50 miles (80km) inland and represents a transition from more coastal Mediterranean influences to hotter, arid continental conditions.

Yecla is similar to Jumilla in that its altitude allows the grapes to maintain acidity at night, creating balance in the wines.

• White grapes: Airen, Macabeo, Merseguera, Malvasia, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay. These wines are usually blended. A small amount of sparkling wine is also made here.
• Red grapes: similar to tho...