wine tip

Wine is a complex substance. Open a bottle of it now
and it may taste fine. Open a bottle of the same wine several years from now
and the wine becomes something else entirely. Rough edges in the flavor will have smoothed out and the overall flavor of the wine will be more balanced and mellow.

Why age wine? Well
as stated above
the many components of the wine will mellow out over time
and bring a harmonious balance to the flavor of the wine. The tannins
present in red wine
bring a bitter and astringent flavor. Given time
the tannins help to age the wine. As wine ages
the tannins precipitate out of the wine
leaving a smoother and more mellow flavor. As the wine ages
the acids will lose a bit of their bite
allowing the fruit to come out more. As the components of the wine age
they also bring more complexity to the flavor. What you end up with after several years of proper aging is a complex and balanced wine.

What wines should be aged? There are certain guidelines as to what wines should and should not be aged
but they are simply guidelines
not hard and fast rules. Most wines from California are meant to be consumed immediately
and should not be aged. Most white wines should not be aged
as they have a lower amount of tannins than red wine. It is the tannins that are present in red wine that allow the wine to age well. There are a few white wines
however that will improve with a couple of years of aging. Most wines under $25 don't need to be aged. Many French wines are meant to age and mature over several years. There are exceptions to these rules. Go into a wine shop
and ask which wines they would recommend for aging. They can recommend several good wines
along with some ideas of how long to age the wine.

How do I age wine? Proper storage is essential for a wine to age well. Cooler temperatures slow down the aging process
allowing time for the complexity of the wine to develop. The wine should be stored at a constant temperature of 50-60 degrees F. Fluctuating temperatures will cause the wine and the cork to expand and contract
loosening the cork
and exposing the wine to oxygen. The wine should be stored on it's side
so that the wine is in contact with the cork
preventing it from drying out. The storage area should be dark
and have plenty of moisture to keep the cork from drying
which may loosen it
and subject the wine to oxidation.

Once you have a proper storage area for your wine
go to your local wine shop
and get their recommendations on a good aging wine. Buy a case of wine
and then open up one of the bottles when you get home and taste it. Put the rest of the bottles in storage
and start opening them after a couple of years
and note how the flavors and the complexity of the wine have changed. A new bottle of wine may be good
but a properly aged bottle is even better.

The Holidays are quickly approaching as we speak. For many people
myself included
memories of Thanksgivings
Christmases
and New Years Eves past cross their minds. Some of those memories are of a certain sparkling wine
called Cold Duck. As the old familiar songs play in the background
the winter chill whips though us and nearby homes are illuminated in their bright
colorful holiday glory
some of us will look back fondly on this beverage
remembering it from many special occasions such as birthdays
Christmas and New Years Eve. You may even remember with nostalgia
the commercials from the 1970's
of a happy couple toasting the holidays with a glass of Cold Duck
with a cheerful Christmas carol playing in the background.

You might think that Cold Duck sounds more like a dinner recipe than a beverage. Or
you may cringe at the thought of a bottle of Cold Duck
since it is one of the cheapest wines on the market
at only a few dollars per bottle. Cold Duck doesn't carry the same sophistication as some of the other sparkling wines on the market
such as Dom Perignon or other champagnes. But Cold Duck was at one time one of the best selling and most popular sparkling wines in the United States. Cold Duck is still readily available at your local grocery store for only a few dollars a bottle. Compare that to the hefty price of a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne
which can be well over $100 a bottle.

Cold Duck originated in Germany
where it can be traced to the common practice in Bavaria of mixing cold
sparkling Burgundy with bottles of previously opened Champagne. This mixture was knows as kalte ende (cold end). This custom kept the opened bottles of champagne from being wasted
and it also provided people with a tasty beverage at the same time. Over time
the name became transliteraeed to kalte ente
which translates to cold duck. In 1937
the owner of the Pontchartrain Wine Cellars in Detroit
Harold Borgman
invented his own beverage based on this Bavarian custom.

Cold duck experienced a sizable surge of popularity in the early 1970s
being a very popular wine for parties and gatherings. With it's soft concord grape base
Cold Duck is mixed with a combination of sweet red and white wines. The original American Cold Duck combined one part of a California red wine with two parts of a New York sparkling wine. This exact recipe varies today. One of the best known brands of Cold Duck is Andr้
from the E&J Gallo Winery
which uses Concord grapes for their recipe. In 1971
only four short years after Andr้ Cold Duck was introduced to the public
the E&J Gallo Winery was selling two million cases of the wine every year. Like many white wines and sparkling wines
and unlike most red wines
Cold duck is best served chilled. It goes great with party hors d'ouvres
like cheese and crackers or olives in a pastry crust.