It Ain’t Necessarily So

Yes is welcoming. Yes is affirming. In a negotiation, yes is the thing we strive to get to. In the Wine Corner, we like saying and hearing yes, but sometimes a good forthright no is the right tool for the job – especially when the task involves sorting out fact from fiction in wine, where, frankly, a shocking superfluity of fiction goes about seeking whom it may devour. We can’t hope to deal with the whole sordid mess in this small space, but we’ll have a go at putting the kibosh on at least a few stubborn fallacies. Bear with us while we pop some bibulous balloons.

Older Vines make better wines, right?  Uh, no. Younger vines have less well-developed root systems and, in general, produce fruit that is less rich in phenolic compounds (the stuff that makes wine winey). But this really only says that a young vine will make a different wine than an older counterpart. It’s up to you to decide which version is better. By the way, the 1973 Stag’s Leap Cabernet that bested Château Mouton ­Rothschild and Château Haut ­Brion in the famous Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976 (and put California wine on the map) was made from vines scarcely three years old.

Appellation-designated wines [like Côtes du Rhone or Chianti Classico] are always a step up from simple table wine, right?  Uh, no. While appellation rules enforce standards of practice and a consensus style, a surprising number of conscientious winemakers are opting out of the system in order to make high quality wines with, for example, non-authorized grape varieties. This kind of wine can be every bit as good – and is often better – than more conformist types.   

Muscadet is a sweet wine, right? (This one makes us scream.) Uh, no. Muscadet is a style of white wine produced on the French Atlantic coast, sporting refreshing acidity, a notable mineral component and which is always fully dry. The name engenders confusion, sounding, as it does, so much like Muscat, a grape variety that is frequently used to make wines of luscious sweetness.

Organic wines are sulfite-free, right?  Uh, no. Sulfites are a natural product of fermentation and so will always be present in some measure. The question is how much gets added in the winemaking process. In the U.S., wine labelled organic can contain no more than 10 milligrams per liter. In the EU, the standard is less stringent. There, organic red wine may contain no more than 100 mg/liter; white and rosé150 mg/liter.

Chardonnay is always oaky and lactic, right?  Uh, no. Chardonnay is a widely-planted white grape which can be, and is, made in a wide variety of styles, ranging from liquid buttered popcorn to liquid steel and glass skyscraper. Climate and winemaking approach determine how it turns out.

The Wine Corner guy is always right, right?  If only it were so.