Questions and comments, consumers and the wine press

It was a big week for questions from our readers, not only about wine but about some of the items that have recently been covered in the "wine press." We always like and encourage questions from our readers, so keep them coming.

A recent issue of Food and Wine magazine quoted a well-known New York restaurateur as saying that you can keep an opened bottle of red wine in the refrigerator and have it last for a week, and that opened white wine can last in the refrigerator for three to four weeks. We heard from readers and wine consumers about the comment, asking if there was any basis for it.

There is no basis, it is completely false! What causes wine to spoil after it is opened is oxygen contact with the wine. Temperature control, no matter how cold you keep the wine, will do nothing to preserve it. The only thing that will help the wine maintain its freshness and flavor is to prevent the oxygen from being in contact with the wine. There are a number of devices for doing this. What we find to be most effective is a product called Private Preserve ($12 for 120 applications). It is an aerosol can loaded with argon and nitrogen. Both gasses are inert and heavier than oxygen, so when you spray it into the opened bottle of wine it lifts the oxygen off the wine, buying you an extra 48 hours or so without spoilage.

Vintage Beaujolais is one of our favorite summer reds. The varietal is Gamay Beaujolais, also called Gamay Noir, and grows in the Beaujolais appellation in France. There is also some planted in other areas around the world. The grape produces a lovely light bodied wine that is great in the hot weather. It is fuller bodied though, not at all like the nouveau Beaujolais that arrives each year around Thanksgiving.

A recent wine newsletter referred to Beaujolais as being part of Burgundy in France. It is not. Beaujolais is its' own appellation with 10 different Crus or sub-appellations. In Burgundy they grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, along with a tiny bit of Aligote. It is home to some of the oldest and most famous wineries that produce some of the most expensive and sought after Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the "wine world." They are two distinct regions.

We have heard from several customers asking about the fires burning around the west - including the Napa Valley area - and potential damage to the wine grape crop. Smoke damage is very real and very bad for grapes. Timing is everything when it comes to how much damage is done by fire. If the vines have not already gone through verasion, or the turning of the grapes from green to purple, they are less absorbent. The smoke does not get into the grapes as much. We have heard that the grapes had started verasion at the time of the fire but were not yet fully red or purple. Hopefully this will limit the effects of the smoke, but only time will tell. In general, we are still expecting an early and robust harvest in most all of the appellations in the western U.S.

In this very hot summer, we continue to get questions about wine and heat while in transit. When you leave wine in your car on a hot sunny day, the temperature is not good for the wine and can affect the flavor, but the biggest risk is having the corks pushed out of the bottles - or in the case of twist caps the seal failing. As wine heats up when left in your car, the air gap between cork or screw cap and the wine expands as it warms. On very hot days, it will expand and push the cork right out of the bottle in as little as 20 minutes. Similarly, it can cause the seal on the screw cap to fail. This will cause the wine to leak out of the bottle and expose the remainder to oxygen. It is best to make wine your last stop on the list, or to travel with a cooler to keep the wine cool.

Thanks for all of your questions, we look forward to more. As always you are welcome to email them or stop by the shop next time you are close by.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop decor shop by Costco in Coeur d'Alene. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles and other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.