You don't have to know much about wine to know that certain wines taste better with age. But what if you could glean the benefits of ten years of aging in, say, one year? No good? How about one hour? Not even that patient? How about a single pour? If that's more your style, check out the Wine Clip. This handy device clips directly onto the neck of the bottle and, using the power of magnets, instantly produces "a smoother, less-tannic taste" and "a more pleasant aroma" as the wine is poured out of the bottle.

I'll be frank: I'm skeptical. Perhaps it's how the device is claimed to utilize the "highly magnetically susceptible" qualities of oxygen; which, while true of liquid oxygen, is not true of the gas. Or perhaps it's the claim that tannins are somehow "broken up" during their brief trip through the neck of the bottle--which, as fantastical a claim as it is, ignores all the other factors that occur during the aging process. But who knows? If you have $25 and enough positive thinking to will your tannins into submission, this might be the holiday item for you. Head on over to thewineclip.com for more info.

Quattro Vino rating: crud.

Philosophers have debated for centuries over the problem of shared experience: sure, we might all agree that a particular color is called "red", but how can we know that everyone "sees" the same color? Similarly, your favorite wine critics may describe a bottle as having notes of violet, or green pepper, or red currant... but how can you know if your impression of green pepper is the same as theirs? What does red currant smell like anyway? Enter Le Nez du Vin, a collection of "reference molecules" (read: scented oils) which touts itself as the standard for identifying wine aromas. Each kit comes in a clothbound booklet, complete with reference guide and explanatory cards--as they should, for an average price of $100-$400--and are broken down into red, white, and champagne scents. There are even kits for discerning barrel influences and faults, the latter featuring such lovely odors as glue, sulfur, and horse!

Overall, it's a fantastic concept, but the price tag may be enough to drive the average consumer away. And let's be honest: who needs a bottle of lemon "reference molecules" when fresh lemons are available just down the street? Still, having struggled to identify various aromas (and trying to deal with the local snob who swears there's a hint of acacia in his glass) makes this a gift I'd be excited to see under the tree. Read more at makescentsofwine.com.

Quattro Vino rating: Cru.

First on the block: the Silhouette wine glass, featuring a hand-forged notch in the rim. Its purpose? To create an enlarged space for your nose, saving you from the uncomfortable and socially awkward act of tilting your glass a few degrees higher to smell the wine. Now, before you laugh this item off the gift list, realize that you're not just buying stemware reminiscent of those gag-gift dribble cups you had as a kid; you're buying stemware reminiscent of dribble cups with class! "Purchasing a Silhouette wine glass elevates you into that respected group of sophisticated wine drinkers," the website promises. Which group they're referring to, exactly, remains a mystery. Artists, who can reminisce over Jackson Pollock with every wall-splattering swirl? Cooks, eager to "close out the outside olfactory influences" of the food they've paired their wine with? The Joneses, desperate to "be an early adapter to this dramatic change in glassware"? Whoever the group, you too can join for a mere $78 per glass, available exclusively at the modestly named GreatestWineGlass.com.

Quattro Vino rating: crud.

First off, it must be said that not all Rieslings are sweet--most fine German wines are quite dry. Even in wines that are high in sugar, the goal is to have similarly high levels of acidity or alcohol so the wine doesn't taste too sweet. In fact, if sugar is added (through a common and generally accepted process called "chaptalization"), it's typically to provide more fuel for fermentation. This results in a wine with more body and alcohol, not sweetness.

Second, the categories are organized by grape ripeness at the time of harvest. The more time a grape has to ripen, the more sugar it naturally develops, leading to a wine with more body and depth. However, longer hang time also increases the risk of weather-related crop loss, making the more distinguished categories increasingly rare and increasingly expensive. It's also worth noting that an earlier harvest does not necessarily equate a lower quality wine: a dry Riesling can be seductively refreshing and translucent in flavor, while a sweet late harvest release can be a sickly-sweet, syrupy mess. It all depends on the producers involved in that particular release.

With that in mind, here are the various classifications for German Rieslings:

-Qualitaetswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete: "QbA" for short (thankfully), these wines are made from some of the first picks of the season. Typically light in body, with no laws preventing chaptalization.

-Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat: "QmP" for short, literally translated as "quality wine with specific attributes". All QmP wines are further categorized into one of six sub-categories based on ripeness, none of which by law can be chaptalized. The six sub-categories are as follows:

-Kabinett: Pronounced "Ka-bi-nett"--not "Ka-bi-nay"--these wines are typically dry and very food friendly.

-Spaetlese: Literally "late harvest", these typically have a greater intensity than kabinetts and are sometimes slightly sweet.

-Auslese: "Select harvest", made from very ripe grapes and usually somewhat sweet.

-Beerenauslese: "Berry select harvest", made from grapes individually selected for their ripeness and condition. Grapes pulled to make a "BA" often have developed a condition called Botrytis cinerea, or "noble rot", a beneficial fungus that concentrates the juice's flavor and adds a sweet, honeyed note to the final product.

-Eiswein: Requiring the same level of ripeness as a Beerenauslese, these wines are made from grapes that are harvested and pressed while still naturally frozen on the vine. Eisweins are high in both sweetness and acidity.

-Trockenbeerenauslese: More commonly known as a "TBA", these are the best of the best, made from the ripest of the ripe grapes. TBAs are only produced in exceptional years, when weather and Botrytis are both in the grower's favor. Their high concentration of sugar actually impedes fermentation, producing very sweet wines with high intensity and low alcohol.

But that's not all! There are two other classifications that can be applied to any of the above categories, trocken and halbtrocken. These terms denote a wine that the winemaker--not the grower--has manipulated into being either bone-dry or somewhat dry, respectively.

Eager to apply all this seemingly trivial information? Try tasting a Theo Minges QbA halbtrocken next to a Selbach Kabinett, and see what similarities and differences you can pick out. Both are currently featured in our Riesling 4-pack. You have no Riesling not to! Ha!

The name Meritage--which rhymes with 'heritage'--was coined in 1981 by the winner of a Los Angeles Times contest to designate a distinguished class of American wines blended in the image of Bordeaux. The name is legally restricted to blends that meet the following criteria:

-must be produced by an American winery;
-the producer must be a member of the Meritage Association;
-red blends must be made solely from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or Petit Verdot;
-white blends must be made solely from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, or Muscadelle;
-no more than 25,000 cases are made each year;
-the blend must be one of the two most expensive wines produced by the winery.

Though it may sound like a draconian list of requirements, the movement has paid off. Meritage wines are increasing in popularity, and with good reason. For more information on the name and specific producers, follow the Meritage Association link above. To try our current selected Meritage wines, check out the Valley of the Moon Cuvee de la Luna or the Dry Creek Meritage. Both are delicious, bold, spicy red blends that merit a chilly fall or winter evening and a hearty home-cooked meal. Good company always helps as well!

So the question remains: why decant, and when is it recommended? The main function of decanting is to separate the wine from any sediment that may exist in the bottle, which is discarded. "Sediment" refers to the fine, grainy buildup of solid material that can accumulate in bottles as byproducts of chemical reactions during aging. Before clarification became a standard step in the winemaking process, decanting was absolutely necessary. Today, there is such a demand for sediment-free wine that only bottles labled "unfiltered" or those aged for several years should exhibit any sediment.

Still, some restaurants and hosts will almost automatically decant a wine before serving, even if there's no sediment in the bottle. Why? The simplest reason is because some people find the appearance of wine in a decanter more appealing; an inexpensive wine can also be passed off as a more expensive wine when in a decanter (Richard Nixon was rumored to practice this). The more complicated reason is that some believe the act of transferring wine from bottle to decanter--and the oxygenation that ensues--benefits the wine by opening it up and allowing it to breathe at an accelerated rate. Others feel decanting provides too much oxygen and actually diminishes the wine's aroma. They argue that any necessary aeration can occur in the glass, through swirling.

My stance is that the only thing needed to enjoy a wine is the wine itself; everything else is secondary, though complimentary. Decanting is optional, and something I only worry about with aged reds high in tannins, such as a Barolo or a burly Syrah. However, decanting kits are fun to fuss over, and really do add a dash of class to any wine. The choice is yours!

We are not alone in this view. In their Wine Notes article published November 3, 2007, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher from the Wall Street Journal confirmed the skinny on sulfites.

"I leave to my friend Mr. John Home of Kilduff ten dozen of my old claret, at his choice, and one single bottle of that other liquor called port. I also leave to him six dozen of port, provided that he attests under his hand, signed John Hume, that he has himself alone finished that bottle at two sittings. By this concession he will at once terminate the only two differences that ever arose between us concerning temporal matters."

If you're not familiar with David Hume, try reading his philosophy, and maybe you too will be driven to drink a bottle of port in two sittings!

Believe it or not, "Rhone Ranger" is the name adopted by a group of Californian producers in the 1980's, spearheaded by Randall Grahm of Bonnny Doon, and Bob Lindquist of Qupe winery. Their mission? To promote the production of Rhone varietals and blends throughout California. They officially push a list of 22 grapes (both red and white), and offer advice to growers and winemakers on how to get the most out of the non-native varietals.

Yet every hero needs a foil, and certainly, the Rhone Rangers have met their share of resistance. Some felt they were fighting injustice by infusing the traditional Californian regiment of unblended Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay; others saw them as dangerous rogues, destroying the tradition and regional flair that California had developed. There was a showdown over Petite Sirah, in particular. The varietal is officially a French-produced cross between Syrah and Peloursin (known as Durif). Despite being conceived in France, the vine is no longer grown there, and thrives instead in California and Australia. Further complicating the matter, DNA profiling in the 1990's found the name "Petite Sirah" was being applied in California not only to Durif, but to three other closely related varietals as well. Petite Sirah was only gradually accepted into the Rhone Ranger's posse, but somewhat begrudgingly.

The Rhone Rangers continue to ride throughout the Western US, with member wineries stretching all along the Californian coast and up into Oregon and Washington. For those who long to belong, you can become an official sidekick at their website, rhonerangers.org.

We're here to help make sense of wine--provided, of course, you're not too Fuisse about puns! (Ok, that one hurt.)

Ask away!

First off, something needs to be clarified: White Zinfandel is neither a white wine, nor is it a faithful representation of the Zinfandel grape. The grape is black, burly, tannic and a little spicy. Back in the 1970's, however, Americans weren't interested in red, burly, tannic wines; to the average American, if it wasn't white, it wasn't quaffable. The trend has a profound effect in California, where a large surplus of dark grapes amassed, especially Zinfandel.

So what is a winemaker to do with a surplus of black grapes, in a country of white wine drinkers? Make something other than red wine from them! Color in wine comes primarily from the skins and stems of the grapes, leeching out into the juice when the grapes are pressed. If the skins of a dark grape are removed earlier than usual, the color will be lighter. The result is a pink wine known as rose ("ro-zay"), or "blush" if it's particularly pale. A blush is what Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home made with his Zinfandel crop in 1972, labeling it "White Zinfandel" purely for marketing reasons. It became an immense hit in the US, boosting Sutter Home's sales from 25,000 cases in 1980 to 1.5 million by 1986. In fact, the sweet, aromatic wine became so popular that even more Zinfandel vines had to be planted just to keep up with demand!

Today, red wines are back in style, and whites are thus dismissed as the novice's wine, especially sweet whites. Is the categorization justified? Of course not, no more than the pooh-poohing of red wines was thirty years ago. But that doesn't mean White Zinfandel is the best sweet "white" on the market--or the best blush, for that matter--nor is it the best Zinfandel for the money. If you're a White Zin drinker looking to expand your palette, you may wish to try a true sweet white, like a Riesling or a Gewurztraminer ("Geh-vurtz-tra-meen-er"). You could also try a real rose, which is often bone-dry and crisp. Or, if you're feeling bold and adventurous, try a genuine Zinfandel. California is known for producing deep, rich, fruit-forward Zins with a decent kick at the end. Italy also produces a fair amount of Zinfandel, under the name "Primitivo". Follow the links below for our Zinfandel packs:

California Zinfandel
Zinfandel US vs Italy

Though specializing in beer, Foster's Group has been adding extensively to their wine holdings in recent years. The conglomerate made its first wine acquisition in 1996 with the purchase of Australia's Mildara Blass. Another company, Beringer of California, was snapped up in 2001. Most recently, the Australian company Southcorp was purchased in 2005, adding Rosemount, Penfolds, and others to the Foster's name.

Foster's Group is the world's first major Australian-American wine corporation, and increasingly becoming one of the more important companies on the map. But let's skip straight to the fun part: which of the following Foster's-owned labels do you know?

- Beringer
- Castello di Gabbiano
- Chateau Souverain
- Chateau St. Jean
- Jamiesons Run
- Kaiser Stuhl
- Lindemans
- Matua Valley Wines
- Meridian
- Penfolds
- Rosemount
- Saltram
- Stags' Leap Winery
- Wolf Blass
- Yellowglen

How's that for a list? It's enough to make you wonder what the bloke in the TV commercials drinks when he gets home!

The reason we can smell wine is because volatile flavor compounds evaporate when exposed to air and heated, even to a relatively mild 60 degrees F. The rate of evaporation increases as heat and surface area increase--hence why wine tastes better from a glass instead of straight from the bottle! However, if heated too much, compounds like alcohol can evaporate so much that they overpower the other compounds. Since taste is heavily governed by smell, a wine that's served too warm can taste too alcoholic and unbalanced, even if it's a great, well-balanced wine. Conversely, if a wine is served too cold--even a white--the desired compounds may not evaporate at an ideal rate, leading to a wine that seems to have no smell or taste to speak of.

That's why it's dangerous to assume "room temperature" is a safe temperature to serve red wine at. Room temperature will vary depending on season, location, and whether someone has air conditioning or central heating on. So the question remains, what are the ideal temperatures to serve red and white wines at? Here's the breakdown:

Burly, tannic red wines should be served at a warm 60-64 degrees F. This will cause the tannins and bitter sensations to mellow out, resulting in a smoother, more pleasing wine.

Complex, dry white wines should also be served relatively warm, around 54-61 degrees F. Why serve a white warm? This will allow for more flavors and depth to be revealed. Palettes are also more sensitive to sweetness at higher temperatures, so a warm, dry wine will appear to have enough sweetness to balance out the alcohol content.

Soft, light reds taste their best at a cool 50-55 degrees F. The cooler temperature discourages alcohol evaporation, allowing the more subtle notes to shine through admirably. Cooler temperatures also increase a wine's refreshment quotient, a highly-technical phenomenon explaining why cooler wines taste better in warmer climates. (Yes, that was a joke.)

Finally, sweet, sparkling, or white wines with very low acidity (i.e. oaky Chardonnays) should be served at a chilled 43-50 degrees F. This will keep sweet wines from being too sweet, bubbly wines from being too bubbly, and flabby wines from being too flabby.

So what's the best way to cool down a bottle of wine? Fill a bucket with half ice, half water. It's faster than a refrigerator and safer than a freezer. Try chilling light reds for 5 minutes before opening, sparkling whites for 30-40 minutes. It's better to serve too cold than too warm, since a glass can always be warmed by cupping your hands around it. Try tasting your favorite bottle at different temperatures and see if you notice a difference!

More recently, a group of Aussies put their heads together and came up with the mouthfeel wheel, which identifies red wine textures using a similar method.

Is your inner wine geek still not satisfied? PDF copies of the American Wine Society evaluation chart (featuring the aroma wheel) and the Australian Wine Research Institute paper on the mouthfeel wheel are freely available to download or print. Have fun!

Imagine walking into a fine art gallery and being asked to critique various pieces on display. If you lack an appreciation of concepts like color, balance, composition and art history, how can you be expected to say more than "that one's pretty!" or "that one's a little too weird for me"? The same is true for wine. The following list is a breakdown of common terms, arranged in an order that will hopefully help guide your tasting experience.

Body - How does the wine feel in your mouth? A more viscous feeling is considered "light-bodied", while a denser feeling is considered "full-bodied". This can be a clue to alcohol content, as fuller-bodied wines typically have a higher alcohol content. A wine's body refers only to its perceived "weight", nothing else.

Fruity - What fruits does the taste and smell of the wine remind you of? Strawberries? Blackberries? Plum? Is it citrusy, like a grapefruit or a pineapple? Do the fruit notes remind you of fresh fruit, or of a preserve? Sometimes it helps to think of what "color" fruit you're tasting--red, purple, black, etc.--then narrow the taste from there.

Earthy - Earthy wines are reminiscent of soil (in a good way), minerals, smoke, tobacco, mushrooms or mold. A skilled sommelier can often narrow his or her guess as to where a wine came from by identifying individual mineral tastes, then correlating that taste to the soil composition of a particular growing region!

Mouthfeel - Also referred to as "texture". Does the wine feel smooth, or particulate? Does it remind you of a fabric, like velvet or burlap? Does it seem watery, or so thick it's almost chewy? This can be tough to distinguish from the body, but remember, body refers only to how heavy the wine feels.

Acidity - All wines naturally contain a level of acidity, though this level can be modified to an individual winemaker's preference. A good acidity will complement the bitter and sweet tones that are simultaneously present. If the acidity is too strong, a wine will taste sharp or overly tart, while a wine with too little acidity will taste flat and uninteresting. A higher, but pleasureful amount of acidity can be described as "tight", while a low but pleasureful amount of acidity can be described as "round".

Bigness - Refers to the perceived level of alcohol. The bigger the wine, the stronger the perception of alcohol.

Dryness - How sweet a wine tastes. The drier the wine, the less sweet it is.

Tannins - Naturally occurring chemical compounds that are found in wine, especially reds. Tannins have no taste of their own, but are recognized through texture. Think of the difference between a good cup of tea and one that has steeped for too long. The coarse, puckering sensation found in the latter is caused by an overabundance of tea tannins leaching into the cup. In wine, the best tannins are smooth, soft, "ripe"--meaning they aren't noticed until the very end of a sip--and add a unique complexity to the glass. Rough, gritty tannins can be unappealing on their own, but pair extremely well with foods that are high in protein. A big, juicy steak, for example, all but demands a big, tannic wine to compliment it!

Balance - How well do all of the above sensations mingle with each other? Is there too much of a fruit kick up front, resulting in a "fruit bomb"? Is it "heavy" due to an overabundance of alcohol? Is it lacking in acidity, making it "flabby"? Is it too sweet, or too dry? Are the tannins overpowering and unpleasant? If not, then you probably have a well-balanced glass of wine!

Finish - As the name suggests, this term refers to the very last sensations of taste after the wine is swallowed. How long does the taste remain? Do any new flavors emerge, now that the alcohol is out of the way? Is the aftertaste pleasant or unpleasant, and it what way, using the terms above? If you can answer this, you're well on your way to appreciating wine on a whole new level.

After an entry that long, I need a drink. Hopefully you do as well, out of excitement and not exhaustion. If you found this glossary useful, check out our 4-packs arranged by taste profile. There's no better place to start when exploring wine! By figuring out what taste profiles you enjoy--whether light and fruity, crisp and clean, or big and bold--you can figure out what grapes you enjoy, then start exploring how different regions produce different, unique tastes from the same grapes. It's a fascinating and delicious journey to undertake, and count on Quattro Vino to be there every step of the way.

Cheers!