Wine
Myths Demystified
Our new wine columnist clears up eight common misconceptions.
BY
Ryan Sciara
PHOTOGRAPHY
James Maidhof

Editor’s Note: A bottle of 1989 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah helped land Ryan Sciara where he is today. It was an epiphany, tinged with complexity and layers, much like his path to the wine business. Ryan is now the managing partner of Cellar Rat Wine Merchants, the “small wine shop in the big city” at 17th & Baltimore. He had almost become a cop. Armed with a degree in criminal justice, Ryan realized he’d rather carry a cork screw to work than a gun. He enrolled in an eight-week intensive course on regions and varieties of wine with some of the area’s top professionals and practiced up at well-respected establishments Teller’s in Lawrence and 40 Sardines. Ryan also worked for a distributor and helped open a giant liquor store. But neither allowed him the time to work with customers selecting wine, his true passion. With a taste for hand-selected wines and knowledge of the trends, Ryan will expound on all things wine-related in each issue so that we all may learn the fine intricacies of the fermented grape.

Americans are drinking more wine than ever before. A new study by a Bordeaux-based trade group states that by the year 2008, U.S. consumers will account for 25 percent of all the wine drunk in the world, up from 19 percent today. In addition to wine consumption increasing in the U.S., we are also seeing more and more people discovering wine for the first time. This is all great news for those of us in the wine business. However, increased interest in wine does not always translate to increased knowledge about wine, and all of those old wine myths and misconceptions are still floating around. It is time to set things straight. Here are some of the most common myths and the realities behind them. 

Myth: Smelling the cork can tell you about the wine’s quality.
Truth:  Cork smells like…cork. To really get a sense of the quality of the wine, you need to smell the wine. There is a very small percentage (less than 1 percent) of people who can tell if a wine is “corked” (contaminated with TCA) by smelling the cork. When the waiter or sommelier hands you the cork at a restaurant, you should check to see that the cork doesn’t contain mold and that the end that was in the bottle is a bit damp (indicating that the wine was stored on its side, not upright). A corked wine will smell like wet newspaper or a damp basement—not good. On average, upwards of 5 percent (1 in 20) of all wines with a traditional cork is contaminated by TCA. 

Myth: “Reserve” on a label means that the wine is superior.
Truth: In the early days, Reserve du Chateau referred to wine that was held back by the winery owners for their personal use and gift giving. Unfortunately, the “R” word now is simply used for marketing. Case in point: The 2005 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc from Chile which sold for $9-$10 was labeled as Sauvignon Blanc. The 2006 vintage just showed up in our store and it now wears the Reserva labeling. For all intents and purposes, this is the exact same wine, only now it has a more sophisticated name and title. But does a $10 bottle of wine really need a title? Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Veramonte’s Sauvignon Blanc—it is one of the best Sauv Blancs for your money, with or without the Reserva tag. Exception: Spain and Italy where the words “Riserva” or “Reserva” are regulated and indicate substantially more time in oak before release.

Myth: “Old Vine(s)” on a label means the wine actually came from really old vines.
Truth: Just like the Reserve tag on a bottle, there just are not established or universal standards, as of yet, that say what constitutes labeling a wine this way. It is generally thought and accepted that a wine with a minimum of 25-year-old vines can/should be labeled as Old Vine. 

Myth: Wine goes bad and starts to “turn” about a day after opening.
Truth: Most wines, once opened, can last for at least three days and sometimes a couple more. Two exceptions to this rule are that older, more delicate wines will deteriorate more quickly once opened, and sparkling wines and Champagnes will lose their bubbles and character if not properly sealed with a Champagne stopper.

bottles of wineMyth: Opening (uncorking) a bottle and letting it sit to breathe for a couple of hours will improve the quality of the wine.
Truth: Tests (and experience) show that simply uncorking a bottle does very little to open the wine up because of the small surface area of the wine that is actually exposed to air.  It’s true that exposing a young or tannic wine to air can help soften the tannins, making it more pleasurable to drink. To really let a wine breathe, you need to use a decanter or your wineglass. This increases the surface area of your wine, which is the key to allowing more air to come into contact with the wine.

Myth: The “legs” or “tears” of a wine directly relate to the quality of the wine.
Truth: Legs are the streams of fluid that run down the inside of a glass after it has been swirled. More pronounced legs do indicate a higher alcohol level in the wine, but have no indication of quality. It is like saying that a woman with great legs will automatically have a great personality. You need to dig deeper to find out more about the wine than simply looking at the legs. 

Myth: You need a different style/shape wine glass for every type of wine.
Truth: Tests have shown that there is very little difference between different styles of wine glasses. Generally, you want a wine glass that is taller than it is wide, allowing you to swirl the glass and incorporate air into the wine without sloshing the wine all over.

Myth: Older wines are better than younger wines.
Truth: Actually, 90 percent of all wines produced today are made to drink immediately—most within one to two years. This is because wines are distributed to the public when the producers have determined that they are ready for consumption. It is true that wines change in the bottle over time—they lose their youthful fruitiness and develop more complex, vinous (wine-like) characteristics. From the point you first purchase a bottle of wine, it is completely up to you and your own personal preferences to determine if the changes that occur by aging it are good or bad.