Written by Michael Bray, January 16 2020

Happy New Year! I am honored and excited to be back with you for another year of, “you ask and I’ll answer.” For those of you just tuning in, you can find me at, Michael@passionvines.com. I welcome you to email me with any wine-related questions and I will use this monthly column to answer them. While I will not be able to feature all of them, I do promise to always provide an answer via email.

Diane L. from Marmora asks, “What does “reserve” mean on a wine label?”

Hi Diane, great question! It depends where we are in the world. In the U.S., “reserve” has no real legal meaning, but the idea is that you are getting a higher quality wine than normal, either through a selection of the finest grapes, longer barrel aging, or longer cellaring potential. The problem here is that some wineries use this as a marketing term to move more bottles, so it pays to do some research for specific wines (or ask your friendly neighborhood wine shop staff) to know more. In Spain, you will see “Reserva” and “Gran Reserva” to indicate extended barrel and or bottle aging before being released to the market; this is especially true with Rioja, where minimum time in barrel and bottle are required in order to obtain these terms on a label. The same holds true with Chianti Classico, Barolo, Taurasi, Brunello di Montalcino, and many other long-lived Italian wines, where it will read as “Riserva”. In Portugal, “Reserve” may be printed on the label if the wine is at least 0.5% abv higher than the regional minimum required, while in Austria you may see “Reserve” to indicate a wine made from a lower yielding vineyard.

Chip B. from Ventnor asks, “What’s the difference between Nebbiolo and Barolo?”

Hey Chip! Nebbiolo is an amazing red grape variety whose home is Piedmont, Italy. It is a grape whose wines look harmless in the glass thanks to its pale brick color and alluring aromatics, but it is a structured and powerful variety packed with tannin, alcohol, and acid (perfectly suited for long aging), which you feel on the palate with the first sip. Nebbiolo can be grown anywhere, however the name “Barolo” adds a new layer. Barolo is a protected geographic designation (DOCg) within Piedmont, where the European Union has standards in place restricting Nebbiolo’s yields, farming methods, winemaking techniques and aging requirements with the belief that these standards allow for the highest quality expression of the Nebbiolo grape. Nebbiolo wines produced outside of Barolo have different standards of production (or in a few rare cases, none at all). Chip, given your proximity to Atlantic City, I would suggest visiting the Knife & Fork Inn to explore the Piedmont section of their wine list. Producers such as Ellena Giuseppe and Moccagatta are beautiful expressions of Nebbiolo. My homework for you, aside from tasting, is to research Barbaresco. This will be another reason to fall in love with Piedmont. Good luck!

Lastly, as always, we finish with me asking YOU a question. Email me the answer, and I’ll reply with a prize.

Q: Where, on the tongue, do we most commonly feel Acidity?

a. Back

b. Tip

c. Sides

d. Gums

You keep asking, and I’ll keep writing…

Drink Passionately,

Michael

Michael@passionvines.com