Wine Myths True or False

Myth 1: Wine improves with age.
Reality: Certain wines may benefit from a few years of aging.
Wines that have a good balance of acidity, a lot of tannins (those mouth-puckering compounds), and intense fruit flavor may well improve with age. Candidates for such "laying down" include some red wines (including most of the better cabernet sauvignons we've tested) and some heartier white wines, including certain Burgundies and chardonnays. But even a wine with staying power will typically improve for no more than two to three years from the vintage year if it's white, three to five years if it's a red; after that, quality might actually decline. Try Harewood and Grant Burge Shiraz it improved with age.
Myth2: White wines go best only with fish and fowl; reds with meat and spicier fare.
Reality: A wine's "color" isn't always the best guide to the foods it will complement.
It's is a rule of thumb, but experiment. It's as important to focus on the meal's spices and sauces as on its primary ingredients. As a rule, richer dishes go best with full-bodied wine, including most cabernet sauvignons and zinfandels, and many chardonnays. Good choices for spicy foods include semi-dry white wines such as gewürztraminers, Rieslings (BROWN BROTHERS CROUCHEN & RIESLING 2009, Grant Burge Liesling 2009) Lighter fare generally pairs nicely with lighter wines, including many bottles of the red varietals such as pinot noir, and of white varietals such as sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio (GENRE PINOT GRIGIO , DE PINOT GRIGIO 2009, TYRRELLS OLD WINERY PINOT GRIGIO), and dry Riesling (SCOTCHMANS HILL RIESLING 2008 , GRANT BURGE RIESLING ).

Myth3: Wine needs special storage facilities.
Reality: Wine can be safely stored in almost any home.
A trend is now to store wine in a temperature-controlled cellar or custom refrigerator. But unless you're collecting very expensive wines, any spot in the house that is out of direct sunlight, remains cool at all times without temperature fluctuations, and isn't subject to vibration will hold wine safely for a year or two. Most basements fit the bill. Store bottles on their side. Screw cap bottles may be stored upright.
Myth: White wines should be served well chilled, red wines at room temperature.
Reality: For reds and whites, ideal serving temperature varies by wine type.
To get maximum flavor from the bottle, rich white wines, including most chardonnays, should be served cool, not chilled (limit them to about an hour in the refrigerator). Only lighter whites, including most sauvignon blancs,(Hill Sauv Blanc, YEALANDS WAY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009, TE ORA MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008 should be well chilled (about two hours in the fridge—longer and they might become too cold). Lighter reds, such as pinot noirs, should be served cool. Only "big" reds—such as most cabernets and zinfandels—are best served at about 18-21 C C

Myth4: Wine should be opened before serving to allow time for "breathing."
Reality: Not all wines improve when exposed to air—and wine rarely improves in an open bottle.
Opening a bottle a few minutes early does no harm, and certain wines will improve somewhat after they're exposed to air. But merely uncorking a bottle and letting it sit exposes too little of the wine to make a difference. The best way to fully enjoy a wine before you drink it is simply to swirl it around in the glass after it's poured, and sniff.

Myth5: Each wine varietal demands its own glass shape.
Reality: One glass for reds and one for whites will suffice.
Wine snobbery now urges a different wine glass for almost every varietal. Two types will more than do it: A set of wide, 12-to-16-ounce glasses for red wine, and more slender, 8- to-12-ounce glasses for white wine.

Pinot Gris vs Pinot Grigio - A one sided affair

Firstly, lets clear up a common misconception. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are one and the same. Both come from the Pinot Gris grape variety, with the difference between the pair relating more to where it was traditionally grown - and the associated stylistic differences - than anything else.

Pinot Gris itself is actually a highly variable mutation of Pinot Noir, with 'Pinot' referring to the pine cone shaped bunches that characterise the 'Pinot' group of varieties. The grapes themselves range from a greyish blue to a brownish pink - often on the same bunch! The varietal name follows this closely; Pinot Gris is French, Pinot Grigio is Italian for 'Grey Pinot' '; Pinot Noir - French for 'Red Pinot' & the little seen, pale, highly aromatic Pinot Blanc - French for 'White Pinot'.

The challenge then is to establish the characteristics of Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio under this cloud of variability. To do this, we look at both styles in their traditional homelands.
Firstly, Pinot Gris: The traditional home of Pinot Gris is Alsace, located on the border between France & Germany, in an area that has regularly changed hands between France & Germany for generations. In Alsace, Pinot Gris (which is also locally referred to as Tokay) has traditionally been associated with very rich, dry white wines that are known for their palate texture and viscosity. Picked quite late, the wines are relatively high in alcohol, low in aroma and almost Chardonnay like in their palate weight, also retaining great palate acidity, with the best examples capable of ageing for considerable periods (up to a decade). This Pinot Gris style may also undergo some wood ageing and yeast work in the winery, making for a creamier, richer wine again.

In direct contrast with this style is traditional Pinot Grigio. As we found out earlier, Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for Pinot Gris, and in Italy it finds a home in Northern Italy, where the plantings have exploded over the last decade, in line with the worldwide popularity of the style. Most of Italy's Pinot Grigio is produced in the Veneto region, where it is made in a very dry, neutral and crisp style that is more Sauvignon Blanc (without the lifted aromatics) in style than the richer Pinot Gris of France. Early picked, quite low in alcohol and almost boring in its neutrality, the best examples are crisp, understated and refreshing food wines. Renowned wine taster James Halliday describes it best:

"Like painting a picture with white paint (NZ winemaker), or losing a blind tasting against Evian (Robert Joseph, UK wine journalist) are my usual reference points for pinot grigio."

So essentially we have two very different wine interpretations, both coming from the same grape, just treated differently. The challenge in much of the new world (ie outside of Europe) is that the stylistic definition between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio is blurred - lean Pinot Gris, rich ripe Pinot Grigio and a lake of watery rubbish in between.

The greatest successes of the variety have largely come from the cooler climate regions of Australia: Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Adelaide Hills & Tasmania. In New Zealand the variety has found success in Martinborough in the North Island & Marlborough, Central Otago & Canterbury in the South Island. Mostly it is the Pinot Gris (French) style that is favoured (arguably as it is the more interesting of the two), with Pinot Grigio largely relegated to much more commercial level wines.

If ever there was a wine that requires you to read the tasting notes before purchasing, it is Pinot Gris (or is that Grigio)!

Andrew Graham