Wine Information and Frequently Asked Questions

As a wine consultant, I have spent an excessive amount of time learning about wine’s history, chemistry, and complexities. Here are a few lesser known facts about wine and answers to some frequently asked questions for your wine education.

  • Question: Why do people smell the cork?

    • In extreme cases of a defective wine, it can be detected when the cork smells like a wet dog or cardboard.
    In addition, the stain on the cork of a young wine should only be at the bottom of the cork. If you notice that it is higher up, it is an indication that the wine was stored at an inappropriately high temperature which could be a sign of a problematic wine. Lastly, inspecting the cork for the winery name proves its authenticity.
    All that being said, the truth is, smelling the cork is more of a tradition than anything else. There is really is nothing substantial to decipher from smelling a cork. The only real way to judge a wine is by smelling and tasting the wine itself. So next time you’re at a restaurant and you are asked to “taste” the bottle for the table, proudly swirl a small amount in your glass, deeply breath it in and sip away…

  • Question: What determines the color of a wine?

    • The color of wine is determined by how long (if at all) it is fermented with the grape skins.

  • Question: How can I drink champagne and not get a headache?

    • The smaller the champagne bubble, the less chance you have of getting a headache the next day. Read the Daisywine article about Sparkling wine for more details.

  • Common misconception: Chianti is a grape.

    • Chianti is not a grape, it is actually a growing region in Italy. Sangiovese is the grape.

  • Question: What can I do with the corks from wine bottles?

    • Real Corks can be composted (or reused for cork boards, sound insulation, etc).

  • Question: What exactly is Grappa?

    • A pommace .

  • Question: Why are some wine bottles shaped differently?

    • A burgundy wine bottle has less of a neck then a Bordeaux wine bottle so that it can more easily catch sediment.

  • Question: Who is Dom Perignon?

    • Dom Perignon, accredited with inventing sparkling wine, was actually trying to create a still wine.

  • Question: Why doesn’t wine taste as good after its been open for a day or two?

    • Wine is destroyed by oxidation.