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Les « petits arcs » que laisse le vin dans un verre |
| Une question récurrente : à quoi correspondent les « arcs » transparents que laisse un vin le long du verre ? De l’observation du phénomène... Vous ne voyez pas ce que ce dont-il s’agit ? La prochaine fois que vous dégusterez un vin (toujours avec modération bien sûr), faites tourner le vin dans le verre, arrêtez, remettez le verre bien vertical et ensuite regardez en transparence la partie du verre qui a été en contact avec le vin. Vous verrez que le vin laisse à laissé un « film » transparent sur le verre. Ce film, au début uniformément réparti, glisse le long du verre. Mais il ne glisse pas uniformément, sa partie supérieure s’épaissit et ensuite forme des arcs de cercles « pointant » vers le haut. Ces « arcs » sont appelés aussi « jambes» ou « larmes ». Selon le vin, l’aspect des arcs change : leur courbure et donc le nombre qui en apparaissent au bord du verre, l’épaisseur de leur bord, leur vitesse de formation... Ce phénomène est lié à la présence d’alcool dans le vin. Bien que cet aspect ait longtemps été culturellement masqué, le vin fait bien partie des boissons alcoolisées... |
...À son explication Attention, tous à nos souvenirs de travaux pratiques de physique (blouses blanches, pipettes en verres, bleu de méthylène) et nos expériences improbables avec acides divers et bec bunsen, expériences ayant comme intérêt (voire objectif) de conduire nos professeurs au bord de la crise cardiaque et/ou de tester le fonctionnement des systèmes anti-incendie... Bref reprenons. |
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Cuvée Cristal from Champagne Roederer |
| The origin of the name of the cuvée Cristal of Champagne RoedererChampagne Cristal, from the house of Roederer, was made by Louis Roederer especially for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, in 1876. It is said that the Tsar no longer wanted to drink the same champagne as the court (noblesse oblige!) but that at the same time was very worried about possible attempts on his life. He thus requested a clear bottle.
Louis Roederer produced a Champagne based on his best cuvées and bottled the wine in a crystal bottle, which is where the champagne gets its name from. Thanks to the use of crystal, he could also give the bottles have an innovative form, with a flat bottom. Bottles with a flat bottom were not possible at the time, since the use of glass meant that only indented bottoms could resist the pressure. The crest of Alexander II of Russia is still found on the cap of the bottle. The champagne is a blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay.
The champagne was not put on sale to the public until 1945, and is one of the most expensive wines in the world. Its high price, in the same way as luxury brands of clothing, led to its exaggerated consumption as a symbol of ostentatious and vulgar luxury, the height of the jet set high life.
We haven't tasted it, but if one of you has, we'd be interested to know what you think...
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Grenache and Cannonau are in fact the same variety |
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Probably of Spanish origin, Grenache is an extremely productive and important variety in the South of France. Planted in arid soil, it produces powerful, well structured and aromatic wines, to be blended with other varieties to produce wines for ageing. It is an obligatory variety in many designations, and serves as the basis for many wines in Provence and for the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
But Grenache can also be found in Italy, above all in Sardinia, where it is known as Cannonau.
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 | Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc are at the basis of all the Bordeaux reds The variety of wines in Bordeaux is immense, not only in terms of taste, but also of price and reputation. Nevertheless, only three great varieties, used on their own or blended, are at the basis of this infinite variety: merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. These three varieties are used to obtain what is known as “the Bordeaux blend”. The proportions change from one winegrower to the next, and one designation to the next. Moreover, some producers only work with one or two of the varieties. For example, the château Penin les Cailloux is composed of 100% Merlot, and all the wines of the Pomerol designation are 100% Merlot. |
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| What is a vintage Champagne? A Vintage Champagne is a champagne where the harvest year of the grape with which it was produced is shown on the label. As you know, most wines specify the year of harvest on the labels, so why should we consider this important when speaking in particular about vintage champagne? |
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Gewurztraminer and traminer aromatico |
© Franz-W. Franzelin | The Alsace gewurztraminer and the Italian traminer aromatico are in fact a single variety |
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