Tag Archive for: Ask The Wine Ladies

Marilyn Monroe

Ask The Wine Ladies…Are wine diamonds a girl’s best friend?

/0 Comments/in /by

Dear Wine Ladies,

At a recent dinner party I attended the hostess noticed a small amount of sediment.It  looked like tiny pieces of glass at the bottom of a bottle of white wine from Germany. I was a little hesitant to drink the wine. However, one of the guests assured us the wine was fine and there was no cause to worry. What were those little pebble-like stones and are they really harmless?

Jennifer, New York

Dear Jennifer,

Those pebble-like stones you are describing are commonly referred to as “wine diamonds” or weinstein which literally translates to “wine stones” in German speaking countries. What exactly are they and how did they end up at the bottom of the bottle? These wine diamonds are actually harmless crystalline deposits that naturally separate from wines during fermentation and aging. Potassium acid tartrate, the potassium salt of tartaric acid is the major component of this sediment. The presence of tartaric acid, along with malic acid are very important in wine making as they help provide good structure, fruit flavours, crispness on the palate and an increased lifespan of the wine.

wine diamonds

wine diamonds

The majority of winemakers today recognize that the consumer is alarmed or put off by the presence of these crystalline deposits. They however are harmless. Rather than educating the public, many wineries employ a process called “cold stabilization” prior to bottling. This involves chilling the wine to just below zero degrees causing the potassium bitartrate to crystallize. The wine is then filtered and bottled. Having the wine undergo this process prior to leaving the winery assures a clean filtered wine with no sediment. In cases where the wine does not undergo cold stabilization at the winery, this precipitation of the tartrate could happen during cold weather transport or cold storage conditions.

BRAND NEW SHOWS every Monday at 10:00 am and Wednesday at 2:00 pm or listen anytime and all the time ON DEMAND

TUNE INTO THE WINE LADIES RADIO SHOW NOW

Episode #5.Wine and Film

TUNE INTO THE WINE LADIES RADIO SHOW NOW

Join The Wine Ladies this Nov 2018 for a Rhine River Cruise For Wine Lovers.

Open wine with a shoe

Forgot the cork screw! No problem. Open the wine with your shoe! Ask The Wine Ladies August 2010

/0 Comments/in , /by
Read more

The other white grape variety, Aligote in Burgundy. Ask The Wine Ladies.

/0 Comments/in /by
Aligote

Aligote

Dear Wine Ladies,

I was told in Burgundy, the white wines are made with Chardonnay grapes that also go by the name Aligote. Are they both the same?

Alex
Houston,Texas

Ask The Wine Ladies

Ask The Wine Ladies- Please submit your questions to info@thewineladies.com

Dear Alex,

No, they are not the same grape. Aligote is the “other” grape variety planted in Burgundy and is definitely the less significant to say the least.

Having said that, in a very good year – meaning lots of warmth and sunshine, with grapes planted in the best locations and ideal soils – This grape variety can make an excellent wine in Burgundy representing good value.

Ask The Wine Ladies. Is there such a wine as a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape?

How to remove are wine stain.

Ask The Wine Ladies. I have a red wine stain on my shirt, what do I do now?

/0 Comments/in /by
How to remove a red wine stain.

How to remove a red wine stain.

Dear Wine Ladies,

Would appreciate if you can you recommend a product that instantly cleans up red wine stains on my shirt and tie when I’m out for dinner.

Ronald,

Thank You.

Ask The Wine Ladies

Ask The Wine Ladies- Please submit your questions to info@thewineladies.com

Hi Ronald,

Here’s how we remove a red wine stain.

Thanks for your question. Although there are many remedies and old wife’s tales out there, we are thrilled to share a new one we just recently discovered and are now working with!
Our recent discovery “Winning Colours Stain Remover” came out of the paint department of a hardware store, if you can believe it. Winning Colours is easy to use, convenient, immediate and works great! It’s also gentle on fabric and on our skin. This eco-responsible stain remover has won us over! Check out their website for more info and availability.

Winning Colours

Winning Colours

Ask The Wine Ladies

Is Port considered a wine and how do they make it so high in alcohol? Ask The Wine Ladies

/0 Comments/in /by
Taylor Fladgate Port Wine since 1692

Taylor Fladgate Port Wine since 1692

Is Port considered a wine and how do they make it so high in alcohol? Ask The Wine Ladies

Dear Wine Ladies,

Is Port considered a wine and how do they make it so high in alcohol? What is the range of alcohol levels found in Port?

Ask The Wine Ladies

Ask The Wine Ladies – Please submit your questions to info@thewineladies.com

Germaine

Dear Germaine,

It is actually considered a fortified wine that owes its higher alcohol content to the addition of brandy. This delicious beverage starts off being made as with regular table wines. The grapes are harvested, crushed and de-stemmed leaving one with the must available for fermentation. In the case of this beverage, the wine is only partially fermented, generally to the point at which approximately half of its grape sugar has been converted to alcohol. The wine is then poured off into a vessel that is a quarter full of brandy. The brandy stops the fermentation and leaves a blend that is both strong and sweet.

Taylor Fladgate one of the most sought after ports in the world!