I established last time that I wasn’t a scientist or a doctor, if I could add historian to that list too, that would help for this particular Blog. If I was to be put into an empirical box I’d say I’m much more of a mathematician – it’s much easier to put two and two together…
Wine by definition of the E.U. is “…the fermented juice of freshly pressed grapes...” essentially not much can be added to wine that isn’t “naturally” occurring, (what is “naturally” occurring and added to wine is a whole other Blog!).
In order to start an alcoholic fermentation we need sugar, water and yeast. Yeast, which is the key and was human kinds first domesticated organism, consumes the carbohydrates in sugar, which produces two very useful things – alcohol and carbon dioxide. We’ll cover off the ‘bubble’ process soon because it’s used to make everyone’s favourite Champagne and sparkling wine. Unfortunately there is only so much alcohol that yeast can swim around in, they die off when the level approaches 16-18%. Which explains why the strongest table wine you will see is about 15-16% ABV, anything stronger like Port or Sherry will be fortified or have extra alcohol added, (this will be our first two).
Now on to yeast’s best friend – the grape, and their symbiotic relationship. A grape is essentially a seed surrounded by a sugar and water solution, wrapped in a skin that creates the perfect environment for lots of yeast to lay dormant... This relationship has occurred for a while and in various soft fruits, the earliest archaeological evidence suggests wild grape vines are at least 60 million years old, ‘fruits’ 200 million and ‘yeast’ much, much older.
Essentially if we placed a dozen ripe bunches of grapes in a bucket, they’ll ferment internally, split – enabling the waiting yeast to get in and after a week or so we would have wine. Admittedly not the best wine, but there would be enough alcohol to get you thinking – nice, we’ll do this again, but how do we improve it? (our other two).
Evidence exists for the domesticated grape vine and controlled wine production at around 6,000BC, but in the intervening 54 million years or so we don’t really understand what happened. It may have been something like, very early primates realising that waiting for a magical, mystical process to happen was/is a good thing. Then as human kind evolved their civilisations, cultures and religions nearly all of them revered and worshipped wine as a divine gift from their God(s). From the grape vines point of view – probably one the best seed dispersal methods in the plant world! (equals four).
In order to pay homage to this wondrous, natural and sacred entity – give these two Buyers Choices a few moments of your time:
Vermentino by Castanzu (Sardinia, Italy) £6.99
Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has an ancient, complex history. Sardinians have been making wine since the 8th century B.C., when they were introduced to vinification by the Phoenicians – a canny race of people who made the finest and most prized wines of the day, famous throughout the Med, especially with the Egyptians and Greeks.
Vermentino di Sardegna is Sardinia’s most prized white variety - if you like Pinot Grigio definitely give this a whirl! Floral notes will grab you first, then snappy green apple and ending with a citrus zing, if you’re having fish or seafood look no further an inimitable double act à la Ant and Dec (the wine is the one on the left…).
Decanter World Wine Awards: Bronze Medal.
Cannonau by Castanzu (Sardinia, Italy) £6.99
Made by Araldica Vini Piemontesi, the leading co-operative in Piemonte (the home of Barolo, Barberesco and Slow Food), their mission is to take the best grapes from an area and produce the consummate wine. We think job done with this little fella, as do the team from Decanter magazine who gave it a Bronze Medal recently.
Cannonau is Sardinian term for the Grenache grape variety – so think rich flavours of raspberry, black cherry and a hint of dried herbs and eucalyptus on the long smooth finish. A perfect match for grilled lamb, and if you want to try something a little different serve it slightly chilled.
Cheers Andy