One of The Cru’s readers asked a really good question about dessication and it’s effect on alcohol levels in wine which I thought was worth publishing as a post.
Here is Dave donofrio’s question:
If the grapes are left on the vine to desiccate, that means the sugar concentration is very high. I see that the alcohol [...]

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I almost always get a blocked nose when I drink most (but not all ) cheap wines.
It’s something I experience when I drink really cheap, preservative laden fruit juices too - I react instantly - in fact I can smell the stuff in both juice and wine and tell you before I drink it that [...]

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I got this via email from my brother Shamoos:

Number 10. R 37 500 – Courvoisier L’Esprit Decanter
Made from a variety of blends, some which date back to Napoleon I, Courvoisier’s L’Esprit is smoky and rich, with fragrances of cinnamon and dried apricot flowers. The flavor is initially powerful but has a mellow aftertaste.

Number 9. R [...]

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Detecting that a wine is faulty is tricky - especially when you have to decide whether or not that fault is detrimental to your enjoyment of the wine.
The other day I had a bottle of wine that smelt exactly like Geranium’s - an unmistakable sickly sweet lemony smell.
Now I actually loved the smell and proclaimed [...]

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The answer to yesterdays ‘Quiz Time’ question is:
Mascara in Algeria
“Algeria is one of the oldest wine producing countries of the world. The Romans used Algeria as their breadbasket as well as their vineyard, prolonging a history of viticulture, which began before the Roman Empire. ”
You can read more on the region by clicking on the links [...]

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