Test Your Wine Knowledge
Do You Know the Answer?
Which New York City borough produces homegrown Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Merlot?

A. Brooklyn

B. The Bronx

C. Queens

The one acre vineyard at the Queens County Farm Museum sits right next to the Long Island Expressway, which rumbles and belches its way past a baseball stadium and two airports. That might account for the wine's smoky, petrol notes!

The letters "NV" on a Champagne bottle mean

A. New Vintage

B. Non Vintage

C. Noble Vintage

Answer: B. Vintage refers to the year the grapes were harvested. Champagne producers often blend various years for consistency. So, while some Champagne carries a specific vintage date, the majority is labeled "NV."

Recent Knowledge

If your best friend, the wine expert, tells you that a particular wine is "hot," he or she means that it's

A. Stolen

B. Alcoholic

C. Voluptuous

Answer: B. If the smell and taste of alcohol dominate, then the wine is hot. It's really less about the percentage and more about how the alcohol balances with other components in the wine, such as fruit and acid.

Wine Knowledge for the Week
This Week's Question:

Question :Swirling the wine in the glass is:

A. an annoying affectation.

B. a way to release aromas.

C. good for reds, but not for whites.


Answer: B.

Swirling adds oxygen, changing the chemical components in wine and producing more aroma. Practice on a flat surface before you endanger clothing and carpets. Tell your friends you are "volatizing the ester." And always wear red!

Wine Knowledge for the Week
This Week's Question:

Question: A rule of thumb concerning wine regions is:

A. the smaller the better

B. the bigger the better

C. the older the better

Answer: A.

A wine from a huge region--like "America"--could be made from cheap grapes from anywhere in the country. "California" wine is a step up, and "Napa Valley" even better. Best of all are even smaller regions such as Napa Valley's "Stag's Leap" or "Mount Veeder."

Wine Knowledge for the Week
Glassware

A key component in the pleasure of wine is its color and aroma. Therefore, wine glasses should be clear and large enough to let the aroma develop when the glass is a third to half full. Wine glasses are generally stemmed to help keep chilled wines cold and to minimize fingerprints on the bowl. Try to avoid serving wine in glasses that are too small as this will not allow the wine to breathe properly. For Champagne and other sparkling wines, use tall, narrow flutes to preserve the bubbles. Tulip shaped glasses are generally best if you are looking for an all-purpose wine glass because they feel balanced in the hand and help contain the wine's aroma.

Wine Knowledge
This Week: Wine and Cheese. Part One

Though often considered "party food" in the United States, wine and cheese are considered everyday foods of sustenance in many European cultures. Local cheese and a baguette often end a French meal, allowing you to relax and linger over the last of the wine. Everyone knows that in Spain friends meet at a Tapas bar after work for a sherry and a few slices of Manchego. In Italy, is common to end a meal with a few chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano or a wedge of Gorgonzola and a luscious dessert wine.

For delicate wines, choose delicate cheeses. More robust wines can handle cheeses with more concentrated flavors. For example, youthful cheeses like fresh goat cheese tend to pair best with youthful wines like a young Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc. Aged cheese, such as a Parmigiano-Reggiano, calls for a big, full-bodied wine, like a Napa Cab.

We will offer more advice on pairing wine and cheese in future emails. Look for them!

Wine Knowledge
How to Taste Wine

We are often asked about the proper way to taste wine. While the rules are mere guidelines, there are some key things to remember when tasting wine in order to gain a full appreciation for the varietal that you are sampling.

It is important to take note of the precise color and clarity of the wine, which is often very beautiful. Holding the tasting glass against a white paper or napkin will help. Next, swirl the wine to bring out the full aroma within the wine. In order to facilitate swirling, the glass should be filled with about an ounce or two of wine.

Next, sniff! Put your nose into the glass and focus on aromas that are familiar as well as those that may not be. Now, take a generous sip, about a third of a mouthful, so the wine can reach all parts of your mouth. It is okay to "chew" the wine to aid in this process. Your final judgment on the wine comes when the aromatic compounds rise into the upper nasal cavity from the back of your mouth. Swallow or spit and discuss!

Wine Knowledge for the Week
Do You Know the Answer?

Native American grape species are easy to grow and resistant to cold, disease, and pests. Why don't we use them for wine?

A. They yield relatively few grapes.

B. They ferment backwards.

C. They make really awful wine.

Answer: C. American varietals like Concord and Catawba produce thin, sour wine with grapey flavor. It takes a lot of added sugar to make them drinkable. European grapes have more sugar and complexity. But then, unlike your kin, they've ben bred that way for thousands of years.

A Little Wine Knowledge
Cleaning Wine Glasses

As much as you may not want to hear this, it is generally not a good idea to put your wine glasses in the dishwasher. However, if you do, do not use a rinse agent. Rinse agents will actually leave a bit of detergent on the wine glass. Commercial glass washers--not home dishwashers-- use the proper temperature to sanitize glasses and do not use rinsing agents. Always use hot water and as little detergent as possible. It is best to let wine glasses air dry as even the best towels leave a bit of residual fiber. Turn the washed glasses upside down and let them air dry. Don't wipe them, but use a clean cloth to polish the glasses once they are dry.

Fun Wine Knowledge
Did You Know. . .

When you cook with wine, its flavors tend to:

A. Concentrate.

B. Dissipate.

C. Stay the same.

Answer: A. Cooking intensifies everything in wine except alcohol, which is cooked away. So, don't put anything in the pan that you wouldn't put in your mouth and enjoy. For instance, that bottle that's been in your fridge for a month? Throw it away, already!

More Wine Knowledge
"The Days of Wine and Roses"

Vineyards all over the world often have rosebushes growing at the end of vine rows. What is their purpose?

A. Honoring the wine god Bacchus, a rose lover.

B. An early warning system for fungus and disease.

C. To attract insects away from the vines.

Answer: B. Like the canary in a coal mine, rosebushes, being more susceptible to disease, start looking sickly before vines do. This gives vineyard workers time to treat the vines before it's too late.

A Little More About Wine. . .
Wine Facts and Trivia

We all know that Napa and Sonoma counties are the heart of California Wine Production. So many of us enjoy the varietals produced in these two counties north of San Francisco. But do you know what the primary fruit crop was in the Napa Valley in the 1940's? Prunes! Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it? And if you have any doubt about the popularity of California wines beyond our own borders, there are 164 countries that import varietals from California. We have nothing to be ashamed of regarding our domestic wine production!

Fun Wine Trivia and Facts
The Cork

At a restaurant the server presents you with the cork from the just opened wine bottle. You sniff the cork in order to

A. Judge a wine's quality.

B. Detect defects in the wine.

C. No reason; it's a silly gesture.

Answer: C -- You can't tell much by sniffing. Many corks will smell like vinegar even when the wine isn't. When you are handed the cork, just check that it's not dry, crumbled, or broken, which could indicate a problem. But leave the sniffing for the dogs.

Wine Trivia
February 18, 2100

Question: You are serving a young Cabernet with dinner in 30 minutes. You should:

A: Open now and let it breathe in the bottle.

B: Open now and pour it into a decanter.

C: Open at dinner.

Answer: B. Some young reds need oxygen to mellow their harsh tannins. People often open a bottle and let it sit, hoping the wine will breathe through the neck. But wine can no more breathe through the bottle neck than you can suck a pork chop through a straw. Splash that sucker into a decanter and make it PANT.

Interesting Facts about Wine. Did You Know?
February 15, 2011

Whether we are white wine drinkers, red wine drinkers, or we enjoy both, most of us have our favorite "go to" varietal that is our favorite. Most of us also know the major grape varietals represented on most wine lists. However, did you know that there are over 10,000 different grape varieities grown throughout the world today? Pretty amazing.

Also, it takes about two and a half pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine in a standard 750 ml bottle. Now you know why Lucy had to stomp all those grapes in that famous episode of "I Love Lucy!"

Wine Teasers...Do You Know the Answer?
February 11, 2011

High School Reunion's coming up. To drop a size, you should:

A. Avoid wine, who needs the empty calories?
B. Limit yourself to a glass or two on weekends.
C. Enjoy a glass or two every night.

Answer: C. Despite claims by the diet Nazis, studies show moderate daily wine drinkers have lower body weight and narrower waists than either weekend warriors or teetotalers. And far from empty calories, wine contains powerful antioxidants and other beneficial chemicals chemicals. So, let us help you get in shape at the Naked Grape Wine Bar.

Stop by and enjoy a glass or two...for your health, of course.

Wine Teaser...Do You Know the Answer?
February 9, 2011

A server who fills your wine glass only a third of the way is obviously...

A. well trained.
B. stingy.
C. lazy.

Answer: A. You need room to swirl without spilling and have somewhere for aromas to collect. Some servers fill glasses to the top, hoping you will drink more and order another bottle. If this happens, train your server. And then drink more and order another bottle!

Fun Wine Facts...Did you know?
February 1, 2011

As more and more we hear about the demise of the cork as the traditional closure for a a bottle of wine, the cork was not always the way that a bottle of wine was sealed. Cork became the common wine bottle closure only in the late 17th Century. Also at that time, the shape of the wine bottle changed from short and bulbous to tall and slender. With the advent of cork as the common wine bottle closure came the tradition of laying bottles down for aging.

Fun facts like these and many more can be found in some of the new wine knowledge and wine trivia games that we have purchased for the bar. Come in, order a glass of your favorite varietal, and test your own knowledge of this beverage we all love so much.