Mary Gorman-McAdams

Barrique is a wine word that most of you will probably already be familiar with. The word ‘barrique’ means barrel, but not just any type of barrel. Do you know specifically what a barrique is? The word ‘barrique’ refers to a specific size and shape of oak barrel. In making wine there are many different sizes of barrels used. Barrique barrels are relatively small barrels, but not just any small barrels.

As it is Vegan Week at The Kitchn, I thought we would look at vegan wines. What is a vegan wine? Are all wines vegan — or not? If not why not? And how can I find vegan-friendly wines? This guide helps you tell whether a wine is a vegan or not, and what goes behind the winemaking process. As we all know wine is made from grapes. Essentially wine is fermented grape juice as discussed in my post last year on winemaking.

Most wine drinkers are probably familiar with the term ‘corked wine’, but I hazard a guess that not as many wine drinkers really know what a corked wine tastes like, how a wine becomes corked in the first place, or how to detect a corked wine. To find out more, read on. Wine being corked doesn’t mean that is has tiny particles of cork floating in it, or that it simply tastes like cork.

February is Soup Month at The Kitchn, so I thought that I would look at some great soup and wine combinations. Traditionally, soup has been considered a difficult course to pair with wine. The reason for this is texture. Pairing liquid with liquid simply did not seem like an appealing combination. Well, as we all know, there is soup and there is soup.So don’t let incumbent ideas about food pairing stop you from enjoying a glass of wine with your next soup dish.

Cocktail WeekKirKir Royale I was introduced to Kir many years ago while living in France. Every Sunday, before a fabulously long lunch, friends, family and neighbors would gather for the apéritif’ hour to chat, laugh, comment on the state of the nation and nibble on a wide selection of savory, salty snacks. Typically, Kir was the drink of choice and on special occasions Kir Royale. Kir originated in Burgundy, France.

A master sommelier dispels common myths around sulfites, including red wine headaches.

Do you have a wine decanter and how often do you use it? Do you believe that decanting wine makes a difference? Why are some wines decanted and others not?Personally I love wine decanters and over the years have amassed quite a few. My collection includes one or two special ones that were wedding gifts, but for the most part my collection comprises simple, inexpensive, everyday decanters. I keep one permanently on the kitchen counter, so that it is always readily on hand.What is decanting?

Sherry wines are really quite extraordinary. They are diverse, delicious and incredibly versatile. They are also some of the most under-appreciated and undervalued wines in the world.So many people tell me they dislike sherry. When questioned further, this is usually a result of a bad experience with an out-of-condition, poorly stored sherry. Also, some people think that sherry is old-fashioned – their grandmother’s tipple! Well, let me try dispelling the myth.

Pinot Grigio wines have experienced unprecedented growth in the United States over the past 20 years. After Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio is the second most popular white wine. Unfortunately, some wine snobs tend to dismiss Pinot Grigio as boring and at best innocuous. But, as the expression goes, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Pinot Grigio does not deserve all the bad press it gets.

I am sure most of you have heard someone describe a wine as tannic. What exactly does this mean? What does tannin feel and taste like? Well, if you have ever had a cup of very strong black tea then you have definitely tasted tannin. Tannin in wine is a textural sensation. Something we feel rather than taste. Tannin gives a wine form and grip. It is a structural element that helps frame a wine. All grapes contain tannin. Some have more and some have less.

Frizzante and Spumante are two wine words most associated with Italian sparkling wine. Do you know what the difference is between these two words? Both frizzante and spumante describe the level of effervescence (i.e. the strength of the bubbles) in a bottle of sparkling wine. Wines labeled ‘frizzante’ are what we call gently sparkling, while wines labeled ‘spumante’ are more effervescent and fully sparkling. Frizzante wines have between 2.5 and 3.

“Green harvesting” is a viticultural wine phrase. Do you know what it refers to? Green harvesting is the harvesting or dropping of unripe (aka green) green clusters of grapes from the vine. It is a form of crop thinning to help manage yield and to enable the remaining grape clusters to fully ripen according to the winemaker’s aims. Green harvesting is typically done around veraison.

DOC and DOCG are letters that you see on bottles of Italian wine. Do you know what these letters stand for? And what is the difference between the two? DOCG and DOC are both quality classifications. Under Italian wine law DOCG is the highest designation of quality among Italian wines. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, DOCG). DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin).

Do you ever wonder why some wine bottles say Pinot Gris and others Pinot Grigio? Is there a difference? And should you prefer one to the other? Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are in fact the exact same grape variety. It is a white grape, with a grayish / brownish pink skin (hence the name gris, or gray, in French). The grape originated in France (it’s from the Burgundian Pinot family), and is known as Pinot Gris in France, where it is most cultivated in Alsace.

Back in March 2008 I wrote my first post for the Kitchn. The topic was the Albariño wines from Rías Baixas, which is located in Galicia, in northwestern Spain. This week, almost six years later, I am revisiting the wines, to check out what is new and what might have changed. Since my first visit to Rías Baixas back in 2006 I have consistently loved its Albariño wines.

Do you know what the 1855 Classification is? Many of you may already be familiar with the concept, and many of you may not. Often called the 1855 Classification of the Médoc, it is a special Bordeaux wine classification, but do you know what it means, exactly? The 1855 Classification is a Bordeaux wine classification. It refers back to the classification of the red wines of the Médoc and the sweet wines of Sauternes in 1855.

Crémant is a wine word that you see on some sparkling wine labels. Do you know its origin? And, what Crémant means? Crémant is a word that describes a certain type of French sparkling wine. Crémant wines are not made all over France but only made in certain officially designated areas. The word Crémant actually originated in the Champagne region.

Canopy management is a viticultural wine word. Do you know what it means? And the different processes involved? Canopy management may not be the most exciting wine word out there but, it is a very important one. Canopy management can be defined as a portfolio of vineyard management techniques, which manage a grapevine’s canopy from the time of winter pruning until harvest time. For the less geeky readers ‘canopy’ is a collective word for the all the foliage (i.e.

I have always loved the wines from the Gigondas region in France’s Southern Rhone Valley. They are full-bodied, energetic red wines, packed with vibrant red and black fruit flavors. At a recent dinner in New York City, hosted by the Gigondas Winemakers Union, I was reminded just how well Gigondas wines age, too – ten, twenty, even thirty years. We tasted back as far as 1972 that particular evening. But you don’t have to wait — they’re delicious now as well.

Fruit might seem an odd word to choose as a Wine Word. “Aren’t grapes fruit?” you might ask. Of course they are, but the term ‘fruit’ when it comes to describing a wine means more than a simple acknowledgement of its botanical birthright. When describing a wine the word fruit takes on many dimensions. While wine is made from grapes the fruit words we use to describe wine aromas and flavors covers the whole gamut.

In a previous Wine Words post I gave a general overview of oak as it pertains to wine. Today I am going to explain in more detail the difference between American oak and French oak. To start off, both American oak and French oak are species of white oak. Red oak is never used for winemaking because it is too porous. While there are many different types of white oak, three are most used for wine cooperage. These are Quercus Alba, Quercus Petraea (also known as sissile oak) and Quercus Robur.