Does it Matter “How”
Your Wine is Made?
When
standing before a huge selection of wine at our local beverage center, what
motivates our final wine selection?
For each of
us, the motivating factors are loaded with commonalities. A few of the most
common reasons for buying a bottle of wine are…‘Price, Fancy & Colorful Labels, Color of the
Wine, Clarity of the Wine, Saw it Advertised on TV”.
Of course, “NONE” of these are valid reasons
for buying a bottle of wine. Yet, every day, we give our hard-earned money to
wealthy wine barons based upon these criteria.
Just maybe,
we need to consider some really important factors! Just maybe, we need to
consider “HOW” our bottle of
wine was made!
Of course,
most factory wineries are a little vague on the “How’s”. However, we can pick
up a few important hints about the ‘How’s’ by looking closely at the wine
label.
To begin, we
should consider these four words on a wine label as the ‘Holy Grail Rule’ of wine making….”GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED and BOTTLED”
These four words state that the winery that
created this bottle of wine does… “Everything”! There’s a great
probability that this bottle of wine was created with a huge amount of passion
and love. It was made to be the best that it could be! After all, they have
grown ‘ALL’ of the grapes or fruits that go into making their wine. They have
invested in farmland and provided jobs and employment in their community. Most
probably, they are a family farm.
So, the
first step in selecting your bottle of wine is to compare it with the “Holy
Grail Rule”. By the way, every winery is required (by law) to give you
these facts on their label.
The second
important criteria that you want to use in selecting your bottle of wine is to
determine if it is…“Unfiltered”.
No matter
where an ‘Unfiltered Wine’ is
created, they will always tell you, on their label, that their wine is ‘Unfiltered’. They are pleased and proud
to let you know that it was made to be the very best that it could be. Usually,
the word ‘Unfiltered’ is prominently
displayed of the front label.
If a winery
makes a ‘Filtered Wine’ they will ‘NEVER’ tell you on their label. By
the way, the law says that they are NOT required to tell you…and they
Don’t!
The third
important criteria to use in selecting your wine is to verify that your wine
was made from ‘Whole Fresh Fruits’
that were grown in the U.S.A. Admittedly,
this is not going to be as easy as looking at a wine label. One way that you
can tell that your wine was made from ‘whole fresh fruit’ is to look for the
word…’Natural’ on the wine label.
Per the Feds (BATF) the only way that a winery
can use the word “Natural” is
if the wine is made from ‘100% Whole Fresh Fruit’. However, you may have
to email or call the winery directly. Since most factory wineries are not
committed to growing anything, they are mostly using juices imported from
off-site sources. Many are importing juices from other countries that fall far
short of our U.S.A. agricultural standards. Lest we forget, America has the
“Highest” agricultural standards in the world and were designed to protect our
health.
Lastly,
don’t be swayed by the words “Mixed & Blended, Clarity, Consistent Color or
Hints & Notes”. They have no positive impact upon the quality of your wine.
Most are used by wineries that ‘filter’ our wines.
Hopefully,
this handful of wine facts will make your wine selection a little easier.
So, until next time…”Salute and Happy Days”!
