Ask the Wine Doctor: All the Questions You Had About Wine but Were Too Busy Sipping to Ask - Couverture souple

Finstein, Edward

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0771031122 ISBN 13 : 9780771031120

Editeur : McClelland & Stewart Ltd, 2002

Synopsis

Book by Finstein Edward

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Extrait

The Doctor is in...

Edward Finstein, (a.k.a. Dr.WineKnow) answers all the questions you had about wine but were too busy sipping to ask. Listen in on a ‘session’ as the doctor addresses some of the concerns from wine lovers all over the world.
Making Wine at Home:

I’ve tried making wine at home but find it very hard to control fermentation. Sometimes it just stops. What am I doing wrong?

Diagnosis: Fret not, my friend, your problem is simply explained. It’s not so much what you are doing but what you are not. Fermentation generates heat. If the temperature cannot be controlled, decent wine, if any, cannot be made.[...] The yeasts that are used to ferment wine are very sensitive to heat and cold. They operate best between 5˚C (40˚F) and 30˚C (90˚F). If the temperature goes outside this range, then fermentation will stop, as you’ve experienced. This is known as “sticking,” and sometimes it – can’t get unstuck to start again. Even if it restarts, changes may have taken place in the sugars to spoil the wine.

Prescription: You “must” follow this advice. To avoid this danger, the must (fermenting juice) may have to be cooled in warm weather and heated in cool weather. If you are using tanks, this can be achieved by pumping cold or hot water over them. Unless you are relatively serious about home winemaking, you may want to rely on one of those “ferment-your-own” wine facilities that are springing up all over the place. They have temperature control.
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Wine tasting and the battle of the sexes:

I’m having a mega – argument with my girlfriend. She says women are the best wine tasters. I say men are. What do you think?

Diagnosis: I could really be opening up a can of worms in answering this question. However, certain evidence indicates that gender does play a part in the ability to taste wine.[...] Women, generally, have a more acute sense of smell. This is directly related to the female hormone, estrogen.

Sorry, guys. Since wine appreciation is about 70 to 75 per cent smell, this one factor would potentially make women better tasters than men. Notice I use the word “potentially,” though. Many other factors play a part in the battle of the sexes and determining who’s the better taster.
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The health benefits of wine:

I’ve heard that red wine is actually better for you than white. How so?

Diagnosis: It’s all in the polyphenols. Similar to the types found in fresh fruits and vegetables, teas, grains, and seeds, these polyphenols act as antioxidants. They reduce the speed and level at which our bodies are affected by oxidative stress. This stress can kill our cells and cause disease, especially cancer. Red wines tend to contain much larger amounts of polyphenols, because they have more tannin and colour. However, ­don’t write off white wine entirely. Certain recent scientific research has discovered that white wine can prevent the development of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis that affect the bones and joints.

Prescription: Doctor’s orders, drink a glass of red and white wine each day. Since red wines contain more polyphenols because of their colour and tannin, young, full-bodied selections should provide the most. Then simply chase the red down with a glass of white to ensure the anti­inflammatory benefits. Think of it as medication you can live with.

Présentation de l'éditeur

In an accessible question-and-answer format, Edward Finstein (a.k.a. Dr. WineKnow) takes the reader through the various areas of wine knowledge, working with questions he has been asked by clients and students during his quarter-century as a wine consultant, writer, and teacher.

He addresses questions about the growing of wine, making it, finding and buying it (including a demystification of the puzzling information on wine labels), storing and aging it, and serving it (where should you store your glasses to assure good tasting?). Most attention, however, is paid to enjoying it, including how to handle restaurant wine lists and rituals, how your health can affect your tasting, and how to get the most from the matching of food and wine. Each chapter is peppered with “Grape Flashes,” containing interesting bits of information, and the book also includes a glossary of wine terms, a simple guide to food and wine matching, and a selected bibliography for further reading.

Edward Finstein believes that the most important thing about wine is enjoyment – and understanding aids that enjoyment.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: McClelland & Stewart Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0771031122
• ISBN 13: 9780771031120
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 272
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible