Mick Merlot has travelled the world, tasted many very great wines (and
some not so good) and continues to research everything he can about this
mysterious beverage. So don't hesitate to ask whatever question you want.
He'll do his best to come up with the right answer.
Where
does the colour come from?
The colour of red wines comes from a molecule contained in the skin of the grape: anthocyanine. But it’s a long road from grape to wine. Pinot Noir, for example, is a grape variety with clear juice, like all the great red varieties. The colour of its wines comes from anthocyanines, molecules from the family of polyphenols, contained in grape skins. Pinot Noir is by nature a variety that is less rich in anthocyanines than most other great red wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or even Zinfandel, for a simple reason: Burgundy is in a northern latitude. The sun plays an important role in the synthesis of anthocyanines, and Burgundy has less sun than France’s southern wine regions. The vintage effect, always very strong in Burgundy, thus conditions the quantity of anthocyanines from one year to another
What does it mean when people say a wine is "corked?"
They mean that the wine has acquired off flavours from a defective cork. Actually, it is not so much that the cork that is defective, but rather that a substance known as TCA has infiltrated the wine via contact with the cork. Anyway, that's splitting technological hairs. It may be important to the cork manufacturers, but to you, the important thing is the result. The wine tastes musty. It tastes as if it were poured through wet cardboard. You'll never forget the taste, and the wet cardboard odor is usually even stronger. This is one of the easiest and most valid reasons for sending a wine back as spoiled and defective in a restaurant. By the way, just because a bottle is corked does not mean the next one will be, or that the entire batch is spoiled. "Corked" is usually a bottle specific defect, although wineries that are having serious and persistent problems have been known to send out bad batches. TCA is a mysterious agent. Some people are even designing synthetic corks.
Tell me about the worm!
This is Tequila's biggest myth. There is no worm in Mexican-bottled tequila. Yes, some American-bottled brand(s) put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it's only a marketing ploy and not a Mexican tradition. There is a worm - called a gusano, properly a butterfly caterpillar (Hipopta Agavis) - in some types of mezcal (but not all). You may also get a small bag of 'worm salt' - dried gusano, salt and chile powder tied to a mezcal bottle.
The worm-in-the-bottle myth is old and tired. The truth has been broadcast and expounded for years by the cognoscenti of tequila, in newspapers, magazines and on the Net. There should be no need to defend tequila; we should not have to dispel this myth further. It is merely an urban legend.
Is the worm even a traditional element in mezcal production? Not according to Del Maguey Mezcal producers: they say it's a recent development, a marketing ploy that appeared only in the 1940s to try and get more attention on mezcal - and they should know. It's worth reading their story at: www.mezcal.com/worms.html.
There are two types of gusano in mezcal: the red (gusano rojo - considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey) and the less-prized white or gold (gusano de oro), which lives on the leaves. The red gusano turns pale in the mezcal, the gold turns ashen-grey. Both larvae are commonly eaten as food and are sold in Zapotec markets.
Yes, you're supposed to eat the worm in mezcal. Don't worry: it's quite well pickled and free of pesticides (they're often raised just for use in mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year). But dispel any idea it has any magical or psychotropic properties, that it's an aphrodisiac or the key to an 'unseen world.' It's merely protein and alcohol - but it's very rich in imagery.
What is lambic beer?
Becoming a popular style in Alberta.
Michael Jackson – the beer guru, not the singer explains
"The winiest of all the world's beers, and specific to the Brussels
area. There are several possible explanations for the odd name (which
is spelled in a variety of ways), but its most likely origin is the small
town of Lembeek ("Lime Creek"), to the immediate southwest of
Brussels, in the heart of the producing area. A handful of breweries around
Lembeek, Beersel and Schepdaal, all in the valley of the river Zenne,
have persisted with techniques that pre-date the culturing of yeasts.
Their brews are of the type seen in Bruegel's paintings, and represent
the oldest style of beer readily found in the developed world. Lambic
beers gain their tartness from a content of at least 30 per cent raw wheat
in addition to the more usual malted barley, but their defining characteristic
is the use of wild yeast. This "wild," or "spontaneous,"
fermentation imparts the distinctive acidity. The yeasts of the atmosphere
descend into open vessels in the attics of the breweries, and the fermentation
and maturation continue in wooden casks, some more than 100 years old,
many previously used to transport wine. The casks, and the walls of the
breweries, play host to a menagerie of wild yeasts. Elsewhere in the world
of brewing, wood is today scarcely used in fermentation or maturation.
While conventional ales ferment and mature for a week or two, and lagers
for a month or two, Lambics may have two or three years. Most of these
beers have a conventional alcohol content, in the range of 4.0 to 6.0
per cent alcohol by volume."
Published: JULY 30, 1999
In: Beer Hunter Online
