Wine FAQ in the Napa Valley

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Wine

We've listed some of the most common questions about wine and the Napa Valley.

How do I open a bottle of wine?

Use whatever tool you like best. There is a wide variety of corkscrews and other cork pullers out there. Some have one handle, some have two. Ask for suggestions at a wine shop, and experiment till you find one you really like. And you might want more than one type. Sometimes a dry cork needs one type of opener rather than another.

Take the blade of the opener or other type of foil cutter, cut the foil all the way around the neck, and remove the top portion of the foil.
Pull the cork with whichever device you settled on.
Pour the wine into a glass, no more than half full.

How should I store my wine?

If you don't have a wine cellar, and not many people do, try to keep it in a place that's cool and dark, and has a relatively constant temperature. The best place in most homes is in a closet in an interior room. Store it on its side so that the cork stays moist. This will prevent the cork from drying out, which could allow air to enter the bottle and spoil the wine. (This is not a problem with synthetic corks or screw tops.)

At what temperature should my wines be served?

"Room temperature" or "cellar temperature" is often given as an answer to this question. It's probably true, if you live in a European castle with no central heating. Your own room temperature is probably too warm. And not too many people have a temperature-controlled wine cellar.

Red wines should be served between around 65o Fahrenheit. If too cold, you won't be able to enjoy the full flavors and aromas. If too warm, the alcohol is more pronounced and the acids less noticeable.

White wines should be served between 55o and 60o Fahrenheit. If too cold, the fruitiness of the wine will be hidden. If too warm, it will seem less crisp and "dull".

But, as always, serve the wines the way you like them, even if it is not necessarily how the winemaker might prefer.

Should I let the wine breathe before drinking it?

Only if it needs it. Wines vary. Most wines are ready to drink when you pour them, or shortly thereafter. Some will improve after five or ten minutes, or even longer. And others will even go downhill over that period of time.

If the wine is "tight" or "closed", i.e. the flavors and aromas seem to be held in, let it breathe for a while—in the glass. The concept of letting the wine breathe in the bottle makes little sense. Not much air can contact the wine through the small opening in the bottle.

How many servings can I get from a bottle?

A 750 ml bottle is about 26 ounces, so you can pour about five 5-ounce servings, which is a generous serving. Six 4-ounce servings is probably a better idea. If you're doing a tasting, you could pour a dozen 2-ounce tastes.

Is wine really healthy?

A glass of wine a day is reported to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. All wines contain reservatrol, which can act as an effective preventative against coronary heart disease. It also increases levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol that helps prevent clogging of the arteries. Wine also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer.

How do they make white wine from red grapes?

"Blush" wines such as White Zinfandel are made by separating the juice from the skins shortly after the grapes are crushed. Since the juice is clear, and the color comes primarily from pigments in the skins, this brief contact with the skins leaves the juice with only a slight pink color. The wine is then processed as a regular white wine would be.

Why are white wines fermented at cooler temperatures than red wines?

To retain the fruity flavors and aromas of the white grapes

What kind of champagne glass should I use?

There are two styles to choose from. One is the open, flatter style that legend says was based on the shape of Marie Antoinette's breast. The narrower flute style is considered the best, however, because it does a better job of retaining the carbon dioxide and aromas of the champagne.

How long can I keep a bottle of wine after opening it?

It depends how many minutes it takes you to drink it. However, if you really don't want to finish a bottle in one sitting, recork it and put it in the refrigerator, although we recommend this more with white wine than with red. (Red is probably better just left on the counter and drunk the next day).

White wine in the refrigerator should last two or three days. If you have any empty half bottles, pour the wine in one of them. That way there will be less air in the bottle, reducing oxidation and helping the leftover wine to last longer.

One new product that is highly recommended by Napa Valley wineries is "Private Preserve". It's a mixture of inert gases that protects open bottles of wine (and fine spirits) against oxidation for weeks and even months. You can find it at wine shops and winery sales rooms throughout the valley or at www.privatepreserve.com.

Why do I get headaches from wine?

Assuming it isn't from drinking too much wine, it's most likely because of the histamines that are naturally present in wine. (And in cheese and other foods).

Red wine is much higher in histamines, so you might try switching to white wine. If that doesn't work, consider taking an anti-histamine. Just make sure the package doesn't say to avoid alcohol when using it.

What are the big fans in the vineyards? Are they to cool off the grapes in the summer?

Actually, no. They're to keep the grapes warm in the spring, when there is danger of frost which can damage the young shoots. When the temperature gets down to around 34° Fahrenheit, smudge pots (diesel heaters) are started to heat up the air. The fans then blow the warm air through the vineyard.

Wind machines circulate air in the vineyards to help keep the new shoots from freezing. (Photo courtesy of Napa Valley Vintners Association.)

Another method of frost protection is the overhead sprinklers that you might have seen. The sprinklers spray the vines, covering the shoots with water, which then freezes. Interestingly, this insulated ice jacket protects the shoots, keeping them just warm enough to avoid freezing themselves.

Do the birds eat the grapes?

Yes and no. Interestingly enough, the large flocks of starlings that do eat grapes usually don't show up in the Napa Valley until after crush. They take the leftovers. And they create beautiful patterns as large flocks of them weave in and out in the skies over the vineyards.

Those birds that are around before harvest are kept away with owls—fake and real, mylar strips that are tied to vineyard trellises and flash in the sunlight, and machines that fire off blank cartridges that sound like shotgun blasts.

How long does a vine last?

After 30 or 40 years, a vine's yield starts to decrease, although its quality may still be excellent.

How long should I store wine before drinking it?

How long does it take you to drive home from the store? The average time that most Americans "lay down" wine is probably about half an hour. That's okay, because most wine, particularly white wine, is ready to drink when it is sold. But some wines, particularly red wines that are heavy on tannins such as a good Cabernet Sauvignon, will improve with age; often as much as ten or fifteen years—or more. Ask the winery and they'll tell you about a particular wine's aging potential.

Is it a good idea to buy wine at the winery?

You should know right off that you probably won't buy wine cheaper at a winery than at home. Most wineries sell at full retail and you probably have a discount house in your area. Does that mean you shouldn't buy wine at Napa Valley wineries? Absolutely not.

TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUY WINE AT THE WINERY

You can find wines that are hard, if not impossible, to find in other parts of the country. With over 250 Napa Valley wineries, it's highly unlikely your local supermarket, or even specialty wine shop, is going to carry all the wines of all the wineries.
You can find wines that have a limited production and are sold only at the winery.
After tasting the wines, you can buy a bottle of wine that you know you like.
You'll get a great-tasting souvenir.
When you get home, you can pour the wine for friends and be able to tell them about the winery, how the wine was made, and, if it came from a small winery, possibly even that you met the winemaker.
Sometimes wines are on sale at the winery, and you can get an excellent price on an unusual or hard-to-find wine.
You can take the wine outside and have it with your picnic lunch.
You can take the wine to a Napa Valley restaurant, pay the corkage fee, and enjoy exactly the wine you want with your dinner.
If you're lucky enough to live in one of the right (wine-friendly) states, you don't even have to carry it home. The winery will ship it for you.
You're helping keep the winery in business, something that's particularly important for small, family wineries. The reason the Napa Valley isn't filled with houses—as is most of the San Francisco Bay Area—is that most of the valley has remained in agriculture. And it has remained in agriculture because that agricultural crop is winegrapes. (We had far fewer visitors when our main crop was prunes.)

When did Robert Louis Stevenson say that Napa Valley wine was "bottled poetry"?

Actually, he didn't. He said that "wine" was bottled poetry. And he was referring to French wine when he wrote in his book The Silverado Squatters "...and the wine is bottled poetry."

But he wrote the book while he and his bride were staying on Mount St. Helena, so the Napa Valley claims him as one of its own. And he'd certainly say it about Napa Valley wine if he were around today. Wouldn't he?

What's a "wine brick"?

During Prohibition, most wineries closed. A few survived by making medicinal or sacramental wine. (Yes, there did appear to be an increase in the number of sick and deeply religious people during this time.)

In order to survive financially, some wineries also produced "wine bricks". These were bricks of compressed grapes that were shipped to customers around the country with a warning notice, which read: "Warning. Do not place this wine brick in one gallon of water, stir and let sit in warm temperatures for 10 days, or it might ferment and turn into wine."

Who made the Grapecrusher statue at the south end of the Napa Valley?

It was designed by sculptor Gino Miles, and is actually a public relations coup for the industrial park developer whose logo it is.

The Grapecrusher sculpture by Gino Miles is located on the Butler Bridge over the Napa River at the south end of Napa Valley.

I saw some funny looking buildings while driving through the valley.

That's not a question.

What are those funny looking buildings?

They were probably "yurts", round tent-like structures based on the dwellings used by Mongolian nomads.

The Mexican farmworkers who care for the vines throughout the year, and pick the grapes at harvest, are the unsung heroes of the Napa Valley wine industry. Housing in the valley is an ongoing problem, since the valley is an area where there is far more demand for housing than there is a supply.

A number of farmworker camps are scattered throughout the valley, run by both individual growers and wineries as well as by county organizations. These are to house the 2,000 or so temporary farmworkers who come to the valley each year for harvest.

Yurts—innovative housing for Napa Valley farmworkers.

One of the most unusual farmworker camps was established in 2000. Thirteen Mongolian-style yurts, made in Oregon, were purchased by the Napa Valley Housing Authority, and erected by volunteers on local government-owned property. Workers sleep in the smaller ones, and the two larger ones are used for dining and community activities.

The yurts are taken down at the end of harvest, and erected again for the next harvest, although with the new housing shown below, they're not currently used.

The industry has also built a permanent farmworker camp on eight acres of land near St. Helena donated by vintner Joseph Phelps. It was paid for by a tax on grapes initiated by Napa Valley grapegrowers themselves.

New farmworker housing on land donated by vintner Joseph Phelps. The rammed earth construction technology was developed by Napa company Rammed Earth Works.

The complex includes two dormitory buildings, each with 15 two-person rooms, totaling 60 rooms, a multipurpose building with a kitchen and laundry, and staff quarters. It is far more than just farmworker housing because it serves as a model for environmentally responsible, cost-saving construction.

The walls, floors, building pad and roadway were all constructed from earth removed in the excavation of wine caves throughout the county. The building technique is rammed earth, pioneered by a local Napa company, Rammed Earth Works (www.rammedearthworks.com).

The design of the building eliminates the need for conventional air conditioning, and uses radiant heating, with solar-heated water circulating through pipes in the floor.

Water use is kept to a minimum with low-flow fixtures, rainwater collection and graywater recycling. Wastewater is treated in engineered wetlands, and then used to irrigate gardens and landscaping.