Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier

by Aldo Sohm

Maguy Le Coze, who has run the restaurant since it opened in 1986. I always joke that Michelin created its standards for three-star restaurants based on her life!

Nowadays, winemakers are moving into cooler regions, whether through higher elevation or along foggy coasts, so that their wines have a

freshness and acidity—not to mention a more moderate alcohol level—that their warmer counterparts lack.

Winter and early summer are key moments in the growing cycle.

How many leaves the winemaker keeps on the plant throughout the growing season can affect its health. If they trim away too many, the grapes can get sunburned. If you’ve ever tasted wine that was like bitter chocolate, it was due to sunburn. If they leave too many leaves on and it’s a rainy summer, they might have to deal with fungus and rot.

Depending on the country’s winemaking laws, some winemakers might chaptalize the grape must, meaning enrich it with a restricted amount of sugar. Sounds bad, but it’s not. In cooler regions, where grapes have lower sugar levels, this process raises the wine’s alcohol level and gives it more backbone.

Yeast is very temperature-sensitive. The cooler the temperature, the slower the yeast works. As a result, the fermentation time is stretched, allowing the grapes to impart more of their characteristics. You can especially taste this with New Zealand sauvignon blancs, as they often have a Swedish Fish flavor that results from cold fermentation. Too-warm fermentation isn’t good, either, as such a rapid process leads to muted flavors.

Whole-Cluster Fermentation

Used mostly for red wines, it’s often done partially, meaning, say, 25 percent of the crop is left in bunches. The result is that the wine’s tannins are a bit firmer, the acid is zippier, and there is a touch of noticeable carbon dioxide, as well as a slightly vegetal aroma. The tannins come from the stems—it’s key that they’re mature, not green and the tannins give the wine a little more structure,

Burgundy, Rhône, Beaujolais, California, and Australia.

process in which temperature-sensitive bacteria transform harsh malic acid (the type of acid found in green apples) into softer lactic acid (the kind found in yogurt). This is done by controlling the temperature as much as possible—not easy. Sometimes, after fermentation, the tank will be cooled down to stop the process.

Or the barrel can be warmed up. This is common with chardonnays and

most reds. It’s easier to taste in white wines: They have this slightly creamy, milky flavor and are rounder on the t...

Letting the wine “sit” on the dead yeast cells, or lees, even a few months longer before bottling can make a huge difference in the wine’s texture and complexity.

Fining The addition of bentonite (a type of clay), egg white, or even fish bladder strips the wine of some of the naturally occurring protein to make sure the wine is stable and not cloudy. This method is controversial among natural winemakers because, like antibiotics, it can

also strip away some of the “good” proteins.

reductive To simplify a complex topic, this is a style resulting from a winemaking technique in which the reduction of oxygen

evaporation during fermentation creates an aroma of shaved white cabbage/sauerkraut, even matchstick or sulfur. Particularly popular with sommeliers.

Barrel This traditional aging container is typically made of oak, which adds not only richer fruit and vanilla flavors but also a slightly broader texture,

Egg This currently trendy fermentation and aging container is made from concrete. The wines become texturally different, with finer tannins, and therefore feel a little fuller in the mouth. Winemakers believe that concrete can soften a wine’s texture the way a barrel does—minute amounts of oxygen may penetrate the concrete, thereby

The demand for rosé from Provence—a French region once looked down upon for its simple wines—has outstripped the grape supply. Now you should also try rosé made outside Provence, such as Ode to Lulu from California, Domaine Vacheron from Sancerre, Stein from Germany, and Gobelsburg Cistercien from Austria.

Orange wines, which originated in Slovenia and northeast Italy based on the ancient Georgian technique, are super popular right now with natural wine drinkers. They’re made like red wines but using white grapes:

The Ancestral Method EXAMPLES Pét-nat Also known as the méthode rurale or méthode ancestrale, it is an increasingly common technique that experts believe predates the méthode champenoise, or traditional method. Just like any other wine, sparkling wine is first fermented in a barrel (or a stainless steel or concrete tank). Then, before all the residual sugar has been converted into alcohol and CO2, the wine is chilled, riddled

(the bottle is agitated and turned), and disgorged before it’s bottled. After fermenting in the bottle for at least two months, the wine is ready. The result is delicately sparkling, refreshing, and often super easy to drink. One of my favorites is Bugey-Cerdon La Cueille from Patrick Bottex. You’ll find this method increasingly used for fizzy and fashionable pétillant naturel wine, better known as pét-nat.

And, I hate to say it, but a magnum of Champagne tastes better than a regular-size 750 mL bottle, too.)

Terms like “extra brut” and “brut” that you see on labels refer to the number of grams of residual sugar (RS) added per liter before bottling. Here are the most common. Oh, and brut is pronounced “broot.”

In recent years, the levels of added sugar in Champagne have gone down significantly, partly because the grapes are much riper (hello, climate change).

The European Union certifies wines made with both organic grapes and organic additives as “EU

Organic.” GMOs are not allowed. Sulfur regulations are the same as those for “Made with certified organically grown grapes” wines in the US.

Biodynamic and organic farming are similar in that neither uses chemicals. But biodynamic farming, based on the principles of the early twentieth-century Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, is a holistic approach that sees the vineyard as

an interlinked ecosystem in which the plants, fields, forests, animals, soil, compost, people, and “spirit” of the place work together in harmony as part of a cycle, feeding one another.

The farmer also follows the lunar cycle to determine when to fertilize, plant, and harvest. The health of the soil is treated homeopathically. (The farmers even bury cow horns packed with the manure of a lactating female ...

■ botrytis A naturally occurring fungus that concentrates a grape’s sweetness and can impart a honeyed flavor to dry wines. Also called noble rot.

I like Sancerres from the village of Chavignol, grown on terre

blanche (rich limestone containing layers of seashells from the Jurassic period—soil that is also found in the top vineyards of Chablis and southern parts of Champagne). This soil delivers very fine, zesty, and pure Sancerres that age beautifully—I’ve

Chenin blanc is something of an underdog, with a growing following thanks to its great quality for the price—especially for those from France’s Loire Valley. These dry wines have a pleasing complexity: An oaked chenin blanc could be mistaken for a pricey Burgundy. (Try Château de Brézé and you’ll be shocked.) Because of its high acidity, it is often used for sparkling wine production. An inexpensive bottle of sparkling Vouvray, Saumur, or Montlouis will remind you that you don’t always have to spring for Champagne.

the general drinker simply finds it too sweet. That’s because the cool-climate-loving grape develops high acid levels that need to be tamed through aging with a little residual sugar.

My go-to is always Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wines from Germany. In this cool northern area, the Rieslings express their terroir. Maybe I’m crazy, but I believe that even non-wine people can taste whether Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling comes from, say, slate or limestone. (Really!) More German wineries are producing dry Rieslings: Look for the word trocken (“dry”) on the label,

and check out the alcohol level: If it’s 12% or above, your wine will be dry.

Cabernet requires a warm region with a long ripening period to coax out its best characteristics (that pure, ripe, dark cassis flavor, which is very lush yet precise, with distinctive tobacco flavors); otherwise, it will have an herbaceous, green bell pepper aroma. Because of its smaller ratio of juice to skin and seeds, it’s higher in tannins, thereby requiring more aging to soften it.

While the grape originated in Burgundy, it is also grown in Champagne, the Loire Valley, Alsace, and Jura. Germany produces some interesting clones, like Spätburgunder, at really competitive prices. California, Oregon, Chile, and Argentina are also in the game. New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa are producing them, but keep in mind that pinots grown in warm climates taste jammy and are, in my opinion at least, less appealing.

L O O K F O R Domaine Marquis d’Angerville, Burgundy, France Domaine Sylvain Pataille, Burgundy, France Benedikt Baltes, Franken, Germany

Rust en Vrede Vineyards, Stellenbosch, South Africa Barda, Patagonia, Argentina Joseph Swan, Russian River Valley, California Bergström, Willamette Valley, Oregon J. Hofstätter, Alto Adige, Italy

Australian shiraz (aka syrah) is the gateway red for beginners. One of the finest red varietals, syrah also currently happens to be trendy among sommeliers.

But France has been working with syrah for centuries, and has mastered the form. Try starting out light with a Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph, and work your way up to a fine Côte-Rôtie, a majestic Hermitage, and a fierce Cornas. (The first two might be the least expensive syrah yet from a smaller appellation.)

While Australian shiraz is a great starting wine, their cousins in the Northern Rhône region require a little “drinking experience,” as syrah challenges the taster much more owing to its terroir, winemaking style, and perfect balance of concentrated fruit, supple tannins, and elevated acidity in its youth. Once you’ve understood syrah, you’ll get your reward!

BY ANY OTHER NAME Shiraz L O O K F O R

Piedrasassi, Santa Barbara County, California Domaine Jamet, Rhône, France Alain Graillot, Rhône, France Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Rhône, France Pax, Sonoma, California

it’s best to start with a regular nebbiolo d’Alba, which is often just artificially downgraded young-vine Barolos and Barbarescos. Keep an eye out for Perbacco by Vietti, an absolute steal at around $25.

Given that this varietal is so particular to where it’s grown, it’s seldom found outside of Italy. There are some other nebbiolo clones found farther north, such as lampia, which tends to be a bit lighter, as are the wines from the Ghemme and Gattinara appellations. In the Alpine climate of the Lombardy province, nebbiolo is known as chiavennasca, and is made in a bit more rustic (but no less delicious) style.