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Also this week! I'll be interviewing a married winemaking couple who, according to Wine Enthusiast, make superb bottles of Syrah. The combined experience of these winery owners includes degrees in enology and chemistry, internships as grape carrier and grape stomper, jobs as wine lab manager and wine broker, plus a couple "Winemaker of the Year" honors.

Post your questions in the comments below!

Deadline: Wednesday, August 7 at noon PST

Comments

Anna Dylan

As someone who has never had wine EVER, where to start!?

Evan Davis

Why does it taste gross :-(

Annabelle

When and where did we first start making wine?

Bernadette Escamilla

FTQA- why do I get sooo hot when drinking wine? As in I’m so hot and flushed that I take off my clothes in the middle of a Texas winter? Sulfides!?!!

JC

FTQA here, but what is the difference between reds, whites, and roses? Also what does it mean when a wine is dry???

Evan Davis

What is the science behind different food tasting better with different wines?

Leighanne Gray

Calling it: Scar of the Sea and Lady of Sunshine 👀👀👀 I wanna know about their love story!!

Heather Dykes

I am definitely a wine novice- why do some wines have to “breathe” and why do you sometimes want to aerate them? Maybe that’s the same thing..? Idk, told you I was a novice lol

Nicole Aye

What are the different ways of making wine? Also, first time question asker!!!! So excited about this one 🍷

Aurora Cullen

How is climate change affecting their business plan?

Doxx

Does it needs to be made from grapes to be called wine? I followed an apple wine recipe off of YouTube using orange juice and ended up with orange gin. It was delicious and probably dangerous . If it doesn’t need to be made from grapes, what’s the wildest combo you’ve ever had/thought of?

Camila Gamino

What is the big hype or preference of dry wine? Who wants a dry liquid?! Are you frustrated with all these new wine offsets being made? I.e. seltzer wine, wine cocktail, non alcoholic wine etc. How does aging play into flavor? Should we expect a wine shortage with climate change or bee decline or agriculture shortages?

Lizzy Martinez

Storing wine at home - what's the ideal set up for someone without a wine cellar/fancy in house wine room?

Erin Gunderson

Terroir! What actually creates it?? Microbiomes of grapes, does it affect the use in wine as much as it seems to affect everything else, our selves included? Rose! Why is it pink? What in the process makes it different.

Kieran C.

FTQA: why do some people (me) taste something like acid (I’ve compared it to “tastes like knives” before) in wines (especially reds and very dry whites), while being able to tolerate and even enjoy other alcohols? Is it the grape tannins??

T Noz

Will climate change shift wine cultivation much farther North? Start vineyards in the Northwest Territories now?

Patricia Evans

Why is it so hard to make a nonalcoholic wine that tastes good? They've done it with beer!

Joy Kotheimer

Eco-friendly wine drinkers input wanted! Boxed vs bottled? Cork vs screw top? How does this influence smaller production wine makers?

Rob Harbers

How did someone first discover that leaving grapes around made magic?

Dillon S.

As a pastry chef I sometimes wonder… why is it that when comparing flavors of wine we use taste that aren’t typical. Example “has notes of oak” I’ve never tasted oak so just wondering?!!!

Corinna Regan

How is climate change affecting where you choose to grow grapes and how the finished wine tastes 🍷

wicker bitch

Tell me about why they drink cold red wine in Europe? I hate this. Also why can I taste more flavor compounds in beer than in wine, or in wine with food as opposed to just wine?

Doxx

Can never go wrong with a sweet red and cheesecake

RJ Doidge

Does an expert sommelier just have a really good memory and have tried a lot of different wines, or is there truly an art/science to wine identification?

wicker bitch

Why is wine the sexiest drink???

Timmy H.

Is natural wine really that girl or is it just a trend?

Aurora Cullen

We were told by a winemaker in California that sulfites are required by law, why?

mish the fish

are wine food pairings bullshit? how does one pick out a good small issue wine type for a dish?

Timmy H.

Earliest known origin of wine?

mary de voe

Why is "good" wine called "dry"? And why is cheese so darned good with wine?!

Nina Giacobbe

Why does red wine make ne drunker, faster? Like, one or two sips and it goes right to my head, whereas white wine follows the same path as beer/liquor so I know it's not my tolerance level!

Keri Overall

Why is Syrah/Shiraz from Australia so good? What is it about the weather and land there that works so well with that grape?

Valerie N

I love wine so much! Is it bad for me if I have a glass or two a night? Is red wine better for you than white?

Average_pi

Why are people so hyped about old wine? Also how do the different kinds of grapes affect flavor?

Hannah b

How far does the history of wine go back?

Jeffrey Bradshaw

Why doesn’t it just rot in an inedible way? How long does it really last?

Casa Reed-Dean

FTQA: if you find wine in an archaeological setting, how can you figure out how old it is and if it is still good?

Alli Barg

How has the process of making wine changed over the centuries? I imagine that the wine drunk in Ancient Greece was not Cabernet Sauvignon, but how different was it, really, from what we have now? Do we know?

Brooklyn Baron

What makes grapes so special to yeast? I’ve been learning how to make fruit wines (like blackberry and cherry) and it seems like if you aren’t using grapes you need to add extra nutrients that aren’t naturally present. Also, what makes wine “age”? Why do the flavors continue to change and develop long after active fermentation is over? Also, how the heck long have we been making wine? I’d love to hear more about some of the different ingredients and methods humans have used to make wine in different places. I’m excited!!!

Liv Tambrini

Concord grapes: why can’t we make wine out of them? Also, where do the seeds in wine grapes go after fermentation? Also, what is the etymology/history behind the title sommelier?

Ryan Marlow

How do they make wine taste like so many different things? For example, how do they get wine to evoke other fruit flavors using only grapes?

Kelsey lore

How did wines begin being described in such a specific way, like 'Legs' and 'Full Bodied'

Katie Hammond

Why does even non alcoholic red wine give me a headache? Does the dandelion wine i made actually count as wine? Or is it considered something else because it's not made with grapes?

The Joyful Spitfire

Omg. So excited for this one. HEALTH: I’ve hear some doctors advise red wine for cholesterol and others who say to stay away from alcohol. Why is this? FLIMFLAM: sulfates and headaches - any connection or is this totally fabricated? DUMB: this is super dumb….Is wine only made from grapes? There are different types of ciders (pear, apple) and I am wondering if wine is similar . CULTURE: how long have humans been drinking wine? How late do the records go back for wine in ceremonies and celebrations? CULTURE PART 2: where does “cheers” the term come from? Why do we lift a glass to commemorate special occasions? ZE DRAMA: I was unaware about Sour Grapes until last year. So I am curious about how the wine collectors world has shifted since Rudy Kurniawan. What are the ologists thoughts on the idea of collecting wine past its peak? PROFESH: sommeliers. Any insight into the career path of Sommeliers? It seems to become one is nearly impossible….

Jazmin Wells

I have not found a single wine that I like that isn’t the sweetest thing you ever tasted. do I have some sort of biological aversion to wine or am I just not enough of an adult yet to get the appeal of wine drinking? 🤣

Aaron Jozsef

Do wine connoisseurs really make that weird noise with their mouth when tasting which is suppose to release more flavor and aromas into your olfactory center? Honestly, sounds looks and sounds just ridiculous.

Greg Walloch

Is it true that wine making is more akin to perfumery versus food. Are biodynamic wines really better for you? And how shit-faced would you have to get to actually reap the benefits of resveratrol?

Elta Sparks

Why does red wine trigger migraines for some people?

Yuri

Why does wine make me feel so terrible???? Whyyyyyyyyy????? (Seriously, why? It's so not fair) (Yuri - like beauty without the b)

Ellen

Have you seen “Drops of God”? If so/even if not, does one learn the flavors/scents/notes from experiencing each flavor or scent independently, one at a time, or do you learn to taste/smell them through tasting wine and sussing them out?

Skype a Scientist

Omg everyone already asked this but I also want to know why it gives me a dang headache

Drtymgrty

How is the wine industry being affected by the spotted lanternfly? They are now in much of Virginia's wine country, and much of the region, and they love grape vines.

Jen A.

Yes! Was going to ask this. Some call this the 'Asian Flush' but non Asians get it too. My friend turns bright pink with some wines and not others. What gives?

Megan Lynch

Most old guard wine consumers are very attached to traditions and status. But climate change is not just shifting regions a certain varietal can grow in, but also shifting how that varietal may taste, pests are increasing and shifting their ranges...we can breed new cultivars using drought- and flood-tolerant wild species and backcrossing, but how do you propose you can get the wine consumers to be open to accepting that?

Chris Curious

Why aren't wines made from other fruit more common?

Leanna Shuster

I would love to hear their thoughts about how the "terroir" (soil and microclimate where the grapes are grown) affects the chemistry of the grapes and eventually the flavor of the wine. Like what's actually going on in terms of production of different chemical components and is it understood why terroir affects this?

Josh Waldman

How come we as a society can go to space but we can only grow wine grapes in very specific areas? Are there wines out there that come from colder/hotter/wetter climates ?

Piper Warnick

Are wine grapes tasty for eating? Someone told me this evening part of the difference between those and table grapes is that table grapes have a tougher skin so they travel better.

Eating dog hair for a living

Why do fermented fruits make you loopy? What is the change in the fruit that makes it ferment? How many changes does the fruit have to go through to finally become wine? What makes some wines taste so dry? And why does it seem like the stronger the wine the drier it tastes? What makes a person an authority on pairing wine with food? Isn't just an opinion anyway? How do they get wine into cheese? How was wine discovered? Who bottled the first?

Piper Warnick

How much of the difference between red wine and white wine is whether the grape was green or red versus having the skin removed?

ValBeListening

As someone who is vegetarian and has seen wines labeled as vegan while others are not, how is wine not inherently vegan?

Leanna Shuster

How does the chemistry of the wine change as it's aged and how/why does this affect flavor?

Josh Waldman

Why hasn’t home winemaking caught on in the same way that home beer brewing has?

Leanna Shuster

Random question, but have the ologists ever played the board game Viticulture? And if so, what are their opinions on how it represents the wine making process?

Dave Brewer

Can an experienced winemaker taste the juice before fermentation and know what it will taste like after?

Mike Campbell

There’s a magnetic ring that you put around the neck of a wine bottle that supposedly enhances the flavor as you pour it, especially for lower quality wines. That’s B.S., right?

Piper Warnick

Are champagne grapes actually used for making champagne? Or is it just that they're sweet and cute and so are associated with bubbly? Also how many different kinds of sparkling wine are there? What makes brute and prosecco specific?

Dave Brewer

What happens when wine is aged in barrels vs in other materials (like stainless steel)?

Dave Brewer

What’s the oldest still-drinkable wine that you are aware of?

Josh Waldman

Also as a teetotaler I’m wondering if non alcoholic wine is a big thing? And if they’re uhhhh any good?

Alannah Wood

Went to Chile beginning of the year and discovered Carmanere wine, was amazing! Would.love to hear more about this variety as I know it went extinct and was thought lost for like 100 years! Also love to hear about mead as well!

Lauren N.

Weirdest thing you’ve smelled or licked to get a tasting note reference?

Seán Thomas Kane

How is climate change impacting wine regions? Are there any new places that previously were too cold to grow grapes that are becoming notable for their wines?

Dave Brewer

How do the plants that are planted by grape vines help? And do they affect the flavor of the finished product?

Josh Waldman

My fiancée wants to know what good cheap wines are out there? And also your thoughts on boxed wine?

Greg Walloch

Is it true if you spill red wine, white will get out the stain?

Lauren N.

As a follow-up, has anyone ever done something like isotope tracing to see what exactly the vines pick up from the soil and deliver to the grapes? Can we explain how wine grown in limestone has a different flavor than wine grown in schist?

Storm

Why is it that red wine is a winter drink and white is better for summer?

Storm

What’s the best wines to get started with if your young and want to try it?!

Lauren N.

What wine were you most excited to drink?

Storm

what is the best wine making region in your opinion? (i have to say that margaret river in Western Australia is pretty good 😌)

Storm

What makes a wine good for aging?

Storm

Do you consider cider to be a version of wine?

Kristen Rosenblum

Noble rot or botrytis- do the grapes have to be inoculated to produce sweeter wines like gewürztraminer? What process is taking place to create the sweet taste? How will climate change affect these traditionally sweeter wines? What old vine clones are used in the United States and what is the story behind old vine clones? What is Orange Wine?!?

M.P., PhD

I’m a sucker for the art on contemporary wine labels but I’ve seen sommeliers scoff at them in favor of “old world” labels. Is there a difference?

James Jakes

What's the deal with sulfites? Do they make hangovers worse? Can we really remove them?

Amanda

What determines the price of a bottle of wine?

Kayla Meyer

how does wine aging work?? like usually aged/old food & drink go moldy and/or inedible after a while, so how does this differ for wine?

Amanda

How much wine is good for your health?

Logan Muller

is sweet wine good wine? i feel like whenever i say i like my wine sweeter people say it’s not good wine. also why does wine make my face red & blotchy but not other alcohols, i don’t think i’m allergic but is there another reason why this happens?

Amanda

How much did the lanternflies actually impact the wine industry?

Kelly Slate

Do you think we’ll ever have “fake” wines, flavored on a molecular level to match famous vintages? Do we know what compounds provide what notes?

Kayla Meyer

follow up question: when wine stomping, are spiders & bugs encountered upon like cranberry wading (or whatever that’s called i forgot haha)

the ren you know

Ok but for real... tannins... why does anything drier that a Moscato taste like gasoline??

Carley Cross

How many different types of wine are there? Can horticulturalists splice different grapes together to make new ones? Why does air have such an effect on the taste even after a short time?

Dave Miller, PhD

we have enjoyed a number of wines across price points that have screw tops…is it time to retire the cork and foil cap?

Jennifer Froh

Its me. Does anyone actually LIKE dry wine??

J Shay

Hello, wine label maker and wine enthusiast here. I work with a broker who regularly has wine label emergencies or drop dead dates for bottling that are missed due to copy approval deadlines being missed. Despite having a great relationship with this broker I don't feel like I've ever gotten an answer other than "that's the business" and it makes zero sense to me. I've been doing this for ten years and know which customers won't be able to approve their labels by their supposed drop dead date. How does this happen? Or how do wineries suddenly realize they need labels three days before bottling? And what's the actual cost of bottling shiners if you miss a bottling date? And oh man, I could probably host an entire podcast of my own about wine labels 🙈

Catherine

(first time question asker) Why does some wine make me SO stuffy? Sulfites??

Lauren N.

Egg whites and isinglass (fish guts) can be used as filtration media.

the ren you know

The first time I tried red wine I literally thought my roommate was pranking me...

Jennifer Froh

Does anyone actually enjoy dry wine?? Like for real enjoy? I can only handle realy sweet but thats ""not a good wine"".

Christina Craft

Complexity of wine. What is it I am attempting to identify when tasting wine?

Toni Carlton

Why do some wines make my jaw hurt? Like a sharp poke or pinch.

Lauren N.

Their bottles are gorgeous! Especially the Lady of Sunshine embroidered ones!

Tall Floating Dog

Why are men studying to be sommeliers such pricks

Lauren N.

What are you doing to combat/prevent smoke taint in your grapes? What can tainted grapes be used for (I’ve seen them used for vermouth, not sure about other uses)?

redtoque

ok so we know red wine and we know white wine but can you explain? orange wine? golden wine? silver wine? green wine? when did they start coming up with different wines? and why? also what is a pet nat? is that one of the colors or just something different altogether? ps- do you think they'll come up with more "types" of wine? blue? turquoise? rainbow?!?!?

Dylan V

Does foot stomping introduce yeast that ferment the wine? Do french people have really good yeasty feetsies?

Lindsey Bartholomew

How long can wine stay good opened in the fridge? And PLEASE—what are the differences between all the different types of wines? There are so many that it overwhelms me.

Linlin Huang

What’s the difference between a fortified wine like port or vermouth from your regular wine?

redtoque

do cute wine labels actually help wines generate better sales? according to my sample size of one, this is 10/10 true

Linlin Huang

Why do I get more Asian glow with wine than I do with some hard liquor like mezcal?

Audrey Hudak

Is wine vegan? Its just grapes right? Why is some wine labeled "vegan?"

Sienna

These days I can't get through a glass of wine without getting a headache. Can you explain why we get wine headaches and if there is a type of wine that is better or worse for this?

Sienna

Lol yes, I buy wine based on the label. Bird labels always win

Audrey Hudak

Breathing... Decanters... What wines should "breathe" and be put in a decanter? And why does this matter?

Striving to thrive

Are the things i see being sold and described as "Histamine and Sulfite Filter, Purifier Alleviates Wine Allergies" real or just fake?

Nathanna

What’s the deal with the history behind psychedelic wine? Why does old wine always have drugs in it besides alcohol and why did we stop?

winn

FTQA why does all wine taste kinda the same to me? People describe wines with all these really specific characteristics and i just can’t imagine what it’s like to be that good at tasting things!

J Shay

Or, maybe not relevant to your ologists, how does a winery "find more juice" and suddenly need more labels? Not sure if any of this is relevant to what they do but what comes to mind when I hear winemaker.

winn

FTQA how do i get out red wine stains?

Eil Be Gone

How can I find a good tasting wine on a budget. Any pointers when headed to the store?

Catherine BH

Why does tartaric acid form and how in the world did people decide to use it in baked goods? (I may make a batch of snickerdoodles and enjoy with a glass of wine while listening to this episode when it airs!)

amanda kamlet

How do they come up with identifiers for flavors. I saw a sommelier say a wine tasted like “cat pee”… and why should that encourage me to drink it!

Eric Bloomer

What’s the best way to store at home? Red, white, champagne? Will it really turn to vinegar?

Francesca Huggins

Be honest- you can’t really pick up notes of “banana” “pencil shavings” or “cigar box”

Ry_ofthetiger

What’s more important to the overall flavor and feel of the wine? Grape or yeast? Fruit or fungus?

Ry_ofthetiger

What does it mean when a wine tastes “provincial”?

Carleen DH

I grew up in Sonoma County, CA. What makes that region of California so great for wine and how does a region like that become a tourist destination for wine tasting?

Hannah Thorpe

Why does wine sometimes give me a stuffy nose? Does that mean I'm allergic?

Penny Loader

How do you pronounce 'terroir' please?!

Leanna Shuster

Oooh, yes isotope tracing studies would be fascinating! My husband and I once did a wine blending workshop of sorts at a small winery in the Napa valley that specialized in cabernets. They grew the same type of grape, picked at the same level of sugar content, in each of the recognized microclimates of the napa valley. We were able to go around this room that had tapped barrels of each of the different Cabernet variants, with a little display that showed a soil sample and a little bit of info about where it was grown. These Cabernets tasted wildly different from each other. It was really a fascinating morning!

Penny Loader

Oh and also! Thoughts on the iconic wine episode from Black Books?

Riley M

What is the biggest wine consumer gimmick you see on the market right now?

The Other Maya

Brass tacks: is there any way to explore and enjoy wine without infiltrating some kind of scene? Follow up question: is there a reason other than "their economy works" that fucking amazing wine is so cheap in France and even though I'm in Portland I'm paying twice as much for comparable wines? Even the French and Italian imports are cheaper than similar Oregon wines. But mostly why is this so clandestine here in the States? Why do you have to know something or know a guy or get on a list? What am I missing? How do I be more French? Or, in a nutshell: why is it so hard here and it's not even a thing over there?

Sarah Greene

I swear this is a 100% earnest question: What qualifies something as *wine* and not just… fermented juice?

Hannah Gorrie

Piggybacking on this - how has marketing changed over time to appeal to younger audiences? Are the wines with adorable labels worse than traditional labels?

Hannah Gorrie

This question is horrifying and yet I want to know the answer

Hannah Gorrie

Why is wine stored in corked bottles? Is this really the height of technology, or is it more about tradition or cost?

Ashlyn Jaeger

FTQA: Why does it seems like some wines cause more of a headache than others? Any advice for a headache-prone wine lover? Also, so many questions about canned wine--does the process of making the wine to be canned differ from the process for bottled wine? Can it be as good as bottled wine? Is the idea that bottled wine is better just wine snob flimflam or are there facts to back it up?

Violet Sarah

Why do wines in Italy not give me a headache vs wines in America give me a headache?

Hannah Gorrie

Such a good question! Bc we consider other fruits to be wines - blueberry, blackberry, strawberry - why not apples??

Hannah Gorrie

What is the ratio of grape growers to wine makers? Do most wine makers grow their own grapes or are there fewer grape growers that supply to vitners?

Matt Thompson

Are non-grape (e.g. strawberry) wines still "real" wines?

Coyote21

Not actually a question about wine, and maybe its been asked many (many many?) times before, but I'm currently making my way through the entire ologies back catalogue, (currently still back at Rhinology - June 2018, and consuming about 2 episodes a day on my commute)..... Anyway, my question is this: When I finish listening to every episode of ologies, do I become an ologiesoligist?

Jean Pompeo

I've got a couple of questions: How truly important is the type of grape in the quality of the wine? Are the yeast species more important? Is there an optimal skin to flesh ratio for grapes? Is it healthier for you to drink locally made natural wines? Can muscadine grapes or any other species of grape that is not a european bunch grape make high quality wine?

Sand

It’s enough that it’s delicious, but is wine good for you? and is it good for your pets? I read something about a red glass of wine for a person and an eyedropper full for a cat/dog being part of the key to long life.

Hannah b

Rephrasing my question! How much do we know about the history of wine and wine making in different cultures and parts of the world? Like why do alcoholic beverages show up in every culture and history? How did we figure out how to make wine and get drunk!

Sand

I’m guessing you may need to defend your doctorate in a panel of pod dad and mom

Linda

What is their favorite part of winemaking? Blending at the end? Fermentaion in the middle? Or are they more into looking at the way the grapes are are farmed and checking the vines? Tell us a story of an all nighter or crazy harvest schedule.

Felipe Jimenez

Chilean here!!! Please explain the story of how Carmenere was rediscovered in Chile after it was swiped from Europe by a fungi! I am not sure if it’s a myth or real!!

Mark McPhillips

Coming from a wine-drinking family, I'm so ready for the episode. Q1 What are sulphites and should I care if my wine contains them? Q2 I want to understand tasting notes better but I can tell usually is "this is a white and I like it", "this is a white and tastes like vinegar". How can we hone our taste buds better? Q3 What makes wine made from the same grape variety (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc) taste different depending on if it's from France, Chile, New Zealand or elsewhere

Heather E. Coffey

What are their thoughts about the trend towards non-alcoholic wine?

Cameron

FTQA: Why do some wines taste terrible with food but great alone and vice versa?

Kristen Rosenblum

Also- can you speak about how Zinfandel became so popular as an American varietal? I’d like to thank my father, Kent Rosenblum, for my knowledge about Zins :)

Iris Clover

Are there any health benefits to wine?

Allison Holloway

Some wine is made with fish scales (isinglass), eggs, gelatin, BLOOD, and therefore not vegan! But this is related to my question, which is: Why are non vegan wines still being made?

Mallory Avery

What is the origin of wine being considered a girly drink while beer is a masculine drink?

KirjoM

What is the rarest wine?

Lee L

How is Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe’s even possible? Doesn’t it cost more than that to just bottle and ship the wine?

Allison Holloway

Not precisely a question, but I hope they/you speak to wine trends over time! Comments above indicate that dry wine is the only acceptable kind currently, but when I was young dessert/sweet wine (i.e. Riesling) was very popular!

Odd Octopus

FTQA - some wines (like mentioned by others) give me a headache. I am not meaning after a glass or partying all night - i mean THE FIRST sip. Obviously I put it down right away but cry me a river - I love wine and different kinds. And buying a bottle and having to chunk it after a sip - even cheap wine is expensive at $10 a sip but typically I am fond of much more expensive wine … 20 dollar a sip? 30 dollar a sip? I was told by someone in the industry to take a Benadryl before drinking and that will help (the recommendation seemed to be away to knock me out with in minutes - Benadryl + Wine! But I tried it, I didn’t sleep and I still got a head ache. What’s up?! What can I do? I want to go back to taste testing all my scrumptious wines without fear of a triggered migraine with one sip …. I just realized how my name appears - while I love going by Odd Octopus I’m also known as Jennifer Zimmermann

The Farming Linguist

What is the strongest deciding factor of a good quality wine - the grapes or the method of production?

Nick A

I see other people drink wine and genuinely enjoy it. I haven't found any wine I like. What makes people like wine and why didn't it work for me (even as I've gotten older)? I mean it's probably similar to my friends who can't stand coffee.

Reuben Eadon

What is the earliest example of humanity getting totally smashed from fermented berries and grapes?

The Other Maya

I had some really amazing rosé gin made from grapes ruined in the 2020 fires. Also. Get ready for a gasp: wine made with smoke tainted grapes. It was actually really enjoyable. Recommend pairing was BBQ which got a solid lol from me. Thank you for asking this because I also want to know: if the point of wine philosophically is to capture a season, a geology, a climate, a time in a bottle, then why not make smoky wine?

Ryan Holaday

What’s the deal with terroire? How does it make things taste different from one another?

Ryan Holaday

I used to hate red wine, but the key is to find a good “gateway” wine/grape/blend. Pinot noire is a good gateway red. Rosé for me was the gateway to white wine, ironically.

Chrissi

FTQA with a couple questions: How well do the „vacuum pump“-type bottle tops work? With the idea to remove the oxygen from the bottle to then keep the open wine bottle fresh longer Is there a difference in how long different wines last after opening? How should wine be stored and if my mum finds an old originally expensive bottle that was just forgotten in the back of a some cabinet for decades.. is it gonna be good?

Björn Fredberg

What part does the storage play in the wine production? Does storing it longer on bottles really make it better? A little while ago a sunken ship from the 17th century was found out the coast of Sweden with wine bottles in the cargo, apparently excellent from the cool even storage at the bottom.

Euan Munro

Please give a not-smart overview of terror 🙏

Caro Young

Oh my favourite topic! Maybe a very basic question, what makes a great wine? How is it judged? And what makes a horrible wine?

Caro Young

I think a few people have asked this - why have I started getting really bad migraines from red wines? I used to be able to tolerate them fine and now I can’t even look at a glass of red which makes me very sad

Caro Young

Can they please share their opinion on organic and preservative free wine? It seems to be all the rage now but is it just a fad?

Bee

How the heck did they even figure out wine and how it worked?

Caro Young

Will climate change have an impact on winemaking and the quality of the wine?

Jadine Lannon

Okay does more expensive wine actually taste better?

Rosario Neyra

Are there good alcohol-free wines you could recommend? I find they just taste like a slightly more fun grape juice, but don't approximate wine in the way that alcohol-free beers do.

TC

Can wine be grown anywhere? That is to say; there are wines from California and New York but are there wines from Florida? Or Texas? Also, where does toasting come from?

DeWaine Tollefsrud

Is it possible for a person with an “unsophisticated” wine palette (such as myself) to experience the near orgasmic pleasures some wine sophisticates say they experience without the educational foreplay?

Neen

eeeeeeeeeeee my mom worked on a wine farm- what classifies as wine? why can't they add flavours? is it still wine if you mix it with something else? how does the time spent on the vine impact the sugar in the wine? wine ethics of workers - SOME PEOPLE USED TO BE PAID IN WINE TO HARVEST GRAPES

Neen

How do they regulate wine? Does wine get you drunk quicker? What to drink with which food? Is rose just red and white wine mixed?

Neen

who decides which wines get to be expensive? Are there major differences? Which wines can be aged?

Neen

different wines get different bottles depending on if they need uv protection!

Neen

are the tasting notes accurate or do you taste them because you read/ heard them

Neen

different types of wine exist, like in turkey they have pine wine :)

Neen

Refer to "Dop System" for reading :)

Neen

It was only outlawed in 2003

Danielle Sucher

How much room is there for creativity in making wine? Is it more about optimizing quality given each year's environmental conditions as best you can, or is there opportunity for innovation?

Heather Leonard

Florida has Muscadine grape wine, which is the native grape that grows here. But there’s also Concord grape and other fruit wines made here.

Heather Leonard

I’ve heard beer was invented before wine, but were grapes the first fruit used to make wine? Can you ask about the history of it? Does aging it actually make it taste better? Which came first, wine or vinegar? Did ancient people water down their wine? Is there a biochemical reason to drink certain types of wine at certain temperatures? Are wine, beer, and bread yeast all the same species? Is the color of wine real or do they add something to make it look that way? Sometimes it looks a bit purple or magenta.

Megan Ramirez

A few people may have asked this already, but why do some people (like me) get really ill from even just a few sips of red wine?

Hannah Flood

What is regarded as the best soil in the world to grow grapes for wine? Is terroire real? Does soil make wine taste differently?

Nicole Kleinman

I’ve never had wine before, what’s the best one to try for beginners?

Nicole Kleinman

Do people still stomp on grapes to make wine? How was that tradition started?

Kim G

When I order wine at a fancy restaurant and they first pour a little trickle of wine into my glass first, what am I really supposed to be doing with that besides taking a sip and nodding? Am I supposed to be performing some sort of test on it with my taste buds? Would there ever be a reason I should say “That’s no good, take it back”?

Bridget Wall

Why is it so good? What are the health benefits? Do you know of any good hangover curers for when you’ve overdone it? What is your favourite wine?

Anna Dylan

What makes a wine region good for making wine?

Allison Keane

How do you manage the stress of the unpredictability and lack of control (weather, pests, fungi, etc) that comes with agricultural endeavors? As a couple, do you feel it has an impact on your relationship?

Caro Young

How does wine judging work? What are the categories and criteria?

Emily Staw-fur

How do wine pairings work? What do you look for in a food to decide what wine goes with it? And how did cheese become a classic pairing for a lot of wines?

Emily Staw-fur

In college, the only one I could get down was barefoot Pink Moscato, But now Chardonnay is my go-to. What happened to my taste buds?

Chrysalis Ashton

Is a glass of wine a day really good for your health? (Please say yes)

Emily Staw-fur

Are the expensive wines actually worth it? Or is there a price point where there isn't much of a difference for the average wine drinker?

codolod

Can't remember if I'm a first time question asker, but I definitely am not a first time wine thinker. How can I train myself to taste the "notes of berry" and stuff like that? What do the arbitrary descriptions of wine, such as "dry" (mate, it's liquid. It's literally wet?) and "fruity" etc mean? I tried a wine and crisp pairing night once (chips to u mericans). Great fun 100% would recommend.

Olga Kolesnikova

Are there any other wine colours aside from red, white and rosé?

Emily Staw-fur

What is the proper way to hold a wine glass? By the stem? By the bottom of the cup part?

Emily Staw-fur

Why are some wines refrigerated and others served room temperature?

Jackie Wydra

Do you know of any low or non alcoholic wines that are actually halfway decent and not just full of sugar?

Emma Brown

Does wine really taste different because of the lunar calendar (fruit days & root days)?

Marc Rubin

I've heard that wine does better when it's stored in a plastic bag within a box. Is this true? If so, why haven't winemakers adapted to put all wine in boxes and not bottles? Is it because wine drinkers are pretentious a-holes? Also, please do an episode on veterinary gerontology with Dr Ashley Portmann of Home Together Vet!! https://www.instagram.com/p/CFw9iEEljSr/?igsh=YWtoc3luN3A5YXBp

Sam

Why do I like cheap wine best??

Rachel M

First time question asker! How does ice wine work? I know they harvest the grapes at night in the frigid cold winter, but how does that create the sweet, syrupy taste of ice wine?

Tracie Weiss

Why does red wine give me a rash on my chest, neck and face, but rose and white do not?

cameliabee

Why does petite sirah my my tongue feel like it's wearing a wool sock?

cameliabee

How different is the wine from today from say, Egypt's time?

Aurelia Ven

FTQA :) What is the chemistry behind making wine, especially any modern technologies. Some alcoholic drinks including spirits, beers and wines can cause a sort of allergic reaction of a stuffy/runny nose and blocked sinuses. I haven't been able to find any rhyme or reason to what could be the cause of this and am curious if there is something in the processes of drink making that is a common allergen across different kinds of drinks.

Harper Atlas

Yeah! Why DOES it do this?? (to me also)

Daniel Opdahl

Why are grapes historically and contemporarily the most commonly used fruit for wine?

Cynthia Cohen

I am not a sophisticated wine drinker, but I strongly prefer red to white, and I’ve never liked Cabernet Sauvignon. Why is Cab the default red wine served at every event? Is it cheaper for the host, or do most people actually like it?

Jennifer R.

Why are some wine-making regions more prestigious or better than others? Is it just momentum or longevity? Soil chemistry? Or do wine-making regions in places like, say, Colorado (where I live) make good wines too?

Elizabeth Becker

I've heard of wines being found that are 100 years old or older. Is it even safe to drink those? How can you tell?

ZZ Plant

Why does mid-price wine taste better than expensive wine? Or do I just have unsophisticated tastebuds lol

ZZ Plant

Please tell me how to choose a bottle of wine at the store! I’m currently picking by price and label which is a real crab shoot😅

Magsaroni

Is there some chemical or physical difference between the wines that win competitions vs. the cheap wines, or is it all subjective? What is a rosé? What are sulfites, and how is wine different without them? Are sulfites really the reason for 'wine headaches'?

Laura Atkins

How do I keep my wine from turning into vinegar? Do any of those fancy gadgets actually help or do I just need to drink it faster?

Shannon O'Grady

Why do our pallets take time to adjust to wine? I couldn’t stand wine when I was younger but now I love it.

Shannon O'Grady

Are the expensive bottles of wine really that different because they don’t taste it….

Lisa Gorman

If you buy an inexpensive wine and forget about it for years in a cabinet, is it better when you go to drink it because it's more aged? Or is it unchanged or worse than when you initially bought it?

Lisa Gorman

Are people who can taste things like "hints of apple" or other subtle flavors making this up, or is there consistency among wine tasters in what they say they taste if they are given the same wine blindly? Also, does your taste bud number (supertaster vs. average vs. non-taster) affect whether you can accurately pick those things up?

Pacheecha

So many questions! How often do winemakers add flavors and how common is that in the wine industry? Is high end wine mostly just an elitist game? I've read studies that upon blind tastings, even a lot of seasoned sommeliers often prefer less expensive wines and don't know the difference between varietals. Also, i used to drink and grew to love pairing wine with food, but no longer like alcohol. Is anyone near developing NA wines which don't taste terrible or too sweet? And what is with tannins? Do people actually really like them?

Sarah Meaden

This. My hometown is exploding with the number of vineyards and "great terroir" but it's also an arid desert so climate change will be a very real factor in the next decade.

Kiah

What is the process to decide what you want your finished product to be like? Like choosing a red wine process vs while for a red whine grape? Or mixing different grapes to make a new wine? It is so cool you can make something no one else ever has.

rowantree

Can you tell us about the different colors in wine and how the different grapes and aging processes impact color?

Sarah Meaden

Other than a bottle of wine - what's a really good present I can get my wine loving dad?He's so hard to buy for!

Amber Dickerson

Where do things stand as far as if a glass of wine on a daily basis is healthy? If the wine is organic, does that increase the amount you can consume?

Travis ZenMasterOm

We all joke about knowing how cheap a wine is because it has (gasp!) a screw top. However, I have read several food scientists types say that from a science standpoint, screw tops actually preserve wine better than cork. Can you clear this up once and for all?

Orrin Stanforth

Red with meat? White with chicken & fish? What? Why? Also, why is cool bottles and fun labels not the right way to find a wine I like, and what can I do if I don't know what I'm doing?

Jessi B

Is chewy and jammy the same thing?

Adrien WikiSleep Sala

Love this one! I read some time ago that when the Spanish were colonizing the coast of Mexico they had several vineyards installed but they were removed because the fuddy duddy King of Spain couldn't control the tax on them. Is that true? And would Mexico be a nice arid place to grow wine grapes? Also, I know you didn't ask, but my favourite non-traditional wine pairing: A nice crisp rosé with a grilled cheese sandwich...

Elaine Lamirande

Corks vs screw caps - which is better for the wine? which is better for the enviroment?

Elaine Lamirande

non-alcoholic wines - are there any good ones? I've tried some during dry January and they are meh at best.

Clare P

First time question asker! Red wine gives me the worst headaches - what is happening?? Why does it hate me & is there a simple way to avoid the red wine wrath (while still getting to enjoy it)??

Alia Myers

Does wine technically have to be made from grapes?

Alia Myers

Is there a difference between corks + twist tops for how the wine ages or is preserved?

Alia Myers

Ive heard the colour and shape of a wine bottle has an impact on the aging and flavour of the wine... How does that work?

Alia Myers

How do you know its going to be a good wine year in certain regions?

Tyler Bates

What kind of education do you need to work in a Wine Lab? Would a Medical Lab Scientist type of thing be enough?

cameliabee

Will corks ever go away or is there too much snobbery about screw tops?

Gregory Darden

Has wine been nailed down into categories that now companies look to mimic with blends like a commodity?

Kat Angeles

What are the different "additives" that winemakers can (legally) add to their wines? And why are wine producers not required to name these additives on the bottle label?

Kat Angeles

I've read things about the long-term effects of non-organic pesticides and such on the vignerons and their families. How can we as consumers use our influence to help bring an end to-or help minimize- these "consequences of the job"?

Kat Angeles

Is there any science behind biodynamic farming and its supposed effects on the grapes? Cow poop in a horn anybody?

Em McG

What are your feelings on kalimotxo or spritzers?

Em McG

How can a winery produce consistent flavors for a certain wine year after year even though the weather or terroir could change?

Kat Angeles

Considering all of the time and effort that goes into getting a bare vine stump to produce quality grapes to getting those grapes into a bottle to getting that fermented juice into your glass, why do consumers expect a bottle of wine to cost no more than $12-20?

Carlos Berrocal

What are biodynamic wines? Are they how wine was made 100 years ago? And on the same note, how much different was wine 1,000 years ago?

Kat Angeles

What is it about these French grape varieties that makes it so that the vast majority of grapes grown all over the world (and wine produced) is from these French varieties?

Kat Angeles

Why do so many people find wine so intimidating?

Kat Angeles

What causes a wine to be "hazy" and are there any benefits or drawbacks to the haziness?

Gaia Hutcheson

Is "wine drunk" different from other kinds of drunk, and if so, why?

Natasha Stroebl

Please share your thoughts on the perception that wine drinkers are socially elite. Does this elitism transcend different countries and eras? Are 'budget wines' marketed differently compared to those aimed at 'wine snobs'? Thank you! - FTQA

Toni Spumoni

I love wine- and I don't know almost anything about wine. SO my Q is- how many varieties of wine are there now (roughly) versus how many were there say; a hundred years ago. Why do we keep making new ones? I feel like the tried and true seem to always come out on top.

Kat Angeles

My theory (apart from price point, but hey there are pricey beers too!) is that most wine sold today is "French" at least in name and nothing makes a non-French speaker sweat more than trying to order a "Mourvedre, Languedoc-Roussillon." Would love to hear expert thoughts on it though!

Natasha Stroebl

Sulfites: What are they, why are they in my wine, and how common are sulfite sensitivities or allergies? Does limiting added sulfites make a wine 'natural,' and is there a correlation between a wine's country of origin and sulfite content? Thanks! -FTQA

Mark Calonico

Is there a way to make tasty wine without alcohol?

Breanna Segovia

Can you talk about what it means for a wine to "open up" and why they can taste SO different after letting it breathe for a bit. (At least in my experience)

Hope

is dry or sweet wine grape dependent or process dependent? can you use the same grapes to make different wines?

Hope

i’ e read that historically wine was drank a lot because it was safer than the water, what would be the estimated alcohol content of that wine and was the process to make it still similar to what’s used today?

Edda Rós

Why do certain red wines trigger my mint allergies?

Thedorknextdoor

I’m not the biggest wine drinker, but I’ve always been interested by the concept of letting certain wines “breathe” before enjoying them. Should all wines breathe before consumption, or just certain kinds?

Erik Pohanka

How do they make different styles of wine?

Sydney Koenig

How does wine (a liquid) taste dry?? What is happening there??

Mike

Is there any progress being made on eliminating wine components that wake a person up in the middle of the night? I hear they're called congeners but that's kind of a non-answer name. Or ones that give headaches (non sulfites)?

Hope J 🏳️‍🌈

Do some people have the taste buds for wine and some do not? To me wine tastes sweet like cough syrup or is bitter and gives me literal shivers. I just stick with hard cider for my choice of alcohol. Is there a reason why some people don’t like the taste of wine? What’s the weirdest or most unexpected fruit/plant that has been turned into wine?

Miranda Panda

What is the difference between wines at different cost levels? Super cheap vs moderately priced vs holy heck why is it that expensive?

Miranda Panda

😲 wow that's fascinating! I hope they have an answer to this!

Miranda Panda

What makes wine yeast different than other yeasts?

Hazel

What’s the shortest time you can ferment juice for it to turn into wine? And what’s the weirdest fruit or vegetable that has been turned into wine?

Miranda Panda

Can either of you tell the difference in where grapes were grown/where the wine was made purely off of a blind taste test? Same question but for cost as well.

Miranda Panda

Have you tried muscadine wine? I grew up in the region of NC where muscadines grow and I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it!

Miranda Panda

Can you still call wine wine if it's made from other fruits?

Caro Young

Corks vs screwtops? In Australia corks have been completely phased out I think (I haven’t seen an Australian wine with a cork in ages) and the claim is screwtops are just as good as corks even when the wine has to be stored. Is that true? And why did I spent half my twenties trying to push cork into bottlenecks for lack of a corkscrew?

Caro Young

How has the taste of wine evolved over time? Did it use to be sweeter/dryer?

Alyssa McElroy

First time question asker! How to I hone my skills of tasting all of the nuances in wines? Every time I’m asked what I like in a wine, I am not confident about the words I use to describe. Full bodied? Tannins? Mineral?

Addie Cappello she her

Who first decided that fermenting grapes to drink was a good idea? It's like "ooh these grapes are deliciously sweet - let's let them fester in their own juices until they're going bad and then make it into a drink that we need to acquire a taste to try and enjoy..." I am always FASCINATED at the weird things humans do. Please make it make sense. Thank you!!

Tamera Tennant

First time question asker. Why does wine hate me the older I get?

Addie Cappello she her

What is your feeling on mixing wine with soda? My Italian side of the family does red wine and coke or white wine and cream soda. Cultural thing? My family's weird thing? Does even knowing people would do this make you cringe? I am not a "wine snob" (as one of my cousins puts it) so I enjoy it but I know wine purists who have been like, WTF?

Addie Cappello she her

Probably would benefit cork trees, but I have a cool bat wine corker that I'd have to find another use for it we go screw-top only... interested to hear more on this!!

Addie Cappello she her

I think choosing a wine for the label and bottle is 100% acceptable because 1. it's more fun and 2. then you get to use it as a candle holder when it's empty and no one wants a boring bottle for that.

Addie Cappello she her

Hope they can answer this... because me favorite wines are always the cheaper ones.

Katie Bauer

Why aren’t wine producers required to label the bottle with any added ingredients, such as sugar?

Katie Bauer

Why do different varietals have different flavor and mouthfeel?

Tom Boodry

Do the sulfites have any impact on getting a hangover? Or is it just that just flim flam?

Justina Vasiliauskas

Do filters such as ullo work at removing sulfite preservatives; and therefore help prevent headaches/hangovers?

Zoe

I'm curious to know if it's really the sulfites in white wine that makes me so, so sick? Or is it all mental and can I get over it?

Hester Dingle

Is boxed/bagged wine blasphemy? How has technology changed the wine industry? Has one change really changed the game (e.g screw tops vs corks)? What makes a good wine and does price points increase with quality? Also why are wines from Lodi, CA just so so good?

Erin White

Is there any real reason for a wine to be prohibitively expensive? I want to maek sure everyone gets paid for the work they do, but what's the justification for hundred-plus dollar bottles of wine beyond gatekeeping the peasants? Or is it just to keep us riff-raff swigging Arbor Mist?

slam whitey

Will climate change mean that famous wine producing areas (that have geographical indications like champagne and Bordeaux) will have to move into new areas to continue making the same wine?

Tristin Berg

As much as I love wine, I’ve always been curious about how sustainable it is? How does rotating the soil in the vineyards work? The bottle production? Etc? I know there are plenty of things with a much bigger environmental footprint, but I’d like to know where worldwide wine production falls on the list.

Ani Gee

First time question asker! 🙃🙂I have a couple questions, I'm vegan and I've heard that there's someone that isn't vegan what is it that makes it not vegan and why do they have to use what they use. I know I looked it up once but now I can't remember lol Also, is it difficult to make wine at home?

GGknows

Besides the aesthetic value associated with retail, why would you add a wax capsule to a bottle that is intended to be consumed within five-ish years of bottling?

GGknows

How much (what is the minimum) do you (the winery/producer) need to charge for a bottle of wine to have a sustainable business model?

GGknows

Syrah is wildly undervalued in the domestic market. How can we help make it a household name like Cabernet or Pinot?

GGknows

Outside of your products, obviously, what Syrah do you recommend people look for to get more familiar with the style and grape?

GGknows

“Natural wine” is not a defined term, how do you define it? Thoughts on natural wine, overall?

Miranda Garniss

First time question asker, how the fuck does terroir work?

Dawson Chandler

First time question asked: What is a good non-alcoholic wine? And how is it made to be non-alcoholic? What is the best way to avoid a wine hangover? What makes a bottle of wine "good" in the eyes of wine enthusiasts?

Yasmine Alu

What is the difference between natural, organic, biodynamic and ‘regular’ wines? Are any better than the others? Does the price of wine correlate to the quality?

Flozzatron

Is there a certain age when wines are no longer good to drink? How does one become a good wine taster, is it taste buds or just trying lots of different ones? Are there skills that one can get better at? Also the old saying 'beer then wine you'll be fine'.... but not the other way round? why does that happen in those orders?

Brian Scott

For a long time, I was uncomfortable drinking wine, I think because of a sulfite allergy. So, I started letting wine from newly opened bottles breathe for at least 10 minutes (to oxidize the sulfites). Swirl swirl swirl. Now, I have no trouble with wines. Is this a wine-drinking reality or is it psychosomatic?

Kayla Tozier

Are winemakers experimenting or developing new grape varietals?

Paige Belcher

Is there any way to enjoy/know wine and not sounds like a pompous know-it-all? (as a pompous know-it-all wine lover)

Sam Danielle

What is different about orange wine? Why is it so much rarer?

Sam Danielle

Alie, what is your favourite wine? To the lovely couple you're interviewing, what is an unexpected A+ wine and food pairing you've had?

Emmett

This may sound strange, but my question is: why should I care about wine? I have lived in wine country my whole life, my mom works in the industry, and I’ve never really understood why people care about it so much other than the fact that is runs the economy of my hometown and people use it to have a good time. My intention is not to offend our lovely ologists with my question, but rather to to trust in the power of Ologies to change my mind (Ciderology made me genuinely interested in alcohol for the first time in my 20 years of life), which is why I wanted to throw it out there! Thanks :)

David Villafranco

Who decide champagne has to come from champagne France and is it actually any better/different than sparkling wine?

Jasmine Liu

Can you make wine from any kind of grapes? What is it that gives me headaches? Tanins? Sulfites? Why does it happens so quickly sometimes, only the next day sometimes, or not at all? How do you avoid wine lip stains? Why doesn't anyone in Italy, France and Spain seem to have them when they're drinking wine all the time? (I realize that is an exaggeration but so am I)

Dad jokes crack me up

Why do I love it so much (except Chardonnay… ). Is reselling really the perfect wine? You can certainly find one to complement any meal.. is there wine we should not buy? (Thinking the equivalent of blood diamonds)

Katie Biardi

FTQA: What the heck is the difference between wine and wine vinegar? I know wine turns into vinegar when it goes bad, so is wine vinegar just old wine?

Stephanie Trout Berman

Soooo-I have taken a wine tasting course and learned so much....but I find myself buying the wine with the cutest labels....is that wrong ? Am I the ony person who does this??? *(Not "Wining"-just curious)!!

Ellen Durnal

Can you explain, for a person who barely tastes the difference between different wines, how to figure out what wine to pair with what food? I love hosting a good dinner party but it all tastes like "Dry" or "Not Dry" or "Red" or "White" to me

LittleMissParticular

Who in their awesome mind thought to use potassium bitartrate in cooking, how does this byproduct of grape fermentation work as a stabilizer, and how is it that everything, everywhere, is just so completely fascinating?

Renee K.

1. Why are sulfites bad for your health? 2. What are some notable compounds that influence wine flavor? Do they come from yeast? The grapes? The soil? 3. I am a big Malbec fan. Why is altitude important for Malbec grapes?

Madison Woofter

How do you know what kind of wine you like? I know there are a lot of different tasting notes but they're so different to coffee or beer.

Rachel M

It’s a super sweet wine that’s made with frozen grapes. I think it’s only made in Canada. They harvest the grapes at night in the winter. Explains why it’s so expensive, you’d have to pay me a lot to harvest grapes at night in -40 degree weather too!

Josephine Murdoch

First time question answer (I think): Climate change and wildfires have been increasingly impacting vineyard regions like California and Italy. Have wildfires affected these winemakers, and what are they doing to protect their grapes and stock? Also, wtf is "orange rosé"? (Had some last week, it was delicious, but what is it?!?!)

Mary Peticca

First time question asker!! What is the difference between a white wine glass and a red wine glass? I used to work at a home decor store, and we sold separate wine glasses depending on the type of wine. Does it make a difference in its taste? What about if the glass is stemmed vs stemless?

Mouse Paxton

Why is white wine so much sweeter than red wine? Is it just the grapes they use or are parts of the winemaking process different between the two? How do you develop a taste for wine? I really like wine but can't seem to pick out the different flavour or aromatic notes people mention. What classifies a drink as 'wine'? I always thought it was being made with just grapes or primarily grapes, but I've had wine made with just plums and have heard hard apple cider is considered a wine. Is a $90 bottle of wine really that much better than like a $12 bottle of wine? Why?

Miranda Ramirez

I've noticed I can handle hard liquor way better than wine. After 1 glass of wine, I'm already feeling it. Is there a scientific reason for that, or is that just me?

Alison Gussack

Ditto the Chardonnay. Who dreamed up that nastiness?

Alison Gussack

My husband cannot drink red wine anymore even though he prefers it. Is there a red wine that won’t cause headaches?

Dad jokes crack me up

Right??? And every winery says “but you haven’t tried OUR chard…”. Yes. Yes I have and I still don’t like the grape. Finally someone else who gets it!!

Alison Gussack

Is there a difference between cork and noncork stoppers? Long term aging process? Is cork just used as a tradition? Cost difference?

Alison Gussack

I really want to know if this is a widespread phenomenon but I don’t think I’m brave enough to try it🤢

Allie Nix

Why does “wine drunk” feel different that liquor or beer drunk?

Alison Gussack

What?!? Do they wake up to get more wine? I’ve never heard of this!

Tom Boodry

Is there any major differences between natural corks, synthetic corks and screw tops when it comes to storing wine?

Earl of Greymalkin

1) Why so much alcohol?? Ciders are usually about half of what wine gets to (so I can drink more). Are there styles of winemaking that keep the alcohol level down? 2) Why did grapes specifically get so popular for making alcohol anyway? Who figured this out first? How long have people been making or finding funky grape varieties? 3) What are people actually tasting when they can tell where a wine was grown/made? 4) What goes into sommelier training? Can anyone do it or do you have to be a 'supertaster'? 5) Does glass shape really matter? Are there actual rules for this? Is there a right way to hold the thing? (Do I care?...... no.) 6) How does wine quality control work? If you're a large producer and people expect consistency year to year, how achievable is that when the grapes can be affected by different conditions? How easy is it to monitor the development of wine as it is fermenting? Can you tell what it will be like in the future or is that always a bit of a surprise? 7) How is climate change changing wines? Will the grapes still grow in 10 years? 8) What microbes are people using? Do most people use specific cultures or do they usually wild ferment? Are there special proprietary microbes? Does winemaking corporate espionage ever extend to microbe heists? 9) Is there much demand for zero alcohol wines? How are these made?

Between Dumplings

As places warm and others get wetter, I know all sorts of agriculture faces change. Grapes being particularly sensitive to growing conditions, terroir, etc. what are the major shifts you see? Grapes growing in a region they would have never been able to before, for example? Are we doomed to the heat bombs like the old SHIRAAAZZZ from down under now that it's getting hotter every where? What grapes do you think are doomed?

Kailyn Joviak

What the hell are tannins and why do they taste so gross?

Keely Chavez

Hoping the guest can discuss what variables that contribute to when wines peak and when they trough in quality and drinkability.

Stacie Cobra

First time question asker. Is cooking wine different from drinking wine? Is there a different process in making it? Can you drink cooking wine, or will it taste weird?

Laura McLean

Seeing this from inside my winery’s cave in Coombsville, Napa Valley. Not a question, just SO EXCITED to see my beloved industry being tackled! Cheers! 🍷🍇

Anjali Himali

What makes wine wine? Is it the fermented grapes specifically? Or the process? What’s the difference between red and white wine?

6-1-49er-Joe

Hi! As someone who moved to the Midwest after 30 years in the Napa Valley, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the term “foxy” when it comes to the taste of wines made with native grapes like Catawba and Niagara. I know they’re generally sweeter wines but is there something more to it than that?

TheAmazingMissJ

(This is my only my second time asking but I love EVERY question so far!) Why are some wines, y'know, in a box. But some are like 5 bajilillion dollars. What's up with that? Is all wine better aged, or is that just a thing for "fancy" wines? And I know that "champagne" is only champagne if it's from Champagne, France, but are there any other "hometown" wines that have become a commonplace word substitute?

Hope Madeline

Who on earth decided the best way to squish grapes was with their feet and can they be tried for treason?

Between Dumplings

I wonder if there are older varietals that were not suited to cooler climates but might be better now? I hear of vines being ripped out and replaced by grapes more suited to hotter, drier vineyards.

Kat

And why are they someone's favorite part of drinking wine? Like me!

Mini Minnie

Not a question. The movie Wine Country. ❤️ Those women are my people.

Leah Eckstein

Squishing grapes with feet is just a joke, right?! … RIGHT?!

bizanthymum

Their feet are clean (we don’t want to introduce more yeast into the ferment than what’s intended), and ultimately the alcohol produced by the yeasts would kill anything that you might not want lick off of someone’s foot anyway. The wineries still practicing foot maceration are usually quite small, however, as it’s quite labor intensive — as I’m sure you can imagine.

bizanthymum

Tannins usually impart bitterness and that “drying” feeling in your mouth — so if you don’t like bitter flavors (found in tea, coffee, dark chocolate, the skin of fruit, etc.) then yeah, you might think they’re ‘gross’. To me, tannins are the key to my heart. Tannin isn’t always desirable even to people who love them tho! Tea which is oversteeped can be too tannic (read: bitter, drying, intense); it’s always about balance 🌙

bizanthymum

Man, I am super bummed I didn’t see this until well after the deadline. I really hope you touched on vinifera, why it isn’t the only good wine-producing species, and the inherent colonialism / racism involved in why we think of particular varieties as “good wine grapes” while others allegedly are not . . . ! 🤞🏻

bizanthymum

1) you should look into ‘natural*’ wines — they’re often lower ABV, as conventional wines tend to deliberately jack their alcohol content. Also, look into piquette! Second maceration grapes, usually max out around 6-8% ABV. Delicious! (*“natural” is a term full of sound and fury signifying nothing, BUT generally speaking it means a wine producer is more hands-off / tries to let the grapes do their thing to make a delicious product with little to no intervention.) 6) usually when you have a wine that is consistent in profile from year to year, it’s heavily doctored with additives to make it taste that way. Wine is an agricultural product, subject to change in climate and conditions. Smaller / low intervention producers will not (typically) doctor their wines in the same way, leading to variance in flavor from year to year (this is where the concept of “vintages” comes in; when someone says a wine is “an especially good vintage,” they’re saying that the growing conditions for that year produced an exceptionally quality product, more or less.)

The Other Maya

Yo. I'm well past the deadline but I'm in France (Narbonne) and I am currently drunk on wine from the salt flats. Salty wine. Not like burning salty on French fries but the minerality (did I spell that right?) 11.5 euro. I had cordon blu and fries delivered and had salt wine with it and I'm VERY HAPPY. That's all. I think we get wine twisted over here. It's not fancy. It's the music of the earth and all of her songs are worthy

Earl of Greymalkin

Awesome, thanks for the suggestion! I'll see what I can find.