JustLady.How do you find samples for tasting: always by accident or there is a circle of specialists who each other to share information?
Irina. 50 to 50.
Andrew. Firstly, on the internet a lot of information, and secondly, occur regularly semi-tasting, wine trading company when introducing a new line, or some manufacturer brings new wine. Fort, «Luding", "Bravo" organize such events. Furthermore, once a year, Moscow passes Wine Expo.
JL.How to choose wine?
Andrew.Come to the shop of the "ABC taste" and ask the consultant, describing what you want.
JL. But in "Auchan" or "Metro" is not such a person.
Irina. In "Auchan" will not, but, in principle, you can choose almost any wine for 300-500 rubles.
Andrew.Can not go wrong. It's not that it's some critical value, just when buying wine from 300, and now, probably, from 400 rubles, a chance to get something good to eat more.
JL.That is, there is nothing suspicious in the French wine for 300 rubles?
Irina.No, it's just the wine, such as grape, which can be assembled in any region or regions of France, and not on a specific limited area. It is very difficult to say what is good and what is bad, you just need to try. If we talk about the best value for money, this is, of course, Spain. Their wines are recognized worldwide.
Andrew. There is a rule: you do not know what to take, take Rioja - a rather large region of Spain, in Russia we are very well represented.
Spaniards themselves say that their wine - this wine is ready to drink. It is not necessary to wait as some Italian or French. Svinifitsirovali sell - so you can drink. The rest depends on your tastes. In Spanish wines have graduation: the most simple, easy - Kriansa (Crianza), then Reserve (Rezerve) and Grand Reserve (Gran Rezerve).
If you want to take a wine that has long kept in a barrel, and then in the bottle for a long time, is considered the most ready, this Grand Reserve. It will be with a pronounced taste Bochkov, tertiary aromas. In aromatics may appear leather or coffee. If you want lighter, take the red Kriansa.
With white wines another story. They are much harder to mess up, because to make easier. All, of course, begins with the grapes: from bad grapes of good wine will not do. But white wines generally cheaper. If red is more or less quality wines start at 400-500 rubles, for white wines 300 rubles - is normal. It's rare that a white wine that something is wrong.
Irina. It is easier to understand.
Andrew. More fine wines, a thousand, two, there is another thing - there is need to develop the subtlety of smell.
In the words of another Rothschild, any quality wine should cost up to $ 20. Above - this is how much you are willing to pay for a particular wine. Actually, so are prices for grankryushnye French wines - from "Margot" and ending Petrus'om - several thousand euros per bottle, and auction for 100, 200 thousand euros.
Irina. They, of course, 100 years these wines, but in general it is, of course, marketing. But in general, expensive wine - is:
- unique terroir,
- high tech,
- manufacturer name, which has earned a reputation over time, not only in marketing, but also quality.
JL. And there is something like a placebo effect: you drink wine, you know that it is unique, and it is for this reason you like it?
Andrew.When poured from a bottle labeled Petrus, I suspect you will have some serious expectations.
Irina. In general, hard to say, because every wine is not comparable to the other. We certainly try, but the wine is so unique body, it's like comparing two people.
Andrew.And if you say winemaker that its typical wine, it is, of course, would be offended.
JL.How old wine is better to buy?
Andrew.Is highly dependent on the region, varieties ...
Irina.And the type of wine. White is usually kept smaller than red, though it is also relative. Sauternes, for example, can live 20 years.
Andrew.5-year-old Sauternes at all, probably not worth buying.
Irina.It is better to buy a 10-year-old.
JL.And what is interesting Sauternes?
Andrew.Sauternes - this appellation in France, Bordeaux region, where the wines are produced with the help of noble rot Botrytis. In autumn it is put on grapes and starts zaiyuzyumlivat.
Irina.It is a disease, but in this perspective, it is considered noble.
Andrew.Mold eats away the grapes, it is a concentrated sugar in raisins. From this squeeze the remaining juice, sweet-presladky, he wanders, and it is made into wine. It turns out a bit in terms of wine is very sweet, with a low percentage of alcohol, with the scent of gasoline. A beautiful thing!
JL.How many lives wine? There are instances when there is an old wine, and it is excellent or, on the contrary, is already dead?
Andrew.There is a story in this regard. In my opinion, it was sparkling wine, pinot noir. He was transported through the Netherlands in St. Petersburg, and the ship sank Swedes. As a result, in the Gulf of it lay until the 90s. Got it, the blame for that moment was probably a hundred and fifty years. Opened, it turned out great.
JL. What about other common tips for choosing wine: that the bottle should be concave bottom, cork screw cover better? And how to read the label on what to look for?
Irina. Concave bottom - it's all show-off. I remember the name of this deepening - Punt - just the word "bluff." There are a lot of materials on this occasion and proved that the shape of the bottom does not matter.
Andrew.You know, for what it's deepening used? To be able to put the cart more bottles in one another that they are not riding and more fits within. It turned out one row more - that's the whole story.
Irina. And about traffic jams ... In principle, and in an expensive wine is a plastic tube, although, of course, rare. Often natural. Twist the plug, they are called screw, no worse. Conversely, they are more expensive and better in that they can not be disease as positive which can be subjected to the fungus, because of which can deteriorate the taste and aroma of the wine. (In November 2013 Italy adopted screw caps for wines DOC and DOCG. Now the choice is up to the method of closing the manufacturer. -Approx. Ed.) There are glass stoppers, but there is little. I do not know whether they will supersede the others until they are very popular, because expensive, but are considered the best.
Andrew. And about how to read the label - is a science.
JL.Well, for the layman.
Andrew. I advise you to read about it, Hugh Johnson, he has a very detailed written that where it is stated on the label. Label - a very interesting thing. French is probably the most restrained. Novyi Svet - most alyapistye, there is less information, more appeal. In Russia on the counter label, with Russian translation, decided to write grapes. In France, do not - there is already know in what region of the grapes produce a wine.
Irina. General advice - choose not to table wine and wine geographical name. This means that it is subject to certain rules established in this region. So reliable. I would also be wary of wines, on which the percentage of alcohol is not clearly indicated, and by some frames - from so much to so many. It is very strange: if the wine is bottled, it is, in theory, should not develop enough to go from 12 percent to 14.
To learn how to understand wine, do not just buy a bottle for a thousand rubles. To understand the difference from Chardonnay Sauvignon, Sauvignon can be bought without drums, for example, 2011 and Chardonnay, without barrel 2011 and for yourself to understand how they smell. Understand, do you see in it the flavors listed in the description. This practice. To begin to understand this, you need at least a year.