We are often presented with a wine list with the wines listed by their grape variety or by the region. But if you have a Chardonnay from Chablis in France, is it different from a Napa valley in the USA?
The answer is YES!
Where a grape grows in the world massively changes the flavour profile. The biggest influences on grape growing is the climate and weather. This is in addition to the soils, how the winemaker chooses to make the wines, the use of oak barrels, but the climate is the biggest one.
Chardonnay is a great grape variety to use to discuss the differences -
When Chardonnay is grown in cooler climates, for example Northern France, the flavour profile is more crisp, light flavours and zesty fruits. When Chardonnay is grown in warmer climates such at California, the flavours become more rich and instense. You get notes of mango, pineapple, butter , cream. As with any rule there are exceptions! I can hear Johann Fourie winemaker of Benguela Cove South Africa shouting at me, in hot countries such as SA, coastal climates and altitudes can produce wines with cool climate profiles.
This goes for many grapes varieties, so if you had a grape variety and loved it, make sure you find out which country it came from, a grape from a different part of the world can be a completely different flavour profile. The same rule applies if you have had a grape variety and haven't liked it. Don't rule it out! Try it from a different part of the world, the flavours change and you may just find you love it.
Now onto the temperature you serve wine. The colder the wine the more the flavours are masked. Some wines can be over-chilled and lose some of their flavours, for example a full bodied white can lose its flavours because it is too cold.
The same goes the other way, if the wine is too warm, the flavours can be too much and the wine can taste unbalanced. In general, UK homes sit a few degrees warmer than the continent so reds can be a little too warm.
Here is a guide for serving wines.
The 20/20 rule
When serving wine I like to use the 20/20 rule. Take white wine out of the fridge for 20 minutes before serving and pop red wine in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving. This will bring most wines into their optimum serving temperatures and show the wines off.
As people, we will all taste wine differently. We link flavours to memories so what comes out of a wine can change. When you introduce different people to wine it's important to make their views feel valid and help them to understand what flavours they are looking for in a wine. Some people with additional needs may be more sensitive to flavours as they can experience them differently. They can be over taste or under taste so take this into account when listening to view points about a wine. To be inclusive it's really important we make all people feel they are heard, and go away feeling supported to learn.
Last thought on hot and cold. Where to store wine? So often wine racks are now in kitchens, a room where the temperature can change a lot. Ideally wine needs to be stored at a cool, constant temperature and not overly exposed to sunlight. So if you have a special wine, as much as you might like it on show, to make sure it is at its best when you want to drink it make sure you keep it out of direct sunlight and nowhere too warm.
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