Top 3 questions I get asked at our corporate wine tasting events
I often get asked interesting questions about the world of wine at both corporate events (team building or year-end functions) or at private wine tasting events where I’m the wine tasting host and facilitator.
I thought I would share my top three questions that I get asked most frequently at these wine tasting parties and events with the hope that they add a little spice to your wine knowledge and education.
1. Why do some wines give me a headache?
One of the main reasons that people get a headache after drinking wine is Histamine.
Histamine is a compound in the body released as a trigger response by our immune system.
Turns out that Histamine is found in the skins of grapes (mainly red grapes) and can have an effect on our immune system and if we don’t have sufficient enzymes in our body to fight the histamine release the resultant effect can be the onset of a headache.
White grapes have low histamine which accounts for why most people get headaches from red wine rather than white wine.
It’s common for wine drinkers to think that the main culprit for wine headaches is sulphites. Sulphites are also compounds naturally present in wine but there has been no evidence to suggest that they produce headaches.
So what can we do minimise the occurrence of headaches when we drink wine?
Taking an antihistamine before we indulge can reduce the histamine effects and the onset of a headache. These can be bought over the counter and are easily accessible.
If you’re not into popping pills, drinking caffeine before drinking wine is a lesser known remedy. Caffeine acts as a vasoconstrictor, constricting blood vessels and reducing the effects of dilation caused by histamine.
Please be mindful that the caffeine taste will change the taste of wine on your palette so rinse your mouth with water after your caffeine hit.
Another antidote is to drink a few glasses of water before indulging and continue sipping while you’re drinking wine. This will ensure that you’re hydrated and don’t bring on headaches as a result of dehydration.
2. How long will wine last after I’ve opened the bottle?
The short answer is that it depends on which wine you have opened as they are affected differently. Before I break it down, the important thing to know is that wine changes as soon as you open the bottle and will continue to change over time.
There are two ways this happens, oxidisation and the presence of acetic acid.
Oxidisation causes the wine to lose its vibrancy, freshness and fruity flavours and takes on a stale, sour and unpleasant characteristics. Acetic acid produces a vinegar smell and taste and a prickly sensation on the tongue.
Let’s take a look at these effects on different wines.
Sparkling wines and Champagne
If you place a champagne stopper on the bottle, put it in the fridge it can last for about 5 days. Spoons placed in the bottle is an old wives tale and won’t help at all.
Full bodied white wine
3 to 4 days kept in the fridge.
Tip: Keep unfinished wines in the fridge no matter the varietal (with the cork or screw cap on tightly). It preserves the wine a little longer.
High acid white wine (e.g. Riesling, Semillon)
3 to 5 days in the fridge
Red wines
It depends upon how much tannin and acid is present in the wine.
Lighter bodied (e.g. Pinot Noir, Dolcetto etc) wines 2-3 days. These wines have less tannin and acid and won’t preserve as long as higher tannin and acidic wines such as Shiraz or Nebbiolo which can last for up to 5 days.
Surprisingly enough sometimes bigger reds can even taste better after a day or two.
Tip: A good idea is to buy a vacuum pump which extracts the oxygen from the bottle slowing down the oxidative process. They’re dirt cheap and easy to use.
If you know that you won’t be finishing a bottle of wine, a more expensive option is to invest in a Corovin. A Corovin is a device that pumps argon gas into an unopened bottle through a fine hollow needle piercing the cork. The gas displaces the oxygen forming a protective layer over the wine which can then last for up to 3 months.
3. What are “legs” in wine?
When people refer to the “legs” or “wine tears” in wine, it refers to the stream or droplets of wine that run down the inside of the wine glass after you’ve swirled the wine.
Legs are formed when gravity pulls the wine down the side of the glass and as the alcohol evaporates it causes the water to push upwards away from the more alcoholic wine below resulting in the wine legs.
The legs are more about evaporation than anything else. Try this little experiment. Next time you’re having a wine, swirl the wine in your glass and take note of the legs. Cover the wine glass, swirl it in the same way and watch what happens. The legs will have markedly decreased as evaporation is slowed due to the wine being covered.
It used to be thought that if the wine had more “legs” it was a higher quality wine. There is nothing further than the truth. They have no bearing on the quality of the wine whatsoever!
All they represent is an indication of the alcohol content and viscosity of the wine.
The higher the alcohol content and the sweeter the wine the slower the wine will move down the glass. The lower the alcohol and sugar content the quicker the legs tend to flow down the glass.
It is also interesting to note that external factors such as the temperature and humidity in the room will also have an effect on the legs of the wine.
Want to learn about wine?
If you are interested in your own wine tastings for your next private or corporate event, get in contact with us and we can put a bespoke wine tasting together no matter what your wine experience level is.
Have a wine question for us?
Follow us on social media and reach out – we would live to feature your wine question in our upcoming posts.