#45: Debunking Wine Myths (Part 2).
Dec 1, 2025
Myth: Stemware is irrelevant
I wish that were true but it’s not. Years ago, one of the Reidel family came to Sonoma for a “stemware demonstration” open to our local winemakers. When 100+ skeptical folks arrived and took their seats, there were identical bottles of Chardonnay and three different glasses for all: a glass tumbler, an inexpensive wine glass and a perfectly-matched wine glass from Reidel. We poured and evaluated the Chard in the first vessel, then voted: the wine scored an overall “C”. Same Chard in the next vessel was voted a solid “B”. The same wine in the Reidel vessel? Most gave the wine an “A”. The reasons are complicated but the stemware (designed for different varieties) magically magnified aromas and flavors that “cheaper” glassware did not. Suzy and I were convinced and began buying Reidel for our tastings that very next day.
Myth: Swirling the wine in your glass is simply “showing off”
Not true. 90% of taste is smell. When you swirl the wine you create more surface area and can better smell the wine. If you want to intensify this effect, lay the palm of your hand over the glass to trap in the aromas (not allowing any air to escape) and swirl (you can lick your hand later). The split second you pull your hand away, stick your nose in the glass and smell. ‘Nuff said!
Myth: Thick “legs” on the bowl of your wine glass mean a higher quality wine
Those “legs” (“sheeting”) do mean something, but it has nothing to do with the wine’s quality. Pour some red wine into a good wine glass and swirl, then look at the wine film on the sides of the glass as the wine settles. (If you’re new at this, swirl with the base of the glass on the table, otherwise you might need a mop to clean up the mess.) The wine creates a film and while some wines may descend in even legs, other wines flow down in an irregular pattern. What does that mean? As the alcohol evaporates (away from the alcohol/water mixture) it creates the sheeting on the sides of the bowl. Lower alcohol wines tend to sheet evenly and those with higher alcohol leave behind wider, uneven clumps. Most European wines (generally less alcohol) tend to have orderly legs and “New World” wines (usually more alcohol) will produce uneven legs. (There are a few other factors that contribute to the differences in sheeting, but the percentage of alcohol is mostly the culprit.)
Myth: Always smell the cork when the waiter presents it
For years there was a problem with corks called “cork taint”. (One reason that screw caps became mainstay….) Around 1982, the culprit was discovered but it wasn’t the cork, it was the use of chlorine in cork sterilizing. Once chlorine was eliminated the problem pretty much went away. So instead of smelling the cork, you might look at the cork and feel it. Wine bottles are customarily stored on their sides and the cork end stays wet and doesn’t dry out. That’s desirable but only if the wine is stored at a constant temperature. Alcohol volume expands when it warms up and that forces the wine to slip out alongside the cork. (Corks aren’t meant to completely seal the bottle.) That’s not necessarily a bad thing but when the temperature cools, outside air is pulled into the bottle. When the wine continuously exhales and inhales (warm, then cool) the wine more quickly oxidizes. If the bottle is an older vintage, look at the cork and you’ll see how well the wine was stored.
Myth: Histamines are added to wine and histamines give me a headache
Winemakers don’t add histamines to wine. They are chemicals naturally produced by our bodies to help with our immune systems, but they are also found in cheeses, meats, fish and wine. Only a tiny percentage of people are hypersensitive to histamines so if you find yourself sneezing after sipping a red wine you may be an unlucky one. Try drinking a white wine (lower-in-histamine) to see if that helps. We have a close friend (a doctor) who has serious allergic reactions to both histamines and sulfites and he raves about his “Ullo” (Google it). Suzy and I were at their home for dinner this last week and he used the simple tool on two bottles of “pretty-big” reds. We not only found the wines to be smoother, but there was no hint of a headache the following day. I just ordered one for us.
Myth: Tannins give me a headache
Tannins are produced in tea, chocolate, nuts and wine and are natural antioxidants, protecting those foods and wine from spoilage. Because grape skins and seeds are high in tannins and red wines are fermented on the skins and seeds (white wines are usually not) red wines are higher in tannins. Tannins are more prominent in darker red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon) than in lighter-skinned reds (Pinot Noir) so if you think you have a problem, try a lighter red (or a white wine) and note the results. Since tannins inhibit our production of saliva causes the mouth to feel “dry” and a succulent cut of meat makes your mouth water, they make a terrific pairing.
Myth: “Natural Wine” is better for you
There is no legal definition of “natural wine”. Wine is a naturally fermented beverage created by Mother Nature…therefore all wine is, by definition, “natural”. If “natural” is on the wine label, it may infer that the winemaker used more traditional methods during wine making with minimal intervention. It could also mean the wine was fermented on “natural” yeast or the wine is “organic” or the grapes were grown “biodynamically”. (More about those terms later.) But since grapes have been turned into wine by Mother Nature for the past 11,000 years, a wine that is labeled “natural” can mean many things. Or nothing at all.
Myth: All red wine should be decanted
Not necessarily. Decanting (pouring wine from the bottle to another container) exposes the wine to a lot of air, thus “aging” a wine faster than normal. If you have a young, bold red wine, decanting may soften the tannins and tend to reveal more flavors and aromas. An older red wine might be decanted to leave behind any sediment but care needs to be taken. If the wine is very old, exposing the wine to a good deal of oxygen could ruin it very quickly. The rules? There aren’t many….
Happy New Year! This is my final 2024 article for The Kenwood Press but we’ll chat about wine myths again in February! 2024 was a blessed year for us at GlenLyon and hope it was a delightful one for you too!
“A bottle of wine begs to be shared and I have never yet met a miserly wine lover.” Clifton Fadiman, American intellectual and author
-Squire Fridell