On the grapevine: Main Ridge Estate winemaker James Sexton answers your questions
How much of an impact does the shape of your glass have on how wine tastes? We’ve brought in someone who would know, winemaker James Sexton, to answer this and other questions asked by our wine-loving readers.
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It’s fair to say Red Hill’s James Sexton knows a fair bit about wine.
The Main Ridge Estate winemaker developed his knowledge of vino as a sommelier at renowned Sydney restaurants before following in Nat White’s footsteps at the small hands-on family wine business.
Now, in the first instalment of Leader’s On the Grapevine series, he answers your questions.
Does the shape of a wine glass really affect how the wine tastes?
Over the past few decades there has been a big push from European glassware manufacturers to produce specific glassware for different grape varietals.
The impact this has on taste — how things feel on your tongue — is fairly limited.
On aroma however, that being what you smell, the effect is much more noticeable.
The simple principle of the glass design is that varietals with delicate fruit aromas (pinot noir, chardonnay, nebbiolo) placed in a wide based glass have greater contact with oxygen causing them to become more aromatic.
The opposite effect works for very fruity varietals (riesling, sauvignon blanc). In a narrow glass their intense fruity aromas can be tempered.
I prefer big reds but my best friend can’t go for anything heavier than a pinot. Is there a middle ground?
If it is pinot noir or bust, best to look at some of the cooler winemaking regions such as Central Otago, Tasmania or some of the northern states of America.
Here pinot noir is typically produced in a bolder style, that may suit you and keep the pinot noir drinker happy.
Otherwise Italy can offer some fun alternatives. The delicate bodied but highly structured nebbiolo, or Southern Italian island varietals such as frappato, nero d’avola or nerello mascalese, while harder to source, these grapes have a wonderfully intense fruit flavours like shiraz just without the high alcohol levels.
Should you decant white wine?
A term that is thrown around in wine circles a lot is that a wine is “reductive”.
To put the chemistry simply, reduction is the opposite of oxidation and is a reaction that occurs during fermentation.
In low amounts the wine will simply lack fruit aroma, if higher the wine will develop a flinty aroma. This is seen in both white and red wines, with the simplest remedy being to introduce oxygen to the wine, hence decanting.
I f consuming straight away nearly all wines benefit from decanting.
DIARY OF A WINEMAKER
This month at Main Ridge Estate
August is always a bit of a juggling act. It is the final dash to get pruning finished while also the time to bottle our 2018 vintage reds.
Getting to chat and meet people at the cellar door over the weekends is a nice change of pace, however the quieter month of September shines bright at the end of the tunnel.
On August 17 we play host to progressive Baroque trio ‘Latitude 37’ at the cellar door, then on September 3, I will join 20 other winemakers from the Mornington Peninsula in Sydney to showcase our special part of the world.
Main Ridge Estate, 80 William Rd, Red Hill.
More: mre.com.au
Instagram: @MainRidgeEstate
Got a wine question? Email mornington@leadernewspapers.com.au