Yesterday we celebrated World Malbec day and not only that but it is Malbec season here at The Vines, where we are in full swing with our Malbec harvest at our Private Vineyard Estates. With so much activity and focus on Malbec, it is often difficult to decide what to by, what it all means and what will actually be in the bottle!

For some help on how to traverse these mazes of wine labels, one of our Private Vineyard Estate owners, Barry Chaiken, proprietor of Chaiken Vineyards has a great blog that discusses what information really is on the back label.

Also you should sign up for his newsletters to get an insider’s perspective on Argentine wine and his experiences as a vineyard owner making wine in Argentina. www.chaikenvineyards.com

Here is one of his great blog posts:

Oh so many wines to choose from in most wine shops, it is difficult to know which of the wines available you will enjoy. Market research shows that attractive wine packaging, just like for other consumer goods, can help boost sales. For many years “critter” wine labels – those with the cute animals on the label – were successful in attracting buyers to inexpensive wines from Australia.

For those of us who are more interested in choosing a wine that will be attractive to our taste buds rather than our eyes, reviewing some basic information on the label can help intelligently guide our choices. Although some wine labels may appear to provide rather limited information about the wine, there is almost always enough information available to guide us.

When first approaching a wine, look at the alcohol content. Red wines with high alcohol content (14.5-16%+) tend to be big, powerful, flavorful wines that are perfect for drinking alone or with very flavorful foods (e.g., rich, juicy steak). Lower alcohol red wines are more elegant and subtle in their flavors, thereby drinking best only when paired with appropriate foods.

For white wines, a lower alcohol content (e.g., 9-12%) usually indicates a high level of residual sugar seen in sweet wines. Very high alcohol white wines (e.g., 14%+) may indicate a dry wine that is out of balance as white wines generally do not have the strength of flavors, acidity, and tannins to counter the alcohol.

The type of varietal considered with the region the wine comes from gives a sense of what flavors can be expected from the wine. If there is a wine you currently like, then choose a wine made from a similar varietal (e.g., pinot noir) and the same region (e.g., Russian River Valley, CA) made by another producer. Most likely you will like this new wine while also learning from the differences you detect comparing the wines.

Other information such as types of barrels used (e.g., French vs. American oak, new vs. 2nd use), time in barrel, and bottle aging, all give you more information about the wine. As you drink more wine and relate the information you read on the label with the flavors in the wine, you will develop an internal guidebook that can help you choose wine in a liquor store or restaurant.

Although reviews and scores are useful in choosing a fine, the best guide is your own drinking  experience. No one is a better critic of what you may like than you are.

Sincerely,

Barry P. Chaiken, Proprietor

Chaiken Vineyards

info@chaikenvineyards.com

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